Ongoing colonial power has long been ascribed to government bureaucracy and institutions of higher learning. By consequence, Indigenous communities today are still experiencing challenges regarding the function, foundation and fabric of research that impacts Indigenous peoples, including in the arena of social work education. Writing as an Indigenous scholar and Director of a Master of Social Work programme at a university in the Pacific region, the author's goal in this article is twofold. On the one hand, he aims to contribute to critical self-reflection of Western research methodologies, while on the other hand offering a reconceptualisation of research tools and techniques that empower the researched and create reciprocal learning opportunities. Through discussion of Indigenous and allied or "co-conspirator" partnerships, and drawing on the example of a model called "strengths-enhancing evaluation research" (SEER), the author outlines observations regarding the tensions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers and processes. He challenges the established norms of social science research, and offers theoretical and practical examples and questions -- including the notion of the researcher as a guest --, that demonstrate how higher education institutions and Indigenous and non-Indigenous collaborations can provide critical responses to historical tensions regarding research and Indigenous peoples. The conduct and behaviour of researchers can have long-lasting, unintended consequences on communities at multiple levels of well-being. The author argues that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers must collaboratively work with communities for change.