Pai te moe, pai te ora: exploring the sociocultural practice of sleep in Aotearoa New Zealand through Māori media

Abstract Media has the potential to influence beliefs and social practices regarding sleep health. Sponsored articles, amateur guidance, and product advertising sit alongside Western scientific sleep research, which privileges biological and medicalized conceptualizations. Within this space, Indigenous knowledge and perspectives have largely been absent, creating a gap in culturally grounded understandings of sleep as a social practice. To begin the process of reclaiming and re-privileging Indigenous Māori sleep knowledge, 270 media texts concerning sleep were sourced from online media content predominantly created by and for Indigenous Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ). Texts were analysed thematically and organized in accordance with the Māori model of wellbeing Te Whare Tapa Whā (referring to the four-sided house, a holistic analogy of wellbeing). Five themes are presented: Te Taha Wairua, sleep as a spiritual experience; Te Taha Hinengaro, relationship between sleep and psychological wellbeing; Te Taha Tinana, relationship between sleep and physical wellbeing; Te Taha Whānau, sleep as a shared experience; and Te Taha Whenua, a place and space to sleep. Together, these illustrate key content concerning the understanding of sleep as a social and cultural practice for Māori in AoNZ. This research informs the reclamation and re-privileging of Indigenous sleep knowledge, aiding the development of future research and health promotion practices that are culturally responsive.