Report on material hardship and impacts on ākonga wellbeing and educational outcomes: Bachelor of Applied Social Work (BASW) and Bachelor of Nursing Studies, Tai Tokerau Wānanga, NorthTec, 2021

The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of material hardship and deprivation amongst ākonga enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Social Work and the Bachelor of Nursing degrees at Tai Tokerau Wānanga (NorthTec). NorthTec is located within the Tai Tokerau rohe (Northland Region) which is characterised by a cultural richness imbued by Māori tāngata whenua (Indigenous people of the land) status but low in socioeconomic resources. Using a mixed-method approach, ākonga (students, learners) participated in an online survey questionnaire based on the DEP-17 index, which is designed by the New Zealand government to measure a series of non-income standard-of-living items. Qualitative data was obtained from a small group of randomly selected students who were interviewed kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) using a semi-structured questionnaire. Analysis of the data shows clear patterns of material hardship and deprivation along with psychological stress. The findings are consistent with previous studies and show ākonga employ similar coping strategies. The findings of the study are intended as a basis for highlighting ākonga circumstances and to further explore ways in which hardships can be feasibly addressed within the social work and nursing programmes. Key findings show that the experiences of material hardship and deprivation of participants are consistent with the annual government reports specified under the Child Poverty Reduction Act 2018. These reports are generated from data collated on the income status of households in Aotearoa. This data is derived from the annual Household Economic Survey (HES) conducted by Stats NZ using the DEP-17 index. The 2019 report showed that 13.4% of children lived in a household experiencing material hardship. This was indicated by a DEP-17 score of six or more items (Stats NZ, 2020a). The report shows that low income and relative material hardship rates of Māori are higher across all measures compared to non-Māori.