Nō hea koe: Barriers to identity

Author: Alysha Bailey

Supervisors: Glenys Forsyth Carleen Mitchell

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20 January 2026

 

Bailey, A. (2025). Nō hea koe: Barriers to identity [Master's thesis, Otago Polytechnic]. Research Bank. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.7197

 

Abstract

This thesis explores barriers to identity in the context of non-identifying Māori in Aotearoa. It presents a vulnerable exploration of the barriers that shape and complicate cultural identity. A search for existing knowledge revealed significant gaps in discussions around non-identifying Indigenous peoples, particularly in relation to those who do not seek reconnection. Literature was primarily focused on journeys toward reclamation and belonging, rather than the barriers that prevent engagement in the first place. This gap shaped the unique contribution of this thesis. Utilising autoethnography, heuristic research, and literature review, the research includes a deeply personal perspective alongside a professionally situated inquiry. The primary aim was to investigate the barriers that prevent some Māori from identifying culturally, and to bring visibility to non-identifying Māori. Rather than seeking solutions for how to “encourage” identification, the project set out to understand why cultural identification is complex and, at times, inaccessible. Throughout this thesis the terminology 'non-identifying' is used to describe a symptom of identity complexity rather than a category. This research does not assume reconnection as the outcome but rather, it challenges the reader to support the identities that exist in the in-between.

 

Keywords

cultural identity, education, autoethnography, heuristic

 

Licence

A copy of the thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

This licence applies except where otherwise indicated, especially for images.