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Wairua Consulting regularly publishes research and reports*, we also make some of them available here on our website or via links to external publications. If there is something you can't find here or you have a specific research or evaluation requirement, please contact us

Wairua Consulting publishes the AEN Journal to promote critical debate on issues facing migrants and refugees, ethnic diasporic and religious communities in Aotearoa/New Zealand as part of our commitment to the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme.

Disruptive spaces and transformative praxis: Reclaiming community voices through electronic democracy October 2006 | 451K/PDF | Community ICT and eDemocracy This paper describes an emergent eDemocracy process for community-level engagement. It discusses the technical and social spheres of community informatics and identifies a third sphere, transformative praxis, where processes and power structures are disrupted. This potentially allows for new opportunities, processes and solutions enabled by ICTs to emerge. Williamson, A. (2006, Oct 7-11). Disruptive spaces and transformative praxis: Reclaiming community voices through electronic democracy. Paper presented at the Comunity Informatics Research Network Conference, Prato, Italy.

Balancing the inequalities of information access August 2005 | eGov (India): HTML | Community ICT and eDemocracy Knowledge is power and information is the vehicle that conveys knowledge. Yet many citizens experience digital exclusion in addition to traditional forms of control. Where access to ICTs is available, individuals enjoy new opportunities to learn and communicate. They gain access to a wider range of information. However, others have a vested interest in mediating this flow of information and restricting access.

Wellington City’s new ICT Policy gets a cautious tick August 2005 | HTML | eGovernment A new ICT policy articulates Wellington City Council's position as a catalyst for ICT, bringing together otherwise disparate groups in the city with a three-way focus: economic development; community ICT and e-democracy. This new policy tells us that size really does matter - councils can and should play a pivotal role in the uptake of ICT in local communities because they have the scale and the reach to do so...

Walking upright here: Countering prevailing discourses through reflexivity and methodological pluralism May 2006 | Buy online | Migration and health Ruth DeSouza's book featuring the dual transition of migration and motherhood for women from Goa, India now living in New Zealand. This work illustrates the applicability of reflexivity and methodological pluralism in countering the hegemonic deficiency discourse associated with migrant women.

Comparison of OECD broadband markets May 2006 | External link | Telecommunications Findings from a review of broadband price and performance data from 26 OECD countries that objectively compares broadband services with those available in New Zealand. The report was commissioned by InternetNZ.

Local government must take a strategic view of ICTs or risk being left behind May 2006 | 76K/PDF | Community ICT and eDemocracy The internet is changing the way we live, work and play but access is not equitable or universal. Local government has a role to play in ensuring the uptake of ICTs and this can be articulated within the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) and Annual Plan process. However, it requires a shift in thinking and recognition that the costs of failing to proactively ensure ubiquitous broadband access and an information literate population will be high.

Comparison of UK and NZ consumer broadband March 2006 | 142K/PDF | Telecommunications This paper compares UK consumer DSL-based broadband with options available in New Zealand. It shows that New Zealand clearly lags behind the UK not just in terms of uptake but in terms of choice. New Zealand appears price competitive but customers receive relatively poor levels of service. The network monopoly limits variety in the market, making price a significant discriminating factor. The research suggests that New Zealanders could benefit from greater competition at an infrastructure level and that greater transparency of network standards and service levels is required.

Use of ICT in early childhood education December 2005 | 430K/PDF | Community ICT and eDemocracy A report on research Wairua Consulting undertook on behalf of the City of Manukau Education Trust (COMET) evaluating the use of ICT in Manukau City's early childhood centres. The report provides background on the use of ICT and recommendations for future action to improve uptake, skills and effectiveness.

Direct Qualitative Analysis of Data from Digital Audio December 2005 | 111K/PDF | Research New technologies offer increasing potential for supporting qualitative researchers in their work. Combining high quality digital audio recording with computer-based textual analysis software presents researchers with the opportunity to work directly from audio. The author’s present an example of coding directly from audio and explore the advantages of such a process, such as preserving the richness of the conversation and its value for analyzing large focus groups where English is not the first language for the majority of participants. Coding directly from audio also offers potential time saving, narrowing the delay between conducting focus groups and interviews and being able to analyze rich data, an important consideration in commercial or participatory research, where feedback loops need to be shortened.

A Review of New Zealand’s Digital Strategy November 2005 | External | Community ICT and eDemocracy The advent of New Zealand’s world-leading Digital Strategy underpins the increasing importance of ICTs in community settings. It marks a significant change in government policy and marks the first attempt at a whole of government approach to ICTs. This paper explores some of the ideas behind the strategy, describes the processes for its implementation and discusses some of the potential limitations. Williamson, A. (2005, November 12). A Review of New Zealand’s Digital Strategy. The Journal of Community Informatics [Online], 2(1). Available: http://www.ci-journal.net/viewarticle.php?id=108.

ICT as an enabler in the community and voluntary sector in New Zealand. August 2005 | 144K/PDF | Community ICT and eDemocracy New research shows that the internet is an important tool in the community and voluntary sector in New Zealand. It provides a link to support structures and access to resources for individuals and community groups. The study, undertaken by Andy Williamson as part of his research into community-led electronic democracy, shows that the internet plays an important role in facilitating community engagement within civil society and between civil society and government agencies. Williamson, A., & Dekkers, J. (2005). ICT as an enabler in the community and voluntary sector in New Zealand. In G. Irwin, W. Taylor, A. Bytheway & C. Strümpfer (Eds.), Community Informatics Research Conference (CIRN) 2005 (pp. 408-429). Cape Town, South Africa: Community Informatics Research Network.

Community ICT planning, support and training in New Zealand September 2004 | 716K/PDF | Community ICT and eDemocracy This report describes research undertaken in conjunction with Victoria University Wellington for the Department of Labour. It describes the New Zealand community ICT learning, planning and support environment with comparative references to overseas examples. The aim of this project was to describe and critically evaluate models for adoption by New Zealand communities and to describe how current community ICT initiatives in New Zealand are managing the provision of support and training and planning their projects (originally published in three parts, this download combines those into a single report). Craig, B., & Williamson, A. (2005). Survey of New Zealand community ICT organisations and projects. Wellington, NZ: Victoria University of Wellington/Department of Labour.

What we’ve learned from community informatics research in New Zealand June 2005 | 174K/PDF | Community ICT and eDemocracy A brief overview of community ICT usage and issues in New Zealand by drawing on examples of research Wairua Consulting has recently undertaken. The projects discussed here are two broad-based national surveys and two localised research and evaluation projects. Williamson, A. (2005, June 21). What we've learned from community informatics research in New Zealand. Paper presented at the 2020 Communications Trust's Thematic Seminar on Community ICT Research, Victoria University, Wellington, NZ.

Managing intellectual capital and intellectual property within software development communities of practice Due for publication Mid-2005 | Buy the book | Strategic use of IT A book chapter presenting a model to assist educational software development environments build the effective management of IC and IP issues into their practices. Williamson, A., Kennedy, D. M., DeSouza, R., & McNaught, C. (In press). Managing intellectual capital and intellectual property within software development communities of practice. In E. Coakes & S. Clarke (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Communities of Practice in Information and Knowledge Management. Hershey, PA: Idea Group.

Aligning technology to your business makes real sense April 2004 | HTML | Strategic use of IT As technology becomes more critical to business success, it is important to put in place not only support structures but governance structures. In today's highly competitive markets, aligning technology with business goals and ensuring that investment in IT is effective makes sense even for small businesses. Leaving technology to chance is not good business practice.

Summary of the 5-stage model April 2004 | 452K/PDF | Community ICT and eDemocracy A visual summary representing the components of a model for community empowerment through ICT

Five stage model for Community ICT April 2004 | 528K/PDF | Community ICT and eDemocracy Communities not only need access to new technology but also the skills to be effective users and relevant content. Ultimately they must become producers of new knowledge and information. Williamson, A. (2004). Getting ready for eDemocracy: A five-stage maturity model. Paper presented at the Australian Electronic Governance Conference 2004, Melbourne, VIC.

Issues of intellectual capital and intellectual property in educational software development teams December 2003 | External | Strategic use of IT Developing educational software requires a complex environment and a range of specialised skills. The ideas that lie behind successful software are drawn from a broad pool of talent and, as mobility increases, ideas are disseminated through informal and new work practices into a wider community. This paper addresses how participants in the development process can receive appropriate acknowledgement for their contribution, even after leaving a project. Williamson, A., Kennedy, D. M., McNaught, C., & DeSouza, R. (2003). Issues of intellectual capital and intellectual property in educational software development teams. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 19(3), 339-355.

Creating Online Discursive Spaces That Legitimate Alternative Ways of Knowing December 2003 | 83K/PDF | Online Learning Describes a model of use for online discussion boards that recognises them as a separate 'thinking space' beyond the formality of the classroom. This allows for the emergence of new discursive spaces in which the student has the opportunity to engage in learning in way that is culturally appropriate for themselves, valuing their own worldview and epistemology. Williamson, A., & DeSouza, R. (2002). Creating online discursive spaces that legitimate alternative ways of knowing. In A. Williamson, C. Gunn, A. Young & T. Clear (Eds.), Winds of change in the sea of learning: Proceedings of the 19th annual conference of the Australasian society for computers in learning in tertiary education. (pp. 731-740). Auckland: UNITEC.

Shifting the centre: The Internet as a tool for community activism December 2003 | 112K/PDF | Community ICT and eDemocracy Community websites can potentially humanise the process and experience of government and democracy by shifting debate from the political centre out to the community. By discussing sites with a community representation/democracy focus located in Waitakere City, Aotearoa/New Zealand, this paper examines the potential of the Internet to promote discourse and democratic practices. Williamson, A. (2003). Shifting the centre: The Internet as a tool for community activism. In S. Marshall & W. Taylor (Eds.), Proceedings of the 5th International Information Technology in Regional Areas (ITiRA) Conference (pp. 149-155). Rockhampton, QLD: Central Queensland University.

Invigorating an Online Civil Society May 2002 | HTML | Community ICT and eDemocracy Engagement in traditional community activities has been declining since the 1960s and with it social capital has fallen as well. So can the emergence of networked technologies and online communities arrest this decline or even reverse the trend? What does new technology mean for citizens wanting to engage in civil society at the beginning of the 21st century? This paper will briefly look at what it takes to create and, perhaps more importantly, sustain a virtual community and will identify some of the benefits and barriers that exist, highlighting some examples of successful online communities in the process.

E-government won't work without e-citizens March 2002 | External | eGovernment Over the last twelve to eighteen months, we have seen an emphasis on business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) online markets. Over the next twelve months, these sectors will start to mature and will be joined by eGovernment, offering electronic services to citizens, businesses and other government agencies, both intra and international. This article looks at some of the challenges facing governments and what they can and are doing to overcome them.

Application development after the revolution May 2001 | HTML | Doing Business Online The Internet revolution has happened and yesterday's new kid on the block is grown up, online and mobile. The virtual Winter Palace has been stormed, the dust has settled and reality is resumed. But this is a different reality from before, one where the boundaries between technologist, designer and marketer blur uneasily then evaporate altogether. In this new reality, the only constant is rapid change and the road to success is built on three simple rules: Get close to your customer, brand is everything and technology is part of the problem.

Evaluation of a web-based teaching session November 2000 | HTML | Online Learning An evaluation of a teaching session with both a classroom and a distance component (delivered via the Internet). The purpose of the teaching session was to provide an introduction to the concepts involved in building a home computer network.

Overcoming the digital divide October 2000 | HTML | Community ICT and eDemocracy The question that is asked frequently is how do we transform New Zealand into a knowledge economy? Behind this question lies the the digital divide or, more importantly, how we as a nation manage to heave ourselves onto the right side of the digital tracks. Unfortunately, the answer at the moment appears to be that a large proportion of New Zealanders won't.

The impact of the Internet on the politics of Cuba August 2000 | External | Community ICT and eDemocracy This paper examines the dramatic growth of the Internet, from the perspective of how it has presented the Government of Cuba with an opportunity to overcome the hegemony of the Western media and promote its own views on the world stage. It will also looks at how the Internet is being used to promote Cuba as an upmarket tourist destination, tourism now being Cuba's most valuable source of foreign currency and, therefore, critical to its ailing economy and at how anti-Government agendas and are using the Internet to counter the state 'propaganda' machine. Williamson, A. (2000). The impact of the Internet on the politics of Cuba. FirstMonday, 5(8), Available online: www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue5_8/williamson/index.html.

Maori and the new wireless frequencies July 2000 | HTML | Community ICT and eDemocracy Third Generation Cellular telephone technology heralds a new wave in wireless communications. The sale of four frequencies in the 2GHz range capable of carrying these services has attracted significant interest in Aotearoa/New Zealand. One of the frequencies will be reserved for Maori, the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, who have been economically marginalised over decades and, as a result, are now over-represented in virtually every negative statistic. In this paper, I will look at the background to the 2GHz radio spectrum auction, at the position of Maori in society and at Maori and other indigenous models for asset management. I will then examine how Maori can close the gap on non-Maori through the education, employment and economic benefits of owning one of the four radio frequencies.

Online auction fraud March 2000 | HTML | Doing Business Online Fraud and buyer security are the biggest issues facing the Internet auction industry. Internet fraud accounted for US$3.2 million in 1999 alone and most of that related to online auctions.

* DISCLAIMER: Wairua Consulting accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the information published nor for any consequences that result from the application of such public material. Usage of or referral to any data herein does not constitute any form of contractual obligation on the part of Wairua Consulting. E&OE.

You are free to download and print any of these documents for your own use. There is no charge for any of our published papers, however, they remain our property (unless otherwise indicated) and cannot be used for commercial gain. Please include any acknowledgement of authorship and copyright in full and, if used for academic purposes, cite the paper correctly. Note that some of the papers below are located on third-party servers, Wairua Consulting Limited cannot be held responsible for the content of such servers

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