Enhancing the sustainability science agenda through Indigenous methodology

The successful cohabitation of Indigenous and sustainability sciences has much to offer the contemporary world of sustainable development in Indigenous communities. While the potentiality of authentic and respectful combination of these two worlds has been advanced significantly within the literature, there is still a lack of meaningful uptake of the potential methods and outcomes within the sustainability science space. This article is grounded in our collective experience in undertaking a Kaupapa Māori research project (an Indigenous research framework that reflects an approach that is by, with, and for Māori) with Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, a Māori tribal community in the South Island of New Zealand, to achieve their sustainable development aspirations. Our aim is to reflect on and share nuanced lessons in building trusting researcher/Indigenous community relationships. We identify three interdependent principles, framed within a kaupapa Māori perspective including (a) Toitū te mātauranga (processes of sustaining and valuing Māori knowledges), (b) Whakawhanaungatanga (processes of establishing relationships), and (c) Kotahitanga (processes of unity and collective action). This article offers insight into the potential of Indigenous/non-Indigenous collaborations that aims to contribute to meaningful transformation of sustainability science research more generally.