He kakano ahau - identity, Indigeneity and wellbeing for young Maori (Indigenous) men in Aotearoa/New Zealand

This article examines how dominant Eurocentric approaches to mental health are unable to address the diverse needs of young Maori men in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Drawing on current health inequities facing Maori and young Maori men in particular, this commentary explores how colonisation has impacted young Maori men in negative ways. Through shaping current health structures in Aotearoa/New Zealand, dominant Eurocentric approaches foreground individualised conceptualisations of Maori ill-health, and then apply predominantly Western therapies to resolve this. These approaches are ill-equipped to address the intergenerational and structural issues which are at the root of mental health disparities for young Maori men. This article adds to a growing body of Indigenous psychology literature that speaks to the inadequacies within (mental) health systems for addressing the ongoing challenges that Maori experience due to colonisation. It further highlights how the intersections among ethnicity/race, class, age and masculinity for Maori men are shaped by colonial discourses. These inadequacies reflect a broader issue of the constraints placed on Maori self-determination by the colonial systems of power in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The article closes by proposing some alternative approaches to supporting Maori wellbeing that centre the needs and aspirations of Maori.