title: Māori Cultural Identity and Education

authors: Hawaikirangi-Pere, Charmaine

subjects: Identity

abstract: Underachievement of Māori students in mainstream schools has been a major topic of discussion by politicians and educational researchers in recent years. Research has shown that a secure cultural identity can enhance a person’s overall well-being and furthermore improve their chances of educational success. However, in reality, statistics show that a high percentage of the Māori population have little or no knowledge of their language and culture. The research question in this study will ask Māori whānau how they perceive cultural identity in relation to their children’s education.
Principles of Kaupapa Māori, Takepū and indigenous research and qualitative research methods have been used to ensure that participants were culturally and ethically respected. Participants interviewed in this study are members of my own whānau and some close friends. As an insider researcher I was committed to ensuring that my whānau were treated with respect and dignity throughout the research process. 
The interview data has exposed some unexpected issues specifically relating to their educational experiences and cultural identity. In the context of historical records and education for Māori, the findings of this study suggest that the educational experiences of Māori whānau have been, and continue to be, strongly influenced by government policies enforced before and during the period in which they attended school. All the whānau interviewed acknowledged their ethnic identity as Māori, however, most of them had little or no knowledge and understanding of Te Reo Māori nor had they taken part in cultural practices. Government policies restricted the use of the Māori language, disengaged them from their culture and curriculum provision limited expectations for both males and females. Mixed ethnicity and urbanisation were also identified as factors in the loss of their cultural identity. Data also shows that cultural identity loss has progressed on to future generations and influenced Māori whānau priorities and choice of school. 
The aim of this study is to provide educational policy makers with an in-depth understanding of the perspectives of Māori whānau determine their specific needs in education and propose some suggestions on how to improve achievement of Māori whānau in mainstream schools.

text: Māori Cultural Identity and Education Underachievement of Māori students in mainstream schools has been a major topic of discussion by politicians and educational researchers in recent years. Research has shown that a secure cultural identity can enhance a person’s overall well-being and furthermore improve their chances of educational success. However, in reality, statistics show that a high percentage of the Māori population have little or no knowledge of their language and culture. The research question in this study will ask Māori whānau how they perceive cultural identity in relation to their children’s education.
Principles of Kaupapa Māori, Takepū and indigenous research and qualitative research methods have been used to ensure that participants were culturally and ethically respected. Participants interviewed in this study are members of my own whānau and some close friends. As an insider researcher I was committed to ensuring that my whānau were treated with respect and dignity throughout the research process. 
The interview data has exposed some unexpected issues specifically relating to their educational experiences and cultural identity. In the context of historical records and education for Māori, the findings of this study suggest that the educational experiences of Māori whānau have been, and continue to be, strongly influenced by government policies enforced before and during the period in which they attended school. All the whānau interviewed acknowledged their ethnic identity as Māori, however, most of them had little or no knowledge and understanding of Te Reo Māori nor had they taken part in cultural practices. Government policies restricted the use of the Māori language, disengaged them from their culture and curriculum provision limited expectations for both males and females. Mixed ethnicity and urbanisation were also identified as factors in the loss of their cultural identity. Data also shows that cultural identity loss has progressed on to future generations and influenced Māori whānau priorities and choice of school. 
The aim of this study is to provide educational policy makers with an in-depth understanding of the perspectives of Māori whānau determine their specific needs in education and propose some suggestions on how to improve achievement of Māori whānau in mainstream schools.

year: 2013

title: What do New Zealand picturebooks tell us about New Zealand national identity?

authors: Daly, Nicola

abstract: Jeffries (2004, p. 4) defines national identity as ' ... a shared sense of belonging of a group of people that depends on a common area of named place, a common set of beliefs and values, and positive feelings for a specific named geographical area'. In her examination of how New Zealand culture is portrayed in picturebooks published between 2000 and 2005, McNeur (2006) suggests that the visual and textual messages in children's picturebooks are an important contributor to the development of children's national identity. This paper describes the process of choosing a collection of 22 New Zealand children's picturebooks (known as the New Zealand PictureBook Collection) to reflect and represent diversity in New Zealand national identity, and analyses what these books tell us about the New Zealand national identity.

text: What do New Zealand picturebooks tell us about New Zealand national identity? Jeffries (2004, p. 4) defines national identity as ' ... a shared sense of belonging of a group of people that depends on a common area of named place, a common set of beliefs and values, and positive feelings for a specific named geographical area'. In her examination of how New Zealand culture is portrayed in picturebooks published between 2000 and 2005, McNeur (2006) suggests that the visual and textual messages in children's picturebooks are an important contributor to the development of children's national identity. This paper describes the process of choosing a collection of 22 New Zealand children's picturebooks (known as the New Zealand PictureBook Collection) to reflect and represent diversity in New Zealand national identity, and analyses what these books tell us about the New Zealand national identity.

year: 2016

title: Evaluating and using remote sensing data for studying economic activity and population change in China

authors: Zhang, Xiaoxuan

abstract: use of remote sensing data, especially night-time lights (NTL) data, has flourished
in recent decades as a proxy for measuring economic activity and the spatial distribution
of population. The availability of these data can make up for the absence of and possible
inaccuracy in traditional economic statistics, especially because NTL data are available
at fine scale and with high frequency. The growing use of these data raises the question
of how accurate is this night-time lights proxy, and for what purposes is it best suited
when studying economic development and population changes at sub-national levels.
In the first part of this thesis, a 20-year time-series of GDP at China’s third
sub-national level (counties, county-level cities and districts) and census population
counts at the same level from 2000, 2010 and 2020, are used as a benchmark to examine
the performance of multiple sources of NTL data as proxies for local economic activity
and inequality. I also test the accuracy of gridded population estimates, some of which
rely on NTL data, for estimating inter-census changes in local population.
Based on the comprehensive evaluation of different NTL sources at different levels of
spatial aggregation, the second part of the thesis uses NTL and other remote sensing
data, in conjunction with the traditional GDP and population statistics, to study a set of
economic issues that are pertinent to regional development in China. The impact of
administrative upgrading of county-level units (a type of regional policy practiced in
China) and of modern transport infrastructure is studied, using both GDP and NTL data
to measure economic impacts. These studies use spatial econometric models that allow
for spillovers. The changes in the city size distribution, in terms of land and people, is
also studied because of the possibility that China’s cities are physically expanding in
places other than where the population is moving.
Overall, the thesis contributes a nuanced understanding of how NTL data and
other remote sensing data can assist in studying complex social and economic problems,
as well as raising some caveats about the limits to the uses of such data.

text: Evaluating and using remote sensing data for studying economic activity and population change in China use of remote sensing data, especially night-time lights (NTL) data, has flourished
in recent decades as a proxy for measuring economic activity and the spatial distribution
of population. The availability of these data can make up for the absence of and possible
inaccuracy in traditional economic statistics, especially because NTL data are available
at fine scale and with high frequency. The growing use of these data raises the question
of how accurate is this night-time lights proxy, and for what purposes is it best suited
when studying economic development and population changes at sub-national levels.
In the first part of this thesis, a 20-year time-series of GDP at China’s third
sub-national level (counties, county-level cities and districts) and census population
counts at the same level from 2000, 2010 and 2020, are used as a benchmark to examine
the performance of multiple sources of NTL data as proxies for local economic activity
and inequality. I also test the accuracy of gridded population estimates, some of which
rely on NTL data, for estimating inter-census changes in local population.
Based on the comprehensive evaluation of different NTL sources at different levels of
spatial aggregation, the second part of the thesis uses NTL and other remote sensing
data, in conjunction with the traditional GDP and population statistics, to study a set of
economic issues that are pertinent to regional development in China. The impact of
administrative upgrading of county-level units (a type of regional policy practiced in
China) and of modern transport infrastructure is studied, using both GDP and NTL data
to measure economic impacts. These studies use spatial econometric models that allow
for spillovers. The changes in the city size distribution, in terms of land and people, is
also studied because of the possibility that China’s cities are physically expanding in
places other than where the population is moving.
Overall, the thesis contributes a nuanced understanding of how NTL data and
other remote sensing data can assist in studying complex social and economic problems,
as well as raising some caveats about the limits to the uses of such data.

year: 2024