Contextualizing street homelessness in New Zealand: A case study approach

Homelessness is commonly associated with large urban settings. For people who sleep on the streets it encompasses experiences of stigma, regulation and displacement, marginalization, violence, loneliness, and bodily decline. This thesis addresses the lack of research into the everyday practices of homeless people in New Zealand through a detailed exploration of the experiences of four homeless people. Through critically engaging with relevant scholarly literature this study documents the importance of human fortitude, agency, and meaningful social engagements in the lives of homeless people. Attention is given to how four homeless people (Brett, Daniel, Joshua and Ariā) construct place-based identities and the relational, spatial and material dimensions of homelessness, which are central to participants’ everyday lives. Participants were recruited through experienced community workers at the Auckland City Mission. A case-based ethnographic approach was used to engage with participants through volunteer work, direct observations, biographical interviews, photo-production projects, and photo-elicitation interviews. Workshops with staff on each case study were conducted to bridge the divide between critical scholars and community groups through advocacy and joint action. The analysis considers each case in turn. Brett differentiates himself from other homeless people and works to find space for himself to gain respite and solitude. Daniel engages in domestic practices on the streets that are commonly associated with home-making, such as decorating a physical space with personal objects and cultivating a sense of place, routine, comfort, and familiarity. Joshua immerses himself in a street family and forms close relationships with other homeless people that provide him with a sense of belonging, purpose, connection, support and responsibility. Ariā exemplifies how Māori cultural practices can enrich and mould a person’s efforts to retain a positive sense of self while homeless. Māori cultural concepts relating to caring, leadership, unity, relationships, spirituality, history and place are evoked to ground understandings of Ariā’s everyday life. Strategies for making a life on the streets involves Brett, Daniel, Joshua and Ariā working to maintain a sense of self and place in the face of adversity. A core finding from this research relates to the resilience of these participants, which spans personal and relational dimensions and extends to the social and physical environment

Researching poverty to make a difference: The need for reciprocity and advocacy in community research

Growth in poverty throughout the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] hurts people. The Auckland City Mission Family100 project explores the everyday lives, frustrations and dilemmas faced by 100 families living in poverty in Auckland. This article reflects on poverty in New Zealand, associated welfare ‘reforms’, the consequences of recent change in exacerbating hardship, and our own efforts to advocate for the rights of beneficiaries. Specific attention is given to a workshop run by the research team with the judiciary, and what such activities foreground in terms of the relational nature of research, reciprocity and advocacy

Editorial: Special Issue: Ignored no longer: Emerging Indigenous researchers on Indigenous psychologies

In this special issue, edited by Mohi, Bridgette, Shiloh, Pat and Darren, we showcase work conducted within several such Indigenous psychologies. This collection of papers from emerging Indigenous scholars reflect a vibrant, healthy and supportive research environment in which conversations relevant to Indigenous peoples are taking place, and where culturally diverse perspectives and methods are valued and accepted. Here, culture is not simply seen as an abstract set of concepts. Culture constitutes a field of human action, meaning making, and self-production. It is through culture that all people construct themselves and make sense of the world (Groot, Hodgetts, Nikora, & Leggat-Cook, 2011; Nikora, Rua, & Te Awekōtuku, 2007)

Understandings and social practices of medications for Zimbabwean households in New Zealand

Medications are a central part of health care. How medications are understood and used by people in everyday life remains unclear. This study looks at understanding and social practices of medications in everyday life for Zimbabwean households in New Zealand. This project investigates understandings of medications and their use, taking account of all forms of medications, medical drugs, alternative medicines, traditional medicines and dietary supplements. Four Zimbabwean migrant families who all reside in Hamilton took part in this study. Data were collected using a variety of methods which included individual interviews with the families, household discussions, photographs, diaries, material objects, and media content to capture the complex and fluid nature of popular understandings and use of medications. This research provides insight into the cultural values and practices of these four families pertaining to how they acquired, used, shared, and stored indigenous and biomedical medications. Four key themes were identified: the preference of biomedical over traditional medications, storage, sharing and safety of medications; availability and affordability of medications; and the influence of the media in making decisions to purchase medications. Knowledge of how meanings are linked to the things people do with medications will inform strategies for ensuring that medication use is safe and effective

Zimbabwean medication use in New Zealand: The role of indigenous and allopathic substances

Over millennia, indigenous communities have developed distinct health systems and a range of medications. Many of these traditions have been disrupted, delegitimised and changed through processes of colonisation. Changes to medicative practices also occur for groups who move from their places of origin to new countries. This article explores understandings of medications and their storage and use among 4 Zimbabwean households in New Zealand. Our findings highlight some of the ways in which allopathic medications have become acculturated as familiar objects within the everyday lives and health-related practices of these households

Tōku tūrangawaewae: Culture, identity, and belonging for Māori homeless people

To be Māori is to have a tūrangawaewae (a place of strength and belonging, a place to stand). If so, is it conceivable that Māori are homeless in our own homeland? This presentation focuses on the experiences of two Māori homeless people who took part in a 3-year research project conducted in partnership with not-for-profit service agencies. Previous research into street homelessness has all but ignored indigenous histories, circumstances and worldviews. The situation in which indigenous people find themselves requires us to rethink how we understand homelessness and the development of culturally based roles and identities on the street and beyond

Street health: Practitioner service provision for Maori homeless people in Auckland

Drawing insights from interviews with Maori homeless people, health professionals, and relevant local and international literatures, this chapter focuses on the provision of medical care to homeless people. In particular, we propose that health services orientate to accommodate the worldviews and circumstances of Maori homeless people. Below we consider colonialism and societal developments that have led to homelessness among Maori today. We then present a case study of ‘Grant’, which was compiled from common aspects of various Maori homeless people who access health services at the Auckland City Mission (ACM); an organisation with a long history of catering to the needs and hopes of dispossessed groups, providing food, clothing, advocacy, social and health services. The relational orientation of healthcare at the ACM is discussed, and leads to an exploration of ‘judgement-free service space’ for meeting client needs (cf., Trussell & Mair, 2010). Lastly, we focus on how health professionals can respond to the multiple healthcare needs of Maori homeless people, in partnership with social services

Māori and community news constructions of Meningococcal B: the promotion of a moral obligation to vaccinate

News media communicate various risks of disease, showcase medical breakthroughs and disseminate texts that both reflect and renegotiate shared cultural understandings of health and illness. Little is known about the role of Māori and community news media in the social negotiation of health and illness in Aotearoa. To address this gap in the literature, this paper reports findings from a study of news reporting on Meningococcal B by the Māori Television Service and two community newspapers serving Māori communities. Findings document how news works to position vaccination as a ‘common sense’ practice that whānau have a moral obligation to undergo. Neglected are wider socio-structural considerations that impact the prevalence of illness among Māori

Homeless lives in New Zealand: The case of central Auckland

Homelessness is a pressing and increasingly visible concern in New Zealand. Many people sleeping rough are male and of Maori or Pacific descent. This research focuses on understanding the nature of resilience through the lived experiences of homeless people. To gain insights into cultures of homelessness, a qualitative case study research design was used to engage six homeless people who took part in a series of interviews and photoproduction exercises. Participants are of Maori, Pacific Island, and Pakeha ethnic backgrounds. It therefore may become important to document how homeless people see themselves in relation to their communities of origin and the wider public

Pani me te rawakore: Home-making and Maori homelessness without hope or a home

The authors draw from interviews with Maori homeless people and relevant local and international literature to show homemaking practices by Maori for those living on the streets. The proposition is that Maori cultural practices shape a person's efforts to retain a positive sense of self and place, and to engage in home-making while dwelling on the streets. We consider colonialism and societal, developments that have impacted whanau (extended family) economically, culturally and socially, contributing to high rates of homelessness among Maori today. We argue that homelessness is endemic to experiences of colonialism, not only at the personal, but also at the iwi (tribe) level where many Maori have experienced over 150 years of being rendered out of place in their hau kainga (tribal homelands). Finally, we present a case study entitled 'Maia' to show common aspects of various Maori people who are homeless and who access services in Auckland