Social Sciences

Project

The “Access Matters” Campaign, coordinated by Access Matters Aotearoa, is a cross-disability coalition of some 30 Aotearoa disability organisations. The campaign began with a disability rights focus and grew to include other groups who would benefit from accessibility, including older people and carers. This campaign demonstrates how evidence and people power combine to support policy change. This multi-year campaign has now come to an inflection point with legislation containing many hard-fought accessibility provisions yet falling short of what disabled people seek. This project will provide research in support of a critical assessment of this advocacy campaign. Raynor, Coffman and Stachowiak (2021, p. 13) define policy advocacy evaluation as “the process of assessing the policy change process itself.”[1] To date, no study has sought to critically assess the process or outcomes related to the advocacy activities on this campaign. The main contribution of the study is to situate the Access Matters Aotearoa disability rights movement as part of a growing international movement to secure accessibility rights for people with disabilities.

Scholar’s Work and Expectations: Review, digitise and catalogue existing archival material held by Access Aotearoa related to the advocacy campaign; Research academic and grey literature of disability advocacy campaigns from across the OECD and prepare a literature review; Contribute to the research for and writing of an academic publication through the literature review on this topic.

Required Skills/Pre-requisites: The scholar should demonstrate the following: A broad knowledge of public policy and law with a strong interest in disability, policy advocacy; Proven strong organisational and communication skills and eye towards detail; Have excellent research, writing, analytical, and communication skills; A capacity to work independently and as part of a team.

Benefits to Scholar: This innovative community-based research project will involve the scholar in all stages of the research process, from data gathering to knowledge mobilisation. In particular, the scholar will gain the following benefits: Become familiar with secondary source materials; Gain skills in critical analysis and writing literature reviews; Learn to build electronic bibliographies and databases using relevant software; Learn to write for academic publication, other audiences, and editorial work. In addition, the research experience will add value to the student’s CV and will improve their career opportunities and confidence about undertaking postgraduate studies. The research team will provide the summer scholar with a full day induction, encourage engagement with the Faculty of Arts programme of support, organise fortnightly sessions on the research process led by staff in the Public Policy Institute and participate in reading group meetings. audiences, as well as providing space for social interaction and sharing ideas and challenges.

Alignment to Taumata Teitei: This project aligns with Taumata Teitei and Faculty priorities in several ways. Firstly, this project will advance just Aotearoa communities by building knowledge of advocacy for people with disabilities. We will do this through research team capacity-building to better understand the disappointments and successes of a grassroots policy advocacy campaign for people with disabilities, their organisations, and allies. Secondly, this project speaks directly to the strategy’s concern with lessening public confidence in governance institutions. We accomplish this by working alongside disability advocates to design and implement this research. This enhances the University’s reputation as “a place where diversity and dynamism of … communities are recognised, valued and improved.” Lastly, the project speaks to Learning Priorities 1 (to create accessible, equitable learning opportunities) and 3 (seamless, effective, and equitable user experiences across social, physical, and digital environments) as the project will leverage the University’s enabling, accessible, user-shaped environment in a way that is mana-enhancing for researchers and community.

Project (2 scholars)

Project Description: Ninety-six percent of firefighters in the US identify as men, and 82% identify as white. This statistic is widely mirrored across the globe (including in Aotearoa) in both professionalized and volunteer fire service organizations. In an industry with a long history of "machismo," finding workable solutions to building sustainable systems around equity is a challenging process. It is particularly relevant in the face of climate change as fire suppression and fire service organizations themselves face massive new challenges in the substantial increase in wildland fires both in and outside of urban areas and in many cases, are looking to grow substantially to face climate challenges. This project lays the foundation for a process of community-leadership-driven co-research with the Portland Metro Women’s Fire Camp (PMWFC), an industry leader in driving equity change, as a way to understand grassroots change around gender equity within fire services. The overall aim of the research is to understand better the impact of community-led institutional change through the vehicles of training, mentorship, and intentional allyship as modelled through the establishment and expansion of the Portland Metro Women’s Fire Camp and the ongoing impact of the Camp and its experience (and follow up mentorship) on women entering fire services, or similar male-dominated industries in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

Scholar’s Work and Expectations: The Scholar's work is divided into two main parts: For the first five weeks of the scholarship, the scholar will search for and catalogue relevant secondary literature on the state of women in the fire service. The scholar will be expected to produce a literature review that includes relevant practical and theoretical data and information summarizing the state of gender equity within the fire service in the United States. For the second five weeks, the summer scholar will work closely with Dr Callie Vandewiele in Auckland and a community leader at the Portland Metro Women’s Fire Camp (PMWFC) to create a preliminary online survey targeted at graduates of the PMWFC designed to help better understand the impact of the PMWFC on their career aspirations and experiences. The scholar will bring together these two pieces of work together into a research proposal with a preliminary draft survey which will be reviewed by the community leader in the PMWFC.

Required Skills/Pre-requisites: The Scholar should have strong critical thinking, reading, and writing skills and some experience in creating a near-graduate level literature review would be helpful. The Scholar will be expected to work independently and to engage critically in the co-creation of a research proposal so it is hoped that the scholar is passionate about gender equity and interested in learning more about cooperative and community-driven anthropology.

Benefits to Scholar: The scholar will hone their research skills in critical thinking, writing, and literature engagement and be able to demonstrate in future applications their proficiency in moving a research project beyond the literature review stage. Additionally, with close mentorship from Dr Vandewiele, the scholar will gain hands-on experience in the early stages of creating community-led anthropological research grounded in the needs and actions of community leaders seeking to draw on academic resources to better understand the impact of their own actions and to use research to drive future programmatic changes. This project would be especially of interest to students interested in beginning a research-focused graduate degree in the near future.

Alignment to Taumata Teitei: This project aligns with Tuamata Teitei through: Research Priority 3: Relevant, purposeful and impactful research for our communities by directly learning from an emerging industry-standard equity process outside of Aotearoa and producing research distilling relevant practices and standards that can inform those seeking to create similar change through mentorship within the fire services in Aotearoa. Research Priority 6: A research ecosystem characterized by collaboration, agility, simplicity, engagement and empowerment: by modeling community-driven and co-led anthropological practices in research on a Global Stage, highlighting exciting and innovative ways of using anthropology to better understand social change from within. This project aligns with the faculty values through: Strategic Goal 1, Objective 2 of the most recent Arts Faculty Research Strategy of Developing the next generation of researchers by actively including the summer scholar in two significant aspects of research project development and fostering in them an ability to more successfully pursue graduate education through research. Strategic Goal 2, Objective 2, by fostering international connections between the University of Auckland Arts Faculty and national leadership in gender equity and parity working groups in the United States Fire Service Industry. Strategic Goal 3, Objective 1, by establishing a research relationship within a space in the US research eco-system that is both under-researched and currently of significant interest to local and state funders on the West Coast due to the increased visibility of fire suppression and the importance of the fire service and the long-unaddressed employment disparity within it. While this project does not directly incorporate mātauranga Māori project, I (Dr Vandewiele) continue to upskill my knowledge and understanding of mātauranga Māori at the University of Auckland and in the research sector in Aotearoa, including:-participation in the Te Tiriti reading group led by Carisa Showden in 2020 for the Faculty of Arts - attended as an auditing student a special topic course on Māori politics offered by Associate Prof. Lara Greaves in 2020 to begin an ongoing process of self-education on the history/context of Aotearoa; - participation in a noho marae hosted in Whangaroa and by Associate Prof Aroha Harris, through the Faculty of Arts; - ongoing engagement in Te Reo education through the University of Auckland and online self-driven resources. My engagement with mātauranga Māori remains a space of active learning for me as a new(ish) immigrant to Aotearoa – New Zealand and I am committed to continuing this process and to take up opportunities for more guided learning as they become available.

Project

This project examines the recent out-of-court settlement between ExxonMobil and anonymous plaintiffs who reside near the joint ExxonMobil-Indonesia oil and gas extraction zone on the north coast of Aceh, Indonesia. The plaintiffs endured torture, sexual assault, and beatings by Indonesian soldiers contracted by ExxonMobil. What are the benefits of settlement after 21 years of efforts to bring this case to trial? Just as important, what is lost when parties seeking redress for past human rights violation settle? We are also interested in the wider disparities among communities across Aceh with legitimate claims for redress after the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) laid down its arms and retracted its claim for Aceh’s independence from Indonesia. Many groups, GAM ex-combatants foremost among them, enjoyed access to post-conflict benefits and redress from the Aceh Reintegration Agency and other organisations, but various other civilian and combat groups (such as pro-Indonesia ex-militia, women ex-combatants, survivors of gender-based violence, and Javanese transmigrants) had unequal access to these resources. The summer scholar will review and summarize relevant social science literature on transitional justice issues and the politics of redress, particularly with respect to Aceh and similar cases.

Scholar’s Work and Expectations:1.Literature search. Generate a list of current literature on transitional justice issues and the politics of redress, both globally and with respect to the Aceh (and similar) cases. (supervisors will provide some key examples of past scholarship)2.Provide concise summaries of most relevant findings with key quotes.3.Write up a thematic literature review that summarizes key aspects as they relate to the Aceh case (and similar).4.Assist with the analysis, compilation, and presentation of literature in dialogue with data that the supervisors collect from the Aceh case, which may include excerpts from the Aceh provincial government’s archive of Truth and Reconciliation testimonies. Summer scholar may also conduct web and database searches for relevant court and related records.5.Construct chronology related to the case study.

Required Skills/Pre-requisites: The research assistant should have • good academic writing skills and be proficient in the use of referencing systems. • a background in the critical social sciences • background knowledge of human rights in the context of extractive industries and/or ethnonationalist conflicts. • knowledge of Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) would help, but is not essential.

Benefits to Scholar: The summer scholar will gain experience doing research on a contemporary case of redress in the aftermath of egregious human rights violations that involve both transnational corporations (ExxonMobil), national counter-insurgency security forces (Indonesian military), sub-national insurgency actors (Free Aceh Movement), and the ordinary civilians that were caught in between these contending forces. Students interested in human rights, transitional justice, politics of redress, and post-conflict recovery processes in general will be able to leverage this research experience toward future postgraduate study in politics, conflict and terrorism studies, development studies, public policy, anthropology, and/or law. Both supervisors will ensure that the summer scholar is aware of the relevant postgraduate study options in the School of Social Sciences. The summer scholar will also gain academic writing skills and be given an opportunity to co-publish with Drs Armoudian and Grayman.

Alignment to Taumata Teitei: Faculty priorities and values along with any other relevant strategies/policies. This may include mātauranga Māori and Ō Tātou Mātāpono (100-150 words max): This project meets Taumata Teitei values through its “deep engagement with diverse Aotearoa and Asia-Pacific communities,” “improving health and well-being for all,” and “advancing just, cultured, and engaged communities.”

Project

This project uses Pacific research methodologies to trace Pacific perceptions of migration to Aotearoa, New Zealand. This project builds a base from which to understand Pacific perceptions and experiences of migration to Aotearoa New Zealand. This base contributes to two different projects. The first is to consider what Pacific being whanaunga means in terms of migration and obligation. The second is to explore the RSE scheme in relation to Pacific experiences. This base is inclusive of literature, public policy and community activism. This project will help to determine priorities for Pacific migration research.

Scholar’s Work and Expectations: The summer scholar is expected to conduct a literature review on Pacific perceptions of migration to Aotearoa, New Zealand. The summer scholar will also build a cartography of different Pacific led community programs that relate to migration. The Summer Scholar will support the development of a programme of work for priorities for Pacific migration research.

Required Skills/Pre-requisites: Previous work on migration studies and/or policy; Ability to condense literature; Strong writing skills; Experience working with Pacific communities.

Benefits to Scholar: This Summer Scholarship forms the foundation for participation in a larger research grant that addresses Pacific RSE workers experiences and also Pacific as Indigenous migrants to Aotearoa New Zealand. This research has opportunities for graduate research. All my Summer scholars in the past have gone onto graduate studies. The scholar will meet with a network of researchers who engage with migration studies.

Alignment to Taumata Teitei: This project directly feeds into advancing just, cultured and engaged communities by exploring migration experiences of Pacific peoples. The use of Pacific research methodologies also contributes to wider commitments to advance Pacific research and researchers. This project is developed within an ethos of service and aims to ensure that research is of service to Pacific communities and can be utilised to change our collective futures.

Project

While much attention has been paid to the politics of Nuclear Powers, that is, the nations who possess nuclear weapons, this project turns our attention to “non-nuclear” states who are implicated in upholding nuclear imperialism in the world. Considering the infrastructures of “peaceful” and “sustainable” nuclear technologies, such as nuclear weapons storage, nuclear waste dumping, uranium mining, nuclear energy reactors and the use of nuclear-powered (but not nuclear-weapon) military equipment such as submarines, this project broadens discussions of the politics of nuclear power to include non-weapons technology in a transdisciplinary perspective. This transdisciplinary project considers the relationship between colonialism, climate justice and contemporary “peaceful” nuclear practices. The summer scholarship will focus specifically on how Aotearoa New Zealand’s and Australia’s attitudes and policies towards nuclear technologies play a role in condoning nuclear politics within the Pacific region—potentially at the expense of climate justice. It will also situate these technologies and their infrastructures into wider discussions on sustainability and climate justice in the Pacific, considering the connections between nuclear justice and climate justice and how these “peaceful” and “sustainable” nuclear infrastructures shape/hinder appropriate responses to the climate crisis.

Scholar’s Work and Expectations: This projects helps to train students’ research, analysis and report-writing skills. The work is split into the following components: 1. Literature review of key areas of scholarship (200 hours): using databases the scholar will log and compile relevant literatures related to nuclear politics in Australia or New Zealand as well as the connections between nuclear justice and climate justice in the Pacific. 2. Secondary source research (150 hours): using the sources available in the University of Auckland library and interloan service, the scholar will find, read and write short commentaries on media coverage of nuclear politics and nuclear justice/climate justice discussions in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific 3. Research report writing (50 hours): Mobilising all these sources, the scholar will write a research essay reflecting on their research findings, which is due at the end of the project. The scholar will be expected to attend a weekly meeting with the project supervisor(s) to discuss progress and findings.

Required Skills/Pre-requisites: Familiarity with qualitative data analyses or literature reviews; Familiarity with academic search engines such as Google scholar or Scopus; Basic knowledge of bibliographic software; Experience with Excel is an advantage; An interest in climate change politics, Pacific politics, or nuclear politics; Good analytical and writing skills; Ability to work independently and as a team; Enthusiasm for research and learning new research tools. Applicants should address these required skills and indicate if they have been in touch with the proposed supervisor. This project is best suited to students who have taken courses in Sociology, Politics and IR, or Law and are genuinely interested in working on issues of nuclear politics. It is particularly suited to students who are looking to go on to pursue post-graduate study in Politics, Sociology, History, International Law or the Masters in Conflict and Terrorism Studies. The project supervisors especially welcome interest from Māori and Pacific students who would like to learn more about the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement—a regional, transpacific movement led by Indigenous peoples across Aotearoa and the Pacific which resulted in the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (the Treaty of Rarotonga) and Aotearoa New Zealand’s anti-nuclear policies. While the two supervisors are white settler women from North America, they have experience working with and supervising Indigenous, Māori, and Pacific students and will be able to assist students in locating any support and resources necessary beyond their capabilities.

Benefits to Scholar: The scholar will gain skills through involvement in key parts of a collaborative research process. In particular, the scholar will gain additional skills in critical analysis and the writing of literature reviews, learn to build electronic libraries/ bibliographies and databases using relevant software. In addition, the student will build capacity in feminist and anti-colonial theoretical framings, including exposure to feminist research methodologies. The research experience will add value to the student’s CV, and will improve their career opportunities and confidence in pursing ongoing tertiary studies. This project is particularly advantageous for scholars who wish to expand their skills and experience in transdisciplinary research in the social sciences.

Alignment to Taumata Teitei: This project aligns with Taumata Teitei’s commitments to transdisciplinarity and collaborative research, as well as its commitments to sustainability and fairness (equity). It is also a research topic that is ambitious in its attempts to confront two of humanity’s greatest challenges: nuclear threats and climate change. This directly contributes to Priority 4 of Taumata Teitei’s Research and Innovation Strategic Initiative.

Project

This project considers how the New Zealand and Australian Defence Forces are planning for, executing, and funding climate security responses. Climate change is widely expected to exacerbate national security challenges. Militaries consider climate change a “threat multiplier” that will impact both strategic planning and deployment needs. Increasingly, institutions who train for combat are being mobilized to respond to population displacement, resource-related violent conflicts, and extreme weather events like flooding or bushfires. This project will explore and situate climate change as a security priority within Australian and New Zealand defence policies and evaluate the proposed climate-related measures of the ADF/NZDF through policy analysis of key documents and discourse analysis of key press releases.

Scholar’s Work and Expectations: The work is split into the following components:1. Literature review of key areas of scholarship (75 hours): using databases the scholar will log and compile relevant literatures related to defence and climate security politics in Australia or New Zealand; 2. Primary and Secondary source research (275 hours): using the sources available in the University of Auckland library and through publicly available data, the scholar will find, read and conduct analyses on key policy documents and media releases; 3. Research report writing (50 hours): Mobilising all these sources, the scholar will write a research essay reflecting on their research findings, which is due at the end of the project. They can focus this report on a case study or aspect of the research that they find particularly interesting or revealing; The scholar will be expected to attend a weekly meeting with the project supervisor to discuss progress and findings.

Required Skills/Pre-requisites: Familiarity with qualitative data analyses or literature reviews; Familiarity with academic search engines such as Google scholar or Scopus; Basic knowledge of bibliographic software; Experience with Excel is an advantage; An interest in climate change politics, Pacific politics, defence policy or foreign policy; Good analytical and writing skills; Ability to work independently and as a team; Enthusiasm for research and learning new research tools. This project is best suited to students who have taken courses in Politics and IR, Public Policy, History, Sociology, or Law and are genuinely interested in working on issues of defence or climate politics. It is particularly suited to students who are looking to go on to pursue post-graduate study in Politics, Public Policy or the Masters in Conflict and Terrorism Studies. Applicants should address these required skills in their application and indicate if they have been in touch with the proposed supervisor.

Benefits to Scholar: The scholar will gain skills through involvement and mentoring in key parts of a collaborative research process. The scholar will develop skills to conduct independent literature reviews and learn to build electronic libraries/ bibliographies and databases using relevant software. In addition, the student will build capacity in qualitative research methodologies and primary source analysis. The research experience will add value to the student’s CV, and will improve their career opportunities and confidence in pursing ongoing tertiary studies. This project is particularly advantageous for scholars who wish to expand their skills and experience in qualitative research in the Social Sciences.

Alignment to Taumata Teitei: This project addresses strategic research priorities of Taumata Teitei. First, the research focus includes sustainability as a key issue for national institutions. Defence force planning for climate disasters and climate changes is an area of research that will require ethical and innovative approaches. The project directly explores how defence procurement, defence policies, and defence attitudes are being shaped by climate change and the redefinition of climate change as an urgent national security issue. In Taumata Teitei, the project aligns with Priority 3 (Relevant, purposeful, impactful research for our communities) and Priority 4 (Ambitious research confronting humanity’s greatest challenges).

Project

Project Description: Anthropology houses extensive archaeological collections from Aotearoa and the wider Pacific. In 2020 archaeologists at the University began a project to better manage the collection, developing a working document around collection management procedures. During the move from Building 201, it became apparent there are objects in the collection that are relatively unknown. Good curation of archaeological collections begins with a robust knowledge of the collections and their history, in addition to the physical care of the objects. If the goals of the wider project, including processing, conservation, storage, and deaccessioning of taonga are to be met, we need detailed information about the collections we have. This includes a database of objects, digital records related to the objects (e.g. field notes, photographs), histories of the collections, and the current state of the objects. This is a large task that will not be completed in one summer, but this summer scholarship will follow on from work already begun to partly develop a process for the wider collection. This summer project focus on one assemblage in the collection from an archaeological site.

Scholar’s Work and Expectations: The scholar’s work will consist of several tasks, 1) cataloguing objects from the chosen assemblage, 2) digitizing and compiling existing digital records associated with the assemblage, and 3) compiling a history of the collection including information about the original excavation/survey and subsequent studies on the assemblage. This will include working with the supervisor to establish the legal status of the objects if relevant. The student will also document any relationships between the collection and the wider community. This may include understanding previous relationships with relevant iwi or hapū or other descendant communities if not from Aotearoa. This will form the basis for future relationship (re)building between the University and communities whose taonga we house. As part developing a history of the collection the student will also investigate the location of other potential collections from the site. It is possible that some material is housed in other museums and institutions. The scholar will spend time in the archaeology lab or storage facilities around campus documenting the assemblage. The student will work with the supervisor to develop a prototype database structure and spend time learning how to identify objects in the assemblage, depending on the experience of the student. It is expected the student will produce a database of objects in the assemblage, a document library of digital records, and a written summary of the collection history. The collection history document will likely be turned into an academic paper co-authored by the student.

Required Skills/Pre-requisites: Basic familiarity with data management in archaeology, some experience in field and lab working with archaeological material would be useful but not essential, interest in collections management and curation would be useful.

Benefits to Scholar: The scholar will gain knowledge of the process of collections-based research including cataloguing objects, digitising records, and researching collection history. The student will gain knowledge of relevant legislation protecting objects in Aotearoa. The student will work closely with the supervisor to develop their skills and understanding of work involved in looking after collections as a possible future career path. It is intended the student may go on to use this as a basis for post graduate research on the collection studied over summer or use these skills to study another collection. This would also be potentially of interest for a student intending to pursue study in the Museums MA program.

Alignment to Taumata Teitei: This project directly relates to the University’s role as kaitiaki for archaeological collections from a range of locations including Aotearoa and the need to improve our practices. Compiling collection histories allow us to connect communities with their taonga, strengthening the relationship between the University of Auckland with those communities (Priorities 3.1, 3.3). This project, as with all summer scholarship opportunities, provides research led, experiential learning experience (Priority 1.3).

Project (2 scholars)

Natalie Blair Memorial Summer Scholarship in Archaeology

Project Description: The focus of this Natalie Blair Summer Research Scholarship is investigating Ahuahau Great Mercury Island archaeological depositional processes, the creation of gardening matrixes via additives such as charcoal, shells, and fire cracked rock, and the ecodynamic relationships associated with niche construction. Excavations at Tamewhera and Waitetoke have documented a series of raised-bed taro gardens with associated areas for dryland kumara. Initial micro and macro botanical analyses coupled with radiocarbon dating indicate that people initially settled the island some 700 years ago and created a highly productive horticultural landscape. During the excavations at Tamewhera and Waitetoke a series of sediment cores and samples were recovered. The geoarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental analysis of these by the summer scholar will provide insights into the pre-human palaeoenvironment and how the area was transformed through the intentional and unintentional actions of people.

Scholar’s Work and Expectations: The scholar will prepare samples and conduct geoarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental analyses of the Tamewhera and Waitetoke sediments. Analyses might involve laboratory techniques such as assessing total organic carbon, grain size distributions, and XRF (X-Ray fluorescence) and XRD (X-ray diffraction) of sediments. Soil micromorphology profiles might be obtained using thin-sections and micro-analysis (microscopy and electron microprobe) to determine soil development processes. Analyses will be conducted in the Roger C. Green Archaeological Laboratory and in the School of Environment laboratories. The scholar will conduct analyses and statistically assess the results, and write a report on their work. The Scholar will be expected to be a cordial and productive research collaborator. They should be open to suggestions and directives from their supervisor and other project team members. They should have the ability to think laterally and proactively solve problems, and an enthusiasm for the research process.

Required Skills/Pre-requisites: Ability to work as a member of a transdisciplinary research group and openness to being supervised and supported during project activities; Ability to conduct independent laboratory activities; Ability to develop and follow consistent protocols and procedures; Familiarity with Excel and statistical software is advantageous, and the ability and desire to develop these skills is necessary; Desire to develop report writing skills.

Benefits to Scholar: The summer scholar will be a member of a well-established transdisciplinary research group. This group involves staff, postgraduate and undergraduate students. The scholar will be integrated into the group and will be supported and supervised by Ladefoged and a PhD student working in the lab. Being part of the research group will teach the scholar how to be a productive research collaborator. The scholar will be shown the benefits of postgraduate study and encouraged to pursue their academic goals.

Alignment to Taumata Teitei: This archaeological project is investigating the past lives of Māori and the world that they lived in and created. The Scholar will learn how to collaborate in a transdisciplinary project and learn new analytical and communication skills.