Many Indigenous- specific research paradigms are used internationally. Kaupapa Māori is one such paradigm that privileges and legitimises Māori knowledge, culture, language, customs and protocols. The qualitative Kaupapa Māori paradigm presented here includes establishing an expert advisory rōpū and a Māori- led research team, developing and pilot testing a Māori data collection method (wānanga interviews), conducting wānanga, and analysing the collected data. Two wānanga were held with groups of rangatahi and whānau. Wānanga 1 centred around components of hauora important for rangatahi Māori. This led to the creation of a provisional model, in which an atua Māori represented hauora rangatahi Māori. The findings from wānanga 1 were presented to participants in wānanga 2 to initiate discussion around the model. Kaupapa Māori principles informed the methods, analysis and resulting model, and inductive thematic analysis was applied to the wānanga data. This paper illustrates the importance of research being informed by Indigenous worldviews, knowledge systems and practices to produce meaningful, substantive, positive and transformational change.