John Bradley was born in Blenheim and educated at Marlborough Boys’ College, University of Canterbury, Te Wananga o Raukawa and Massey University. He graduated with a Certificate of Social Work from Canterbury, and a Bachelor of Māori Health Studies (BHS) (T.W.O.R) after attending Massey in 1993 and M.S.W. Prior to his death, Bradley was a Practice Consultant in the Children Young Persons Service at the Department of Social Welfare in Levin. He wrote non-fiction articles on Māori Social Work and gave papers at conferences on Māori Social Work, Partnership and Maatua Whangai. Bradley was on the Editorial Board of the Social Work Review.
Biographical sources
- Email form Ema Jacob 16 Mar, 2004.
- Correspondence from John Bradley, June, 1993.
Non-fiction
- "Guest Editorial: Unanswered Questions?" Social Work Review 6.1 (1993): 1-2.
- Bradley reports on "tukua te reo kia puta", the National Conference of the New Zealand Association of Social Workers held in Wanganui in July 1993, and raises questions concerning the role of the Association, the lack of Association representation on the new Council for Education and Training in Social Services and discusses various social issues which the Association may want to address in the future.
Papers/Presentations
- Let the Whanau Decide.
- A paper presented to Care and Protection Coordinators National Conference at Levin in 1991.
- "Social Work Today." Social Work Review. Palmerston North, N.Z.: NZASW, 1990. 1-6.
- "The Challenges Of Social Work In The Fast Lane." Social Work Review 4.1 (1991): 4-6.
- In this New Zealand Association of Social Workers Conference paper presented in June 1990, in Nelson, Bradley discusses four issues: the "conflicting historic attitudes and approaches to the social work task"; "the difference between the attitude and approach in social work today"; ensuring that "present [social] work has both recognition of, and a commitment to a mission which doesn’t date"; and "that the mission possesses an omnipotent life principle which unifies both [social workers’] attitude and approach to the social work task."
- "Kura Kaupapa Māori, A Discussion on English." "Appendices." Kura Kaupapa Māori: Research and Development Project: Final Report. June 1992/Kura Kaupapa Māori: He Mahinga Rangahau Me Te Whakapakari Te Purongo Whakamutunga. Pipiri 1992. Prepared by Tamati Reedy. [Wellington, N.Z.: Ministry of Education], 1992.
- In the Appendices of Tamati Reedy’s report on Kura Kaupapa Māori, Bradley provides a brief overview of the progress of reading levels of two groups of children and a conclusion on the Reading Age Levels in English.
- "Te Puawaitanga." Social Work Review 6.1 (1993): 5-8.
- In this conference paper presented to the National Conference of the New Zealand Association of Social Workers "tukua te reo kia puta", held in Wanganui in July, 1993, Bradley argues that social workers are "not providing an equally competent service to Māori as [they] are providing to Pākehā." He provides a critique of the various approaches to Māori clients which can be based on an individual, whānau, hapu or iwi basis. Bradley discusses from a Māori perspective the various stages of the journey to recovery, or of the continuum from a position of defeat to that of liberation which he terms uauatanga (troubled), hiahiatanga (desire[for change]), te wehenga (separation), maramatanga (revelation), matauranga (knowledge), mohiotanga (new understanding), whaiora (exploring well-being), and tuakiritanga (wholeness).