Māori food culture and wellbeing on TikTok: a content and thematic analysis

We examined content posted on TikTok on the topic of kai M & amacr;ori (traditional food and associated customs of the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) to inform strengths-based approaches to health promotion in M & amacr;ori communities. We conducted a content analysis of 100 unique TikTok videos labelled with the hashtags #kai and #Maori and coded content characteristics and viewer engagement for each video. Twenty foods were determined to be key M & amacr;ori identity foods from this analysis. We also undertook a reflexive thematic analysis of the content of all videos and user engagement from a sample of 40 videos. Three themes relating to the value of kai M & amacr;ori were identified: Mauri ora (kai as an expression of pride in M & amacr;ori identity), Ahik & amacr; kai (a means of keeping traditions alive) and T & umacr;hononga (a means of connecting with Te Ao M & amacr;ori). M & amacr;ori used TikTok to celebrate M & amacr;ori identity by sharing and discussing content about kai M & amacr;ori that was informative and often humorous or self-deprecating. Health promotion in M & amacr;ori communities should draw on the values of kai as more than food. Kai has an important role in strengthening wellbeing through facilitating cultural connections and linking healthy lifestyles with traditional practices like collecting seafood. Glossary of M & amacr;ori words: Ahik & amacr; kai: keeping M & amacr;ori traditions alive; Ahuriri: Napier, Aotearoa New Zealand; Aotearoa NZ: Aotearoa New Zealand; aroha: love; atua: deity, ancestor; ehe: e h & emacr;: an expression of no in Ng & amacr;i T & umacr;hoe Iwi [tribe] dialect; h & amacr;ng & imacr;: food cooked in an earth steam oven or gas steamer; he kai reka tenei: this food is yum or sweet; he t & imacr;no reka: very yummy; he reka: yum, sweet; huhu: huhu grub, Prionoplus reticularis; kai: food; kai M & amacr;ori: traditional food and associated customs; kaimoana: food from the sea including fish and shellfish; kaitiaki: custodians, guardians; k & amacr;nga wai/ k & amacr;nga pirau: fermented 'rotten' corn; kamokamo: squash, vegetable marrow; kao: no; karakia: blessing, giving thanks; kare: an endearment; karengo /parengo: seaweed; kaupapa M & amacr;ori: a M & amacr;ori approach, M & amacr;ori philosophy and principles guide practice; kia ora: hello, greetings, thank you; kina: sea urchin; koro:grandfather; kumara: sweet potato; kupu: word; k & umacr;tai: mussels; inanga: whitebait; mahinga kai: traditional food gathering place; mana whenua: M & amacr;ori people who have customary authority and rights over identified land; manaakitanga: the act of showing support, caring for others; M & amacr;oritanga: M & amacr;ori culture, way of life; m & amacr;tua: parents; marae: a place of cultural significance to gather and meet; mauri: spirit, life essence; mauri ora: strong pride in having a unique M & amacr;ori identity; meke: too much, good; mirimiri: to rub; moana: ocean; Ng & amacr;puhi: northern iwi [tribe] of Aotearoa; noa: ordinary, unrestricted; ora: to be alive, healthy and well; P & amacr;keh & amacr;: New Zealanders of European descent; paraoa: fry bread; patu: traditional club used in warfare; paua: abalone; pikopiko: young fern shoots; pipi: shellfish, clam; puha: a sow thistle green; Rakiura: Stewart Island; rangatahi: M & amacr;ori youth; rawe: excellent; reka: sweet; r & emacr;wana: fermented bread made with potato; T & amacr;: Sir, Knight; tamariki M & amacr;ori: M & amacr;ori children; Tangaroa: the M & amacr;ori atua (god) for the oceans; tapu: restricted, to be sacred, under atua protection; tautoko: show support; Te Ao M & amacr;ori: the M & amacr;ori world and its traditions; te taiao: the natural world; Te Whare Tapa Wh & amacr;: a model of M & amacr;ori health developed by T & amacr; Professor Mason Durie; t & emacr;n & amacr; koe: greetings (speaking to an individual); tikanga: traditional customs or practices; tinana: body, physical self; tino reka: an expression of deliciousness; tino reka te kai: the kai is yum; t & imacr;t & imacr;: mutton bird Puffinus griseus; toa: brave, accomplished, competent; toheroa: large clam;f toroi / whakamara: a fermented dish of cooked mussels and puha; tuatua: shellfish, clam; t & umacr;hononga: connecting with Te Ao M & amacr;ori; tuna: eel; t & umacr;puna / t & imacr;puna: ancestors, grandparents; wahine: woman; Whaea: Mother, Aunty; whakaiti: look down on; whakapapa: lineage, genealogy, ancestry; a central concept in M & amacr;ori culture of identity, relation and connection to people, place, and culture; wh & amacr;nau: family group, including extended family; whanaunga: relative, kin; whanaungatanga: relationship building; whenua: land, ground