The purpose of this project is to undertake the preliminary work necessary for a larger study that will explore how comparative views of “home” may relate to concepts such as identity, whakapapa, and hauora and how these concepts thereby impact decisions regarding access to (particularly) health services, as well as service utilisation and uptake in two areas – the Rangitīkei and Tāmaki Makaurau.
The project has started well with the completion of an annotated bibliography and comprehensive literature review, by student AUT Jana Nee, well in advance of our expected timeframe. Ethics approval was received from the Waipareira in-house ethical review board on 16 March 2020 and the New Zealand Ethics Committee (an ethics advisory committee serving social researchers not eligible for ethics review from the standing ethics committees for tertiary institutions or the health and disability sector www.nzethics.com) on 22 April 2020. As a consequence, fieldwork for the study began as planned in May 2020 and continued throughout June 2020.
With the country experiencing the constraints imposed by the Covid-19 lockdown levels, our interview method for the Ngāti Hauiti site was adapted. Whereas we had originally intended to undertake interviews kanohi ki te kanohi, this was impossible while the country was managing a pandemic. Instead all of the Ngāti Hauiti interviews were completed using Zoom. Our urban-based partner, Wai Research meanwhile, were able to conduct all their interviews kanohi ki te kanohi as they were done during the month of June when ‘lockdown’ restrictions had been relaxed. However, all participants were given the options of doing their interviews via telephone or Zoom if they preferred. The interviewer was also provided with a hygiene pack which contained disposable masks, hand sanitiser and wipes. All Wai Research staff were also required to undergo Covid-19 health and safety training including protocols for engaging with whānau. These protocols were applied by our interviewer where appropriate.
Team members from both sites are now in the process of analysing the interview transcripts with a view to conducting a face-to-face analysis hui in August. So far, despite of the challenges posed by Covid-19, we hope to complete the study as scheduled by the end of the year.
