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    Māori, Catholic, education in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Lawson, Vicky
    This thesis investigates Māori participation in Catholic education in Aotearoa New Zealand. The purpose of this study is to provide a specific understanding on the Māori perspective of Catholic education, that involves the identification of cultural values and beliefs in relation to Māori practices of tikanga. The intention of this thesis is not to suggest how Catholic educational institutions of Aotearoa New Zealand should govern, manage, or operate themselves. Rather, it provides a snapshot of the Māori Catholic perspective of ‘tika’ or rightness. With the vast majority of Catholic primary and secondary schools legislated as State-integrated schools under the Private School Conditional Integration Act, 1975, the Roman Catholic Church has an obligation to monitor the reasonable steps that school boards, proprietors and diocese education offices are taking to ascertain and consider the views and concerns of Māori communities (Education Act, 1989). Both historical and contemporary trends and patterns are analysed in this thesis, including legislation and State policy, in order to identify the reasons why there is a disconnection between Catholic educational policies and the educational aims of and for Māori. Major educational policies are reviewed alongside the wider political ideologies in order to illustrate the connections between the position of Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand and the likelihood that the educational aspirations of Māori will be met. A life history approach using oral narratives was used to examine the reality of the participants’ lives growing up, being educated, and navigating through the dual worlds of Te Ao Māori (Māori world) and Te Ao Katorika (Catholic world). This approach adds a personal element that brings life to the findings.
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    E tipu ana te mana tāngata : supporting the development of leadership to enhance the quality of Māori students' learning in bicultural schools in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Dow, Susan Rosemary
    The quality of Māori students’ learning in bicultural schools in New Zealand can be likened to the skeleton of a great moa in a Canterbury museum depicted in a poem written by Curnow (1979). Once vibrant and carefree, the moa was now unable to stand without the support of scaffolding. The egg beside it was cracked and glued together, devoid of life and hope. Many Māori students experience education like this. Their innate learning capacity has become extinct. Their learning is propped up by the scaffolding of remedial supports, their potential cracked and broken. Too few Māori students stand independently upright in their learning. Glen Colquhoun (1999) recently wrote a poem, “The trick of standing upright here is to use both feet” in response to Curnow’s lament. The feet can be likened to cultural perspectives. Māori in mainstream schools are commonly expected to stand one footed in a monocultural Eurocentered environment that is unnatural to them. Leaders must learn to make room for the other foot, the Māori centered understanding of the world on which Māori students can more naturally lean. This will eliminate the need for support and prepare students for active learning. Colquhoun (1999) continues “The art of walking upright here is the art of using both feet. One is for holding on. One is for letting go”. Leading in this manner, moving between the worlds of each foot, will help support students experience quality learning. The mana tangata, the power and authority, or efficacy (H. Tomlins-Jahnke & Mulholland, 2011), of leaders and learners will grow. Most mainstream schools are led by Pākehā in New Zealand. Therefore leading Māori students to first stand and then walk on two feet requires leaders to achieve a high level of personal cross cultural competency. I am a Pākehā woman working in a bicultural Christian school. I conducted three phases of action research to support quality teaching and learning for Māori students. I then used autoethnography to construct an evocative and analytical account of the research, including the deep reflections needed for me to make sense of the cultural interactions.
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    Social determinants of preschoolers' sleep health in Aotearoa/New Zealand : a mixed methods study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Muller, Diane Patricia
    Sleep is important for young children’s health and wellbeing. In Aotearoa/New Zealand ethnic and socioeconomic inequities exist in adult sleep, however little is known about the social determinants of young children’s sleep and whether sleep inequities exist in early childhood. A mixed methods study was conducted to address this gap in knowledge. Kaupapa Māori epidemiological principles informed the study design and sleep was viewed through a social determinants of health and complementary socioecological theoretical lens. Sleep and sociodemographic questionnaire data from 340 Māori and 570 non-Māori preschoolers in the Moe Kura: Mother and Child, Sleep and Wellbeing in Aotearoa/New Zealand study (Moe Kura) were analysed. Log-binomial regression models investigated independent associations between ethnicity, socioeconomic position (SEP) and preschoolers’ sleep duration, timing and problems. Ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation were independently associated with short sleep duration (<10hrs), week/weekend sleep duration difference >1hr, later bedtimes and sleep problems based on a number of maternal-report measures. A sub-sample of Moe Kura mothers (15 Māori and 16 non-Māori with low and high SEP) participated in face-to-face interviews about their preschooler’s sleep. Results from thematic analysis identified four themes relating to mothers’ perceptions of preschooler sleep: ‘child happiness and health’, ‘maternal wellbeing’, ‘comfort and connection’ and ‘family functioning and harmony’. Four additional themes centred around facilitators and barriers to preschoolers sleeping well: ‘health, activity and diet’, ‘sleep promoting physical environments’, ‘consistency’ and ‘doing it our way’. Mothers valued their preschooler having good sleep health, however societal factors influenced the degree of autonomy they had over implementing sleep supporting strategies. Integrated mixed methods findings indicate that ethnic and socioeconomic inequities in preschooler sleep health exist in Aotearoa/New Zealand and that social determinants of preschoolers’ sleep include institutional racism, material and financial resources, employment, housing, social support, early childhood education services and child health services. Results indicate that a victim-blaming approach which does not take into account the broader societal context and places blame and burden on mothers not ‘managing’ their child’s sleep ‘properly’ must be rejected. Action is required to address the socio-political drivers that lead to the inequitable distribution of social determinants of preschoolers’ sleep health.
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    The foster caregiving relationship with newborns who have feeding difficulties : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Arts endorsed in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Hann, Nari
    The purpose of this study was to expand on foster care and attachment literature by investigating how the relationship is impacted between a foster caregiver and newborn who experiences feeding difficulties. The most common types of feeding difficulties experienced include reflux, allergies, colic, arousal to feed, and sucking problems, with prenatal methamphetamine exposure being the most frequently cited reason for causality. Newborns who have been prenatally exposed to methamphetamine are at higher risk of preterm births. Prematurity has been widely associated with developmental issues in newborns, such as poor sucking reflexes. All newborns discussed in this study were of Māori descent, highlighting a possible association between Māori children in care and feeding difficulties. This association is thought to be strengthened by the social determinants faced by many Māori, and the punitive neo-liberal nature of the welfare system. Phenomenological interpretive analysis was used to understand the experiences of seven foster caregivers who were highly skilled in caring for newborns with feeding difficulties, and how the feeding difficulties could impact the attachment relationship and contribute to placement breakdowns. Additionally, the strategies that foster caregivers used to minimise the impact of the difficulty and optimise attachment interactions were explored. The feeding difficulties of newborns were found to make attachment interactions more difficult to achieve, but due to the fortitude of the caregivers in providing the best opportunities for newborns in their care, attachment interactions were reportedly always accomplished. Although feeding difficulties placed extra demand on the caregiver role, the commitment and motivation of the caregivers, and the intervention strategies they used to reduce the impact, promoted bonding and stabilised placements. Therefore, feeding difficulties were not associated with placement breakdowns. Rather, unanticipated extended placement timeframes, which impacted the caregiver’s ability to provide a consistent and stable environment, were found to be more detrimental to the placement stability. Understanding feeding difficulties and their impact on attachment for babies in foster care is crucial when caring for the nation’s most vulnerable citizens and ensuring that they have the greatest opportunities for healthy development from the start of their lives.
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    A study of the effects of changing community life on child-rearing patterns in a small, rural, Maori community : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University
    (1980) Taiapa, Julia
    Given the fact that change is an inevitable process in all societies, the aim of this thesis is to show the connection between social change and child-rearing practices in a small Maori community. The study is concerned with social change within New Zealand society, particularly amongst the Maori population of Hicks Bay and the effects of this on the family unit. Although the particular concern was with the influence of the mother-figure on the socialisation process and adaptability of the child, circumstances prevented the full inclusion of this latter part of the study within this thesis. However, a brief outline of these issues and their relevance to the particular Hicks Bay community is included. A sociological approach is adopted in parts of this study primarily from an anthropological perspective. Social Anthropology examines the different kinds of relationships within a society with particular emphasis on aspects of the culture that are common to other cultures; the institutionalized aspects of the society and the ideas and values that are associated with it. In this study, the influence of these factors on the social organisation of Hicks Bay is examined and the particular consequences of the socialisation process are described.