Overview

As noted in the introduction of this report, the research the DoL commissioned Research New Zealand to complete comprised three inter-related stages. The literature review (Stage 1) informed, in part, the design of the representative survey of mature non-participants (Stage 2), as well as providing important contextual information. The second stage identified a number of subgroups in the population of interest, and it was the intention of the third and more qualitative stage of the research to examine and investigate these subgroups in greater depth.

It is important to note that qualitative research focuses more on gaining an understanding, rather than on measurement. It is for this reason that the interviewing is typically undertaken on an unstructured basis, either as group discussions or individual interviews. The samples for most qualitative projects are also relatively small and this, again, reflects the emphasis placed on understanding. In fact, the number of respondents is of relatively less importance than how they have been selected to represent any subgroups of interest.

The sample

For Stage 3 of the research, individual face-to-face interviews were completed with a carefully selected sample of 24 mature non-participants. The sample was developed in consultation with the DoL to represent the subgroups of interest identified in the Stage 2 survey. These were:

• people with non-injury related health and disability issues
• people with carer responsibilities
• maori and Pacific peoples
• people from rural areas
• women.

Mature non-participants who considered themselves retired at the time of the research were excluded.

Recruitment criteria

Reflecting the findings of the Stage 2 survey, the primary recruitment criterion for the sample was whether or not the respondent was or was not actively looking for paid employment. Those who were not actively looking were recruited on the basis that they might do so in the future:^[3]

• n=12 respondents actively looking for work.
• n=12 respondents potentially looking (i.e. not actively looking at present).

Other criteria taken into consideration on a secondary basis:

• Ethnicity:
  • 8 Maori
  • 8 Pacific peoples, including New Zealand and Pacific-born people
  • 8 New Zealand Europeans and New Zealand residents from other ethnicities.
• Geographic location:
  • 16 urban respondents - the urban sample was drawn from the greater Wellington area and included 4 Maori, 8 Pacific peoples and 4 New Zealand residents from other ethnicities.
  • 8 rural/provincial respondents - the rural respondents included 4 Maori from rural Moerewa in Northland. This location was chosen because of the high density of Maori living in the area. The provincial respondents included 4 New Zealand Europeans and New Zealand residents from other ethnic backgrounds from Nelson. This location was included because the Department of Labour considered it important to include South Island representation in the sample.

In order to ensure that the final sample reflected the diversity of the population of mature non-participants and included those inhibited by non-injury related disability/health issues, respondents were also selected on the following basis:

• Age:
  • 12 aged between 45-54 years
  • 12 aged 55 years plus.
• Gender:
  • 12 males
  • 12 females.
• Main reason for not participating in paid employment:
  • 8 respondents who identify their main reason for exiting the paid workforce as personal health reasons or a non-injury related disability.
  • 8 respondents with carer responsibilities.

The sample from each geographic location and ethnic group included equal numbers of respondents from each of the two key age groups (4 respondents), equal numbers of males (4) and females (4), and between 2 and 3 respondents who said that their main reason for exiting the workforce was a non-injury related disability/health issue or carer responsibilities.

An overview of the sample is shown in the following table.

Recruitment

Respondents for this stage of the research were sourced from the respondent database for the Stage 2 survey and by using a network approach.

Half of the sample (12 respondents) was recruited by Research New Zealand's field team from a database of 100 respondents who had taken part in the Stage 2 survey and indicated that they would be interested in participating in further research.

The remaining 12 respondents were recruited using a network approach because of the limited numbers of these respondent types in the database. The network approach involved using known contacts within communities to identify appropriate respondents and to assist with recruitment. Respondents recruited by this means included the rural Maori sample from Northland, 6 respondents from the sample of Pacific peoples and 2 of the Nelson respondents.

The interviewing methodology

A qualitative research methodology was used to provide a depth and clarity of understanding, and supplement the breadth of information derived from the Stage 2 survey and the literature review (Stage 1).

Individual face-to-face interviews were used because of the diversity of the sample and because an individual approach is more appropriate when a greater depth of understanding is required. (Group discussions are better suited to homogenous groups of respondents).

The limitations of this stage of the research are inherent in the qualitative approach. That is, because of the small, albeit carefully selected, sample, it is not possible to determine the size or provide an accurate demographic profile of the qualitative segments identified in this stage of the research, although the statistical information derived from the Stage 2 survey has been used to provide approximations.

The senior researchers responsible for this stage of the research conducted all the interviews. Mati Fryer (Te Atiawa, Ngati Raukawa and Cook Island) conducted all interviews with Maori and Pacific respondents. Jane Falloon interviewed all New Zealand Europeans and respondents of other ethnicities.

Interviews lasted approximately 90 minutes and were conducted in Wellington (at Research New Zealand), Nelson (in respondents' homes) and Moerewa in Northland (in a community venue), between 6 and 21 June 2006.

Cultural and ethical considerations

Research New Zealand abides by the Code of Practice of the Market Research Society of New Zealand that is, in turn, based on the Code of Practice of the European Society for Social, Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR). The guidelines inherent in the Code of Practice are principally to protect respondents' privacy and the confidentiality of the information they provide through the research process. They ensure that:

• the information obtained through the research process is not used for any purpose other than for the purposes of this research
• neither Research New Zealand nor respondents have any conflicts of interests in relation to the Department of Labour, or the research topic
• respondents understand the purpose of the research and are assured of their confidentiality under the Privacy Act
• all recordings (audio and video) and transcripts remain the property of Research New Zealand and are destroyed after a six-month period.