FEBRUARY – Hui tanguru
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Professor Deborah Swinglehurst (England)
I am a Professor of Primary Care at Queen Mary University of London. I combine this role with clinical work as a General Practitioner in Suffolk, UK.
In my academic role I lead an interdisciplinary team of researchers (www.apollosocialscience.org) conducting qualitative research which addresses complex contemporary challenges in health care. Our research explores the interfaces of medicine, social science and linguistics, using a range of methodologies which include ethnographic, narrative and visual approaches. In all our projects we investigate health care as a human practice, illuminating the ‘work’ that patients, carers and clinicians engage in, and paying attention to its moral dimensions. This is important given the rising tide of bureaucratisation, marketization and standardisation which together threaten to reduce medicine and health care to a set of technical skills.
I lead several projects which focus on the care of people affected by multiple long-term conditions who are prescribed many medicines (polypharmacy). My research in this area began in 2016 with an NIHR-funded project, APOLLO-MM (Addressing the Polypharmacy Challenge in Older People with Multimorbidity) and several of our ongoing projects extend this work. We aim is to improve the care of these patients by producing ‘practice based’ evidence to inform a person-centred approach to care. I will spend my time at Vaughan Park engaged in data analysis, writing publications for academic and clinical audiences, and preparing public engagement resources to disseminate the findings of this research.
MARCH – Poutū te rangi
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Diane Robinson (Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand)
Kia ora, my name is Diane Robinson and I live in Auckland. My childhood ambition was to write novels. Somehow, I wound up as a Chartered Accountant! I make my living specialising in auditing the financial statements of churches, clubs and other not for profit organisations.
In 2021 I published my first novel Hive of Lies. It’s about an auditor who uncovers fraud in a honey company. A murder mystery set-in modern-day Auckland. It is exceedingly rare to see an accountant or auditor feature in fiction. So, by making my main character an auditor I am doing ‘write what you know’ and hopefully challenging the boring stereotypical image my profession suffers from. While at Vaughan Park I will be writing a follow up set in a landmark building in my local community.
In November 2022 I published a children’s novel Nikolai’s Quest aimed at 10-12 years old. It’s full of the things I enjoyed at that age; exotic location (Russia), map showing a secret tunnel, mystery, adventure and children outwitting adults!
I am actively involved in my local community through my church and the PTA of my local school. Nikolai’s Quest was launched in the school hall with the local book shop in attendance.
I’ve stayed at Vaughan Park a number of times with church retreat groups and am really looking forward to my month as the scholar in residence. If you see someone zooming down the drive on a fold up orange Ebike, its probably me!
JULY – Hōngongoi
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Elisabeth Price (Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand)
Elisabeth Price is a doctoral student at the University of Auckland. She has been a primary school teacher in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and here in Aotearoa New Zealand for over twenty years. Prior to embarking on her PhD journey, Elisabeth was the deputy principal of an Auckland primary school. The title of Elisabeth’s research is ‘Classroom conversations about death – the knowledge and perspectives of Aotearoa New Zealand teachers on preparing primary aged students for encounters with death’. Death is certain for all and it is also inevitable that as we progress through life we will be faced with the death of someone close to us. Yet for certain societies and cultures, death continues to be a taboo subject that is not openly and comfortably discussed. Much has been written about how to support those who have been bereaved, but less has been written about preparing children for future encounters with death. Through weaving together the model of te whare tapa whā and the four dimensions of education about death, this research aims to identify what the current situation is in terms of talking about death within Aotearoa New Zealand primary classrooms. The study also seeks to explore how the teachers within these settings feel about preparing their students for future experiences with death. In addition, this research will investigate the current approaches that are available to support and assist children in coming to terms with death and bereavement.
AUGUST – Hereturikōkā
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Rev’d Dr. Jione Havea (Melbourne, Australia)
Jione Havea is a native pastor (Methodist) from Tonga who is research fellow with Trinity Methodist Theological College (Aotearoa) and with Centre for Religion, Ethics and Society (Charles Sturt University, Australia). Jione is based in Melbourne where partner Monica works, and Diya Lākai keeps them on their feet. Jione’s time at Vaugh Park will be spent writing an article with the working title, “Snakes and Lads: A Youthly Reading of Num 21:4–9.” There are two aims of this article: first, to offer a youthly reading of the text (about the bronze serpent to which people bitten by serpents look and are saved). And second, to add to the development of youth hermeneutics -- read scriptural texts with the world(view)s and interests of youth. This article will follow up Jione’s previous reflection on youth hermeneutics: “Boring reading, forgotten readers.” Uniting Church Studies 10.2 (August 2004): 22–36.
SEPTEMBER – Mahuru
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Dr. Juliet Boon-Nanai (Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand)
Talofa lava and Warm Pacific Greetings
I made Aotearoa, New Zealand my home since 2008. We migrated because of health reasons. My eldest son, of six children, had a heart murmur. From then on, we stayed. I am of Samoan, Chinese, and German heritage.
It is exactly thirty years since I have worked in education. It began with a few years in secondary school, then the Teacher’s Training College, proceeded onto the Faculty of Education, and now I am an Equity Academic for Pasifika staff and students within the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences of the Auckland University of Technology (Akoranga North Shore campus). I find this a vocational role as it helps our students understand how our worldview is aligned with others so they can better navigate the spaces, wherever they end up living. In a holistic way we are part of nature, spiritually, economically, environmentally, and culturally. Harmoniously, we try to live in such a way. However, there are always challenges.
Sustainable development is a fashionable term, but it is always dictated from the bigger powers. How our local people conceptualise sustainable development is knowledge I wish to bring forth. I want Samoan people to voice their perception of what they want to sustain, and how they define it. Mo le manuia lautele, that is, for the wellbeing of ALL. I want to unpack this as a resident scholar of Vaughan Park. I am most grateful for the opportunity to pursue this endeavour.
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