School of Community and Public Health

Permanent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10292/10764

The School of Community and Public Health includes the following groups: • Public Health • Hauora Māori • Disaster Risk Management and Development • Pacific Health • Violence and Trauma • Health Law and Ethics • Psychotherapy • Counselling • Mental Health & Addictions • Lived Experience

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 616

Improving Primary Care Vaccination Rates in Underserved and Medically High-risk Populations: A Rapid Review of Strategies Used in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
(Elsevier, 2026-04-26) Fisher, Georgia; Wright, Bree; Vickery, Tina; Charania, Nadia; Spanos, Samantha; Pagano, Lisa; Churruca, Kate; Ellis, Louise A; Forrester, Bianca; Braithwaite, Jeffrey
Background: Despite excellent evidence for the effectiveness of vaccines and their inclusion within multiple clinical guidelines, vaccination coverage remains sub-optimal and inequitable in countries around the world, including in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Interventions in primary care, and involving primary care providers, can be especially helpful to improve vaccination coverage. Methods: We conducted a rapid review of research published between 2015 and 2024 that described either interventions, or barriers and enablers, to improving vaccination coverage for medically high-risk and underserved populations. Studies needed to be conducted in primary care in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand. First, thematic analysis was used to describe barriers and enablers. Then, the content and outcomes of the included interventions were synthesised. Finally, barriers and enablers were mapped against the intervention strategies, to identify gaps between these factors. Results: Of the 42 included articles, 37 identified barriers and enablers, 11 described an intervention to improve vaccination coverage, and six did both. Barriers and enablers were identified at the consumer, practitioner and practice, and healthcare system level. Consumer-level factors included mistrust and hesitancy (barriers), and high perceived benefits of vaccination (enabler). Practice-level factors included competing demands (barrier), and positive attitudes towards population health interventions (enablers). Healthcare system-level factors included a lack of culturally informed services and issues with digital health systems (barriers), and policy-level supports for the development of co-designed, culturally informed, and equitable vaccination care pathways (enablers). These multi-level factors were rarely comprehensively addressed in interventions aiming to improve coverage. Instead, effective interventions tended to be narrower in scope, and included personalised vaccination calendars, SMS-reminder programs, and structured health assessments. Conclusions: The modest, but positive impacts of successful interventions may be improved using multi-level interventions that are tailored to target contexts and populations, which should be the focus of future work.
Tūhono - First We Connect: Attachment Through Indigenous Kaupapa Māori Research Methodology - Transforming Infant Mental Health
(World Association for Infant Mental Health, 2025-10-19) Mikahere-Hall, Alayne; Wilson, Denise; Pou, Pita
Our research paper by Alayne Mikahere-Hall, Denise Wilson, and Pita Perehama Pou, sets the scene with a report of an investigation of Māori perspectives on secure attachment relationships, and the development of a culturally grounded framework for transforming infant mental health practice through Indigenous knowledge systems. The Tūhono framework is a transformative paradigm that that is playing an important role in influencing international Indigenous attachment scholarship.
Navigating the Transition: A Scoping Review of System-level Factors in Biosimilar Integration for Immune-mediated Inflammatory Diseases
(Springer, 2026-02-24) Kumar, Shania; Dalbeth, Nicola; Gasteiger, Chiara
BACKGROUND: Patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases are routinely transitioned from originator biologics to biosimilars to reduce healthcare costs. While barriers related to patient and practitioner beliefs and knowledge are well-documented, less focus has been placed on system-level factors that may hinder biosimilar uptake. AIMS: This review aims to identify system-level factors that impact biosimilar brand transitions for treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, as reported by key stakeholders involved in real-world brand changes. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley framework and was reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). A comprehensive search was performed in APA PsycInfo, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and databases for major conferences in rheumatology, dermatology, and gastroenterology. Data from relevant studies were extracted and summarized onto a structured coding sheet before being synthesized. RESULTS: Of 2301 articles screened, 47 journal articles and five conference abstracts were included. Most studies were conducted in the United States and focused primarily on rheumatology. Barriers and facilitators were organized into four overarching themes. These were regulatory and approval processes (e.g., tendering practices, interchangeability policies, prescriber guidelines), healthcare system policies and incentives (including quotas, insurance coverage, reimbursement mechanisms, and rebates), infrastructure and logistics (such as supply chain considerations and storage requirements), and communication and education (including media and expert influence and the involvement of patient organizations). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple components of the healthcare system play a role in successful biosimilar transitions. Leveraging regulations, policies, infrastructure, and communication before, during, and after transition offers a practical blueprint for managing brand changes across health systems and therapies.
Stories That Heal: Reimagining Health Through African Literature and Tradition
(Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 2025-12-18) Oladimeji, Anuoluwapo Omowale; Alao, Jude Oluwapelumi
Health promotion in sub-Saharan Africa often has poor results because many interventions neglect local cultural frameworks. This paper reviews how African literature and storytelling, spanning oral traditions, novels, poetry and drama, can strengthen culturally grounded health communication. Interpreting narratives through the health belief model (HBM) and social cognitive theory (SCT), it examines how stories frame risk, model health behaviours and build collective efficacy. Drawing on works by Achebe, Ngũgĩ, p’Bitek, Soyinka and Bâ, alongside case studies of HIV, malaria and Ebola interventions, the analysis shows that storytelling can reduce stigma, enhance trust and inspire behavioural change. The paper recommends creating frameworks for integrating storytelling into health promotion, training health workers in narrative competence, and expanding research on its behavioural impact. African literature emerges as both an analytical and practical resource for culturally responsive, sustainable, public health strategies.
Kia Tīmata Pai: Parent- and Teacher-Reported Oral Language and Self-regulation in a Large Diverse Sample of New Zealand Toddlers
(Elsevier BV, 2026-04-15) Bakir-Demir, T; Marshall, S; Guiney, H; Moses, LJ; Kokaua, J; Salmon, K; Schaughency, E; Taumoepeau, M; Clifford, A; Edgeler, C; McLauchlan, J; Maruariki, N; Jose, P; Reese, E
Oral language and self-regulation are both critical for lifelong development. Both skills are developing rapidly in the toddler years, when informant-report measures are often used to assess such development. Yet research comparing parent and teacher reports of these skills in toddlers is limited. The present study compared parent and teacher reports of children’s oral language (gesture, vocabulary, syntax) and self-regulation (effortful control) with a large, ethnically diverse sample of New Zealand toddlers (N = 1481; 688 girls and 737 boys; Mage = 20.60 mo, SD = 3.38, range = 13-30). The sample included primarily New Zealand European, Māori, Asian, and Pacific ethnicities, from low to high socioeconomic status (SES). Parent and teacher reports of oral language were significantly moderately correlated whereas ratings of self-regulation were weakly, yet still significantly, correlated. Parents reported steeper age-related differences in children’s oral language and effortful control than teachers. Both parents and teachers reported greater effortful control for girls than boys. Few differences by ethnicity were noted in multivariable models except for a Māori advantage for gestures and a non-European advantage for effortful control (parent-report only). Teachers reported more differences in both oral language and effortful control as a function of family SES than did parents. These findings highlight that both parent and teacher reports of oral language and self-regulation are important, but parents may be particularly sensitive reporters of children's oral language and teachers of children's self-regulation.
Automated 4D Flow MRI Pipeline for the Quantification of Advanced Hemodynamic Parameters in the Left Atrium
(Nature Portfolio, 2026-01-16) Morales, Xabier; Elsayed, Ayah; Zhao, Debbie; Loncaric, Filip; Aguado, Ainhoa; Masias, Mireia; Quill, Gina; Ramos, Marc; Doltra, Adelina; García-Alvarez, Ana; Sitges, Marta; Marlevi, David; Young, Alistair; Nash, Martyn; Bijnens, Bart; Camara, Oscar
The left atrium (LA) plays a pivotal role in modulating left ventricular filling, yet its hemodynamics remain poorly understood due to the limitations of conventional ultrasound analysis. Four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging (4D Flow MRI) holds promise for enhancing our understanding of atrial hemodynamics, but its analysis is hindered by the inherently low velocities within the chamber and the modest spatial resolution of 4D Flow MRI. Heterogeneity in acquisition protocols and MRI vendors, and the lack of standardized computational frameworks further complicates the creation of large, comparable datasets needed to assess the prognostic value of hemodynamic markers provided by 4D Flow MRI. To address these challenges, we introduce a computational framework tailored to the analysis of 4D Flow MRI in the LA, enabling the qualitative and quantitative analysis of advanced hemodynamic parameters (e.g., kinetic energy, vorticity, and pressure). We applied this framework to a diverse cohort spanning different degrees of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction to investigate the prognostic potential of these metrics. Our framework proved robustness across multicenter data of varying quality, producing high-accuracy automated segmentations. Notably, our findings show that 4D Flow MRI-derived parameters provide superior differentiation between healthy and pathological states than those available to conventional hemodynamic analysis tools.
Communicative Musicality and Its Relevance to Psychotherapy and Counselling
(Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia, 2025-07-09) Green, Oliver; Collens, Paula
Adult psychotherapy and counselling are often described as “talking therapies”, yet much of what is communicated occurs non-verbally. Reviewing literature from the domains of music, neuroscience, infant studies, psychotherapy, and counselling, this paper explores the implicit musicality that is embedded within and constitutes human communication, and how this informs the therapeutic encounter. The paper draws on the concept of communicative musicality (CM) as a framework for understanding verbal communication in therapy, as this has been under-explored. Two interrelated elements are discussed: the musicality of speech and the rhythms of relational exchange (entitled “rhythm in relating”). These two dimensions of communication may offer a medium for connection, attunement, and co-regulation, in addition to providing insight into the client’s relational and developmental history. Psychotherapy and counselling are presented as fundamentally musical, embodied, and temporal, where meaning is co-created not only through words, but through the musicality of communication. This paper explores elements of music, vocal timbre, dynamics and melodic contours, dissonance and consonance, along with the embodied rhythms of sharing time, repetition, and improvisation, and rhythm in relating that express and constitute affective and interpersonal life. The study highlights how a sensitivity to the musical dimensions of therapeutic dialogue can deepen attunement to the client’s inner world, support relational repair, and enhance therapeutic presence. It proposes that psychotherapy and counselling education would benefit from including a CM-informed approach, enabling practitioners to listen not only to the lexical channel, but also to the musicality and rhythm of communication.
Me, Myself, and IE: Describing the Actualities of Undertaking Institutional Ethnography
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2026-03-10) Birch, Oliver; Adams, Peter; Cohen, Bruce; Newcombe, David
Through Institutional Ethnography (IE), one can explicate how people’s lives are being socially organised. The ethnographer creates an empirical account of what happens within a complex of institutional order, moving iteratively between data collection methods to see how the ‘institution’ occurs through people’s work, how texts are used to coordinate it, and how these texts reproduce ideology. They follow findings as they arise, with reference to the perspectives of ‘standpoint informants’. However, because this process is iterative, descriptions of IE studies vary greatly. Guidance on how to undertake IE’s methods is often specific to the institution being studied. To aid prospective ethnographers, the article describes a step-by-step process through which IE was interpreted and implemented in practice in a healthcare setting. Though it references research at an Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) service, the account is not prescriptive; rather, it illustrates how one might undertake IE-informed data collection and analysis while being consistent with what is expected of an IE.
School Absenteeism is an Early Indicator of Suicidality in Young People: A Retrospective Longitudinal Matched Case-Control Study Using New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure
(Elsevier BV, 2026-03-27) Zeng, Irene Suilan; Foster, Mandie; Garrett, Nick; Jones, Kelly; Cosmos, Dorothy; Ka'ai, Tania; Ng, Lillian
Objective School absenteeism, associated with social isolation and loneliness, may signal hidden risks that increase the likelihood of suicidal ideation and behaviors. Few studies have explored longitudinal associations between school absenteeism and suicidality. This study sought to examine longitudinal associations between school absenteeism (a potential early marker) and suicidality to identify other risk and protective factors of students and schools for suicide prevention. Study design Retrospective longitudinal matched case-control study. Methods We used the New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) database to integrate mental health outcomes with educational data. Based on clinical International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes and descriptions, we identified 3042 cases from 562,455 students (school year 6–13) enrolled in the education system in 2018, who had a subsequent hospital admission due to suicidality (2019–2021). Cases were matched using a 1:4 ratio with 12,168 control students by sex, school year-level, and ethnicity. Results School absenteeism was significantly associated with subsequent suicidality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR: 2.21, 95% CI 2.02–2.41). Other significant factors included students' post-school activities and previous suicidality; the school's region (secondary/minor urban schools vs. main urban), decile (a socio-economic index), and availability of Māori language learning (level C/D & above vs. not available). Conclusions School absenteeism is an early indicator of suicidality. Combined with other identified student and school factors, a risk stratification strategy for suicide prevention may be established to provide timely early prevention strategies for schools and students at high risk.
Sociodemographic Characteristics of Aotearoa New Zealand Oral Health Students: Do Student Cohorts Reflect the Society They Will Serve?
(Wiley, 2026-02-04) Loch, Carolina; Brunton, Paul; Moffat, Susan; Aarts, John; Carrington, Samuel; Lyons, Karl; Gray, Andrew; Curtis, Elana; Bristowe, Zoe; Kool, Bridget; Hendry, Chris; Bagg, Warwick; Scarf, Damian; Shaw, Susan; Tukuitonga, Collin; Williman, Jonathan; Wilson, Denise; Crampton, Peter
This study evaluated sociodemographic characteristics of students enrolled in dentistry, oral health and dental technology in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) between 2016 and 2020. Sociodemographic data were obtained from central student record systems and NZ population data from the 2018 Census. Age, gender and citizenship status were analysed for the whole cohort, whilst other categories were analysed for NZ citizens and permanent residents only. Descriptive statistics were presented as raw counts or rates per 100,000 of the population. Most NZ students were educated in the public system. For dentistry and dental technology, a third of the cohort were international students, contrasting with only 4% of oral health students. Most NZ-educated students attended schools serving socioeconomically privileged communities. For all programmes, most students came from urban areas and there were more female than male students enrolled. Māori and Pacific students represented 9.3% and 5.4% of enrolments, despite representing 20% and 9% of the NZ population. Māori and Pacific peoples and those from rural and low socioeconomic areas were underrepresented, despite efforts to address such inequities. Admission policies in NZ universities need to ensure that Māori and Pacific peoples and those from rural and low socioeconomic areas are considered from a social justice and equity positioning.
What App? Demographic and Drug Use Predictors of Buying Drugs via Different Social Media and Messaging Apps
(Elsevier BV, 2026-03-05) van der Sanden, R; Wilkins, C; Parker, K; Rychert, M
Introduction: Improving our understanding of how demographic and drug use factors shape social media drug market engagement is integral to targeting harm reduction and prevention responses to high-risk drug use and digital harm. Aim To identify demographics and drug use patterns that correlate with using specific social media platforms to purchase drugs. Methods: An anonymous online survey of New Zealanders who use drugs (N = 10,781) was used to explore social media drug purchasing. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify demographic and drug use correlates of using Facebook/Messenger, Snapchat, Instagram or high security apps (Telegram, Signal, Wickr) to purchase drugs. Results: Sixteen percent reported purchasing drugs via social media (n = 1731). Facebook/Messenger was most used (54.2 %), followed by Snapchat (47.5), Instagram (24.7) and high security apps (17.6). Respondents aged under 30 were more likely to report using Snapchat and less likely to report using Facebook/Messenger or high security apps. Snapchat purchasers were more likely to be Asian, students, use MDMA/ecstasy and cocaine, and purchase via “friends/family”. High security app purchasers were more likely to identify as male, reside in urban areas, use methamphetamine, psychedelics and cocaine, and purchase from a “drug dealer”. Facebook/Messenger purchasers were more likely to report a low income, reside in small town/rural area; and purchase from “gang members”, “drug dealers” and “friends/family”. Instagram purchasers were more likely to report cocaine use and purchasing from “friends/family”. Conclusions: Use of social media apps for drug buying are influenced by demographics (mainly age), drug market contexts, and drug type used.
Healthy Ageing in a Smart Urban Future: Co-designing this with Asian Older Adults in Auckland
(Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Library, 2026-03-24) Wang, Cassie Xi; Conn, Cath; Trafford, Julie
Auckland mirrors global patterns of urbanization and population ageing, where digital innovation and demographic change evolve together. As the economic dependency ratio rises, questions of how cities support older adults’ wellbeing become urgent. By 2043, Asian communities will form almost half of Auckland’s population, with a rapidly growing 65+ group. Many faces language, culture and digital barriers. These realities raise the guiding question of this study: How can Auckland’s evolving smart city systems be leveraged to support future healthy ageing among Asian populations? The research is framed by critical realism, which recognises both the lived experiences of individuals and the structural forces that shape them, and by critical inquiry and anticipatory governance, which together ask who benefits or is left behind in smart urban, and how governance can adapt to disruptive future uncertainties such as AI, biotechnology, and climate change. Using a co-design approach, bringing together older adults and key stakeholders in a culturally adapted “World Teahouse” workshop (an iteration of the World Café inspired by Asian tea culture to foster comfort and participant). Across 2-4 sessions, participants engage in games, storytelling, and mapping to co-create insights on how healthy ageing, migrant, technology and co-design intersect in Auckland’s future urban governance. The study will generate a shared artefact (e,g. ecosystem map, narrative scenarios, or a community-based co-design model) that acts as a signpost for policymakers and communities. Data will be analysed through a participatory and reflexive process, combining collaborative sense-making with thematic analysis and integrating participant feedback throughout. As a practice-led inquiry grounded in the researcher’s cross-cultural perspective,the study’s contribution lies in reframing healthy ageing as a governance as well as urbanism challenge rather than only a medical issue, and in showing how co-design with Asian elders can open new, inclusive, and future-ready pathways for urban systems that can help Auckland and other cities.
Amharic Oral Health Tools for Refugees: A Hybrid Review of OHIP-14 and WHO Adaptations
(BMC, 2026-02-11) Ketema, Betelehem; Lansdown, Karen; Al Naasan, Zeina; Han, Heuiwon; Trafford, Julie
Background: Despite the growing need for culturally valid oral health tools in refugee populations, no validated Amharic-language versions of key instruments currently exist. This review synthesises how the OHIP-14 and WHO Oral Health Assessment tools have been adapted across linguistic and cultural contexts, with implications for Amharic-speaking Ethiopian refugees. Aim: To assess how OHIP-14 and WHO-OHAFT have been cross-culturally adapted and validated globally, and to identify gaps and equity implications for developing Amharic-language tools in refugee contexts. Methods: We conducted a hybrid systematic–narrative review of 21 studies, using structured database and grey-literature searches followed by descriptive mapping and thematic synthesis. Studies were charted by language, adaptation procedures, and psychometric properties (e.g., Cronbach’s α, intraclass correlation coefficients). Cross-cultural adaptation frameworks, such as those of Beaton et al. and WHO translation guidelines, guided the assessment of methodological and linguistic rigour across studies. Results: Three main themes emerged: [1] consistent psychometric strength across diverse cultural adaptations; [2] methodological variation and reporting gaps in cross-cultural validation; and [3] a complete absence of validated Amharic-language tools. While Cronbach’s α values ranged from 0.72 to 0.99 (mean = 0.88), many studies omitted essential adaptation steps. Refugee-specific oral health beliefs, such as spiritual interpretations of pain, are rarely integrated. Conclusion: This review highlights both strong potential and critical limitations in current cross-cultural oral health assessments. It emphasises the ethical and clinical needs for developing validated, culturally appropriate Amharic tools. Cross-cultural adaptation should be seen as a step towards linguistic justice and oral health equity for Amharic-speaking refugee and displaced populations.
The Experience and Impact of Digital Technologies on Indigenous Populations in New Zealand During the Covid-19 Pandemic and Cyclone Gabrielle Using the Qualitative Kaupapa Māori Methodology
(JMIR Publications, 2025-03-14) Wepa, Dianne; Thomas, Shiji; Rahman Jabin, Md Shafiqur
Background: Pandemics, such as COVID-19, and climate change–related catastrophic weather events are increasing, impacting social connectedness within communities by disrupting social cohesion, increasing loneliness, and affecting mental health and social well-being. Digital technology, in addition to being used for communication, education, and business transactions, also plays a vital role in maintaining a country’s health and well-being, as well as sustaining economic growth. Objective: This study aimed to explore the experiences of Māori kaumātua in using digital technology to meet their health needs within Ngāti Kahungunu, North Island, New Zealand, during the COVID-19 pandemic and Cyclone Gabrielle. Methods: This qualitative study employed the Kaupapa Māori methodology to understand the challenges, resilience, and approaches used by Māori to maintain connectedness and access essential services. An inductive approach to thematic analysis, as recommended by Braun and Clarke, was used to ensure a thorough and robust data analysis. The user characteristic was assessed on a semantic level using the information provided in the narrative text. Results: The findings highlight the role of digital technology in disaster management and underscore the urgent need to address digital disparities in support of vulnerable populations. In this study, 14 individuals were interviewed, comprising 71% (n=10) women and 29% (n=4) men. These participants fell into different age groups, with 9 participants being 65 years or older (older adults). Of the total participants, 43% (n=6) were limited users, 43% (n=6) comprised confident users, and the rest (n=2; 14%) were normal users. A total of 6 themes emerged from the interview data: social connectedness and resilience, digital literacy and access to information, barriers to telecommunications and digital technology, cultural appropriateness and psychological barriers, perceived threats of feeling insecure, and impact on mental health and emotional well-being. Conclusions: Vulnerable situations such as pandemics and extreme weather events can have tremendous effects on the lives of Indigenous people who live remotely. The study also focused on the actions that should be taken to mitigate these challenges and overcome difficult circumstances, such as the pandemic and the cyclone. The recommendations include a better health care system and improved coordination among care providers, user-friendly digital solutions, ensuring local funding and community services, establishing training processes for basic digital skills, and fostering leadership and partnerships with Indigenous New Zealanders.
Re-thinking Gender Beyond the Binary in Disasters: Othering and Hybrid Identities of Hijras in India
(Routledge, 2026-03-09) Sharan, A
Diverse gender groups experience disasters in different and unequal ways. In disaster studies, gender is still often understood as synonymous to [cis]women. As a result, the experiences of individuals not conforming to the binary gender categories are often left out of the gendered analysis of disasters. Additionally, the Western classifications of gender diverse groups as LGBTIQA+ often do not align with gender identities in South Asia. Given this context, this chapter explores the experience of hijras, believed to be the oldest non-binary group in India, in disasters. It looks at how colonial legacies and local cultural contexts form the basis of their ‘othering’ in their everyday lives, which makes them vulnerable at the time of disasters. Further, the chapter delves into understanding the hybrid nature of their identities that provides hijras space to resist against the forces of othering in the form of their unique capacities.
Compassion Starts Within: Mental Health and Wellbeing for Healthcare Professionals
(Adjacent Digital Politics Ltd, 2025-07-11) Wepa, Dianne; Levin, Tanya
Healthcare professionals are the backbone of every society, yet they are often the most neglected when it comes to their own mental health and wellbeing. Burnout, compassion fatigue and moral injury are not just buzzwords; they are daily realities for nurses, doctors and allied health professionals. Informed by the work of Dr Dianne Wepa, such as cultural safety and self-compassion, this short guide draws on practical strategies for supporting the mental health of healthcare workers.
Mental Health in the Health Workforce
(Adjacent Digital Politics Ltd, 2026-01-19) Wepa, Dianne
Mental health in the health workforce is shaped not only by registration processes but also by how everyday workplace cultures enable or undermine psychological safety. A different angle on recent discussions of regulatory barriers is to focus on “compassionate systems” that embed mental health support into the design of health services, rather than placing the responsibility solely on individual resilience.
The Adaptive System: Networks, Relationships, and Boundaries in Disaster and Emergency Management
(Wiley, 2026-02-26) Miller, T; Le De, Loic ; Hore, K
Disaster and emergency management (DEM) systems face increasing complexity, with overlapping hazards and diverse actors. Understanding how such systems function adaptively is essential for improving coherence and resilience. While DEM research recognises interdependence, less is known about how relational and structural dynamics interact to shape performance. This study addresses that gap by examining Aotearoa New Zealand's DEM system through a Constructivist Networked Grounded Theory (CNGT) approach, integrating complexity and network theory. Data from 40 participants revealed the system as a complex adaptive network - a dynamic web of relationships, roles, and feedback loops. Three interlinked themes emerged: fluid boundaries that influence inclusion and legitimacy; relational enablers such as trust, learning, and cultural partnership; and systemic frictions that constrain adaptation. Across these themes, information flow proved central to coordination quality. The findings suggest that effective DEM requires shifting from control to stewarding the relational and cultural conditions that sustain collective learning and adaptability.
Towards Happy Relief Campers: Surfacing Psycho-social Issues, Conflicts and Other Problems for Flood-affected Residents and Officials in Kuruwita, Sri Lanka
(Elsevier BV, 2024-01-09) Amarakoon, Vihanga; Trafford, Julie; Udeshika, Thilakshi; Amarasekara, Dulshara Sachini; Wickramasinghe, Deepthi
Floods are a common natural disaster globally, particularly in Asia, with significant impacts on humans and property. However, the psycho-social issues and conflicts faced by flood-affected residents and government officials who support them are less researched in the existing literature, particularly within the Sri Lankan context. This study aimed to explore the nature and reasons for conflicts and psycho-social issues arising for flood-affected residents within the Kuruwita Divisional Secretariat (DS) of the Kalu river basin of Sri Lanka following the 2017 flood event. It also investigated the problems faced by the government officials during flood events. The research employed a key informant mixed-method approach, with government officials participating in a two-part workshop where they answered a questionnaire and engaged in a poster presentation. According to the results, the main reason for conflicts was limited or uneven distribution of compensation, and officials faced problems when performing their duties during flood events, often related to the distribution of compensation and tensions arising from racial/cultural differences. The study concluded that it is crucial for the Sri Lankan government to provide solutions to the issues and problems faced by flood-affected residents and government officials who support these communities. Further research and policy development are needed for effective flood risk reduction within the Kalu river basin.
Existing School-based Programmes That Increase Young Peoples’ Capacity to Manage Stress: A Modified Systematic Literature Review
(Tuwhera Open Access, AUT Library, 2025-06) Batts, P; Blackett, J; Day, E
This research presents the results of a systematic literature review, modified in size and scope from a traditional review, exploring programmes provided through schools in New Zealand and Australia that aimed to increase young people’s capacity to manage stress. While this review was being conducted, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic was taking place, which reinforced the importance of addressing young people’s wellbeing. This review found several programmes that improved young people’s responses to stress and that could be adapted to classroom, outdoor, and online contexts. Interventions with promise included cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and outdoor programmes. Of those programmes that produced promising results, further research is warranted to confirm the efficacy of the interventions used in them.

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