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    To go or to stay : a study of decision-making by Italian workers and their families in Turangi : a thesis submitted to the Department of Sociology, Massey University, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts
    (Massey University, 1984) Ponter, Elizabeth
    With the termination of their contracts on the Tongariro Power Development in 1982-83, Italian workers in Turangi were faced with the problem of deciding whether to return to Italy, stay in New Zealand or go elsewhere. All had permanent residence status and were entitled to stay. This study is concerned with the problems surrounding decision making and what influenced some to decide to return to Italy, some to become permanent settlers in New Zealand, while yet others found any decision making difficult. Orthodox theories of migration were inadequate for the examination of the problem. Italians had not made conscious decisions to migrate permanently to New Zealand. Yet some had become permanent settlers and others had that intention in 1982. The problem was examined as one of commitment. How had some Italians become committed to New Zealand, others remained committed to Italy while others had conflicting commitments? Two areas of commitment were of special importance in decision making, the material and the sentimental. Two thirds of the Italian men in the study had a commitment to New Zealand wives. This alone was not sufficient for them to become committed to permanent residence here. If they had property in New Zealand, or/and if they spoke English well, the likelihood of a commitment to stay in New Zealand increased. Those who had strong commitments in Italy, to family and in investments in real estate, returned there. A return was more likely if they were married to an Italian and did not speak English well. However for many, commitments were not so clearly defined. Commitments frequently conflicted, contributing to indecision about the future. Indecision was not easily resolved. In some cases supposedly final decisions changed as new circumstances resulted in compromises or modifications of plans.
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    Cultivating continuity and change : the domestic garden tradition of the Italian community in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Visual and Material Culture at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Lepionka-Strong, Wanda
    In Island Bay, Wellington, there is a small community of New Zealanders of Italian descent who appear to maintain traditions of Italian life within a contemporary suburban landscape. This cultural distinction is manifest from a century of chain migration from Italy to New Zealand. Some individuals in the community identify themselves as Italian and others describe themselves as Italian albeit being born and raised in New Zealand. Being ‘Italian’, is an expression of their identity as individuals and affiliation to a group. This concept warrants further inquiry as to how participants see themselves as being ‘Italian’ and how this is constructed. From casual observation, the material culture of contemporary suburban garden space captures concepts of cultural identity. This thesis examines what it means to be Italian for the older and younger generations of this community and the distinctions between these generations, through an ethnographic analysis of their gardens and gardening practice. For the purpose of this thesis, the term ‘Italians’ will describe the participants in this research. The practice of gardening and the ‘stuff’ it contains, whether conceptual, physical or emotional, will provide a better understanding of the ‘cultural sense’ of being a first, second and third-generation Italian living in New Zealand. It is clear the Italians bridge two cultures in everyday life. The everyday for this community is tinged with familiar landscapes and memory from another country. However, this familiarity is real to some as opposed to imagined by others. Cultural memory through gardening practice is the mechanism in which Italian gardeners embrace their customs and traditions. The processes engaged by Italians to help maintain garden traditions assert their cultural identity and display aspects of continuity and adaptive changes. Christopher Tilley’s volume of anthropological work on understanding the materiality of the garden and its connection to people is drawn on to help make sense of identity constructions. Daniel Miller’s anthropological concepts identifies that through things we are capable of developing relationships, which nurtures the care of the self. Sociologist, Phillip Vannini’s work is also drawn on to make succinct sense of ethnographic work within an everyday environment, which is significant to the people that live within them. Multidisciplinary in its character, this thesis is grounded in Pierre Bourdieu’s philosophical theoretical work on distinction and the concept of habitus. Italian identity places difference from the other and the learning of certain dispositions which constitutes being Italian. Bourdieu’s habitus thus provides a theoretical framework on which to critically analyse social practices around the materiality of gardens. The thesis will, in particular, examine the critical social role of the contemporary suburban garden within this community. The study of the material culture of the Italian garden space in a contemporary New Zealand suburb provides a lens into the experience and nature of a small, close-knit community who see themselves as being ‘Italian’.