Talanoa, a Pacific storytelling methodology, requires researcher positionality, cultural sensitivity, flexible communication strategies, and relationship-building to appropriately engage Pacific youth in Aotearoa New Zealand in discussions about sexual and reproductive health.
Key Findings
Background
Culturally appropriate research methods for Pacific youth sexual and reproductive health are scarcely available in the literature.
The paper identifies a gap in research processes and practices that appropriately address Pacific values and sensitivities around sexual and reproductive health.
Limited use and understanding of culturally appropriate methods and procedures is attributed to this scarcity in published literature.
Pacific understandings of SRH 'encompass beliefs and practices reflective of Pacific values systems' integral to cultural understandings of 'safety, relationships, and intimacy.'
Results
Researcher positionality was identified as a key cultural consideration when conducting Talanoa research with Pacific youth on sexual and reproductive health.
The paper discusses how the backgrounds and experiences of Pacific researchers influenced the research process.
Researchers working with Pacific youth in South Auckland, New Zealand were examined in terms of their cultural positioning.
The researchers' own Pacific identities and cultural knowledge were framed as integral to the research process rather than incidental to it.
Results
Flexibility in research processes was identified as essential for privileging Pacific youth voices during Talanoa sessions.
The paper highlights how researchers must respond to 'the different needs youth have' during Talanoa sessions.
Flexibility was described as a key factor in adapting communication strategies to suit Pacific cultural contexts.
Talanoa's storytelling format was identified as conducive to 'connecting with youth and understanding their cultural views' in ways that rigid research protocols might not allow.
Results
Cultural protocols and communication strategies required active management to ensure respectful and supportive Talanoa sessions.
The paper describes how researchers 'must be respectful and supportive during Talanoa sessions' to maintain appropriate cultural protocols.
This approach was found to 'build trust and strengthen relationships' between researchers and Pacific youth participants.
Cultural sensitivities specific to discussions of sexual and reproductive health required particular attention within Pacific community contexts.
Results
Talanoa methodology was found to be effective for facilitating sensitive discussions about sexual and reproductive health with Pacific youth.
The study was conducted with Pacific youth in South Auckland, New Zealand.
Talanoa is described as 'a Pacific storytelling method' suited to sensitive discussions.
The methodology helped address 'cultural perspectives unique to Pacific youth' that might not be captured through conventional Western research approaches.
The paper suggests Talanoa ensures Pacific youth perspectives are 'appropriately represented in the research.'
Conclusions
The paper provides practical recommendations for researchers working with Pacific youth to better meet their sexual and reproductive health needs.
Key areas of guidance include researcher positionality, cultural sensitivities and protocols, communication strategies, and flexibility.
The paper frames these recommendations as addressing a broader need for 'a Pacific perspective' in sexual and reproductive health research.
Recommendations are grounded in reflexive accounts of the researchers' own experiences conducting Talanoa with Pacific youth.
What This Means
This research examines how a Pacific cultural methodology called Talanoa was used to engage with Pacific young people in South Auckland, New Zealand, about their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Talanoa is a storytelling-based approach rooted in Pacific values and traditions, and this paper reflects on how cultural factors shaped the way researchers conducted their study. The authors—Pacific researchers themselves—discuss the importance of their own cultural backgrounds, the need for flexibility, appropriate communication strategies, and careful attention to cultural protocols when discussing sensitive topics like sexual health with Pacific youth.
The study found that conventional Western research methods are poorly equipped to address the cultural values Pacific communities hold around safety, relationships, and intimacy. By contrast, Talanoa helped build trust and create a space where young people felt comfortable sharing their perspectives. Key factors that made the research work included the researchers' own cultural positionality, their ability to adapt to participants' needs in real time, and their commitment to treating participants with respect and cultural sensitivity throughout the process.
This research suggests that when working with Pacific communities on sensitive health topics, researchers need to go beyond simply translating existing methods and instead adopt frameworks that genuinely reflect Pacific worldviews. The findings offer practical guidance for health researchers and practitioners seeking to better understand and support the sexual and reproductive health of Pacific youth, emphasizing that culturally grounded approaches are not optional extras but fundamental to producing meaningful and trustworthy research.
Cammock R, Pousini T, Andrews M. (2025). Reflections on using Talanoa methodology to engage with Pacific youth in Aotearoa New Zealand about their sexual and reproductive health.. Sexual and reproductive health matters. https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2024.2445934