{"id":{"repo_id":"auckland-ms","oai_identifier":"oai:researchspace.auckland.ac.nz:2292/74780"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/auckland-ms/oai:researchspace.auckland.ac.nz:2292/74780","repository":{"repo_id":"auckland-ms","name":"University of Auckland","base_url":"https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Ki te Whaiao, ki te Ao Mārama: An Exploration of Protective Factors and Cultural Connectedness in Māori Males who have Sexually Offended","abstract":"Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, are significantly overrepresented within the justice system, including among those who have sexually offended. Although there is increasing recognition of the need for culturally responsive approaches to rehabilitation, most risk assessment tools remain deficit-focused, misaligned with Māori worldviews, and may perpetuate further marginalisation through their overemphasis on risk. There is increasing interest in protective factors as a way to balance risk assessment with strengths-based treatment. However, little is known about how this notion of protection is conceptualised and experienced by Māori. This thesis addresses that gap by exploring culturally nuanced understandings of protection among Māori males who have sexually offended. It draws on data from a broader longitudinal research project and uses a mixed methods design across three studies. Study 1 draws on quantitative data from 51 Māori participants to examine protective factors using the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors against Sexual Offending (SAPROF-SO), alongside measures of cultural identity and wellbeing. Study 2 uses reflexive thematic analysis with 11 participants to explore their perspectives of protective influences in desistance and the protective role of cultural identity and engagement. Study 3 presents composite narratives from nine participants to illustrate diverse offending and desistance trajectories, and the patterns of protection that shape these. Across these studies, findings emphasised the central role of relationality and identity in supporting desistance, suggesting that protective influences extend beyond the individual – grounded in whanaungatanga and cultural identity, and enacted through identity-affirming relationships and culturally anchored ways of being. It offers preliminary support for using protective factor tools with Māori while also highlighting areas where current tools may require further investigation.","abstract_html":"Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, are significantly overrepresented within the justice system, including among those who have sexually offended. Although there is increasing recognition of the need for culturally responsive approaches to rehabilitation, most risk assessment tools remain deficit-focused, misaligned with Māori worldviews, and may perpetuate further marginalisation through their overemphasis on risk. There is increasing interest in protective factors as a way to balance risk assessment with strengths-based treatment. However, little is known about how this notion of protection is conceptualised and experienced by Māori. This thesis addresses that gap by exploring culturally nuanced understandings of protection among Māori males who have sexually offended. It draws on data from a broader longitudinal research project and uses a mixed methods design across three studies. Study 1 draws on quantitative data from 51 Māori participants to examine protective factors using the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors against Sexual Offending (SAPROF-SO), alongside measures of cultural identity and wellbeing. Study 2 uses reflexive thematic analysis with 11 participants to explore their perspectives of protective influences in desistance and the protective role of cultural identity and engagement. Study 3 presents composite narratives from nine participants to illustrate diverse offending and desistance trajectories, and the patterns of protection that shape these. Across these studies, findings emphasised the central role of relationality and identity in supporting desistance, suggesting that protective influences extend beyond the individual – grounded in whanaungatanga and cultural identity, and enacted through identity-affirming relationships and culturally anchored ways of being. It offers preliminary support for using protective factor tools with Māori while also highlighting areas where current tools may require further investigation.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Miller MacDonald, Imogen"],"institution":"ResearchSpace@Auckland","degree_name":"DClinPsy","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Clinical Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Willis, Gwenda","le Grice, Jade"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025","date_published":"2025","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:03:56Z","subjects":["offender treatment","offender rehabilitation","strengths-based assessment","risk assessment","protective factors","culture","forensic psychology","Māori models"],"languages":[],"rights":["Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated."],"rights_urls":["https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2292/74780","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Willis, Gwenda","le Grice, Jade"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Miller MacDonald, Imogen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-03-02T19:10:18Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["ResearchSpace@Auckland"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Clinical Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["DClinPsy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The University of Auckland"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["offender treatment","offender rehabilitation","strengths-based assessment","risk assessment","protective factors","culture","forensic psychology","Māori models"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2292/74780"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, are significantly overrepresented within the justice system, including among those who have sexually offended. Although there is increasing recognition of the need for culturally responsive approaches to rehabilitation, most risk assessment tools remain deficit-focused, misaligned with Māori worldviews, and may perpetuate further marginalisation through their overemphasis on risk. There is increasing interest in protective factors as a way to balance risk assessment with strengths-based treatment. However, little is known about how this notion of protection is conceptualised and experienced by Māori. This thesis addresses that gap by exploring culturally nuanced understandings of protection among Māori males who have sexually offended. It draws on data from a broader longitudinal research project and uses a mixed methods design across three studies. Study 1 draws on quantitative data from 51 Māori participants to examine protective factors using the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors against Sexual Offending (SAPROF-SO), alongside measures of cultural identity and wellbeing. Study 2 uses reflexive thematic analysis with 11 participants to explore their perspectives of protective influences in desistance and the protective role of cultural identity and engagement. Study 3 presents composite narratives from nine participants to illustrate diverse offending and desistance trajectories, and the patterns of protection that shape these. Across these studies, findings emphasised the central role of relationality and identity in supporting desistance, suggesting that protective influences extend beyond the individual – grounded in whanaungatanga and cultural identity, and enacted through identity-affirming relationships and culturally anchored ways of being. It offers preliminary support for using protective factor tools with Māori while also highlighting areas where current tools may require further investigation."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Ki te Whaiao, ki te Ao Mārama: An Exploration of Protective Factors and Cultural Connectedness in Māori Males who have Sexually Offended"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Willis, Gwenda","le Grice, Jade"],"dc:creator":["Miller MacDonald, Imogen"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-03-02T19:10:18Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025"],"dc:description.abstract":["Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, are significantly overrepresented within the justice system, including among those who have sexually offended. Although there is increasing recognition of the need for culturally responsive approaches to rehabilitation, most risk assessment tools remain deficit-focused, misaligned with Māori worldviews, and may perpetuate further marginalisation through their overemphasis on risk. There is increasing interest in protective factors as a way to balance risk assessment with strengths-based treatment. However, little is known about how this notion of protection is conceptualised and experienced by Māori. This thesis addresses that gap by exploring culturally nuanced understandings of protection among Māori males who have sexually offended. It draws on data from a broader longitudinal research project and uses a mixed methods design across three studies. Study 1 draws on quantitative data from 51 Māori participants to examine protective factors using the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors against Sexual Offending (SAPROF-SO), alongside measures of cultural identity and wellbeing. Study 2 uses reflexive thematic analysis with 11 participants to explore their perspectives of protective influences in desistance and the protective role of cultural identity and engagement. Study 3 presents composite narratives from nine participants to illustrate diverse offending and desistance trajectories, and the patterns of protection that shape these. Across these studies, findings emphasised the central role of relationality and identity in supporting desistance, suggesting that protective influences extend beyond the individual – grounded in whanaungatanga and cultural identity, and enacted through identity-affirming relationships and culturally anchored ways of being. It offers preliminary support for using protective factor tools with Māori while also highlighting areas where current tools may require further investigation."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/2292/74780"],"dc:publisher":["ResearchSpace@Auckland"],"dc:rights":["Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated."],"dc:rights.uri":["https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm"],"dc:subject":["offender treatment","offender rehabilitation","strengths-based assessment","risk assessment","protective factors","culture","forensic psychology","Māori models"],"dc:title":["Ki te Whaiao, ki te Ao Mārama: An Exploration of Protective Factors and Cultural Connectedness in Māori Males who have Sexually Offended"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Clinical Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["DClinPsy"],"thesis:institution_name":["The University of Auckland"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:03:56Z"}