title: The Development of a New Zealand Adult Reading Test.

authors: Halliday, Tracey Jaye

subjects: NART

abstract: The National Adult Reading Test (NART), developed in Britain is commonly used in clinical settings to estimate premorbid intelligence in New Zealand. Research suggests psychometric tests are more accurate if normed on the population they are used with. This study attempted to establish norms for the original NART based on a New Zealand population and develop a National Adult Reading Test for use with a New Zealand population (NZART). Sixty-four university students were administered the Wechslers Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI), the NART and the New Zealand Adult Reading Test (NZART). A regression equation was developed to estimate premorbid intelligence in this sample. Results indicate fewer errors occur on the NZART than the NART suggesting it may be a better indicator of premorbid intelligence for a New Zealand sample. Furthermore, the NZART was more accurate at estimating premorbid WASI IQ across all three subscales of the WASI at a range of IQ levels.
Analyses were also conducted to ascertain the impact of demographic variables. Little overall difference was found in test scores in relation to gender, age or income. Although future studies need to be conducted to validate this new measure, initial results suggest that the NZART may be a more accurate predictor of premorbid IQ in a New Zealand population.

text: The Development of a New Zealand Adult Reading Test. The National Adult Reading Test (NART), developed in Britain is commonly used in clinical settings to estimate premorbid intelligence in New Zealand. Research suggests psychometric tests are more accurate if normed on the population they are used with. This study attempted to establish norms for the original NART based on a New Zealand population and develop a National Adult Reading Test for use with a New Zealand population (NZART). Sixty-four university students were administered the Wechslers Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI), the NART and the New Zealand Adult Reading Test (NZART). A regression equation was developed to estimate premorbid intelligence in this sample. Results indicate fewer errors occur on the NZART than the NART suggesting it may be a better indicator of premorbid intelligence for a New Zealand sample. Furthermore, the NZART was more accurate at estimating premorbid WASI IQ across all three subscales of the WASI at a range of IQ levels.
Analyses were also conducted to ascertain the impact of demographic variables. Little overall difference was found in test scores in relation to gender, age or income. Although future studies need to be conducted to validate this new measure, initial results suggest that the NZART may be a more accurate predictor of premorbid IQ in a New Zealand population.

year: 2006

title: Resource allocation and empowerment practices: Evidence from disability support services

authors: Alam, Manzurul

subjects: disabilities

abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of empowerment practices within the disability support service (DSS) sector in New Zealand. The DSS framework is designed as part of the public sector reform process to promote empowerment for people with disabilities so that they can lead independent lives in their communities. 

Design/methodology/approach – Taking a qualitative and interpretive approach to fieldwork, this research seeks the actual lived experiences of the disabled as recipients of services offer by the state. 

Findings – The empirical evidence suggests that a concept such as empowerment can be problematic, because it can be perceived as a manipulative strategy where empowerment principles may be only notionally applied when services are offered by following managerialist principles. 

Originality/value – This paper adds to the understanding on relationships between service design, resources, and empowerment practices. Implementation of empowerment principles, however, depends on resources to create a support structure at the community level and an atmosphere where there is choice and flexibility for people with disabilities to access essential services.

text: Resource allocation and empowerment practices: Evidence from disability support services Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of empowerment practices within the disability support service (DSS) sector in New Zealand. The DSS framework is designed as part of the public sector reform process to promote empowerment for people with disabilities so that they can lead independent lives in their communities. 

Design/methodology/approach – Taking a qualitative and interpretive approach to fieldwork, this research seeks the actual lived experiences of the disabled as recipients of services offer by the state. 

Findings – The empirical evidence suggests that a concept such as empowerment can be problematic, because it can be perceived as a manipulative strategy where empowerment principles may be only notionally applied when services are offered by following managerialist principles. 

Originality/value – This paper adds to the understanding on relationships between service design, resources, and empowerment practices. Implementation of empowerment principles, however, depends on resources to create a support structure at the community level and an atmosphere where there is choice and flexibility for people with disabilities to access essential services.

year: 2009

title: Ko wai tō ingoa? The transformative potential of Māori names

authors: Seed-Pihama, Joeliee Elizabeth

subjects: Māori names

abstract: Ingoa tangata (personal names) are an expression of te reo Māori, Māori identity, and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). Nevertheless, our names are still mispronounced, marginalised and demeaned by individuals and institutions, such as schools, the health system, politics and media. This thesis argues that the gift of a Māori name and the assertion of that name over one’s lifetime is simultaneously a political act of resistance and an act of normalisation – an act of just being Māori. In particular, the thesis reveals how whānau naming practices endure and are important for whānau identity and belonging.

A Kaupapa Māori theoretical approach is used to highlight the mana of our ingoa tangata within te ao Māori (the Māori world). I analyse the experiences of six generations of one whānau and the ways in which they have resisted, reclaimed and regenerated our ingoa tangata and associated practices. Kaupapa Māori theory provides a much-needed theoretical framework that privileges te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori throughout this research. This theory also supports Māori researchers to critique and disrupt Western power dynamics within research as well as maintaining the political imperative of decolonisation and resurgence agendas within the research of Indigenous communities.

This thesis foregrounds Pūrākau as a research method to tell the kōrero ingoa (naming stories) of six generations of one whānau, totalling twenty-six different stories. I explore the possibilities of pūrākau as a method and ako (to teach/ learn) as a powerful component in the building and sharing of stories, as writing tools for the (re)presentation of that material and in expressing the researcher’s positionality. Pūrākau as method also enables the utilisation of our cosmogonies as important sources of mātauranga Māori and therefore as crucial to an analysis of our naming motivations and notions of belonging. Furthermore, I critically analyse the disruptions and interruptions to ingoa tangata caused by institutions of colonialism such as religion, law and education. This research argues for the transformative potential of our ingoa tangata and their associated kōrero ingoa in terms of enhancing identity, embedding whakapapa kōrero and keeping Māori values alive within whānau, and beyond.

text: Ko wai tō ingoa? The transformative potential of Māori names Ingoa tangata (personal names) are an expression of te reo Māori, Māori identity, and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). Nevertheless, our names are still mispronounced, marginalised and demeaned by individuals and institutions, such as schools, the health system, politics and media. This thesis argues that the gift of a Māori name and the assertion of that name over one’s lifetime is simultaneously a political act of resistance and an act of normalisation – an act of just being Māori. In particular, the thesis reveals how whānau naming practices endure and are important for whānau identity and belonging.

A Kaupapa Māori theoretical approach is used to highlight the mana of our ingoa tangata within te ao Māori (the Māori world). I analyse the experiences of six generations of one whānau and the ways in which they have resisted, reclaimed and regenerated our ingoa tangata and associated practices. Kaupapa Māori theory provides a much-needed theoretical framework that privileges te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori throughout this research. This theory also supports Māori researchers to critique and disrupt Western power dynamics within research as well as maintaining the political imperative of decolonisation and resurgence agendas within the research of Indigenous communities.

This thesis foregrounds Pūrākau as a research method to tell the kōrero ingoa (naming stories) of six generations of one whānau, totalling twenty-six different stories. I explore the possibilities of pūrākau as a method and ako (to teach/ learn) as a powerful component in the building and sharing of stories, as writing tools for the (re)presentation of that material and in expressing the researcher’s positionality. Pūrākau as method also enables the utilisation of our cosmogonies as important sources of mātauranga Māori and therefore as crucial to an analysis of our naming motivations and notions of belonging. Furthermore, I critically analyse the disruptions and interruptions to ingoa tangata caused by institutions of colonialism such as religion, law and education. This research argues for the transformative potential of our ingoa tangata and their associated kōrero ingoa in terms of enhancing identity, embedding whakapapa kōrero and keeping Māori values alive within whānau, and beyond.

year: 2017