Lay summary
Efforts to reduce health inequalities between Maori and Non-Maori need to tackle a broad range of issues and work at many different levels. Establishing food gardens on marae is an example of a health promotion intervention that can have wide-ranging benefits for physical, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing. However, little is known about whether these potential outcomes are achieved in practice. The proposed research project will use qualitative methods to map the effects of marae food gardens on Maori wellbeing, based on experiences of marae communities in urban Tamaki Makaurau. It aims to identify the most important wellbeing outcomes for participants, assess how well marae food gardens are helping to achieve these outcomes, and explore how particular aspects contribute to improving Maori wellbeing. The study will contribute valuable knowledge about the impacts of marae food gardens and about methods for assessing the effectiveness of other complex health promotion interventions.