Establishing a Probabilistic Indigenous Survey Panel to Measure Māori Health, Wellbeing and Social Attitudes: Te Ao Mārama

Abstract

Indigenous peoples experience a paradox in official statistics: deficit framing and surveillance through state data systems, alongside an urgent need for evidence to monitor inequities and advocate for policy change. In Aotearoa New Zealand, existing monitoring systems often fail to capture the diversity and intersectional realities of Māori communities. This article outlines the rationale and conceptual foundations for the Te Ao Mārama Māori Health, Wellbeing, and Social Survey Panel, a Māori‐governed probabilistic longitudinal survey infrastructure. Drawing on Indigenous statistics, Māori data sovereignty scholarship and the whakapapa of Māori‐led survey research, we review limitations in national monitoring systems, including the New Zealand Health Survey, Te Kupenga, General Social Survey, the Household Labour Force Survey and Integrated Data Infrastructure. We argue that these systems lack sufficient scale, frequency, cultural relevance and Māori governance to support robust intersectional analyses, contributing to the statistical invisibilisation of tāngata whaikaha Māori, rural communities, kaumātua and other priority groups. The Te Ao Mārama Panel responds by combining probabilistic sampling with kaupapa Māori methodologies and tikanga‐based governance, with Te Ao Mārama Aotearoa Trust acting as data kaitiaki. This infrastructure enables Māori‐defined monitoring of health, wellbeing and social attitudes over time, supports disaggregated analyses and provides capacity for rapid ‘pulse’ surveys during crises. By embedding Indigenous data sovereignty principles within survey design and governance, Te Ao Mārama strengthens analytic visibility of Māori realities and provides a sustainable platform to inform equitable policy, accountability and collective flourishing.