title: Feminism in psychology: Aotearoa/New Zealand and beyond

authors: Curtis, Cate

subjects: Psychology

abstract: In response to an invitation to contribute to an ongoing feature on contemporary feminist thought in Aotearoa/New Zealand, this article provides an overview of some key aspects of feminist psychology. Feminist psychologists have had a strong influence in the improvement of the status of women in Aotearoa/New Zealand and elsewhere in areas such as addressing domestic violence. Feminist psychologists have also been influential in the development of research methods for exploring feminist issues, for example, discourse analysis and conversation analysis. This paper provides an overview of some key psychological contributions to feminist scholarship, with a particular focus on the work of New Zealanders. It includes a brief disussion of the context, both within academia and more broadly, before moving on to specific areas of endeavour, including the development of research methods and research into violence, body image, objectification and sex, and mental health.

text: Feminism in psychology: Aotearoa/New Zealand and beyond In response to an invitation to contribute to an ongoing feature on contemporary feminist thought in Aotearoa/New Zealand, this article provides an overview of some key aspects of feminist psychology. Feminist psychologists have had a strong influence in the improvement of the status of women in Aotearoa/New Zealand and elsewhere in areas such as addressing domestic violence. Feminist psychologists have also been influential in the development of research methods for exploring feminist issues, for example, discourse analysis and conversation analysis. This paper provides an overview of some key psychological contributions to feminist scholarship, with a particular focus on the work of New Zealanders. It includes a brief disussion of the context, both within academia and more broadly, before moving on to specific areas of endeavour, including the development of research methods and research into violence, body image, objectification and sex, and mental health.

year: 2016

title: Understanding kava's impact on driver fitness [Poster]

authors: Aporosa, S. 'Apo'

abstract: Kava is a culturally significant Pacific drink with similar effects to Benzodiazepine. Traditionally influenced kava use sessions last, on average, six hours in which attendees consume 3.6 litres each of the beverage kava, with many then driving home. Research participants’ (n=20) neurological functioning was tested during, and immediately following, kava consumption and compared against control (n=19). Kava at traditional use volumes is not shown to impact the participants focus, accuracy, time perception, plasticity or fatigue, although has a significant negative impact on temporal order judgement (TOJ). TOJ is associated with Executive Function “including decision making, behavioural control, and information processing” and sequencing. This poster presentation summarises the study findings which are both unique and new and suggests kava at traditionally consumed volumes compromises driver safety, impairment that manifests vastly different to alcohol, cannabis and hallucinogens. The study was followed up with a culture-friendly kava drink-driving awareness campaign.

text: Understanding kava's impact on driver fitness [Poster] Kava is a culturally significant Pacific drink with similar effects to Benzodiazepine. Traditionally influenced kava use sessions last, on average, six hours in which attendees consume 3.6 litres each of the beverage kava, with many then driving home. Research participants’ (n=20) neurological functioning was tested during, and immediately following, kava consumption and compared against control (n=19). Kava at traditional use volumes is not shown to impact the participants focus, accuracy, time perception, plasticity or fatigue, although has a significant negative impact on temporal order judgement (TOJ). TOJ is associated with Executive Function “including decision making, behavioural control, and information processing” and sequencing. This poster presentation summarises the study findings which are both unique and new and suggests kava at traditionally consumed volumes compromises driver safety, impairment that manifests vastly different to alcohol, cannabis and hallucinogens. The study was followed up with a culture-friendly kava drink-driving awareness campaign.

year: 2021

title: Indigenous people in Aotearoa New Zealand are overrepresented in cannabis convictions

authors: Rapana, Wetini

subjects: Cannabis

abstract: Background: Previous work has demonstrated that cannabis laws have had a disproportionate impact on Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2019, the New Zealand Government amended cannabis laws, providing police with the power to determine whether a therapeutic or health-centred approach would be more beneficial than a conviction. In the current study, we use population level data to assess whether this law change has ameliorated the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori. Methods: Data were drawn from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a large government database hosted by Aotearoa New Zealand’s national statistics office. In the IDI, we selected individuals who (1) were between 18 and 65, (2) were Māori or Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent) and, (3) had any cannabis charges that proceeded to the courts. Results: Māori ethnicity was a significant predictor of the odds of receiving a cannabis conviction for Māori males (Odds: 1.56), with a marginally significant effect for Māori females (Odds: 1.57). Further, for Māori, there was no reduction in the number of cannabis charges before vs. after the amendment to cannabis laws. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori remain. Given this, the New Zealand Government must follow other countries around the world and move forward on cannabis law reform.

text: Indigenous people in Aotearoa New Zealand are overrepresented in cannabis convictions Background: Previous work has demonstrated that cannabis laws have had a disproportionate impact on Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2019, the New Zealand Government amended cannabis laws, providing police with the power to determine whether a therapeutic or health-centred approach would be more beneficial than a conviction. In the current study, we use population level data to assess whether this law change has ameliorated the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori. Methods: Data were drawn from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a large government database hosted by Aotearoa New Zealand’s national statistics office. In the IDI, we selected individuals who (1) were between 18 and 65, (2) were Māori or Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent) and, (3) had any cannabis charges that proceeded to the courts. Results: Māori ethnicity was a significant predictor of the odds of receiving a cannabis conviction for Māori males (Odds: 1.56), with a marginally significant effect for Māori females (Odds: 1.57). Further, for Māori, there was no reduction in the number of cannabis charges before vs. after the amendment to cannabis laws. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that the bias in cannabis convictions for Māori remain. Given this, the New Zealand Government must follow other countries around the world and move forward on cannabis law reform.

year: 2022