During COVID-19, a majority of Aotearoa was locked-down and spent considerable time with their whānau. Naturally, whānau spending more time together allowed greater transmission of mātauranga and te reo Māori. However, lock-down was unpredictable with whānau facing both significant economic impact and increased risk of COVID-19 (e.g., essential workers from lower socio-economic and minority backgrounds).

We plan to investigate these complex themes by taking a unique opportunity to approach the rich Growing Up in New Zealand data with a quantitative lens, coupled with our mātauranga Māori focused approach inherent to our mahi as Māori researchers. Our overarching questions are: did the Covid-19 lockdown lead to higher levels of depression and anxiety for distinct subpopulations of tamariki? Does the association between depression and anxiety change for a subpopulation based on their level of cultural embeddedness and identity?

In the proposed study, we seek to address three main research subquestions:
• Are there distinct profiles of tamariki that can be identified using a combination of socio-economic and demographic variables?
• Did the tamariki profiles predict how their wellbeing presents during COVID-19?
• In the case of tamariki Māori, did their parents have a greater willingness and ability to transfer mātauranga (Māori knowledge) and te reo Māori and does this impact on the wellbeing measures yielded during COVID-19 lockdown?

We will address these questions using a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to see how profiles differ in wellbeing outcomes in order to understand the relationship with cultural transfer. Further, we will be able to identify profiles that may respond differently to policy intervention. This mahi will help elucidate how and why cultural and identity transmission may differ between sub-populations of our people to inform Māori stakeholders and key policymakers.