scholarly journals Pacific People in Parliament:  a Case Study of Minority Representation in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Helena Cook
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Electoral Reform ◽  
Liberal Democracies ◽  
Pacific People ◽  
The Pacific

<p>Analysing the nature of political representation raises questions about the roles of political representatives: who it is they represent and what they do once in Parliament. However, the roles of MPs can be affected by several factors: institutions; political rules; identity; and the norms, values and expectations of the groups they advocate for. This thesis assumes that all of these factors play an important part in shaping the roles of political representatives and are particularly significant in understanding minority political representation. This case study of political representation of the Pacific Island migrant community in New Zealand analyses the roles and perceptions of minority MPs through their own words. Despite a wealth of literature on the wider subject of political representation, very little takes into account the perspective of the MPs themselves, and this thesis uses in-depth interview data to place the narrative of Pacific political representation in New Zealand into a wider context of the roles of minority MPs in advanced liberal democracies. Arguments for the increased political representation of minority groups are often based on the assumption that achieving a 'politics of presence' is essential for democracies, because minority groups need people from within the group to speak on their behalf. Thus only people with a shared history or shared experiences can adequately represent the needs of a minority group. This thesis shows that Pacific political representation is viewed by the MPs as important, because it reflects the multicultural nature of New Zealand society, allows for issues that affect Pacific people to be addressed in a political forum and enables Pacific MPs to bring a more collective approach to New Zealand's Westminster Parliamentary democracy. Political institutions and electoral reform have all affected Pacific representation in New Zealand, demonstrating that these factors should not be overlooked when considering the roles of minority MPs. New Zealand's experience of electoral reform has seen an increase of minority political representation, and the Maori seats in New Zealand's House of Representatives demonstrate how political representation for indigenous minorities can be implemented. This thesis is an exploratory work into the political journeys of New Zealand's Pacific MPs; an area that has previously been overlooked or neglected, but one that is vital to increase understanding of the roles of minority political representatives.</p>

scholarly journals Pacific People in Parliament:  a Case Study of Minority Representation in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Helena Cook
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Electoral Reform ◽  
Liberal Democracies ◽  
Pacific People ◽  
The Pacific

<p>Analysing the nature of political representation raises questions about the roles of political representatives: who it is they represent and what they do once in Parliament. However, the roles of MPs can be affected by several factors: institutions; political rules; identity; and the norms, values and expectations of the groups they advocate for. This thesis assumes that all of these factors play an important part in shaping the roles of political representatives and are particularly significant in understanding minority political representation. This case study of political representation of the Pacific Island migrant community in New Zealand analyses the roles and perceptions of minority MPs through their own words. Despite a wealth of literature on the wider subject of political representation, very little takes into account the perspective of the MPs themselves, and this thesis uses in-depth interview data to place the narrative of Pacific political representation in New Zealand into a wider context of the roles of minority MPs in advanced liberal democracies. Arguments for the increased political representation of minority groups are often based on the assumption that achieving a 'politics of presence' is essential for democracies, because minority groups need people from within the group to speak on their behalf. Thus only people with a shared history or shared experiences can adequately represent the needs of a minority group. This thesis shows that Pacific political representation is viewed by the MPs as important, because it reflects the multicultural nature of New Zealand society, allows for issues that affect Pacific people to be addressed in a political forum and enables Pacific MPs to bring a more collective approach to New Zealand's Westminster Parliamentary democracy. Political institutions and electoral reform have all affected Pacific representation in New Zealand, demonstrating that these factors should not be overlooked when considering the roles of minority MPs. New Zealand's experience of electoral reform has seen an increase of minority political representation, and the Maori seats in New Zealand's House of Representatives demonstrate how political representation for indigenous minorities can be implemented. This thesis is an exploratory work into the political journeys of New Zealand's Pacific MPs; an area that has previously been overlooked or neglected, but one that is vital to increase understanding of the roles of minority political representatives.</p>

scholarly journals The politics of presence: Political representation and New Zealand's Asian members of Parliament

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Seonah Choi
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
Individual Perception ◽  
Political Narrative ◽  
Political Studies ◽  
Theoretical Component

<p>In New Zealand, existing studies relating to the political representation of the country’s minority groups are largely confined to that of women and the Māori population. Unsurprisingly then, the representation of Asian-New Zealanders is an area that has been mostly overlooked to date. However, the numerous indicators that allude to the group’s growing social and demographic presence also suggests it is of increasing importance that they are included in New Zealand’s political narrative.  This thesis seeks to address the gap by undertaking a case study of current and former Asian-New Zealand members of Parliament, in an attempt to establish their representative role.  The complexities of this undertaking are readily recognised. The theoretical component of this thesis draws on a number of concepts from under the umbrella of political representation. Similarly, the primary data gathered from a series of extensive interviews with the intention of supplementing the aforementioned literature review is subject to other factors, including but not limited to political structure and individual perception.  In spite of the expansive and subjective area of focus, and while only intended to be an exploratory (rather than exhaustive) work, it is hoped that this thesis will make a meaningful contribution to an understudied field in New Zealand political studies.</p>

scholarly journals The politics of presence: Political representation and New Zealand's Asian members of Parliament

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Seonah Choi
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
Individual Perception ◽  
Political Narrative ◽  
Political Studies ◽  
Theoretical Component

<p>In New Zealand, existing studies relating to the political representation of the country’s minority groups are largely confined to that of women and the Māori population. Unsurprisingly then, the representation of Asian-New Zealanders is an area that has been mostly overlooked to date. However, the numerous indicators that allude to the group’s growing social and demographic presence also suggests it is of increasing importance that they are included in New Zealand’s political narrative.  This thesis seeks to address the gap by undertaking a case study of current and former Asian-New Zealand members of Parliament, in an attempt to establish their representative role.  The complexities of this undertaking are readily recognised. The theoretical component of this thesis draws on a number of concepts from under the umbrella of political representation. Similarly, the primary data gathered from a series of extensive interviews with the intention of supplementing the aforementioned literature review is subject to other factors, including but not limited to political structure and individual perception.  In spite of the expansive and subjective area of focus, and while only intended to be an exploratory (rather than exhaustive) work, it is hoped that this thesis will make a meaningful contribution to an understudied field in New Zealand political studies.</p>

Cytisine as an alternative smoking cessation product for Pacific smokers in New Zealand

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-95
Author(s):  
Vili Nosa ◽  
Kotalo Leau ◽  
Natalie Walker
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Partial Agonist ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Liquid Form ◽  
Pacific People ◽  
The Pacific

ABSTRACT Introduction: Pacific people in New Zealand have one of the highest rates of smoking.  Cytisine is a plant-based alkaloid that has proven efficacy, effectiveness and safety compared to a placebo and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smoking cessation.  Cytisine, like varenicline, is a partial agonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and blocks the rewarding effects of nicotine. Cytisine is naturally found in some plants in the Pacific region, and so may appeal to Pacific smokers wanting to quit. This paper investigates the acceptability of cytisine as a smoking cessation product for Pacific smokers in New Zealand, using a qualitative study design. Methods: In December 2015, advertisements and snowball sampling was used to recruit four Pacific smokers and three Pacific smoking cessation specialists in Auckland, New Zealand. Semi-structured interviews where undertaken, whereby participants were asked about motivations to quit and their views on smoking cessation products, including cytisine (which is currently unavailable in New Zealand). Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, with thematic analysis conducted manually. Findings: Pacific smokers reported wanting to quit for loved ones and family, but did not find currently available smoking cessation products effective. Almost all participants had not previously heard of cytisine, but many of the Pacific smokers were keen to try it. Participants identified with cytisine on a cultural basis (given its natural status), but noted that their use would be determined by the efficacy of the medicine, its cost, side-effects, and accessibility. They were particularly interested in cytisine being made available in liquid form, which could be added to a “smoothie” or drunk as a “traditional tea”.  Participants thought cytisine should be promoted in a culturally-appropriate way, with packaging and advertising designed to appeal to Pacific smokers. Conclusions: Cytisine is more acceptable to Pacific smokers than other smoking cessation products, because of their cultural practices of traditional medicine and the natural product status of cytisine.

scholarly journals The characteristics of behaviour change interventions used among Pacific people: a systematic search and narrative synthesis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amio Matenga-Ikihele ◽  
Judith McCool ◽  
Rosie Dobson ◽  
Fuafiva Fa’alau ◽  
Robyn Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Support ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Health Behaviour ◽  
Narrative Synthesis ◽  
Pacific Region ◽  
Behaviour Change Interventions ◽  
Pacific People ◽  
The Pacific

Abstract Background Pacific people living in New Zealand, Australia, United States, and the Pacific region continue to experience a disproportionately high burden of long-term conditions, making culturally contextualised behaviour change interventions a priority. The primary aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of behaviour change interventions designed to improve health and effect health behaviour change among Pacific people. Methods Electronic searches were carried out on OVID Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase and SCOPUS databases (initial search January 2019 and updated in January 2020) for studies describing an intervention designed to change health behaviour(s) among Pacific people. Titles and abstracts of 5699 papers were screened; 201 papers were then independently assessed. A review of full text was carried out by three of the authors resulting in 208 being included in the final review. Twenty-seven studies were included, published in six countries between 1996 and 2020. Results Important characteristics in the interventions included meaningful partnerships with Pacific communities using community-based participatory research and ensuring interventions were culturally anchored and centred on collectivism using family or social support. Most interventions used social cognitive theory, followed by popular behaviour change techniques instruction on how to perform a behaviour and social support (unspecified). Negotiating the spaces between Eurocentric behaviour change constructs and Pacific worldviews was simplified using Pacific facilitators and talanoa. This relational approach provided an essential link between academia and Pacific communities. Conclusions This systematic search and narrative synthesis provides new and important insights into potential elements and components when designing behaviour change interventions for Pacific people. The paucity of literature available outside of the United States highlights further research is required to reflect Pacific communities living in New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific region. Future research needs to invest in building research capacity within Pacific communities, centering self-determining research agendas and findings to be led and owned by Pacific communities.

scholarly journals Religion in the Abortion Discourse in Singapore: A Case Study of the Relevance of Religious Arguments in Law-Making in Multi-Religious Democracies

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 505-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seow Hon Tan
Keyword(s):  
Social Issue ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Full Support ◽  
Liberal Philosophy ◽  
Law Making

I … appeal to hon. Members to face up to the challenge on this important social issue and give their full support to the Bill. I do hope that they will not falter just because of some pressure, social or otherwise, brought to bear on them by some minority groups outside who, on account of their religious dogmas, desire to impose their will on the majority… I am certain that the opposing stand to this Bill taken by this minority group will also in the course of time end up in the dustbins of history.Abortion, along with same-sex unions, is perhaps one of the world's most polarizing issues today. Laws on abortion vary across different jurisdictions, from prohibiting abortion under all circumstances to freely allowing it without restriction as to reason. Unlike rights such as freedom from torture or of speech, failure to recognize abortion rights is not necessarily the product of illiberal governments known to abuse human rights, nor is allowing abortion indicative of a good human rights record. Extensive rights to terminate a pregnancy may be symptomatic of a government's policy for population control, as in the case of China, or it may be an expression of the liberal philosophy of autonomy, as in the case of Canada.

scholarly journals A tutorial on the use of informative Bayesian priors for minority research

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Winter ◽  
Benjamin Riordan ◽  
Anthony Surace ◽  
Damian Scarf ◽  
Paul Jose
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Sample Sizes ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Bayesian Analyses ◽  
The Us ◽  
Small Sample Sizes ◽  
Distress Scale

Aims. Quantifying differences between minority and majority groups, such as sexual minorities (SM) and heterosexuals, is difficult due to small sample sizes. Bayesian analyses is one solution to addressing small sample sizes in minority group research, whereby previous research can be used to inform our models. In the present tutorial, we offered an overview of Bayesian statistics and described an approach to constructing informed priors using a large survey when estimating values in a smaller survey. In an applied example, we determined whether SMs in New Zealand reported more stress relative to heterosexuals and whether stress mediates the link between SM status and alcohol use.Design. Two cross-sectional, stratified, and nationally representative health surveys from the US (National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)) and New Zealand (New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS)).Settings. United States, New ZealandParticipants. We used data from 83,661 (SMs = 5593) survey respondents in the US and 24,098 respondents in NZ (SMs = 619).Measurements. Demographic items (sex, age, ethnicity, sexual identity), the Kessler psychological distress scale, and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT).Findings. Using a larger survey to inform priors reduced the uncertainty of estimates derived from small subgroups in a smaller survey relative to uninformed priors.Conclusion. Informed Bayesian analyses are an important tool for researchers studying minority groups and the application of informative priors allows for more reliable estimates of health disparities.

scholarly journals Under Different Umbrellas: Intersectionality and Alliances in US Feminist Politics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myra Marx Ferree
Keyword(s):  
Political Institutions ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
The Political ◽  
American Democracy ◽  
Liberal Democracies ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Feminist Politics ◽  
Normative Order ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Over Time

Macro-level forms of inequality work intersectionally to establish democracy normatively as well as shape its institutions. Liberal democracies, once revolutionarily new political formations, rested on an equally revolutionary understanding of male domination based not on descent but economic arrangements (the new “breadwinner” role) and political institutions (the “brotherhood” national state). Over time, social movements have diminished liberal democracy’s original exclusions of women and nonwhite men so that many citizens’ daily lives now contradict this once hegemonic normative order. The U.S. party binary pushes contemporary movements for transforming or restoring this understanding of democracy under the political umbrellas of the competing Democratic and Republican parties. This polarization then contributes to the gendering of movement claims and political representation. Gendered polarization creates opportunities for cohesion among movements on both sides and yet blocks more fundamental reforms of American democracy.

scholarly journals Under different umbrellas: intersectionality and alliances in US feminist politics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myra Marx Ferree
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Republican Party ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Liberal Democracies ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Feminist Politics ◽  
The Us ◽  
Normative Order ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Macro-level forms of inequality work intersectionally to establish democracy normatively, as well as shape its institutions. Liberal democracies, once revolutionarily new political formations, rest on an equally revolutionary understanding of male domination based not on descent, but on economic arrangements (the new ‘breadwinner’ role) and political institutions (the ‘brotherhood’ national state). Over time, social movements have diminished liberal democracy’s original exclusions of women and minority ethnic men so that many citizens’ daily lives now contradict this once hegemonic normative order. The US party binary pushes contemporary movements to transform or restore this understanding of democracy under the political umbrellas of the competing Democratic and Republican parties. This polarisation then contributes to the gendering of movement claims and political representation. Gendered polarisation creates opportunities for cohesion among movements on both sides and yet blocks more fundamental reforms of US democracy.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Gendered democracy is undergoing transition from breadwinner-brotherhood.</li><br /><li>The binary US parties have become gendered antagonists.</li><br /><li>Agendas are restoration vs transformation of the brotherhood-breadwinner model.</li><br /><li>Social movements clustered under Democratic or Republican party umbrellas align with each other.</li></ul>

scholarly journals Conceptions of National Identity and Opposition to Bicultural Policies in New Zealand: A Comparison of Majority and Minority Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Devos ◽  
Kumar Yogeeswaran ◽  
Chris G Sibley
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Majority Group ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Nationally Representative

Using a nationally representative sample, the present research tested whether conceptions of national identity differentially predicted attitudes toward bicultural policies among New Zealanders of European, Māori, Asian, and Pacific descent. A series of multi-group structural equation models revealed that among members of the majority group and all minority groups, endorsement of a civic conception of national identity (i.e., respecting political institutions and laws) was related to opposition to resource policies, but such a relationship was especially strong among the majority group. By contrast, endorsement of an ethnic conception of national identity (i.e., having Māori or European ancestry) was related to support for resource and symbolic policies among minority group members, but to opposition to the same policies among the majority group. The present work documents that belonging to a majority vs. minority group moderates the relations between conceptions of national identity (civic vs. ethnic) and support or opposition to specific bicultural policies. In addition, some elements of civic conceptions of national identity may legitimize inequalities rather than reduce them.

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