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Project Report 2: Community-embedded communication and support among linguistic minorities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textThis report is the second in a series for the research project ‘Transforming crisis
communication for linguistic minority communities.’ The project aimed to foster more
inclusive, effective and interactive crisis communication with and for linguistic
minorities, most of whom are migrants and (former) refugees, through exploring their
experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Adopting a
culturally and linguistically responsive approach, our study draws on 85 in-depth
interviews conducted in 13 minority languages plus English in early 2024.
This report draws attention to the considerable strength and agency demonstrated
by linguistic minorities in response to the many communication-related challenges
during the pandemic. Several participants noted the ‘earned strength’ of linguistic
minorities, many of whom had already experienced significant adversity.
Community-embedded support systems were a crucial dimension of the pandemic
response for linguistic minorities. This support did not merely supplement
government and other formal efforts; for many, it became the primary source of
information, care and emotional support. Key actions included: sharing (translated)
information about public health measures and related welfare and visa concerns;
distributing food and medical supplies to people in need; and creating spaces for
connection and collective sense-making. Many participants emphasised that
communicating in one’s first language was important not only for understanding
crisis information, but also for emotional communication and wellbeing.
De facto ‘community translators’ (Uekusa, 2022b)—people with bi-/multilingual
capability, including family, friends, teachers, co-workers or community leaders—
were critical for generating and sharing crisis communication among linguistic
minorities. Many also became ‘communication bridges’ that linked isolated people to
wider channels of support. This (emergent) role was taken on with a sense of pride
and responsibility, but could also be a source of considerable pressure, especially
when dealing with complex and fast-changing health information.
Government engagement with linguistic minorities, where it existed, tended to rely
heavily on a few community leaders or organisations. This overburdened some
individuals and created a ‘bottleneck’ in distributing information and materials. Many
community leaders and translators reported stress, burnout and emotional
exhaustion from the level of support they provided for their communities.
Recommendations include: to rethink hierarchical assumptions about crisis
communication towards a ‘community-embedded’ approach; recognise and invest in
the value of bi/multilingualism; broaden and diversify channels of multilingual
communication, including employers, education providers and hobby-based groups;
support diverse communication forms with flexible funding; and bridge gaps between
established linguistic minority communities and less-connected individuals
Project Report 1: Challenges accessing timely, reliable and context-specific COVID-19 communication among linguistic minorities in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textThis report is the first of two to share the findings of the HRC-funded project ‘Transforming crisis
communication for linguistic minority communities.’ The project aimed to foster more inclusive, effective
and interactive crisis communication for linguistic minorities, most of whom are migrants and former
refugees, through exploring their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
Adopting a culturally and linguistically responsive approach, our study draws on 85 in-depth interviews
conducted in 13 minority languages plus English, conducted between February and April 2024 by a team
including 11 peer researchers (PRs). We also undertook document analysis of multilingual COVID-19
information from government websites, ministries and community organisations.
In our study, participants generally viewed the New Zealand government’s English-based communication
positively. They valued the consistency of the daily press briefings, as well as the clarity provided by visual
elements like images and symbols for those with limited English. However, linguistic minorities
experienced challenges with multilingual health communication provided by the New Zealand
government. Challenges included the limited amount of consistent and timely multilingual
communication provided by the government, minimal awareness within communities about available
translations, issues of digital exclusion, and a lack of cultural nuance within translated information. The
pandemic exposed the significant gaps in health communication that left many linguistic minorities
without timely, accessible, culturally relevant and contextually specific information, further reinforcing
language-based systemic exclusion.
With limited access to local official information, linguistic minority participants actively sought pandemic
information from other sources. New Zealand news media, employers and education institutes, healthcare
providers and embassies/consulates were trusted sources. Family, friends and community leaders were
also widely utilised. However, because of the dominance of English in health and crisis communication,
many members of linguistic minority communities had to rely on sources they considered of limited
relevance or credibility, such as overseas news and social media. The inaccessibility of reliable local
information in their first language left many participants and their communities feeling isolated and
anxious. As many participants were/are on temporary migrant visa, our study particularly highlights the
lack of communication regarding visa and travel restrictions, which participants reported was the
significant source of distress and anxiety. As such, there is a need for a more proactive, inclusive and
culturally and contextually responsive approach to multilingual communication to ensure equitable access
to critical information during health crises.
Recommendations include to: systematically employ visuals and simplified English messaging in crisis
communication; increase the quantity and quality of timely translated materials; improve accessibility;
work with key partners to disseminate messaging; develop relationships with linguistic minority
communities; increase linguistic minority representation in public and health sector roles; and reflect on
information they actually needed, such as travel restriction and visa policies
Climate change-related regulatory disturbances and the accounting profession: longitudinal evidence from Australia.
No full textPurpose – This study aims to examine how climate change regulatory disturbances shape the settlement between accountants and potentially competing professionals engaged in managing climate risks. Using an Abbott-Actor-Network Theory lens, the authors theorise regulation as an actant boundary object that mediates professional boundaries. Design/methodology/approach – This study analyse 54 interviews (2012–2018) with senior managers responsible for emissions risk management from 15 large Australian high emitters across three policy eras (National Greenhouse Gas Energy Reporting Act 2007 (NGERAct) reporting, carbon pricing and the post carbon tax repeal/TCFD period) to trace problematisation, interessement, enrolment and provisional settlement at the workplace level. Findings – The NGER Act standardised calculability and assurance of emissions data, enrolling accountants around controls and external reporting while engineers dominated technical measurement and target setting. The carbon tax re problematised climate issues in pecuniary terms, extending accountants’ roles into valuation, cost modelling and month end routines alongside those of engineers. In the post-carbon tax period, climate risk was reframed in financial risk and stability terms. The outcome is a cooperative but asymmetric settlement: accountants secure practical jurisdiction over controls, valuation and disclosure, applied science professionals retain cognitive control over targets and scenarios. Practical implications – For professional bodies, claims of broad climate leadership require interdisciplinary upskilling (particularly focused on measurement, uncertainty and long horizon planning) and strategies that build cross professional networks for competencies beyond mere disclosure. For firms and regulators, standardised risk-oriented disclosure sustains collaboration, but does not by itself transfer technical cognition away from engineering or other applied sciences. Originality/value – This study shows how regulation functions as a boundary object device that orchestrates collaboration and why it remains bounded, thereby qualifying prior explanations that emphasise reluctance or organisational barriers by specifying the material and epistemic constraints that calculative infrastructures embed
Retention, removal, and replanting of urban trees in housing intensification : developer and local government perspectives.
No full textProperty developers play a critical role in the creation of compact cities through the delivery of housing intensification projects. Although densification can provide many benefits, it also increases the potential conflict with existing trees on private land. Managing this conflict is a significant challenge for local government that is directly affected by the attitude and actions of developers. Despite their significant influence, developer perspectives on urban tree management in the context of intensification remain largely unexplored. This study addresses this gap by gathering first-hand insights from property developers and local government staff in Aotearoa New Zealand about the retention, removal, and replanting of trees during housing intensification projects. Data were gathered using online surveys with both groups and follow-up semi-structured interviews with selected participants. Despite recognising the amenity benefits of urban trees, respondents indicated that existing trees were typically removed during intensification. The predominant reasons for tree removal were spatial constraints and the impacts of retention on financial viability. The main reason for retaining existing trees was compliance with tree protection rules, highlighting the ongoing importance of regulation, despite enforcement challenges. Several developers emphasised the role of new tree planting on redeveloped sites to offset the removal of existing trees. Local government also acknowledged the value of new planting, subject to the provision of sufficient space and soil volume within redevelopment sites. These findings can inform the development of targeted strategies that address developer motivations to increase the retention and replanting of trees on private land during housing intensification
The marginalisation of Māori academics.
No full textThere is reason to be concerned about the future of the Māori (Indigenous people of New Zealand) academy in Aotearoa New Zealand. Qualitative research a decade ago pointed to issues of Māori being exploited and excluded by their universities. More recent quantitative research suggests some serious pay and role inequalities for Māori and particularly for Māori women. Between 2021 and 2024, we interviewed 33 Māori academics about how universities exclude and exploit them. In this article, we share one of five findings. The findings presented here suggests universities nudge Māori academics to the margins of their institutions. We offer future research directions. Specifically, we ask researchers to consider whether Māori academics are rendered active in the pursuit of university outcomes in the margins. We turn to the critical field of organisation studies to help us chart a path forward for scholarship. The value in this article lies in the empirical material produced in interviews with Māori academics
In Tech We Trust?
No full textAutomation makes our lives easier – and our work increasingly more efficient. Sometimes more, sometimes less. As is so often the case, the right level of trust is crucial when humans and machines interact, argues our author, Professor Dr. Christoph Bartneck. Therefore, he calls on manufacturers to clearly indicate who is in control at any given moment – human or machine
Aotearoa New Zealand, AUKUS, and the Anglosphere: navigating security identity amidst geostrategic change.
No full textThe concept of the Anglosphere, while exercising some debate within other of its members, is one that has little currency in the Aotearoa New Zealand context. Instead, it is AUKUS – the most recent project of three core Anglosphere states – that has framed discussion on issues to do with the concept. Utilising three historic ideational tenets of Aotearoa New Zealand’s foreign policy – independent foreign policy, nuclear free policy, and a Pacific orientation – this article examines public debate around AUKUS as presented in print news media in the period from its launch in September 2021 through to December 2024. It demonstrates that, while a high number of articles was generated over the timeframe, discussion was largely driven by events external to Aotearoa New Zealand rather than by autochthonous interest. Further, while there has been some local discussion on joining Pillar II of AUKUS, this has, to date, lacked in-depth analysis. Finally, it finds that the core ideational orientations of Aotearoa New Zealand foreign policy have had relatively little play in media considerations of AUKUS
Grave matters : exploring death literacy and preparedness among 20- to 35-Year-olds in New Zealand.
No full textThis qualitative study investigates how 20- to 35-year-old New Zealanders with lived experience of death and end-of-life care perceive their Death Literacy, and identifies the factors that shape their preparedness, support, and knowledge in navigating death-related processes. Six participants who had cared for, or been closely involved in the care of, dying family members took part in semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, producing insights into the sociocultural, emotional, and relational contexts that inform young adults’ engagement with death. This project represents the first known study in New Zealand to explore Death Literacy within this specific age group, offering an original and needed contribution to national and international scholarship.
Findings reveal a cohort characterised by a strong willingness to care and an explicit desire for guidance, accessible resources, and open communication about death and dying. Participants described death as ever-present, stating that genuine understanding emerges through direct experience. Their narratives exposed barriers created by cultural discomfort, gaps in service awareness, and limited systemic support. Unexpected insights included nuanced views on assisted dying and the emergence of the “lucky” or “good” death as a conceptual marker of death privilege and social conditioning.
The study also highlights a shifting secular landscape in New Zealand, with participants expressing a need for personalised ritual and meaning-making practices independent of religious tradition. Gendered caregiving patterns were evident, underscoring the continued social reliance on women in both emotional and practical aspects of end-of-life care. When reviewed together, these findings extend current understandings of Death Literacy by illustrating how preparedness, relational obligations, and sociocultural norms shape young adults’ capacities to engage with death-related processes.
This research demonstrates the importance of developing age-appropriate, community-centred Death Literacy resources tailored to younger adults. Strengthening Death Literacy within this population may enhance caregiving experiences, improve end-of-life outcomes, and contribute to a more death-competent society
2D site response modeling of the Treasure Island vertical array considering spatially varying input motions with non-vertical incidence
No full textThis study evaluates the impact of non-vertical incidence and spatially variable ground motions on seismic site response analyses by developing detailed two-dimensional finite element models of the Treasure Island site in San Francisco Bay, California. Site response analysis models often fail to capture all of the complexities of real-world seismic wave propagation, leading to discrepancies between theoretical and empirical transfer functions. By introducing models that account for non-vertical incidence and spatially variable ground motion due to path scattering, this study explores how these factors influence the results of the site response models. The findings indicate that considering non-vertical incidence and spatially variable input ground motions captures certain aspects of the inherent variability in empirical transfer functions, particularly in the fundamental frequency range, though the improvement on the mean prediction is marginal for this site. It is also found that the model predictions change based on the direction that waves are assumed to enter the model domain, suggesting that the alignment of incoming wave fields with site stratigraphy is an important factor for site response
A ‘Feminist Instruction’ : Women’s Narratives of Feminist Becoming.
No full textWhile there has been considerable research attention to how girls and young women understand and respond to feminism, there has been less research on how women come to feminism and become feminists. Given the rise in popular and digital feminisms, as well as the continuing repudiation of feminism by young women, an exploration of what sparks women’s feminist becoming or journey is timely. In this article, I draw on the data from 7 focus group interviews conducted with 29 feminists in New Zealand. I explore the experiences that triggered participants’ feminist journeys/becomings. Participants in this study constituted diverse moments, events, practices and periods of their lives as the trigger for their feminist becoming. These occurred at different points in their lives, ranging from childhood to their 50s, often many years before they identified as feminists. Through attention to similarities and differences in participants’ accounts, I complicate age and generation-based arguments about feminist becoming and identification