Connecting Place and the Everyday Practices of Parenting: Insights from Auckland, New Zealand

Karen Witten, Robin Kearns, Tim McCreanor, Liane Penney and Fuafiva Faalau
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Karen Witten: Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Massey University, PO Box 6137, Wellesley Street, Auckland, New Zealand
Robin Kearns: School of Geography, Geology and Environmental Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Fuafiva Faalau: Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Massey University, PO Box 6137, Wellesley Street, Auckland, New Zealand

Environment and Planning A, 2009, vol. 41, issue 12, 2893-2910

Abstract: This paper asks how the material differences between suburban neighbourhoods influence parents' experience of place and their everyday practices of parenting. Building on a view of place as ‘becoming’, we examine how the accessibility of community amenities and the in-place production and maintenance of social practices contribute to the cohesiveness of neighbourhoods and the social capital resources available to parents. We draw on a 2002–03 study of experiences of Maori, Pakeha (European), and Samoan parents residing in six diverse Auckland neighbourhoods. Analysis of the parents' narratives highlight aspects of the neighbourhood environment that give meaning to participants' daily experiences of parenting, and foster or impede the social relations of place. Beyond purely locational issues, the nuanced relationships between material and sociocultural resources of neighbourhood profoundly influence local patterns of parenting practice. We conclude that place matters in parenting but the salience of the neighbourhood for accessing material and social capital resources varies for parents of different ethnic groups. ‘Jumping’ spatial scale to meet resource needs through the active creation of amenities was more common for minority ethnic groups.

Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envira:v:41:y:2009:i:12:p:2893-2910

DOI: 10.1068/a41377

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