title: Upsetting Geographies: Sacred Spaces of Matata

authors: Brown, Keri Aroha Michelle

subjects: sacred

abstract: My research focuses on the emotional experience of the unearthing of ancestral bones for local Māori of Matata. The coastal town of Matata in the Eastern Bay of Plenty provides a central case study location as it is a town that is facing the pressure of coastal residential development as well the added strain of dealing with the 2005 flood which has compounded issues over local waahi tapu.  Local iwi have continued to actively advocate for the protection of these sites especially with regard to the ongoing discovery of ancestral bones.

Cultural and emotional geographies provide the theoretical framework for this research. This framework has been particularly useful as it encourages reflexive commentary and alternative ways of approaching and thinking about, and understanding knowledge. I have incorporated the research paradigm of kaupapa Māori which complements my theoretical framework by producing a research design that is organised and shaped according to tikanga Māori while (in) advertently critiquing and challenging traditional ways of conducting research. The overall aim is to explore the current issues surrounding the discovery of ancestral bones through korero with local iwi members. It is through their perspectives, stories, beliefs and opinions that provide a better understanding of the meanings attributed to waahi tapu and the influence of certain events such as the 2005 flood. I examine, critically the relationship between power, sacred sites, bones and the body. 

It is from these objectives that I contribute to an area of scholarship that has been largely left out from geographical enquiry. I suggest that the importance of sacredness and spirituality has been relatively overlooked as an influential factor in people's perceptions of the world around them. This thesis is intended to demonstrate the value of indigenous perspectives of bones, the body and sacredness as a way of better understanding some of the complexities that can arise when cross-cultural approaches collide in environmental planning.  

There are three main themes that have emerged from this research. The first theme has to do with competing knowledges. To Māori, the location and knowledge of ancestral bones is culturally important and is in its self sacred, therefore certain tikanga is applied as a means of a protection mechanism. However this ideologically clashes with traditional scientific western approaches which are privileged over other alternative ways of understanding knowledge, in this case Māori knowledge. The second related theme concerns the process of boundary making and cross-cultural ways of perceiving 'sacred' and 'everyday' spaces. To better understand these perspectives involves acknowledging the embodied and emotional experience of wāhi tapu to Māori, and the active role of kaitiaki in the protection and careful management of these culturally important spaces.

text: Upsetting Geographies: Sacred Spaces of Matata My research focuses on the emotional experience of the unearthing of ancestral bones for local Māori of Matata. The coastal town of Matata in the Eastern Bay of Plenty provides a central case study location as it is a town that is facing the pressure of coastal residential development as well the added strain of dealing with the 2005 flood which has compounded issues over local waahi tapu.  Local iwi have continued to actively advocate for the protection of these sites especially with regard to the ongoing discovery of ancestral bones.

Cultural and emotional geographies provide the theoretical framework for this research. This framework has been particularly useful as it encourages reflexive commentary and alternative ways of approaching and thinking about, and understanding knowledge. I have incorporated the research paradigm of kaupapa Māori which complements my theoretical framework by producing a research design that is organised and shaped according to tikanga Māori while (in) advertently critiquing and challenging traditional ways of conducting research. The overall aim is to explore the current issues surrounding the discovery of ancestral bones through korero with local iwi members. It is through their perspectives, stories, beliefs and opinions that provide a better understanding of the meanings attributed to waahi tapu and the influence of certain events such as the 2005 flood. I examine, critically the relationship between power, sacred sites, bones and the body. 

It is from these objectives that I contribute to an area of scholarship that has been largely left out from geographical enquiry. I suggest that the importance of sacredness and spirituality has been relatively overlooked as an influential factor in people's perceptions of the world around them. This thesis is intended to demonstrate the value of indigenous perspectives of bones, the body and sacredness as a way of better understanding some of the complexities that can arise when cross-cultural approaches collide in environmental planning.  

There are three main themes that have emerged from this research. The first theme has to do with competing knowledges. To Māori, the location and knowledge of ancestral bones is culturally important and is in its self sacred, therefore certain tikanga is applied as a means of a protection mechanism. However this ideologically clashes with traditional scientific western approaches which are privileged over other alternative ways of understanding knowledge, in this case Māori knowledge. The second related theme concerns the process of boundary making and cross-cultural ways of perceiving 'sacred' and 'everyday' spaces. To better understand these perspectives involves acknowledging the embodied and emotional experience of wāhi tapu to Māori, and the active role of kaitiaki in the protection and careful management of these culturally important spaces.

year: 2008

title: Cultural vehicles and the Māori print media: What cultural concepts are used to communicate health messages to Māori?

authors: Groot, Shiloh Ann Maree

subjects: health

abstract: Existing research indicates that vaccination programmes to prevent Meningococcal disease have low response rates from Māori which contributes to a belief that Māori are apathetic and irresponsible. Our research question was: How do the Māori and community print media facilitate the promotion of Māori cultural concepts as generators of new meaning, particularly with regard to positive Māori health? This study focuses on the recent health
concern of Meningococcal disease. Twenty-four months of Māori and community print media was scanned to identify how Māori cultural concepts are being applied, modified, and operationalised in order to convey and promote positive health in Māori communities. Contrary to what was expected, the Western medical model with integrated Māori concepts was the main cultural frame employed.

text: Cultural vehicles and the Māori print media: What cultural concepts are used to communicate health messages to Māori? Existing research indicates that vaccination programmes to prevent Meningococcal disease have low response rates from Māori which contributes to a belief that Māori are apathetic and irresponsible. Our research question was: How do the Māori and community print media facilitate the promotion of Māori cultural concepts as generators of new meaning, particularly with regard to positive Māori health? This study focuses on the recent health
concern of Meningococcal disease. Twenty-four months of Māori and community print media was scanned to identify how Māori cultural concepts are being applied, modified, and operationalised in order to convey and promote positive health in Māori communities. Contrary to what was expected, the Western medical model with integrated Māori concepts was the main cultural frame employed.

year: 2006

title: Determining the Attitudes of Elementary School Teachers towards the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities: A Case Study of Three Elementary Schools in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.

authors: Winis, Colleen

subjects: attitudes

abstract: The global agenda for inclusive education led the Department of Education in Papua New Guinea to develop its policy on special education, which was then endorsed by the government to be implemented in all schools. The emphasis on inclusive education was to ensure that all children, both abled and disabled, were receiving education in schools in their community. The inclusive approach placed the onus on the regular classroom teachers, to establish an inclusive learning environment.

This study focused on the factors that were influencing teachers‟ attitudes in the rural elementary schools. Numerous studies show that successful implementation of inclusion of children with special needs largely depends on teachers‟ positive attitudes towards inclusion. The results of this study revealed a number of influential factors on teacher‟s attitudes, it indicated that inclusion of children with disability into mainstream schools is challenging when individual teachers‟ level of knowledge about special education is limited.

The aim of this study is to contribute knowledge relating to the elementary education sector in PNG. To date, research in inclusive education in PNG has been confined to primary schools. Seven elementary school teachers representing three schools in a rural district in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, PNG, participated in the study. A qualitative approach using semi-structured individual interviews and observations was used to gather data.

The study revealed that participants knew how important education was and supported the idea that education is important for all children, even those with disabilities. Further questioning revealed that teachers acceptance of inclusion was determined by a variety of factors. They included teacher training, teaching experience, gender, physical environment, class size, resources/materials, the type of disability, and the effects of cultural belief and geography on inclusion.

It also revealed that failure to establish collaborative and trusting relationships between teachers, parents, professionals and very importantly, adequate financial support from the government can have serious impact on the outcomes of inclusion.

Though inclusive education is beneficial to all children it is also challenging for educators. Therefore the identified factors need addressing. Addressing these barriers could result in positive attitudinal changes among teachers.

text: Determining the Attitudes of Elementary School Teachers towards the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities: A Case Study of Three Elementary Schools in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. The global agenda for inclusive education led the Department of Education in Papua New Guinea to develop its policy on special education, which was then endorsed by the government to be implemented in all schools. The emphasis on inclusive education was to ensure that all children, both abled and disabled, were receiving education in schools in their community. The inclusive approach placed the onus on the regular classroom teachers, to establish an inclusive learning environment.

This study focused on the factors that were influencing teachers‟ attitudes in the rural elementary schools. Numerous studies show that successful implementation of inclusion of children with special needs largely depends on teachers‟ positive attitudes towards inclusion. The results of this study revealed a number of influential factors on teacher‟s attitudes, it indicated that inclusion of children with disability into mainstream schools is challenging when individual teachers‟ level of knowledge about special education is limited.

The aim of this study is to contribute knowledge relating to the elementary education sector in PNG. To date, research in inclusive education in PNG has been confined to primary schools. Seven elementary school teachers representing three schools in a rural district in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, PNG, participated in the study. A qualitative approach using semi-structured individual interviews and observations was used to gather data.

The study revealed that participants knew how important education was and supported the idea that education is important for all children, even those with disabilities. Further questioning revealed that teachers acceptance of inclusion was determined by a variety of factors. They included teacher training, teaching experience, gender, physical environment, class size, resources/materials, the type of disability, and the effects of cultural belief and geography on inclusion.

It also revealed that failure to establish collaborative and trusting relationships between teachers, parents, professionals and very importantly, adequate financial support from the government can have serious impact on the outcomes of inclusion.

Though inclusive education is beneficial to all children it is also challenging for educators. Therefore the identified factors need addressing. Addressing these barriers could result in positive attitudinal changes among teachers.

year: 2013