The HOMING method: a participatory interview tool integrating Indigenous perspectives in housing research
James Berghan, Fiona Cram, Anna Adcock, Sarah Tawhai

TL;DR
The HOMING method is a participatory tool that centers Indigenous perspectives in housing research by allowing participants to define what makes a house a home.
Contribution
HOMING introduces a novel, culturally responsive method for housing research grounded in Kaupapa Māori principles.
Findings
HOMING shifts power to participants by using self-determined measures of housing quality.
The method aligns with decolonial research approaches by centering Indigenous perspectives.
Case studies demonstrate HOMING's potential to expand inclusive and reflexive housing research methodologies.
Abstract
Conventional housing assessment tools often impose externally defined criteria, measuring housing quality against predetermined standards that may overlook the lived experiences and cultural values of residents. In contrast, the HOMING method is a participatory tool that centers self-determined measures of home and housing quality. Rooted in Kaupapa Māori research principles, HOMING shifts power to participants, allowing them to articulate and assess what makes a house a home based on their own lived experiences, rather than externally imposed benchmarks. The name HOMING encapsulates both “Home Of Mine”—emphasizing the deeply personal nature of home—and “housing” as an active process: what people feel, think, and do to create a home. Participants use blank wooden blocks [named Aro Rākau by a kuia (female elder)] to write or draw their own housing values, then collaboratively rank and…
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Taxonomy
TopicsUrban and Rural Development Challenges · Place Attachment and Urban Studies
