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Coproducing health research with Indigenous peoples

Nature Medicine volume 29, pages 2722–2730 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

The coproduction of health research represents an important advance in the realm of participatory methodologies, which have evolved over the past five decades. This transition to a collaborative approach emphasizes shared control between academic researchers and their partners, fostering a more balanced influence on the research process. This shift not only enhances the quality of the research and the evidence generated, but also increases the likelihood of successful implementation. For Indigenous peoples, coproduced research represents a critical development, enabling a shift from being mere ‘subjects’ of research to being active controllers of the process—including addressing the extractive and oppressive practices of the past. In this Review, we explore how research coproduction with Indigenous peoples is evolving. An ‘Indigenous turn’ embraces the concept of shared control while also considering the principles of reciprocity, the incommensurability of Western and Indigenous knowledge systems, divergent ethical standards, strategic and political differences, and the broader impact of processes and outcomes. To illustrate these ideas, we present examples involving New Zealand’s Māori communities and offer recommendations for further progress.

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Fig. 1: Coproduction, participatory action and other types of research.
Fig. 2: Power and control between researchers and Indigenous peoples.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge funding support from the Ageing Well National Science Challenge for the Tai Kaumātuatanga Older Māori Wellbeing and Participation: Present and Future Focus (1903R) project and team members C. Love and C. T. Waldegrave.

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  1. Research Centre for Hauora & Health (RCHH), Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

    Chris Cunningham

  2. The Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

    Monica Mercury

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Positionality statement. Both authors identify as Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. C.C. is a member of the Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa, Te Ātiawa and Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāparangi iwi (tribes) and also claims Anglo-European ancestry. A scientist by training, he holds a PhD in chemistry (1988) and has worked as a Māori health researcher since 1996 and as a professor since 2001. He is a director of a Treaty of Waitangi-led research center in a New Zealand university. M.M. identifies as Te Iwi Mōrehu, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairarapa and ki Te Wairoa through her Māori father and is of Chinese descent through her mother. She is a trained educator (MEd) and community-based health researcher working in the nongovernmental sector.

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Correspondence to Chris Cunningham.

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Cunningham, C., Mercury, M. Coproducing health research with Indigenous peoples. Nat Med 29, 2722–2730 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02588-x

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