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    The development of a psychosocial intervention that supports siblings of children and adolescents with serious chronic health conditions in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2024-11-12) Armstrong, Kathleen
    Due to recent advances in medical care, many childhood chronic health conditions (CHCs) are less likely to be fatal and more able to be successfully managed. This has led to an increase in the prevalence of children living with CHCs, which presents the affected child, their parents, and their siblings with significant long-term consequences and challenges. Extant literature points to siblings of children with CHCs being a vulnerable population who are at increased risk of developing depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms, lower quality of life, and disruption to academic and social functioning. Consequently, there have been calls for the development of sibling support services both in Aotearoa New Zealand (New Zealand) and internationally. Recent needs-based research on siblings of children with cancer and other serious CHCs in New Zealand reported critical unmet needs across the following domains: Information about the illness; Dealing with feelings; Time out and recreation; Support from friends and other young people; Understanding from their family; and Relationship with their affected sibling. These findings emphasise the necessity of a nationwide intervention that provides siblings with support close to the time of their brother’s or sister’s diagnosis. The aim of the present study was to develop a needs-based psychosocial intervention for siblings of children with serious CHCs, which protects and promotes the health and wellbeing of this vulnerable population and recognises their existing individual and familial strengths. A literature review was conducted to investigate the impact serious childhood CHCs have on siblings, and to establish whether the commonalities in sibling experiences justify taking a transdiagnostic approach in the development of a sibling intervention. This was followed by a systematised review of existing sibling interventions and an evaluation of their efficacy. Informed by the two major reviews and existing needs-based sibling research, a manualised intervention was developed to meet the self-reported unmet needs of siblings, using a combination of evidence-based therapeutic modalities.
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    Mai i te Kāhui Mounga ki Te Toka Tūmoana : Māori social workers’ experiences of growing up, the influence of whānau on their upbringing, and how these experiences impact their social work practice : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024) Watson, Andrea (Ange) Makere
    Kaimahi (Māori social workers) are like toka tūmoana – sometimes standing steadfast in a sea of chaos and uncertainty when working alongside whānau on change journeys. This thesis examines kaimahi growing up experiences, the influence of whānau on their upbringing, and how these experiences impact on their mahi as social work practitioners. This qualitative research project utilised Kaupapa Māori theory, incorporating a Mātauranga-ā-Taranaki methodological approach. The pūrākau of Pukeonaki ki Taranaki was utilised to assist in the interpretation of kaimahi experiences resulting in the construction of an overarching Te Kāhui Mounga ki Te Toka Tūmoana framework. Sixteen kaimahi were interviewed for this project, alongside separate interviews for some of their whānau members – eleven individual whānau members participated in six whānau hui. Key findings identified that kaimahi bring their lived experiences to social work which enables them to connect with maginalised whānau they work alongside. Theoretical understandings about becoming within te ao Māori illustrate how social work practice is always evolving with no finite end. The research also captured the voices of the whānau of kaimahi who were positive about having social work trained whānau members, often accessing them for their specialist knowledge, skillset, networks and resources. Participants identified that Māori have always been social workers practicing kaimahi ā whānau within whānau, hapū and iwi. It is subsequently argued that contemporary Māori social work practice can be traced to the Parihaka peace resistance movement, as the first documented form of Māori social and community work in Aotearoa. He Whāriki Haumaru model, developed within this thesis, illustrates how natural social work happens within whānau Māori with the threads of aroha (loving relationships), mokopuna ora, ngā mātāpono ā whānau (whānau values and beliefs), te taiao, hāpaitia (whānau happiness, unity, and connection), pou manawa (resources and resilience) kōrero (clear communication), and moemoeā (whānau aspirations) included. Kaimahi ā whānau networks have always operationalised these Māori-centric value systems to encourage oranga-ā-whānau – flourishing families.
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    Refugee social services : an examination of institutional logics and value co-creation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024-11-14) Smith, Ro-Ann Patricia
    This thesis contributes to the much-understudied area of refugee services in the services marketing literature by using SDL as a theoretical lens to study refugee social services’ institutional arrangements and their impact on refugees’ and service providers’ value co-creation. This study sought to gain insight into the perspectives of the institutional logics of staff and clients of refugee social services. To investigate the dynamics of power and culture in relation to these perspectives, a government-funded and a non-government-funded refugee social services organisation was chosen. The study also looked at the impact of power, culture, and these perspectives of institutional logics on perceptions of value that the refugees gained in the service experience, and the value co-creation and co-destruction behaviours of staff and clients. To achieve this, a qualitative approach was taken, and interviews were conducted with the service providers and clients from both organisations. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that power and culture had a significant impact on the perspectives of the institutional logics of the organisations, perceptions of clients, value gained, and value co-creation and co-destruction behaviours. Results showed incongruence in the staff and client perspectives on institutional logics for the government funded organisation based on the refugees’ lack of power and cultural understanding of the service experience, resulting in clients overestimating value gained and positive value-co-creation behaviours. The staff, though more powerful than the refugees, also lacked power in the organisation, resulting in value co-destruction behaviours. Conversely, the staff and clients of the non-government funded organisation, shared cultures and power and consequently shared perspectives of the institutional logics of the organisation. This resulted in mostly positive value co-creation behaviours. This study contributes to the much-needed marketing literature on refugee services and adds to the SDL and value co-creation literature, particularly as it relates to the impact of political economic factors. The managerial implications of the study stand to improve services for refugees in social services and other contexts by creating new ways to conduct research with them and educating refugees and stakeholders on how to better co-create value.
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    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), Sesimani
    Substantive 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.
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    What are the effects of Ngā Kōti Rangatahi on the health and wellbeing of rangatahi and their whānau who enter this system? : a thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024-07-28) Findlay, Eru
    In the last two decades, Aotearoa New Zealand has established a judicial system in Māori communities. These establishments are termed Ngā Kōti Rangatahi (NKR), also known as Marae Youth Courts. The primary role of the establishment is to arrest the increase in crime by creating an environment that leads to a decrease in Māori youth reoffending nationally (The Justice and Electoral Committee, 2017). Rangatahi, youth aged 14 to 16 years of Māori ethnicity, are currently appearing in the New Zealand justice system more than any other ethnic group – and this is increasing (Ministry of Justice, 2017). There are many reasons why this is occurring, and the reasons can be broad and range from the individual experience to social conditions, or universal trends. The objective of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of NKR on the health and well-being of rangatahi and their whānau (families that take care of the wellbeing of Māori youth). This research also explored the relationship between youth offending and contemporary Māori socialization processes to identify customary approaches in Te Ao Māori and their relevance to contemporary views on what counts as justice for Māori. It looked at the theoretical perspectives which underpin NKR and examined the involved processes and their effects on rangatahi and their whānau. In doing so, this research assessed the potential of NKR to impact wellbeing as an alternative to the mainstream youth court system via the implementation of Durie's (1984) Te Whare Tapa Whā model as a holistic approach to NKR. Drawing on a mixed methods qualitative approach this study was conducted with NKR professionals, NKR youth, and their whānau. The research found that rangatahi and their whānau experienced health outcomes that corresponded with the four dimensions of Te Whare Tapa Whā model; physical, psychological, spiritual, and familial.
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    Infrastructure planning emergency levels of service for the Wellington region, Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (Emergency Management) at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024-06-07) Mowll, Richard
    Past work has demonstrated that the infrastructure in the Wellington region, Aotearoa New Zealand, is vulnerable to natural hazard events such as earthquake and tsunami. To enable common understandings of the levels of service (or targets) that critical infrastructure entities are planning on delivering in an emergency event, the concept of ‘planning emergency levels of service’ (PELOS) is developed and presented in this thesis. Such a concept is readily relatable to the water sector where, for example, the World Health Organisation’s ‘basic access’ to water standard is for ’20 litres of water, per person, per day, within 1km of the dwelling’. Despite such standards for water, there are few other examples in the sectors of energy, telecommunications and transport. A literature review investigated relevant sources of information on the concept from both academic and from infrastructure sector-specific texts and was used in developing a preliminary framework of PELOS, alongside discussions with emergency management experts in the Wellington region. The overall PELOS concept and preliminary framework was then presented in interviews and workshops with key stakeholders, and qualitative data collected from these interactions was used to create an ‘operationalised’ PELOS framework. This framework was adopted by the Wellington Lifelines Group, a grouping of the critical infrastructure entities in the region. Key themes of the PELOS concept are explored, namely: interdependencies, the need to consider the vulnerabilities of some community members, emergency planning considerations, stakeholders’ willingness to collaborate and the flexibility/adaptability of the delivery of infrastructure services following a major event. Further, a description of the process taken to develop the framework is provided to enable other regions to create their own frameworks. A mapping tool, visualising where PELOS can, and cannot, be achieved based on hazard impact modelling is presented. This allows the infrastructure entities, the impacted communities and the emergency management sector to have a common understanding of the targets of response following a major hazard event, and plan for them in future.
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    Disability work matters : employment opportunities for disabled people in the New Zealand disability sector : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023-12-30) MacNeill (née Crothall), Pamela
    Although disabled citizens represent almost a quarter of the total population in Aotearoa New Zealand, they experience significant and persistent barriers to employment. This research examined the barriers and enablers to employment for disabled New Zealanders, both generally and those specifically relevant to the disability sector. The research had four aims: to examine the navigation of family, identity, and education by disabled people; to identify barriers to paid employment in both mainstream and disability sector settings; to investigate potential employment enablers; and develop recommendations. This research employed a qualitative thematic analysis approach, underpinned by the social model of disability and the theoretical concepts of Pierre Bourdieu, guiding interpretation of results. The study began with a focus group of six disabled people, to discuss possible themes for the research. Results from the focus group were then developed further to inform interviews with 13 disabled and 12 nondisabled people, on topics relating to: the navigation of family, identity, and education by disabled people; barriers to paid employment in mainstream and disability sector employment; and potential employment enablers. Key research findings include: the development of individual agency is critical to build the resilience necessary to navigate many environmental, structural, and attitudinal barriers encountered in education and employment; similar employment barriers are experienced by disabled people in all employment settings; the creation of opportunities for employers to meet with disabled people could be valuable and may lead to job offers; time-limited voluntary work, which includes pathways to paid employment, may assist to both allay employer apprehension, and enable disabled people to demonstrate capability. Research strongly suggests that the disability sector would benefit from including the lived experience of disability as a key competency for employment within a sector which exists in the name of disabled people. Ensuring disabled people achieve greater authority in their sector is an equity issue in urgent need of attention, and this study takes a step forward to address this need.
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    Co-designing a community-based intervention for prediabetes among Tongan youths in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health at Massey University, Wellington Campus, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Pulu, Veisinia
    The Tongan population is the second largest Pacific ethnic group in New Zealand, and they have a high rate of prediabetes, characterised by high obesity, hypertension, sedentary behaviours, and unhealthy diets. Addressing this condition through a Tongan community centred based programme, the progression of type 2 diabetes and future health complications can be prevented. Aim: The overall objective of this study was to investigate the Tongan youths and adults’ understanding of prediabetes by mobilising them into collective actions to lead healthier lives. Methods: There were three phases of this study. Phase one explored the perception and understanding of prediabetes and its impact on health and well-being among 8 youth and 11 adults. Phase two applied the Bratteteig co-design methodology to co-develop and implement a community-based intervention called Polokalama mo’ui lelei to address the main characteristics of prediabetes (diet, physical activity, weight management and enhanced knowledge about prediabetes). Phase three involved two online focus groups (youth group=4, adult group = 3) to evaluate the effectiveness of the Polokalama mo’ui lelei. Findings: Phase one findings highlighted that the Tongan youth and adults have limited knowledge of prediabetes which was attributed to the lack of understanding and access to health promotion services. This was compounded by generational health information that had been conceptualized within families, further enhancing their limited understanding. Phase two of the co-designed program showed improvements in weight management measurements; however, the number of participants was too small (n=10) to infer meaningful findings. Phase three findings highlighted key barriers for accessing the program, such as household income, education and motivation factors, and socio-cultural and economic factors. Conclusion: Education and knowledge about prediabetes was viewed as a major issue for the Tongan community members when they had learnt about it. The co-design approach in phase two was demonstrably a socially relevant approach to undertake with the Tongan community, but the method used was not a culturally relevant approach. As a result, a major development from this study was the establishment of the Fengaueaki Fakataha model, a new Tongan model of health. This model provides Tongan cultural insights and protocols which help explain the findings, and it could be used as a guide for conducting future research when working with Tongan communities.
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    Empowering parents to use a core board with children who have complex communication needs : a multiple case study : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for Doctor of Philosophy in Speech and Language Therapy at Massey University, Albany Campus, Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Brydon, Sam
    Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for children with complex communication needs is an area that has seen rapid recent change, both in the AAC systems that are provided, and the methods used to support implementation. AAC is recognised as an evidence-based approach in early intervention that can increase successful communication outcomes for children with complex communication needs. There is increasing awareness that for implementation to be successful, the child’s communication partners need to be supported to learn strategies that will help the child to use their new AAC system. The 77-cell core board with fringe vocabulary used in this study is widely used in Aotearoa New Zealand, but there has been little research conducted to provide evidence that it is an effective or appropriate tool for beginning communicators. This thesis describes a multiple case study with a mixed methods research design, capturing the implementation of an AAC support intervention that was carried out over a year. The study sought to explore the effectiveness of a training and coaching intervention for parents to support the implementation of a core board with their pre-school children who had complex communication needs and used less than 10 spoken words. The intervention described in this study, named Empowering Parents for AAC (EP-AAC), took place over a year, and included an intervention phase of 9 weeks and a long maintenance phase. Six families were recruited, and one parent from each family participated. The children had no prior experience with using AAC. After an initial intervention phase consisting of group workshops and in-home coaching to learn evidence-based strategies to support their child’s communication through AAC, parents continued to receive bi-monthly maintenance coaching sessions for the remainder of the year. Quantitative data were collected on both the adults’ use of the taught AAC strategies and the children’s use of the core board and spoken language. Additionally, qualitative data were collected through a variety of sources including two surveys and a final semi-structured interview aimed at gaining deeper insights into the supports and barriers to AAC use, and how the family had experienced the intervention and implementation of AAC. The findings suggested that the intervention was successful, with all the adults learning and maintaining the supportive strategies alongside all the children making significant gains in their communication. Five children learned to use the core board to communicate within the first few weeks of the intervention, and all six children were able to communicate using a core board by the end of the year. Family retention over the duration of the study period exceeded expectations, despite a challenging year during the pandemic. Four children used spoken language as their main form of communication by the end of the intervention, whilst the other two continued to use AAC to communicate. The parents reported positively about the intervention, in particular the on-going coaching. The core board was viewed as a helpful tool, but not as a long-term AAC solution. For the children who still required AAC for communication, parents wanted to explore high tech AAC options. The findings from this study provided additional evidence that parents are a key component to ensuring the success of an AAC system. Initial training and ongoing personalised coaching proved to be a successful combination for this group of parents to learn and maintain the supportive AAC strategies. Core boards were found to be an adequate initial AAC system when implemented within this supportive framework and were a contributing factor in the improved communication skills of all the participating children. The EP-AAC intervention was a useful framework that could be used in the future by service providers to support the implementation of a range of AAC options with young children who have complex communication needs.
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    Narratives of embedded oppression and the Covid-19 pandemic response : voices from marginalised sexual violence survivors in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Helme, Caitlin
    The prevalence of sexual violence in Aotearoa New Zealand was of epidemic proportions even before the arrival of Covid-19, with people experiencing social marginalisation harmed more frequently, in different ways, and with less appropriate support available to them than the hegemonic population. In trying to understand these issues through a lens of intersectionality, I broadly enquired into the importance, impact, and challenges of navigating sexual violence for disabled people who experience multiple layers of oppression. Respondents told stories within both the pre- and peri-Covid-19 landscape. Seven respondents shared their stories during eight unstructured, teller-focussed interviews (Hydén, 2014). All seven respondents were service providers, with four respondents also being survivors of sexual violence themselves. Respondents had lived experience of marginalisation, with many inhabiting multiple marginalised social locations. All survivors identified as disabled, with further marginalised identities including being Indigenous, female, and/or queer, among others. A reflexive narrative analysis was conducted to make visible the expert stories as an ethical response to social justice. The narrative analysis outlines how embedded social inequities and power structures, including ableism, racism, sexism, and cisgenderism, intersect oppressively for survivors and create barriers to accessing appropriate support. Inequities are longstanding and rooted within historical oppressions such as colonisation. Respondents spoke of the compounding of existing inequities following the arrival of Covid-19, making visible an already under-resourced sector bearing the brunt of an unprecedented influx of sexual violence and the detrimental effects on survivors and providers alike. Radical change is required to address social inequities in promoting an equal response to sexual violence.