title: Motivations, Experiences and Potential Impacts of Visitors to a Monastery in New Zealand: A Case Study

authors: Rodrigues, Sanaya Anna Maria

subjects: Visitor Impacts on Monasteries

abstract: This thesis presents a case study of the potential impacts of pilgrimage and religious tourism in a Catholic context, with a focus on the perspectives of visitors and the host monastic community. The selected research site is the Tyburn Monastery, the only monastery and retreat centre in the Hamilton Catholic Diocese in New Zealand. The monastery is situated in the North Island near Rotorua, a tourist destination in New Zealand that is well known for its geo- thermal activity, adventure sports and promotion of the indigenous Maori culture. Specifically, this thesis studies visitors’ motivations and experiences for visiting the monastery, and the potential impact these visitors have on the monastery and on the monastic community. To achieve this end, and adopting a mixed methods research approach, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted with visitors who had been to the monastery, from which key themes were elicited, and also a questionnaire based study was conducted with 42 visitors to the monastery. The analysis sheds light on the profile of visitors, the activities in which the visitors participated, and also the visitors’ motives and experiences for the visit. In-depth interviews were conducted with three of the monastic nuns to gain an insight into how visitors potentially impact their monastic life.

Most of the visitors were from Hamilton; they were mainly female visitors and over the age of 40 years; they were predominantly day visitors who used their own transport to get to the monastery as there is no public transport available. These visitors were mostly accompanied by family and friends. All the respondents in this study were Catholic. Findings of the qualitative interviews elicited three key motivational themes which were: religious, personal and social motives. Furthermore, the quantitative data revealed the main motives for visiting the monastery were to ‘spend time with God’, ‘to nurture your faith’, ‘and ‘to pray’. Three key experiential themes emerged from the qualitative analysis through the respondents’ narratives of their experiences at the monastery. These were, ‘religious element’ ‘personal experience’ and ‘social setting element’. The monastery significantly influenced the visitors as they expressed that ‘I felt a special spirituality at the monastery’ to be a significant experience. The most popular activities at the monastery, as established from the quantitative analysis, included ‘attending mass’, ‘reciting prayers’ and ‘meditating’. The visitors acknowledged that they were fortunate to be allowed into the monastery, were very satisfied with their visit, and would visit the monastery again.

Findings of the interview with three of the nuns at the monastery revealed that all visitors were welcome and are not treated as a burden; in contrast to findings that are perhaps argued in existing religious tourism literature. These findings thereby contribute to the existing scholarly knowledge of how Catholic cloistered monasteries are efficiently managed; this is because of the Benedictine rule that they follow, which lays out principles of governing or administrating and hospitality. The monastery is still new, and limited advertising is done through Catholic magazines and newsletters of the Hamilton dioceses. In spite of this, the monastery receives a number of day visitors, and their retreat rooms also have a high occupancy rate. Care has been taken to insure that visitor numbers do not cause any negative impacts on the monastery environment.

In addition, from this research, it can also be concluded that at this monastery there is gender equality, since all visitors are allowed to participate in all the activities of the monastery. This monastery is visited primarily for devotional reasons, as it has no cultural or historical significance unlike the ancient monasteries in Europe and China. The unique experience noted in this research was also because of the rural setting, which therefore could be used to attract international visitors. Essentially, the research findings will aid in the understanding of visitors’ behaviour in relation to religious site management.

text: Motivations, Experiences and Potential Impacts of Visitors to a Monastery in New Zealand: A Case Study This thesis presents a case study of the potential impacts of pilgrimage and religious tourism in a Catholic context, with a focus on the perspectives of visitors and the host monastic community. The selected research site is the Tyburn Monastery, the only monastery and retreat centre in the Hamilton Catholic Diocese in New Zealand. The monastery is situated in the North Island near Rotorua, a tourist destination in New Zealand that is well known for its geo- thermal activity, adventure sports and promotion of the indigenous Maori culture. Specifically, this thesis studies visitors’ motivations and experiences for visiting the monastery, and the potential impact these visitors have on the monastery and on the monastic community. To achieve this end, and adopting a mixed methods research approach, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted with visitors who had been to the monastery, from which key themes were elicited, and also a questionnaire based study was conducted with 42 visitors to the monastery. The analysis sheds light on the profile of visitors, the activities in which the visitors participated, and also the visitors’ motives and experiences for the visit. In-depth interviews were conducted with three of the monastic nuns to gain an insight into how visitors potentially impact their monastic life.

Most of the visitors were from Hamilton; they were mainly female visitors and over the age of 40 years; they were predominantly day visitors who used their own transport to get to the monastery as there is no public transport available. These visitors were mostly accompanied by family and friends. All the respondents in this study were Catholic. Findings of the qualitative interviews elicited three key motivational themes which were: religious, personal and social motives. Furthermore, the quantitative data revealed the main motives for visiting the monastery were to ‘spend time with God’, ‘to nurture your faith’, ‘and ‘to pray’. Three key experiential themes emerged from the qualitative analysis through the respondents’ narratives of their experiences at the monastery. These were, ‘religious element’ ‘personal experience’ and ‘social setting element’. The monastery significantly influenced the visitors as they expressed that ‘I felt a special spirituality at the monastery’ to be a significant experience. The most popular activities at the monastery, as established from the quantitative analysis, included ‘attending mass’, ‘reciting prayers’ and ‘meditating’. The visitors acknowledged that they were fortunate to be allowed into the monastery, were very satisfied with their visit, and would visit the monastery again.

Findings of the interview with three of the nuns at the monastery revealed that all visitors were welcome and are not treated as a burden; in contrast to findings that are perhaps argued in existing religious tourism literature. These findings thereby contribute to the existing scholarly knowledge of how Catholic cloistered monasteries are efficiently managed; this is because of the Benedictine rule that they follow, which lays out principles of governing or administrating and hospitality. The monastery is still new, and limited advertising is done through Catholic magazines and newsletters of the Hamilton dioceses. In spite of this, the monastery receives a number of day visitors, and their retreat rooms also have a high occupancy rate. Care has been taken to insure that visitor numbers do not cause any negative impacts on the monastery environment.

In addition, from this research, it can also be concluded that at this monastery there is gender equality, since all visitors are allowed to participate in all the activities of the monastery. This monastery is visited primarily for devotional reasons, as it has no cultural or historical significance unlike the ancient monasteries in Europe and China. The unique experience noted in this research was also because of the rural setting, which therefore could be used to attract international visitors. Essentially, the research findings will aid in the understanding of visitors’ behaviour in relation to religious site management.

year: 2012

title: The efficacy of systematic desensitization for treating the separation-related problem behaviour of domestic dogs

authors: Butler, Rynae

subjects: systematic desensitization

abstract: The evaluation of systematic desensitization to treat separation-related problem behaviours, such as destruction of property, excessive barking, or house-soiling, has tended to rely on single case-studies. Eight dogs exhibiting separation-related behaviour, and their owners, participated in a controlled experiment using a within-subjects design to evaluate the efficacy of a combination of systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning. Treatment produced significant reductions in both the frequency (T(9)) = 0.0, P = 0.008) and the severity (T(9)) = 0.0, P = 0.008) of separation-related behaviours compared to baseline. Six dogs, for which follow-up data were obtained three months after treatment ended, showed almost complete elimination of the problem behaviour. The use of counter-conditioning, and other behavioural advice, did not appear to be related to the success of the treatment, suggesting that systematic desensitization was the critical element. Speed of progress and final success was not related to the consistency with which the owners applied systematic desensitization, indicating that even when owners apply systematic desensitization haphazardly, it can still be successful in treating separation-related behaviour in dogs.

text: The efficacy of systematic desensitization for treating the separation-related problem behaviour of domestic dogs The evaluation of systematic desensitization to treat separation-related problem behaviours, such as destruction of property, excessive barking, or house-soiling, has tended to rely on single case-studies. Eight dogs exhibiting separation-related behaviour, and their owners, participated in a controlled experiment using a within-subjects design to evaluate the efficacy of a combination of systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning. Treatment produced significant reductions in both the frequency (T(9)) = 0.0, P = 0.008) and the severity (T(9)) = 0.0, P = 0.008) of separation-related behaviours compared to baseline. Six dogs, for which follow-up data were obtained three months after treatment ended, showed almost complete elimination of the problem behaviour. The use of counter-conditioning, and other behavioural advice, did not appear to be related to the success of the treatment, suggesting that systematic desensitization was the critical element. Speed of progress and final success was not related to the consistency with which the owners applied systematic desensitization, indicating that even when owners apply systematic desensitization haphazardly, it can still be successful in treating separation-related behaviour in dogs.

year: 2010

title: Wāhine Māori engagement with literacies

authors: Masters-Awatere, Bridgette

subjects: Literacy

abstract: Wāhine Māori engagement with literacies (2023) is a case study report in collaboration with Te Whakaruruhau. It has been undertaken as part of a larger project, The expression, experience and transcendence of low skills in Aotearoa New Zealand (2019–2024), the aim of which is to provide policy recommendations to improve life-course trajectories and socio-economic outcomes for adults with low literacy and numeracy skills in Aotearoa New Zealand. Broadly speaking, Wāhine Māori engagement with literacy examines the framing and application of literacy measures in contemporary New Zealand culture. More specifically, it is about the lives and learning of wāhine (women) Māori (the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) within that culture and their attitudes towards, and complex relationships with, literacy as it is defined in their own lives and in the current setting. The study aims for a holistic understanding of lived literacies in driving the development of educational policies by public institutions and private groups. Reframing literacy as literacies is posited as a means to empower marginalised groups and to challenge the dominance of the Eurocentric education paradigm. Formal learning in English-language schools cannot be the extent of national literacy standards as it disregards Māori epistemological and ontological realities and can discount wāhine, many of whom may prioritise other modes of literacy. Centring their perspectives will bring about a more culturally inclusive future, one that makes space for the development of emotional and cultural literacies—as well as other forms such as digital, media, visual, financial, and health literacies—alongside the conventional version of literacy that has a monopoly in the present system.

text: Wāhine Māori engagement with literacies Wāhine Māori engagement with literacies (2023) is a case study report in collaboration with Te Whakaruruhau. It has been undertaken as part of a larger project, The expression, experience and transcendence of low skills in Aotearoa New Zealand (2019–2024), the aim of which is to provide policy recommendations to improve life-course trajectories and socio-economic outcomes for adults with low literacy and numeracy skills in Aotearoa New Zealand. Broadly speaking, Wāhine Māori engagement with literacy examines the framing and application of literacy measures in contemporary New Zealand culture. More specifically, it is about the lives and learning of wāhine (women) Māori (the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) within that culture and their attitudes towards, and complex relationships with, literacy as it is defined in their own lives and in the current setting. The study aims for a holistic understanding of lived literacies in driving the development of educational policies by public institutions and private groups. Reframing literacy as literacies is posited as a means to empower marginalised groups and to challenge the dominance of the Eurocentric education paradigm. Formal learning in English-language schools cannot be the extent of national literacy standards as it disregards Māori epistemological and ontological realities and can discount wāhine, many of whom may prioritise other modes of literacy. Centring their perspectives will bring about a more culturally inclusive future, one that makes space for the development of emotional and cultural literacies—as well as other forms such as digital, media, visual, financial, and health literacies—alongside the conventional version of literacy that has a monopoly in the present system.

year: 2023-09-28