2026 is here, and people across the world are setting New Year’s resolutions. But is the “New Year, New Me” mindset helpful or harmful for whānau?
Around 40% of adults worldwide are believed to make New Year’s resolutions each year, with Forbes Health reporting that about 25% give up by the end of January and around half abandon their goals within six months.
“There is a hustle culture that comes with it,” says life coach Amy McLean (Waikato, Ngāti Māhanga).
“Usually everyone’s trying to fit all the things in [without] completely burning out on the other side.”
McLean is the founder of Te Kāinga Wāhine, an organisation supporting wāhine Māori in business, leadership and personal development. She says common resolutions often focus on balance, hauora, pūtea and time.
McLean adds that many people feel pressured to set resolutions, despite the exhaustion that follows the end-of-year rush.
“I think some of those aspects can be harmful for our whānau because you almost fall into this pressure of needing to set something; otherwise, I’m not keeping up with everyone else.”
Me whaitake ngā whāinga
Hei tā McLean, he paki ōkewa ētahi o ngā whāinga mō te tau hou Pākehā, i te mea, kāore e whai pānga nei ērā whāinga ki tēnei ao kikokiko.
“They don’t get embedded in the person’s being.”
“A lot of New Year’s resolutions tend to be ‘reinvent myself’ goals or big changes - [which] are amazing and important to have. But what happens with those really big goals is we don’t always get the dopamine hits that we need to sustain us in that process.”
Hei tāna, me iti rearea ngā whāinga.
“You acknowledge the successes you have, and then you slowly work towards those bigger goals, as opposed to just having that big goal in the sky that you’re trying to achieve.”
Me tūpato ki ngā whakatairanga hauora
He kaimahi o mua a ia i te ao whakapakari tinana, ko tā McLean e mea ana, he mōrearea nui ko ngā whakatairanga mō te whakapakari tinana i tēnei wā o te tau.
“They’re designed to poke into insecurities or little niggles you might have about yourself and create something bigger than it really is, telling you that you need this thing in order to reinvent yourself.”
“The pressure of the moment that comes with promotions can be really strong for some people, pulling them into something that may not be the right decision at the time.”
He tirohanga taketake
Hei tāna, i te hauhaketanga mai o Matariki hei kaupapa nui i te ao Māori, kua timata tā whānnau Māori whakatahuri i ngā whakaaro, e Māori ake ai.
“Matariki tends to bring a more reflective way of looking at how we set goals and what we want our next year to be like - that approach, as opposed to your traditional New Year’s resolutions, which come from quite a deficit framing of, ‘What are all the things that are wrong with me? How do I fix them?”
Ahakoa kāore ō McLean whakapāhunu i te whānau Māori ki te whakarite whāinga o te tau hou, ko tāna ki te iwi, me āta whakarite i te huarahi.
“When it comes to goal-setting: focus on three goals, three milestones for each goal, and three principles for protecting those goals,” she adds.
“Don’t wait until New Year to set your goals. If setting goals at that time aligns with where you’re at, do so with intention, away from social media pressures, focusing on what you and your whānau want.”
