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This article outlines some findings from an inquiry undertaken in the aftermath of 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which positive critique was used to examine the practice accounts of twelve school social workers alongside characteristics of recovery policies. Consistent with Foucault’s (1988, 2003a,b, 2013a) mode of critique and his theorisation of biopolitics and pastoral power, positive critique recognises the multiplicity and productivity of contemporary power relations operating at the populational, collective and individual levels of life. A feature of the participants’ accounts of their practices with affected schoolchildren in the recovery space is their commitment to restoring and protecting their clients’ well-being through therapeutically inclined relational practice. The Christchurch earthquake recovery strategy also sets out the provision of specialised, individual assistance for vulnerable populations excluded from ‘normal’ psychosocial recovery processes because of their inability to participate in community self-help initiatives. The findings presented in this article provide a critical space for social workers to reflect on the dimensions of their relational work that function as therapeutic governance practices that can both strengthen and resist the normative notions of vulnerability and recovering well.

Much of the post-disaster research has focused on the vulnerability of affected populations and deleterious effects of such events on mental health, living conditions and employment. Little scholarly consideration has been given to investigating the resourceful activities of everyday living that occupants of disaster-ridden locations use to strengthen coping and aid recovery. This article reports on research conducted after the Christchurch 2010-2011 earthquakes aimed at capturing how people have used crafting as a means of connecting with others and aiding recovery. Using participant voices from five focus group and nine individual interviews, findings from this research show how Cantabrians used the activity of crafting to bring people together, generating a form of healing and recovery. Incorporating symbolism, expressions of compassion and restoring broken materials within their crafting helped participants generate strong and positive responses to a traumatic series of events. The benefits of these crafting efforts were realised on both individual and community levels, signalling the importance of creativity in disaster response work. While reference to domestic crafting has been largely absent from earlier research on disaster recovery we demonstrate how this medium has been powerful in enabling individuals to forge their own recovery after the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

This paper will focus on the role for social work intervention with people and communities affected by three major earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand. Since the first and subsequent earthquakes in September 2010 and February and June 2011, non-government agencies in Christchurch and the greater Canterbury region have been key providers of immediate crisis support. Whilst this type of service provision is not new territory for the social services, the impetus of the need and long-term nature of the earthquake recovery necessitates an expansive, responsive and empowering practice approach to facilitate ongoing sustainable development in the most affected communities. In consideration of the principles of sustainable development and Amartya Sen's Capabilities Approach (Seng, 1999), this article will examine ways of working with people beyond alleviating immediate problems towards restoring personal well-being, taking agency, exercising rights, connecting with others and becoming directly involved in the rebuild of Christchurch city and neighbourhood communities. These considerations provide an argument for expanding the scope of social work by reconceptualising its ecological framework and the work of individual and social change to respond to the needs of the affected people of Christchurch.

INTRODUCTION: There is little research on the role of creative arts and craft in disaster recovery. This article reports findings about the emergent role of crafting from research conducted after the 2010–2011 series of earthquakes in Christchurch and surrounding districts in Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular, the article focuses on the significance and differing interpretations of the notion of place expressed by participants through their craftwork, in this case led by women and mediated by the post-earthquake geographic and temporal context.METHOD: This qualitative research included nine individual interviews and five focus group interviews with crafters from Christchurch and surrounding districts. There were 35 participants in total, 33 were women. Applied thematic analysis was used to code the data and identify themes. These themes included connection to place, the symbolism of craft, the healing experience of craft groups and places for women. The notion of place was evident across all three themes.FINDINGS: The findings from the research demonstrate differing ways in which the significance of place was reflected in the craftwork. Participants interpreted the concept of place in descriptive, symbolic, and therapeutic ways.IMPLICATIONS: More understanding about the way creative endeavours like crafting can be used to help ameliorate the impact of natural disasters is needed. Social work practitioners are encouraged to explore place-based wellbeing during their work with service users and to include aspects of artistry, craft and creativity.