Pūao-te-Āta-tū: Informing Māori social work since 1986
The Pūao-te-Āta-tū Report (1986) is the founding document of Māori social work in Aotearoa, second only to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840) in its significance for Māori social workers. This article presents the influences of Pūao-te-Āta-tū over the past 20+ years on Māori social work. The Report promoted significant changes to social work; in particular, the development of social work practices by Māori, with whānau Māori. In light of its significant nature, research was undertaken with eight Māori social workers to engage them in discussion on the influential nature of Pūao-te-Āta-tū on their social work practice. This article presents the participants’ comments, and emphasises the impact Pūao-te-Āta-tū had on Māori social work practice methods (Hollis, 2006).