title: What now?: a New Zealand children’s television production case study

authors: Zanker, Ruth

abstract: This case study provides a snapshot of cultural agency within the production of a publicly funded magazine programme strand for children in New Zealand. What Now? considered by cohorts of children since 1981 to be a New Zealand children’s television institution, was scheduled in a commercial zone after school, and on non-commercial Sunday mornings, during the last years of the twentieth century. The thesis is framed by discussion of the complex global forces that shaped children’s audio-visual flows in the late 1990s. This discussion moves between analysis of parental concerns about diminishing public media spaces for local children and commercial and post structuralist celebration of children’s pleasures in consumption, and how this tension has seen children’s media rights become highly politicised during the 1990s. It takes a critical stance, analysing the unequal command over material resources and power for different agents, and the consequences of such inequality for the nature of the symbolic environment for children. It follows this frame with analysis of stakeholder struggles over shaping the text of What Now? The discussion concentrates on one year of production - from annual public funding round in 1997 to reformating of the strand in 1999. The author is interested in competing cultural, economic and political discourses in production talk. She analyses the interplay and negotiations between programme stakeholders, as revealed within the discursive battles of production talk, and their consequences for content and style of a television text. Micro-production moments illustrate how producers and other adult stakeholders imagine their child audiences, and how reified and reductive constructs of the child audience become instrumental in decisions made over commissioning, scheduling, creating and judging children’s programmes. The thesis sets itself a sequence of tasks: to articulate between global and local conditions of production, to complete a fine-grained study of children’s television producers as they imagine the role of their programme in children’s lives, to explore how those creative visions for children are delimited by other powerful stakeholders’ contrary constructs of children’s audiences, and to speculate about how the eventual text serves as a symbolic resource for New Zealand children. It draws on cross-disciplinary theorizing of culture, power and media agency to enable analysis of who has the power to delimit symbolic resources available to children in their ‘serious play’ of learning and identity formation. Certain conclusions can be drawn from the data, but the data also suggests many more questions for subsequent research.

text: What now?: a New Zealand children’s television production case study This case study provides a snapshot of cultural agency within the production of a publicly funded magazine programme strand for children in New Zealand. What Now? considered by cohorts of children since 1981 to be a New Zealand children’s television institution, was scheduled in a commercial zone after school, and on non-commercial Sunday mornings, during the last years of the twentieth century. The thesis is framed by discussion of the complex global forces that shaped children’s audio-visual flows in the late 1990s. This discussion moves between analysis of parental concerns about diminishing public media spaces for local children and commercial and post structuralist celebration of children’s pleasures in consumption, and how this tension has seen children’s media rights become highly politicised during the 1990s. It takes a critical stance, analysing the unequal command over material resources and power for different agents, and the consequences of such inequality for the nature of the symbolic environment for children. It follows this frame with analysis of stakeholder struggles over shaping the text of What Now? The discussion concentrates on one year of production - from annual public funding round in 1997 to reformating of the strand in 1999. The author is interested in competing cultural, economic and political discourses in production talk. She analyses the interplay and negotiations between programme stakeholders, as revealed within the discursive battles of production talk, and their consequences for content and style of a television text. Micro-production moments illustrate how producers and other adult stakeholders imagine their child audiences, and how reified and reductive constructs of the child audience become instrumental in decisions made over commissioning, scheduling, creating and judging children’s programmes. The thesis sets itself a sequence of tasks: to articulate between global and local conditions of production, to complete a fine-grained study of children’s television producers as they imagine the role of their programme in children’s lives, to explore how those creative visions for children are delimited by other powerful stakeholders’ contrary constructs of children’s audiences, and to speculate about how the eventual text serves as a symbolic resource for New Zealand children. It draws on cross-disciplinary theorizing of culture, power and media agency to enable analysis of who has the power to delimit symbolic resources available to children in their ‘serious play’ of learning and identity formation. Certain conclusions can be drawn from the data, but the data also suggests many more questions for subsequent research.

year: 2001

title: Thomas Gavin: ‘Tommy Chairman’, a mine manager and local government politician at Te Aroha

authors: Hart, Philip

abstract: After starting mining on the Thames goldfield at the age of 17, Thomas Gavin quickly became a competent miner. As later at Te Aroha, he was active in the wider community, especially as a rower and a Volunteer. After participating in the Te Aroha rush of 1880, he became a mine manager for the first time, and on the Waiorongomai field managed several mines for over two decades (with the consequence that he would die from miners’ complaint). He also managed the tramway on several occasions and supervised repairs to the mining tracks. As another way of assisting the mining industry, he was a member of the accident relief fund.
Gavin acquired land close to Te Aroha and farmed it for many years, the combination of farming and mining providing a modest income for his large family. He was notable for being active in all aspects of life in the community, notably his church, sport, horse racing, and social and cultural life. In local government, he was an active member of several bodies: the licensing committee, the domain board, the county council, and town board followed by its replacement, the borough council, and missed out on being the first mayor of Te Aroha by the closest of margins. A supporter of the Liberal Party, he did not, as some expected, stand for parliament.
With strong views on many issues, he was impatient with criticism, but despite his occasional irritability his reputation was high in the community of which he was one of its most prominent members.

text: Thomas Gavin: ‘Tommy Chairman’, a mine manager and local government politician at Te Aroha After starting mining on the Thames goldfield at the age of 17, Thomas Gavin quickly became a competent miner. As later at Te Aroha, he was active in the wider community, especially as a rower and a Volunteer. After participating in the Te Aroha rush of 1880, he became a mine manager for the first time, and on the Waiorongomai field managed several mines for over two decades (with the consequence that he would die from miners’ complaint). He also managed the tramway on several occasions and supervised repairs to the mining tracks. As another way of assisting the mining industry, he was a member of the accident relief fund.
Gavin acquired land close to Te Aroha and farmed it for many years, the combination of farming and mining providing a modest income for his large family. He was notable for being active in all aspects of life in the community, notably his church, sport, horse racing, and social and cultural life. In local government, he was an active member of several bodies: the licensing committee, the domain board, the county council, and town board followed by its replacement, the borough council, and missed out on being the first mayor of Te Aroha by the closest of margins. A supporter of the Liberal Party, he did not, as some expected, stand for parliament.
With strong views on many issues, he was impatient with criticism, but despite his occasional irritability his reputation was high in the community of which he was one of its most prominent members.

year: 2016

title: Exploring the experiences of Māori Wāhine in a STEM project-based secondary classroom: A relational and intersectional perspective

authors: Cheryl, Mitchell

abstract: Using phenomenology, an intersectional lens, and the principles of Kaupapa Māori research, this study investigates how young Māori (Indigenous) wāhine (women) ākonga (students) experience interdisciplinary project-based STEM education. Historical educational policies in Aotearoa New Zealand required Māori to assimilate into a Pākehā (European) school system, contributing to persistent academic underperformance, particularly in science. Māori have been more likely to leave school early, and those who remain often opt out of science subjects, especially Māori wāhine. International literature suggests that transdisciplinary STEM education grounded in social justice and equity can improve engagement and outcomes for underrepresented learners. The study was guided by two questions: (1) how Māori wāhine experienced the STEM programme, and (2) what their challenges were to succeed in STEM.

In 2016, while teaching at a low-decile (socioeconomic disadvantaged), urban, co-educational English-medium high school, I trialled an integrated, interdisciplinary project-based STEM class that incorporated meaningful phenomena and culturally responsive pedagogy. The class’s success led to STEM becoming a core component of a broader school initiative. In 2018, the seven Māori wāhine ākonga enrolled in the Year 11 (age 15–16) STEM class were invited to become “Story Sharers” and reflect on their experiences. As a teacher-researcher (insider), I used reflexive practices and clear role delineation to leverage contextual knowledge while minimising bias. Narrative data were collected over two years (2018–2019) through six semi-structured discussion groups and one individual interview. Quantitative data included tracking attendance records, retention, and academic achievement.

Findings indicate that the Story Sharers valued co-constructed topics and tasks, a supportive whānau (family/community) class format, and authentic project work undertaken over extended learning periods. They consistently identified strengthened relationships, particularly among peers as central to engagement, wellbeing, motivation to learn, and as the most salient indicator of success. Academic performance increased relative to prior Year-10 e-asTTle (Electronic Assessment Tool for Teaching and Learning in mathematics, reading, and writing) benchmarks, alongside improved STEM class attendance, retention in school, and intentions to continue in STEM.

Interpretive thematic analysis using an intersectional lens revealed that racism, stereotyping, and impacts on wellbeing were significant barriers to learning. These discriminatory experiences were pervasive across school, community, and online spaces and were compounded by gendered and intergenerational dynamics. The Story Sharers described complex, fluid, and intersecting identities shaped by lived experiences, including witnessing discrimination against Māori wāhine in their whānau and the legacy of colonial schooling practices such as the suppression of te reo Māori.

In this study, STEM project-based learning was shaped by two interwoven design elements: relational pedagogy and relational thinking. Relational pedagogy prioritised relationships and co-construction within a whānau-formatted classroom. Relational thinking described the interdisciplinary logic of the programme itself, connecting disciplinary knowledge to place, context, and community so that learning is organised around meaningful phenomena rather than siloed subjects. Together, these elements functioned as a counterspace that fostered inclusive engagement, affirmed identities, and supported belonging for Māori wāhine. Grounded in culturally responsive and whānau-based approaches, this model enabled learners to challenge deficit narratives and engage meaningfully in STEM. The outcomes offer assurance that integrated, project-based STEM education, underpinned by these relational frameworks, can improve outcomes for learners whose identities and experiences have been marginalised in traditional schooling. However, policymakers must remain attentive to historical policy barriers and intersectional factors that continue to perpetuate inequities within the education system.

text: Exploring the experiences of Māori Wāhine in a STEM project-based secondary classroom: A relational and intersectional perspective Using phenomenology, an intersectional lens, and the principles of Kaupapa Māori research, this study investigates how young Māori (Indigenous) wāhine (women) ākonga (students) experience interdisciplinary project-based STEM education. Historical educational policies in Aotearoa New Zealand required Māori to assimilate into a Pākehā (European) school system, contributing to persistent academic underperformance, particularly in science. Māori have been more likely to leave school early, and those who remain often opt out of science subjects, especially Māori wāhine. International literature suggests that transdisciplinary STEM education grounded in social justice and equity can improve engagement and outcomes for underrepresented learners. The study was guided by two questions: (1) how Māori wāhine experienced the STEM programme, and (2) what their challenges were to succeed in STEM.

In 2016, while teaching at a low-decile (socioeconomic disadvantaged), urban, co-educational English-medium high school, I trialled an integrated, interdisciplinary project-based STEM class that incorporated meaningful phenomena and culturally responsive pedagogy. The class’s success led to STEM becoming a core component of a broader school initiative. In 2018, the seven Māori wāhine ākonga enrolled in the Year 11 (age 15–16) STEM class were invited to become “Story Sharers” and reflect on their experiences. As a teacher-researcher (insider), I used reflexive practices and clear role delineation to leverage contextual knowledge while minimising bias. Narrative data were collected over two years (2018–2019) through six semi-structured discussion groups and one individual interview. Quantitative data included tracking attendance records, retention, and academic achievement.

Findings indicate that the Story Sharers valued co-constructed topics and tasks, a supportive whānau (family/community) class format, and authentic project work undertaken over extended learning periods. They consistently identified strengthened relationships, particularly among peers as central to engagement, wellbeing, motivation to learn, and as the most salient indicator of success. Academic performance increased relative to prior Year-10 e-asTTle (Electronic Assessment Tool for Teaching and Learning in mathematics, reading, and writing) benchmarks, alongside improved STEM class attendance, retention in school, and intentions to continue in STEM.

Interpretive thematic analysis using an intersectional lens revealed that racism, stereotyping, and impacts on wellbeing were significant barriers to learning. These discriminatory experiences were pervasive across school, community, and online spaces and were compounded by gendered and intergenerational dynamics. The Story Sharers described complex, fluid, and intersecting identities shaped by lived experiences, including witnessing discrimination against Māori wāhine in their whānau and the legacy of colonial schooling practices such as the suppression of te reo Māori.

In this study, STEM project-based learning was shaped by two interwoven design elements: relational pedagogy and relational thinking. Relational pedagogy prioritised relationships and co-construction within a whānau-formatted classroom. Relational thinking described the interdisciplinary logic of the programme itself, connecting disciplinary knowledge to place, context, and community so that learning is organised around meaningful phenomena rather than siloed subjects. Together, these elements functioned as a counterspace that fostered inclusive engagement, affirmed identities, and supported belonging for Māori wāhine. Grounded in culturally responsive and whānau-based approaches, this model enabled learners to challenge deficit narratives and engage meaningfully in STEM. The outcomes offer assurance that integrated, project-based STEM education, underpinned by these relational frameworks, can improve outcomes for learners whose identities and experiences have been marginalised in traditional schooling. However, policymakers must remain attentive to historical policy barriers and intersectional factors that continue to perpetuate inequities within the education system.

year: 2025-10-17