On equality and colourblindness

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." So said Martin Luther King, Jr, just over 40 years ago, in a speech that galvanised the US civil rights movement. King spoke of the United States but his dream is equally relevant in New Zealand. Has it been achieved? Some people would argue that not only has it been achieved but that the tables have been turned and now white folk are the ones who are oppressed. What is needed, they argue, is a level playing field. But how level is the playing field

Te Whakaruruhau Transition and Wellbeing programme: An implementation evaluation

Based on the recognition that many women who come into refuge have few options but to return to the sort of environment in which they have been abused, the Transition and Wellbeing programme aims to provide medium to long term housing for families as they re‐establish themselves in the community. Data for the evaluation of the programme was collected from two main sources; the women on the programme and key informants at Te Whakaruruhau. Five women, two of whom are housed in transitional accommodation were interviewed individually, while focus groups were conducted with middle and senior management teams. The completion of the interviews enabled the development of a programme logic, which describes the ‘theory’ of the programme. The model details the activities or what the programme does. These activities include linking women to programmes and resources, providing practical support, addressing specific cultural needs and the availability of quality advocates. These activities are built on foundational values, such as, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and wairuatanga. The programme is only made possible with internal and external inputs. Of the external inputs, funding contributions are considered vital to the functioning of the programme. The women’s perspectives identified varying outcomes from their participation in the programme. The logic model details the intended outcomes in the short, medium and long‐term, reflecting personal, relational and community wellbeing. Short term outcomes include improved communication, improved self‐esteem, improved confidence and personal growth. Medium outcomes saw (re)engagement in training, education and for some, (re)entry into the workforce. Long term outcomes related to the establishment of a sustainable life style free from violence. The participants did not see a need to modify the programme in any significant way. Some did think that it could be usefully extended by adding to the existing activities a hands on, artistic approach. Programme developers may consider more creative ways in which to assess and measure the impact of the programme. Finally, it is suggested that the programme could benefit from a more systemic assessment process to determine whether women are “ready” to enter it

Sexual violence: Raising the conversations, a literature review

This literature review is intended to contribute to efforts to raise awareness and conversations around sexual violence. It is focused on men’s sexual violence against adolescent and adult women. We begin our review by briefly considering the definition of sexual violence, its prevalence, and its impact. In Section 2, following the lead of public health theorists, we use an ecological framework to discuss factors which contribute to – or are protective of – sexual violence. That is, we adopt a multi‐level approach, considering risk factors at societal, community, relationship and individual levels. Although we look at each of these levels in turn, as will become evident, it is also important to consider the interactions between levels. In Section 3, we review evaluations of various attempts to prevent sexual violence. Mostly, these evaluations have focused on individual level prevention efforts: prevention at community and societal levels seem to have received little attention from evaluators. Nevertheless, there are some useful lessons to be gained from the evaluation literature. In section 4, we attempt to integrate the material considered in sections 2 and 3 into a framework proposed by the (US) National Sexual Violence Resource Center (Davis, Parks, & Cohen, 2006). Consistent with a public health approach, the Spectrum of Prevention is a multi‐level model

Parallel development: A model for the delivery of culturally safe social services

Like many other former colonies, Aotearoa/New Zealand has witnessed the assertion of the rights of the indigenous people, Maori, to be self-determining in an environment of Pakeha domination. (The term Pakeha is often used to describe white New Zealanders, most of whom are of British descent.) This has important implications for the development of social services where new models are being developed to better reflect Maori aspirations. One such model is parallel development

An evaluation of the Raukawa Health Services Kaumatua Mirimiri Programme

The Kaumatua Mirimiri Programme was funded as a Service to Improve Access project under a contract which ran from 1st September 2004 to 30th June 2005. Its aim was to provide a “culturally based treatment and recovery programme to restore the health and independence” of people aged 40 years and over (Pinnacle Group Ltd, 2004a, p.1). However, as the service specification in the contract made clear, the programme was not designed be exclusive: it has attracted younger as well as older people, non-Māori as well as Māori, and people seeking help for a wide range of ailments and pain

Maori and psychology: Research and practice (full conference proceedings)

This document contains the full conference proceedings.This is the full proceedings of the symposium sponsored by the Maori and Psychology Research Unit at the University of Waikato: Maori and psychology: Research and practice. The publication of the proceedings of this symposium marks a significant milestone for the Maori and Psychology Research Unit (MPRU). Since its inception in 1997, the unit has played an important role in nurturing and supporting students to engage in Maori-focussed research. They have played, and continue to play, an important part in our research activities as interviewers, analysts, coordinators and writers. The MPRU symposium was organised to serve as a platform to profile the work of our students, to disseminate research results and to invite other researchers to witness the nature of the MPRU’s work

Sustainability, transport and design: reviewing the prospects for safely encouraging eco-driving

Private vehicle use contributes a disproportionately large amount to the degradation of the environment we inhabit. Technological advancement is of course critical to the mitigation of climate change, however alone it will not suffice; we must also see behavioural change. This paper will argue for the application of Ergonomics to the design of private vehicles, particularly low-carbon vehicles (e.g. hybrid and electric), to encourage this behavioural change. A brief review of literature is offered concerning the effect of the design of a technological object on behaviour, the inter-related nature of goals and feedback in guiding performance, the effect on fuel economy of different driving styles, and the various challenges brought by hybrid and electric vehicles, including range anxiety, workload and distraction, complexity, and novelty. This is followed by a discussion on the potential applicability of a particular design framework, namely Ecological Interface Design, to the design of in-vehicle interfaces that encourage energy-conserving driving behaviours whilst minimising distraction and workload, thus ensuring safety

Beyond ethics to morality: Choices and relationships in bicultural research settings

Knowledge of ourselves as cultural beings, of the values and beliefs of those with whom we work, and of the history of relations among those in our work settings are essential for community and applied social psychologists. In New Zealand, research by non-Maori involving Maori has often mirrored the harmful colonising practices of the nation’s wider history. In response, several frameworks have been developed setting out conditions and guidelines in which non-Maori might conduct research in Maori settings responsibly and usefully. Nevertheless, views differ on the ways, and extent to which, non-Maori might be involved. Most guidelines do not provide answers to ethical nuances that may arise. This article discusses the experiences of a non-Maori community psychologist engaging in research with Maori participants in a bicultural, but predominantly Maori, school-based community education setting. Insight is provided into how kaupapa Maori approaches were applied in research that was valuable to the community