title: To act or not to act? That is the question!

authors: Bruce Ferguson, Pip

abstract: The year was 2003. I was a new Research Manager working in a Māori tertiary institution that had a history of inequitable treatment by government, through not receiving establishment funding that had gone unproblematically to non-Māori institutions. Repeating a common pattern in New Zealand, our government had decided to implement a research funding scheme, to be measured at the level of the individual academic. My institution’s decision to participate in the PBRF was not without its difficulties, and it is here that the ethics of participation become problematic. This chapter is about our ability to articulate our values, to show how we work these out in our practice, and how we are accountable to ourselves and others for that practice. Would I, with the benefit of hindsight, have encouraged my institution to enter the PBRF again?

text: To act or not to act? That is the question! The year was 2003. I was a new Research Manager working in a Māori tertiary institution that had a history of inequitable treatment by government, through not receiving establishment funding that had gone unproblematically to non-Māori institutions. Repeating a common pattern in New Zealand, our government had decided to implement a research funding scheme, to be measured at the level of the individual academic. My institution’s decision to participate in the PBRF was not without its difficulties, and it is here that the ethics of participation become problematic. This chapter is about our ability to articulate our values, to show how we work these out in our practice, and how we are accountable to ourselves and others for that practice. Would I, with the benefit of hindsight, have encouraged my institution to enter the PBRF again?

year: 2013

title: Rata, the Effect of Māori Land Law on Ahikāroa

authors: Whaanga, Mere Joslyn

subjects: Ahikāroa

abstract: Rata, the effect of Māori land law on ahikāroa is an examination of the special relationship a whānau of Ngāi Tahu (ki Wairoa) has had since 1868 with their ancestral land Tutuotekaha. The effects of Māori land law on traditional concepts of land tenure are analysed from the advent of the Native Land Court in the 1860s through to a modern shareholding in the Anewa Trust. An analysis of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 looks at the basis for the current legislation and how the principles are applied in the case study central to this thesis, an application to have Rata farm returned to the Whaanga whānau.

The research and writing is multi-disciplinary, combining history, Māori land law (ture) and Māori land lore (tikanga and traditional ecological knowledge). An auto-ethnographic approach is balanced by the commentary and judgements of the Māori Land Court and the Māori Appellate Court which are documented in the final section of the thesis.

This thesis questions the canons of Māori land ownership and management – consolidation, amalgamation and incorporation – and posits whether these forms of land holding have become yet another type of alienation.

The three main areas are
I) Ahikāroa
Chapters 2 and 3 examine traditional Māori land tenure; definitions of mana whenua, the obligations as well as the authority; and traditional ecological knowledge, agriculture and Māori land lore. The latter illustrates ways of knowing the land, how, why and when its resources were used. Members of the community of Iwitea were interviewed to provide accounts of usage of some of the traditional resources known to remain on the Tutuotekaha blocks.

II) From gardeners and gatherers to agricultural shareholders
Chapters 4, 5 and 6 examine the shift from traditional tenure and land usage to large-scale agricultural shareholdings. The changes as land passed through the Native Land Court from 1868 are contextualised within the upheaval and radical reconfiguring of Māori society in the Mahia and Wairoa areas as Pākehā settlement increased, and the region was engulfed by the Hauhau and Te Kooti conflicts. This section contains an overview of Māori land law from 1862 to 1987 and the ideological conflict between the colonisers and the colonised. As well, it looks at the influence of Sir James Carroll and Sir Āpirana Ngata, the reasons that Māori went into large-scale farming and how Ngata’s 1931 policies set the model for the incorporations and trusts that still hold most of the district’s Māori land today.

III) Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, philosophy versus implementation
Chapters 7 through to 11 centre on Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 and the application to the Māori Land Court to partition Rata farm from the Anewa Trust. The philosophy of the Act is examined, aided by Deputy Chief Judge Fox’s commentary. This section documents the processes of filing the application to partition, the discussions and outcomes of a judicial hearing, two Māori Land Court hearings and subsequent appeals to the Māori Appellate Court.

text: Rata, the Effect of Māori Land Law on Ahikāroa Rata, the effect of Māori land law on ahikāroa is an examination of the special relationship a whānau of Ngāi Tahu (ki Wairoa) has had since 1868 with their ancestral land Tutuotekaha. The effects of Māori land law on traditional concepts of land tenure are analysed from the advent of the Native Land Court in the 1860s through to a modern shareholding in the Anewa Trust. An analysis of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 looks at the basis for the current legislation and how the principles are applied in the case study central to this thesis, an application to have Rata farm returned to the Whaanga whānau.

The research and writing is multi-disciplinary, combining history, Māori land law (ture) and Māori land lore (tikanga and traditional ecological knowledge). An auto-ethnographic approach is balanced by the commentary and judgements of the Māori Land Court and the Māori Appellate Court which are documented in the final section of the thesis.

This thesis questions the canons of Māori land ownership and management – consolidation, amalgamation and incorporation – and posits whether these forms of land holding have become yet another type of alienation.

The three main areas are
I) Ahikāroa
Chapters 2 and 3 examine traditional Māori land tenure; definitions of mana whenua, the obligations as well as the authority; and traditional ecological knowledge, agriculture and Māori land lore. The latter illustrates ways of knowing the land, how, why and when its resources were used. Members of the community of Iwitea were interviewed to provide accounts of usage of some of the traditional resources known to remain on the Tutuotekaha blocks.

II) From gardeners and gatherers to agricultural shareholders
Chapters 4, 5 and 6 examine the shift from traditional tenure and land usage to large-scale agricultural shareholdings. The changes as land passed through the Native Land Court from 1868 are contextualised within the upheaval and radical reconfiguring of Māori society in the Mahia and Wairoa areas as Pākehā settlement increased, and the region was engulfed by the Hauhau and Te Kooti conflicts. This section contains an overview of Māori land law from 1862 to 1987 and the ideological conflict between the colonisers and the colonised. As well, it looks at the influence of Sir James Carroll and Sir Āpirana Ngata, the reasons that Māori went into large-scale farming and how Ngata’s 1931 policies set the model for the incorporations and trusts that still hold most of the district’s Māori land today.

III) Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, philosophy versus implementation
Chapters 7 through to 11 centre on Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 and the application to the Māori Land Court to partition Rata farm from the Anewa Trust. The philosophy of the Act is examined, aided by Deputy Chief Judge Fox’s commentary. This section documents the processes of filing the application to partition, the discussions and outcomes of a judicial hearing, two Māori Land Court hearings and subsequent appeals to the Māori Appellate Court.

year: 2012

title: Understanding accountability in an ever-changing New Zealand health system

authors: Zainal Abidin, Nor Azizah Binti

subjects: accountability

abstract: The purpose of this research was to understand how the constant adoption of reforms affected accountability understanding and its practices in the New Zealand public health system. 

This study adopted a qualitative methodology and took a critical hermeneutics approach in order to explore the reasons for, and formats of, public health reform, and the experience of health policy implementers in dealing with reforms, policy changes, and accountability. To develop new insights about accountability and its practices, this study reviewed a range of policy documents and relevant publications, and interviewed senior health managers who were experienced in dealing with reforms. 

The research evidence is presented in line with Ricoeur’s stages of understanding; these are: preunderstanding, understanding, and finally, comprehensive understanding. The preunderstanding was developed from study of secondary sources, while the understanding was achieved through interviews. A comprehensive understanding results from both review of and reflection on preunderstanding and understanding. 

The findings are that reform can be described as a ‘means without ends’ because it was continually implemented in a political loop, in which, demand and supply for change were determined by the government’s political interests. Postreform accountability was full of frustrations because of its complexity in practice. Surprisingly, despite that fact, the health managers still believe that accountability per se is essential. This study proposes that postreform accountability can be understood as two sides of the same coin: accountability means being accountable, in a normative sense, and not being able to be accountable, in practice.
The adoption of constant reforms has increased the level of organisational complexity. This has affected the notion of accountability and its practices because accountability rests in the organisational structures. This study suggests that accountability cannot be detached from its normative and mechanism perspectives. No matter how much the policy has changed or will change in the future, the possibility of policy implementers facing similar challenges and the same feelings is high because reform produces two identical outcomes for accountability: i.e., hopes and frustrations. 

The study contributes in three ways to an understanding of accountability in the context of reform. First, it offers valuable insights into the ongoing developments in the public health system and the issues of accountability. Second, it contributes to the wider understanding of the effects reform have on the notion of accountability and its practices. Third, it advances understanding relating to recent discussions on postreform accountability.

text: Understanding accountability in an ever-changing New Zealand health system The purpose of this research was to understand how the constant adoption of reforms affected accountability understanding and its practices in the New Zealand public health system. 

This study adopted a qualitative methodology and took a critical hermeneutics approach in order to explore the reasons for, and formats of, public health reform, and the experience of health policy implementers in dealing with reforms, policy changes, and accountability. To develop new insights about accountability and its practices, this study reviewed a range of policy documents and relevant publications, and interviewed senior health managers who were experienced in dealing with reforms. 

The research evidence is presented in line with Ricoeur’s stages of understanding; these are: preunderstanding, understanding, and finally, comprehensive understanding. The preunderstanding was developed from study of secondary sources, while the understanding was achieved through interviews. A comprehensive understanding results from both review of and reflection on preunderstanding and understanding. 

The findings are that reform can be described as a ‘means without ends’ because it was continually implemented in a political loop, in which, demand and supply for change were determined by the government’s political interests. Postreform accountability was full of frustrations because of its complexity in practice. Surprisingly, despite that fact, the health managers still believe that accountability per se is essential. This study proposes that postreform accountability can be understood as two sides of the same coin: accountability means being accountable, in a normative sense, and not being able to be accountable, in practice.
The adoption of constant reforms has increased the level of organisational complexity. This has affected the notion of accountability and its practices because accountability rests in the organisational structures. This study suggests that accountability cannot be detached from its normative and mechanism perspectives. No matter how much the policy has changed or will change in the future, the possibility of policy implementers facing similar challenges and the same feelings is high because reform produces two identical outcomes for accountability: i.e., hopes and frustrations. 

The study contributes in three ways to an understanding of accountability in the context of reform. First, it offers valuable insights into the ongoing developments in the public health system and the issues of accountability. Second, it contributes to the wider understanding of the effects reform have on the notion of accountability and its practices. Third, it advances understanding relating to recent discussions on postreform accountability.

year: 2015