Karanga rua, karanga maha: Māori with lived experience of disability self-determining their own identities

For Indigenous Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand, the impact of disability can be pervasive yet often invisible due to considerable gaps accuracy and interpretations data information for Māori. We present findings from a kaupapa qualitative study that centres perspectives with lived experience disability, exploring how they define negotiate their identities within context health wellbeing. Our emphasise Western-centric constructs ‘disability’ related terms fail align te ao perspectives. discuss notion ‘karanga rua, karanga maha’ as potential framework understand conceptualise express plurality collectives. ways being, knowing, relating doing are vital advancing understanding impacts address priorities aspirations disability. There is critical need national level dialogue led by, with, collective identity, (re)claiming own mātauranga concert recognition acknowledgement tāngata whenua rights full expression tino rangatiratanga wellbeing.Glossary terms: aroha: love, compassion, empathy; hapū: kinship group, sub-tribe, sub-nation, pregnant; iwi: extended tribe, nation, people, bone; ira: life principle; kaitiakitanga: guardianship; kanohi ki kanohi: face-to-face; kapa haka: traditional performing group; kāpō Māori: visual impairment, who blind or deafblind; karanga: call chant; maha: person through more than two lines decent; rua: someone different lines, standing double relationship; maha’: proposed conceptualising Disability identity - reference integrated having (rua) many (maha) callings intersectionally relational elements; kaumatua: elders; agenda, principles, ideology philosophical doctrine, incorporating knowledge, skills, attitudes values society; koro: elderly man, grandfather, term an older man; kuia: woman, grandmother, female elder; mana: spiritually sanctioned endorsed influence, power authority; manuhiri: visitor, guest; Peoples Zealand; marae: courtyard, open area front wharenui, where formal greetings discussions take place. Also used include complex buildings; mātauranga: wisdom; māuiui: illness, disorder; moemoeā: have dream, vision; ngāti Turi: Deaf; Pākehā: foreign, Zealander European descent; Papatūānuku: Earth Mother; pēpi: baby, infant; rangatahi: younger generation; rangatira: chief/chieftainess; rohe: boundary, territory; rongoā: medicine, remedy; tamariki: children; tāngata: people; whaikaha: empowering umbrella encompass people (of all ethnicities) (literally: striving enablement); whaikaha whenua: born land placenta people's ancestors buried; tapu: sacred; world; Pākehā (foreign) tawhito: ancient reo language; Te Tiriti o Waitangi: version Treaty Waitangi; forms foundation contractual relationship between internationally recognised sovereign nations – Māori, (people land), British Crown; rangatiratanga: absolute sovereignty, self-determination; tūrangawaewae: standing, place one has right stand; tikanga customary system practices developed over time deeply embedded social context; tīpuna/tupuna: ancestors; wairua: spirit, soul; wānanga: meet, discuss, deliberate, consider; Whaikaha: Reo name Ministry Disabled People; whakamā: ashamed, shy, bashful, embarrassed; whakapapa: ancestry, genealogy, familial relationships; whanau: born, family, family whānau hauā: disability; wharekai: dining hall; wharenui: meeting house, large house; placenta, ground, land.