title: Teacher professional identities in ece: Complexities and contradictions

authors: Kamenarac, Olivera

subjects: Teachers professional identities

abstract: By applying a framework of poststructural discursive studies and theoretical ideas of feminist poststructuralists, my doctoral thesis investigates how teachers’ professional identities have been discursively constructed in ECEC policies and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand over the last two decades. The study draws on discourse analysis of influential policy documents and transcript texts from group and individual interviews with teachers, professional leaders and managers from both community-owned and for-profit ECEC services. Research findings illustrate that the Aotearoa New Zealand ECEC has been torn between tensions created through an interplay of divergent and opposing discursive windows, which set a powerful context for constructions of complex, contradictory and fluid teachers’ professional identities. The study argues that discursive windows of enterprise, economic investment and vulnerability have promoted competition, individualism, entrepreneurship and social-intervention emphases in the sector, and frequently overpowered discourses of collectivism, collegiality, and empowerment, in which democratic education, teachers’ activism and professionalism have been rooted. The study advocates for the advocate-activist early childhood profession and teaching professionals who can bring in a much needed paradigm shift in the contemporary context of ECEC. It is hoped that this research contributes to an understanding of discourses that can strengthen capacity for constructing advocate-activist teachers’ identities at times when the market drives teachers’ work, requiring them to favour for-profit and enterprise interests over the wellbeing of children, families and community.

text: Teacher professional identities in ece: Complexities and contradictions By applying a framework of poststructural discursive studies and theoretical ideas of feminist poststructuralists, my doctoral thesis investigates how teachers’ professional identities have been discursively constructed in ECEC policies and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand over the last two decades. The study draws on discourse analysis of influential policy documents and transcript texts from group and individual interviews with teachers, professional leaders and managers from both community-owned and for-profit ECEC services. Research findings illustrate that the Aotearoa New Zealand ECEC has been torn between tensions created through an interplay of divergent and opposing discursive windows, which set a powerful context for constructions of complex, contradictory and fluid teachers’ professional identities. The study argues that discursive windows of enterprise, economic investment and vulnerability have promoted competition, individualism, entrepreneurship and social-intervention emphases in the sector, and frequently overpowered discourses of collectivism, collegiality, and empowerment, in which democratic education, teachers’ activism and professionalism have been rooted. The study advocates for the advocate-activist early childhood profession and teaching professionals who can bring in a much needed paradigm shift in the contemporary context of ECEC. It is hoped that this research contributes to an understanding of discourses that can strengthen capacity for constructing advocate-activist teachers’ identities at times when the market drives teachers’ work, requiring them to favour for-profit and enterprise interests over the wellbeing of children, families and community.

year: 2018

title: The operation of public benefit in New Zealand - meeting contemporary challenges?

authors: Chevalier-Watts, Juliet

abstract: Much has been written about the concept of public benefit in charity law, and the quantity of judicial and academic commentary on this concept is indicative of its challenging and often nebulous character. This article considers public benefit and charity law from a New Zealand perspective and it will illustrate that the New Zealand courts are not afraid to address controversial or challenging circumstances relating to these matters. Indeed, such cases reflect the ability of the courts to meet the contemporary challenges of determining public benefit.

text: The operation of public benefit in New Zealand - meeting contemporary challenges? Much has been written about the concept of public benefit in charity law, and the quantity of judicial and academic commentary on this concept is indicative of its challenging and often nebulous character. This article considers public benefit and charity law from a New Zealand perspective and it will illustrate that the New Zealand courts are not afraid to address controversial or challenging circumstances relating to these matters. Indeed, such cases reflect the ability of the courts to meet the contemporary challenges of determining public benefit.

year: 2015

title: River Co-management and Planning in the Waikato: An Analysis of Regional and District Plans and Regional Policy Statement Compliance, and a New Approach to Plan Preparation

authors: den Ouden, Hester

subjects: co-management

abstract: The Waikato River is one of New Zealand most significant rivers.  It is an ancestor to one Iwi, significant to four other Iwi generates most of the country’s hydroelectricity and provides large amount of potable water to municipalities.
In 2010 and 2012 three Acts of parliament established the framework for the restoration and protection of the Waikato River Catchment.  It did so in three ways.  The River Co-Management Legislation (RCML) has significantly added to the policy framework under the Resource Management Act 1991 for the Waikato Regional and six Districts.  It introduced the requirement for co-management of decision-making at policy and regulatory approvals, and established the Waikato River Authority which manages a $270 million Clean-Up fund.
This research outlines the provisions of the three statutes that comprise the RCML, how legislation changed the hierarchy of the planning framework, and identifies areas where improvements could be made.  
The RCML introduces a ‘Vision and Strategy’ as a National Policy Statement for the area of the region within the Waikato River Catchment.  The ‘Vision and Strategy’ comprises 13 statements that are the Vision and 12 statements that are the strategy, collectively referred to as stratagems.  The research assesses each plan and policy statement within the Waikato River catchment to determine the nature and level of incorporation of the 25 stratagems of ‘Vision and Strategy’.
A new approach in planning is the requirement for the use of Maatauranga Maaori along with western science, the Māori and western science worldviews.  These worldviews are discussed.  Three Models that use Maatauranga Maaori principles are described.  The purpose of this has been to begin a discussion on the basis of another perspective in future plan and policy making that included better provisions based on the Maatauranga Maaori worldview.
The Planning Under a Co-operative Mandate (PUCM) project assisted in identify criteria against which to assess the regional and district plans and regional policy statement, their quality, comprehensiveness of inclusion of the ‘Vision and Strategy’ stratagems, and the required cascading nature of Objective policies and methods that are contain in the plans and regional policy statement.   
Key findings were that the provisions or inclusion of the ‘Vision and Strategy’ Stratagems was mixed, high in the case of scientifically quantifiable matters and poor and non-existent where matters to be included were less able to be quantified and qualified in a western science worldview.  The strengths and weakness of including the ‘Vision and Strategy’ Stratagems varied and the strength of that inclusion was identified.
A consequential finding was the overall quality of the plans themselves.  The first PUCM report to government in 2001 on plan quality, scored all six districts and regional plans below 50%.  Using PUCM project criteria to assess the degree to which the Stratagems were included in the plans in 2016 showed a similar result.  The consequential findings also found confusion over the nature of good objective, policy and method drafting.  It also found significant lack of cascading from objectives through policies to methods.

text: River Co-management and Planning in the Waikato: An Analysis of Regional and District Plans and Regional Policy Statement Compliance, and a New Approach to Plan Preparation The Waikato River is one of New Zealand most significant rivers.  It is an ancestor to one Iwi, significant to four other Iwi generates most of the country’s hydroelectricity and provides large amount of potable water to municipalities.
In 2010 and 2012 three Acts of parliament established the framework for the restoration and protection of the Waikato River Catchment.  It did so in three ways.  The River Co-Management Legislation (RCML) has significantly added to the policy framework under the Resource Management Act 1991 for the Waikato Regional and six Districts.  It introduced the requirement for co-management of decision-making at policy and regulatory approvals, and established the Waikato River Authority which manages a $270 million Clean-Up fund.
This research outlines the provisions of the three statutes that comprise the RCML, how legislation changed the hierarchy of the planning framework, and identifies areas where improvements could be made.  
The RCML introduces a ‘Vision and Strategy’ as a National Policy Statement for the area of the region within the Waikato River Catchment.  The ‘Vision and Strategy’ comprises 13 statements that are the Vision and 12 statements that are the strategy, collectively referred to as stratagems.  The research assesses each plan and policy statement within the Waikato River catchment to determine the nature and level of incorporation of the 25 stratagems of ‘Vision and Strategy’.
A new approach in planning is the requirement for the use of Maatauranga Maaori along with western science, the Māori and western science worldviews.  These worldviews are discussed.  Three Models that use Maatauranga Maaori principles are described.  The purpose of this has been to begin a discussion on the basis of another perspective in future plan and policy making that included better provisions based on the Maatauranga Maaori worldview.
The Planning Under a Co-operative Mandate (PUCM) project assisted in identify criteria against which to assess the regional and district plans and regional policy statement, their quality, comprehensiveness of inclusion of the ‘Vision and Strategy’ stratagems, and the required cascading nature of Objective policies and methods that are contain in the plans and regional policy statement.   
Key findings were that the provisions or inclusion of the ‘Vision and Strategy’ Stratagems was mixed, high in the case of scientifically quantifiable matters and poor and non-existent where matters to be included were less able to be quantified and qualified in a western science worldview.  The strengths and weakness of including the ‘Vision and Strategy’ Stratagems varied and the strength of that inclusion was identified.
A consequential finding was the overall quality of the plans themselves.  The first PUCM report to government in 2001 on plan quality, scored all six districts and regional plans below 50%.  Using PUCM project criteria to assess the degree to which the Stratagems were included in the plans in 2016 showed a similar result.  The consequential findings also found confusion over the nature of good objective, policy and method drafting.  It also found significant lack of cascading from objectives through policies to methods.

year: 2017