School of Social Sciences and Public Policy

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/2105
There is a wide range of research activity in AUT's School of Social Sciences and Public Policy. The school has an active research community, with staff and postgraduate research in areas such as psychology, sociology and public policy.

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Browsing School of Social Sciences and Public Policy by Author "Appleton, NS"

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    ‘The most difficult time of my life’ or ‘COVID’s gift to me’? Differential Experiences of Covid-19 Funerary Restrictions in Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Informa UK Limited, 2022) Long, NJ; Tunufa’i, L; Aikman, PJ; Appleton, NS; Davies, SG; Deckert, A; Fehoko, E; Holroyd, E; Jivraj, N; Laws, M; Martin-Anatias, N; Pukepuke, R; Roguski, M; Simpson, N; Sterling, R
    In 2020, the government of Aotearoa New Zealand imposed some of the most stringent funerary restrictions in the world as part of its efforts to eliminate COVID-19. This article explores how people experienced this situation, asking why restrictions that some described as precipitating ‘the most difficult time of their lives’ were described by others as a ‘relief’, ‘blessing’, or ‘gift’. Much existing literature frames funerary restrictions as a distressing assault upon established ways of grieving to which mourners must try to adapt – and in Aotearoa, both the stringency of the restrictions and the means by which they had been imposed did lead to many people finding them challenging. However, for those with ambivalent pre-existing feelings regarding their funerary traditions – such as many in the Samoan diaspora – COVID-19 restrictions afforded both a reprieve from burdensome practices and a much-welcomed opportunity to reimagine their traditions. Funerary restrictions, though disruptive, are thereby shown to have generative potential.
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    Negotiating Risks and Responsibilities During Lockdown: Ethical Reasoning and Affective Experience in Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Informa UK Limited, 2021) Trnka, S; Long, NJ; Aikman, PJ; Appleton, NS; Davies, SG; Deckert, A; Fehoko, E; Holroyd, E; Jivraj, N; Laws, M; Martin-Anatias, N; Roguski, M; Simpson, N; Sterling, R; Tunufa’i, L
    Over forty-nine days of Level 4 and Level 3 lockdown, residents of Aotearoa New Zealand were subject to ‘stay home’ regulations that restricted physical contact to members of the same social ‘bubble’. This article examines their moral decision-making and affective experiences of lockdown, especially when faced with competing responsibilities to adhere to public health regulations, but also to care for themselves or provide support to people outside their bubbles. Our respondents engaged in independent risk assessment, weighing up how best to uphold the ‘spirit’ of the lockdown even when contravening lockdown regulations; their decisions could, however, lead to acute social rifts. Some respondents – such as those in flatshares and shared childcare arrangements – recounted feeling disempowered from participating in the collective management of risk and responsibility within their bubbles, while essential workers found that anxieties about their workplace exposure to the coronavirus could prevent them from expanding their bubbles in ways they might have liked. The inability to adequately care for oneself or for others thus emerges as a crucial axis of disadvantage, specific to times of lockdown. Policy recommendations regarding lockdown regulations are provided.
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    Pathways and Obstacles to Social Recovery Following the Elimination of SARS-CoV-2 From Aotearoa New Zealand: A Qualitative Cross-sectional Study
    (Oxford University Press, 2022) Long, NJ; Appleton, NS; Davies, S; Deckert, A; Fehoko, E; Holroyd, E; Martin-Anatias, N; Sterling, R; Trnka, S; Tunufa'I, L
    Background Many public health experts have claimed that elimination strategies of pandemic response allow ‘normal social life’ to resume. Recognizing that social connections and feelings of normality are important for public health, this study examines whether, and for whom, that goal is realized, and identifies obstacles that may inhibit its achievement. Methods Thematic analysis of narratives obtained via a qualitative cross-sectional survey of a community cohort in Aotearoa | New Zealand. Results A majority of participants reported that life after elimination was ‘more or less the same’ as before the pandemic. Some became more social. Nevertheless, a sizeable minority reported being less social, even many months after elimination. Key obstacles to social recovery included fears that the virus was circulating undetected and the enduring impact of lockdowns upon social relationships, personal habits and mental health. Within our sample, old age and underlying health conditions were both associated with a propensity to become less social. Conclusions Elimination strategies can successfully allow ‘normal social life’ to resume. However, this outcome is not guaranteed. People may encounter difficulties with re-establishing social connections in Zero-COVID settings. Measures designed to overcome such obstacles should be an integral part of elimination strategies.
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