title: A mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy - Is there a place in New Zealand?

authors: Sugimoto, Irene

subjects: COVID-19

abstract: It has been nearly a year and a half since COVID-19 emerged in New Zealand. Although New Zealand has been fortunate enough to have little to no active community cases, it is still enduring the effects of COVID-19. The COVID-19 lockdown measures and continued strict border closures has caused the New Zealand economy as well as the New Zealand population’s mental health to deteriorate. Current COVID-19 management strategies are too costly and are detrimental to New Zealand. Therefore, to minimise the damage caused by COVID-19, it is crucial that New Zealand achieves herd immunity against COVID-19 through vaccinations. However, New Zealand may struggle to reach herd immunity due to the presence of vaccine hesitancy. Accordingly, the New Zealand Government may need to introduce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy to achieve herd immunity.

A mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy would engage and limit the right to refuse medical treatment which is affirmed under s 11 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. The New Zealand Government would need to ensure that a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy is a justified limitation placed upon the s 11 right. To do this, the New Zealand Government must balance the public health interests with the right to personal autonomy. Although New Zealand places a high value on personal autonomy, the New Zealand Government has previously overridden personal autonomy to protect the nation’s health and well-being from public health crises (including COVID-19). Because New Zealand has a precedent of prioritising the population’s well-being over individuals’ rights, it is possible for the New Zealand Government to implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. However, to introduce such policy, the New Zealand Government must observe the rule of law to uphold the foundation of a liberal democracy. If the New Zealand Government fails to consider the rule of law, a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy can be deemed ultra vires and is likely that public trust and confidence in vaccinations and governments will decline.

In summary, this paper argues that if New Zealand struggles to achieve herd immunity, people who can receive COVID-19 vaccinations should be subject to a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. This is because the right to exercise personal autonomy turns into a privilege from a right if it causes harm upon others. If COVID-19 vaccinations are not mandated, people who actively chose to not be vaccinated will increase the spread of COVID-19 and create significant health risks. One may argue that being vaccinated against COVID-19 comes with the risk of experiencing adverse reactions. However, such risks are small compared to the risk of contracting COVID-19 and are outweighed by the benefits associated with COVID-19 vaccinations.

text: A mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy - Is there a place in New Zealand? It has been nearly a year and a half since COVID-19 emerged in New Zealand. Although New Zealand has been fortunate enough to have little to no active community cases, it is still enduring the effects of COVID-19. The COVID-19 lockdown measures and continued strict border closures has caused the New Zealand economy as well as the New Zealand population’s mental health to deteriorate. Current COVID-19 management strategies are too costly and are detrimental to New Zealand. Therefore, to minimise the damage caused by COVID-19, it is crucial that New Zealand achieves herd immunity against COVID-19 through vaccinations. However, New Zealand may struggle to reach herd immunity due to the presence of vaccine hesitancy. Accordingly, the New Zealand Government may need to introduce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy to achieve herd immunity.

A mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy would engage and limit the right to refuse medical treatment which is affirmed under s 11 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. The New Zealand Government would need to ensure that a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy is a justified limitation placed upon the s 11 right. To do this, the New Zealand Government must balance the public health interests with the right to personal autonomy. Although New Zealand places a high value on personal autonomy, the New Zealand Government has previously overridden personal autonomy to protect the nation’s health and well-being from public health crises (including COVID-19). Because New Zealand has a precedent of prioritising the population’s well-being over individuals’ rights, it is possible for the New Zealand Government to implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. However, to introduce such policy, the New Zealand Government must observe the rule of law to uphold the foundation of a liberal democracy. If the New Zealand Government fails to consider the rule of law, a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy can be deemed ultra vires and is likely that public trust and confidence in vaccinations and governments will decline.

In summary, this paper argues that if New Zealand struggles to achieve herd immunity, people who can receive COVID-19 vaccinations should be subject to a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. This is because the right to exercise personal autonomy turns into a privilege from a right if it causes harm upon others. If COVID-19 vaccinations are not mandated, people who actively chose to not be vaccinated will increase the spread of COVID-19 and create significant health risks. One may argue that being vaccinated against COVID-19 comes with the risk of experiencing adverse reactions. However, such risks are small compared to the risk of contracting COVID-19 and are outweighed by the benefits associated with COVID-19 vaccinations.

year: 2021

title: Mathematical investigations: A primary teacher educator's narrative journey of professional awareness

authors: Bailey, Judy

subjects: education

abstract: As a teacher educator, I used narrative inquiry to investigate my professional practice in working alongside pre-service primary teachers in mathematics education. One theme that emerged from this research was the exploration of narrative as a powerful means with which to pursue professional development. In this process I encountered, and subsequently changed, previously unknown personal beliefs about learning mathematics. A second theme focused on the value of mathematical investigations, for myself as a mathematical learner and for supporting pre-service teachers to develop their understandings of what it means to learn and teach mathematics.

text: Mathematical investigations: A primary teacher educator's narrative journey of professional awareness As a teacher educator, I used narrative inquiry to investigate my professional practice in working alongside pre-service primary teachers in mathematics education. One theme that emerged from this research was the exploration of narrative as a powerful means with which to pursue professional development. In this process I encountered, and subsequently changed, previously unknown personal beliefs about learning mathematics. A second theme focused on the value of mathematical investigations, for myself as a mathematical learner and for supporting pre-service teachers to develop their understandings of what it means to learn and teach mathematics.

year: 2007

title: Schooling  for  'lesser beings'

authors: Holdom, Jim

subjects: Maori

abstract: Using Edward Said’s notion of ‘lesser beings’, it is argued that the political culture of schooling for Maori was and still is part of a pervasive Western European intellectual climate and culture which has a quite recent history, and which provided powerful support for the notion of Europe possessing a categorical superiority over all other continents, which in turn justified imperialism or neo-colonialism as civilising missions.
Racism and violence were endemic in colonialism and, despite the claimed moral high ground, were endemic in Aotearoa/New Zealand.  War was eulogised in the Native School system more than once.  The rise and demise of the World War II Maori War Organisation is illustrative of the rejection of Maori aspirations.  There were still no Maori in the senior echelons of the Maori Department in 1972.
The Native, later Maori, School system was overtly designed to 'Europeanise' Maori children and therefore Maori society.  Individualism was deeply embedded in English and set-tler thinking, whilst communal, ‘communist’ Maori society was to be destroyed.
The thesis examines images of colonialism, empire and imperialism in fiction and non-fiction, New Zealand and British, for adults and children, and notes the attitudes of think-ers like J S Mill and Darwin, of children’s authors Jules Verne and G H Henty, and of New Zealand author William Satchell.  The images continue, pervasive and endemic, in recent adult novels.  Science also played a role, as did history.
 Ranginui Walker, who is Maori, is the only historian to have written a history of New Zea-land which addressed the issue of waste lands, an issue on which Pakeha historians have a blind spot.  New Zealand encyclopedia do not index ‘waste land’ or ‘confiscation’.  Only two Waikato histories deal adequately, or even accurately, with confiscation, the central episode in the history of the Waikato.  Tourist material is equally illustrative.
The Native Schools section of the Education Department ran the Native Schools like a fiefdom, operating in legislative and regulatory black holes for the first thirty years and for much of the time after that.  Teachers were moved around at will.  
The practice of James H Pope, the first inspector of Native Schools, is closely and critically examined, and negatively assessed.  His official writings were consistently derogatory of Maori, and his decisions in respect of Te Kopua Native School were at times detrimental to the pupils.  Pope was a product of his times.
The Te Kopua record is closely scrutinised, and the practice of the Education Department is frequently found wanting.  It is probable that the establishment of the school was aimed to destabilise King Country Maori, not to benefit the children.  It is a story of Maori co-operation and contribution.
Part Two is a detailed partial biography of Te Kopua, it being argued that until there is a significant corpus of studies of Native Schools a valid history of the Native/Maori School system and of schooling for Maori is not possible

text: Schooling  for  'lesser beings' Using Edward Said’s notion of ‘lesser beings’, it is argued that the political culture of schooling for Maori was and still is part of a pervasive Western European intellectual climate and culture which has a quite recent history, and which provided powerful support for the notion of Europe possessing a categorical superiority over all other continents, which in turn justified imperialism or neo-colonialism as civilising missions.
Racism and violence were endemic in colonialism and, despite the claimed moral high ground, were endemic in Aotearoa/New Zealand.  War was eulogised in the Native School system more than once.  The rise and demise of the World War II Maori War Organisation is illustrative of the rejection of Maori aspirations.  There were still no Maori in the senior echelons of the Maori Department in 1972.
The Native, later Maori, School system was overtly designed to 'Europeanise' Maori children and therefore Maori society.  Individualism was deeply embedded in English and set-tler thinking, whilst communal, ‘communist’ Maori society was to be destroyed.
The thesis examines images of colonialism, empire and imperialism in fiction and non-fiction, New Zealand and British, for adults and children, and notes the attitudes of think-ers like J S Mill and Darwin, of children’s authors Jules Verne and G H Henty, and of New Zealand author William Satchell.  The images continue, pervasive and endemic, in recent adult novels.  Science also played a role, as did history.
 Ranginui Walker, who is Maori, is the only historian to have written a history of New Zea-land which addressed the issue of waste lands, an issue on which Pakeha historians have a blind spot.  New Zealand encyclopedia do not index ‘waste land’ or ‘confiscation’.  Only two Waikato histories deal adequately, or even accurately, with confiscation, the central episode in the history of the Waikato.  Tourist material is equally illustrative.
The Native Schools section of the Education Department ran the Native Schools like a fiefdom, operating in legislative and regulatory black holes for the first thirty years and for much of the time after that.  Teachers were moved around at will.  
The practice of James H Pope, the first inspector of Native Schools, is closely and critically examined, and negatively assessed.  His official writings were consistently derogatory of Maori, and his decisions in respect of Te Kopua Native School were at times detrimental to the pupils.  Pope was a product of his times.
The Te Kopua record is closely scrutinised, and the practice of the Education Department is frequently found wanting.  It is probable that the establishment of the school was aimed to destabilise King Country Maori, not to benefit the children.  It is a story of Maori co-operation and contribution.
Part Two is a detailed partial biography of Te Kopua, it being argued that until there is a significant corpus of studies of Native Schools a valid history of the Native/Maori School system and of schooling for Maori is not possible

year: 1998