Current Projects

New Zealand Values Survey 2005

The Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation (SHORE) and Te Ropu Whariki, Massey University collaborated with Dr Paul Perry, of Massey's Palmerston North Campus and Associate Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman of the Wellington School of Medicine to carry out the 2005 New Zealand Values Survey.

The New Zealand Values Survey is part of a wider World Values Study that is conducted in many countries throughout the world. The Values Survey covers a range of topics including people's values relating to economic, social and political matters. The current round of the New Zealand Values Survey was conducted by both telephone and postal methods. This approach allows for a comparison of the two different survey modes. Te Ropu Whariki reviewed the questions contained in the New Zealand Values Survey and carried out a pilot of the survey on Maori participants to ensure the appropriateness of the survey for Maori participants.

Reporting on the values of New Zealanders

Five reports detailing findings from the Values Survey are available to download. These describe New Zealanders' economic values, including specific reports on taxation and people's commitment to New Zealand, New Zealanders' social values, and New Zealanders' public life values.

Topics covered in the economic report include:

• The value people place on the economy and economic growth compared with other aspects of life
• The priorities people give to economic growth versus the environment
• People's satisfaction with the financial situation of their household
• Areas of government spending that people would be prepared to pay more tax to increase
• People's level of commitment to New Zealand and the factors that influence this
• The importance of work in people's lives and the factors important to people when choosing a job
  
  Topics covered in the social report include:

• The importance people place on a number of different life domains, such as friends, leisure time and spirituality
• The level of poverty in New Zealand, the reasons for this poverty, and views on the level of government help for people in need
• People's level of trust in others
• Views on immigration and the treatment of migrants
• People's level of pride in New Zealand People's attitude to science, its funding, and its control
  
  Topics covered in the public life report include:
  
  
• New Zealanders' voting choice and political preference
• People's satisfaction with government
• The principles of government that people want
• People's perceptions of government responsibilities
• New Zealanders' level of political action
• New Zealanders' level of interest in politics

 

Rich Dialogue Process

SHORE and Te Ropu Whariki will build on government and public interest in the public life component of the Values Survey with a Rich Dialogue Process. This process will bring together groups of New Zealanders for discussions on the significance of the public life findings. The groups that will be part of the Rich Dialogue Process include a group of community group participants, policy makers, Maori, and NGO participants.

Researchers – Professor Sally Casswell, Dr Paul Duignan, Emily Rose; Helen Moewaka Barnes, Dr Tim McCreanor (Whariki); with Dr Paul Perry, Massey University, Palmerston North and Associate-Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman, University of Otago

Funder – Foundation for Research, Science and Technology

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