Cultural Appropriateness in Aotearoa

New Zealand is a nation of broad diversity both culturally and ethnically. According to Halbert (2020) culture is a multifaceted system that consists of “beliefs and values that are socially transmitted” (p. 584) among people in comparable social groups. Although people of the same ethnic background are frequently referred to as having the same culture, ethnicity and culture are two different things. Cultural values and beliefs give the underpinning justification and or drive for a particular way of acting, thinking, and feeling.

OECD’s scale of ethnic diversity ranks New Zealand fourth out of all OECD members with 26.8 per cent of the population being foreign born (OECD, 2022). With a score greater than 25 per cent, Chen (2015) notes that New Zealand has reached the threshold for recognition as a country of superdiversity and in contrast to other nations with this status is distinctive due to having a large indigenous population, with Māori making up 16.5 per cent of the population (Statistics New Zealand, 2019).

New Zealand projections expect ethnic diversity to become more pronounced by 2043 estimating a likelihood of a decrease in the European population to 64 per cent while the remaining ethnic groups will all see increases, most notably the Asian ethnic group which is anticipated to make up 26 per cent of the population (Statistics New Zealand, 2021).

Providing career development services requires us to operate within the bounds of a collection of ethical standards (COE) as set out by the professional association. The Career Development of New Zealand's Code Of Ethics requires members to “give due regard to cultural diversity and in particular for the provisions of, and the spirit and intent of, Te Tiriti o Waitangi” (CDANZ, 2016). Furthermore, career development practitioners should “understand the culture-specific career development needs of Maori” according to the CDANZ Competency Framework (2018, p. 8). There is also a legal requirement to uphold obligations pertaining to the principles of the treaty. Assisting Māori to achieve successful outcomes in the labour market will require provisions for “options to participate in ways that are appropriate for their needs and circumstances” (Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, 2022).

The spectrum of diversity within the New Zealand population presents infinite possibilities for combinations of differences and similarities between individuals and shapes how individuals may see themselves and the world around them. As career practitioners we also need to be cognisant of our own cultural lens and how our worldview affects how we interact with clients professionally, how we see the concerns that clients describe, and how we plan interventions (Arthur, 2015).

These aspects highlight the complexities involved in cross-cultural communications and the importance of viewing our clients as distinctly unique individuals. Caution should be exercised “against assuming that all individuals from a certain cultural group—especially those who share your cultural background—have had similar life experiences and share common values about work” (Leong & Flores, 2013, p. 68).

Zunker & Osborn (2016) advise that establishing the client relationship from the outset is a vital factor in gaining an understanding of the clients’ identity and may be achieved through an interview. Looking within our organisation, the predominant client group is comprised of individuals referred for vocational rehabilitation, and this is where the commonality begins and ends. The use of an initial interview allows for deeper consideration of the multiple facets which make the individual uniquely “who” they are while removing the pitfalls of face value assumptions which pose the very real risk of stereotyping clients.

The initial interview is also a core component of uncovering what the client hopes to achieve from attending career counselling sessions (Osborn & Zunker, 2016, p. 5). The decision to use an assessment as part of the counselling process shouldn’t be indiscriminate, testing should have a purpose, driven by a combination of the clients’ needs and the career theory the practitioner subscribes too (Osborn & Zunker, 2016, p. 17).

The majority of career theories, counselling techniques and tools were created internationally and there is “reason to expect differences in New Zealand that may result in unique career circumstances” (Inkson et al., 2002, p. 42). Additionally, tools that have been adapted for use in New Zealand have not been well studied for their efficacy and usefulness (Inkson et al., 2002). While the “underlying purpose of these assessments is to help clients gain a better understanding of who they are to apply that knowledge to their career concerns and career decision-making process” (Osborn, 2012 p. 7) thought should be given to the cultural context before considering the best interventions for our client.

Carla

References:

Arthur, N. (2015). Infusing Culture and Social Justice in Ethical Practices with All Clients. In N. Arthur (Ed.) Counselling in Cultural Contexts (pp. 3—28). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00090-5

CDANZ. (2016). Code of Ethics. Career Development Association of New Zealand. https://cdanz.org.nz/ModularPage?Action=View&ModularPage_id=26

CDANZ. (2018). Competency Framework. Career Development Association of New Zealand. https://cdanz.org.nz/ModularPage?Action=View&ModularPage_id=27

Chen, M., (2015). Superdiversity Stocktake: Implications for business, government and New Zealand. Superdiversity Centre For Law, Policy And Business. https://www.superdiversity.org/wp-content/uploads/Superdiversity-Stocktake-Section1.pdf

Halbert, C. H. (2020). Cultural Factors. In M. D. Gellman (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (2nd ed., pp. 584—588). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39903-0

Inkson, K.; Furbish, D.; Parker, P. (2002). Fast Forward: Careers Research in New Zealand. Australian Journal of Career Development, 11(3), 36–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/103841620201100315

Leong, F. T. L., & Flores, Y.L. (2013). Chapter 3 Multicultural Perspectives in Vocational Psychology. In W. B. Walsh, M. Savickas, & P. J. Hartung (Eds.) Handbook of Vocational Psychology: Theory, research, and practice (4th ed., pp. 53–80). Routledge.

Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. (2022). Te Tiriti principles. https://www.mbie.govt.nz/business-and-employment/employment-and-skills/employment-strategy/maori-employment-action-plan/te-tiriti-principles/

OECD. (2022). Foreign-born population (indicator). Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. https://doi.org/10.1787/5a368e1b-en

Osborn, D. S. (2012). An international discussion about cross-cultural career assessment. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 12(1), 5-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-012-9220-0

Osborn, D. S., & Zunker, V. G. (2016). Using Assessment Results for Career Development (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Statistics New Zealand. (2021). Population projected to become more ethnically diverse. https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/population-projected-to-become-more-ethnically-diverse

Statistics New Zealand. (2019). 2018 Census population and dwelling counts. https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2018-census-population-and-dwelling-counts

* Carla Knight has kindly prepared the material for this post