Poverty and relationships in small town Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Authors
Pitt, L.
Keywords
Description of form
Oral Presentation.
Publisher
Rights
Rights holder
Issue Date
2024-11
Peer-reviewed status
Type
Conference paper
Abstract
Topic: An exploration of how people living in poverty talk about relationships which are meaningful to them. The presentation is based on a qualitative study where the stories of people who self-identified as experiencing poverty were gathered and the aim of the study was to give people experiencing poverty and living a rural community a ‘voice’. The presentation shares what the participants said about their relationships and how their relationships helped them manage daily life and/or added to their level of stress. Participants in the study lived in a rural location and geography combined with poverty made building and maintaining relationships problematic.
Basis of presentation: The presentation is based on a qualitative research project involving 28 participants who self-identified as experiencing poverty.
Findings: For many of the study participants experiencing poverty and living in a rural community resulted in social isolation and limited social capital. Relationships were strained by the ongoing stress of ‘making ends meet’, but all participants worked hard to keep their social connections intact and were keen to reciprocate in relationships with others, including those with social services. Having an awareness of the daily lived experience of poverty is important for people working in social work and welfare. Hearing the ‘voices’ of people experiencing poverty is a critical part of learning for ākonga who plan to work in social services.
Citation
Pitt, L. (2024, November 19-20). Poverty and relationships in small town Aotearoa New Zealand[Paper presentation]. ANZSWWER 2024 Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand.