title: Company formation in the Te Aroha mining district in the 1930s

authors: Hart, Philip

abstract: During the early years of the Depression, a few investors sought to form companies to rework almost every portion of the Te Aroha Mining District. Some flotations failed, and even when companies were formed very little work was done. A wide variety of people were promoters and investors, very few of whom had any mining knowledge or access to capital. Competition for ground and low commercial morality led to conflicts and exaggerated claims (notably that Te Aroha’s lodes were linked to Karangahake and Waihi). The Mines Department, anxious to prevent misinformation about these ventures being used to extract money from the gullible and also anxious to defend the industry from harm, was concerned about fraudulent assays and misleading reports from self-proclaimed ‘experts’. All these under-capitalized ventures quickly failed, for what little development took place quickly revealed the poverty of the ore.
These syndicates and companies are dealt with chronologically.

text: Company formation in the Te Aroha mining district in the 1930s During the early years of the Depression, a few investors sought to form companies to rework almost every portion of the Te Aroha Mining District. Some flotations failed, and even when companies were formed very little work was done. A wide variety of people were promoters and investors, very few of whom had any mining knowledge or access to capital. Competition for ground and low commercial morality led to conflicts and exaggerated claims (notably that Te Aroha’s lodes were linked to Karangahake and Waihi). The Mines Department, anxious to prevent misinformation about these ventures being used to extract money from the gullible and also anxious to defend the industry from harm, was concerned about fraudulent assays and misleading reports from self-proclaimed ‘experts’. All these under-capitalized ventures quickly failed, for what little development took place quickly revealed the poverty of the ore.
These syndicates and companies are dealt with chronologically.

year: 2016

title: Negotiated identities: Christianity and ethnicity in a diasporic Cambodian church

authors: Watson, Peter

abstract: As a global religious movement, Christianity has throughout history come into conflict with the traditional cosmologies of those who choose to convert, drastically changing the ways in which people express their spirituality. While much work within anthropology has focused on the cultural rupture that inevitably comes with conversion to Christianity, in this thesis I contribute to a growing body of work that understands conversion as incorporating both the changing and continuation of culture. This thesis is an ethnography of a Khmer language church in Aotearoa/New Zealand that provides a unique opportunity to examine a faith community embodying both radical change and strong connections to tradition. My investigation into the lived experiences of Cambodian Christians in the diaspora explores how initial decisions to convert, as well as church members’ engagements with society in both Aotearoa/New Zealand and Cambodia reflect both rupture and continuity. As evidence of this I show that Khmer migrants’ decisions to convert to Christianity have been heavily impacted by their ethnic identity, as they, like most Cambodians, look to religion as a way to establish order in a chaotic world. Alongside this, I examine ways in which Cambodian Christians relate to both their own cultural heritage and the wider religious landscape of Aotearoa/New Zealand, showing that the Christian life of CCF members is heavily influenced by both aspects of their Khmer identity and a desire to faithfully worship the Christian God. In exploring these aspects of Christian conversion, I join others in arguing for the need to view conversion as a dynamic and multifaceted process involving more than just rupture or simple syncretism.

text: Negotiated identities: Christianity and ethnicity in a diasporic Cambodian church As a global religious movement, Christianity has throughout history come into conflict with the traditional cosmologies of those who choose to convert, drastically changing the ways in which people express their spirituality. While much work within anthropology has focused on the cultural rupture that inevitably comes with conversion to Christianity, in this thesis I contribute to a growing body of work that understands conversion as incorporating both the changing and continuation of culture. This thesis is an ethnography of a Khmer language church in Aotearoa/New Zealand that provides a unique opportunity to examine a faith community embodying both radical change and strong connections to tradition. My investigation into the lived experiences of Cambodian Christians in the diaspora explores how initial decisions to convert, as well as church members’ engagements with society in both Aotearoa/New Zealand and Cambodia reflect both rupture and continuity. As evidence of this I show that Khmer migrants’ decisions to convert to Christianity have been heavily impacted by their ethnic identity, as they, like most Cambodians, look to religion as a way to establish order in a chaotic world. Alongside this, I examine ways in which Cambodian Christians relate to both their own cultural heritage and the wider religious landscape of Aotearoa/New Zealand, showing that the Christian life of CCF members is heavily influenced by both aspects of their Khmer identity and a desire to faithfully worship the Christian God. In exploring these aspects of Christian conversion, I join others in arguing for the need to view conversion as a dynamic and multifaceted process involving more than just rupture or simple syncretism.

year: 2023

title: Speaking the unspoken: Maori experiences of racism in New Zealand sport

authors: Hippolite, Holly Raima

subjects: Maori

abstract: This research explores how being Maori influences Maori participants’ sport experiences and offers a critical Maori perspective on New Zealand sport. Ten experienced Maori sport participants were interviewed using Kaupapa Maori Research Methods which involved research performed by Maori, about Maori being Maori. This research grew out of discussions with Maori participants and explores their experiences as athletes, coaches, administrators and spectators, focusing on their interactions with Pakeha in Pakeha-dominated sport. Their experiences demonstrate personal, cultural and institutional racism in New Zealand sport and indicate how the power differentials in society impact on the ability of Maori to practice important cultural values in Pakeha-dominated contexts. I argue that racism is a factor affecting the relationships of Maori with Pakeha in key functionary positions in sport and identify a culture of denial that operates to marginalise discussions about racism generally. These participants’ experiences reflect cultural incapacity and blindness (Cross, Bazron, Dennis & Isaacs, 1989) by the dominant culture which have negative effects on the Maori participants including decisions to opt out of sport, feelings of hurt and frustration, a reduction in their commitment to national identity and a general sense that they are not considered as equals. The conclusion considers what is needed for New Zealand sport to become fully culturally inclusive; a situation desired by the participants and which has the potential to benefit everyone in sport.

text: Speaking the unspoken: Maori experiences of racism in New Zealand sport This research explores how being Maori influences Maori participants’ sport experiences and offers a critical Maori perspective on New Zealand sport. Ten experienced Maori sport participants were interviewed using Kaupapa Maori Research Methods which involved research performed by Maori, about Maori being Maori. This research grew out of discussions with Maori participants and explores their experiences as athletes, coaches, administrators and spectators, focusing on their interactions with Pakeha in Pakeha-dominated sport. Their experiences demonstrate personal, cultural and institutional racism in New Zealand sport and indicate how the power differentials in society impact on the ability of Maori to practice important cultural values in Pakeha-dominated contexts. I argue that racism is a factor affecting the relationships of Maori with Pakeha in key functionary positions in sport and identify a culture of denial that operates to marginalise discussions about racism generally. These participants’ experiences reflect cultural incapacity and blindness (Cross, Bazron, Dennis & Isaacs, 1989) by the dominant culture which have negative effects on the Maori participants including decisions to opt out of sport, feelings of hurt and frustration, a reduction in their commitment to national identity and a general sense that they are not considered as equals. The conclusion considers what is needed for New Zealand sport to become fully culturally inclusive; a situation desired by the participants and which has the potential to benefit everyone in sport.

year: 2010