title: Understandings of homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand and how they impact a local response: A case study of The People's Project in Hamilton

authors: Shum, Renée Frances

subjects: The People's Project

abstract: Administrative and census data documented the increase of homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand between 2006 and 2018. At the same time, homelessness increased in significance as a social issue. In 2009, the first New Zealand definition of homelessness was published by Statistics New Zealand. In 2013, a rigorous definition of severe housing deprivation was conceptualised by New Zealand academics. However, New Zealand governments ignored these definitions as the basis for formal recognition and enumeration of homelessness, leaving questions around the composition of homelessness in New Zealand open to debate. 

Informed by academic literature on understandings of homelessness and government responses to homelessness in Australia, Canada and the United States of America, this thesis examines governmental understandings and public sector considerations of homelessness in New Zealand between 2008 and 2018. It traces the influence of New Zealand central governmental understandings of homelessness on the response to homelessness at a local level in Hamilton city. Using The People’s Project in Hamilton as a case study, this research evaluates some of the challenges and opportunities of coordinating a system-wide approach and Housing First response to homelessness in the New Zealand context. 

Results from a systematic review of academic and grey literature, and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from both public sector agencies and The People’s Project, reveal nuanced geographies of homelessness at national and local scales. The dominant political discourse employs limited meanings and constrains understandings of homelessness. As a form of cultural signification, this political discourse coalesced with locally specific factors inform a response to homelessness in Hamilton. The political ambivalence of Housing First provided an opportunity to both remove the visible presence of homelessness in Hamilton, and for The People’s Project to drive systems disruption with public sector services. Lack of a central government mandate limited efforts at the local level in Hamilton for the public sector to respond to homelessness.

The findings of this research confirm that a consistent understanding of homelessness is instrumental in supporting an effective response to end and prevent homelessness. As the New Zealand Government implements its first ever homelessness action plan, it is imperative that central government implement all of the necessary changes to ensure public sector systems support rather than hinder local efforts in response to homelessness. Crucially, the government needs to ensure that whatever policy settings are put in place are responsive to New Zealand specific manifestations of homelessness.

text: Understandings of homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand and how they impact a local response: A case study of The People's Project in Hamilton Administrative and census data documented the increase of homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand between 2006 and 2018. At the same time, homelessness increased in significance as a social issue. In 2009, the first New Zealand definition of homelessness was published by Statistics New Zealand. In 2013, a rigorous definition of severe housing deprivation was conceptualised by New Zealand academics. However, New Zealand governments ignored these definitions as the basis for formal recognition and enumeration of homelessness, leaving questions around the composition of homelessness in New Zealand open to debate. 

Informed by academic literature on understandings of homelessness and government responses to homelessness in Australia, Canada and the United States of America, this thesis examines governmental understandings and public sector considerations of homelessness in New Zealand between 2008 and 2018. It traces the influence of New Zealand central governmental understandings of homelessness on the response to homelessness at a local level in Hamilton city. Using The People’s Project in Hamilton as a case study, this research evaluates some of the challenges and opportunities of coordinating a system-wide approach and Housing First response to homelessness in the New Zealand context. 

Results from a systematic review of academic and grey literature, and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from both public sector agencies and The People’s Project, reveal nuanced geographies of homelessness at national and local scales. The dominant political discourse employs limited meanings and constrains understandings of homelessness. As a form of cultural signification, this political discourse coalesced with locally specific factors inform a response to homelessness in Hamilton. The political ambivalence of Housing First provided an opportunity to both remove the visible presence of homelessness in Hamilton, and for The People’s Project to drive systems disruption with public sector services. Lack of a central government mandate limited efforts at the local level in Hamilton for the public sector to respond to homelessness.

The findings of this research confirm that a consistent understanding of homelessness is instrumental in supporting an effective response to end and prevent homelessness. As the New Zealand Government implements its first ever homelessness action plan, it is imperative that central government implement all of the necessary changes to ensure public sector systems support rather than hinder local efforts in response to homelessness. Crucially, the government needs to ensure that whatever policy settings are put in place are responsive to New Zealand specific manifestations of homelessness.

year: 2021

title: Planification economique et migration en Polynesie Francaise.

authors: d'Hauteserre, Anne-Marie

subjects: migratory patterns

abstract: Economic Planning and Migration in French Polynesia. This article discusses possible ties between migratory patterns in French Polynesia and policies drafted by the French state and the local government concerning the territory’s economic development. The goals are to diversify the economic production of the outer archipelagos based on their natural resources and to encourage the return of out-migrants. The structures of production that the new cultural economy has systemically articulated at the global scale should also encourage the return migration that the economic policies seek to establish. Contemporary patterns of mobility differ little from those of times past. Polynesians have always moved and had thus established multiple support networks for migrants across the Pacific. The responses gathered during recent research trips to French Polynesia indicate that the large investments in infrastructure by the two governments in the outer archipelagos are not convincing most out-migrants to return. This infrastructure might, however, attract migrants from other parts of French Polynesia even if only temporarily, as is already the case for some foreigners.

text: Planification economique et migration en Polynesie Francaise. Economic Planning and Migration in French Polynesia. This article discusses possible ties between migratory patterns in French Polynesia and policies drafted by the French state and the local government concerning the territory’s economic development. The goals are to diversify the economic production of the outer archipelagos based on their natural resources and to encourage the return of out-migrants. The structures of production that the new cultural economy has systemically articulated at the global scale should also encourage the return migration that the economic policies seek to establish. Contemporary patterns of mobility differ little from those of times past. Polynesians have always moved and had thus established multiple support networks for migrants across the Pacific. The responses gathered during recent research trips to French Polynesia indicate that the large investments in infrastructure by the two governments in the outer archipelagos are not convincing most out-migrants to return. This infrastructure might, however, attract migrants from other parts of French Polynesia even if only temporarily, as is already the case for some foreigners.

year: 2004

title: Outcomes in different ethnic groups of New Zealand patients with screen-detected vs. non-screen-detected breast cancer.

authors: Lawrenson, Ross

subjects: Breast screening

abstract: OBJECTIVE: To compare characteristics and survival of New Zealand European, Māori, and Pacific women with screen-detected vs. non-screen-detected breast cancer. 
METHODS: Women aged 45-69 diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between January 2005 and May 2013 were identified from the Waikato and Auckland Breast Cancer Registries. Patient demographics and tumour characteristics were described by detection mode and ethnicity. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the five-year breast cancer-specific survival of women with stage I-III breast cancer by ethnicity and detection mode. 
RESULTS: Women with screen-detected cancers were older, had smaller tumours, fewer stage IV (0.8% vs. 7.6%), fewer high grade (16.8% vs. 39.0%), and fewer lymph node positive diseases (26.3% vs. 51.5%) than women with non-screen-detected cancers. There were more Luminal A (70.0% vs. 54.0%), fewer human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive non-Luminal (4.4% vs. 8.8%), and fewer triple negative cases (7.0% vs. 13.8%) in screen-detected than non-screen-detected cancers. If not screen detected, 22.7% of breast cancers in Pacific women were stage IV compared with 2.4% if screen detected. If not screen detected, the five-year breast cancer-specific survival was 91.1% for New Zealand European women, 84.2% for Māori women, and 80.2% for Pacific women (p-value <0.001). For screen-detected breast cancer, survival between different ethnic groups was similar.
CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancers detected through screening are diagnosed at an earlier stage and have a greater proportion of subtypes, with better outcome. Variations in survival for Māori and Pacific women are only found in women with non-screen-detected breast cancer.

text: Outcomes in different ethnic groups of New Zealand patients with screen-detected vs. non-screen-detected breast cancer. OBJECTIVE: To compare characteristics and survival of New Zealand European, Māori, and Pacific women with screen-detected vs. non-screen-detected breast cancer. 
METHODS: Women aged 45-69 diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between January 2005 and May 2013 were identified from the Waikato and Auckland Breast Cancer Registries. Patient demographics and tumour characteristics were described by detection mode and ethnicity. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the five-year breast cancer-specific survival of women with stage I-III breast cancer by ethnicity and detection mode. 
RESULTS: Women with screen-detected cancers were older, had smaller tumours, fewer stage IV (0.8% vs. 7.6%), fewer high grade (16.8% vs. 39.0%), and fewer lymph node positive diseases (26.3% vs. 51.5%) than women with non-screen-detected cancers. There were more Luminal A (70.0% vs. 54.0%), fewer human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive non-Luminal (4.4% vs. 8.8%), and fewer triple negative cases (7.0% vs. 13.8%) in screen-detected than non-screen-detected cancers. If not screen detected, 22.7% of breast cancers in Pacific women were stage IV compared with 2.4% if screen detected. If not screen detected, the five-year breast cancer-specific survival was 91.1% for New Zealand European women, 84.2% for Māori women, and 80.2% for Pacific women (p-value <0.001). For screen-detected breast cancer, survival between different ethnic groups was similar.
CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancers detected through screening are diagnosed at an earlier stage and have a greater proportion of subtypes, with better outcome. Variations in survival for Māori and Pacific women are only found in women with non-screen-detected breast cancer.

year: 2019