title: The Digital Divide in New Zealand: The position of Māori and Pacific peoples

authors: Gibson, John

subjects: Māori digital access

abstract: Information and communication technology plays an ever-growing role in economic, political and social life and those who are unable to access such technologies are increasingly disadvantaged. Hence, what has come to be known as the ‘digital divide’ is of considerable significance. Here, indicators of that divide as it affects Māori and Pacific Islands peoples in Aotearoa/New Zealand are presented and discussed.

text: The Digital Divide in New Zealand: The position of Māori and Pacific peoples Information and communication technology plays an ever-growing role in economic, political and social life and those who are unable to access such technologies are increasingly disadvantaged. Hence, what has come to be known as the ‘digital divide’ is of considerable significance. Here, indicators of that divide as it affects Māori and Pacific Islands peoples in Aotearoa/New Zealand are presented and discussed.

year: 2002-09

title: Housing, mental health, and homelessness: Exploring lived experiences of homelessness to identify barriers to sustainable housing for vulnerable populations

authors: Cresswell, Caitlin Grace

subjects: Homelessness

abstract: Homelessness has become a much talked about topic in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2018 and the preceding years. This thesis explores the experiences of five people who have mental illness and have lived experience of homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand, and two staff members who work closely with people who experience both mental illness and homelessness. The theoretical frameworks that inform this thesis are narrative research, social constructionism and humanistic psychology. Particular attention was paid to using theoretical frameworks and interview methods that suited Māori (the indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand) due to the inequities experienced by Māori in mental health and homelessness, and the majority of participants identifying as New Zealand Māori. Participants’ narratives were gathered using semi- structured interviews. This study argues the importance of a humanistic perspective being used for research on homelessness. In contrast to traditional psychology, humanistic psychology emphasises respecting individual participants’ voice and narratives about their personal experiences of homelessness while considering the environment that influence these narratives. The participants’ narratives reflected their desire to be viewed as more than their life circumstances and illness through the sharing of their life stories. While there has been growing public awareness about mental illness, stigma still exists about mental illness which influences social narratives and how people who have mental illness understand their experiences. I argue that people who are vulnerable to homelessness, like those who experience mental illness, should have better protection from homelessness. To achieve this, I argue that structural barriers to finding, gaining and sustaining housing need to be addressed,
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including the design of welfare and housing services. Additionally, there needs to be recognition that the solutions to homelessness are complex and require a whole of system approach to effectively address and prevent homelessness. Recognising the complex nature of homelessness and it’s solutions will help bring a focus to establishing predominantly preventative solutions while also providing emergency housing for people in need.

text: Housing, mental health, and homelessness: Exploring lived experiences of homelessness to identify barriers to sustainable housing for vulnerable populations Homelessness has become a much talked about topic in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2018 and the preceding years. This thesis explores the experiences of five people who have mental illness and have lived experience of homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand, and two staff members who work closely with people who experience both mental illness and homelessness. The theoretical frameworks that inform this thesis are narrative research, social constructionism and humanistic psychology. Particular attention was paid to using theoretical frameworks and interview methods that suited Māori (the indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand) due to the inequities experienced by Māori in mental health and homelessness, and the majority of participants identifying as New Zealand Māori. Participants’ narratives were gathered using semi- structured interviews. This study argues the importance of a humanistic perspective being used for research on homelessness. In contrast to traditional psychology, humanistic psychology emphasises respecting individual participants’ voice and narratives about their personal experiences of homelessness while considering the environment that influence these narratives. The participants’ narratives reflected their desire to be viewed as more than their life circumstances and illness through the sharing of their life stories. While there has been growing public awareness about mental illness, stigma still exists about mental illness which influences social narratives and how people who have mental illness understand their experiences. I argue that people who are vulnerable to homelessness, like those who experience mental illness, should have better protection from homelessness. To achieve this, I argue that structural barriers to finding, gaining and sustaining housing need to be addressed,
iii
including the design of welfare and housing services. Additionally, there needs to be recognition that the solutions to homelessness are complex and require a whole of system approach to effectively address and prevent homelessness. Recognising the complex nature of homelessness and it’s solutions will help bring a focus to establishing predominantly preventative solutions while also providing emergency housing for people in need.

year: 2018

title: Enhancing access to experiential learning in a science and technology degree programme

authors: Coll, Richard K.

subjects: experiential learning

abstract: The research reported in this work concerned access to experiential learning offered in the form of work-based learning in a science and technology degree programme. The work-based learning comprises work placements within science and technology institutions relevant to the student's discipline of academic study. Access to work placements was enhanced by improving student performance in pre-placement interviews and the study comprised the administration of an intervention, namely the use of trial interviews, to improve performance in pre-placement interviews. The study resulted in the development of a model for trial interviews based on models of competency identified in the literature and by examination of documentation from a variety of multi-national organisations. The data suggests that the students perceive trial interviews enhance performance during pre-placement interviews.

text: Enhancing access to experiential learning in a science and technology degree programme The research reported in this work concerned access to experiential learning offered in the form of work-based learning in a science and technology degree programme. The work-based learning comprises work placements within science and technology institutions relevant to the student's discipline of academic study. Access to work placements was enhanced by improving student performance in pre-placement interviews and the study comprised the administration of an intervention, namely the use of trial interviews, to improve performance in pre-placement interviews. The study resulted in the development of a model for trial interviews based on models of competency identified in the literature and by examination of documentation from a variety of multi-national organisations. The data suggests that the students perceive trial interviews enhance performance during pre-placement interviews.

year: 2002