title: Māori cultural concepts and service provision for homeless Māori men

authors: Ellis, Kenneth Desmond

subjects: Maori cultural concepts

abstract: Homelessness is a pressing issue for indigenous minorities such as homeless Māori men. Their circumstances are more vulnerable in ways, than other homeless groups given that their lives are impacted upon by ongoing colonisation. Homeless Māori men, like other ‘indigenous homeless groups’, often find themselves homeless because of social/cultural dislocation where, they are disconnected from their culture and closest forms of support. This study set out to explore how homeless Māori men’s circumstances could be improved through administering interventions in the form of Māori cultural concepts like: manaakitanga, wairuatanga, whanaungatanga and whānau. The overall approach used to gather the research was based on hybridisation, where several different approaches were used simultaneously to generate research data. These were participant observation: a kaupapa Māori approach, semi structured interviewing, thematic analysis and the use of a socio-historical context to underpin the entire research process. Two groups of Māori participants were interviewed for this study, one group comprising staff members, and one made of homeless Māori men. Each group had a number of unique characteristics. For example, the entire staff group comprised skilled and qualified professionals, while the men’s group was made up of individuals with severely impoverished backgrounds. The study produced several conclusive findings to show how Māori cultural concepts were used successfully as forms of social interventions. Concepts like whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, wairuatanga and whānau, were shown to produce positive social outcomes for homeless Māori men. These outcomes helped the men to stabilise their lives, as they attempted reintegration.

text: Māori cultural concepts and service provision for homeless Māori men Homelessness is a pressing issue for indigenous minorities such as homeless Māori men. Their circumstances are more vulnerable in ways, than other homeless groups given that their lives are impacted upon by ongoing colonisation. Homeless Māori men, like other ‘indigenous homeless groups’, often find themselves homeless because of social/cultural dislocation where, they are disconnected from their culture and closest forms of support. This study set out to explore how homeless Māori men’s circumstances could be improved through administering interventions in the form of Māori cultural concepts like: manaakitanga, wairuatanga, whanaungatanga and whānau. The overall approach used to gather the research was based on hybridisation, where several different approaches were used simultaneously to generate research data. These were participant observation: a kaupapa Māori approach, semi structured interviewing, thematic analysis and the use of a socio-historical context to underpin the entire research process. Two groups of Māori participants were interviewed for this study, one group comprising staff members, and one made of homeless Māori men. Each group had a number of unique characteristics. For example, the entire staff group comprised skilled and qualified professionals, while the men’s group was made up of individuals with severely impoverished backgrounds. The study produced several conclusive findings to show how Māori cultural concepts were used successfully as forms of social interventions. Concepts like whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, wairuatanga and whānau, were shown to produce positive social outcomes for homeless Māori men. These outcomes helped the men to stabilise their lives, as they attempted reintegration.

year: 2010

title: Tōku tūrangawaewae: Culture, identity, and belonging for Māori homeless people

authors: Groot, Shiloh Ann Maree

subjects: Māori

abstract: To be Māori is to have a tūrangawaewae (a place of strength and belonging, a place to stand). If so, is it conceivable that Māori are homeless in our own homeland? This presentation focuses on the experiences of two Māori homeless people who took part in a 3-year research project conducted in partnership with not-for-profit service agencies. Previous research into street homelessness has all but ignored indigenous histories, circumstances and worldviews. The situation in which indigenous people find themselves requires us to rethink how we understand homelessness and the development of culturally based roles and identities on the street and beyond.

text: Tōku tūrangawaewae: Culture, identity, and belonging for Māori homeless people To be Māori is to have a tūrangawaewae (a place of strength and belonging, a place to stand). If so, is it conceivable that Māori are homeless in our own homeland? This presentation focuses on the experiences of two Māori homeless people who took part in a 3-year research project conducted in partnership with not-for-profit service agencies. Previous research into street homelessness has all but ignored indigenous histories, circumstances and worldviews. The situation in which indigenous people find themselves requires us to rethink how we understand homelessness and the development of culturally based roles and identities on the street and beyond.

year: 2010

title: Time-based geographical mapping of communicable diseases

authors: Cesario, Manuel

subjects: disease surveillance

abstract: Information visualisation methods can potentially be employed to assist the work of epidemiologists and other health care professionals in mapping the spread of communicable diseases in remote areas, where the task of disease surveillance encompasses temporal elements such as changes in climate, land use and population movements. This paper presents an investigation into the use of time-based visualisation techniques coupled with geographical maps and support for distributed mobile collection of patient data. This study has focused on the development of an information visualisation prototype designed for use by epidemiology researchers on mobile platforms (tablets and smart phones). The prototyping activity has involved the participation of prospective users working in the Amazon region. Initial results are presented and discussed.

text: Time-based geographical mapping of communicable diseases Information visualisation methods can potentially be employed to assist the work of epidemiologists and other health care professionals in mapping the spread of communicable diseases in remote areas, where the task of disease surveillance encompasses temporal elements such as changes in climate, land use and population movements. This paper presents an investigation into the use of time-based visualisation techniques coupled with geographical maps and support for distributed mobile collection of patient data. This study has focused on the development of an information visualisation prototype designed for use by epidemiology researchers on mobile platforms (tablets and smart phones). The prototyping activity has involved the participation of prospective users working in the Amazon region. Initial results are presented and discussed.

year: 2012