Some aspects of aptitude and intelligence testing of New Zealanders, Maori and Pakeha

This investigation was undertaken in an attempt to shed some light on a problem which is encountered in any psychometric work carried out in New Zealand, the problem of the differences between Maori and Pakeha. As will be shown below, it appears to be fairly well established that there are differences in intellectual capacity between the two races, and the problem is rather that of determining whether that difference is innate, that is, whether it is a racial characteristic, or whether it is partially or totally accounted for by cultural factors.

Some aspects of aptitude and intelligence testing of New Zealanders, Maori and Pakeha

This investigation was undertaken in an attempt to shed some light on a problem which is encountered in any psychometric work carried out in New Zealand, the problem of the differences between Maori and Pakeha. As will be shown below, it appears to be fairly well established that there are differences in intellectual capacity between the two races, and the problem is rather that of determining whether that difference is innate, that is, whether it is a racial characteristic, or whether it is partially or totally accounted for by cultural factors.

Homeless. Self-Build Housing for Wellington's Transitionally Homeless

<p>Housing is an important precondition for people to live healthy and prosperous lives. Access to suitable housing is an essential factor in the overall well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Housing suitability and quality has ramifications for physical and mental health, education, employment, social cohesion and intergenerational mobility. These outcomes directly impact the functioning of communities, broader society, and the economy (Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment). Per capita, New Zealand has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the world. At 1% of the total population, it is estimated that approximately 42,000 New Zealanders are experiencing some form of homelessness. These individuals are either in temporary or insecure accommodation (OECD). Our capital’s housing supply is evidentially not meeting demand. Wellington is currently 9312 dwellings short of what is required, resulting in multiple tenants residing in singular rooms, and an increase in homelessness (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment). This issue arises when there is an intermediate population deemed ‘too rich’ for social housing by the Ministry of Social Development screening process. However, due to low current median incomes this group are not able to afford Wellington’s rental prices, leaving them with little to no options in securing healthy and stable accommodation. Those fortunate enough to secure tenancy find themselves marginalised by society as they are not in permanent ‘homes’ but transitional residences on the city fringes. This thesis explores a novel approach to our capital’s housing crisis, with the specific intention of provoking conversation about alternative approaches to the re-housing of New Zealanders most at need. Giving individuals the opportunity to up-skill, combined with the ability to craft their own permanent home will provide the helping hand needed to get them back on their feet and re-introduced into productive society. Interviews with Wellington’s housing providers and those working directly with the homeless have informed the key considerations for providing housing for the transitionally homeless. The literature review highlights the importance of creating and enhancing a sense of belonging through architectural design strategies. Precedent studies are analysed to understand the importance of location, planning, appearance and the materiality of housing units as well as assessing the validity of self-build housing for New Zealand. This research develops a universal design response to affordable housing in Wellington. A non-exclusive approach facilitates residents as a whole rather than focusing on site specifics, thus achieving a more holistic design concept. This model can be implemented in a broader context to ultimately support the provision of quality and affordable housing to those in most need. The outcomes of this thesis include; a set of design guidelines for those involved in the provision of housing for the transitionally homeless, and a detailed design proposal for a conceptual housing intervention in urban Wellington.</p>

Homeless. Self-Build Housing for Wellington's Transitionally Homeless

<p>Housing is an important precondition for people to live healthy and prosperous lives. Access to suitable housing is an essential factor in the overall well-being of individuals, families, and communities. Housing suitability and quality has ramifications for physical and mental health, education, employment, social cohesion and intergenerational mobility. These outcomes directly impact the functioning of communities, broader society, and the economy (Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment). Per capita, New Zealand has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the world. At 1% of the total population, it is estimated that approximately 42,000 New Zealanders are experiencing some form of homelessness. These individuals are either in temporary or insecure accommodation (OECD). Our capital’s housing supply is evidentially not meeting demand. Wellington is currently 9312 dwellings short of what is required, resulting in multiple tenants residing in singular rooms, and an increase in homelessness (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment). This issue arises when there is an intermediate population deemed ‘too rich’ for social housing by the Ministry of Social Development screening process. However, due to low current median incomes this group are not able to afford Wellington’s rental prices, leaving them with little to no options in securing healthy and stable accommodation. Those fortunate enough to secure tenancy find themselves marginalised by society as they are not in permanent ‘homes’ but transitional residences on the city fringes. This thesis explores a novel approach to our capital’s housing crisis, with the specific intention of provoking conversation about alternative approaches to the re-housing of New Zealanders most at need. Giving individuals the opportunity to up-skill, combined with the ability to craft their own permanent home will provide the helping hand needed to get them back on their feet and re-introduced into productive society. Interviews with Wellington’s housing providers and those working directly with the homeless have informed the key considerations for providing housing for the transitionally homeless. The literature review highlights the importance of creating and enhancing a sense of belonging through architectural design strategies. Precedent studies are analysed to understand the importance of location, planning, appearance and the materiality of housing units as well as assessing the validity of self-build housing for New Zealand. This research develops a universal design response to affordable housing in Wellington. A non-exclusive approach facilitates residents as a whole rather than focusing on site specifics, thus achieving a more holistic design concept. This model can be implemented in a broader context to ultimately support the provision of quality and affordable housing to those in most need. The outcomes of this thesis include; a set of design guidelines for those involved in the provision of housing for the transitionally homeless, and a detailed design proposal for a conceptual housing intervention in urban Wellington.</p>

Drugs on the internet: Mapping the terrain of engagement with darknet drug cryptomarkets in New Zealand

<p>This thesis explores the experiences of New Zealanders who order illicit drugs from cryptomarkets, with particular attention to their perspectives on New Zealand’s conventional illicit drug market, the negatives and positives of drug cryptomarkets, and their notable insights and features. Internationally, research on engagement with drug cryptomarkets is emergent. However, peer-reviewed research on New Zealand drug cryptomarket users remains absent. This thesis attempts to begin to fill this gap, exploring the experiences and viewpoints of New Zealand drug cryptomarket users within the context of existing international literature. The study utilised qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 12 New Zealanders who have accessed drug cryptomarkets. The data from the interviews were interpreted through thematic analysis using constructivist grounded theory. The research found that the constraints of New Zealand’s conventional drug market push some drug consumers to use cryptomarkets to access illicit drugs. Although drug cryptomarkets have various pull factors that attract participants to them, they also have negative aspects which influence participants’ choices and behaviours when accessing cryptomarkets. The findings that are presented give voice to the lived experiences of New Zealanders who access drug cryptomarkets, extend scholarly knowledge of cryptomarket users, and highlight further avenues for research.</p>

Half a World Away: New Zealanders in the Middle East during the Second World War

<p>New Zealand’s longest and most important campaign of the Second World War was in the Middle East. When New Zealand’s Middle Eastern war is discussed, the focus is usually on combat and the lives of New Zealanders on the battlefield. The limited discussion of life behind the lines is dominated by a picture of racism, drunkenness and debauchery with its focal point in Cairo. This thesis uses primary sources, including letters, diaries, photographs and soldier publications, and focusses on how New Zealanders saw the Middle East through the lenses of place, materiality and people. It assesses how New Zealanders experienced the Middle East as a series of geographic and imagined places, the material things they chose to acquire in those places, and the relationships they formed with the diverse range of people they encountered. An examination of these three topics reveals a complex and rich picture of respect and loathing, delight and disgust, wonder and disillusionment. Such a picture shows that the one-dimensional understanding of racism and poor behaviour is an entirely inadequate representation of New Zealanders’ Middle Eastern war, a war that would take them to Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Iran and Iraq. In moving beyond this conventional understanding, this thesis hopes to expand the picture of New Zealand’s long relationship with the Middle East – a relationship that stretches from the beaches of Gallipoli in 1915 to the mountains of Afghanistan in the present day.</p>

Half a World Away: New Zealanders in the Middle East during the Second World War

<p>New Zealand’s longest and most important campaign of the Second World War was in the Middle East. When New Zealand’s Middle Eastern war is discussed, the focus is usually on combat and the lives of New Zealanders on the battlefield. The limited discussion of life behind the lines is dominated by a picture of racism, drunkenness and debauchery with its focal point in Cairo. This thesis uses primary sources, including letters, diaries, photographs and soldier publications, and focusses on how New Zealanders saw the Middle East through the lenses of place, materiality and people. It assesses how New Zealanders experienced the Middle East as a series of geographic and imagined places, the material things they chose to acquire in those places, and the relationships they formed with the diverse range of people they encountered. An examination of these three topics reveals a complex and rich picture of respect and loathing, delight and disgust, wonder and disillusionment. Such a picture shows that the one-dimensional understanding of racism and poor behaviour is an entirely inadequate representation of New Zealanders’ Middle Eastern war, a war that would take them to Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Iran and Iraq. In moving beyond this conventional understanding, this thesis hopes to expand the picture of New Zealand’s long relationship with the Middle East – a relationship that stretches from the beaches of Gallipoli in 1915 to the mountains of Afghanistan in the present day.</p>

Drugs on the internet: Mapping the terrain of engagement with darknet drug cryptomarkets in New Zealand

<p>This thesis explores the experiences of New Zealanders who order illicit drugs from cryptomarkets, with particular attention to their perspectives on New Zealand’s conventional illicit drug market, the negatives and positives of drug cryptomarkets, and their notable insights and features. Internationally, research on engagement with drug cryptomarkets is emergent. However, peer-reviewed research on New Zealand drug cryptomarket users remains absent. This thesis attempts to begin to fill this gap, exploring the experiences and viewpoints of New Zealand drug cryptomarket users within the context of existing international literature. The study utilised qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 12 New Zealanders who have accessed drug cryptomarkets. The data from the interviews were interpreted through thematic analysis using constructivist grounded theory. The research found that the constraints of New Zealand’s conventional drug market push some drug consumers to use cryptomarkets to access illicit drugs. Although drug cryptomarkets have various pull factors that attract participants to them, they also have negative aspects which influence participants’ choices and behaviours when accessing cryptomarkets. The findings that are presented give voice to the lived experiences of New Zealanders who access drug cryptomarkets, extend scholarly knowledge of cryptomarket users, and highlight further avenues for research.</p>

The Ideal and the Real: interior linings in 1930s New Zealand homes

The choices made by New Zealanders in terms of how they line the floors, walls and ceilings of their homes, both today and in the past, is driven by various influencing factors. These include economic factors such as supply and demand, changes in technology, societal norms, as well as the agency of people themselves, ranging from the manufacturer and supplier to the designer and homeowner. In 1930s' New Zealand, architectural and building publications aimed to influence consumer behavior in terms of the products and methods used to design, construct and decorate buildings. These magazines also played a pivotal role in both reflecting and shaping current societal ideals and the associated ideal homes, which are almost always the homes of the middle and upper classes. This paper takes a case study approach by looking at the first eleven issues of the Home & Building magazine between October/November 1936 and November 1939, extracting from these the construct of the ideal home interior and the types of interior linings that were advertised and used for this purpose in the homes that are presented. To investigate the extent to which these trends are reflected in the homes of real New Zealanders, a sample of Wellington building consents and historical interior photographs available through DigitalNZ are used.

‘It’s part of who I am’: Tā’aloga ma fa’asinomaga ma fa’aSāmoa - Sport, identity, and culture in the lives of Samoan-New Zealanders

<p>Samoan-New Zealanders have become increasingly prominent within New Zealand sport since the mid-20th century. Despite the apparent desirability of players with Pacific Island heritage their presence is also met with resistance and apprehension in both professional and amateur settings. Discourse that frames the relationship between Samoan-New Zealanders and sport often does so in terms that rely on stereotypes and the naturalisation of sporting ability and participation suggesting that they are ‘built’ for sport. This thesis offers a counternarrative to such discourse exploring the ways in which sport, particularly rugby, is a culturally embedded practice for Samoan-New Zealanders. I argue that for Samoan-New Zealanders sport exists as an example of Marcel Mauss’s fait social total or Total Social Phenomenon (TSP) by virtue of the range of cultural institutions and practices that find expression within it. As such it is deeply and uniquely immersed within the fa’aSāmoa or Samoan culture. This thesis is based on seven months of ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, and talanoa conducted in Wellington, New Zealand. It seeks to explore the ways in which sport is a culturally embedded practice as a means of interrogating the notion that Samoan-New Zealanders are ‘born to play sport’.</p>