title: Changing hearts and minds: Investigating transformative praxis from participating in the Poutama Pounamu Blended Learning

authors: Maisey, Carma

subjects: Poutama Pounamu

abstract: The Poutama Pounamu Blended Learning offers a unique bicultural opportunity to critically examine ourselves within the fabric of our society. This metaphoric fabric includes an inequitable education system which was shaped by, and designed to support, an oppressive colonial agenda. Within this education system, which has methodically assimilated and underserved its indigenous Māori children, holding a mirror up to ourselves as teachers to examine our own beliefs, values and practices is absolutely critical but very rarely done. The Blended Learning’s carefully considered underpinnings of Critical and Kaupapa Māori theories provide the tools to raise consciousness. A conscientised educator can recognise, understand and deconstruct prejudice, bias and racism when it reveals itself. This process is achieved by resisting systems and practices that perpetuate the marginalisation of Māori in favour of power-balancing transformative praxis which works to value language, culture and identity as assets in education.
This thesis describes the enduring implications of participating in the Poutama Pounamu Blended Learning by focusing on a number of educators in English-Medium state schools - the very context where our Māori children struggle the most to fit in and prove their potential. These educators suggest that this is an indigenised, evidence based, transformative education reform programme which has changed their lives and the lives of many others who have participated within this project. It has empowered and liberated Māori, Pākehā and Tauiwi participants alike by modelling the nurturing and liberating cultural relationships for responsive pedagogy that all students in Aotearoa should be experiencing. This is a pedagogy which can open hearts and minds and nurture a mauri ora pathway to educational freedom and success.

text: Changing hearts and minds: Investigating transformative praxis from participating in the Poutama Pounamu Blended Learning The Poutama Pounamu Blended Learning offers a unique bicultural opportunity to critically examine ourselves within the fabric of our society. This metaphoric fabric includes an inequitable education system which was shaped by, and designed to support, an oppressive colonial agenda. Within this education system, which has methodically assimilated and underserved its indigenous Māori children, holding a mirror up to ourselves as teachers to examine our own beliefs, values and practices is absolutely critical but very rarely done. The Blended Learning’s carefully considered underpinnings of Critical and Kaupapa Māori theories provide the tools to raise consciousness. A conscientised educator can recognise, understand and deconstruct prejudice, bias and racism when it reveals itself. This process is achieved by resisting systems and practices that perpetuate the marginalisation of Māori in favour of power-balancing transformative praxis which works to value language, culture and identity as assets in education.
This thesis describes the enduring implications of participating in the Poutama Pounamu Blended Learning by focusing on a number of educators in English-Medium state schools - the very context where our Māori children struggle the most to fit in and prove their potential. These educators suggest that this is an indigenised, evidence based, transformative education reform programme which has changed their lives and the lives of many others who have participated within this project. It has empowered and liberated Māori, Pākehā and Tauiwi participants alike by modelling the nurturing and liberating cultural relationships for responsive pedagogy that all students in Aotearoa should be experiencing. This is a pedagogy which can open hearts and minds and nurture a mauri ora pathway to educational freedom and success.

year: 2022

title: Kia tata mai te pae tāwhiti: Nurturing success in psychology for Māori and Pasifika

authors: Bidois, Devyn

abstract: Embarking on the university education journey is commonly perceived as a pathway to success and enhanced career prospects. However, for Māori and Pasifika students in psychology, this trajectory is distinctly burdened with challenges beyond their control, particularly concerning low clinician representation and educational achievement. This thesis thus explores the experiences, barriers, and aspirations of Māori and Pasifika students engaged in psychology studies in Tauranga Moana. Guided by the principles of Kaupapa Māori, the overarching goal of this thesis is to empower and advocate for students, shedding light on their unique journeys and fostering a platform for meaningful change within the academic landscape. Two group interviews with undergraduate students and two individual interviews with postgraduate students were conducted to explore the research topic. These were then analysed using inductive thematic analysis, and a social constructionist epistemology within a Kaupapa Māori paradigm, to contextualise participant experiences. Three core themes are identified in this analysis. The first theme, the Western Educational Environment, underscores the challenges students face within a system shaped by Western norms. A monocultural, individualistic approach to curriculum, assessments, and teaching methods impacts the diverse cultural perspectives of students, shaping their overall study experiences. The second theme, Pathways, explores the nuanced journeys of tauira navigating various options related to papers, qualifications, and future career prospects. The third theme, Equity, critically examines the (lack of) equity in relation to facilities and services at the Tauranga campus compared to those in Hamilton. Recommendations for the School of Psychology focus on improving discipline relevance for Māori and Pasifika students through methods integrating Kaupapa Māori content and strategies as well as addressing historical issues aims to empower, retain, and support students to higher positions in psychology.

text: Kia tata mai te pae tāwhiti: Nurturing success in psychology for Māori and Pasifika Embarking on the university education journey is commonly perceived as a pathway to success and enhanced career prospects. However, for Māori and Pasifika students in psychology, this trajectory is distinctly burdened with challenges beyond their control, particularly concerning low clinician representation and educational achievement. This thesis thus explores the experiences, barriers, and aspirations of Māori and Pasifika students engaged in psychology studies in Tauranga Moana. Guided by the principles of Kaupapa Māori, the overarching goal of this thesis is to empower and advocate for students, shedding light on their unique journeys and fostering a platform for meaningful change within the academic landscape. Two group interviews with undergraduate students and two individual interviews with postgraduate students were conducted to explore the research topic. These were then analysed using inductive thematic analysis, and a social constructionist epistemology within a Kaupapa Māori paradigm, to contextualise participant experiences. Three core themes are identified in this analysis. The first theme, the Western Educational Environment, underscores the challenges students face within a system shaped by Western norms. A monocultural, individualistic approach to curriculum, assessments, and teaching methods impacts the diverse cultural perspectives of students, shaping their overall study experiences. The second theme, Pathways, explores the nuanced journeys of tauira navigating various options related to papers, qualifications, and future career prospects. The third theme, Equity, critically examines the (lack of) equity in relation to facilities and services at the Tauranga campus compared to those in Hamilton. Recommendations for the School of Psychology focus on improving discipline relevance for Māori and Pasifika students through methods integrating Kaupapa Māori content and strategies as well as addressing historical issues aims to empower, retain, and support students to higher positions in psychology.

year: 2024

title: Time-varying risk premia in the term structure of interest rates in New Zealand

authors: Margaritis, Daimitri

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: An empirical analysis of the term structure of interest rates in New Zealand during the post-1985 financial liberalization period is presented. Particular emphasis is placed upon the effect of time-varying risk premia in the term structure equation. The risk premium is assumed to depend on the time-varying conditional variance of the excess holding yield. The results indicate that the expectations theory cannot be rejected at the short end of the term structure provided that account is taken of the volatility clustering in interest rate data. There is also support for the expectations theory in the term structure relationship between long-term and short-term interest rates. The results do not indicate excess over- or under-sensitivity of long rates to current short rates. Initial statistical evidence suggests that excess returns on long-term bonds can be explained by their lagged values and macroeconomic variables. However, this return predictability is removed once the effects of changing real and nominal uncertainty are accounted for in the term structure equation. The latter result suggests that a monetary policy of low and stable inflation can affect the risk characteristics of long-term bonds. The presence of varying real uncertainty in bond returns indicates that the slope of the yield curve may not be a reliable indicator for assessing inflationary pressures in the economy when compared to a situation where the variation in bond returns was solely driven by nominal uncertainty.

text: Time-varying risk premia in the term structure of interest rates in New Zealand An empirical analysis of the term structure of interest rates in New Zealand during the post-1985 financial liberalization period is presented. Particular emphasis is placed upon the effect of time-varying risk premia in the term structure equation. The risk premium is assumed to depend on the time-varying conditional variance of the excess holding yield. The results indicate that the expectations theory cannot be rejected at the short end of the term structure provided that account is taken of the volatility clustering in interest rate data. There is also support for the expectations theory in the term structure relationship between long-term and short-term interest rates. The results do not indicate excess over- or under-sensitivity of long rates to current short rates. Initial statistical evidence suggests that excess returns on long-term bonds can be explained by their lagged values and macroeconomic variables. However, this return predictability is removed once the effects of changing real and nominal uncertainty are accounted for in the term structure equation. The latter result suggests that a monetary policy of low and stable inflation can affect the risk characteristics of long-term bonds. The presence of varying real uncertainty in bond returns indicates that the slope of the yield curve may not be a reliable indicator for assessing inflationary pressures in the economy when compared to a situation where the variation in bond returns was solely driven by nominal uncertainty.

year: 1994