scholarly journals The Young Generation Y's Expectations to Ethics at Work in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hege Øevrebøe

<p>This thesis is an exploratory study of the young Generation Y’s expectations to ethics at work in New Zealand. Chapter 1 sets out the structure of the thesis and introduces background information as well as the research question. The literature focuses on intergenerational conflicts in the workplace, and sees generations as an aspect of diversity that is often difficult to balance to human resource management. Generation Y has been highly criticised in relation to other generations in academic and popular literature, and are considered entitled, lazy and self-absorbed. The research aims to let Generation Y speak for themselves without stereotyping, while also focusing on the underlying values that drives ethics at work.   Chapter 2 discusses literature on the changing nature of work, as well as Generation Y before it moves on to business ethics literature. Ethics research found that values based ethical culture is needed to successfully run an ethical organisation, with ethical leadership playing a significant role. Further, the thesis discusses implications of a more complicated socialisation and prolonged formative phase of Generation Y in comparison to older generations, which makes Generation Y seem different. Scarcity theory discusses the impact that the abundance of human basic needs has on value preference, and it can therefore be argued that because Generation Y’s formative years were during a period of economic and social stability, they value other physiological means and fulfilment such as self-expression more than a basic income. A third argument of differentiating Generation Y from others, found particularly in popular media, is Generation Y’s focus on work with meaning and concern for the environment. Ecological Modernisation Theory advocates involving institutions in environmental concerns, where the focus on potential financial gain by an environmentally ethic organisation has brought the topic to public attention. This heightened focus developed in the period in which Generation Y was socialised, and provides the grounds to argue that it plays a major role for Generation Y’s focus on ethical work. These three theories form the basis of an argument as to how and why Generation Y is perceived as different, and can provide the knowledge needed to understand what the new workforce expect and want from work.   Chapter 3 discuss the Q-methodology that was used to investigate these expectations, while Chapter 4 analyses the findings. It found that Generation Y’s expectations centre around three sets of values in relation to ethics at work. This is illustrated with The Achiever, The Ethical Employee, and The Public Conservationist ideal types. People associated with the first set of values want to be the best at what they do, and expect a good work-life balance in order to be able to do the best work they can for their organisation. Though they are hard workers and wish to add value to the organisation, they do not put much focus on ethics at work. In contrast, the second group values strong ethical cultures where managers are expected to set the tone in the workplace, and want to be in an organisation where they feel comfortable and where employee behaviour is regulated. For the final group, the focus is on preserving the environment and giving back to society. They expect to work with intrinsic motivation and see work as a holistic part of their lives due to their passion for what they want to do. Further, the participants agree that money is not the main reasons to work. They wish to have a say with innovative ideas and expect that all employees should be treated decently at work. Chapter 5 discusses the findings in relation to the literature before the thesis is concluded with discussions of limitations, implications and recommendations.   This research provides data on the differences and consensus within a generation, whilst providing information that can make it easier to understand today’s young workforce. This thesis adds to academic literature by providing a New Zealand based perspective of Generation Y’s various expectations about ethics at work, where some find it significantly more important than others.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hege Øevrebøe

<p>This thesis is an exploratory study of the young Generation Y’s expectations to ethics at work in New Zealand. Chapter 1 sets out the structure of the thesis and introduces background information as well as the research question. The literature focuses on intergenerational conflicts in the workplace, and sees generations as an aspect of diversity that is often difficult to balance to human resource management. Generation Y has been highly criticised in relation to other generations in academic and popular literature, and are considered entitled, lazy and self-absorbed. The research aims to let Generation Y speak for themselves without stereotyping, while also focusing on the underlying values that drives ethics at work.   Chapter 2 discusses literature on the changing nature of work, as well as Generation Y before it moves on to business ethics literature. Ethics research found that values based ethical culture is needed to successfully run an ethical organisation, with ethical leadership playing a significant role. Further, the thesis discusses implications of a more complicated socialisation and prolonged formative phase of Generation Y in comparison to older generations, which makes Generation Y seem different. Scarcity theory discusses the impact that the abundance of human basic needs has on value preference, and it can therefore be argued that because Generation Y’s formative years were during a period of economic and social stability, they value other physiological means and fulfilment such as self-expression more than a basic income. A third argument of differentiating Generation Y from others, found particularly in popular media, is Generation Y’s focus on work with meaning and concern for the environment. Ecological Modernisation Theory advocates involving institutions in environmental concerns, where the focus on potential financial gain by an environmentally ethic organisation has brought the topic to public attention. This heightened focus developed in the period in which Generation Y was socialised, and provides the grounds to argue that it plays a major role for Generation Y’s focus on ethical work. These three theories form the basis of an argument as to how and why Generation Y is perceived as different, and can provide the knowledge needed to understand what the new workforce expect and want from work.   Chapter 3 discuss the Q-methodology that was used to investigate these expectations, while Chapter 4 analyses the findings. It found that Generation Y’s expectations centre around three sets of values in relation to ethics at work. This is illustrated with The Achiever, The Ethical Employee, and The Public Conservationist ideal types. People associated with the first set of values want to be the best at what they do, and expect a good work-life balance in order to be able to do the best work they can for their organisation. Though they are hard workers and wish to add value to the organisation, they do not put much focus on ethics at work. In contrast, the second group values strong ethical cultures where managers are expected to set the tone in the workplace, and want to be in an organisation where they feel comfortable and where employee behaviour is regulated. For the final group, the focus is on preserving the environment and giving back to society. They expect to work with intrinsic motivation and see work as a holistic part of their lives due to their passion for what they want to do. Further, the participants agree that money is not the main reasons to work. They wish to have a say with innovative ideas and expect that all employees should be treated decently at work. Chapter 5 discusses the findings in relation to the literature before the thesis is concluded with discussions of limitations, implications and recommendations.   This research provides data on the differences and consensus within a generation, whilst providing information that can make it easier to understand today’s young workforce. This thesis adds to academic literature by providing a New Zealand based perspective of Generation Y’s various expectations about ethics at work, where some find it significantly more important than others.</p>


Author(s):  
David Bathgate

Purpose There is growing awareness in New Zealand (NZ) of the impact that Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has on individuals and their families and the ability to engage in health services. Although it is a relatively rare condition, approximately 1 per cent of the population will have ASD, directly affecting approximately 40,000 individuals in NZ. The purpose of this paper is to provide some reflections and questions on what we can learn from a NZ perspective. This is based on an overview of the limited literature around ASD and offending and the author’s experience in the UK working in a medium secure unit. Design/methodology/approach Through a past site visit as part of the annual international conference on the Care and Treatment of Offenders with an Intellectual and/or Developmental Disability in the United Kingdom (UK), the author became aware of the medium secure forensic unit for male patients with ASD at the Roseberry Park Hospital (UK’s Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust). During the author’s advanced training in forensic psychiatry with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists the author was privileged to be able to apply and be accepted for a four-month sabbatical training position at this hospital. Findings Outlined is background information about ASD and review findings from the limited literature on ASD and offending. Also outlined is the author’s learning as a trainee working in medium secure unit for people with ASD who have offended, and finally how this experience may help in the development of services in NZ, given that at this stage such services are under-developed. Originality/value To be able to share the valuable experience and learning opportunity the author was able to have, as well as raise the awareness of ASD generally, and specifically the need for specialist services for the small number of people with ASD who come into contact with Justice Services.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Adam Ransfield

<p>The Māori economic asset base has seen significant growth over the past 100 years. Research estimates the Māori economy to be valued at 50 billion (NZ Foreign Affairs & Trade, 2018). While this figure represents the Māori economy, Māori tourism makes a significant economic contribution to this asset base. When considering the different aspects of the New Zealand tourism product, a key aspect that sets New Zealand tourism apart from other destinations is the unique Māori culture. This cultural aspect is a key motivating factor for international tourists intending on visiting New Zealand.  Māori tourism businesses offer a range of tourism products and services that are embedded in, and informed by Māori values. When incorporated in business, many of these traditional Māori values align closely to the three pillars of business sustainability. Literature on Māori tourism, Māori values and business sustainability provide some insight into this phenomenon. However, little is known about how these three components interrelate. Ultimately very little is known about how traditional Māori values impact the business sustainability of Māori tourism businesses. The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether Māori tourism businesses incorporate traditional Māori values into their business and if so, how does the application of these values affect the sustainability of Māori tourism businesses.  Developed from an interpretive social science research paradigm aligned with Kaupapa Māori research, this thesis assesses the impacts of the incorporation of Māori values on the business sustainability of Māori tourism businesses. Semi-structured interviews were selected as an appropriate method of data collection. 12 respondents from eight Māori tourism businesses were interviewed and their responses along with an analysis of the wider literature enabled the researcher to answer the overarching research question – how are traditional Māori values affecting the business sustainability of Māori tourism businesses?   Key research findings include the following: the importance of hiring Māori, developing cultural capacity of staff and stakeholders, preventing cultural misappropriation, providing opportunities for local communities, the relationship of Māori with the land, the importance of sustainable relationships, the impact of climate change on Kaitiakitanga, and the importance of making a profit – but not at the detriment of culture and the environment. The findings identified that to have the ability to implement sustainable practices requires financial sustainability.  This thesis makes a contribution to the literature on Māori values, Māori tourism and business sustainability by providing a greater understanding of which Māori values are applied by Māori tourism businesses and how these values impact business sustainability. In particular, this thesis has done something that previous literature has not, that is, it has attributed the specific effects of individual Māori values against the pillars of business sustainability. This gives the indication of which values have the greatest impact on business sustainability. Finally, in accordance with Kaupapa Māori research, this thesis has provided a practical contribution to the Māori tourism industry. This contribution is in the form of recommendations made to enhance the business sustainability of Māori tourism businesses.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Whitehead ◽  
Amber Pearson ◽  
Ross Lawrenson ◽  
Polly Atatoa-Carr

Abstract Background Populations with high needs often have poor health care access. Defining need is challenging, with no agreed-upon indicator of health need for primary care based spatial equity research in New Zealand. We examined seven potential indicators and tested for evidence of the Inverse Care Law in the Waikato region. Methods Indicators were identified through a systematic literature review and scored according to ten selection criteria. Indicators were mapped and analysed using GIS. Spearman’s correlations were calculated between indicators, and clusters of high need identified through spatial autocorrelation. The impact of incorporating indicator-based-weightings into an accessibility model was tested using ANOVA and Spearman’s correlations. GP service spatial equity was assessed by comparing clusters of access and need, and quantified through the Gini coefficient. Results While smoking rates met the most selection criteria, ambulatory sensitive hospitalisation (ASH) rates were significantly correlated with all indicators. Health needs were significantly clustered, but incorporating indicator weightings into the spatial accessibility analysis did not impact accessibility scores. A misalignment of access and need, and Gini coefficient of 0.281 suggests that services are not equitably distributed. Conclusions ASH rates seem a robust indicator of health need. However, data access issues may restrict their use. High need clusters vary spatially according to the indicator used. Key messages GIS techniques can identify ‘hot-spots’ of need, but these can be masked in accessibility models. Indicators should be carefully selected according to the research question.


Author(s):  
Feren Alia Hidayat ◽  
Moses Glorino Rumambo Pandin

Pancasila is the identity of the Indonesian nation, which means that Pancasila is a national characteristic that cannot be found in any country. Pancasila points are taken from the noble values of the Indonesian state. These principles contain culture, customs, and national character known as manners, cooperation, and high nationalism. As the successor to Indonesian culture, the young generation must be able to preserve and develop Pancasila. In this era of globalization, there are many challenges for the younger generation in preserving Pancasila. This study aims to provide an overview of the decline of Pancasila identity among the younger generation due to the impact of globalization. The research question that has been determined is how the practice behaviour of the younger generation towards the implementation of Pancasila, the solutions and efforts that all Indonesian people can make regarding the crisis of Pancasila identity in the era of globalization. This research method uses a literature review. The research sources were conducted from the latest journals and books published in 2019 until 2021 related to the theme of Pancasila and the millennial generation. The results showed that globalization has greatly facilitated foreign cultures to enter Indonesia. The younger generations use this foreign culture as a lifestyle without filtering it, whether it contains Pancasila values or not. This causes Pancasila has been forgotten and no longer applied in their everyday life. Young people can make various efforts to preserve the national identity, namely Pancasila. Apart from the role of the young generation itself, Indonesian society can also play an essential role in supporting the younger generation to continue implementing Pancasila in their lives. By conducting this research, it is hoped that Indonesia's young generation can understand, select, and stay away from the negative impacts of globalization that enter Indonesia freely. The solution that can be given from this research is that the younger generation must love their own culture more and practice every principle in Pancasila. Parents, educational institutions, and the government must also support the younger generation to maintain national identity, Pancasila values. The limitation of this research is that the researcher did not conduct any primary data, which means the data were not directly from the source. This causes the accuracy of this study to be less guaranteed. The recommendation that the researchers can give for further research is to obtain primary data to ensure accuracy and explore research topics regarding the fading of Pancasila identity in the younger generation in this era of globalization.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Michelle Tewkesbury

<p>New Zealand has seen significant change in curriculum and qualification frameworks in recent years. The implementation of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) from 2002 and a revised national curriculum in 2007 have underpinned the forces of change. However, preceding its implementation, the NCEA qualification sparked controversy both in the education literature and general media. This controversy around the NCEA continues. Classroom-based evidence on the impact of the NCEA on teaching and learning has a significant role in informing policy, and this work aimed to make such a contribution. As a number of secondary schools in this country offer alternative senior school qualifications, this invited the opportunity to compare the phenomenon of teaching chemistry to Years 12 and 13 students under two structurally different qualification frameworks. The overarching research question investigated in this study was: In the context of NCEA and International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD) chemistry courses in New Zealand secondary schools, how do teachers manage the tension between learning, teaching, and assessment? Teachers’ views and practices were explored through inquiry questions relating to the following: Teaching the content and procedural knowledge of chemistry (referring to curriculum and pedagogy); and their approaches to assessment.  Qualitative research was undertaken from a comparative case study within an interpretive paradigm. Two case schools offered both NCEA and IB Diploma qualifications, and one case school NCEA only. A total of ten participants from the three case schools were interviewed, and short sequences of lessons taught by the participant teachers were also observed. Following the coding of the interview data, emergent themes provided direction for the simple statistical analysis of national NCEA results data.  Manageability of courses and their assessment, feeling accountable for high grade outcomes, and the wish for subject specific professional development were areas that teachers of both NCEA and IBDP noted as factors that concerned them. The influence of high-stakes assessment was seen in the teaching methods used in the case schools towards preparing students to attain these qualifications.  It was evident from the interviews that participants had much more to say about their teaching of NCEA than they did for the IB Diploma qualification. The imbalance in the collected data, with more being related to the NCEA, was interpreted as arising from issues related to the achievement standard structure of this qualification. The impact of the NCEA on teaching and assessment of chemistry in Years 12 and 13 was found to be significant. NCEA achievement standards were seen to be the default curriculum (rather than the New Zealand Curriculum), and drove course designs in the three case schools. Extrinsic motivation from NCEA credits and grades were considered by the teachers to be key factors in students’ approaches to learning. Courses were designed to maximise grades, and teachers identified the time spent on rehearsal leading up to internal assessment as a concern. When mapped to the New Zealand Curriculum, it was evident that curricular holes in NCEA courses existed; in particular with regard to nature of science and investigation learning objectives. In the case schools, coherence of chemistry as a discipline was compromised in NCEA courses, with implications for students understanding. The performance of schools is evidently being judged, by both government and the media through the publication of league tables of NCEA grade data. This seems to be driving chemistry learning in directions that are counter to international directions in curriculum reform.  Based on the findings of this study, several recommendations are made. Attention should be paid to supporting (and resourcing) full implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum, with a focus on subject specific professional development for teachers. The relationship between the New Zealand Curriculum and the NCEA needs addressing; the achievement structure of the NCEA as it currently exists, is coming at a high cost in terms of compromising pedagogy and subject connectedness. Issues of the reliability and validity of NCEA assessment also exist, suggesting that review of current implementation and assessment policy, including that relating to the conduct of national examinations, need review.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Daniel McIntyre

<p>Gamification is the application of game principals in non-game contexts (i.e. the workplace). With unsatisfactory employee engagement in New Zealand, gamification is proposed as a possible solution in this thesis. Theoretically, gamification is linked to self-determination theory which recognises that individuals have innate psychological needs (i.e. relatedness, autonomy, competence). The rewards, status, progress through gamification, potentially provides a pathway to satisfying psychological needs, which when fulfilled can foster engagement.  Two research questions in relation to gamification were formulated to structure this thesis: How does gamification impact employee engagement in New Zealand? How can gamification be successfully managed within New Zealand workplaces?  Considering that gamification is a relatively new concept within workplaces, the literature gained from an applied search methodology was satisfactory. Four themes and additional content were identified and communicated in relation to gamification and employee engagement. The information extracted from the review was ultimately used to validate and inform an empirical study. Methods to ensure valid research included bracketing, creating an interview schedule, a recruitment plan, and template analysis. In total, twelve in-depth qualitative interviews with employees who had some form of experience with gamification, were conducted for data collection.  To ensure high levels of employee engagement there needed to be a managerial ability to eliminate gamesmanship, clarify gamified rules and purpose, and to promote employee input, otherwise engagement levels would suffer. A framework created within this thesis, the “Gamified Perception Framework”, aimed to link managerial actions which equate to both high and low levels of engagement. Employee engagement was also dependent on gamification applications pertaining to employees’ psychological needs. To have high levels of engagement there needed to be applications which satisfied specific psychological needs. If gamification applications could not cater to employees’ psychological needs, it correlated with lower engagement levels. To communicate the utility of gamified applications a framework was created. The “Gamification Application Framework” attempts to illustrate the impact of the four primary applications utilised within workplace gamification. In addition to the discovery of the two variables, a way to commonly assist in gamification structure was deemed unsatisfactory, an alternative way to generate structure was formulated, and gamified engagement was found to not be generation (age) or industry specific.  The primary implication of findings was the formulation of a “Five Step Guide to Installing Gamification in New Zealand Workplaces”, aiming to assist managers with workplace gamification. The guide provides a method to answer the second research question within this thesis. The guide’s multi-step nature is a metaphor for the high amount of devotion needed to manage workplace gamification. Complex in the sense of needing to constantly assess, communicate, and implement gamification when necessary.  Based on findings, gamification can both increase and decrease employee engagement within New Zealand. However, increased employee engagement would require a lot of dedication entailing a high level of professional commitment. Gamification, with serious devotion, can improve the state of employee engagement within New Zealand.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Daniel McIntyre

<p>Gamification is the application of game principals in non-game contexts (i.e. the workplace). With unsatisfactory employee engagement in New Zealand, gamification is proposed as a possible solution in this thesis. Theoretically, gamification is linked to self-determination theory which recognises that individuals have innate psychological needs (i.e. relatedness, autonomy, competence). The rewards, status, progress through gamification, potentially provides a pathway to satisfying psychological needs, which when fulfilled can foster engagement.  Two research questions in relation to gamification were formulated to structure this thesis: How does gamification impact employee engagement in New Zealand? How can gamification be successfully managed within New Zealand workplaces?  Considering that gamification is a relatively new concept within workplaces, the literature gained from an applied search methodology was satisfactory. Four themes and additional content were identified and communicated in relation to gamification and employee engagement. The information extracted from the review was ultimately used to validate and inform an empirical study. Methods to ensure valid research included bracketing, creating an interview schedule, a recruitment plan, and template analysis. In total, twelve in-depth qualitative interviews with employees who had some form of experience with gamification, were conducted for data collection.  To ensure high levels of employee engagement there needed to be a managerial ability to eliminate gamesmanship, clarify gamified rules and purpose, and to promote employee input, otherwise engagement levels would suffer. A framework created within this thesis, the “Gamified Perception Framework”, aimed to link managerial actions which equate to both high and low levels of engagement. Employee engagement was also dependent on gamification applications pertaining to employees’ psychological needs. To have high levels of engagement there needed to be applications which satisfied specific psychological needs. If gamification applications could not cater to employees’ psychological needs, it correlated with lower engagement levels. To communicate the utility of gamified applications a framework was created. The “Gamification Application Framework” attempts to illustrate the impact of the four primary applications utilised within workplace gamification. In addition to the discovery of the two variables, a way to commonly assist in gamification structure was deemed unsatisfactory, an alternative way to generate structure was formulated, and gamified engagement was found to not be generation (age) or industry specific.  The primary implication of findings was the formulation of a “Five Step Guide to Installing Gamification in New Zealand Workplaces”, aiming to assist managers with workplace gamification. The guide provides a method to answer the second research question within this thesis. The guide’s multi-step nature is a metaphor for the high amount of devotion needed to manage workplace gamification. Complex in the sense of needing to constantly assess, communicate, and implement gamification when necessary.  Based on findings, gamification can both increase and decrease employee engagement within New Zealand. However, increased employee engagement would require a lot of dedication entailing a high level of professional commitment. Gamification, with serious devotion, can improve the state of employee engagement within New Zealand.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Michelle Tewkesbury

<p>New Zealand has seen significant change in curriculum and qualification frameworks in recent years. The implementation of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) from 2002 and a revised national curriculum in 2007 have underpinned the forces of change. However, preceding its implementation, the NCEA qualification sparked controversy both in the education literature and general media. This controversy around the NCEA continues. Classroom-based evidence on the impact of the NCEA on teaching and learning has a significant role in informing policy, and this work aimed to make such a contribution. As a number of secondary schools in this country offer alternative senior school qualifications, this invited the opportunity to compare the phenomenon of teaching chemistry to Years 12 and 13 students under two structurally different qualification frameworks. The overarching research question investigated in this study was: In the context of NCEA and International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD) chemistry courses in New Zealand secondary schools, how do teachers manage the tension between learning, teaching, and assessment? Teachers’ views and practices were explored through inquiry questions relating to the following: Teaching the content and procedural knowledge of chemistry (referring to curriculum and pedagogy); and their approaches to assessment.  Qualitative research was undertaken from a comparative case study within an interpretive paradigm. Two case schools offered both NCEA and IB Diploma qualifications, and one case school NCEA only. A total of ten participants from the three case schools were interviewed, and short sequences of lessons taught by the participant teachers were also observed. Following the coding of the interview data, emergent themes provided direction for the simple statistical analysis of national NCEA results data.  Manageability of courses and their assessment, feeling accountable for high grade outcomes, and the wish for subject specific professional development were areas that teachers of both NCEA and IBDP noted as factors that concerned them. The influence of high-stakes assessment was seen in the teaching methods used in the case schools towards preparing students to attain these qualifications.  It was evident from the interviews that participants had much more to say about their teaching of NCEA than they did for the IB Diploma qualification. The imbalance in the collected data, with more being related to the NCEA, was interpreted as arising from issues related to the achievement standard structure of this qualification. The impact of the NCEA on teaching and assessment of chemistry in Years 12 and 13 was found to be significant. NCEA achievement standards were seen to be the default curriculum (rather than the New Zealand Curriculum), and drove course designs in the three case schools. Extrinsic motivation from NCEA credits and grades were considered by the teachers to be key factors in students’ approaches to learning. Courses were designed to maximise grades, and teachers identified the time spent on rehearsal leading up to internal assessment as a concern. When mapped to the New Zealand Curriculum, it was evident that curricular holes in NCEA courses existed; in particular with regard to nature of science and investigation learning objectives. In the case schools, coherence of chemistry as a discipline was compromised in NCEA courses, with implications for students understanding. The performance of schools is evidently being judged, by both government and the media through the publication of league tables of NCEA grade data. This seems to be driving chemistry learning in directions that are counter to international directions in curriculum reform.  Based on the findings of this study, several recommendations are made. Attention should be paid to supporting (and resourcing) full implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum, with a focus on subject specific professional development for teachers. The relationship between the New Zealand Curriculum and the NCEA needs addressing; the achievement structure of the NCEA as it currently exists, is coming at a high cost in terms of compromising pedagogy and subject connectedness. Issues of the reliability and validity of NCEA assessment also exist, suggesting that review of current implementation and assessment policy, including that relating to the conduct of national examinations, need review.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Adam Ransfield

<p>The Māori economic asset base has seen significant growth over the past 100 years. Research estimates the Māori economy to be valued at 50 billion (NZ Foreign Affairs & Trade, 2018). While this figure represents the Māori economy, Māori tourism makes a significant economic contribution to this asset base. When considering the different aspects of the New Zealand tourism product, a key aspect that sets New Zealand tourism apart from other destinations is the unique Māori culture. This cultural aspect is a key motivating factor for international tourists intending on visiting New Zealand.  Māori tourism businesses offer a range of tourism products and services that are embedded in, and informed by Māori values. When incorporated in business, many of these traditional Māori values align closely to the three pillars of business sustainability. Literature on Māori tourism, Māori values and business sustainability provide some insight into this phenomenon. However, little is known about how these three components interrelate. Ultimately very little is known about how traditional Māori values impact the business sustainability of Māori tourism businesses. The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether Māori tourism businesses incorporate traditional Māori values into their business and if so, how does the application of these values affect the sustainability of Māori tourism businesses.  Developed from an interpretive social science research paradigm aligned with Kaupapa Māori research, this thesis assesses the impacts of the incorporation of Māori values on the business sustainability of Māori tourism businesses. Semi-structured interviews were selected as an appropriate method of data collection. 12 respondents from eight Māori tourism businesses were interviewed and their responses along with an analysis of the wider literature enabled the researcher to answer the overarching research question – how are traditional Māori values affecting the business sustainability of Māori tourism businesses?   Key research findings include the following: the importance of hiring Māori, developing cultural capacity of staff and stakeholders, preventing cultural misappropriation, providing opportunities for local communities, the relationship of Māori with the land, the importance of sustainable relationships, the impact of climate change on Kaitiakitanga, and the importance of making a profit – but not at the detriment of culture and the environment. The findings identified that to have the ability to implement sustainable practices requires financial sustainability.  This thesis makes a contribution to the literature on Māori values, Māori tourism and business sustainability by providing a greater understanding of which Māori values are applied by Māori tourism businesses and how these values impact business sustainability. In particular, this thesis has done something that previous literature has not, that is, it has attributed the specific effects of individual Māori values against the pillars of business sustainability. This gives the indication of which values have the greatest impact on business sustainability. Finally, in accordance with Kaupapa Māori research, this thesis has provided a practical contribution to the Māori tourism industry. This contribution is in the form of recommendations made to enhance the business sustainability of Māori tourism businesses.</p>


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