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    Community boards, control of community or control by community : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Resource and Environmental Planning, Massey University
    (Massey University, 1994) Marjoribanks, K. M
    Over the last two decades, there as has been an emergence in western local government systems of small statutory bodies, Parish Councils and Community Councils in Great Britain, Kommeslrands in Sweden, Community Councils in Canada and Community Boards in New Zealand. It is argued, utilising the work of Coser (1956) and Dahrendorf (1959), that these structures appeared due to attempts to mute the growing conflict over the deficiencies of local government systems. Case studies looking at the western local government system and the situation in Great Britain and New Zealand will outline more particularly what these factors were and how small statutory bodies emerged in response to their existence. It is argued that because the small statutory bodies were intended to be placatory mechanisms rather than true decision making authorities, their roles and responsibilities were left deliberately vague. It was left to each local parent authority to decide what emphasis to place on the boards' roles and responsibilities, what attention to pay to them, or what status to accord them. It is argued, that this structure led to conflict between the small statutory bodies who felt that they had been given control over their areas, and their parent authorities who took the approach that the bodies were largely advisory bodies and that control still rested with the local authority itself. Thus, because there was not agreement over the rules of the game as Dahrendorf argued was necessary between the groups involved in the bodies' operation, conflict ensued. From case studies of the operation of small statutory bodies in Great Britain and New Zealand it is confirmed that problems have arisen due to conflict about roles and responsibilities (external factors) but it is noted that conflict has also arisen from unrelated factors such as party politics, demands for efficiency and cost effectiveness etc (internal factors). It will be argued however that, community boards are a useful part of the New Zealand local government, and that the conflicts that exist can be remedied. The closing chapter outlines some suggestions as to how this can be achieved.
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    Action research, power and responsibility : the predicament and potential of New Zealand community groups : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Massey University, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2001) Cervin, Carmel Frances
    This thesis tells the story of the action research projects of three community groups: The West Auckland Women's Centre, Homebuilders Family/Whanau Support Scheme, and the Autistic Association of New Zealand Inc., Auckland Branch. The projects focused on addressing specific injustices identified by each community group. Through participating in three concurrent projects, significant insights into the process, context, and key themes of action research are presented. The methodology discussion integrates the literature review with practical examples drawn from these projects. This enables critical observations on action research to be identified and explored in a grounded substantive manner. Key themes include: ethical implications of an academic researcher working with community groups, particularly in terms of power dynamics; recognition and validation of the expertise shared within the groups; and the necessity of trusting in the evolving nature of the action research process. Comparisons between the groups are written sensitively, honouring each group and their processes. The West Auckland Women's Centre project consisted of qualitative research exploring retirement income and issues around unpaid work for women. The project was undertaken as part of the Women's Centre's role as an advocate on issues affecting women. Homebuilders began with a story-telling project that sought to address a lack of understanding about their work in their community. However their focus shifted to a new project on Rural Living Standards following concerns raised by Homebuilders workers regarding the difficulties faced by families they were working with. The project developed in to a comprehensive survey on family household living standards, using a participatory process with the involvement of a large number of interested people from the community. The results of this survey are being fed back into the community to raise awareness regarding the spread of living standards and income issues in the local community. The Autistic Association project consisted of a comprehensive survey of all Auckland branch members to identify needs and gaps in services for families with a family member with Autism or Aspergers. The survey was then used, and continues to be used, to lobby and educate funding providers and government agencies regarding the services needed. The National Autistic Association is, at the time of completing this thesis, running the survey nationally. Finally this thesis explored the predicament of community groups acting as advocates for families in a context where funding providers set all the rules for 'negotiation' and highlighted the potential of community group action research projects for power reversals and enhancing democracy.
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    Critical factors in community informatics : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Production Engineering at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2003) Mason, David Douglas Miller
    Community Informatics is a new field of research that studies how information and communications technologies can be used to improve the quality of life of communities. The use and acceptance of technology is unpredictable. Early Community Informatics research found that deploying information technology with the aim of improving communities was seldom successful. Research has been done to identify the factors that might have a bearing on the outcome, but no definitive answer has emerged, and little work has been done on evaluating the effect of the methodology on the outcome. This research set out to establish what the critical factors were, and to determine whether a specific community informatics methodology could be designed. The objective of this research was to design a Community Informatics methodology, a way of introducing ICT into communities, that would ensure a successful economic outcome. The strategy was to use tourism as the catalyst for economic growth. The outcome sought was a self sustaining, locally owned and scalable tourism product which would provide jobs initially and in the longer term would bring money into the local economy and lead to a revitalisation of the community. The research was in two parts. The first part consisted of prototyping ecommerce Internet sites of increasing scope and complexity using a participative methodology within the socio-economic computer systems design paradigm. The work involved four organisations: the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace, the Spa Association of New Zealand and two large hotels. The outcome was a generic ecommerce model and a participative methodology for implementing that model. The second part of the research involved applying the prototype methodology to communities in isolated parts of New Zealand. The communities involved were located in North Hokianga, Mahia and East Cape. The final outcome was a community owned and maintained ecommerce Internet site that could form the basis for a tourism led economy. This research has shown that by using the right methodology it is possible to create a viable community based ecommerce application, and that there are four critical factors in Community Informatics: leadership, motivation, consensus and the methodology used.
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    Whakapūmau te mauri : values-based Māori organisations : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Maori Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2005) Knox, Colin
    The political and economic history of New Zealand since the turn of the nineteenth century has been characterised by the colonisation of the indigenous Maori people by settlers mainly from Britain. In 1840 the British Crown and representative Maori Rangatira signed the Maori language version of the Treaty of Waitangi, which guaranteed to Maori continuing ownership of their land and natural resources, and self determination under the protection of the Crown, What Maori did not know in signing the Treaty was that already thousands of new settlers were being recruited in Britain on the promise of a paradise, where vacant land could be purchased cheaply and every man was the equal of his master. While the Maori population was in decline following the introduction of disease and the musket, the immigrant European population exploded. It established a Westminster styled Government which in its early years included no Maori, and passed laws which over the next 50 years alienated Maori from 95% of their land, prevented Maori from accumulating capital and participating in the most rewarding industries, and imposed alien social institutions on a previously well organised and successful people. For many Maori in the twenty-first century, the legacy of colonisation has been either marginalisation in rural communities on land frozen by legal structures which run counter to traditional values and procedures, or migration to towns and cities where employment opportunities are mainly in less skilled work and subject to variation in the economy. This thesis examines the extent of the displacement of the institutions of Maori society and its impact on the development of Maori land and other assets. It proposes an approach which could assist shareholders in Maori land to reassert traditional values and tikanga and promote collective decision making, while gaining understanding of the concepts and language of business and organisations and a skill base for greater participation in the organisations which own and manage their assets. The research results are promising, with participants in a research project accepting an approach to governance and organisation which bridges tikanga and modem business structures. There is evidence from an extended case study that the approach engenders a confidence which has positive social and cultural outcomes while encouraging the development of Maori land