title: Untying of hands: Working migrants as social agents

authors: Medel, Coni

subjects: working migrant

abstract: This research elicited in-depth settlement experiences from long-term working migrants who migrated to Aotearoa New Zealand, interpreted through an ecological perspective on immigration. The purpose of this study was to provide a contextualised understanding of working migrants’ experiences as social agents. Immigration policies in New Zealand are primarily formulated to extract the economic benefits of migrant labour and to satisfy workforce shortages in certain industries (Terruhn & Cassim, 2023). At the same time, mainstream psychological literature usually focuses on the individual process of ‘acculturation’, describing how migrants adapt and cope in the new place of living (Berry, 2001; Ward, 2001). The community psychology approach in this research focused on addressing the societal conditions surrounding immigrants' difficulties in settling (Birman & Bray, 2017). This research explored how migrants' settlement experiences are shaped by these broader societal dimensions, examining both the resources that helped migrants to become settled and the barriers that made participation difficult.
This research took a case-based study approach. Five working migrants were interviewed about their experiences of the labour market and navigating the immigration system in their real-life contexts. In this study I explored the precarity of migrant workers, regulatory constraints on the labour market, cases of work exploitation but also constructive employment relationship experiences. This research showed that the individual stories and trajectories of migrant workers cannot be comprehended without considering their context. The findings reflected the heterogeneity and diversity of experiences for working migrants. Not all of their experiences were negative, although there were common threads linked with their precarious migrant status. Working migrants in this study experienced a loss of power, autonomy and social status as migrants, and at some point, in their migratory journey, they all sought to move out of their temporariness and precarity, so they could build their lives with more agency.
Working migrants in this study experienced a precarious migrant status due to the regulatory immigration policies that they were subjected to. The main factors of this precarious migrant status arose from their restricted movement in the labour market and a long-lasting uncertain temporal status. Participants affected by their precarious migrant status pursued more autonomy to be able to learn new skills or enhance their existing skills, which opened new opportunities for them in the labour market and also offered broader contributions to the community. This sense of agency also contributed to their personal growth. Working migrants’ experiences extended beyond their workplaces and encompassed broader social spaces. These experiences included participation in the health and housing system, together with achieving a greater work/life balance. Supportive employment relationships, stable and prosperous working conditions and social support led working migrants to develop a sense of home and a sense of meaning in their migration journeys. Permanent settlement was not a primary settlement objective for four working migrants in this study. However, all working migrants shared a need to gain more agency and autonomy. The findings of this study
tentatively suggest that granting working migrants more/full participation may have benefits that outweigh the costs that immigration policies intend to prevent. Through this thesis and by acknowledging the stories of my participants I showed that with the appropriate support, migrants can contribute fully to the receiving community and at the same time improve their well-being significantly.

text: Untying of hands: Working migrants as social agents This research elicited in-depth settlement experiences from long-term working migrants who migrated to Aotearoa New Zealand, interpreted through an ecological perspective on immigration. The purpose of this study was to provide a contextualised understanding of working migrants’ experiences as social agents. Immigration policies in New Zealand are primarily formulated to extract the economic benefits of migrant labour and to satisfy workforce shortages in certain industries (Terruhn & Cassim, 2023). At the same time, mainstream psychological literature usually focuses on the individual process of ‘acculturation’, describing how migrants adapt and cope in the new place of living (Berry, 2001; Ward, 2001). The community psychology approach in this research focused on addressing the societal conditions surrounding immigrants' difficulties in settling (Birman & Bray, 2017). This research explored how migrants' settlement experiences are shaped by these broader societal dimensions, examining both the resources that helped migrants to become settled and the barriers that made participation difficult.
This research took a case-based study approach. Five working migrants were interviewed about their experiences of the labour market and navigating the immigration system in their real-life contexts. In this study I explored the precarity of migrant workers, regulatory constraints on the labour market, cases of work exploitation but also constructive employment relationship experiences. This research showed that the individual stories and trajectories of migrant workers cannot be comprehended without considering their context. The findings reflected the heterogeneity and diversity of experiences for working migrants. Not all of their experiences were negative, although there were common threads linked with their precarious migrant status. Working migrants in this study experienced a loss of power, autonomy and social status as migrants, and at some point, in their migratory journey, they all sought to move out of their temporariness and precarity, so they could build their lives with more agency.
Working migrants in this study experienced a precarious migrant status due to the regulatory immigration policies that they were subjected to. The main factors of this precarious migrant status arose from their restricted movement in the labour market and a long-lasting uncertain temporal status. Participants affected by their precarious migrant status pursued more autonomy to be able to learn new skills or enhance their existing skills, which opened new opportunities for them in the labour market and also offered broader contributions to the community. This sense of agency also contributed to their personal growth. Working migrants’ experiences extended beyond their workplaces and encompassed broader social spaces. These experiences included participation in the health and housing system, together with achieving a greater work/life balance. Supportive employment relationships, stable and prosperous working conditions and social support led working migrants to develop a sense of home and a sense of meaning in their migration journeys. Permanent settlement was not a primary settlement objective for four working migrants in this study. However, all working migrants shared a need to gain more agency and autonomy. The findings of this study
tentatively suggest that granting working migrants more/full participation may have benefits that outweigh the costs that immigration policies intend to prevent. Through this thesis and by acknowledging the stories of my participants I showed that with the appropriate support, migrants can contribute fully to the receiving community and at the same time improve their well-being significantly.

year: 2024

title: Fish populations of Lake Ngaroto, Waikato, and fish passage at the outlet weir.

authors: Hicks, Brendan J.

subjects: Lake Ngaroto

abstract: 1.Lake Ngaroto has a diverse fauna of native and introduced fish. It is largest of the Waipa lakes, is hypertrophic (i.e., has very high concentrations of plant nutrients), and is highly productive for this reason.
2.In an exhaustive fish survey that used gill nets, fyke netx, and beach seining, 4,317 fish of nine species were caught. The catch included five species of introduced fish. Over 70% of the catch was brown bullhead catfish; rudd, goldfish, a single mosquitofish, and a single koi carp were also caught. In summer, mosquitofish numbers a likely to be very high. 
3.Four species of native fish were caught, and of these, shortfinned eels wer the most numerous. Common bullies, a few longfinned eels, and a single common smelt were caught, thought common smelt and common bullies are expected to be much more numerous in summer.
4.The migratory species in the lake are the eels and common smelt. Eels are always migratory, as they spawn in the tropical ocean. Common smelt may be wither migratory or lake-resident, and the single individual caught in this survey had vertebral and gill raker counts diagnostic of a migratory fish. As smelt migrate upstream from the ocean in spring and summer, but are generally absent from freshwaters in winter, the low abundance in August and October 2001 is not surprising.
5.Eels are string migrators, and can climb rock faces and wriggle through small cracks and crevices during their migration. Common smelt migrate by swimming, and high velocities and free-falling water barriers can prevent their upstream passage.
6.We recommend that to all upstream passage of swimming species such as common smelt the rebuilt weir has zones with mean water column velocities no greater than 0.5 m s⁻¹, and preferably 0.3-0.4 m s⁻¹. The length of the downstream slop of the weir should be no more than 4 m, and the water depth over the weir should be at least 5 cm during the time of principal upstream migration (August to December).

text: Fish populations of Lake Ngaroto, Waikato, and fish passage at the outlet weir. 1.Lake Ngaroto has a diverse fauna of native and introduced fish. It is largest of the Waipa lakes, is hypertrophic (i.e., has very high concentrations of plant nutrients), and is highly productive for this reason.
2.In an exhaustive fish survey that used gill nets, fyke netx, and beach seining, 4,317 fish of nine species were caught. The catch included five species of introduced fish. Over 70% of the catch was brown bullhead catfish; rudd, goldfish, a single mosquitofish, and a single koi carp were also caught. In summer, mosquitofish numbers a likely to be very high. 
3.Four species of native fish were caught, and of these, shortfinned eels wer the most numerous. Common bullies, a few longfinned eels, and a single common smelt were caught, thought common smelt and common bullies are expected to be much more numerous in summer.
4.The migratory species in the lake are the eels and common smelt. Eels are always migratory, as they spawn in the tropical ocean. Common smelt may be wither migratory or lake-resident, and the single individual caught in this survey had vertebral and gill raker counts diagnostic of a migratory fish. As smelt migrate upstream from the ocean in spring and summer, but are generally absent from freshwaters in winter, the low abundance in August and October 2001 is not surprising.
5.Eels are string migrators, and can climb rock faces and wriggle through small cracks and crevices during their migration. Common smelt migrate by swimming, and high velocities and free-falling water barriers can prevent their upstream passage.
6.We recommend that to all upstream passage of swimming species such as common smelt the rebuilt weir has zones with mean water column velocities no greater than 0.5 m s⁻¹, and preferably 0.3-0.4 m s⁻¹. The length of the downstream slop of the weir should be no more than 4 m, and the water depth over the weir should be at least 5 cm during the time of principal upstream migration (August to December).

year: 2001

title: "Everything has shaped you": Contributors to young Māori university students' ability to flourish

authors: Major, Darcie Ngahuia

subjects: Maori

abstract: There are many disparities when considering the health and wellbeing of Māori in Aotearoa today, and the education sector is no different, with Māori less likely to leave school with level 2 certificate or higher compared with non-Māori.  In response to the deficit orientated research on Māori and education, my thesis explores those factors contributing to young Māori tertiary students flourishing. My research includes five students from the University of Waikato who were between the ages of 17-24 years. A multi-method qualitative approach was utilised while engaging a Kaupapa Māori research framework. Participants were found to have a range of interconnected factors which contribute to their ability to flourish both inside and outside of the university.  Of particular importance to my participants was relational connectedness or whanaungatanga within and outside of the tertiary environment, landscapes which offered multiple forms of care, and notions of both collective and individual motivation. Some of the challenges experienced by my participants included a sense of socio-cultural isolation, the minimal inclusion of Māori worldviews and perspectives within the general curriculum, and the personal stress of responding to negative stereotypes of Maori as generally unproductive members of society. Flourishing for my participants is therefore multi-layered, and recognises the interconnected nature of health and wellbeing.

text: "Everything has shaped you": Contributors to young Māori university students' ability to flourish There are many disparities when considering the health and wellbeing of Māori in Aotearoa today, and the education sector is no different, with Māori less likely to leave school with level 2 certificate or higher compared with non-Māori.  In response to the deficit orientated research on Māori and education, my thesis explores those factors contributing to young Māori tertiary students flourishing. My research includes five students from the University of Waikato who were between the ages of 17-24 years. A multi-method qualitative approach was utilised while engaging a Kaupapa Māori research framework. Participants were found to have a range of interconnected factors which contribute to their ability to flourish both inside and outside of the university.  Of particular importance to my participants was relational connectedness or whanaungatanga within and outside of the tertiary environment, landscapes which offered multiple forms of care, and notions of both collective and individual motivation. Some of the challenges experienced by my participants included a sense of socio-cultural isolation, the minimal inclusion of Māori worldviews and perspectives within the general curriculum, and the personal stress of responding to negative stereotypes of Maori as generally unproductive members of society. Flourishing for my participants is therefore multi-layered, and recognises the interconnected nature of health and wellbeing.

year: 2017