Recently, Haar and Martin (2022) showed cultural identity might be a disadvantage for Indigenous employees in the workplace. They used the term aronga takirua to capture the cultural double shift that Maori (the Indigenous people of New Zealand) employees engage in. Specifically, workload pressures around doing higher levels of (a) in-role (traditional) work, and (b) culturally specific work, such as being a conduit with Maori communities or a translator for non-Maori co-workers/managers. That study highlighted potential issues around careers, turnover, and job burnout. While the original study focused on Maori scientists, this study expands the focus to a broad spectrum of Maori professions to aid our understanding of whether the cultural double shift is experienced by Maori workers more broadly. The present study tests a measure of aronga takirua across five samples, exploring both antecedents (Study 1+2) and consequences (Study 3-5), including mediator (Study 3) and moderator (Study 4+5) additions. We also extend the focus suggesting aronga takirua might not be uniformly detrimental. Most antecedents and all consequences are supported including positive links to happiness and career satisfaction. Significant moderating effects from cultural identity show that beneficial effects on career satisfaction are strongest for Maori with high cultural identity.
