Considering the importance of transport to the wellbeing of Māori social housing residents

Background Indigenous Māori conceptualisations of home extend beyond the house and encompass the ways in which people move in and around their environments. This movement is enabled by appropriate and accessible transport systems. For Māori living in social housing, who may already be disconnected from their whānau (family group, extended family), friends and places of belonging, access to the wider urban environment is essential for supporting health and wellbeing. Despite literature depicting Māori inequities in both transport access and in transport-related health outcomes such as access to a general practitioner, there is little research that explores transport as an enabler of wellbeing for Māori living in social housing. This is the gap that this research fills. Methods This qualitative research took a Kaupapa Māori approach and privileged Indigenous Māori worldviews and concepts throughout. Interviews were conducted with twelve Māori residents living in social housing complexes in Christchurch New Zealand. Interviews explored how Māori experienced their housing complex and the travel they did between their complex and the wider urban environment. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed by the lead Māori researcher. Results Results describe how residents use different forms of transport to access the environment around their social housing complexes. Despite utilising a wide range of transport modes, participants discussed the barriers they face when using both private and public forms of transport. The research also looks at how Māori living in social housing perceive novel transport technologies and poses questions surrounding the suitability of these schemes for reducing transport inequities. Conclusions These localised experiences provide insight into the role transport plays in creating a home and in establishing and maintaining social connections for Māori living in social housing. In doing so, the research explains the link between transport access and Indigenous wellbeing while also exploring some of the concerns those living in social housing have surrounding their inclusion in transport solutions. Findings reinforce the notion that successful transport systems for Indigenous populations come from a place of co-design where Indigenous peoples are equal partners in decision-making.