Recognising and celebrating Pacific unpaid work and volunteering
Ministry for Pacific Peoples, 2021
This report captures Pacific peoples’ insights on volunteering and unpaid productive work. Guided by Pacific research principles and methodologies, data was collected through focus groups, talanoa – discussion – and a survey..
Mahi aroha: Māori work in times of trouble and disaster as an expression of a love for the people
Cram, Fiona. (2021) Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, Volume 16, No. 2. 356-370.
This paper uses the concept of Mahi Aroha (work done out of love and duty to the people) to understand how Māori volunteers responded to the Canterbury earthquakes and the Covid-19 pandemic. Cram details how these social arrangements helped promote Māori culture, identity and wellbeing and mitigate further impact of these disasters.
Community resilience demonstrated through a Te Ao Maori (Ngati Manawa) lens: The Rahui
Rewi, Leila-Dawn; Hastie, Jeanette Louise. (2021). Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, Volume 33, Number 3.
This research explores Ngati Manawa’s volunteer efforts following the Covid-19 pandemic of March 2020 in Murupara. The research explores the adaption of tīkanga and social relations to fit the protocol during the first wave of COVID-19.
Local volunteers respond to the Rena oil spill in Maketū, New Zealand
Kelly Smith, Heather Hamerton, Rebecca Sargisson and Sonya Maureen Hunt. (2016). Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online.
This paper details Māori efforts in Maketū during the oil spill in the Bay of Plenty in October 2011. The effects of the oil spill on the community are explored and how their sense of resilience was uplifted by cultural values and a strong sense of protection over their whenua and community.
The Social Report 2016 – Te pūrongo oranga tangata: Voluntary Work. Ethnic Differences
Ministry of Social Development, 2016.
‘Voluntary Work. Ethnic Differences’ is a subsection of the ‘Social Connectedness’ section which makes up The Social Report 2016. Excerpt: “Voluntary work underpins a wide range of groups and organisations whose activities contribute to social wellbeing including health; education; sports and recreation; social services; arts and culture; human rights; emergency services; the environment and conservation; animal welfare; and community support and development.”
A Māori love story: Community-led disaster management in response to the Ōtautahi (Christchurch) earthquakes as a framework for action
Kenney, Christine; Phibbs, Suzanne. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, December 2015.
This article addresses the Māori disaster management response to the Christchurch earthquakes and subsequent urban recovery processes, as an example of best practice. The discussion draws from research findings arising from two projects conducted by the Joint Centre of Disaster Research in partnership with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu (resident Māori tribe) that address Māori disaster–related concerns, including factors that facilitate community recovery. An overview of the Māori emergency response, including perceived hindrances, is provided as background.
Mana ngākau: Community compassion: Māori and Pasifika ‘volunteer’ work
George, Lily; Te Momo, Fiona; Brown Pulu, Teena Joanne. Massey University: Masilamea Press, 2013.
This book is a collection of stories from those who work in the heart of communities. By focusing on volunteers in specific communities, the discussions trace the changes in service delivery, access to resources, and the impact of state policies on services provided. It also strives to make connections between communities, volunteers, Māori, Pasifika people and the state.
An online copy of this document is currently unavailable.
Volunteering predicts happiness among older Māori and non-Māori in the New Zealand health, work, and retirement longitudinal study.
Dulin, Patrick; Gavala, Jhanitra; Stephens, Christine; Kostick, Marylynne; McDonald, Jennifer. Aging & Mental Health, July 2012.
This study provides evidence that volunteering is related to increased happiness, irrespective of ethnicity. It also provides further evidence that the relationship between volunteering and happiness is moderated by economic resources. Older individuals at the low end of the economic spectrum are likely to benefit more from volunteering than those at the high end.
The effect of neighbourhood diversity on volunteering: Evidence from New Zealand
Clark, J; Kim, B. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, 2012.
Excerpt: “We use pooled cross-section, between and fixed effects regressions to test whether volunteering rates are lowered by heterogeneity in race/ethnicity, language, birthplace, or income. We find that estimates are affected by neighborhood definition, and that ethnic and language heterogeneity are robustly associated with lower volunteering rates in New Zealand.”
Glimpses of a better world: The role of tangata whenua, community & voluntary sector in the Canterbury earthquake recovery
Nowland-Foreman, Garth. 2011.
This is Garth Nowland-Foreman’s address at the Our Future Community and Voluntary Sector Forum, hosted by Council of Social Services Christchurch and Te Runaka ki Otautahi Kai Tahu, in Christchurch on 28 July 2011. An excerpt from the speech: “One of the tribute songs written following the Canterbury earthquake includes the line ‘We are not heroes; we are a team’. In the aftermath of our quakes, who could be failed to be moved by so many people suddenly becoming altruistic, resilient, resourceful, and brave, stirred and motivated by a newfound sense of community and purpose. We have seen glimpses of a better world.”
A qualitative study into Pacific perspectives on cultural obligations and volunteering
Tamasese, Taimalieutu Kiwi; Parsons, Tafaoimalo Loudeen; Sullivan, Ginny; Waldegrave, Charles. The Pacific Section and The Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit, 2010.
This research project looks at Pacific conceptions of social capital including the concepts of acknowledgement and wellbeing, in order to highlight the Pasifika perspective and culture and how it relates to volunteering.
Mahi Aroha: Māori perspectives on volunteering and cultural obligations
Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector, 2007.
This document looks at the relationship between the fulfillment of cultural obligations and volunteering for Māori. It also discusses ideas of whanaungatanga and Mahi Aroha (work performed out of love, sympathy or caring and through a sense of duty). Finally, it describes the range of Mahi Aroha activities undertaken by Māori and the motives for doing so.
Pacific perspectives on cultural obligations & volunteering : finding meaning in what you do
Webster, Iris. Just change, February 2008.
This article presents findings from research into concepts of volunteering among Pasifika people living in NZ. It addresses the ideals of NZ volunteering in comparison to Pasifika community help.
Social capital and voluntary activity: Giving and sharing in Maori and non-Maori society
Robinson, David; Williams, Tuwhakairiora. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, December 2001.
This paper provides a definition of social capital and introduces a framework for understanding the concept in Mäori terms. The proposition that engaging in voluntary activity is an essential aspect of social capital leads to consideration of the way in which such activity is viewed in Päkehä and Mäori terms and conceptualised as a distinction between giving (European concept of volunteering) and sharing (Mäori concept of cultural obligation). Giving, sharing, duty and reciprocity are put forward as ways in which people behave, and volunteering is placed alongside public service, governance and unpaid work as illustrations of ways in which voluntary activity is described.
Can a Voluntary Organisation Be a Treaty Partner? The Case of Te Whanau o Waipareira Trust
Levine, Hal B. “Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, no. 17, Ministry of Social Development, 2001, pp. 161–70
This article documents Māori urbanisation in Aotearoa, and how their independent formation of voluntary associations aided in easing their adaption process. The article further explores whether it is imperative for voluntary organisations to be treaty partners.
