Water safety knowledge wellspring - Wai Puna
Wai Puna is a theory of Maori water safety developed by Dr Chanel Phillips (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi), co-director of Te Koronga Indigenous Science Research Themes. Dr Phillips' work in this area culminated in her PhD entitled A Journey to Belonging: Explorations of Māori Perspectives of Water Safety which analysed Māori oral narratives such as pūrākau (creation stories), mōteatea (chants), karakia (incantations), whakataukī (proverbs) and pepeha (tribal aphorisms) to better understand water safety and drowning prevention from a Māori perspective and help reduce the high drowning rate of Māori in Aotearoa.