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Sex work and COVID-19 in the New Zealand media : avoid the moist breath zone
(Massey University, 2026) Easterbrook-Smith, Gwyn
News media coverage of sex work in New Zealand post-decriminalisation has shown some movements towards a destigmatisation of the work. There is a conditional willingness to treat the people who do it as workers, who in a few cases may approach social inclusion and acceptance. The ability to access this acceptability depends on how a sex worker works, and which other social groups and identities they belong to. Sex workers who work indoors, charge higher rates, see fewer clients, are tertiary educated, middle or upper class, and are pākehā or white are more likely to be deemed acceptable. This contingent destigmatisation is often carried out through a process of comparison. One worker is positioned as relatively more or less normative than another, and subsequently closer or further from the rhetorical and stigmatised ‘prostitute imaginary’ who exists in the background of many media texts. Migrant sex workers and street-based sex workers have often been subject to more stigmatising media representations than domestic and indoor sex workers, too. In writing this book I was interested in finding out if these divisions continued, and if their expression changed in any notable way during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was also curious if the tendency to understand sex work as work would continue to progress, or might instead regress, conscious of both the susceptibility of sex work as a scapegoat for moral panics and of the way that during periods of cultural change prostitution law has sometimes become a focus, with sex work seen as a threat to the hegemonic order. New Zealand is a unique case study for these questions, given our unusual sex work law and our unusual success in controlling the pandemic in its initial stages. Our mediascape is also comparatively small, making the collection and analysis of a representative data set more manageable. In the remainder of this chapter, I outline the New Zealand model in more detail, then turn to the relationships between sex work and public health, Covid-19, the media, and stigma, as well as giving an overview of the methodology which I employ in this book.--From Introduction
Mutual othering : perceptions of Jews, Muslims and Christians c.1100-1250 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2026) Evans, Rachelle
Scholarship on Jews, Muslims and Christians in the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries is extensive. So too is the application of theories regarding the Other to explain relations between them. Yet the othering of different groups that occurred is mostly discussed as though it were a one-way process. Relations between the peoples of monotheistic faiths are often presented in terms of dichotomies. Edward Said’s Orientalism has been especially influential in creating these viewpoints. Yet critics argue that Said’s work neglected the complex reality of alterity, a neglect which can even lead to the very faults of essentialism and generalizing tendencies that it denounces. This thesis builds on arguments, such as those of Homi Bhabha, that othering was not a practice limited to one group and did not flow only from ‘West’ to ‘East. It explores the many stereotypes that were generated by three groups about the Other in order to establish a sense of difference and Self. It also examines the similarities in othering strategies employed by Jewish, Muslim and Christian writers, which exemplify a two-way flow in the process of othering. This approach is taken to offer a broader and more holistic and nuanced understanding of the mutual nature of othering in the medieval period.
“They don’t see how tired I am” : an exploration of the lived experiences of long COVID in motherhood : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Health Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2026) Barea, Ashley
Long COVID is a newly emergent chronic illness characterised by complex heterogenous symptoms with varying degrees of impact. Long COVID research is evolving, but there is little research that has focused on exploring how long COVID is experienced in specific life stages, including motherhood, particularly from Aotearoa, New Zealand. Motherhood responsibilities do not disappear despite chronic illness and pose challenges to self and the practicalities of parenting as evidenced in research on other illnesses, like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. This thesis explored the lived experiences of a small group of New Zealand mothers living with a medical diagnosis of long COVID. Utilising the methodological approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis, this thesis aimed to detail the complex, shared and idiosyncratic ways mothers experience disruptions to their lifestyles and identities while living with this emergent chronic illness. Five themes were identified: An Uncertain Illness with “Invisible” Symptoms; Symptoms Impose Lifestyle Restrictions; Mothering Requires an Adapted Approach; Mothers Experience Pressure to “Push Through” Symptoms; and Changing Identity and Self-Reflection. The debilitating nature of long COVID symptoms imposed functional limitations on the participant’s physical, psychological and social lives. In particular, invisible symptoms and the often-contested nature of long COVID became barriers for social participation and mental wellbeing. The participants often internalised good mothering ideologies which contributed to pressures to push through symptoms instead of attending to self-care. In this way, the dynamic interactions of living with long COVID in motherhood posed additional disruptions to maternal wellbeing. By adding to the limited literature on long COVID, this thesis highlights the physical, emotional and social complexities that mothers face living with this newfound chronic illness.
Eco-anxiety and environmental identity in older adults from New Zealand : an exploration of data from the New Zealand health, work and retirement study : a thesis submitted to Massey University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health, Massey University
(Massey University, 2026) Garrett, Monica Katherine
Biodiversity and the natural environment are two key determinants of human health. Among other things, they are essential to supporting food security and freshwater availability, and limiting the spread of zoonotic diseases. These determinants face the substantial anthropogenic threats of biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change, which together comprise the triple planetary crisis. Widespread adoption of pro environmental behaviours (PEBs) is one element of the response required to mitigate these threats. Eco-anxiety and environmental identity are two concepts that relate to people’s commitment to PEBs. These concepts have been included in the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement (NZHWR) Study for the first time in the 2024/25 survey, through the inclusion of the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS) and the Revised Environmental Identity Scale (R-EID). This thesis includes both a scoping review and a quantitative analysis. The scoping review explores the existing scales used to quantify eco-anxiety and environmental identity in adults (aged 18 and over); the average scores and demographic trends of these scales; and evidence of a relationship between the two concepts. The quantitative analysis explores HEAS and R-EID data from the 2024/25 NZHWR Study, the participants of which are older adults (aged 55 and over) living in New Zealand. This research is the first to quantify eco-anxiety and environmental identity among older adults in New Zealand. Ultimately, this research may help to inform population-level strategies to encourage the adoption of PEBs and, therefore, support biodiversity and the natural environment as important determinants of health.
Comparison of pregnant and dry pasture-based broodmares using mask technology to monitor effects of weather conditions, physiological state, and management : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Animal Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2026) Fernandes, Shyann
Effective broodmare management is essential in maintaining animal welfare, reproductive performance and operational efficiency within commercial equine breeding systems. This study aimed to assess the influence of weather conditions, paddock and grouping characteristics on broodmare behaviour and spatial distribution of pregnant and dry mares with the help of a sensor mask technology. The practical application of the wearable sensor was considered for improving broodmare management and early detection of health and welfare changes. The study was conducted during September 2024 on a commercial pasture-based Thoroughbred breeding farm located in Auckland, New Zealand. A subset of mares from a larger herd was selected based on physiological state that included pregnant mares (n = 8) and dry mares (n = 7). Behavioural data was collected using wearable sensor mask equipped with accelerometer and GPS tracking. Movement patterns in broodmares were primarily structured by time of day with both pregnant and dry mares exhibiting clear diurnal rhythms characterised by increased movement during daylight hours and reduced activity overnight. Physiological state significantly influenced overall activity levels with dry mares walking on average approximately 19-20 more steps per hour than pregnant mares. Effect of day had minimal influence on movement patterns, with dry mares exhibiting almost the same step counts on days of heavy rainfall compared pregnant mares, suggesting short-term behavioural responses to adverse weather conditions. Spatial analysis revealed non-uniform paddock utilisation with distinct clusters of high and low mare density indicating space selection. Hotspots were frequently associated with paddock features such as shelter belts, water troughs and gateways, highlighting the influence of resource distribution and paddock design on mare movement patterns. Overall, the findings demonstrate that broodmare movement patterns were shaped by a combination of temporal, physiological and environmental factors. The integration of accelerometer and GPS sensor technologies provided valuable insights into individual mare behavioural patterns that are difficult to detect through conventional observation. Such technologies offer considerable potential for improving broodmare monitoring, enabling more management decisions, and potentially enhancing reproductive outcomes in commercial equine breeding programs.