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Item The nature and role of the extended family in New Zealand, and its relationship with the State : based on a study of a provincial city : a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at School of Social Policy and Social Work, Massey University(Massey University, 2000) McPherson, Mervyl J.In New Zealand there is a widespread perception that European/Pakeha do not have extended families in the way that Maori and Pacific Islands' cultures do. Yet in recent years social policy has been moving away from reliance on the state towards increasing reliance on one's self and one's family. This study uses survey research, a focus group, demographic analysis and policy analysis to investigate the nature of the extended family in predominantly European/Pakeha New Zealand, and perceptions of the respective roles of the family and the state. Discrepancies are identified between what families are doing, what people think they should be doing, and what policy assumes they will do. The key factors affecting the supply of and demand for extended family support are identified and the trends in these analysed. These issues are then integrated in order to assess the implications for policy and the impact of policies on families and the intergenerational social contract. This thesis found that the predominantly European/Pakeha society of New Zealand does have extended families, in the modified sense rather than the classical sense, as categorised by Litwak (1965). That is, extended families which are based on egalitarianism and choice rather than power and control, and are characterised by a loose, informal set of kin relationships involving an interlocking set of nuclear families which may be geographically dispersed and economically independent, but are bound by a sense of obligation based on affective relationships and the exchange of mutual aid services. These family networks are not large, and little support extends to the wider family beyond parents, adult children and siblings. Also of concern for policymakers is that approximately a quarter to a third of participants in this study did not have extended family living close enough to provide any kind of practical support. This study also found that while people generally believe in helping family members, they believe this help should be given by choice, not obligation, and that nuclear family and labour force commitments take priority over commitments to the extended family. A further finding is that in the future we will face increasing demand for support from both family and the state, and a declining supply of family support, especially if policies make it necessary for the young elderly to stay in the labour force. Families are unable and unlikely to do more than they are already doing, which is already the bulk of social support. Theorists such as Thomson (1981) have proposed that there will be breakdown in the intergenerational social contract at the macro-level of the state as a result of neo-liberal policies of self-reliance, particularly for younger generations, and policies which have favoured the older generation at the expense of the young. It is concluded from this study that the balance of support towards the young rather than the old at the micro-level of the family is preventing this macro-level breakdown. But if more responsibility is put onto families, this will cause breakdown in the micro-level intergenerational contract and upset the balance. Thus there is a need for increased rather than decreased state support to complement what families are able to do and prevent breakdown in the intergenerational contract at both the micro-level of the family and the macro-level of society.Item He maramara mō te ahi : exploring the possibilities for Treaty partnerships : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2003) Potter, Helen MarieThe thesis takes as its starting point, the aspiration of Māori to be self-determining and to have this authority recognised and engaged in Treaty partnerships with the Crown in its own evolving terms. This prospect is examined in relation to the tertiary education environment, with a particular focus on the possibilities that kaupapa Māori spaces and structures presently being developed at various universities offer to advancing just forms of Treaty partnership. Its methodological journey to posit how Treaty partnerships might be conceived of and made possible draws on concepts from kaupapa Māori theory, supported by deconstructive insights as both seek to question and transform totalising colonial bicultural identities and discourses of sovereignty. Current political and legal bicultural arrangements are examined and critiqued as inadequate vehicles through which partnership might be advanced as they do not sufficiently question the sovereign position of the state. Significantly, this failure allows a reconsideration of the very meaning of partnership, bringing forth the possibility of recognition being given to both authoritative partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi, Māori and the Crown. Through the lines of critical questioning, consideration is given to the structural arrangements, relational resources and ethical principles that might rejuvenate the notion of partnership. Central to the thesis is the notion that Treaty partnerships become possible by and through each partner recognising and engaging with the limits of their own authority to determine the nature and terms of partnership.Item Closing the gaps? : the politics of Māori affairs policy : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2002) Humpage, Louise VirginiaIn searching for ways to decolonise, indigenous peoples have promoted indigenous models of self-determination. Governments, in response, have attempted to protect state legitimacy through the depoliticisation of indigenous claims. An analysis of 'Closing the Gaps', a policy strategy introduced by the Labour-Alliance government in June 2000, illustrates that this has certainly been the case in Aotearoa New Zealand. The policy strategy provides an entry point into exploring the conceptual tensions contained within government policy for Māori, the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand. Based on an analysis of government documents and interview data, the thesis focuses on three main initiatives incorporated under the 'Closing the Gaps' umbrella. Each initiative highlights a number of bureaucratic, political and conceptual factors that explain why the strategy failed to match political rhetoric. The thesis argues that, in its eagerness to demonstrate a 'commitment' to Māori, the Labour-Alliance government neglected to distinguish between two different sociopolitical projects. The first, 'social inclusion' for all disadvantaged peoples, was framed by a broader 'social development' approach whose ultimate goal was 'national cohesion'. Emphases on 'community empowerment' and 'active citizenship' thus assumed that Māori needs could be met within the universal citizenship rights of the 'nation-state'. In contrast, the second project was concerned with an acknowledgment of the rights of Māori to self-determination as indigenous peoples and signatories of Aotearoa New Zealand's 'founding' document, the Treaty of Waitangi. Māori self-determination is a multidimensional phenomenon, but includes proposals for political and constitutional reform that are in direct tension with the ideas at the basis of 'social inclusion'. This is because they propose a form of strategic 'exclusion' from the mainstream and from state-framed notions of citizenship that regard 'nation' and 'state' as irrevocably tied. This tension was not altogether clear, however, because both projects shared the language of 'self-determination' and 'partnership'. In exploring alternative policy directions, the thesis augments a local literature, which has been critical of government policy for Māori. In addition, it makes a contribution to wider debates concerning the potential of liberal-democratic states to contend with the multinational diversity that indigenous peoples in settler societies represent.Item Exploring personal and political issues of identity for white Maori women : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Social Policy and Social Work at Massey University(Massey University, 1999) Bevan, KellyThe aim of this research is to explore the personal and political issues of identity for white Maori women in Aotearoa. This was inspired by recognition that the lives of white Maori women are not accounted for in our present society. The life stories of eight women from multi-tribal backgrounds were gathered in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. My life story was written and incorporated both as a reason for conducting this research and as data. The focus of the study is on Maori women, which reflects my gender and cultural identity. Hence my Mana Wahine and Kaupapa Maori values influenced the methodology and theoretical concepts used to add meaning to the narratives. A desire to produce research which would empower and not further colonise those I was researching led me to utilise a structural analysis framework for the structure and analysis of the research. The strategy of 'researching back' was used to locate colonising aspects in the theoretical and historical literature. The design is qualitative, the method is kaupapa Maori and a strategy of multiple triangulation is used. I utilised storytelling in gathering data and content analysis to locate the narrative themes. The participants identify as tangata whenua. The findings support this chosen position and highlight the influential social, political and legislative factors which have shaped their identification processes.Item Identity, culture and power : towards frameworks for self determination of communities at the margins : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2001) Williams, Katharine Anne LewisThe thesis inquires into how communities at the economic and cultural margins can become self-determining, increasing control over health and well-being. Community development as a method of agency in Aotearoa/New Zealand and Canada is investigated. The inquiry has been precipitated by a number of factors, all of which remain salient features in shaping contemporary conditions in both countries. Among these are increased inequities in wealth and health status between population groups in both countries that have accompanied globalising processes. The economic and cultural dominance of particular sectors in these societies means that public policies often fail to reflect the needs, aspirations and cultural systems of marginalised communities. In engaging with these issues, public health discourse in both countries proposes community development as a key strategy whereby disadvantaged communities might address their needs, thus realising increased levels of health and well-being. However in both countries community development remains under theorised, and the potentialities of some communities unrealised. The research is based upon the traditions of participatory and action research methodologies, within which a variety of qualitative methods are drawn on. The fieldwork was conducted with members of marginalised communities (predominantly low-income, migrant women) participating in community development projects and community developers working with these initiatives. The New Zealand component formed the initial and most substantive part of the investigation, after which these findings were tested in Canada. The results suggest that 'identity' and 'culture' are key elements within agency dynamics, their significance partially associated with and increased by globalising processes. Analysis of the findings reveal 'power-culture' dynamics (the various combinations of power and culture that are operative within any context) to play a central role in constituting agency relations. The critical post-modern conceptualisation of power theorised, views power-culture relations to be unstable and changing at the interpersonal and community levels of relating. Structural forms of power progressively influence power-culture relations as transitions to institutional contexts are made. The research findings have important implications for community development and public health practice within both countries. A 'power-culture' approach to community development is explicated that conceptualises a number of practice frameworks for those undertaking community development. These are articulated from three perspective: (1) community development methodology as practiced by communities, (2) organisational capacity to undertake development work with communities, and (3) practice issues for community developers.Item The interrelationship between social support, risk-level and safety interventions following acute assessment of suicidal adolescents : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Policy and Social Work at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2001) Smith, Deborah AnneThis project was undertaken largely to address (a) the concern that New Zealand has one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the world, and (b) the limited empirical research available on crisis assessment and intervention for suicidal adolescents in New Zealand. Research on youth suicide has primarily focused upon examining factors which place youth at-risk for suicidal behaviour. Social support was chosen as a variable of interest in this study due to (a) its importance in fostering healthy adolescent development, and (b) its identification as an important factor in increasing risk of suicide, particularly if it is lacking or of a negative nature. The present investigation tested a model comprising three constructs: social support (i.e., negative and positive), assessed risk-level of suicide, and safety interventions (e.g., hospitalisation, respite care). Two studies were conducted: an archival study and a vignette study. For the archival study, a record review was conducted using acute assessment reports from the Child, Adolescent and Family Service (CAFS). Data from 50 attempter files and 50 ideator files were collected in order to establish reliable measures for the vignette study. The vignette study involved administering a vignette-style questionnaire to 23 CAFS clinicians. With the exception of the Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) scores in the attempter group, the interrater reliability was good on all indices for the archival study. The vignette study indicated adequate reliability for risk-level ratings based on the multi-rater kappa. The archival study demonstrated that there were significant interactions between group and risk-level (recoded), group and negative support severity (recoded), group and positive support, and negative support severity and total safety interventions (recoded). The vignette study revealed significant interactions between negative support severity (without or with positive support) and assessed risk-level, negative support severity (without or with positive support) and total safety interventions (recoded), and assessed risk-level and total safety interventions (recoded). Overall, results from this study indicated that: (a) the greater the level of negative support severity, the higher the risk-level; (b) the greater the risk-level, the greater the number of safety interventions implemented; (c) the presence of positive support, in addition to negative support, appeared to result in lower risk-level assessments, and (d) certain risk-levels were indicative of particular safety interventions. Revisions to the social support model were necessary based on the results obtained. For the vignette study, clinicians' responses with respect to the decision-making process for risk-level and safety interventions were also explored using the principles from a grounded theory approach and inductive content analysis. The results indicated that clinicians use a methodical process when assessing risk-level and making safety intervention recommendations. Process models for assessing risk-level and recommending safety interventions are presented in relation to these findings. This study makes several important contributions to the research on youth suicide by: (a) providing evidence for reliable social support concepts - namely, that of negative support, positive support and negative support severity, (b) assessing the relationship that both negative and positive support have with suicide risk-level, (c) examining the relationship between risk-level assessment and specific individual safety recommendations (other than hospitalisation), and (d) providing evidence of a relationship between negative support severity and recommended safety interventions, not previously tested. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of their application to (a) youth suicide treatment and prevention, (b) current or proposed services and procedures for at-risk youth, and (c) future research.Item 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 FrancesThis 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.Item The Janus influence and discovering a life : a study of people living with coexisting mental health and substance use disorders : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2001) Warren, Helen BarbaraThis grounded study examines how people who are dually diagnosed with a major mental illness and substance use disorder 'recover' their lives from a past of 'intemperate insanity' and discover a world in a rich and productive present. Thirty participants, including consumers, staff and families, took part in the study. Additional slices of data were retrieved from the analysis of six 'policy' documents and 72 hours of participant observation. All data were constantly compared and analysed using Glaser's emergent approach to grounded theory. Research and literature on those with coexisting disorders has been dominated by the 'medical model' with a focus on assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation both in addiction and mental health settings. Whilst these aspects of 'management' of coexisting disorders are important, this acute phase of intervention represents only a small fragment of a person's life. These people are not their disease, and the coexisting disorders are not the totality of their being. 'Discovering a life' was an emergent theme that formed the basic core category. Intemperate insanity, naked in Woolworths (the crisis), shedding the armour (recovery) and living without the armour (maintaining the change) and Janus' temple (service provision) formed the theoretical codes which made up the entity discovering a life. There also emerged a further 'natural division', a critical juncture essential to discovering a life - sobriety. Without sobriety, participants' lives took a different path which linked them back to a past of intemperate insanity. Literary images of the Roman God Janus are used as a metaphor throughout the thesis to elucidate aspects of the participants' lives. Janus was the God of endings and new beginnings, of youth and age, and is portrayed in historical texts with a double head, one looking backwards and the other forwards. It is this need to remind themselves of the past in order to imagine the future, a need to track the metaphorical trajectory from youth to age that informs the basis of 'wellness' in the present for my participants. Service provision in the mental health and alcohol and drug fields is aimed at early intervention, the acutely ill and early phase rehabilitation. There are clearly ways of analysing and approaching the 'illness' at this initial point of the continuum that are efficacious and cardinal to the ultimate well-being of the individual. What I am proposing here is not an alternative to this bio-psycho-social explication, but a second-level, substantive theory that offers an insight into the way a diversity of people with coexisting mental health and substance dependence disorders integrate their human imperfections into their lives. They have found a way of accepting, rather than transcending, the human condition. At the same time, this new paradigm has implications for the way we provide a service to people with coexisting disorders. Service providers are invited to participate in a way that shifts the emphasis of intervention from 'doing' (tasks and skills-related activities), to 'being' (with a focus on integrating coexisting disorders into identity of 'self'). A therapeutic emphasis on 'caring', not 'curing', creates an environment that allows consumers to realistically live rich and meaningful lives.Item A sense of belonging : local Sansei women's experiences in Hawai'i : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2002) Olliver-Richardson, Yumiko AnnWhile Issei (first) and Nisei (second) generations of Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJA) in Hawai'i have been well documented, limited literature exists in relation to non-Issei women, and the Sansei (third) generation. Based on six months of fieldwork in Hawai'i and, in-depth interviews and personal inventories of thirty Sansei women, this dissertation primarily provides an ethnographic investigation into the diversity and complexity of what it means to be a Sansei woman in Hawai'i, focusing on themes identified by Sansei women - of the past, values and social relationships. Drawing on these themes, this dissertation explores how they relate to a 'sense of belonging' in Hawai'i. It also considers the significance and politics of Local identity and the consequences of emphasising the existing historical stereotypes and narratives for Sansei women, AJA and Locals in Hawai'iItem Belonging : Pākehā women's practices in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Palmerston North, Aotearoa New Zealand(Massey University, 2005) Robinson, Wilma PenelopeThis thesis investigates practices of belonging among Pākehā women in Aotearoa New Zealand. Acknowledging their origins through British or European ancestry, the research explored their belonging using a range of methods. It concludes that women actively enabled their belonging using a range of practices, evident in everyday life. Understanding the women's practices was assisted by combining theoretical concepts of practice with botanical metaphors to describe the complexity of belonging. Extending the metaphor enabled a deeper understanding of belonging in the Aotearoa New Zealand context as an evolving process, influenced by past practices.