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Chinese involvement in Te Aroha and its mining
(Historical Research Unit, University of Waikato, 2016) Hart, Philip
No Chinese mined in the Te Aroha district, but a few lived there quietly as market gardeners and owners of laundries. A few Chinese children attended the local school, provoking a controversy about these allegedly unclean children that saw the complainant defeated by public and press opinion. Only two Chinese invested in local mining; the career of one of these, Ah Chee, is summarized. Perhaps because so few Chinese lived in the district they were not seen as a problem by anyone apart from rival business men and women.
Te Ara Patupaiarehe
(Otago University Press, 2025-10-16) Apiata, Hāwea
Poetry written in response to Te Kāhui Hakuturi, a series of white pou whakairo that sit above State Highway 1 at Taupiri in the Waikato. Published in issue 250 of Landfall Tauraka by Otago University Press.
Construction and navigation of Asianisation in academia in Aotearoa New Zealand
(Taylor & Francis, 2026) Roy, Rituparna; Dam, Lincoln; Tan, Kyle K. H.; Teo, Aaron; Dejmanee, Tisha; Ang, Ien
Asians have im/migrated to Aotearoa since the nineteenth century. Despite this long history, Asians remain largely invisible and under-recognised in academia, and wider socio-political and policy discourses. Asians are not a ‘priority group’ for most equity-based policies in universities and beyond. In this chapter, we—three Asian scholars—engage in a collective reflection on our experiences of Asianisation, examining how our identities as Asian scholars are constructed, contested, and navigated within academic spaces. We draw on (Asian) critical race theory and racial triangulation to examine our racialised positioning as scholars of differing ethnolinguistic origins within the triangulated socio-political dynamics of ‘Pākehā (white settlers)-Asian-Māori’ in Aotearoa. Our critical reflections on the operation of Asianisation in Aotearoa academia are encapsulated into three interrelated themes: the presence of absence and representation challenges; epistemic racism and invisible Asian epistemology; and performing non-threatening Asianness.
The space between us: Researching student and teacher understandings of significant and influential student-teacher relationships
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Jack, Darren; Flanagan, Paul G.; Edwards, Frances; Taylor, Simon
A growing body of literature reveals that all people, especially the young, need to experience relationships that promote safety, trust, belonging and connectedness to other humans, in order to develop and reach their potential. Particularly for students holding negative self-constructs or lacking confidence within school contexts, a caring teacher may represent the single most influential relationship available to a young person at that time. Research links the development of significant and influential student–teacher relationships with experiences of student success, the development of positive self-beliefs and improved wellbeing. Despite this, the New Zealand Ministry of Education make little reference to student–teacher relationships (significant or otherwise) within their latest Strategic Intentions, prioritising instead, improved attendance, achievement and system stewardship. At a time when New Zealand has been ranked last out of 36 OECD countries for overall child mental health, a clear gap has emerged between the educational intent of the Government and the social and emotional needs of the students in this country. Within an interpretative phenomenological framework this study used semi-structured individual and focus group interviews to explore the lived experiences of being in significant and influential student–teacher relationships (STRs) for six Year 13 students and four secondary school teachers, in the lower South Island of New Zealand. The study also considered the influence that such connections had on the development of student self-beliefs and their experiences of competence and self-worth. Connections between STRs and an ethic of care in education was also explored. Characteristics of STRs described by participants fell within two key areas. The first area described the importance of authentic connections between students and their significant teachers. These were demonstrated by students feeling noticed, the exchange of meaningful dialogue, the provision of teacher time and student experiences of unconditional teacher acceptance. The second key area related to the establishment of relational equity within the STR. This was interpreted through the co-construction of student–teacher connections, teacher role flexibility and overarching student experiences of safety and trust. Participants in this study also presented compelling evidence that STRs positively influenced student self-beliefs and promoted better academic, socio-emotional and wellbeing outcomes. All students participating in this research reported significant and positive personal growth from the formations of their STR. The Space Within model, developed from this study, is offered as one possible interpretation of how student self-beliefs may be influenced by significant teacher relationships. A further finding from this study suggested that the emotional labour required of teachers in maintaining significant student connections without systemic support, occurred at the expense of that teacher’s own wellbeing, raising concerns regarding the sustainability of teachers supporting students in this way. This thesis provides a comprehensive and nuanced view of relationships considered significant and influential to students at the conclusion of their secondary school experience. It raises implications for both teachers and school leadership. Recommendations from this study encourage the provision of teacher professional development and resourcing to support and maintain STRs in schools.
Music and science: Improving student engagement through art and electronics
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Quimelli, Christian de Sá; Dean, Bronya; Cheng, Maurice M. W.
This thesis investigates how interdisciplinary, hands-on learning experiences using the Theremin can support student engagement, collaboration, and inclusion in a Brazilian public school. Motivated by post-pandemic disengagement, fragmented curricula, and fragile peer relations, the study implemented a fourteen-week series of workshops in which students aged 13–15 explored, built, and performed with Theremins across science and arts lessons. The research adopted a qualitative case study design informed by constructivist grounded theory. Data were generated through pre- and post-intervention interviews with science and arts teachers, focus groups with all four Year 8 classes, and a reflective research journal. Findings show that, for many students, the project contributed to a shift from isolated, on-task behaviour to more organic forms of group work. Make–test cycles, the need to share partial knowledge of the build process, and the ERA arc (Experience → Represent → Apply) encouraged help-seeking, peer explanation, and collective problem-solving. Some students who were previously described as disaffected or disruptive repositioned themselves as competent helpers and co-constructors of the instrument. Social and emotional bonds, practical relevance, and opportunities for creative expression were central to these changes, especially when the artefact travelled between school and home. This thesis makes an original contribution by specifying how task design and the Theremin’s unique affordances worked together to support engagement and peer interaction in this context, and by deriving design principles for low-cost, artefact-based STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) interventions. The Theremin’s affordances carried much of this work: its direct gesture → sound correspondence and visible hand motion made negotiation audible and visible, supporting imitation, turn-taking, and dialogue. At the same time, the study shows that a single STEAM project cannot offset structural barriers. Large classes, policies focused on numbers, socioeconomic hardship, and experiences of mistreatment continued to shape how far engagement could be sustained and for whom. The thesis argues that low-cost, artefact-based STEAM interventions such as this Theremin project can inform design principles for supporting multiple dimensions of engagement and peer interaction, while also making visible the systemic conditions that limit their reach.