title: The treadwheel of welfare: A narrative exploration of sole mothers’ experiences of accessing support from the Aotearoa/New Zealand welfare system

authors: Wade, Nikki

subjects: Aotearoa/New Zealand

abstract: Neoliberal ideology has been the dominant political and economic underpinning of the Aotearoa/New Zealand social welfare system for the past forty years. The main neoliberal principles of individual responsibility, free markets, equal opportunity, minimal government interference, and economic prioritisation have seen the erosion of social support systems over the last four decades. State welfare retrenchment, austerity, and increased behavioural conditionality have adversely impacted the wellbeing, health, and potential thriving of sole mothers and their children who require assistance. This research was undertaken utilising social constructionist and community psychology paradigms, focusing on contextual macro factors that have intimate impacts on the everyday lives of sole mothers’ lived experiences. Ethical and theoretical underpinnings of the Treaty of Waitangi/Tiriti o Waitangi principles, ecological perspectives, a social justice lens, and the praxis of diversity were applied to explore notions of stigma, shame, citizenship, and the motherhood/out-of-home work paradox. Case study engagements with two participants, Lucy and Rose, were the qualitative methods used to explore the knowledge and experience from those with unique first-hand knowledge of the welfare system. Collaborating with those at the coal face of oppression and marginalisation have revealed structural accounts that challenge the current dominant narrative of individual blame and responsibility for those experiencing hardships. To go beyond surface understandings of participant stories, an in-depth interpretive narrative and phenomenological analysis was employed to make visible the structural institutions that promote and maintain the economic, material, social, psychological, emotional, and physical hardship of sole mother welfare recipients. Challenging the status quo with participant narratives and academic literature, is intended to contribute to a broader understanding of the welfare system and its impacts on the everyday lives of those who require assistance during times of need. In the process, this research reverses the current preoccupation with welfare recipients as being flawed and in need of modification, to highlight that in effect the system is flawed and in need of systemic modification.

text: The treadwheel of welfare: A narrative exploration of sole mothers’ experiences of accessing support from the Aotearoa/New Zealand welfare system Neoliberal ideology has been the dominant political and economic underpinning of the Aotearoa/New Zealand social welfare system for the past forty years. The main neoliberal principles of individual responsibility, free markets, equal opportunity, minimal government interference, and economic prioritisation have seen the erosion of social support systems over the last four decades. State welfare retrenchment, austerity, and increased behavioural conditionality have adversely impacted the wellbeing, health, and potential thriving of sole mothers and their children who require assistance. This research was undertaken utilising social constructionist and community psychology paradigms, focusing on contextual macro factors that have intimate impacts on the everyday lives of sole mothers’ lived experiences. Ethical and theoretical underpinnings of the Treaty of Waitangi/Tiriti o Waitangi principles, ecological perspectives, a social justice lens, and the praxis of diversity were applied to explore notions of stigma, shame, citizenship, and the motherhood/out-of-home work paradox. Case study engagements with two participants, Lucy and Rose, were the qualitative methods used to explore the knowledge and experience from those with unique first-hand knowledge of the welfare system. Collaborating with those at the coal face of oppression and marginalisation have revealed structural accounts that challenge the current dominant narrative of individual blame and responsibility for those experiencing hardships. To go beyond surface understandings of participant stories, an in-depth interpretive narrative and phenomenological analysis was employed to make visible the structural institutions that promote and maintain the economic, material, social, psychological, emotional, and physical hardship of sole mother welfare recipients. Challenging the status quo with participant narratives and academic literature, is intended to contribute to a broader understanding of the welfare system and its impacts on the everyday lives of those who require assistance during times of need. In the process, this research reverses the current preoccupation with welfare recipients as being flawed and in need of modification, to highlight that in effect the system is flawed and in need of systemic modification.

year: 2020

title: Ethics 2.0: Social media implications for professional communicators

authors: Toledano, Margalit

subjects: public relations ethics

abstract: This paper examines ethical implications in the use of social media by professional communicators. Using its research into the experiences of New Zealand practitioners, it identifies major ethical challenges for the profession. It also illustrates how social media intensify ethical issues that public relations has struggled with in the off-line world. At the same time, it shows how social media open opportunities for increasing practitioner influence on organisational ethics in ways long desired by traditional practitioners and recently advocated by public relations academics. It concludes that, despite enabling a lack of transparency and easier deception, social media can help public relations both improve ethical communication with stakeholders, and gain a greater ethical leadership role.

text: Ethics 2.0: Social media implications for professional communicators This paper examines ethical implications in the use of social media by professional communicators. Using its research into the experiences of New Zealand practitioners, it identifies major ethical challenges for the profession. It also illustrates how social media intensify ethical issues that public relations has struggled with in the off-line world. At the same time, it shows how social media open opportunities for increasing practitioner influence on organisational ethics in ways long desired by traditional practitioners and recently advocated by public relations academics. It concludes that, despite enabling a lack of transparency and easier deception, social media can help public relations both improve ethical communication with stakeholders, and gain a greater ethical leadership role.

year: 2011

title: Listening to the voices of Year 13 Māori students: A case study in a New Zealand secondary school

authors: Kay, Joan-Marie

subjects: Maori Achievement

abstract: This research focuses on listening to the voices of Year 13 academically successful Māori students in a large, urban, mainstream, co-educational, decile 4, New Zealand secondary school. Traditionally, researchers have tended to emphasise the poor academic performance of Māori students in New Zealand. In contrast, this qualitative case study, however, seeks to understand what influences and motivates the academically successful Year 13 Māori students who have gained the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 2 and who returned to school to study for NCEA Level 3.

Semi structured interviews as conversations with all thirteen Māori students who had achieved NCEA Level 2 formed the basis of this research. Five of their parents, seven of their teachers and the principal were also interviewed.

The findings show that these students all stress the importance of their family, in particular, one family member or significant adult in their lives who valued education and supported the student, influencing and encouraging their motivation and self-efficacy. Building positive relationships with their teachers was the next strongest influence on their academic success followed closely by the positive influence of their friends. Self-motivation was mainly extrinsic. The students perceived that the principal had little effect on their individual achievement.

The teachers also acknowledge the importance of building positive relationships with their students and acknowledge the benefits of the reflective practice provided by the Te Kotahitanga project in highlighting this factor.

The findings suggest the excellent initiatives currently taking place in the school need to be continued or strengthened and that further interventions which target particular Māori students, rather than are global across the school, should be introduced.

text: Listening to the voices of Year 13 Māori students: A case study in a New Zealand secondary school This research focuses on listening to the voices of Year 13 academically successful Māori students in a large, urban, mainstream, co-educational, decile 4, New Zealand secondary school. Traditionally, researchers have tended to emphasise the poor academic performance of Māori students in New Zealand. In contrast, this qualitative case study, however, seeks to understand what influences and motivates the academically successful Year 13 Māori students who have gained the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 2 and who returned to school to study for NCEA Level 3.

Semi structured interviews as conversations with all thirteen Māori students who had achieved NCEA Level 2 formed the basis of this research. Five of their parents, seven of their teachers and the principal were also interviewed.

The findings show that these students all stress the importance of their family, in particular, one family member or significant adult in their lives who valued education and supported the student, influencing and encouraging their motivation and self-efficacy. Building positive relationships with their teachers was the next strongest influence on their academic success followed closely by the positive influence of their friends. Self-motivation was mainly extrinsic. The students perceived that the principal had little effect on their individual achievement.

The teachers also acknowledge the importance of building positive relationships with their students and acknowledge the benefits of the reflective practice provided by the Te Kotahitanga project in highlighting this factor.

The findings suggest the excellent initiatives currently taking place in the school need to be continued or strengthened and that further interventions which target particular Māori students, rather than are global across the school, should be introduced.

year: 2008