Massey University Departments
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/568
Browse
10 results
Search Results
Item The role of the private sector in providing access to educational and employment opportunities in PNG : a case study of the Work Readiness Institute, Lihir Island, PNG : a research project presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Development, Institute of Development Studies, Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand(Massey University, 2020-06) Tyro, Sophie LynneDespite Papua New Guinea being resource rich, the country has struggled to turn these revenues into positive development results with PNG still lagging behind in all development indicators. Mining companies within the country have made effort to contribute positively to development, and are increasingly held to account through critical evaluation and measuring effects by way of social impact assessments. This paper seeks to look specifically at the role of the Work Ready Institute, situated within the special mining lease of Newcrest Mining Ltd., Lihir Island, New Ireland Province. The WRI has been developed by the mining company as a training and development program that provides trainees with the skills necessary to access employment opportunities available within Newcrest and is specifically aimed at young Lihirians. The aims of this research project are, firstly, to investigate the obstacles to educational success that exist for students at the Work Ready Institute, an educational training facility administered by Lihir Gold Limited (LGL). In understanding these challenges, the second aim is to explore how the mine, the WRI, and the trainees can work together for better educational outcomes. The overall context of this research project is to critically examine the education system in PNG by looking at the history of education in PNG and how this history relates to recent curriculum reforms. The research considers the available literature surrounding education in PNG as well as the extractive industries and the way in which the latter can partner with the government to improve educational outcomes in the country. This research considers these through the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility, particularly looking at the motivations of CSR within the mining industry and its influence on outcomes and sustainability of social performance initiatives. Broadly speaking, the conclusion of this research project speaks to the need for social performance initiatives to be well considered in partnership with the very people the project is aimed at through effective social assessment and monitoring. There needs to be a clear objective for the program, and all stakeholders need to understand the objective in order to find success. Most importantly, the outcome of the initiative needs to satisfy business objectives in order to ensure continuity and sustainability during the mine life, as social performance requires long-term investment in order to deliver effective social change. And herein lies the difficulty: placing priority on business outcomes, like social performance, while also prioritising the needs of the community. True partnerships in sustainable development are when interests of all stakeholders are met.Item Synergising youth empowerment and co-design to transform Pasifika youth into agents of social change : a novel approach to advance healthy lifestyles in Pasifika communities : 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, 2020) Prapavessis, DaniCurrent population health statistics demonstrate the need for innovative approaches to improve health outcomes and prevent non-communicable disease (NCD) for Pasifika peoples. This research builds off pilot studies on the effects of youth empowerment programmes to address obesity-related issues amongst Pasifika communities. It developed and tested an original model of co-design embedded within the youth empowerment framework of the Pasifika Prediabetes Youth Empowerment Programme. The programme was co-delivered with two community health service providers (one rural and one urban), employing Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methodology. N=29 youth (aged 15-24 years) participated in eleven educational and capacity-building modules that comprised the empowerment and co-design components during weekly sessions from MayOctober 2018. At the end of the programme, the model of co-design generated two individualised community intervention action plans to reduce prediabetes in their communities. This research employed a qualitative research design with four data collection techniques and thematic analysis to evaluate the effects of the tested programme. It used an original framework of social change to determine the impacts on the youth’s values, knowledge, and behaviours as well as the community organisations, and the socio-cultural norms of each community. It also explicated the contextual considerations of programme uptake in each location. Overall, this research illustrated that co-design is an effective addition to empowerment frameworks. It demonstrated how to operationalise co-design in a community-based setting with youth, and the tested model provided a practical framework to translate empowerment ii outcomes into the community. The programme analyses also led to a more nuanced understanding of social change. This research developed a concept of the process of social change that can be used to inform future programme development and evaluation. This research suggests future translations of the programme to maximise uptake and postulates different community contexts and settings for delivery, beyond Pasifika prediabetes prevention.Item Talanoa ile i'a : talking to Pacific Island young people in West Auckland about health : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2003) Faleolo, Moses Ma'aloThe present study explores the health issues surrounding Pacific Island youth health development. The present study conducted a literature review on youth health issues in New Zealand and found that most are cultural and social related. A second literature review of theoretical dispositions to account for the emergence of youth heath issues found that Pacific Island concepts, medical sociology theory and youth health theory were relevant explanations for the emergence of Pacific Island youth health issues. The present study conducted focus groups with Pacific Island young people about youth health issues to see if the information from the literature review corresponded with the participants’ responses and whether the theoretical explanations were consistent with the participants’ responses. The present study found that a correlation exists between the literature review and the participants’ responses. The present study maintains through the participants’ responses that the key to addressing Pacific Island young people health issues is to involve their families throughout the process of assessment and in the development of response plans. This means the perspectives of those in youth health policy arenas, the perspective of service managers and the perspective of professionals are required to recognise that the perspective of the young person is an essential domain for understanding the cause of and for resolving Pacific Island youth health issues. ‘Talanoa ile I’a’ is the story of Pacific Island young people living in West Auckland. It is based on responses to questions posed to participants of the study in relation to Pacific Island youth health development issues. The present study contends that in order to understand, identify and resolve Pacific Island youth health issues it is important to talk to Pacific Island young people themselves. The present study did not conduct any research with youth policymakers, youth health services or health professionals but preferred to explore youth health with Pacific Island young people themselves. The present study is built on the participants’ responses and provides both warning signs and building blocks for youth health policy, youth healthcare services and youth health professionals. The present study is a Pacific Island approach to Pacific Island youth health issues; it is ‘by Pacific for Pacific’.Item Organisation and dynamics of family relations and implications for the wellbeing of Sāmoan youth in Aotearoa, New Zealand : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology at Massey University, New Zealand(Massey University, 2011) Fa'alau, FuafivaFamily plays a fundamental role in the wellbeing of Samoan young people. The ways in which families are structured and organised influences the levels of wellbeing for Samoan young people. In New Zealand and migrant enclaves, Samoan families have experienced major transformations that affect family structure and organisation due to social and economic influences. These transformations can have both positive and negative effects on the wellbeing of Samoan families. This thesis presents the voices of 45 Samoan young people attending secondary school in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. The young people shared their experiences on how various elements of their family relationships influenced their wellbeing. It uses a mixed method approach, using qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the connection between wellbeing and family from a variety of sources. The methodology, o le tele o sulu e maua ai figota, literally translated as “the more torches used the more shellfish found” refers to the different perspectives, methods and theoretical frameworks used in this study to gain more knowledge and understanding of the connection between wellbeing and family. The findings from this research emphasise that there are both positive and negative connections between wellbeing and family. European theorists proposed that positive relationships are protective factors for the wellbeing of young people. This study extends this notion by stating that positive collective, balanced relationships which consist of mutual understanding, respect, trust and support in families are protective factors for Samoan young people. The findings from this research suggest important areas warrant further investigation and future consideration for Samoan people.Item Creating intoxigenic environments: Marketing alcohol to young people in Aotearoa New Zealand(Elsevier, 2008-09) McCreanor, Tim; Moewaka Barnes, Helen; Kaiwai, Hector; Borell, Suaree; Gregory, AmandaAlcohol consumption among young people in New Zealand is on the rise. Given the broad array of acute and chronic harms that arise from this trend, it is a major cause for alarm and it is imperative that we improve our knowledge of key drivers of youth drinking. Changes wrought by the neoliberal political climate of deregulation that characterised the last two decades in many countries including Aotearoa New Zealand have transformed the availability of alcohol to young people. Commercial development of youth alcohol markets has seen the emergence of new environments, cultures and practices around drinking and intoxication but the ways in which these changes are interpreted and taken up is not well understood. This paper reports findings from a qualitative research project investigating the meaning-making practices of young people in New Zealand in response to alcohol marketing. Research data included group interviews with a range of Maori and Pakeha young people at three time periods. Thematic analyses of the youth data on usages of marketing materials indicate naturalisation of tropes of alcohol intoxication. We show how marketing is used and enjoyed in youth discourses creating and maintaining what we refer to as intoxigenic social environments. The implications are considered in light of the growing exposure of young people to alcohol marketing in a discussion of strategies to manage and mitigate its impacts on behaviour and consumption.Item Consuming identities: alcohol marketing and the commodification of youth experience(Informa Healthcare, 2005-12) McCreanor, Tim; Moewaka Barnes, Helen; Gregory, Mandi; Kaiwai, Hector; Borell, SuareeMarketing has successfully used the postmodern turn in conceptualisations of the human subject and incorporated contemporary theorising of identities and self into its understanding of the key drivers of consumption. Such developments clearly converge in alcohol marketing practices that target young people where commercialized youth identities available for consumption and engagement are a significant element. This paper reports data from young people that reflect the uptake of such identities and considers the challenges that these developments represent for public health and the wellbeing of young people.Item Resiliency, Connectivity and Environments: Their roles in theorizing approaches to the promoting the wellbeing of young people(Clifford Beers Foundation, 2004-02) McCreanor, Tim; Watson, PeterEarly theory and findings in the area of resilience among young people emphasised individual differences and personality characteristics to explain different reactions to stress and risk. The ‘modern’ resiliency literature views the possible explanatory variables for different outcomes in broader contexts such as family, schools and community. Despite this change over time the individualising, problem focused orientation of resilience approaches continues to obscure the environment, leaving it an under-interrogated factor in youth wellbeing. The importance of this rests on its impact on policy and practice in the fields of youth development and health promotion. In this paper we argue that contemporary resiliency theory and research continue to fall short of the paradigm shift called for by those orienting to environmentally-based public health measures to improve population level wellbeing among young people.Item Youth identity formation and contemporary alcohol marketing(Taylor & Francis, 2005) McCreanor TN; Greenaway A; Moewaka Barnes HE; Borell SS; Gregory MJThis paper considers linkages between contemporary marketing theory and practice, and emerging conceptualizations of identity, to discuss implications for public health concerns over alcohol use among young people. Particular attention is paid to the theorizing of consumption as a component of youth identities and the ways in which developments of marketing praxis orients to such schemata. The authors' analyses of exemplars of marketing materials in use in Aotearoa New Zealand, drawn from their research archive, emphasize the sophistication and power of such forms of marketing. They argue that public health policy and practice must respond to the interweaving of marketing and the self-making practices of young people to counter this complex threat to the health and well-being of young people. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.Item Maori family culture: a context of youth development in Counties/Manukau(Royal Society of New Zealand, 2007) Edwards, Shane; McCreanor, Tim; Moewaka Barnes, HelenThis paper reports on a study designed to bring the voices of young people directly into the social science literature on environmental influences on wellbeing. We analyse accounts from young Maori about their families and the roles they play in their lives in order to focus on strengths and positive resources for the promotion of youth wellbeing. Interview data were gathered from 12 females and 15 males, aged between 12 and 25 years, resident in the Counties/Manukau region. Participants who were managing satisfactorily in their lives were purposively selected for diversity of background and circumstances. Our “lifestory” approach sought narrative accounts of both everyday experience and the highs and lows of life; data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using discursive methods. Clusters of themes relating to family environments including relationships with parents, siblings and extended kin groups emerged. Participants provided detailed and nuanced accounts of family cultures, reporting on conflict, caring, gender issues, sensitivity, discipline, levels of guidance and forms of support.Item Towards promoting youth mental health in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Holistic "houses" of health(Clifford Beers Foundation, 2002-05) Anae, Melanie; Moewaka Barnes, Helen; McCreanor, Tim; Watson, PeterA study of the literature on mental health promotion suggests that to a far greater extent than ‘physical’ health concerns, mental health seems to be dominated by the illness focus of established clinical perspectives and practices. In Aotearoa/New Zealand this leaves little in the way of conceptual space or fiscal resources for the development of new preventative possibilities of population-oriented measures focussed on enhancing social and physical environments. Outflanking this unfortunate impasse, indigenous Maori and Samoan (Pacific) conceptual frameworks for health offer holistic theoretical foundations upon which we can work for health through positive development. This paper examines these frameworks and the youth development paradigm to draw out parameters of what might count as healthy youth development in this country.
