title: Researching perceptions of childhood sexuality: Using vignettes in interviews with teachers, counsellors, parents and young children

authors: Flanagan, Paul G.

abstract: Adults interpret children’s actions from their own positionings within culture and gender discourses. Children’s ‘sexual’ actions or ‘sexualised behaviour’ is responded to from ideas of innocence and indifference to moral panics and protective interventions. Adults express discomfort and uncertainty about how to understand and respond to young children acting this way.
Researching sexuality traverses social and cultural environments in which people live. Frayser (2003) refers to ‘shifting cultural maps’ as constructions of sexuality move from reproductive to relational and recreational understandings. “An expanded view of sexuality has meant an expanded interpretation of what is sexual; Words, looks, touches, pictures, and movements can all be construed in sexual ways” (Frayser, 2003, p. 267). Mitchell (2005), researching children’s sexuality in the Australian context, noted limitations in the literature, including the conceptualisation of sexuality; the difficulty of defining ‘normal’ sexual development when children’s sexuality is not considered in a wider, social and cultural context; and the dearth of research about children’s understandings of sexuality.
This paper describes a New Zealand doctoral study exploring discourses shaping constructions of sexuality in childhood. In particular, the paper focuses on the methodological approach of using vignettes.
Primary school teachers, parents, counsellors and children responded to a series of vignettes within focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The use of vignettes produced a context of safe participation for participants. This method supported participants’ confidence and trust with both the research process and their relationship with the researcher. As understandings were shared, enquiry brought forward further ideas and experiences from participants. Many readily disclosed more personal information, telling stories of child sexual activity: about themselves; their own children; family members; or stories of other children known to them.
A social constructionist framework underpins this research: children’s experiences are multi-storied and multiple meanings are available in understandings of sexuality. Foucault’s concepts of the genealogical method are used in the analysis of the literature, policies and practices on childhood sexuality, together with discursive positioning from the participants’ narratives.
Vignettes gave a safe entry into discussions about childhood sexuality, beginning with less problematic stories and then further examples of developing complexity. They provided stories to be viewed at a distance, then allowing for closer and more personal sharing of experiences. Awareness and understanding multiple social and cultural discourses shaping constructions of childhood sexuality is useful for teachers, parents and counsellors.

text: Researching perceptions of childhood sexuality: Using vignettes in interviews with teachers, counsellors, parents and young children Adults interpret children’s actions from their own positionings within culture and gender discourses. Children’s ‘sexual’ actions or ‘sexualised behaviour’ is responded to from ideas of innocence and indifference to moral panics and protective interventions. Adults express discomfort and uncertainty about how to understand and respond to young children acting this way.
Researching sexuality traverses social and cultural environments in which people live. Frayser (2003) refers to ‘shifting cultural maps’ as constructions of sexuality move from reproductive to relational and recreational understandings. “An expanded view of sexuality has meant an expanded interpretation of what is sexual; Words, looks, touches, pictures, and movements can all be construed in sexual ways” (Frayser, 2003, p. 267). Mitchell (2005), researching children’s sexuality in the Australian context, noted limitations in the literature, including the conceptualisation of sexuality; the difficulty of defining ‘normal’ sexual development when children’s sexuality is not considered in a wider, social and cultural context; and the dearth of research about children’s understandings of sexuality.
This paper describes a New Zealand doctoral study exploring discourses shaping constructions of sexuality in childhood. In particular, the paper focuses on the methodological approach of using vignettes.
Primary school teachers, parents, counsellors and children responded to a series of vignettes within focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The use of vignettes produced a context of safe participation for participants. This method supported participants’ confidence and trust with both the research process and their relationship with the researcher. As understandings were shared, enquiry brought forward further ideas and experiences from participants. Many readily disclosed more personal information, telling stories of child sexual activity: about themselves; their own children; family members; or stories of other children known to them.
A social constructionist framework underpins this research: children’s experiences are multi-storied and multiple meanings are available in understandings of sexuality. Foucault’s concepts of the genealogical method are used in the analysis of the literature, policies and practices on childhood sexuality, together with discursive positioning from the participants’ narratives.
Vignettes gave a safe entry into discussions about childhood sexuality, beginning with less problematic stories and then further examples of developing complexity. They provided stories to be viewed at a distance, then allowing for closer and more personal sharing of experiences. Awareness and understanding multiple social and cultural discourses shaping constructions of childhood sexuality is useful for teachers, parents and counsellors.

year: 2014

title: Twelve years on: Christchurch’s recovery from the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes

authors: Lianyan, Li

subjects: 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence

abstract: What does the recovery of Christchurch, New Zealand’s garden city, look like twelve years on from the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence? And what lessons has its long-term recovery offered? To answer these questions, a field trip to Christchurch and in-depth interviews with policymakers, engineering professionals and other recovery practitioners were undertaken in October 2022. The recovery state of Christchurch Central Business District (CBD) was observed. Interviews revealed lessons from CBD’s recovery from a longitudinal, retrospective perspective. There was a consensus that between 70 per cent to 80 per cent of damaged buildings in CBD had been repaired or replaced for other functions. Significant delays can be attributed to 1) the scale of the event, with tens of thousands of aftershocks and widespread demolitions in CBD, 2) the delayed decision-making process, 3) overwhelmed legal changes, and 4) limited resource availability. Moreover, it is found that building resilience was emphasised and well incorporated in architectural designs to ensure redundancy provided in newly constructed and retrofitted buildings in CBD. Such consideration also incurred the broad adoption of low-damage designs (e.g., base isolation), despite a slightly higher repair cost. Further, this paper also investigated the effectiveness of recovery agencies and affirmed their essential role in recovery. While New Zealand is proactively preparing for major seismic events such as the Magnitude 8.0 Alpine Fault earthquake (AF8), lessons elicited from Christchurch recovery included the necessity of available training programmes for engineers, a stronger emphasis on building resilience in engineering design, a need for functionality-focused building code, and the development of advanced National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) specific to New Zealand. It is hoped that these lessons can collectively translate into enhanced earthquake preparedness and resilience in the future.

text: Twelve years on: Christchurch’s recovery from the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquakes What does the recovery of Christchurch, New Zealand’s garden city, look like twelve years on from the 2010/2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence? And what lessons has its long-term recovery offered? To answer these questions, a field trip to Christchurch and in-depth interviews with policymakers, engineering professionals and other recovery practitioners were undertaken in October 2022. The recovery state of Christchurch Central Business District (CBD) was observed. Interviews revealed lessons from CBD’s recovery from a longitudinal, retrospective perspective. There was a consensus that between 70 per cent to 80 per cent of damaged buildings in CBD had been repaired or replaced for other functions. Significant delays can be attributed to 1) the scale of the event, with tens of thousands of aftershocks and widespread demolitions in CBD, 2) the delayed decision-making process, 3) overwhelmed legal changes, and 4) limited resource availability. Moreover, it is found that building resilience was emphasised and well incorporated in architectural designs to ensure redundancy provided in newly constructed and retrofitted buildings in CBD. Such consideration also incurred the broad adoption of low-damage designs (e.g., base isolation), despite a slightly higher repair cost. Further, this paper also investigated the effectiveness of recovery agencies and affirmed their essential role in recovery. While New Zealand is proactively preparing for major seismic events such as the Magnitude 8.0 Alpine Fault earthquake (AF8), lessons elicited from Christchurch recovery included the necessity of available training programmes for engineers, a stronger emphasis on building resilience in engineering design, a need for functionality-focused building code, and the development of advanced National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) specific to New Zealand. It is hoped that these lessons can collectively translate into enhanced earthquake preparedness and resilience in the future.

year: 2023

title: Defence not defiance: The shaping of New Zealand’s volunteer force

authors: Clayton, Garry James

subjects: New Zealand Army history

abstract: In the latter half of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth New Zealand's land defences were primarily the responsibility of its Volunteer Force. This Force over a period of fifty-two years evolved from ill-considered vigilante bands to a well organised and disciplined Army. This thesis examines the evolution of this Volunteer Army in chronological sequence concentrating on the factors which shaped and developed it.
The preface provides a brief outline of this study on New Zealand's Volunteer Force. The thesis then presents the history of the Force in eight chapters. These chapters are in four basic divisions. The first section, of three chapters. examines the origins of the Force, its role in the New Zealand Wars and its subsequent development in the period of tenuous peace during the 1870's . The second section, comprising of two chapters only, examines the transformation of the Volunteers from a military body which primarily looked inward. into a Force which concentrated on protecting the nation's main ports. The third section , also comprising two chapters , then views the development of this coastal protection Force into a Colonial Army, able and willing to provide for the nation's own security as well as expeditionary units to· serve with the British Imperial Forces ·. The last Section, of one Chapter only, concentrates on the demise of Volunteering and the moves to compulsory military training. The conclusion then draws together the analytical threads of the thesis. 
As the thesis is extensive in its coverage of time, it is only possible to outline the very nature of Volunteering. It will be for Regimental Historians to show the uniqueness of each of the 658 different units that comprised the New Zealand Volunteer Force over its fifty-two years of existence. What this broad survey does do, however, is provide a unique window for the examination of the development of an embryonic Colonial Army in the context of a developing nation.

text: Defence not defiance: The shaping of New Zealand’s volunteer force In the latter half of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth New Zealand's land defences were primarily the responsibility of its Volunteer Force. This Force over a period of fifty-two years evolved from ill-considered vigilante bands to a well organised and disciplined Army. This thesis examines the evolution of this Volunteer Army in chronological sequence concentrating on the factors which shaped and developed it.
The preface provides a brief outline of this study on New Zealand's Volunteer Force. The thesis then presents the history of the Force in eight chapters. These chapters are in four basic divisions. The first section, of three chapters. examines the origins of the Force, its role in the New Zealand Wars and its subsequent development in the period of tenuous peace during the 1870's . The second section, comprising of two chapters only, examines the transformation of the Volunteers from a military body which primarily looked inward. into a Force which concentrated on protecting the nation's main ports. The third section , also comprising two chapters , then views the development of this coastal protection Force into a Colonial Army, able and willing to provide for the nation's own security as well as expeditionary units to· serve with the British Imperial Forces ·. The last Section, of one Chapter only, concentrates on the demise of Volunteering and the moves to compulsory military training. The conclusion then draws together the analytical threads of the thesis. 
As the thesis is extensive in its coverage of time, it is only possible to outline the very nature of Volunteering. It will be for Regimental Historians to show the uniqueness of each of the 658 different units that comprised the New Zealand Volunteer Force over its fifty-two years of existence. What this broad survey does do, however, is provide a unique window for the examination of the development of an embryonic Colonial Army in the context of a developing nation.

year: 1990