Mary Simpson

Managing Communication Tensions and Challenges During the End-of-Life Journey: Perspectives of Māori Kaumātua and Their Whānau

The purpose of this study is to explore the cultural practices and communication tensions perceived among Māori kaumātua (elders) and their whānaunga (extended family) during the end-of-life journey. Further, the study aims to explore the manner in which the tensions are managed. The study was framed by relational dialectics theory and included interviews with 21 kaumātua and focus groups with 39 whānau members. The study identified three cultural practices (dying at home, prayer, and song) that helped to build connection among the family members and also helped to connect the dying person to the spiritual world. Further, four communication tensions were noted: (a) autonomy and connection; (b) conflict and connection; (c) isolation and connection; and (d) balancing the needs of self and other. To manage these tensions, the following strategies were used: (a) coordination conversations; (b) inclusion in decision-making conversations; (c) emotional support within the whānau; and (d) passing on lessons to the next generation.

A Mosaic of Visions, Daydreams, and Memories: Diverse Inlays of Organizing and Communicating From Around the Globe

This collaboratively multiauthored essay presents diverse tales of organizing and communicative practices in our global context. Authors from India, Nepal, Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, the United States, and Nigeria present individual contributions that coalesce around three clear thematic concerns regarding issues of organizing and communicating: (1) silence and voice, (2) the limits and consequences of linguistic and theoretical translations, and (3) the communal considerations of research politics and participation. The essay concludes with communal reflections on how it is that in attempting to engage with diversity we begin to see remarkable similarities not only in expressing a desire to be heard but also in making a commitment to let others be heard, not only in breaking boundaries and building alliances but also in moving towards a collective, inclusive, and participative conceptualization of the myriad shapes of organizing and communicating that exist in the contemporary global context.

Cultural Dilemmas of Choice: Deconstructing Consumer Choice in Health Communication Between Maternity-Care Providers and Ethnic Chinese Mothers in New Zealand

This article critically analyses the discourse of consumer choice embedded in health communication interactions between maternity-care providers and migrant ethnic Chinese mothers in New Zealand. Findings indicate that Chinese mothers, as the customers of the New Zealand maternity and health care services, are encouraged to “fit in” with the Western discourse of choice. However, the mothers’ cultural predispositions for childbirth and communication have a significant impact on the ways in which they respond to and resist this discourse. Drawing on theoretical insights from postcolonialism and Third World feminism, this article contributes to the study of intercultural health communication by examining cultural dilemmas in the discourse of choice that is often taken for granted in Western health contexts. In doing so, it builds a platform for an inclusive maternity care and health environment in multicultural societies.

The self-organising of youth volunteers during the Rena oil spill in New Zealand

ABSTRACT This study explores the communication and organising of youth volunteers during a crisis, focusing on how they conceived, framed, and executed self-organising efforts during the 2011 Rena oil spill in New Zealand. It offers insights into the intersections of self-organising, youth volunteering and crisis events which have not been researched before. The study addresses two core research questions: 1. how was ‘volunteering’ conceptualised by youth volunteers involved in the Rena crisis; and 2. how did these volunteers communicate and self-organise during this crisis? The findings indicate that self-organising emerged out of a resistance towards structured responses and as a reaction to the inability of the official volunteer response to meet the needs of the community. Self-organised efforts were particularly attractive among youth volunteers because they offered flexibility, required minimal administrative processes, and fostered an environment of innovation and creativity. The volunteers’ youthful energy and technological aptitude additionally drove their self-organised responses. The study identifies the considerable challenges that crisis officials faced in utilising youth volunteers despite the significant advantages of self-organising.

Differences in ideal communication behaviours during end-of-life care for Māori carers/patients and palliative care workers

New Zealand has an increasing multicultural and ageing population with greater increases in the population of Māori (indigenous people) than of Pākehā (European descent) projected. These changing demographics, along with the Treaty of Waitangi which frames relationships, services and politics in healthcare and elsewhere, result in a need for culturally effective and appropriate palliative care services.1 One key element for this level of service is the quality of communication among patients/carers and palliative care workers (PCW). Effective communication is challenging during the end-of-life journey, and the challenge is potentially exacerbated when PCW come from a different culture than their patients as has been found in New Zealand.1 Understanding how and why these challenges occur can be examined by exploring perspectives about ideal communication behaviours during palliative care. If there are differences in the ideal, both parties can communicate effectively from their own perspective and still ‘bypass’ each other. Thus, the purpose of our study was to identify differences in the ideal communication behaviours among kaumātua (elders 55 and older), their whānau (extended family) and PCW. This study was led by a Māori community health organisation that provides health and well-being services to kaumātua and involved a collaboration of health researchers/doctors, PCW and community members using a kaupapa Māori research approach.2 A kaupapa Māori approach provides a culturally rich methodology as it normalises Māori worldviews and practices through recognition of Māori language and culture. We interviewed 21 kaumātua with experience in end-of-life care with a partner or whānau member. Data collection involved soliciting stories about their experiences with end-of-life care. We conducted five focus groups with 39 whānau members from 14 distinct whānau groups all with experience in end-oflife care. Data collection involved using provocative statements to start a conversation and encourage the sharing of individual and whānau experiences. We also conducted three focus groups for the PCW – one group of six from a hospital palliative care team (all Pākehā), another group were eight members of a hospice team (seven Pākehā and one Pacific Islander) and a final group of seven Māori members from the community health organisation. Semistructured questions focussed on ideal interactive and cultural aspects during palliative care. Thematic analysis of the transcripts was completed by two researchers (one Māori and one Pākehā) to have a cultural insider and outsider perspective. Further details on the methods can be found elsewhere.3 Results identified some commonalities about ideal communication and yet three key differences emerged, particularly around cultural issues. Table 1 provides exemplar quotes for these themes. First, non-Māori PCW and kaumātua focussed on avoiding prejudice and cultural mistakes (e.g. placing a bedpan on a table where food is eaten) during palliative care rather than using tikanga (cultural practices such as waiata (songs) and karakia (prayers)) to support well-being. In contrast, whānau and Māori PCW suggested the significance of respecting and enabling tikanga to enhance the quality of care and facilitate wellbeing not simply avoiding mistakes. Second, kaumātua emphasised the need for whānaungatanga (relationship building) during end-of-life care to ensure a positive relationship was developed and honoured during the administration of palliative care. In contrast, whānau and PCW offered relationships that should be built before needing care as well as during care. They suggested that these foundations would enable whānau and kaumātua to understand their rights and the Differences in ideal communication behaviours during end-of-life care for Māori carers/patients and palliative care workers

Communication in Aotearoa New Zealand: The challenge of engaging globally and acting locally

This article outlines the evolution of communication studies within the university sector in Aotearoa New Zealand and how this diverse disciplinary field is situated within the academy through teaching and research. It identifies the highly competitive tertiary education structures and systems that can create disincentives for the collective organising of communication scholars both within and between tertiary institutions. At the same time, it acknowledges the international disciplinary contribution of Aotearoa New Zealand researchers, and recent successful inroads into gaining major grants. The article reflects on the challenges that come with the need to position ourselves as ‘internationally relevant’ while also finding ways of developing and supporting local communication studies initiatives, and contributing to the advancement of Aotearoa New Zealand as a bicultural nation.