title: At the end of the Rainbow: Rainbow experiences of palliative care through the lens of a situated case study

authors: Byrne, Kate

subjects: palliative care

abstract: This thesis explores Rainbow experiences of palliative care in Aotearoa New Zealand through the lens of a situated case study and the local policy context for palliative care. Underscoring this thesis is an understanding that the Rainbow community constitute a subgroup of the population which possess specific needs within the palliative care space. A key concept on which this research rests is good death and how palliative care aspires to achieve a good death. This is a novel, exploratory study conducted to address the lack of literature pertaining to Rainbow experiences of palliative care in Aotearoa New Zealand. The theoretical framework for this thesis is grounded in the socio-ecological model of health and the concept of aroha. A case study research design is utilised to give a fine-grained exploration of a single research participant’s experience supporting his partner’s palliative care journey. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the research participant, which provided insights into how palliative care unfolded within the lifeworld of a couple who are members of the Rainbow community. Interview data was analysed with an interpretivist approach. In addition, I conducted analysis of key documents that direct the design and delivery of palliative care in Aotearoa New Zealand. Analysis of the documents was conducted by situating and examining them within the socio-ecological framework. The case study findings include themes of caregiving and the impact of discrimination. Within the theme of caregiving, topics that emerged included transitions in care, dynamic support, and expressions of autonomy. The theme of the impact of discrimination investigated the legacy of the AIDS crisis, the burden of educating people delivering palliative care, and the fear of discrimination. A synthesis of the interview data and document analysis highlights the radical potential of palliative care as a model of care, alongside tensions between aspirations expressed within the palliative care model and lived experience. I also investigate the role of intersectionality in facilitating good death, and the complexities of being openly Rainbow, as key issues within the case study and document analysis. In terms of implications for future research, I argue that fine-grained case study approaches to explore complex, personalised, and deeply contextual experiences such as those included within the study offer novel insights into service delivery. Additionally, this thesis indicates the necessity of further diverse research within the Aotearoa New Zealand context to ensure understandings of Rainbow palliative care experiences are robust.

text: At the end of the Rainbow: Rainbow experiences of palliative care through the lens of a situated case study This thesis explores Rainbow experiences of palliative care in Aotearoa New Zealand through the lens of a situated case study and the local policy context for palliative care. Underscoring this thesis is an understanding that the Rainbow community constitute a subgroup of the population which possess specific needs within the palliative care space. A key concept on which this research rests is good death and how palliative care aspires to achieve a good death. This is a novel, exploratory study conducted to address the lack of literature pertaining to Rainbow experiences of palliative care in Aotearoa New Zealand. The theoretical framework for this thesis is grounded in the socio-ecological model of health and the concept of aroha. A case study research design is utilised to give a fine-grained exploration of a single research participant’s experience supporting his partner’s palliative care journey. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the research participant, which provided insights into how palliative care unfolded within the lifeworld of a couple who are members of the Rainbow community. Interview data was analysed with an interpretivist approach. In addition, I conducted analysis of key documents that direct the design and delivery of palliative care in Aotearoa New Zealand. Analysis of the documents was conducted by situating and examining them within the socio-ecological framework. The case study findings include themes of caregiving and the impact of discrimination. Within the theme of caregiving, topics that emerged included transitions in care, dynamic support, and expressions of autonomy. The theme of the impact of discrimination investigated the legacy of the AIDS crisis, the burden of educating people delivering palliative care, and the fear of discrimination. A synthesis of the interview data and document analysis highlights the radical potential of palliative care as a model of care, alongside tensions between aspirations expressed within the palliative care model and lived experience. I also investigate the role of intersectionality in facilitating good death, and the complexities of being openly Rainbow, as key issues within the case study and document analysis. In terms of implications for future research, I argue that fine-grained case study approaches to explore complex, personalised, and deeply contextual experiences such as those included within the study offer novel insights into service delivery. Additionally, this thesis indicates the necessity of further diverse research within the Aotearoa New Zealand context to ensure understandings of Rainbow palliative care experiences are robust.

year: 2024

title: Impact of the Ruakura Inland Port on the Golden Triangle - a system dynamics simulation study

authors: Kuo, Kuan-Yu (Jessica)

abstract: The Ruakura Inland Port, a project developed in anticipation of the increasing freight flows in the future, is an inland port that is expected to add an additional one million TEUs per annum to the Golden Triangle’s freight capacities. Such a change to the system will result in impacts to the other members within it, but traditional research methods cannot fully capture the complexities of a freight system that involves so many variables, hence the need for simulation modelling.

This pragmatic study presents a pilot simulation model using a system dynamics approach so that the relationships within the complex freight system could be better understood. Constructed using the iThink software, not only does this evolvable model show how the addition of the Ruakura Inland Port is going to affect the current freight flows with the Golden Triangle, it was also designed with the aim of helping practitioners identify drivers and enablers within the system so that informed decisions can be made. The results from the simulation showed that the in the first 20 years it is unlikely that the Ruakura Inland Port will have significant impacts on the system until much higher utilisation rates can be achieved. It was also found that the addition of the Third Main and the Waikato Expressway will have relatively small to none impacts.

text: Impact of the Ruakura Inland Port on the Golden Triangle - a system dynamics simulation study The Ruakura Inland Port, a project developed in anticipation of the increasing freight flows in the future, is an inland port that is expected to add an additional one million TEUs per annum to the Golden Triangle’s freight capacities. Such a change to the system will result in impacts to the other members within it, but traditional research methods cannot fully capture the complexities of a freight system that involves so many variables, hence the need for simulation modelling.

This pragmatic study presents a pilot simulation model using a system dynamics approach so that the relationships within the complex freight system could be better understood. Constructed using the iThink software, not only does this evolvable model show how the addition of the Ruakura Inland Port is going to affect the current freight flows with the Golden Triangle, it was also designed with the aim of helping practitioners identify drivers and enablers within the system so that informed decisions can be made. The results from the simulation showed that the in the first 20 years it is unlikely that the Ruakura Inland Port will have significant impacts on the system until much higher utilisation rates can be achieved. It was also found that the addition of the Third Main and the Waikato Expressway will have relatively small to none impacts.

year: 2019

title: On equality and colourblindness

authors: Robertson, Neville

subjects: Maori

abstract: "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." So said Martin Luther King, Jr, just over 40 years ago, in a speech that galvanised the US civil rights movement. King spoke of the United States but his dream is equally relevant in New Zealand. Has it been achieved? Some people would argue that not only has it been achieved but that the tables have been turned and now white folk are the ones who are oppressed. What is needed, they argue, is a level playing field. But how level is the playing field?

text: On equality and colourblindness "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." So said Martin Luther King, Jr, just over 40 years ago, in a speech that galvanised the US civil rights movement. King spoke of the United States but his dream is equally relevant in New Zealand. Has it been achieved? Some people would argue that not only has it been achieved but that the tables have been turned and now white folk are the ones who are oppressed. What is needed, they argue, is a level playing field. But how level is the playing field?

year: 2004