Thesis Submitted To

‘Pre-season’ preparation: Māori and/or Pacific Island heritage players and their experiences in Auckland Rugby Academy Ashley Stanley A thesis submitted to Auckland University of Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Communication Studies 2020 School of Communication Studies Table of contents Table of contents ..................................................................................................... ii List of figures .......................................................................................................... iii Attestation of authorship .........................................................................................iv Abstract ................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1 – Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 Overview of the research ................................................................................................. 1 The origins of the research............................................................................................... 1 My standpoint ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Research fields ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Sport psychology................................................................................................................................... 7 Sport sociology.................................................................................................................................... 10 Rationale for the research and the research questions ................................................... 11 Research questions ............................................................................................................................. 13 Organisation of the thesis .............................................................................................. 13 Chapter 2 – Literature review ................................................................................. 16 Sport psychology ........................................................................................................... 16 Sport sociology .............................................................................................................. 22 Chapter 3 – Methodology and methods .................................................................. 31 Methodology ................................................................................................................ 32 Honouring Māori and Pacific players’ experiences – common values ............................................... 34 Talanoa methodology ......................................................................................................................... 39 Methods ....................................................................................................................... 43 First contact with potential participants ............................................................................................ 43 Data collection .................................................................................................................................... 45 Data analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 49 Chapter 4 – Findings and discussion ....................................................................... 57 Answer to main question .................................................................................................................... 59 Theme 1: Relationships rule everything around me ........................................................ 62 Relationship with academy staff (coaches, PDM, Academy Manager, etc.) and contractors ........... 63 Relationship between academy players ............................................................................................. 65 Relationship with family ..................................................................................................................... 67 Indirect influencers ............................................................................................................................. 68 Theme 2: Content and communication sets the (game) plan ........................................... 70 Long-term athlete development and goals, i.e., admin improvements (development with purpose) ............................................................................................................................................................ 73 Communication between and amongst players and staff, i.e., coaches, PDM, Academy Manager . 75 Communication amongst staff ........................................................................................................... 79 With external organisations, i.e., the Blues and rugby clubs ............................................................. 79 ii Theme 3: Understand the person beyond the player ...................................................... 83 External commitments, i.e., study, work, and implications for Pacific Island-born players .............. 83 Understanding oneself – person beyond the player .......................................................................... 84 Summary....................................................................................................................... 87 Chapter 5 – Conclusion ........................................................................................... 89 Overview of the research ............................................................................................... 89 Limitations and further study opportunities ................................................................... 91 References ............................................................................................................ 94 List of figures Figure 1.The six steps of TA (Braun & Clarke, 2006). ................................................... 52 Figure 2. Summary of main themes. .............................................................................. 58 Figure 3. The Fonofale model of health (Pulotu-Endemann, 2001). ............................. 86 iii Attestation of authorship I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person (except where explicitly defined in the acknowledgements), nor material which to a substantial extent has been submitted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning. Signed: Ashley Stanley 15 September 2020 iv Abstract It is no surprise that Māori and Pacific rugby players make up a high percentage of players in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world (Ryan, 2007). As audiences of these athletes, we are given little insights into their experiences and perceptions within a provincial union’s rugby academy. It is in these stories and through their voices that their lived experiences can be heard and honoured. This thesis aims to ‘level the playing field’ for these players, as their stories and anecdotal experiences add to the study of rugby communities and the sport psychology field by exploring rugby players’ experiences within a rugby academy in Aotearoa New Zealand. The 17 participants (ranging from year one to year three academy players as well as the wider Auckland Rugby contender squad) identify as having Māori and/or Pacific Island heritage. The research questions relate to understanding their overall view of the academy and then, more specifically, around what or who influences those experiences and how can they be improved. The research methodology and data collection method used was Talanoa, and the data analysis method was thematic analysis. To honour both Māori and Pacific worldviews and participants, similar underpinning values were chosen from both and used to help guide how the research was practically undertaken. The three key areas of research findings revealed how internal and external relationships impacted the overall experiences of the players; how content and communication went a long way in sustaining relationships; and the importance of understanding the person beyond the player, both from an organisation’s perspective as well as the players’. This research is of significant interest to a wide range of fields in Aotearoa and abroad, and assists existing and future academy staff in learning more about players in a way that can benefit both the players and the organisation in the future. The study also gives a heightened understanding of the multiple identities that rugby players in the v academy hold in relation to rugby and the changing makeup of Aotearoa which can help prepare for long-term development. vi Acknowledgements This has been a crazy beautiful journey - one I didn’t think or plan on doing in this lifetime. But I am grateful we did. First and foremost, to the participants – thank you for agreeing to share your time, energy and knowledge for this research project. I know I said it throughout the year, but

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