title: The impact on Hamilton Abuse Intervention Project of government policy changes-an investigation

authors: Haley, Caryl Rosemary

subjects: Pol400 project

abstract: This research investigates the perceptions and viewpoints of staff working for the Hamilton Abuse Intervention Project (HAIP) as to the impact of changes in government policy. Established in 1991 HAIP is a coordinated community response to domestic violence based on the Duluth Model. Over the last two decades governments in New Zealand have introduced policies and strategies to combat violent crime in the community predicated on the understanding that addressing violence within the family/whanau setting will assist in breaking the cycle. This research focuses on the impact of strategies which advocated inter-agency collaboration such as the VIP Pol400 Project (Pol400 Project) established in 2001 with HAIP as the lead agency. (VIP is an abbreviation standing for Violence Intervention Project). The research also set out to test the hypothesis that working within an environment marked by the introduction of policy changes and new strategies has a significant impact upon a social services agency such as HAIP.
  In view of the inherent complexity of investigating perceptions and viewpoints qualitative methodology was chosen for this research. Ten of the fourteen people employed by HAIP contributed to the research. Semi-structured face to face interviews and the written answers from questionnaires provided a detailed body of information which informed the narrative and descriptions of this study. An outline of relevant legislation, policy initiatives and strategies introduced over the last two decades was provided to give a framework for the study.
  Each of the respondents commented on issues related to funding and workload. Inadequate funding was seen to be adding to already heavy workload which continued to grow aggravated by the demands of compliance and accountability. Respondents identified some aspects of HAIP which had been affected by lack of adequate funding such as the loss of the 24/7 Crisis Line and difficulties with maintaining the parallel development policy. However, In spite of funding shortfalls respondents noted that HAIP's services continued to expand and examples were given of recent initiatives such as the establishment of home support groups. Several respondents identified the Pol400 Project as being significant development in HAIP's services. Respondents commented on its value in closing gaps in the criminal justice system's response to incidents of family violence. A detailed analysis of the Pol400 Project using archival material and using statistics from the HAIP Pol400 database demonstrated the comprehensive extent of the inter-agency collaboration. 
  The findings of this investigation showed that respondents regarded inadequate funding and increased workload as impacting significantly on their work. However, apart from comments made in relation to some negative impacts on HAIP of the Domestic Violence Act of 1995, respondents rarely made a specific connection between these issues and their relationship to changes in government policies. This study showed that since the Pol400Project began in 2001 reported incidents of family violence and subsequent referrals rose steadily but the data showed a marked increase in activity following the involvement in 2005 of a Family Safety Team. The increase in the intake of reports was attributed, in part, to the police addressing gaps and shortfalls in their own systems. The impact of the Pol400 Project on HAIP was seen, in the main, to be contributing positively to HAIP's role in providing a seamless coordinated community response to family violence.

text: The impact on Hamilton Abuse Intervention Project of government policy changes-an investigation This research investigates the perceptions and viewpoints of staff working for the Hamilton Abuse Intervention Project (HAIP) as to the impact of changes in government policy. Established in 1991 HAIP is a coordinated community response to domestic violence based on the Duluth Model. Over the last two decades governments in New Zealand have introduced policies and strategies to combat violent crime in the community predicated on the understanding that addressing violence within the family/whanau setting will assist in breaking the cycle. This research focuses on the impact of strategies which advocated inter-agency collaboration such as the VIP Pol400 Project (Pol400 Project) established in 2001 with HAIP as the lead agency. (VIP is an abbreviation standing for Violence Intervention Project). The research also set out to test the hypothesis that working within an environment marked by the introduction of policy changes and new strategies has a significant impact upon a social services agency such as HAIP.
  In view of the inherent complexity of investigating perceptions and viewpoints qualitative methodology was chosen for this research. Ten of the fourteen people employed by HAIP contributed to the research. Semi-structured face to face interviews and the written answers from questionnaires provided a detailed body of information which informed the narrative and descriptions of this study. An outline of relevant legislation, policy initiatives and strategies introduced over the last two decades was provided to give a framework for the study.
  Each of the respondents commented on issues related to funding and workload. Inadequate funding was seen to be adding to already heavy workload which continued to grow aggravated by the demands of compliance and accountability. Respondents identified some aspects of HAIP which had been affected by lack of adequate funding such as the loss of the 24/7 Crisis Line and difficulties with maintaining the parallel development policy. However, In spite of funding shortfalls respondents noted that HAIP's services continued to expand and examples were given of recent initiatives such as the establishment of home support groups. Several respondents identified the Pol400 Project as being significant development in HAIP's services. Respondents commented on its value in closing gaps in the criminal justice system's response to incidents of family violence. A detailed analysis of the Pol400 Project using archival material and using statistics from the HAIP Pol400 database demonstrated the comprehensive extent of the inter-agency collaboration. 
  The findings of this investigation showed that respondents regarded inadequate funding and increased workload as impacting significantly on their work. However, apart from comments made in relation to some negative impacts on HAIP of the Domestic Violence Act of 1995, respondents rarely made a specific connection between these issues and their relationship to changes in government policies. This study showed that since the Pol400Project began in 2001 reported incidents of family violence and subsequent referrals rose steadily but the data showed a marked increase in activity following the involvement in 2005 of a Family Safety Team. The increase in the intake of reports was attributed, in part, to the police addressing gaps and shortfalls in their own systems. The impact of the Pol400 Project on HAIP was seen, in the main, to be contributing positively to HAIP's role in providing a seamless coordinated community response to family violence.

year: 2008

title: Jackson’s armchair: The only chair in town?

authors: Kingsbury, Justine

subjects: philosophy

abstract: Are all the facts about nations, cultures and economies really just facts about people's mental states and their interactions? Are all of the properties which determine whether or not a thing is a work of art really just physical properties of that thing? Is linguistics, the scientific investigation of language, best understood as a branch of psychology, the scientific investigation of the mind? Can psychology be reduced to biology? Can all biological phenomena be explained chemically? Is chemistry really just part of physics? Is there anything going on in the world which isn't a physical thing? Can there be freely-chosen, autonomous human action in a purely physical world? Frank Jackson has made a controversial claim about the way in which one should investigate questions like these. This paper is a qualified defence of that claim.

text: Jackson’s armchair: The only chair in town? Are all the facts about nations, cultures and economies really just facts about people's mental states and their interactions? Are all of the properties which determine whether or not a thing is a work of art really just physical properties of that thing? Is linguistics, the scientific investigation of language, best understood as a branch of psychology, the scientific investigation of the mind? Can psychology be reduced to biology? Can all biological phenomena be explained chemically? Is chemistry really just part of physics? Is there anything going on in the world which isn't a physical thing? Can there be freely-chosen, autonomous human action in a purely physical world? Frank Jackson has made a controversial claim about the way in which one should investigate questions like these. This paper is a qualified defence of that claim.

year: 2009

title: Whakarongo mai!: Transformative teaching to support Māori identity and success in a mainstream school

authors: Gilgen, Renée

subjects: Māori and mainstream education

abstract: This thesis topic emerged following a year’s teaching experience in a mainstream classroom during 2009. My cultural assumptions of being a Māori teacher in a mainstream class were challenged predominantly by a group of Māori students in the classroom. The level of despondency I felt as a result of disruptive student behaviours forced me to reassess my own socio-cultural constructs which had influenced the formation of my identity as Māori and as a mainstream teacher. The purpose of this study was to understand and explore a transformational behavioural shift which occurred within a group of Māori students during 2009 and the level of support they felt they received as Māori within a mainstream classroom context. National and international literature demonstrates that transformative praxis is both reflective and active. Successful inclusive teaching requires a personal and professional commitment to firstly understand individual cultural constructs to then better understand how learners are perceived and positioned. Culturally responsive pedagogy ensures that all students’ cultural practices and values are acknowledged and included into classroom teaching and learning programmes. In a New Zealand mainstream context, the Treaty of Waitangi principles of ‘partnership’, ‘participation’ and ‘protection’ serve as a bi-cultural ‘power-sharing’ metaphor from which all mainstream teachers of Māori students can successfully encourage student voice and foster reciprocal teaching and learning relationships. My use of qualitative research methods and kaupapa Māori principles to guide the research process ensured that Māori cultural protocols and practices were honoured. My role as a Māori insider researcher meant that my relationship with the participants was already established. Our reflections as Māori students and a Māori teacher in a mainstream classroom context were based from shared teaching and learning experiences during 2009. Researcher reflexivity has ensured that the research integrity, validity and reliability have remained high. The research findings present the reflections of both the participants and researcher as Māori students and as a Māori teacher during 2009. Participants believed that teaching and learning programmes which incorporated te reo Māori served to honour their identity as Māori. However, their awareness of participating with tikanga Māori principles of whānaungatanga (relationships), manaakitanga (caring), ako (reciprocity) and aroha (respect) embedded within classroom activities that were exclusively in English, were not identified as being relevant to them as Māori. Similarly, the Treaty of Waitangi principles lacked transparency within my teaching pedagogy. Two key implications for teaching and learning in mainstream schools and classrooms were identified. Firstly, there is an urgency for mainstream school managers, leaders and teachers to develop an understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and its significance for the 21st Century mainstream teacher and learner. A bi-cultural understanding of ourselves as treaty partners support Māori cultural values and practices within increasingly diverse mainstream school and classroom contexts. Māori students‟ success becomes the responsibility of all mainstream managers, leaders and teachers as treaty partners. Secondly, inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy demonstrates that Māori and non-Māori mainstream teachers are capable of effectively engaging Māori students with learning while acknowledging and reaffirming their cultural identity and language as tangata whenua. Overall, my commitment for Māori students to be supported as Māori within mainstream school and classroom context has been enriched and strengthened as a result of this research study. The cultural and professional tensions I have experienced in mainstream contexts have challenged the socio-cultural constructs that I had accepted as being my cultural ‘norm.’

text: Whakarongo mai!: Transformative teaching to support Māori identity and success in a mainstream school This thesis topic emerged following a year’s teaching experience in a mainstream classroom during 2009. My cultural assumptions of being a Māori teacher in a mainstream class were challenged predominantly by a group of Māori students in the classroom. The level of despondency I felt as a result of disruptive student behaviours forced me to reassess my own socio-cultural constructs which had influenced the formation of my identity as Māori and as a mainstream teacher. The purpose of this study was to understand and explore a transformational behavioural shift which occurred within a group of Māori students during 2009 and the level of support they felt they received as Māori within a mainstream classroom context. National and international literature demonstrates that transformative praxis is both reflective and active. Successful inclusive teaching requires a personal and professional commitment to firstly understand individual cultural constructs to then better understand how learners are perceived and positioned. Culturally responsive pedagogy ensures that all students’ cultural practices and values are acknowledged and included into classroom teaching and learning programmes. In a New Zealand mainstream context, the Treaty of Waitangi principles of ‘partnership’, ‘participation’ and ‘protection’ serve as a bi-cultural ‘power-sharing’ metaphor from which all mainstream teachers of Māori students can successfully encourage student voice and foster reciprocal teaching and learning relationships. My use of qualitative research methods and kaupapa Māori principles to guide the research process ensured that Māori cultural protocols and practices were honoured. My role as a Māori insider researcher meant that my relationship with the participants was already established. Our reflections as Māori students and a Māori teacher in a mainstream classroom context were based from shared teaching and learning experiences during 2009. Researcher reflexivity has ensured that the research integrity, validity and reliability have remained high. The research findings present the reflections of both the participants and researcher as Māori students and as a Māori teacher during 2009. Participants believed that teaching and learning programmes which incorporated te reo Māori served to honour their identity as Māori. However, their awareness of participating with tikanga Māori principles of whānaungatanga (relationships), manaakitanga (caring), ako (reciprocity) and aroha (respect) embedded within classroom activities that were exclusively in English, were not identified as being relevant to them as Māori. Similarly, the Treaty of Waitangi principles lacked transparency within my teaching pedagogy. Two key implications for teaching and learning in mainstream schools and classrooms were identified. Firstly, there is an urgency for mainstream school managers, leaders and teachers to develop an understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and its significance for the 21st Century mainstream teacher and learner. A bi-cultural understanding of ourselves as treaty partners support Māori cultural values and practices within increasingly diverse mainstream school and classroom contexts. Māori students‟ success becomes the responsibility of all mainstream managers, leaders and teachers as treaty partners. Secondly, inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy demonstrates that Māori and non-Māori mainstream teachers are capable of effectively engaging Māori students with learning while acknowledging and reaffirming their cultural identity and language as tangata whenua. Overall, my commitment for Māori students to be supported as Māori within mainstream school and classroom context has been enriched and strengthened as a result of this research study. The cultural and professional tensions I have experienced in mainstream contexts have challenged the socio-cultural constructs that I had accepted as being my cultural ‘norm.’

year: 2010