title: After the Civilian: Compassion in a changing politico-military context

authors: McKeogh, Colm

abstract: This paper looks at political, military and technological challenges to the rule against targeting civilians in war. Neither the concept nor the reality of the civilian offer the clarity once assumed. The paper argues that the category of the civilian is now collapsing and that new expressions of practical compassion in armed conflict must rise to take its place. Religions have a role to play in promoting the restraint of violence although that role will be more one of motivation than overtly religious argument.

text: After the Civilian: Compassion in a changing politico-military context This paper looks at political, military and technological challenges to the rule against targeting civilians in war. Neither the concept nor the reality of the civilian offer the clarity once assumed. The paper argues that the category of the civilian is now collapsing and that new expressions of practical compassion in armed conflict must rise to take its place. Religions have a role to play in promoting the restraint of violence although that role will be more one of motivation than overtly religious argument.

year: 2017

title: Youth and Climate Change in Samoa

authors: Senara, Pati Orana

subjects: Youth

abstract: Climate change is a major issue for Samoa and the other Pacific island countries. Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has identified climate change as the government’s main challenge following his successful re-election in 2016. Many studies and research projects have addressed the significance of building adaptation strategies towards climate change in the Pacific. However, very few academics have paid attention and effort to include young people specifically in the fight against climate change. Young people often face great barriers in getting their voices heard. This is no different for the youth of Samoa given their social structure and their cultural tradition of respect. As Samoa continues to experience increasing environmental degradation and climatic changes, affecting its social and economic development, a sustainable collective approach from all groups of people including the youth can be crucial. This paper presents an outcome of a study to investigate if the youth of Samoa are active in the climate change projects being implemented in their local villages. 
The study was based on a particular climate change project called the Integration of Climate Change Risks and Resilience into Forestry Management in Samoa (ICCRIFS). The main focus was to examine if the youths of the project site villages were involved during the project. Particular interest was paid towards the discourses that may have prevented them from participating in voicing their concerns. A qualitative approach was central to the discussions from the youth focus groups, as their responses and perceptions were analysed.
The results highlighted the poor level of participation and understanding of the youths about climate change and the ICCRIFS project in their local villages. It revealed a downside of the communication process used between the ministry and the village, as well as the relationship between the local chiefs leading the project and the village youths. The findings also revealed how the youth are exposed to the cultural barriers which have influenced the way they understand and treated the ICCRIFS project. These findings concluded that the project needs a better medium of communication to enhance contact and improve interaction from both sides. The analysis of the youth participants painted the need for someone responsible and committed to lead the project. This will need to be someone who can become a good role model to motivate and encourage everyone in their local communities to work and participate. 
Hopefully this research paper will provide an opportunity to guide and improve the framework for the overall sustainability of adaptation programs in Samoa. More importantly, I hope this paper will provide a pathway for the youths of Samoa to develop a sense of passion and responsibility to participate and contribute to the various climate change programs being implemented in the local villages.

text: Youth and Climate Change in Samoa Climate change is a major issue for Samoa and the other Pacific island countries. Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has identified climate change as the government’s main challenge following his successful re-election in 2016. Many studies and research projects have addressed the significance of building adaptation strategies towards climate change in the Pacific. However, very few academics have paid attention and effort to include young people specifically in the fight against climate change. Young people often face great barriers in getting their voices heard. This is no different for the youth of Samoa given their social structure and their cultural tradition of respect. As Samoa continues to experience increasing environmental degradation and climatic changes, affecting its social and economic development, a sustainable collective approach from all groups of people including the youth can be crucial. This paper presents an outcome of a study to investigate if the youth of Samoa are active in the climate change projects being implemented in their local villages. 
The study was based on a particular climate change project called the Integration of Climate Change Risks and Resilience into Forestry Management in Samoa (ICCRIFS). The main focus was to examine if the youths of the project site villages were involved during the project. Particular interest was paid towards the discourses that may have prevented them from participating in voicing their concerns. A qualitative approach was central to the discussions from the youth focus groups, as their responses and perceptions were analysed.
The results highlighted the poor level of participation and understanding of the youths about climate change and the ICCRIFS project in their local villages. It revealed a downside of the communication process used between the ministry and the village, as well as the relationship between the local chiefs leading the project and the village youths. The findings also revealed how the youth are exposed to the cultural barriers which have influenced the way they understand and treated the ICCRIFS project. These findings concluded that the project needs a better medium of communication to enhance contact and improve interaction from both sides. The analysis of the youth participants painted the need for someone responsible and committed to lead the project. This will need to be someone who can become a good role model to motivate and encourage everyone in their local communities to work and participate. 
Hopefully this research paper will provide an opportunity to guide and improve the framework for the overall sustainability of adaptation programs in Samoa. More importantly, I hope this paper will provide a pathway for the youths of Samoa to develop a sense of passion and responsibility to participate and contribute to the various climate change programs being implemented in the local villages.

year: 2016

title: Aotearoa's heart language: An investigation of compulsory te reo Māori language learning for non-Māori teaching students in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Moon, Watene Malcolm Ernest

subjects: Te reo Māori

abstract: Te Reo Māori is becoming more prominent on our airwaves, in government agencies and within schools. Within a wider education system that increasingly seeks to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, teachers in New Zealand are being asked to become more competent in their development and use of Te Reo Māori, despite over 70% of teachers identifying as New Zealand European. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand passed a requirement in 2021 specifying that new teachers should demonstrate Te Reo Māori competency at between level 3 and 4 of the Māori language curriculum by the time they graduate from their initial teacher education. Learning any second language as an adult can be challenging, and so the Teaching Council’s requirement is a big ask, particularly for non-Māori teaching students who may have had little to no exposure to the Māori language prior to enrolling into the teaching programme.

This thesis reports on a qualitative study that investigated the experiences of four non-Māori pre-service teaching students in relation to the requirement that they learn Te Reo Māori as a part of their teaching degree programme. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data, incorporating culturally responsive approaches during data collection and thematic analysis was undertaken to identify findings. The backdrop for this study was an interpretivist paradigm that recognises the socially constructed nature of each individual’s reality. This research paradigm was appropriate for this research study as I sought to interpret and understand the experiences of each participant with the Teaching Council’s Te Reo Māori requirement. An interpretivist research design also aligns with a qualitative approach to data collection which made this paradigm a good fit for the research project.

The findings suggest that the new Teaching Council requirement is leading to language progress, although there have been challenges for the participants. All four participants have increased their knowledge, understanding and confidence to engage with Te Reo Māori. There was also a noticeable shift in cultural competence amongst all four participants. A very positive outcome when considering that all of the participants came into the teaching programme with little to no experience with Māori language and culture. However, learning Te Reo Māori has at times been confronting for these participants, primarily when historical issues associated with colonisation and the repression of the Māori language have surfaced. Technical aspects of second language acquisition have also caused challenges such as in relation to correct pronunciation and participants’ opportunities to use Te Reo Māori.
 
An over-riding theme from this research has been that although the Teaching Council’s language learning mandate presents an ambitious challenge for pre-service teachers, the four participants in this study have all experienced what can be characterised as a transformative learning process in relation to their Te Reo Māori journey thus far. That is, each participant had learning moments where they were able to critically reflect on their worldview and prior knowledge of Māori language and culture. Through this transformative process not only did the participants gain a deeper understanding of a Māori worldview, but they were able to transition this understanding into their developing teacher practice to the benefit of themselves and their students. While the participants for this study were purposively selected, the positive outcomes evident in their language learning journey suggest that there is potential for this new Teaching Council mandate to be achievable. The findings suggest that this new mandate might be a powerful lever towards a cultural shift for our English-medium teachers and within their classrooms as Te Reo Māori becomes more prominent. This study is also significant because of the scarcity of research on this new policy, and on non-Māori who are required to learn Te Reo Māori as part of their teaching degree. There could be wider significance for this research in the public sphere with attitudes potentially shifting more favourably towards Te Reo Māori and a bicultural country, centred on a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership. The findings of this study will be of use to future and current non-Māori teaching students to help navigate this new mandate. Teacher educators could benefit from the implications for culturally responsive teaching and learning. This study may inform researchers in the field of linguistics and education who might wish to build on the results of this research project to inform further studies. Finally, policy makers may be interested to learn about the benefits and challenges that have emerged from this new Teaching Council mandate. Lastly, this research presents an exciting opportunity to showcase this new Teaching Council mandate, and what one participant in the present study described as the ‘heart language’ of New Zealand, with the potential for Te Reo Māori to flourish beyond language classrooms and Māori-medium education and into our mainstream education system, where it belongs.

text: Aotearoa's heart language: An investigation of compulsory te reo Māori language learning for non-Māori teaching students in Aotearoa New Zealand Te Reo Māori is becoming more prominent on our airwaves, in government agencies and within schools. Within a wider education system that increasingly seeks to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, teachers in New Zealand are being asked to become more competent in their development and use of Te Reo Māori, despite over 70% of teachers identifying as New Zealand European. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand passed a requirement in 2021 specifying that new teachers should demonstrate Te Reo Māori competency at between level 3 and 4 of the Māori language curriculum by the time they graduate from their initial teacher education. Learning any second language as an adult can be challenging, and so the Teaching Council’s requirement is a big ask, particularly for non-Māori teaching students who may have had little to no exposure to the Māori language prior to enrolling into the teaching programme.

This thesis reports on a qualitative study that investigated the experiences of four non-Māori pre-service teaching students in relation to the requirement that they learn Te Reo Māori as a part of their teaching degree programme. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data, incorporating culturally responsive approaches during data collection and thematic analysis was undertaken to identify findings. The backdrop for this study was an interpretivist paradigm that recognises the socially constructed nature of each individual’s reality. This research paradigm was appropriate for this research study as I sought to interpret and understand the experiences of each participant with the Teaching Council’s Te Reo Māori requirement. An interpretivist research design also aligns with a qualitative approach to data collection which made this paradigm a good fit for the research project.

The findings suggest that the new Teaching Council requirement is leading to language progress, although there have been challenges for the participants. All four participants have increased their knowledge, understanding and confidence to engage with Te Reo Māori. There was also a noticeable shift in cultural competence amongst all four participants. A very positive outcome when considering that all of the participants came into the teaching programme with little to no experience with Māori language and culture. However, learning Te Reo Māori has at times been confronting for these participants, primarily when historical issues associated with colonisation and the repression of the Māori language have surfaced. Technical aspects of second language acquisition have also caused challenges such as in relation to correct pronunciation and participants’ opportunities to use Te Reo Māori.
 
An over-riding theme from this research has been that although the Teaching Council’s language learning mandate presents an ambitious challenge for pre-service teachers, the four participants in this study have all experienced what can be characterised as a transformative learning process in relation to their Te Reo Māori journey thus far. That is, each participant had learning moments where they were able to critically reflect on their worldview and prior knowledge of Māori language and culture. Through this transformative process not only did the participants gain a deeper understanding of a Māori worldview, but they were able to transition this understanding into their developing teacher practice to the benefit of themselves and their students. While the participants for this study were purposively selected, the positive outcomes evident in their language learning journey suggest that there is potential for this new Teaching Council mandate to be achievable. The findings suggest that this new mandate might be a powerful lever towards a cultural shift for our English-medium teachers and within their classrooms as Te Reo Māori becomes more prominent. This study is also significant because of the scarcity of research on this new policy, and on non-Māori who are required to learn Te Reo Māori as part of their teaching degree. There could be wider significance for this research in the public sphere with attitudes potentially shifting more favourably towards Te Reo Māori and a bicultural country, centred on a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership. The findings of this study will be of use to future and current non-Māori teaching students to help navigate this new mandate. Teacher educators could benefit from the implications for culturally responsive teaching and learning. This study may inform researchers in the field of linguistics and education who might wish to build on the results of this research project to inform further studies. Finally, policy makers may be interested to learn about the benefits and challenges that have emerged from this new Teaching Council mandate. Lastly, this research presents an exciting opportunity to showcase this new Teaching Council mandate, and what one participant in the present study described as the ‘heart language’ of New Zealand, with the potential for Te Reo Māori to flourish beyond language classrooms and Māori-medium education and into our mainstream education system, where it belongs.

year: 2023