RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Health inequities experienced by kaumatua (older Maori) in Aotearoa, New Zealand, are well documented. Examples of translating and adapting research into practice that identifies ways to help address such inequities are less evident. The study used the He Pikinga Waiora (HPW) implementation framework and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to explore promising co-design and implementation practices in translating an evidence-based peer-education programme for older Maori to new communities. METHODS: The study was grounded in an Indigenous methodology (Kaupapa Maori) and a participatory research approach. Data were collected from research documentation, community meeting and briefing notes, and interviews with community researchers. RESULTS: The data analysis resulted in several key promising practices: Kaumatua mana motuhake (kaumatua independence and autonomy) where community researchers centred the needs of kaumatua in co-designing the programme with researchers; Whanaungatanga (relationships and connectedness) which illustrated how community researchers' existing and emerging relationships with kaumatua, research partners, and each other facilitated the implementation process; and Whakaoti Rapanga (problem-solving) which centred on the joint problem-solving undertaken by the community and university researchers, particularly around safety issues. These results illustrate content, process, and relationship issues associated with implementation effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that relational factors are central to the co-design process and also offers an example of a braided river, or He Awa Whiria, approach to implementation. The study offers a valuable case study in how to translate, adapt, and implement a research-based health programme to Indigenous community settings through co-design processes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The project was registered on 6 March 2020 with the Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry: ACTRN12620000316909 . Prospectively registered.