title: Changing genes: Science and being Maori

authors: Hudson, Maui

subjects: ethics

abstract: This commentary follows tangential lines of reason stimulated by Hook‟s thought- provoking paper, “Warrior genes” and the disease of being Māori (2009), to question the ethical responsibilities of scientists to the public in modern society.

text: Changing genes: Science and being Maori This commentary follows tangential lines of reason stimulated by Hook‟s thought- provoking paper, “Warrior genes” and the disease of being Māori (2009), to question the ethical responsibilities of scientists to the public in modern society.

year: 2009

title: Barriers and facilitators to Oranga Tamariki access: Wāhine voices from Te Whakaruruhau

authors: Mcleay, Ana

abstract: This thesis examines how wāhine supported by Te Whakaruruhau Waikato Women’s Refuge experience Oranga Tamariki (OT) in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV), and what barriers and facilitators shape their access to services. Within a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, influenced by Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine principles, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured, kanohi ki te kanohi interviews with six wāhine and kaimahi. Reflexive thematic analysis identified seven themes, grouped into two overarching clusters: barriers and facilitators to OT access. Barriers were pervasive and cumulative, encompassing relational harm, negligence, fear and risk, and cultural tokenism. Facilitators - collaborative advocacy, strengths-based practice, and procedural justice - were comparatively rare and often dependent on external supports rather than systemic provision.

Mapping these findings against Te Hā o Whānau, an access framework, revealed that barriers emerged where tikanga manaakitanga, tikanga whakawhanaungatanga, and tikanga rangatiratanga were absent, while facilitators aligned with their enactment. Te Hā o Whānau conceptualises access as a relational and culturally grounded process inseparable from wellbeing, making it both conceptually robust and uniquely suited to Aotearoa. The analysis demonstrates that OT, as currently structured, undermines whānau wellbeing through systemic practices that erode mana, restrict autonomy, and compromise safety. In the immediate term, strengthened collaborative advocacy offers some protection and support, but meaningful change requires systemic transformation.

Future research should examine how Te Hā o Whānau might be further operationalised across different service contexts and explore experiences of wāhine and whānau with OT in a variety of contexts to build a fuller understanding of access and wellbeing in child welfare.

text: Barriers and facilitators to Oranga Tamariki access: Wāhine voices from Te Whakaruruhau This thesis examines how wāhine supported by Te Whakaruruhau Waikato Women’s Refuge experience Oranga Tamariki (OT) in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV), and what barriers and facilitators shape their access to services. Within a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, influenced by Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine principles, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured, kanohi ki te kanohi interviews with six wāhine and kaimahi. Reflexive thematic analysis identified seven themes, grouped into two overarching clusters: barriers and facilitators to OT access. Barriers were pervasive and cumulative, encompassing relational harm, negligence, fear and risk, and cultural tokenism. Facilitators - collaborative advocacy, strengths-based practice, and procedural justice - were comparatively rare and often dependent on external supports rather than systemic provision.

Mapping these findings against Te Hā o Whānau, an access framework, revealed that barriers emerged where tikanga manaakitanga, tikanga whakawhanaungatanga, and tikanga rangatiratanga were absent, while facilitators aligned with their enactment. Te Hā o Whānau conceptualises access as a relational and culturally grounded process inseparable from wellbeing, making it both conceptually robust and uniquely suited to Aotearoa. The analysis demonstrates that OT, as currently structured, undermines whānau wellbeing through systemic practices that erode mana, restrict autonomy, and compromise safety. In the immediate term, strengthened collaborative advocacy offers some protection and support, but meaningful change requires systemic transformation.

Future research should examine how Te Hā o Whānau might be further operationalised across different service contexts and explore experiences of wāhine and whānau with OT in a variety of contexts to build a fuller understanding of access and wellbeing in child welfare.

year: 2025

title: Boarding the school bus

authors: Moss, Logan

subjects: school bus

abstract: EVERY DAY DURING THE SCHOOL TERM, several thousand buses travel along country roads once marked with distinctive dark yellow bus route signs (now fluorescent green), carrying more than 100,000 pupils to school in the morning and returning them home again in the late afternoon,' Since their inception more than 80 years ago, school buses have changed the educational and social landscapes of rural New Zealand. As with many innovations in education, the service was initiated largely in an effort to save money; part of a process referred to as school consolidation. Before the first buses rolled down the driveway of the first consolidated school at Piopio in the South Waikato on 1 April 1924. the merits of consolidation had been debated in educational and community circles for nearly a decade. Its implementation would bring enormous change to the lives of rural children and their experience of school.

text: Boarding the school bus EVERY DAY DURING THE SCHOOL TERM, several thousand buses travel along country roads once marked with distinctive dark yellow bus route signs (now fluorescent green), carrying more than 100,000 pupils to school in the morning and returning them home again in the late afternoon,' Since their inception more than 80 years ago, school buses have changed the educational and social landscapes of rural New Zealand. As with many innovations in education, the service was initiated largely in an effort to save money; part of a process referred to as school consolidation. Before the first buses rolled down the driveway of the first consolidated school at Piopio in the South Waikato on 1 April 1924. the merits of consolidation had been debated in educational and community circles for nearly a decade. Its implementation would bring enormous change to the lives of rural children and their experience of school.

year: 2006