title: Shifting the learning culture of a secondary school in Aotearoa New Zealand: An analysis of enacting a shared vision

authors: Greenhill, Deborah

abstract: Educational leadership frameworks and organisational literature have extensively documented successful leadership approaches, practices, change processes, and reform models. However, the literature lacks a nuanced understanding of how individual leaders, particularly middle leaders, make sense of and respond to implementing school-wide change. This study centres on how curriculum (middle) leaders in a traditional secondary school in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ), interpret and translate a school vision into practice to shift their school's learning culture.
This interpretive study uses one school as a case study and six participants, five of whom are middle (curriculum) leaders and one senior leader participant. The findings are drawn from their transcripts from semi-structured interviews and associated documents they submitted for analysis. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate authentic insights into their lived experiences.
Key findings revealed that vision enactment involves a complex interplay between contextual realities and professional agency. While inclusive vision development fostered collective ownership, curriculum leaders were crucial intermediaries, having to translate aspirational language into concrete, student-centred strategies. Their agency was enabled through structured frameworks but constrained by contextual factors, including external performativity pressures and internal entrenched traditions. The study identified specific enablers (collaborative structures, embedded professional development, external expertise) and inhibitors (inadequate change management support, limited cross-faculty collaboration) affecting vision enactment. These findings demonstrate that meaningful educational change requires not only distributing leadership but also providing robust support systems that recognise the pivotal role of curriculum leaders as bridges between vision and sustainable learning culture change.
The study contributes to the field by offering insights into how curriculum leaders interpret a school vision and exercise professional agency to translate aspirational statements into classroom practices while navigating the complex contextual factors that enable and constrain their efforts.

text: Shifting the learning culture of a secondary school in Aotearoa New Zealand: An analysis of enacting a shared vision Educational leadership frameworks and organisational literature have extensively documented successful leadership approaches, practices, change processes, and reform models. However, the literature lacks a nuanced understanding of how individual leaders, particularly middle leaders, make sense of and respond to implementing school-wide change. This study centres on how curriculum (middle) leaders in a traditional secondary school in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ), interpret and translate a school vision into practice to shift their school's learning culture.
This interpretive study uses one school as a case study and six participants, five of whom are middle (curriculum) leaders and one senior leader participant. The findings are drawn from their transcripts from semi-structured interviews and associated documents they submitted for analysis. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate authentic insights into their lived experiences.
Key findings revealed that vision enactment involves a complex interplay between contextual realities and professional agency. While inclusive vision development fostered collective ownership, curriculum leaders were crucial intermediaries, having to translate aspirational language into concrete, student-centred strategies. Their agency was enabled through structured frameworks but constrained by contextual factors, including external performativity pressures and internal entrenched traditions. The study identified specific enablers (collaborative structures, embedded professional development, external expertise) and inhibitors (inadequate change management support, limited cross-faculty collaboration) affecting vision enactment. These findings demonstrate that meaningful educational change requires not only distributing leadership but also providing robust support systems that recognise the pivotal role of curriculum leaders as bridges between vision and sustainable learning culture change.
The study contributes to the field by offering insights into how curriculum leaders interpret a school vision and exercise professional agency to translate aspirational statements into classroom practices while navigating the complex contextual factors that enable and constrain their efforts.

year: 2025

title: Learning to trust e-tailers: Strategies used by consumers in a distrustful environment

authors: Friend, Lorraine A.

subjects: online shopping

abstract: This article draws on a phenomenological study of understanding six early adopters’
successful online shopping experiences. Narratives of their online purchasing experiences
suggest that learning to trust e-tailers is a complex process that is shaped by factors such
as self-identity, risk awareness, and technical and brand knowledge. This article
summarises the first part of the findings from this study – the strategies the six participants
used to gain trust with e-tailers to overcome their distrust of purchasing online. These
strategies included checking payment security, gaining product information, checking the
ordering process, using brand knowledge, asking friends for advice, using expert referrals,
and assessing website structure, functionality and image. The findings suggest that
technical and/or brand knowledge best explain the methods that these participants used to
trust e-tailers because it provided them with a greater sense of comfort to purchase online.
As with offline marketing contexts, this research suggests that credibility and benevolence
are two important underlying dimensions of online trust. However, due to the distrustful
environment of e-commerce, honesty may be an important separate dimension of online
trust.

text: Learning to trust e-tailers: Strategies used by consumers in a distrustful environment This article draws on a phenomenological study of understanding six early adopters’
successful online shopping experiences. Narratives of their online purchasing experiences
suggest that learning to trust e-tailers is a complex process that is shaped by factors such
as self-identity, risk awareness, and technical and brand knowledge. This article
summarises the first part of the findings from this study – the strategies the six participants
used to gain trust with e-tailers to overcome their distrust of purchasing online. These
strategies included checking payment security, gaining product information, checking the
ordering process, using brand knowledge, asking friends for advice, using expert referrals,
and assessing website structure, functionality and image. The findings suggest that
technical and/or brand knowledge best explain the methods that these participants used to
trust e-tailers because it provided them with a greater sense of comfort to purchase online.
As with offline marketing contexts, this research suggests that credibility and benevolence
are two important underlying dimensions of online trust. However, due to the distrustful
environment of e-commerce, honesty may be an important separate dimension of online
trust.

year: 2006

title: Tarāwhai Tāngata Rau

authors: Hiini, Anaha Te Wheoro

subjects: Tarāwhai

abstract: Ngāti Tarāwhai are a unique tribal group from the Te Arawa confederation of tribes.  Located around their traditional stronghold of Lake Okataina, Tarāwhai have endured throughout history to become a proud and noble clan, maintaining their culture and distinctive tribal practises.  Part of their survival throughout time has been their ability to rely on particular traits and attributes that have been portrayed and maintained by members of Tarāwhai across the generations.  These special characteristics have not only supported the development of Tarāwhai, but have also helped the evolution of Tarāwhai’s identity.

This thesis is concerned with four aspects that have been identified as common traits throughout Ngāti Tarāwhai history.  In particular, this study will look at the roles of leaders, tohunga, warriors and carving experts and explore how these qualities have featured significantly within Tarāwhai’s history for many generations.  Furthermore, this thesis will discuss how these aspects have influenced the development of the tribe from early time through to the present day.

It is the proposition of this thesis that the above mentioned attributes have shaped the people of Tarāwhai into the tribal group that they are today.  In addition, while Māori society has changed dramatically in the last 100 years, Tarāwhai continue to display these characteristics in a modern world, and they are still central to the reaffirmation of Tarāwhai identity and the overall wellbeing of the people.  Finally this thesis believes that these attributes must be maintained and perpetuated for Tarāwhi to have a secure place in the future.

text: Tarāwhai Tāngata Rau Ngāti Tarāwhai are a unique tribal group from the Te Arawa confederation of tribes.  Located around their traditional stronghold of Lake Okataina, Tarāwhai have endured throughout history to become a proud and noble clan, maintaining their culture and distinctive tribal practises.  Part of their survival throughout time has been their ability to rely on particular traits and attributes that have been portrayed and maintained by members of Tarāwhai across the generations.  These special characteristics have not only supported the development of Tarāwhai, but have also helped the evolution of Tarāwhai’s identity.

This thesis is concerned with four aspects that have been identified as common traits throughout Ngāti Tarāwhai history.  In particular, this study will look at the roles of leaders, tohunga, warriors and carving experts and explore how these qualities have featured significantly within Tarāwhai’s history for many generations.  Furthermore, this thesis will discuss how these aspects have influenced the development of the tribe from early time through to the present day.

It is the proposition of this thesis that the above mentioned attributes have shaped the people of Tarāwhai into the tribal group that they are today.  In addition, while Māori society has changed dramatically in the last 100 years, Tarāwhai continue to display these characteristics in a modern world, and they are still central to the reaffirmation of Tarāwhai identity and the overall wellbeing of the people.  Finally this thesis believes that these attributes must be maintained and perpetuated for Tarāwhi to have a secure place in the future.

year: 2013