An Affront to Her Mana: Young Maori Mothers' Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence

Young Maori mothers in Aotearoa/New Zealand are disproportionately vulnerable to intimate partner violence (IPV) due to multiple intersecting factors, such as relationship dynamics during youth, pregnancy, and racialized Maori (Indigenous) identity. An enduring legacy of settler colonialism has resulted in Maori being overrepresented as victims and perpetrators of violence. IPV, in particular, leads to adverse social, mental, and health outcomes over time, including those specific to mothers (e.g., postpartum depression, miscarriage). This study analyzed six narrative interviews with young Maori mothers aged 14 to 19 from the E Hine longitudinal maternal health care study. Kaupapa Maori (by Maori, for Maori) was the primary research framework, which allowed for the use of Maori modes of engagement and the centering of Maori women's voices in the research process. Using a thematic and interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), we aimed to understand the lived realities of young Maori mothers who have experienced IPV and to examine the extent to which service responsiveness has been culturally safe. Our findings illustrated how IPV manifests in the relationships of these six women. Their stories showed the various ways in which young Maori women resist violence, reclaim their Maori identities, and experience personal transformation during their motherhood journeys despite abuse. We find that whanau (extended family) is both a violence-perpetuating and immensely protective factor. Moreover, there are structural and institutional barriers to culturally safe service responsiveness for young Maori women. These come in the form of racism at the frontlines of government agencies, pervasive victim-blaming, and a lack of earnest decolonial structural change at the institutional level. We conclude that social services must be multisectoral, culturally safe, and specialized for Maori youth and families to support Maori mothers experiencing IPV.