In 2007, the Māori Partnership Board (MPB) identified a gap in Māori consultation and advice to researchers in the CCDHB district; RAG-M was established as a subcommittee of the Māori Partnership Board (MPB) to provide a more effective engagement point for researchers requiring Māori advice and input. The group was originally established as a subcommittee of the Māori Partnership Board (MPB) of CCDHB. MPB was the Māori relationship board to Capital and Coast District Health Board (CCDHB) mandated by mana whenua (Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Toa and Te Ati Awa ki Whakarongotai).
With the disestablishment of District Health Boards on 1st July 2022, DHB committees and sub-committees such as the Research Advisory Group – Māori (RAG-M) are no longer operational.
While awaiting changes from the Health NZ – Te Whatu Ora Reset, Māori endorsement of research projects is still required for locality approval and we will be contracting with individual providers for this service. This group is known as the Interim Research Advisory Group – Māori (IRAG-M).
The purpose of IRAG-M is threefold:
IRAG-M encourages Māori participation in a safe and appropriate environment for the purpose of improving the health status of Māori. IRAG-M is guided by the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – partnership, participation and protection.
Members are individually contracted providers who work as a team to review and endorse health research projects in the Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley region.
The IRAG-M function is part of the locality approval process for all research proposals. The IRAG-M meet on a monthly basis to review and discuss research proposals as part of the Locality Approval process.
For CCHV, in order to get locality approval, you must gain Ethics Approval from HDEC or University Ethics panel AND Endorsement from IRAG-M. The purpose of IRAG-M is an integral part of the Locality Approval process.
The Committee members are prominent Māori Health Professionals within the field of Public Health in Aotearoa with varying backgrounds including Clinicians, Epidemiology, Academia and Research. The Committee members are independent of CCHV.
The overall process of gaining Locality Approval within CCHV can take a minimum of eight weeks. The IRAG-M endorsement process can take a few weeks, depending on the decision from your original application. The IRAG-M application can run concurrent to the Ethics submission to either HDEC or other approved Ethics Committees such as University Ethics Panels.
The following requirements will need to be submitted. Please note that there are no expedited reviews.
Please ensure your DTMP includes how you will store Māori data and/or tissue, where it will be located, for how long and exactly what purposes the data and/or tissue will be used for at the time and in the future.
¹You can submit while your ethics approval is pending, but you cannot start the study until you have sent the ethics approval to the research office and IRAG-M and locality approval has been granted. Health and Disability Ethics Committees (HDEC) letters will be sent out within four weeks of their meetings.
There is a cost to having your application reviewed by the IRAG-M committee. The review cost for commercial sponsors is $1,250. For all other projects, the review cost is $350. This can be charged to your department or you can fund yourself.
To align with rising inflation and increasing operational costs, the 2025 costs have been adjusted. We remain dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service and greatly appreciate your understanding and continued partnership.
So your submission can reviewed by the committee at the next hui, you must submit it by 5pm. Please make sure you submit early.
| Submission dates | Committee review hui |
| 5pm, Friday 14 February | Friday 28 February |
| 5pm, Friday 14 March | Friday 28 March |
| 5pm, Friday 11 April | Friday 2 May |
| 5pm, Friday 14 May | Wednesday 28 May |
| 5pm, Friday 13 June | Wednesday 25 June |
| 5pm, Friday 18 July | Tuesday 22 July |
| 5pm, Friday 15 August | Wednesday 27 August |
| 5pm, Friday 12 September | Wednesday 24 September |
| 5pm, Friday 17 October | Wednesday 22 October |
| 5pm, Friday 14 November | Wednesday 26 November |
| 5pm, Friday 5 December | Wednesday 17 December |
*Dates are subject to change based on committee availability. If this happens, we will provide as much notice as possible.
Expect a response within 10 working days of IRAG-M meeting.
Priority will be given to the first 10 applications.
Within a couple of weeks of the hui, you will be emailed the outcome of your application by the secretariat of the committee.
The table below outlines each decision and its action steps.
Once endorsed, the secretariat will send you an official endorsement letter.
| Decision | Action steps |
|
Not endorsed — you have not fulfilled any of the criteria within the application form. You will not be able to start your research, and you do not have locality approval. |
The committee has provided feedback. Please respond to this feedback, and your response will be discussed at the next month's committee hui. |
|
Conditional endorsement — you have some adjustments to make. You will not be able to start your research, and you do not have locality approval. |
The committee has provided feedback. Please respond to the feedback, and this can be reviewed before the hui. |
| Endorsement — your study has been endorsed. | The committee has endorsed your study. |
The Māori data framework we use is Te Mana Raraunga.
Te Mana Raraunga | Māori Data Sovereignty Network (external link)
Data sovereignty typically refers to the understanding that data is subject to the laws of the nation in which it is stored.
Indigenous data sovereignty perceives data as subject to the laws of the nation from which it is collected.
Māori data sovereignty recognises that Māori data should be subject to Māori governance. Māori data sovereignty supports tribal sovereignty and the realisation of Māori and iwi aspirations.
Review the following documents when filling out your data or tissue management plans:
Researchers are strongly encouraged to attend a tikanga Māori research-specific two-hour workshop. It is encouraged that you attend one every two years.
Contact the research office if you or your team would like to attend. There are a limited number of places in each workshop.
There are two tikanga and two Māori data sovereignty workshops. You only need to attend one of each.
To attend the Māori data sovereignty workshops, you must have attended a tikanga workshop in the last two years.
Email ragm@ccdhb.org.nz for more information.
| Workshop | Date |
| Māori data sovereignty Wellington Hospital |
Wednesday 12 March 2025 1pm to 3pm |
| Tikanga workshop Hutt Hospital |
Wednesday 11 June 1pm to 3pm |
| Tikanga workshop Wellington Hospital |
Wednesday 17 September 1pm to 3pm |
| Māori data sovereignty Wellington Hospital |
Wednesday 3 December 1pm to 3pm |
*Please note these dates are subject to change if the availability of facilitators changes. Advanced notice will be provided as soon as possible. Please email ragm@ccdhb.org.nz if you would like to attend.
For general enquiries about the Research Advisory Group — Māori, email ragm@ccdhb.org.nz
For research enquiries, email res-research@ccdhb.org.nz
Visit us in the Clinical Services Block at Wellington Regional Hospital. Take the purple lifts to Level 8.
Wellington Regional Hospital maps — Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (external link).
Refer to this document for guidance on completing your application and meeting the minimum requirements for Māori consultation:
We recommend you browse through the resources on Te Kāhui Raraunga.
Other helpful resources: