Lara Greaves “Where do I enrol for my special treatment?” The effects of public backlash on an online Māori Electoral roll survey project
The online environment is becoming increasingly hostile to social science researchers both globally and in Aotearoa New Zealand. This research explores the issues confronted by a group of (mainly) Māori scholars in trying to conduct an online survey in the public domain about Māori electoral roll choices. Here, we describe the experience of conducting a survey online though three effects: (1) effects on the project administration, (2) effects on the researchers, and (3) the effects on the data. To supplement this discussion, we present an analysis of some of the online comments on the publicly available Facebook advertisements for the survey (n=157). Given the content of the comments, we created codes based on Moewaka Barnes and colleagues’ (2012) 14 Anti-Māori Themes and added supplementary codes. We describe the effects on the researchers and our efforts around a safety plan. We also present analysis of participant data in the survey (n=1,958) compared to the nationally representative New Zealand Election Study (n=747 of Māori descent), which, encouragingly, shows no discernible effect on the data collection. The research note illustrates pitfalls in the online environment for a Māori political science project and highlights potential issues for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Diwakar Khanal Perspectives and Experiences of Migrant Care Workers in New Zealand's Aged Residential Care
Abstract: Migrant care workers (MCWs) from the Global South frequently migrate to meet the growing demand for labour in aged care sectors in countries such as Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Japan, the UK, and the USA. In New Zealand, the aged care sector increasingly relies on MCWs, yet their experiences often remain marginalized and underexplored. Research highlights that Asian MCWs, particularly women, encounter systemic challenges, including racism, gender oppression, exploitation, low wages, and social marginalization. These issues are further exacerbated by cultural differences, language barriers, and unfamiliarity with local care practices, underscoring the precariousness of their roles despite their critical contributions. Existing research in New Zealand, reveal that MCWs endure emotionally and physically demanding work, providing "affective care" while managing long hours that contribute to burnout and fatigue. This study will explore the perspectives and experiences of MCWs in New Zealand’s aged care industry, with aims to address workforce sustainability, inclusivity, and equity. The study seeks to contribute to the development of a more sustainable and equitable aged care sector by deepening the understanding of MCWs' experiences, ultimately contributing to the existing body of literature on migrant labour in aged care through qualitative research using critical migration perspective.
Ritu Parna Roy and Francis L. Collins Exploring the production and maintenance of racialised burden in New Zealand’s immigration system
This paper explores how racialised burdens are constructed within New Zealand’s immigration system. Racialised burdens are the mechanisms of state power and administrative practices that limit the citizenship rights of racially marginalised groups and perpetuate patterns of inequality. Within immigration systems, ostensibly neutral policies and administrative directives such as skills assessment and selection criteria are often used as a policy instrument for ‘risk’ management or as filtering devices for selecting desirable immigrants. The framing of immigration in these ways claims outward neutrality and deters the scrutiny of the deliberate political choices that shape these instruments and their unequal effects. Drawing on the scholarship of racialised organisation theory, public administration and social policy, we developed a protocol to examine different migration and labour mobility categories and related policies to understand the production and maintenance of racialised burdens within the immigration system. Through analysis of the immigration policy measures in New Zealand, we identify the existence and implications of racialised burdens and the ways in which they unevenly affect white and non-white migrant groups while maintaining the pretention of a fair immigration system.
