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Item Across borders and time : testing the competing perspectives of system justification : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025-08-29) Valdes, Evan ArmandoWhy do people defend societal systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice? This question is increasingly relevant in today’s geopolitical climate, amid growing tensions between calls for progressive social change and maintenance of a traditional, sometimes polarized, status quo. System Justification Theory (SJT) posits that individuals are motivated—due to both dispositional and situational factors—to defend and justify existing social, economic, and political systems, even when doing so may conflict with their self- or group-interests. Competing theories, however, argue that system justification is largely a reflection of those interests. This thesis tests these competing perspectives on system justification across countries and time through four studies, using a consistent four-item measure of general system justification for comparability. Study 1 examined SJT’s status-legitimacy hypothesis in China and the United States, using both subjective and objective indicators of socioeconomic status (SES). Subjective SES consistently positively predicted system justification across cultures and time, aligning with self- and group-interest explanations. Objective SES, however, showed only weak and inconsistent support for SJT in China. Study 2 expanded the scope cross-culturally, comparing SJT to the social identity perspectives and Social Dominance Theory, using data from 42 countries. Results largely favored self- and group-interest explanations over SJT across cultures. Study 3 tested SJT’s claim that system justification provides psychological benefits in the form of enhanced psychological wellbeing using four waves of longitudinal data. Bidirectional cross-lagged panel modeling showed that system justification predicted greater subjective SES via increased life satisfaction over time, but not vice versa, supporting SJT’s claim that system-justifying beliefs can confer psychological benefits independent of materials self-interest. However, when assessing this model using more robust longitudinal techniques, no such effect was observed. Study 4 used a longitudinal quasi-experiment centered around New Zealand’s 2023 general election to compare SJT with the Social Identity Model of System Attitudes (SIMSA). Results showed that system justification generally coincided with self- and group-interests among electoral winners and losers in line with SIMSA. However, among disadvantaged electoral losers, perceived system threat [of SJT] better explained continued system justification than did optimism about the future [of SIMSA], providing stronger support for SJT. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that system justification arises from a complex interplay of individual, situational, ideological, and societal factors. While system justification often reflects self- and group-interests, under certain conditions it functions as an ideological mechanism that can conflict with these very interests to uphold societal structures – especially when those structures are perceived to be under threat. This supports the view of system justification as both an ideological disposition and a palliative mechanism, sustaining societal structures despite inequality. Such insights highlight the challenge of addressing systemic injustice and underscore the need to frame social change in ways that align with psychological motivation and a desire for stability.Item On LIFE within the Society-of-Captives : exploring the pains of imprisonment for real : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024-12-12) Luff, Daniel JohnInstitutional and social discourse upholds the prison as an effective rehabilitative solution to crime, but more recently there has been increasing criticism of the prison as a producer of harm rather than healing. Despite such criticism, discussions of the rehabilitative potentials of prisons predominantly exclude and silence insider, incarcerate voices in criminal justice debates and literature, and often do not describe what those ‘inside’, like me, are living and experiencing. The primary aim of this project is to theorise twenty years of lived experience of incarceration in the hope of contributing to the work being done to problematise risk-averse, harmful correctional practices. Through a deeply reflexive autoethnographic performance, the reader comes with me beyond prison walls, into the largely closed off, inaccessible world within. Through navigation of my lived experience of imprisonment, I reflexively theorise memories of incarceration that are usually only speculated upon through objective, exclusionary research. The account that emerges from theorising incarceration ‘for real’ analyses the constraints of political narratives and risk averse policy and practice produced within our prison system, and within the bodies that system contains. Through an interweave of autoethnographic field noting, performance and analysis, the research unpacks the connections between the structural, socio-political issues, and the pains of incarceration. Using Arrigo’s Society of Captives (SOC) thesis, the harms being produced are theorised with regard to subjectivities constituted through prison – the prisoner, their guard, and society at large. Theoretical storying shows how socio-political issues are having considerably detrimental impacts on correctional policy and practice. Prisoners are neither seen nor heard, and their keepers too are held captive, unable to engage with their charges ethically lest they be reprimanded for doing corrections differently. Through this multi-layered harm, a society of captives is being perpetuated within which the very harm and risk it proclaims to alleviate is reproduced. Embedded in a pursuit of social justice, I argue for a relational, ethical praxis wherein people are seen, and heard, for real. The change is not only theorised but rare instances of it, and the healing power it produces, demonstrated. Through autoethnography’s theoretical praxis, and embracing of the SOC thesis’ pursuit of becoming, my research also involves considerable personal movement. It illustrates how, through the utilisation of autoethnographic methodology, in particular reflexive process, it becomes possible to ethically resist harmful representations and risk-focused correctional practices. In making these movements the research brings us out of prison, and provides in-depth consideration of my bodily attempts to reintegrate into the community after two decades of largely harmful carceral experiences. In these, the narrative contributes to a growing consciousness, global debate, and movement regarding prison, rehabilitation, and how community safety is best served. And it contributes to a process of becoming within me, a bodily movement, a transition into a place where humanness can be done differently…Item Place, provenance, protection : alignments, challenges, and opportunities for Māori future foods : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Food Technology at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University, Manawatū o Turitea, Palmerston North(Massey University, 2025-07-08) Wright, Summer RangimaarieThis thesis examines key alignments, challenges, and opportunities for Māori future foods, conceptualised as food production processes and outcomes that positively impact Māori and kinship networks. Beginning with a focus on plant-based future foods, a scoping interview study with Māori enterprise revealed strong alignment with Māori aspirations, including fulfilling kinship responsibilities, bringing together multiple forms of value, advancing collective wellbeing, and protecting and expressing Māori rights and interests - particularly in cultural and intellectual property. Participants identified place branding as a promising avenue to protect and develop cultural landscapes and enable future foods. The second study developed a content analysis protocol to explore the branding of Māori food and beverage packaging, with a focus on the prevalence and potential functions of place elements. Findings show that place branding is widely used by Māori enterprises, affirming its relevance to Māori future foods, while also highlighting a need to understand perceptions of Indigenous place elements. The third study used means-end chain laddering interviews to examine how critical consumers in Aotearoa New Zealand and Singapore perceive Māori place elements. It found a range of positive and negative perceptions across both contexts, which suggest viable approaches to place branding by Māori food enterprise. The thesis presents three key messages: plant-based future foods are relevant to Māori on multiple levels; Māori future foods can be enabled through place branding; and Māori place branding can support enterprise development and the protection of Māori rights and cultural property. These findings have implications for advancing Māori future foods and for growing the research and practice of decolonial Māori and Indigenous place branding. By exploring these interconnections, the thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of how Māori aspirations can shape and benefit from future food systems. It also critiques the ongoing appropriation of Māori culture by government and industry to advance broader agricultural and economic agendas. This research offers a transdisciplinary approach, addressing gaps at the intersection of Māori enterprise, future foods, Indigenous place branding, and consumption studies.Item In search of healing narratives amongst warriors : exploring the lived experience of New Zealand Defence Force service members seeking mental health support : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024) Grimm, Carsten JamesNarratives of war and of warriors exist throughout recorded human history and society’s support for soldiers in distress reflects the cultural paradigm of the period. Contemporary approaches to supporting military mental health focus on barriers to care and psychotherapy outcomes; however, little is known about the user experiences of personnel as they navigate military healthcare systems. This research project explored the narrative accounts of 21 active duty New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel who had accessed mental health support in order to understand their experiences of accessing care. Participants described their mental health recovery using a better-than-before narrative structure aligned with the hero’s journey, which involved challenges crossing the help seeking threshold and concluded with positive personal transformation. Stories of holistic recovery adopted Māori well-being heuristics to narrate the interconnection of relationships and health behaviours that supported participant healing. Participant accounts of seeking support also reflected paradoxical narratives, as the NZDF mental health system both helped and hindered personnel during their period of distress. Many of the cultural aspects of the NZDF were described as strengths but also as barriers that prevented personnel from connecting to care that was effective and meaningful to them. Narratives in this research contribute important perspectives on military mental healthcare that both celebrate the NZDF mental health system and offer opportunities to develop practices that better support personnel to navigate the many values conflicts and dilemmas they experience during their military service.Item Exploring the sleep of young children in Aotearoa New Zealand : associations with ethnicity and maternal depression in and beyond the perinatal period : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024-11-23) Carter, MikaelaSleep plays a vital role in children’s health. Sleep development is influenced by a complex interplay of biopsychosocial factors. There is emerging evidence to suggest perinatal depression (PND) is one such factor, but further investigation is needed. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, ethnic inequities in the social determinants of health produce sleep health disparities that are evident from preschool age through adulthood; it is currently unclear whether they exist in infants. To address these research gaps, secondary data from the Moe Kura: Mother and Child, Sleep and Wellbeing in Aotearoa/New Zealand study (Moe Kura) were analysed in two studies. Kaupapa Māori research principles informed the study designs. First, sleep health equity, socio-ecological factors associated with infant sleep, and the characteristics of mother-perceived infant sleep problems were investigated using data from 383 Māori and 702 non-Māori mother-infant dyads at 12 weeks postpartum. Next, longitudinal relationships between maternal depression and infant and preschooler sleep health in 262 Māori and 594 non-Māori dyads were examined using data collected during pregnancy, 12 weeks postpartum, and 3 years post-birth. Multivariable and ordinal logistic models assessed the impact of different socio-ecological factors on infant sleep. Binary logistic models examined longitudinal associations between PND and infant and preschooler sleep, adjusting for key socio-demographic variables. Key developmental markers of infant sleep did not differ by maternal ethnicity. There were some ethnicity-based differences in sleep location. Bed-sharing and several socio-demographic factors were related to different dimensions of infant sleep and mother-perceived sleep problems. Bivariate associations were found between prior and concurrent depressive symptomology and many of the infant and preschooler sleep outcomes. Prenatal depressive symptoms remained independently associated with shorter-than-recommended sleep durations in preschoolers after controlling for key covariates. Results show sleep at 12 weeks is highly variable and is associated with numerous socio-ecological factors. Sleep appears to be one pathway by which PND confers risk for poor child health outcomes. Findings support the need for more and better perinatal psychological services.Item 'But we're just the same humans as you' : refugees negotiating exclusions, belonging and language in Sweden and New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025-01-28) Svensson, Hanna Lena KatrinRefugee settlement is a complex process requiring the navigation of new linguistic and social spaces and the renegotiation of belonging and identity. The process can also be complicated by the contested nature of national belonging and the politicisation of social cohesion, as well as by forms of everyday exclusion. Drawing on a Bakhtinian dialogical framework, this study used qualitative data from interviews with language teachers, settlement support workers and refugee-background residents in New Zealand and Sweden to investigate dimensions of belonging, social cohesion, and language in relation to refugee settlement. The study sought to discover how belonging and social cohesion are perceived and experienced by refugee-background residents in these contexts, how they are promoted by the two settlement nations, and how they are operationalised in political and public discourse to enforce boundaries and construct national and refugee identities. Of particular interest was the intersection of public discourse and lived experience, and the tensions and contestations that may arise in these spaces. Language learning and use were seen as crucial aspects of belonging and social cohesion and were investigated both in terms of linguistic inequalities in the settlement location and in terms of the unique language learning journeys of adult learners. The findings suggest that there are significant gaps in the understanding of refugee experiences among policy makers and that discursive representations of refugees, particularly in terms of social cohesion and belonging, often impact negatively on the settlement process. The politicisation of belonging and the appropriation of social cohesion discourses as tools for differentiation, and potentially exclusion, can have negative impacts on individuals’ rights and settlement prospects while reductive representations of refugees lead to unrealistic expectations in terms of language acquisition and labour market participation and to restrictive policies that hinder the settlement process. The thesis concludes by arguing that in order to strengthen social cohesion and belonging, it is imperative that refugees are included as dialogical partners, practically and ideologically. It identifies theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the research and raises further questions in relation to gender, language acquisition, incentivisation and dialogical practice in the context of refugee settlement.Item Fruit measurement horticultural device : developing trust through usability across complex systems : a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, College of Creative Arts / Toi Rauwhārangi, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2024-12-11) Krige, ZenéThe agricultural technology (ag-tech) sector aims to use emerging technologies to meet changing consumer demands. To do this, the design of an intuitive smart object needed to be developed, and appraised for the horticultural industry of New Zealand. Its subsequent data needed to be expressed in tangible ways that empower decision-making about orchard operations. An elevated user experience of the device, along with quality data driving the system, would provide a successful engagement with an intelligent product system that sustains trust in the interaction and purpose of the product and integrates trust as a value within the system to advance resilience in horticultural innovation. Focusing on the task of fruit measurement, this project explores the conceptual design of a technology-driven device that can efficiently measure fruit size and count, throughout the season. The translation of this data in a format that enables stakeholders to analyse, query and act on it, seeks to inform and empower decision-making by the end users and stakeholders about the best time to harvest. This allows for better management of resources and deployment of labour and equipment. The consequence is a more sustainable orchard operation with greater productivity and benefits to all stakeholders. The project investigates the interrelationships between stakeholders, their equipment and orchard systems to drive product innovation by strengthening foundations of trust and utility, developing confidence in product use, and demonstrating its role in providing critical data into a horticultural management system with an inanimate object (product) placed within the orchard environment. This creative practice research project aims to address the opportunities that design can offer in bridging technological capability to usable products that can communicate trustworthy data clearly to end-users.Item Prejudice toward Chinese Indonesians and the Xinyimin in Indonesia : an integrated threat approach : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communication at Massey University, Wellington Campus, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025-03-07) Yotes, Tommy SunpanaLatent tension has long defined the relationship between Chinese Indonesians and the Pribumi (native Indonesians). Political violence against Chinese Indonesians has occurred from time to time, from pre-independence Indonesia to the Suharto era. Rooted in Dutch colonial legacies that framed the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia as perpetual outsiders, prejudice toward them has persisted for centuries and even continues under the current administration. Furthermore, China’s rising influence in Southeast Asia has brought an influx of new Chinese migrants (Xinyimin) to the region, including Indonesia, intensifying perceptions of threats and prejudice. This study uses Stephan & Stephan’s integrated threat theory to explore how perceived threats relate to prejudice toward Chinese Indonesians and the Xinyimin working in Indonesia. Using multiple regression analyses, this study found negative stereotypes, realistic threat, history of intergroup conflict, and age act as significant predictors of prejudice toward Chinese Indonesians, and that history of intergroup conflict and contact influence the perception of economic threats toward the Xinyimin in Indonesia. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications for integrated threat and prejudice are discussed.Item Tongan indigenous approaches in the prevention and restoration of family violence : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2023) Havea (née Taufa), SesimaniSubstantive literature exists on intimate partner violence and the efficacy of various response programmes. There is only limited knowledge of Pacific-indigenous understandings of and responses to violence within the kainga (families). This thesis explores aspects of the inaugural application of the Tongan conceptual framework of Fofola e fala ka e talanoa e kainga (laying out the mat so families can dialogue) as part of the faith-based Kainga Tu’umalie (prosperous families) family violence intervention and prevention programme in Aotearoa New Zealand. The programme is centred around weekend retreats involving Tongan households experiencing family violence. I was culturally immersed in observing, actively engaging in, and evaluating this programme during the retreats that involved 49 Tongan church kainga (families). Additionally, formal talanoa (a Pacific-indigenous way of engaging families in research) were conducted post retreat with seven faith-based community leaders to draw out their depth of cultural knowledge and how it was applied to the development and conduct of the programme. As well as drawing on the evaluative materials, talanoa were conducted with three participating families to further consider their experiences of the programme. Overall, this study found that Tongan indigenous cultural ways infused with faith-based values can be effective, transformational, and restorative for individuals and families experiencing violence. Core findings are encapsulated by three intersecting Tongan-Indigenous cultural concepts of: Ko e makatu’unga mo’ui mo e malohi (a powerful and living platform); Koe kolo malu mo e hufanga (a place of safety & refuge), and Fa’utaha (unity/harmony/peace). These concepts not only represent the interweaving of Christian faith and Tongan indigenous knowledge as symbolised by the Fofola e fala (laying out the mat) framework, but also inform our shared understanding of the intent and impacts of the Kainga Tu’umalie programme. These concepts also enlighten my analysis of the positive impacts of the programme on participating families’ and their commitments to engaging in efforts to transform their everyday interactions to create more harmonious relationships within which they can thrive together. Participant accounts foreground the importance and potential of working with key faith-based and cultural values to address patterns of violence collectively within Tongan kainga (families), and with support from wider community members. This research also speaks to the significance of leveraging collaborative partnerships between community-based agencies and faith-based communities in addressing social issues.Item Kūkū : a re-imagined fangufangu developed through a Kakala Design Framework : a thesis is presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of : Doctor of Philosophy in Design, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Ngā Pae Mahutonga, Pōneke, Aotearoa | Massey University, School of Design, Wellington, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 19 December 2025.(Massey University, 2024-09-23) Kaulamatoa, RachaelThe fangufangu (nose flute) is a Tongan musical instrument that traces back hundreds of years. Each fangufangu possesses unique physical characteristics, contributing to its distinct sound. Highlighting its historical and cultural significance, one customary use was awakening nobility from slumber. Although rare today, practices of making and performing the fangufangu have been revitalized by Tongan communities in recent years. However, there is limited research on the fangufangu, particularly from a Tongan perspective. This practice-led creative research develops and applies a Kakala Design Framework to holistically and collaboratively explore possibilities of the fangufangu for modern musicians of the Tongan diaspora. The culmination of this research is embodied in Kūkū, a re-imagined fangufangu that enhances specific musical, tangible and visual aesthetics by harmoniously weaving notions of past, present and future. Through an analogue design approach, primary elements of form and material contribute towards enhancing instrument playability and sonic versatility to accommodate use across diverse musical environments and playing styles. Guided by an Indigenised industrial design process predicated on Tongan world-views and values, this exegesis reflects on the collaborative development of Kūkū with Tongan fangufangu practitioners.
