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Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

Christchurch has experienced a series of over 13,500 earthquakes between September 2010 and January 2012. Some children who have been exposed to earthquakes may experience post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD) including difficulty concentrating, feeling anxious, restlessness and confusion. Other children may be resilient to the effects of disaster. Western models of resilience relate to a child’s social support and their capacity to cope. The Māori model of wellbeing relates to whanau (family), wairua (spiritual connections), tinana (the physical body) and hinengaro (the mind and emotions). Children’s concepts of helping, caring and learning may provide insight into resilience without introducing the topic of earthquakes into the conversation, which in itself may provoke an episode of stress. Many researchers have studied the effects of earthquakes on children. However, few studies have examined positive outcomes and resilience or listened to the children’s voices. The objective of this study was to listen to the voices of children who experienced the Canterbury earthquake period in order to gain a deeper understanding of the ideas associated resilience. Individual interviews were conducted with 17 five-year-old participants during their first term of primary school. After the interviews, the teacher shared demographic information and reports on the children’s stress and coping. Six children were identified as New Zealand European and eleven children identified as New Zealand Māori. Children had different views of helping, caring and learning. Themes of resilience from Western and Kaupapa Māori models were identified in transcripts of the children's voices and drawings. Māori children voiced more themes of resilience associated with the Western model, and in the Tapa Whā model, Māori children's transcripts were more likely to be inclusive of all four components of well-being. How five-year-old children, having experienced an earthquake disaster during their preschool years, talk or draw pictures about helping, caring and learning can provide insight into resilience, especially in situations where it is not advisable to re-traumatise children by discussing the disaster event. Future research should interview parents/caregivers and whānau to gain further insights. Considering information from both a Western and a Tapa Whā perspective can also provide new insights into resilience in young children. A limitation of this study is that qualitative studies are not always free from a researcher’s interpretation and are, therefore, subjective.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of young children at the public launch event for Agropolis, which was part of FESTA 2013. Agropolis is an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. Organic waste from inner-city hospitality businesses is composted and used to grow food.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of children in Cathedral Square, playing with one of the large-scale puppets titled The Friars. The puppet was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, for Canterbury Tales, which was the main event of FESTA 2013. It is on display for the Meet the Puppets event.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of children in Cathedral Square, playing with one of the large-scale puppets titled The Friars. The puppet was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, for Canterbury Tales, which was the main event of FESTA 2013. It is on display for the Meet the Puppets event.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of children in Cathedral Square, playing with one of the large-scale puppets titled The Friars. The puppet was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, for Canterbury Tales, which was the main event of FESTA 2013. It is on display for the Meet the Puppets event.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of children in Cathedral Square, playing with one of the large-scale puppets titled The Friars. The puppet was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, for Canterbury Tales, which was the main event of FESTA 2013. It is on display for the Meet the Puppets event.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of a protest against the merging of Phillipstown and Woolston Schools. Staff and students from Phillipstown School lead a march down Ferry Road to highlight the dangers children will face walking to school if Phillipstown is closed. The video also includes interviews with Phillipstown Principal Tony Simpson and Christchurch City Councillors Peter Beck and Makere Hubbard, about the protest and the merger.