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General copyright and disclaimer In addition to the above conditions, authors give their consent for the digital copy of their work to be used subject to the conditions specified on the Library Thesis Consent Form and Deposit Licence. Community Participation and NGO Responses to the April 2014 Floods in Solomon Islands Carl Adams A thesis submitted in complete fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Development Studies, The University of Auckland, 2016. P a g e | I Abstract Floods are the most common form of natural disasters globally, disproportionately impacting lower income countries and in many cases the poorest citizens therein. The increasing frequency and intensity of floods present civil society, policymakers, and development practitioners the challenge of reducing disaster risk, and populations’ vulnerability to extreme weather events. This thesis explores the roles of affected communities in Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) responses to disaster in Solomon Islands, based on the experience of the 2014 flash floods. It investigates the extent to which communities were consulted and participated in NGO responses, and the factors which inform community-NGO relationships. It explores ways that communities interpret and respond to disasters, identifying factors that assist and constrain stakeholders in disaster response and recovery. The research is a qualitative case study, employing interviews, focus groups and document analysis. It is guided by a reflexive discourse analysis and narrative inquiry approach, which places the focus of the study on the experiences of participants. It finds that communities played very limited roles in NGO responses, especially non-dominant or marginalised sectors of society, such as youth, women, and people with disabilities. It indicates that failure to respond appropriately to the differentiated needs of affected populations can exacerbate their risk of experiencing secondary disaster. This thesis argues that there is a need to improve the inclusiveness of responses to disaster, engaging women, youth, and people with disabilities in decision-making in order to respond more appropriately to their needs. Secondly, it identifies that the channelling of funds through Members of Parliament (MPs) in disaster response is undermining the National Disaster Management Office and contributing to increasing dependency and opportunism among affected populations. It also highlights improving policy making and planning as having the potential to improve responses to future disasters. P a g e | II Acknowledgements The completion of this thesis must be credited in large part to the many people whose direction, advice, support, and contributions have proved invaluable along the way. I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Andreas Neef, for all your advice and guidance over the past year. You encouraged me to consistently aim higher and commit to achieving my goals. I am forever indebted to my family, who deserve a Nobel Prize in tolerance. You supported my aspirations and encouraged me even when the road ahead was unfamiliar. I stand on the shoulders of giants, to whom credit for this achievement belongs. I am thankful to my research assistants, Elisa Matahia, Patricia Kennedy and Jerry Tamonge. Your humour and wit (often at my expense) broke down barriers in the research process. I appreciate your support in coordinating and facilitating my fieldwork. I wish to express my gratitude to my fellow research Masters colleagues who kept a sense of humour when I had lost mine; I have valued the celebrations and commiserations we have shared on this journey. To my work colleagues at Tearfund, for reassuring and encouraging me over the past year, I am grateful. You exemplify many of the qualities and attributes to which I aspire. I would like to express my gratitude to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, for financially supporting my fieldwork through provision of the New Zealand Aid Programme Field Research Award. Lastly, bikfala tagio lo ufala oketa partisipants wea help lo disfala research. This work would not have been possible without your involvement. You have shaped this research and will continue to shape my work going forward. I hope that this study may in some small way contribute to improving future disaster responses. P a g e | III Table of Contents List of Figures.............................................................................................................................. VI List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... VI List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. VII Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Disaster in the ‘Hapi Isles’: Floods hit Solomon Islands ................................................................. 2 Research objective and research questions ................................................................................... 3 Stakeholders and relationships ...................................................................................................... 4 Chapter overview ........................................................................................................................... 6 Part I: SITUATING THE STUDY ....................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2. Establishing place and space ........................................................................................ 8 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 8 People and place ............................................................................................................................ 8 Colonialism to independence ......................................................................................................... 9 ‘Tensions’: Conflict and regional intervention ............................................................................. 11 Extractive and subsistence economy ........................................................................................... 13 Foreign aid dependence ............................................................................................................... 14 Salience of a politics of patronage ............................................................................................... 16 Disasters experienced by case study communities ...................................................................... 17 Chapter 3. Situating disaster in Solomon Islands: A review of relevant literature ......................... 20 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 20 Towards a hopeful post-development ......................................................................................... 20 Oceanic experiences .................................................................................................................... 23 Kastom: a guiding epistemology .................................................................................................. 25 Legacies of colonialism ................................................................................................................. 26 Understanding how disasters are experienced............................................................................ 29 Post-Disaster Response ................................................................................................................ 30 Gendered discourses and practice ............................................................................................... 32 Communities in Disaster Response .............................................................................................. 34 Chapter 4. Research Methods and Approaches ........................................................................... 36 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 36 Research epistemology ................................................................................................................ 36 Methodological framework: Narrative Inquiry and Discourse Analysis ...................................... 37 Fieldwork .....................................................................................................................................