The Impact of Cultural Values on Maori Information Behaviour

Traditional information seeking behaviour models are not representative of indigenous values and customs. This article outlines research undertaken with New Zealand Maori secondary school students aged between 16-18 years to ascertain how they seek information in the Maori and the mainstream society cultural worlds in which they participate. The research outcomes indicate that these students primarily seek information from other people and in the process of doing so draw on tikanga Maori (Maori customs) to guide their behaviour. The research has resulted in the development of a new framework that describes these cultural behaviours and how they assist in the information seeking process.