Te Mata Ira—Faces of the Gene: Developing a cultural foundation for biobanking and genomic research involving Māori

Te Mata Ira was a three-year research project (2012-2015) that explored Maori views on genomic research and biobanking for the development of culturally appropriate guidelines. A key component of this process has been to identify Maori concepts that provide cultural reference points for engaging with biobanking and genomic research. These cultural cues provide the basis for describing the cultural logic that underpins engagement in this context in a culturally acceptable manner. This paper outlines the role of two wananga (workshops) conducted as part of the larger project that were used to make sense of the Maori concepts that emerged from other data-collection activities. The wananga involved six experts who worked with the research team to make sense of the Maori concepts. The wananga process created the logic behind the cultural foundation for biobanking and genomic research, providing a basis for understanding Maori concepts, Maori ethical principles and their application to biobanking and genomic research.