Pacific Research and Policy Centre

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    The influence of shifting Pacific identities in learning : the experience of parents raising children of mixed Pacific ethnicities : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Leafe, Rachael Violeti
    Identity construction for the Pacific population in Aotearoa/New Zealand remains a politically and contextually contested arena that shifts according to the socio-cultural interactions within the immediate and external environment of an individual. This study views parents as agents of change and explores ethnic transmission and cultural identity development through the eyes of parents raising children of mixed Pacific ethnicities. This qualitative study employed both Western and Pacific methodologies to collect and analyse data and used the talanoa method to engage the insights and experiences of five couples. Social constructionism and Bronfenbrenner’s (2005) ecological systems theory provided a framework to explain the dynamics of social interactions and external conditions that influence the constructs of peoples’ lived realities. This study found that families, peers, and schools influence interactions that shift and impact the cultural identity development and resiliency of children with mixed Pacific ethnicities. In addition to this, societal perceptions, racism, and stereotypes are external environmental conditions that further impact cultural identity development and resiliency. The metaphor of a balancing act illustrates the challenges and strategies parents use to manage family and cultural expectations as well as the efforts required to maintain access and opportunities to cultural knowledge, values and practices. The findings suggest that a culturally responsive education can work to minimise intolerance, exclusion, and racism experienced by an individual. Key recommendations include the promotion of identity development education that serves to empower individuals and parents to nurture positive identities and resilience in the mixed Pacific generation.
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    A general survey of education on Niue : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1977) Tauevihi, Niuaviu
    The primary purpose of the thesis is to survey the provisions for education which began with the London Missionary Society Schools and eventually in 1952 the Government Administration assumed responsibilities towards developing a full quota of primary education. Secondary education at Niue High School followed in 1956, with a Teachers Training Centre in 1958, both of which constituted provisions for post-primary education, supplemented by higher education made available in New Zealand and other overseas institutions. Niue's educational provisions will continue to become dependent on New Zealand in opportunities for higher education, in educational policies, for financial aid and to a less extent for the vocational courses designed to furnish Niue's manpower requirements. Part II deals with the relationships between education, manpower needs and economic development in which ideas are explored within the Niuean context. This scrutiny indicates that the education provisions are not well related to the manpower needs of Niue as a politically self-governed state. The Government Administration and in general the Niue Public Service are adequately catered for, but not so in economic development and manpower needs. Irrelevancy in education provisions resulted in social disorganisation which is a direct effect of Nuieans emigrating to New Zealand to seek employment, and to a greater extent utilise the skills that were learnt in the classroom. The key ideas in the series of education planning are examined and recommended for the future are proposed with particular respect to Agriculture, School Curriculum, and Adult Education.
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    Apiianga no te oraanga akapuapinga e te taporoporo i te ipukarea : education as sustainable development : Mangaia, Cook Islands : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2016) Beumelburg, Paul David
    Sustainable development (SD) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) became prominent in the 1990s. Problematically, these western centric constructs have sometimes been used to justify greater economic growth despite concern about the environment. Simultaneously, greater awareness of the pivotal role culture plays in development has demanded the rethinking of SD in terms of culturally responsive and contextually relevant ‘alternatives to’ development. Using the case of Mangaia in the Cook Islands the aim of this research was to draw out Mangaians own visions for SD and their consequent expectations for the type of ESD delivered to students in the classroom. Situating the research within a hopeful post development framework a culturally responsive, open ended, critical research methodology was used to gain an understanding of what constitutes a Mangaian SD worldview. Using participatory semi structured interviews underpinned by Mangaian uriuri manako (reflective problem solving) preliminary frameworks for Mangaian SD and ESD were co- constructed. This thesis highlights that to Mangaian people SD is complex and multi modal consisting of an indigenous development centred on oraanga Mangaia and alternative modernities, embedded in culture, operating at the margins of the global economy. This Mangaian view of SD, interacting with externally driven development, is continually reinvented by the Mangaian people using both indigenous and western knowledge, in response to issues of sustainability. The study argues that current western centric ‘Education about’ and ‘Education for’ SD programmes do not reflect the cultural and contextual reality of SD in the Global South. Instead, Education as Sustainable Development (EasSD) is presented as a novel concept, which embraces learning taking place within culture and is able to respond to the context and dynamism of hopeful post-development settings: it is argued that this approach would provide students with the knowledge to be able to fashion community-based sustainable futures. An EasSD approach would expose students to a broader range of livelihoods options and have the ability to strengthen a student’s language, culture and identity while potentially improving their academic outcomes. A strength based implementation that draws on the support of all development and education stakeholders offers the best chance of actualising EasSD and so empowering students with the ability to participate in, and lead, their own communities’ SD.
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    The participation of women in the Solomon Islands education system : a study with particular reference to Solomon Island women who held New Zealand government tertiary scholarships between 1973 and 1990 : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Development Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1994) Quinn, Marion
    This is a study on the participation of women in the Solomon Islands education system, focussing in particular on the experiences of Solomon Islands women who held New Zealand Government tertiary scholarships between 1973 and 1990. Despite increasing international recognition of the importance of education for girls and women in addressing critical national economic and social goals, gender remains the single most significant determinant of access to schooling in most developing countries. While there is a growing body of literature on factors affecting the participation of girls and women in education in developing countries, little has been written on the subject in relation to the South Pacific and nothing of substance in relation to Solomon Islands. More generally, Altbach (1985) noted the lack of research on the experience of women as overseas students and the outcomes of tertiary education for women in developing countries. The findings of this study confirm research carried out elsewhere that the socio-economic status of parents has greater influence on the schooling of girls than of boys. For the earliest women tertiary students, the encouragement of educated fathers was of particular significance in breaking down traditional barriers to girls' participation in education. Girls and women from matrilineal societies were, in general, given greater encouragement to enter and to remain longer in school. In undertaking tertiary study overseas and returning to positions of responsibility in both the public and private sectors, the women in this study were in many ways 'trailblazers' for the women who followed behind them. Their position was not an easy one, subject often to personal misunderstanding and criticism as they sought a new role and a new status for women in Solomon Islands society. Yet this was not an elite, Westernised group, divorced from their own society. Those interviewed were characterised by a strong commitment to assisting other Solomon Islands women and to contributing effectively to the development of their society. The study concludes that the interests of development have been well served by the investment in their education.
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    Wind in the sails or captain of the Va'a? : the influence of the global education agenda in the Samoan education system : a research project presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Development at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (The Author, 2015) Tu'i, Nina Lucia
    The aim of this research was to explore the influence of an international education agenda, particularly through the Education for All goals and Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2, on the education system of Samoa. The findings of the research indicate that the priorities of the Samoan education policy are closely related to this second Millennium Development Goal, in particular with regards to access to education. Samoan education policies also relate to the emerging Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) when addressing educational quality. The emphasis on international goals is problematic as these goals do not take into consideration the context or culture-specific needs of the country, but rather reflect a combination of various underlying theories such as rights-based approaches and economic theories. The involvement of donors in the education system of Samoa was found to be strongly influenced by MDG 2. It also became evident that donors give priority to their own interests and their funding can easily change as priorities in development shift. This research has also found that there is an indigenous education agenda being constructed by rich academic discussions about the goals and purpose of education in the Pacific. These discussions are reinforced by selected regional initiatives, such as the Re-thinking Education Initiative and the Pacific Regional Initiative for the Delivery of basic Education (PRIDE). Pacific education experts point out the importance of education being culturally relevant, as the current system is perceived as an alien force, and describe how, by its nature, the education system imposes incompatible values on the children of the Pacific. The Samoan education system was found to set its own course, while also incorporating international goals, donor priorities, the national level priorities and ideas presented by Pacific authors on education.
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    The relationship between lotu and ako for Pacific university students in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Social Policy at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Havea, Sesimani
    Improving the educational achievement of Pacific peoples is an on-going development issue in Aotearoa, New Zealand. This thesis explored the relationship between lotu (spirituality/faith/church) and ako (formal education) amongst Pacific university students. Lotu is defined within the context of the Christian tradition. The value of lotu is used interchangeably throughout this thesis with spirituality, faith, and church. Ako as defined within the context of this study is a Tongan term signifying education or the formal process of learning. The primary objective of this study is to identify the mechanisms by which lotu influences academic achievement of Pacific university students. A blend of qualitative ethnography and the Talanoa approach provided the conceptual framework. Two focus groups and eight individual interviews of Pacific students and graduates were conducted. The findings suggest a positive relationship between lotu and educational achievement for Pacific university students. The participants described their spirituality as a personal relationship with Christ which was reflected in their active practicing of: prayer; reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God; and attending church fellowship. Spirituality for the respondents was also emulated in their relationships, with God, with their kainga and with other people. These relationships were key motivations for their desire to succeed in their academic pursuits. Linked to the significance of these relationships was the participants’ definition of academic achievement which was beyond the mere attainment of a qualification but also about their ability to reciprocally give back to their kainga and increase their community’s wellbeing. In the midst of the inevitable trials and tribulations of the respondents’ social and academic journeys, their spirituality gave them hope, wisdom (poto) and courage to persevere in order to complete their studies. The findings suggest a need for continued support of Pacific students using the pastoral care model, as well as better collaborative approaches to policy making among tertiary institutions, key educational policy agencies and the Pasifika community.
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    Doorways to other worlds : towards successful Pacific s/p/aces in education : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Education at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2011) Smith, Talei
    This thesis is an autoethnographic exploration of the processes by which my hybrid cultural identity has been constituted. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to understandings of how better to facilitate the educational success of Pacific learners in a New Zealand context. Within the methodology of autoethnography, I follow the idea of the role of the researcher as a bricoleur to guide my explorations of the processes of my hybrid cultural identity construction. I use a combination of influences including Kerouac’s verse form of American Haiku as well as written and photographic mindmaps, to reflect on my embodied experiences. I have represented, through vignettes and poetry, the ways in which sensuous perspectives of scent, touch, hair, music and dance have created hybrid cultural understandings of place and space in my life. The discussions of my sensuous experiences are then explored through Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural capital and habitus. These concepts form the broad theoretical framework through which the educational implications of my hybrid cultural experiences are drawn out, in reference to an overriding ethic of empathy and care.
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    Tongan mothers' contributions to their young children's education in New Zealand = Lukuluku 'a e kau fa'ē Tonga' ki he ako 'enau fānau iiki' 'i Nu'u Sila : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2008) MacIntyre, Lesieli I. Kupu
    This study investigates the complex nature of how Tongan mothers in New Zealand contribute to their young children's ako (learning, and general education) in their homes, in the early childhood centre and primary school settings, and in church and the community. It argues that the mothers' contribution to their children's ako is based mainly on their cultural background, educational experience in Tonga, and their Christian faith, plus new knowledge they have picked up in New Zealand. Through the use of talanoa (conversation, questions and discussion) in Tongan and English languages, data were gathered from a small community in a town in the North Island, New Zealand and were coded, analysed, and presented. The participants draw on skills and knowledge of child-rearing strategies and educational practices experienced in Tonga before their migration to this country. However, when implemented in New Zealand, some aspects prove contradictory to the current practice in Aotearoa. The mothers find these emerging tensions frustrating, yet ongoing, but new learning in this country and their Christian faith help enhance their practice. The findings show that the mothers' use of Tongan language, cultural values, beliefs, and practices, with the lived experience of their Christian faith, is effective in teaching the children social and moral education, while contributing to their academic learning and still be preserving their Tongan culture, language, and identity. The mothers' shared use of Tongan language, cultural values and Christian faith enable them to create and maintain good relationships with teachers and other mothers for making worthwhile contributions to their children's ako in the selected contexts. Most of the mothers are involved in most activities, and nearly all participate where Tongan language is used and Tongan culture and Christianity are practised. It is acknowledged that some contributions create dilemmas and mismatches of expectations between the women and mainstream educational institutions. The women's efforts, accessing information in Tongan, and operating in education using faka-Tonga ways, and creating warm relationships among the mothers, teachers, and children who contribute to one another's learning reveal the complex nature of mothers' contributions to their children's education. They shuttle from one context to another, using their faka-Tonga ways, views and practices to fulfill their obligations and responsibilities, while going through transformation in their participation. Based on these findings, implications for mothers, teachers/educators, researchers, and policymakers are considered, and suggestions for future research directions are made that may benefit the growing Tongan population since it is they who have the main responsibility for young Tongan children's ako in Aotearoa-New Zealand.