2.1 Problem Statement

There exists a body of literature (see 4. Literature Review) about genealogists and their information needs, however until now there has been no research that addresses the specific needs of researchers of Māori genealogy. Though some researchers in this area may be non-Māori it is reasonable to assume that most will have Māori ancestry and that certain cultural factors such as those discussed later may have some bearing. Projections from Statistics New Zealand (2005) state that the number of New Zealanders with Māori forebears will increase significantly in the next 15 years[1] therefore increasing the significance of this user group to public library services. In addition there are specific factors at work in a Māori cultural setting such as the broader role that whakapapa plays and issues with technology that have not been incorporated into previous research. This gap in current research makes it difficult for those providing public library services to this body of users to accurately assess or anticipate the information needs of whakapapa researchers, a group that will likely grow in the future.
[1] Estimates from Statistics New Zealand (2005) (pg. 142) anticipate Māori rising to 29% of the population by 2021.