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Engaging Instagram Content for Sustainability: A Framework from Sustainable Fashion Brands
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2026-08-25) Bulmer S; Dodds S; Palakshappa N; Patara A
The impact of the sustainability imperative on social media marketing communications remains poorly understood, particularly in how brand-generated Instagram content can foster engaging consumer experiences that actively promote sustainability. This study investigates how sustainable fashion brands use Instagram to create engaging content to communicate sustainability and encourage sustainable futures. Using an interpretive qualitative case study approach, we analysed 343 Instagram posts from three global sustainable fashion brands over a six-month period. Thematic content analysis identified four distinct types of posts focused on organisational change, sustainability issues, wellbeing, and conscious consumption. Furthermore, three co-existing dimensions were identified–consumption/production action, individual/universal scope, and aesthetic pleasure/knowledge approach–and these informed the development of a framework illustrating how Instagram post executions foster consumer brand engagement (CBE) for sustainability purposes. The findings provide empirical evidence of how exemplary brands strategically use Instagram to influence consumer awareness and behaviour, contributing to broader sustainability goals. This research offers both theoretical and practical insights into the role of social media in shaping sustainable consumption through engaging brand experiences.
Sesquicentenary 1876-2026: Celebrating Presbyterian Faith in Palmerston North
(2026-08-16) Watson G; Mills M; Seccombe J; Seccombe K
When faith meets enterprise: coordinating meanings for coping with stress among Buddhist entrepreneurs in China
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2026-08-26) Duan ZD; Yao C; Yu Y
Caught in the middle : museums, taonga tūturu, and the practical realities of the Protected Objects Act 1975 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Museum Studies at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2026) Vevers, Carly
In recent years taonga tūturu have unexpectedly revealed themselves after extreme weather events, generational inheritance, and chance encounters with the public. Ngā taonga tūturu are ancestral Māori cultural objects of historical, archaeological, and cultural significance. These moments of discovery collapse temporal boundaries, bringing the past into the present and confronting people with complex emotional, ethical, and legal questions about what to do next. Enter, the Protected Objects Act 1975 (POA). Museums are often at the forefront of these interactions, but their role is complicated by historic and ongoing mistrust between museums and the public, and between museums and Māori. These relationships have been shaped by colonial collecting practices and uneven power relationships. This qualitative research draws on existing literature, case studies, and interviews to examine how museums in Aotearoa New Zealand navigate their role within the POA, and how this shapes the outcomes for taonga tūturu in practice. The findings reveal that museums can navigate the POA more effectively when processes are Māori-led, relationships with iwi and hapū are prioritised, and adequate time is allowed for trust to develop. They also demonstrate the value of proactive museum approaches that inform the public about the law as well as the grey areas and ethical dilemmas museum workers experience at the intersection of public discoveries and the POA. The research also highlights the emotions at play for individuals in possession of taonga, including hesitation, fear of loss, attachment, and suspicion toward institutions. Generational change is significant, with people inheriting collections increasingly choosing to place taonga into museum care. In a sector operating in a state of flux and threatened by funding cuts, this research demonstrates the need for clearer guidance, relational investment, and policy awareness of the limits museums face as they seek to connect people with the past, present, and future.
Concealed kindness : stories of volunteering in a food rescue organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Aotearoa New Zealand
(Massey University, 2026) Collins, Clare
This thesis focuses on an Aotearoa-based food rescue organisation; a form of food charity that ostensibly rescues ‘waste’ food from landfill and redirects it to community groups. I was interested in the motivations of those who chose to volunteer at this organisation, as well as the duality of environmentalism alongside charitable work. I was surprised to find that the volunteers were much more focused on providing food to those in need than on the environmental mission. Much of the literature on food charity is focused on reciprocity and Mauss’ (1925/1990) ‘the gift’, especially how the inability of charity recipients to reciprocate gift exchanges places them in a position of social debt and can therefore create stigma and shame. Based on participant-observation and semi-structured interviews, I use Clara Han’s (2012) concepts of concealed kindness and mischief, to argue that the organisation instead uses its environmental purpose to allow food charity recipients to participate in the reduction of food waste instead of being forced to accept a gift they cannot reciprocate, thereby preventing the creation of stigma. Previous literature on volunteering has suggested that volunteers accumulate capital through their actions. However, the concealed nature of this voluntary labour and the fact that no direct reciprocal relationship is established between volunteers and participants meant that this did not align with my participants’ experience. I use Ghassan Hage’s (2025) concept of the augmentation of social being to argue that instead they are building satisfying and fulfilling lives for themselves through volunteering without any detrimental effect on recipients. Moreover, this work brings them joy.