Education
PhD candidate, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington, 2022–present
Research area: Intra-organisational pro-social behaviour within community social service providers that have new government contracts
Government funding is a major revenue stream for community organisations that deliver social services. A typical community organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand may have a complex web of contracts that cover different parts of the services they provide. Each contract is backed by a social investment logic, according to which agencies target funding for the right service at the right time for the right people. There is a significant body of literature on various aspects of government contracting. However, little is known about the effect of these practices on the relationships between the people within community organisations that enter these arrangements.
Research Supervisors: Dr Amanda Wolf and Dr Barbara Allen
M.A., Business Administration, Victoria University of Wellington, 2018
Research Report: Understanding the barriers and drivers for Māori to undertake succession to ownership of Māori Land
Research Supervisor: Dr Jesse Pirini
B.A., Education, Victoria University of Wellington, 2002
B.A., English Literature, Victoria University of Wellington, 2002
Research
Passmore, S. (2018). Understanding the barriers and drivers for Māori to undertake succession to ownership of Māori Land. (Unpublished MBA Research Report). Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
This report focuses on understanding the barriers and drivers for Māori to undertake succession through the Māori Land Court (MLC) to become owners of Māori freehold or customary land (Māori land).
Based on a survey developed out of exploratory workshops held with staff at Te Tumu Paeroa and the Māori Land Court, and rangatahi, a series of hypotheses were tested to measure how well the succession process is understood by owners of Māori land and what factors influence whether succession will take place. The alignment between concepts that underpin Whānau Ora and the drivers for whānau undertaking succession was also tested.
Finally, the research explored how long it takes for whānau to be ready to apply for succession, and the preparations they make in advance for the land to pass to the next generation.
Based on the findings of this research, it recommends developing the pockets of expertise within whānau into a network of highly knowledgeable succession experts who can support succession applications; focusing on increasing trust, equalising control, and reducing risk in the partnership between whānau and the MLC during the application process; and greater alignment between the succession processes and Whānau Ora concepts in order to reduce the barriers and promote the drivers that enable the legal connection to the whenua to be maintained from generation to generation
Teaching Experience
Facilitator & Workshop Designer, Te Tumu Paeroa, 2018-2021
Workshops and Courses: Understanding Barriers and Drivers to Succession; Introduction to Core Trustee Duties
Facilitator, New Zealand Veterinary Association, 2015-2016
Courses: Professional Mentoring and Wellness Programme
Instructor & Programme Developer, British Humanist Association, 2011-2014
Courses: School Volunteering Programme
Visiting Instructor, Roehampton University, 2013
Courses: Introduction to Humanism, Postgraduate Certificate in Education
Instructor, Personal Finance Education Group, 2007-2011
Courses: Personal Finance Education for Primary and Secondary Teacher; PSHE Teacher Training
Instructor, HSBC Bank, 2010-2011
Courses: School Volunteering Programme
Non-academic publications
Filament Magazine, Alternative histories: not rocket science, 2010
Filament Magazine, Women’s pro-wrestling: beyond the beauty pageant, 2010
Administration
Conference and Lecture Organising
2018 International Humanist Conference, Parliamentary Reception & International Humanist and Ethical Union General Assembly, Auckland & Wellington, New Zealand. Conference Organiser & Chair.
2011-2014 International Humanist World Congress, Oxford UK; Humanism and Religious Education Teachers’ Conference, London, UK; Centre for Inquiry UK Public Lecture Series, London, UK; Darwin Day Lectures, London, UK; Holyoake Lectures, Manchester, UK; Voltaire Lectures, London, UK; Shelley Lectures.; Oxford, UK.
Committees and Statutory Bodies
Chair, Wellington Sexual Abuse HELP, 2021 – present
Vice-President, New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists, 2019-present
Steering Group Member, Community Governance Coalition Steering Group, 2020-2021
Committee Member, Wellington Women’s House, 2014-2021
Committee Member, Guild of Agriculture Journalists and Communicators, 2015-present
Treasurer, New Zealand Humanists, 2018-present
President, New Zealand Humanists, 2015-2018
Vice-Chair, Southwark Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education, UK
Representative, Further Education Religious Education Forum, UK
Council Member, Religious Education Council for England and Wales, UK
Current Research
Intra-organisational pro-social behaviour within community social service providers that have new government contracts
Government funding is a major revenue stream for community organisations that deliver social services. A typical community organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand may have a complex web of contracts that cover different parts of the services they provide. Each contract is backed by a social investment logic, according to which agencies target funding for the right service at the right time for the right people. There is a significant body of literature on various aspects of government contracting. However, little is known about the effect of these practices on the relationships between the people within community organisations that enter these arrangements..
My research sets out to answer the question: Why do intra-organisational pro-social behaviours manifest the way they do? This ethnographic study is set within a relational sociology paradigm, which holds that social relations are the fundamental structure of organisations (Dépelteau, 2018). It considers three theoretical lenses: agency theory, public service motivation theory, and resource dependency theory.
The research will be presented as in-depth studies of selected representative community organisations in Aotearoa that have entered a contract with a government agency to deliver social services in the past five years. The proposed study is expected to contribute to the literature on government contracting of social services and these types of public-private partnerships. Research findings will benefit community organisations, the social sector, and government by providing evidence that can be used to bolster approaches in social sector commissioning.
Awards and scholarships
2023 Laurie Cameron Scholarship
2022 Wellington Doctoral Scholarship
Conferences
2023 Australia and New Zealand Public Policy Network Conference
Intra-organisational pro-social behaviour: Effects of government contracting on community social service providers
Fellowships
Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts
Qualifications and Training
2020 Strategic Thinking and Planning; People Management and Coaching, Victoria University
2019 Investment Governance Essentials
2018 Photography, InDesign & Illustrator
2015 Change Leadership, Victoria University; Champion Chairs and Great Governance and Dealing with Disputes, Community Law
2012 Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner Qualification
2012 Fundraising and Developing Major Donors
2010 Project Management, Open University (Pass with Merit)
2008 – 2010 Influencing and Negotiating, Writing Publications, Data Protection, Media Training, Proofreading, and Presentation Skills
Professional Memberships
Member of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Honorary Life Member of the Humanists UK, Member of the Humanist Society of New Zealand.
Sara Passmore 