title: The growth of patenting in New Zealand, 1860–99

authors: Gibbons, Matthew

abstract: Patent applications by male New Zealand inventors sharply increased in the early 1880s after initial official fees were reduced, and the requirement to advertise applications in newspapers abolished. Increasingly, however, applications lapsed, while applications by unskilled workers remained low. Non-fee costs were crucially important, with the 1870 reduction in fees failing to increase patenting, as hoped, because the doubling of mandatory advertising costs negated the fees reduction. Patenting by overseas inventors was less affected by fees, and steadily grew. Only one application was by an indigenous Māori person, while even in 1899 women made just 2.5% of applications.

text: The growth of patenting in New Zealand, 1860–99 Patent applications by male New Zealand inventors sharply increased in the early 1880s after initial official fees were reduced, and the requirement to advertise applications in newspapers abolished. Increasingly, however, applications lapsed, while applications by unskilled workers remained low. Non-fee costs were crucially important, with the 1870 reduction in fees failing to increase patenting, as hoped, because the doubling of mandatory advertising costs negated the fees reduction. Patenting by overseas inventors was less affected by fees, and steadily grew. Only one application was by an indigenous Māori person, while even in 1899 women made just 2.5% of applications.

year: 2023

title: Invisible Rehabilitation: An Exploration of Rehabilitative Practices within a Community Work Agency.

authors: Namwinga, Nasalifya

subjects: Rehabilitation

abstract: Community Work is one of the most utilised community based sentences in New Zealand. It is a low cost and low intensity sentence that is extensively used to punish low level offences. Although Community Work is not an explicitly rehabilitative sentence, it does possess some implicitly rehabilitative traits. In her Ireland based study, McGagh (2007) argued that rehabilitative practices enhance Community Work and lead to better outcomes for offenders. The most recent New Zealand based study on the sentence was conducted over 2 decades ago by Asher and O'Neill (1990). This is the research gap this study sought to fill by exploring rehabilitative practices within a faith-based Community Work agency.

The study was an ethnographic case study of a faith-based agency within which offenders on Community Work sentences completed sentenced hours. A number of qualitative data collection methods including observations, interviews, a focus group and analysis of testimonial data were used to triangulate findings. The researcher gathered data from three participant groups at the agency. These groups were; individuals currently or previously on community work sentences at the agency, agency staff and agency volunteers.

When offenders on community work sentences arrive at this agency their status as offenders is kept private. They are consequently introduced as volunteers and have access to all the same benefits of volunteers. The ability to keep their offender status private and be regarded as any other volunteer was a central theme present in the data. This helped those sentenced to community work to develop a non-offender identity. The invisibility of offender status helped offenders distance themselves from the offender identity, while being offered the visible prosocial ‘volunteer’ identity helped them shift their self-narrative from that of an offender to a nonoffender.

Desistance research suggests that subjective changes in an offender’s self-narrative can be indicative of the offender engaging in the desistance process (Farrall & Maruna, 2004; Healy, 2010; Serin & Lloyd, 2009). This study found that anonymising the offender status of individuals in community work sentences at this agency may have initiated a shift in self-narratives as individuals shifted their identity from offenders to volunteers. This narrative shift potentially helped trigger and maintain offender desistance. The principle of treating offenders as desisters rather than persisters displays a confidence in the offenders’ ability to change. This faith in an individual’s ability to change has been found to be desistance supportive (Raynor & Robinson, 2005).

Anonymising offender status as a rehabilitative practice can lead to the onset or maintenance of desistance. It is a potentially effective intervention that could be broadly integrated into the community work sentence.

text: Invisible Rehabilitation: An Exploration of Rehabilitative Practices within a Community Work Agency. Community Work is one of the most utilised community based sentences in New Zealand. It is a low cost and low intensity sentence that is extensively used to punish low level offences. Although Community Work is not an explicitly rehabilitative sentence, it does possess some implicitly rehabilitative traits. In her Ireland based study, McGagh (2007) argued that rehabilitative practices enhance Community Work and lead to better outcomes for offenders. The most recent New Zealand based study on the sentence was conducted over 2 decades ago by Asher and O'Neill (1990). This is the research gap this study sought to fill by exploring rehabilitative practices within a faith-based Community Work agency.

The study was an ethnographic case study of a faith-based agency within which offenders on Community Work sentences completed sentenced hours. A number of qualitative data collection methods including observations, interviews, a focus group and analysis of testimonial data were used to triangulate findings. The researcher gathered data from three participant groups at the agency. These groups were; individuals currently or previously on community work sentences at the agency, agency staff and agency volunteers.

When offenders on community work sentences arrive at this agency their status as offenders is kept private. They are consequently introduced as volunteers and have access to all the same benefits of volunteers. The ability to keep their offender status private and be regarded as any other volunteer was a central theme present in the data. This helped those sentenced to community work to develop a non-offender identity. The invisibility of offender status helped offenders distance themselves from the offender identity, while being offered the visible prosocial ‘volunteer’ identity helped them shift their self-narrative from that of an offender to a nonoffender.

Desistance research suggests that subjective changes in an offender’s self-narrative can be indicative of the offender engaging in the desistance process (Farrall & Maruna, 2004; Healy, 2010; Serin & Lloyd, 2009). This study found that anonymising the offender status of individuals in community work sentences at this agency may have initiated a shift in self-narratives as individuals shifted their identity from offenders to volunteers. This narrative shift potentially helped trigger and maintain offender desistance. The principle of treating offenders as desisters rather than persisters displays a confidence in the offenders’ ability to change. This faith in an individual’s ability to change has been found to be desistance supportive (Raynor & Robinson, 2005).

Anonymising offender status as a rehabilitative practice can lead to the onset or maintenance of desistance. It is a potentially effective intervention that could be broadly integrated into the community work sentence.

year: 2016

title: Kia mau ki tō Māoritanga - The role of Māori teachers in English medium primary schools

authors: Coffin, Rachel Marie

subjects: Māori  teachers

abstract: The achievement levels between Māori and non-Māori students remains increasingly wide within a westernised education system. This system has continued to perpetuate the ongoing failure of Māori students. We need to look at ways in which Māori students can best be supported in English medium education settings as these are where the majority of Māori students receive their schooling, and how we can close the gap between Māori and non-Māori achievement. 

Māori teachers are a minority group within English medium education and their potential to raise Māori student achievement is often overlooked (Lee, 2009). This thesis used a case study approach framed by kaupapa Māori methodology to examine how one primary school, whose Māori students are achieving at similar levels to their non-Māori peers, utilises Māori staff to enhance the cultural pedagogy of the school and how this contributes to the success of Māori students.

The literature review takes an historic look at Māori within a westernised education system and looks at how Māori underachievement is not a recent occurrence but an ongoing issue, dating back over one hundred years.  It draws on international literature around the experiences of other indigenous peoples who have experienced colonisation, and highlights the similar struggles that they have had, and continue to have as minority students. 

The literature review also looks at the ways in which indigenous peoples are working to lift indigenous achievement and the role of indigenous teachers in supporting this process. It looks at the role that culture plays in the belief of indigenous peoples in their own ability to succeed, which is referred to in this thesis as self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997, Schunk, 1986).

In contrast to this  students with low self-efficacy will typically avoid difficult tasks in order to minimize risk to self-worth and protect self-esteem (McRae et al., 2010). 

The findings indicate that Māori teachers at Te Kauri School have some level of proficiency in tikanga and te reo Māori and that this plays a vital role in the schools ability to create a culturally responsive learning environment. The Māori staff have the support of the school leadership team, which promotes and values the inclusion of tikanga and te reo Māori. 

This culturally responsive environment instils in Māori students at Te Kauri School a sense of pride in who they are as culturally located beings. This pride means that they do not feel pressure to conform to the ways of the dominant culture, rather that they are able to be Māori. This also corresponds with achievement data for the school, which shows that Māori achievement levels are at similar levels to that of non-Māori students, and in some year and gender levels above. 

The findings indicate that the relationship between Māori whānau (families) and the school is vital in creating a supportive environment and that Māori teachers are especially valuable in this process. Having cultural practices such as kapa haka, waiata and karakia give Māori whānau a connection to the school and provide them with an opportunity to support not only their children but also the school community. 

The findings also indicate that Māori staff and whānau participants view Māori teachers as role models and that having Māori role models within the school adds to Māori student’s sense of pride in being Māori, thus enhancing their self-efficacy and success.

text: Kia mau ki tō Māoritanga - The role of Māori teachers in English medium primary schools The achievement levels between Māori and non-Māori students remains increasingly wide within a westernised education system. This system has continued to perpetuate the ongoing failure of Māori students. We need to look at ways in which Māori students can best be supported in English medium education settings as these are where the majority of Māori students receive their schooling, and how we can close the gap between Māori and non-Māori achievement. 

Māori teachers are a minority group within English medium education and their potential to raise Māori student achievement is often overlooked (Lee, 2009). This thesis used a case study approach framed by kaupapa Māori methodology to examine how one primary school, whose Māori students are achieving at similar levels to their non-Māori peers, utilises Māori staff to enhance the cultural pedagogy of the school and how this contributes to the success of Māori students.

The literature review takes an historic look at Māori within a westernised education system and looks at how Māori underachievement is not a recent occurrence but an ongoing issue, dating back over one hundred years.  It draws on international literature around the experiences of other indigenous peoples who have experienced colonisation, and highlights the similar struggles that they have had, and continue to have as minority students. 

The literature review also looks at the ways in which indigenous peoples are working to lift indigenous achievement and the role of indigenous teachers in supporting this process. It looks at the role that culture plays in the belief of indigenous peoples in their own ability to succeed, which is referred to in this thesis as self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997, Schunk, 1986).

In contrast to this  students with low self-efficacy will typically avoid difficult tasks in order to minimize risk to self-worth and protect self-esteem (McRae et al., 2010). 

The findings indicate that Māori teachers at Te Kauri School have some level of proficiency in tikanga and te reo Māori and that this plays a vital role in the schools ability to create a culturally responsive learning environment. The Māori staff have the support of the school leadership team, which promotes and values the inclusion of tikanga and te reo Māori. 

This culturally responsive environment instils in Māori students at Te Kauri School a sense of pride in who they are as culturally located beings. This pride means that they do not feel pressure to conform to the ways of the dominant culture, rather that they are able to be Māori. This also corresponds with achievement data for the school, which shows that Māori achievement levels are at similar levels to that of non-Māori students, and in some year and gender levels above. 

The findings indicate that the relationship between Māori whānau (families) and the school is vital in creating a supportive environment and that Māori teachers are especially valuable in this process. Having cultural practices such as kapa haka, waiata and karakia give Māori whānau a connection to the school and provide them with an opportunity to support not only their children but also the school community. 

The findings also indicate that Māori staff and whānau participants view Māori teachers as role models and that having Māori role models within the school adds to Māori student’s sense of pride in being Māori, thus enhancing their self-efficacy and success.

year: 2013