title: The alienation of the Opuatia block: A GIS case study report written for Counting our Tūpuna

authors: Whitehead, Jesse

abstract: This report provides an analysis and visualisation of the fragmentation and alienation of the Opuatia block (Opuatia hereafter), as well as changes in its ownership and geographic structure since 1866.
The three main aims are to quantify the amount of Opuatia remaining in Ngāti Tiipa ownership at the end of each decade, identifying critical moments in time, and highlighting the processes through which Opuatia was alienated and fragmented. These questions are addressed through a bespoke method that was developed to link data from several sources. These include (but are not limited to) historic records of land alienation, held by the Māori Land Court, and geospatial information available through Land Information New Zealand.
The key findings show that approximately 94% of the original Opuatia has been alienated, with only small parcles of land remaining in Ngāti Tiipa ownership. The late 1890s and early 1900s were a criticial period where over 80% of alienations were carried out. The results inidcate that the Crown was a key driver of this process, directly alienating more than 18,000 acres from Opuatia, much of which was taken on a single day in 1896. Individual settlers were responsible for most other alienations, and some of the same names appear several times in the historical record as settler families alienated clusters of land to build up significant stakes in the area. Finally, another result of this report is the method itself, which outlines an approach for tracing a defined block of land through the Native Land Court and linking this information to geospatial datasets.
The limitations of this report include the poor interoperability of key data sources, and the barriers that this presents to other hapū or organisations who may want to replicate this work. A more detailed investigation of archival records is required to examine the specific reasons behind why each parent block, and the subdivisions with them, was alienated from Ngāti Tiipa ownership.

text: The alienation of the Opuatia block: A GIS case study report written for Counting our Tūpuna This report provides an analysis and visualisation of the fragmentation and alienation of the Opuatia block (Opuatia hereafter), as well as changes in its ownership and geographic structure since 1866.
The three main aims are to quantify the amount of Opuatia remaining in Ngāti Tiipa ownership at the end of each decade, identifying critical moments in time, and highlighting the processes through which Opuatia was alienated and fragmented. These questions are addressed through a bespoke method that was developed to link data from several sources. These include (but are not limited to) historic records of land alienation, held by the Māori Land Court, and geospatial information available through Land Information New Zealand.
The key findings show that approximately 94% of the original Opuatia has been alienated, with only small parcles of land remaining in Ngāti Tiipa ownership. The late 1890s and early 1900s were a criticial period where over 80% of alienations were carried out. The results inidcate that the Crown was a key driver of this process, directly alienating more than 18,000 acres from Opuatia, much of which was taken on a single day in 1896. Individual settlers were responsible for most other alienations, and some of the same names appear several times in the historical record as settler families alienated clusters of land to build up significant stakes in the area. Finally, another result of this report is the method itself, which outlines an approach for tracing a defined block of land through the Native Land Court and linking this information to geospatial datasets.
The limitations of this report include the poor interoperability of key data sources, and the barriers that this presents to other hapū or organisations who may want to replicate this work. A more detailed investigation of archival records is required to examine the specific reasons behind why each parent block, and the subdivisions with them, was alienated from Ngāti Tiipa ownership.

year: 2021

title: The thing’s revelation: Some thoughts on Māori philosophical research

authors: Mika, Carl Te Hira

abstract: In indigenous research projects, there is a strong emphasis on interviews and the analysis of the data that results. There is, however, another form of research that still calls to be fully acknowledged. Philosophical research shares some ground with empirical because it responds to a Maori history and experience of oppression. One clear area in which it may differ, though, is in how it attempts to acknowledge the presence of ‘things’, which we might call our ‘whanaunga’ (relations), even where these have been deemed by Western science to be inanimate. More importantly, philosophical research is risky because the thing continues to influence the researching self, despite the self’s eventual disengagement from the research. Philosophical research – the kind that seeks an unobtainable ground of thought – is at once aware of and tentative towards the thing. It also acts within the influence of the thing: this phenomenon for the author can be best felt when the bizarre is encountered in everyday observations.

text: The thing’s revelation: Some thoughts on Māori philosophical research In indigenous research projects, there is a strong emphasis on interviews and the analysis of the data that results. There is, however, another form of research that still calls to be fully acknowledged. Philosophical research shares some ground with empirical because it responds to a Maori history and experience of oppression. One clear area in which it may differ, though, is in how it attempts to acknowledge the presence of ‘things’, which we might call our ‘whanaunga’ (relations), even where these have been deemed by Western science to be inanimate. More importantly, philosophical research is risky because the thing continues to influence the researching self, despite the self’s eventual disengagement from the research. Philosophical research – the kind that seeks an unobtainable ground of thought – is at once aware of and tentative towards the thing. It also acts within the influence of the thing: this phenomenon for the author can be best felt when the bizarre is encountered in everyday observations.

year: 2015

title: Brokering practices among international EAL students at a New Zealand university

authors: Lee, Sherrie

subjects: academic support

abstract: The numbers of international students enrolled in higher education in Anglophone countries have increased in the past decade, with the majority of students originating from Asian countries such as China. While it is in the interest of these universities to support international students during their study, there is a tendency for institutions to view students’ learning in a deficit mode, for example, characterising students in terms of their limited English proficiency. Many studies of students for whom English is an additional language (EAL) are situated in formal instructional contexts that privilege Western academic norms, an environment which constrains students’ agency. In order to make visible the agency of international EAL students, as well as to contribute to the limited research on students’ informal academic learning, this study set out to examine a phenomenon in cross-cultural contexts known as brokering. Brokering refers to help-seeking social interactions, where students seek assistance with unfamiliar academic texts and practices from brokers who are able to bridge knowledge gaps.
A multi-methodological approach underpinned by a social constructionist paradigm was used to investigate the nature of brokering practices among 10 first-year, international EAL students, nine of whom were ethnic Chinese, at one New Zealand university. The study employed focused ethnography, where regular semi-structured interviews were conducted during students’ initial 15-week semester. Records of brokering interactions associated with three key informants were also collected in the form of audio-recorded observations and screenshots of instant message exchanges on mobile phones. The data analysis was informed by brokering-related concepts from sociology and studies on immigrant communities, as well as conversation analytical concepts such as epistemic asymmetry, and politeness theories in pragmatics.
The study found that participants sought brokers among peers and non-peers for their academic needs. Brokering practices encompassed language brokering, literacy brokering, and resource brokering, with each type of brokering addressing particular aspects of academic learning. Unlike non-peer brokering, which was typically facilitated by English-speaking staff, peer brokering mostly took place in homophilous interactions, that is, between those of similar ethno-lingual backgrounds. Peer brokering relationships were also found to be valued not only for instrumental action in terms of obtaining knowledge, but also for expressive action in terms of engaging in shared sentiment. The analysis of the key informants’ brokering interactions further demonstrated how agency was enacted through the seekers’ maintenance and negotiation of relative knowledge positions, which was supported by politeness and face-management strategies. Peer brokering dynamics afforded greater scope for student agency, while the hierarchical social relations in non-peer brokering did not.
By integrating theoretical frameworks from different disciplines, this thesis has provided a unique conceptual lens for understanding international EAL students’ academic-related brokering practices. It has also highlighted the need for international education practitioners to be sensitive to first-year international students’ needs for culturally appropriate support. The thesis concludes that if institutions are aware of international EAL students’ brokering practices, and take on a brokering role themselves, they will better serve the intercultural goals of international education.

text: Brokering practices among international EAL students at a New Zealand university The numbers of international students enrolled in higher education in Anglophone countries have increased in the past decade, with the majority of students originating from Asian countries such as China. While it is in the interest of these universities to support international students during their study, there is a tendency for institutions to view students’ learning in a deficit mode, for example, characterising students in terms of their limited English proficiency. Many studies of students for whom English is an additional language (EAL) are situated in formal instructional contexts that privilege Western academic norms, an environment which constrains students’ agency. In order to make visible the agency of international EAL students, as well as to contribute to the limited research on students’ informal academic learning, this study set out to examine a phenomenon in cross-cultural contexts known as brokering. Brokering refers to help-seeking social interactions, where students seek assistance with unfamiliar academic texts and practices from brokers who are able to bridge knowledge gaps.
A multi-methodological approach underpinned by a social constructionist paradigm was used to investigate the nature of brokering practices among 10 first-year, international EAL students, nine of whom were ethnic Chinese, at one New Zealand university. The study employed focused ethnography, where regular semi-structured interviews were conducted during students’ initial 15-week semester. Records of brokering interactions associated with three key informants were also collected in the form of audio-recorded observations and screenshots of instant message exchanges on mobile phones. The data analysis was informed by brokering-related concepts from sociology and studies on immigrant communities, as well as conversation analytical concepts such as epistemic asymmetry, and politeness theories in pragmatics.
The study found that participants sought brokers among peers and non-peers for their academic needs. Brokering practices encompassed language brokering, literacy brokering, and resource brokering, with each type of brokering addressing particular aspects of academic learning. Unlike non-peer brokering, which was typically facilitated by English-speaking staff, peer brokering mostly took place in homophilous interactions, that is, between those of similar ethno-lingual backgrounds. Peer brokering relationships were also found to be valued not only for instrumental action in terms of obtaining knowledge, but also for expressive action in terms of engaging in shared sentiment. The analysis of the key informants’ brokering interactions further demonstrated how agency was enacted through the seekers’ maintenance and negotiation of relative knowledge positions, which was supported by politeness and face-management strategies. Peer brokering dynamics afforded greater scope for student agency, while the hierarchical social relations in non-peer brokering did not.
By integrating theoretical frameworks from different disciplines, this thesis has provided a unique conceptual lens for understanding international EAL students’ academic-related brokering practices. It has also highlighted the need for international education practitioners to be sensitive to first-year international students’ needs for culturally appropriate support. The thesis concludes that if institutions are aware of international EAL students’ brokering practices, and take on a brokering role themselves, they will better serve the intercultural goals of international education.

year: 2019