Āhurutanga. [the process of creating a safe and nurturing space, warmth and comfort, to make the world a better place]. Use and definitions cited in two academic sources:
Spirituality in Social Work Education and Practice in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2010, Carol Anne Phillips (Master’s Thesis, Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand. (p. 54). ALSO similarly in:
Kaupapa Wānanga: An Indigenous Framework to Guide Teaching and Learning. Erita Kingi. Proceedings of the 4th International Traditional Knowledge Conference 2010. Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga – New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence, pp 180 – 188.
Āhurutanga is defined as a safe space or creating a way forward without stepping into one another’s spaces with people, kaupapa, and the environment.
When taukumekume [positive and negative tension – “the tension of difference”] are acknowledged, āhurutanga is created as a safe space, where robust but respectful reflection and dialogue take place within an ethical framework. Within this space whakaroha rangatiratanga [respectful relationships] are maintained with the ako (reciprocal) relationship between researcher and participant and researcher/participant and the material under discussion.
Āhurutanga, according to Pohatu & Pohatu (from: Takepu: principled approaches to healthy relationships. Undated. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa) is an essential source of mauri ora, or wellbeing, because it is the place, for Māori, which ‘encapsulates cultural uniqueness, intactness, and completeness’. This is very important for nga take pu (bi-cultural principles) to operate respectfully to the result that participants are safe enough to open.