title: “Whānau Vibes”: Reclamation of self, space and community within group fitness gyms.

authors: Metekingi, Cydney

abstract: Group fitness gyms are becoming more popular in Aotearoa, New Zealand. This thesis is an investigation of the lived experiences of Māori members within a commercialised fitness space called BFT Hamilton East, located in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton. Drawing on Indigenous anthropology and autoethnography, and grounded in Kaupapa Māori theory, this thesis firstly explores how the gym becomes a site in which Māori members seek to reclaim the narrative around their own bodies. I explore the colonial depictions, the politics of the Indigenous body and how Māori-owned clothing brands contribute to this reclamation. I then examine how Māori gym members use the gym space with a sense of purpose, balancing the values of culture and commercialisation. And finally, I investigate the importance of relational well-being and the use of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga to create a sense of belonging among participants in their search for connection. In foregrounding Indigenous ways of knowing, being and moving in a commercial group fitness gym, this thesis aims to contribute to the anthropological conversations that advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous methodologies into Anthropology, centring Indigenous agency and advocating for the decolonisation of fitness spaces.

text: “Whānau Vibes”: Reclamation of self, space and community within group fitness gyms. Group fitness gyms are becoming more popular in Aotearoa, New Zealand. This thesis is an investigation of the lived experiences of Māori members within a commercialised fitness space called BFT Hamilton East, located in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton. Drawing on Indigenous anthropology and autoethnography, and grounded in Kaupapa Māori theory, this thesis firstly explores how the gym becomes a site in which Māori members seek to reclaim the narrative around their own bodies. I explore the colonial depictions, the politics of the Indigenous body and how Māori-owned clothing brands contribute to this reclamation. I then examine how Māori gym members use the gym space with a sense of purpose, balancing the values of culture and commercialisation. And finally, I investigate the importance of relational well-being and the use of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga to create a sense of belonging among participants in their search for connection. In foregrounding Indigenous ways of knowing, being and moving in a commercial group fitness gym, this thesis aims to contribute to the anthropological conversations that advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous methodologies into Anthropology, centring Indigenous agency and advocating for the decolonisation of fitness spaces.

year: 2025

title: Dying to research: An autoethnographic exploration of researching Māori and whānau experiences of end-of-life care

authors: Moeke-Maxwell, Tess

subjects: indigenous

abstract: The authors critically reflect on the autoethnographic process involved in navigating a smooth pathway towards investigating dying, death and bereavement for Māori whānau (families) in a way that supports and gives voice to their experience. This study, based in the Māori & Psychology Research Unit at The University of Waikato, is supported by a Health Research Council Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie Career Development Award. It explores the “end-of-life” journeys of Māori and their whānau in South Auckland and Waikato, through the dying process and subsequent challenges of bereavement. The researcher’s journey from novice to someone fully enmeshed in the struggles and triumphs of conducting research with Māori is examined. There is reflection on the challenges and issues that have emerged since settling on this research topic. These include ethical concerns, and the processes and outcomes associated with negotiating tensions between a shifting academic objectivity and the development of a methodology requiring subjective reflexivity.

text: Dying to research: An autoethnographic exploration of researching Māori and whānau experiences of end-of-life care The authors critically reflect on the autoethnographic process involved in navigating a smooth pathway towards investigating dying, death and bereavement for Māori whānau (families) in a way that supports and gives voice to their experience. This study, based in the Māori & Psychology Research Unit at The University of Waikato, is supported by a Health Research Council Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie Career Development Award. It explores the “end-of-life” journeys of Māori and their whānau in South Auckland and Waikato, through the dying process and subsequent challenges of bereavement. The researcher’s journey from novice to someone fully enmeshed in the struggles and triumphs of conducting research with Māori is examined. There is reflection on the challenges and issues that have emerged since settling on this research topic. These include ethical concerns, and the processes and outcomes associated with negotiating tensions between a shifting academic objectivity and the development of a methodology requiring subjective reflexivity.

year: 2010

title: The ability of two internal clock models to predict performance on a temporal bisection procedure

authors: Wiles, Lisa Maree

subjects: Animal Timing

abstract: This research is a replication of Machado and Keen’s (1999) procedure which tested the ability of two competing models of animal timing; Learning to Time (LET) and Scalar Expectancy Theory (SET), to predict pigeons performance on a temporal bisection task. Hens were trained in two temporal discrimination's; in Type 1 trials they learned to choose a red key after a 1-s signal and a green key after a 4-s signal and in Type 2 trials they learned to choose a green key after a 4-s signal, and a yellow key after a 16-s signal to receive access to reinforcement.
After they learnt these discriminations, intermediate durations were presented. The resulting psychometric function did not superpose, violating the scalar property of timing. When novel key and duration combinations were presented, performance on subsequent generalisation tests closely matched LET’s predictions. Overall, the results support the findings of Machado and Keen (1999) and supported LET’s rather than SET’s predictions.

text: The ability of two internal clock models to predict performance on a temporal bisection procedure This research is a replication of Machado and Keen’s (1999) procedure which tested the ability of two competing models of animal timing; Learning to Time (LET) and Scalar Expectancy Theory (SET), to predict pigeons performance on a temporal bisection task. Hens were trained in two temporal discrimination's; in Type 1 trials they learned to choose a red key after a 1-s signal and a green key after a 4-s signal and in Type 2 trials they learned to choose a green key after a 4-s signal, and a yellow key after a 16-s signal to receive access to reinforcement.
After they learnt these discriminations, intermediate durations were presented. The resulting psychometric function did not superpose, violating the scalar property of timing. When novel key and duration combinations were presented, performance on subsequent generalisation tests closely matched LET’s predictions. Overall, the results support the findings of Machado and Keen (1999) and supported LET’s rather than SET’s predictions.

year: 2015