bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Zealand Superblock: Smart Planned Development
Authors:   , Kabul Mehdi
Published: November 2021

Wellington city’s forecast, for the period 2011-31, is that the urban population will increase by 20,000 residents, including 60% increased demand for rental properties. This research investigation focuses on sustainable means of increasing housing density in the face of ever-increasing urban sprawl.  The research proposes that Wellington City Council’s Smart Capital (2010) initiatives for urban expansion infrastructure projects—with aims to attain progressive urban growth with desirable characteristics—are good on some levels, but remedies such as infill and intensification that encroach on urban green spaces are unsustainable. The encroachments caused by urban sprawl can damage both environmental design characteristics and, the well-being of inhabitants. The thesis proposes that smart planned development (SPD) principles, when sustainably maintained, can be an effective alternative urbanisation method to WCC’s Smart Capital propositions. This investigation proposes a theoretical formulation supporting the construction of superblocks within New Zealand, using SPD as a process. For example, Lincolnshire Farm in Wellington is a site exemplar whose proximity and size would permit the city to construct alternative spatial configurations, in the form of a modified superblock for the New Zealand context.  The Modern Movement reflected on the viability of superblocks of urban housing for population growth. Historically, these superblocks when built were problematic due to the detrimental attributes of automobiles, densities, and metropolitan expansions. This thesis proposes ways to mitigate these difficulties by merging relevant components of three environmental approaches: ‘Ecological Design’ principles by Sim Van der Ryn; ‘Green Urbanism’ principles by Steffen Lehmann; and framework of ‘Green Transit Oriented Development’ proposed by Robert Cervero and Catherine Sullivan. Once relevant aspects of these principles are assimilated, the research examines them within the context of Kevin Lynch’s principles for a good city form (GCF), to help contribute to the development of new sustainable criteria for superblocks in New Zealand.   As case studies, the comparative methodology of this investigation evaluates the achievements of Woodberry Down in London, Discovery Bay in Hong Kong, and Linked Hybrid in Beijing, and Hobsonville Point in Auckland.
Displaced settlement: How can interior architecture transition Syrian refugees into western society?
Authors:   , Abdul Rahman Sumaiya
Published: November 2021

"We live in the age of the refugee, the age of exile."   - Ariel Dorfman  Innocent Syrian refugees have faced a lot of suffering and pain by being caught in the middle of a civil war. Their permanence in their own country became a life risk.   New Zealand is one of the countries that are warmly receiving Syrian refugees. To make their transition to Wellington less estranged, I will propose a temporary settlement.   This thesis looks into scales of interaction, such as urban connections within communities and mainly the interior of each prefabrictaed home. Elements of the design will be derived from both western and Islamic cultures.
Parametrics and the masculine: Exploring contemporary masculine qualities through a parametric design approach
Authors:   , Soares Gideon
Published: November 2021

This research examines the potential of parametric design and contemporary design practice according to the following question: “How might parametric design be utilised to express qualities of contemporary masculinity in men’s products?” The goal of the research is to suggest a strategy that may be applied to contemporary design practise in order to more effectively support male consumer’s identities, needs, and desires. This is addressed through a case study that prioritises the expression of contemporary masculinity and related qualities in the consideration of the employed materials, form and design details. In developing this research, participant interviews, and a series of questionnaires were utilised to gather responses leading to the construction of material photo studies and data visualizations. Based on the data collected, a parametric definition was developed that supports the customisation of product containers in addressing the expression of contemporary masculine qualities. The parametric definition was applied in the design of a series of initial product prototypes that expressed the contemporary masculine qualities as identified by participants. The prototypes were subsequently assessed through participant interviews alongside a series of material swatches of varying surface qualities. Feedback from the interviews led to refinements in the product container designs within the parametric interface and the generation of a series of higher fidelity digital prototypes. These prototypes sought to effectively reflect the participant’s interpretations regarding the expression of contemporary masculinity.
A Scenario Planning of the Sharing Economy in Bali Accommodation 2030
Authors:   , Anindita Arya Galih
Published: November 2021

Defined as the economic system that allows ordinary people to share their underused/underutilized residences as tourist accommodation, the sharing economy in the accommodation sector may emerge into one of the most important trends to change the overall landscape of tourism. Given that the sharing economy is still in its infancy in a world full of contingencies, the future of the sharing economy in accommodation remains uncertain, and Bali, Indonesia provides no exception. In response, this study aims to take a ‘sneak peek into the future’ exploring the potential evolution of the sharing economy in Bali’s accommodation through a comprehensive future study.  Utilizing Delphi-based scenario planning, a group of participating experts have been interviewed and their answers to multiple questionnaires analyzed. Through the two most important drivers to be identified, infrastructure development and ubiquitous Internet, a four-quadrant scenario matrix has been developed. Each of the scenarios is presented in a storyline by integrating the drivers of change, future thinking, and creative imagination to portray four alternative illustrations of the sharing economy in Bali’s accommodation sector in 2030. The "from local to global" scenario emphasizes the vision of Bali’s modernization whereby smart houses and a local sharing economy in accommodation are pervasive, and incumbent hotels decide to compete with such new rivals. The "joint first prize" scenario portrays the partnership between hotels and traditional villages, sophisticated features of the sharing economy in accommodation platforms, and the use of an integrative rating system to classify the shared houses. The "volte-face" scenario highlights a gloomy situation with no existence of a sharing economy in accommodation. Lastly, the "what’s yours is mine" scenario envisages exclusive purpose-built second homes clustered in an area only accessible for high- income bracket visitors. Through an examination of strategic implications, the study explores potential risk and the consequences of each scenario coupled with key strategies to guide the relevant stakeholders with a range of possible approaches for resolution.  This study offers piece of document that contributes to the overall academic literature as this study expands the outcome of available researches focused in this topic, and also overlooks potential policy instruments to be undertaken by key stakeholders.
Regeneration of Empire: Agrarian Vision and Philanthropic Colonisation in H. Rider Haggard's Novels
Authors:   , Clark Sarah
Published: November 2021

This thesis focuses on H. Rider Haggard’s fictional use of philanthropic colonisation to illustrate his vision of agriculturally regenerating the British Empire. Haggard’s panacea for poverty, unemployment, urban crowding, and tenuous control of imperial holdings relies on returning people back to the land. Retraining people to become farmers is the solution to all these issues; philanthropic colonisation is the mode through which his vision would come to fruition. Between 1896-1919, Haggard’s depictions of Empire shift from semi-stable to precarious—a sign of his public work as an agricultural reformer influencing his fiction. I argue in this thesis that focusing on three novels, The Wizard (1896), The Ghost Kings (1908), and When the World Shook (1919), written during Haggard’s work as an agricultural reformer, provides a scope in which to watch Haggard’s agrarian vision develop, climax, and fade. I analyse Haggard’s use of philanthropic colonisation to reflect the desired virtues of his agrarian vision as well as the charitable endeavours which expand or prolong the Empire’s reach.   Chapter one, “‘The Rider Haggard of the New Crusade:’ Philanthropy and Declining Civilisations,” traces the degradation of Haggard’s hopes to regenerate the Empire through philanthropic colonisation. In The Ghost Kings, Haggard uses Rachel’s charity to extend the Empire and to demonstrate the effect one individual’s virtue can make in saving or destroying a civilisation; in When the World Shook, Haggard shows the depth of imperial corruption through the decay of Christian missions. Through Arbuthnot and Oro, Haggard struggles to understand the fate of the Empire; using both characters to grasp the concept of civilisation, Haggard concludes that although the Empire has serious flaws, it is ultimately worth trying to save.   Chapter two, “Zealot, Renegade, and Reformer: Haggard’s Vision for the Empire,” uses Gerald Monsman’s idea of Haggard as a “heretic in disguise” to look at how Haggard utilises Christian missionary characters to propagate ideas of imperial regeneration. The move between zealot, renegade, and reformer character types reveals Haggard’s developing sense—from the late 1890s through to 1919—that the Empire needs to be rejuvenated.   Chapter three, “The Role of Condescension in Interracial Friendship,” explores how Haggard’s vision of a rebirth for the Empire is endangered by interracial friendships. Friendship strips away the prescribed roles given to both coloniser and native, allowing for something more intimate to develop. Thus, any interaction between a white and black person was socially scripted—language borrowed from philanthropic condescension. It is the act of condescension that enables interaction between a coloniser and native; only when deviating from prescribed roles does friendship become a possibility.
A New Approach to Conservation: A Critical Analysis of DOC’s Commercial Partnership Strategy
Authors:   , Stantiall Ben
Published: November 2021

The complex range of challenges facing the environment has prompted the conservation movement to evolve and incorporate new concepts, attitudes and strategies. A prominent approach that has attracted scholarly attention is the appeal for broader societal involvement and an increased human-focus for the conservation movement. This new approach is particularly notable for the inclusion of private business in conservation strategies. Subsequently, these strategies have prompted criticism of their links to neoliberal ideology and the encouragement of consumption-based measures.  Conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand has followed this strategy of business involvement, represented by the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) commercial partnerships. The deliberate use of large businesses is used to access external resources and expertise alongside exposure to their respective customer bases. However, the criticisms of neoliberal ideology, matched by the national significance of the conservation estate and its relationship with the New Zealand public has created numerous challenges and considerations for DOC to navigate.  To acknowledge the different attitudes and relationships that people have to the environment and conservation, a constructivist approach was used to examine the implementation of DOC’s partnership strategy. A case study consisting of seven interviews with representatives from DOC, environmental NGOs and the businesses involved in the partnerships was carried out. The data revealed three central themes; initially, of the need for a wider approach to conservation, followed by the intrusion and influence of neoliberal ideology into the domain, and the presentation of win-win strategies. This research provides a critical analysis of DOC’s recent shift in strategy and the implications of it on future strategies.
New Zealand Architects Abroad
Authors:   , Dudding Michael
Published: November 2021

This thesis is an oral history based investigation of four recently graduated architects (Bill Alington, Maurice Smith, Bill Toomath and Harry Turbott) who individually left New Zealand to pursue postgraduate qualifications at United States universities in the immediate postwar period. Guided interviews were conducted to allow the architects to talk about these experiences within the broader context of their careers. The interviews probed their motivations for travelling and studying in the United States. Where possible archival material was also sought (Fulbright applications, university archives) for comparison with the spoken narratives.   Although motivated by the search of modernity and the chance to meet the master architects of the period (Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, and Wright) what all gained was an increase in the confidence of their own abilities as architects (or as a landscape architect in the case of Turbott who switched his focus while in the United States). This increase in confidence partly came from realising that their architectural heroes were ordinary people. Although searching for modernity, their encounters with the canon of architectural history also had a profound effect. This detailed knowledge of what these four subjects felt about architecture, architectural education, and their experiences of studying, working, and touring abroad has helped to shed light on the development of and influences on postwar architecture in New Zealand.   The series of oral history interviews that were recorded during this project not only form the basis of the research material for this thesis, but are, in their own right, a significant contribution to the knowledge and understanding of New Zealand’s postwar architectural history.
"Any evidence" in the Family Court
Authors:   , Hickman Caroline
Published: November 2021

This dissertation examines the origins and justification for the “any evidence” rule which has been a feature of New Zealand family law for many years. The rule provides judicial discretion to admit evidence in the Family Court which would be otherwise inadmissible. Its ongoing value has never been closely examined, although the rule has frequently been criticised.  Selected cases have been examined to determine if reliance on the Evidence Act without the “any evidence” rule would have the deleterious outcomes contemplated. Analysis has shown that the rule has very little use and conversely, that the detriment caused by the rule is greater than the harm it was designed to remedy.  Repeal and reform options are considered to better achieve the specific purposes of the various family law statutes as well as improve the integrity of the Family Court process overall.
Printable Prosthetics
Authors:   , Baynes Stuart
Published: November 2021

The practice of fitting and making prosthetic limbs using current techniques leaves little room for innovative research and design. Though market leaders are consistently producing more advanced components, prosthetic technicians are using traditional techniques to fabricate prosthetic limbs. New material and design technologies could enable progressive solutions to historic barriers such as fabrication time and cost.  Increasing the amputee’s accessibility to, and enjoyment of exercise may help to advocate and improve their physical and mental health. Design research was used to develop a functional 3D printed swimming prosthesis for lower limb amputees with the use of 3D scanning, parametric software and Fused Deposition Modelling. Using digital technologies has the potential to provide a platform for cost effective specialty prosthetic limbs, enabling and enriching recreational sport for amputees.  Prototypes were developed with a unilateral trans-tibial amputee using an iterative process involving material testing and user testing. These prototypes allowed him to walk independently to the pool and produced positive effects on his swimming, including a recreated anthropometric symmetry. As advances in data collection and additive manufacturing continue to be made we will be able to more closely cater to the individual’s needs whilst challenging the status quo in prosthesis craft.
Expecting the unexpected: Redefining the home to adapt to the lifetime requirements of its occupants
Authors:   , Groom Sarah
Published: November 2021

What happens when the home expects the unexpected?  Since the beginning of the current housing price rise in 2012, homeownership in New Zealand has become increasingly difficult. The desire to enter the property market has been impeded by the unsuitability of current housing stock that no longer meets the needs of the modern household.  While it is widely accepted by economists, yet denied by politicians, New Zealand is amid a housing crisis. The government is addressing the issue by introducing a means to allow housing to be produced more quickly. This new housing is expected to mitigate the issues surrounding a shortage of land and population increase, by developing a large proportion of new developments in the classification of medium density housing.  With a shortfall of 10,000 houses per annum, the current situation presents an opportunity to reassess how medium density housing (MDH) is configured in New Zealand. To break the cycle of housing stock rendering itself unsuitable in the future, this thesis aims to investigate how housing could be designed to allow for change over time.  All age groups stand to benefit from a home that is carefully planned and considers their lifetime needs. An established design framework enables the prefabricated modular system to adapt, reflecting the lifetime requirements of its occupants.  The outcome is an innovative, alternate design solution that considers the wellbeing of occupants through a lifetime design approach, offering adaptability and efficient production through prefabrication.   A home that expects the unexpected.
Enabling Wilderness
Authors:   , McKone Matt
Published: November 2021

Internationally known for its picturesque landscapes, New Zealand encourages both locals and tourists to experience them first hand by walking one of the many tracks around the country, an activity locally known as tramping. The Department of Conservation has identified a small number of these tracks as showcasing particularly picturesque areas; naming them the ‘Great Walks’ of New Zealand. These allow fit individuals to traverse unique landscapes over multiple days, staying over night in rustic huts. The relationship between healthy wellbeing and outdoor experiences is well documented; however, not every fit individual is physically able to experience some of New Zealand’s most significant landscapes due to the difficulty of access.  This thesis combines elements of landscape architecture with the existing practises of construction in a conservation area to propose a new ‘Great Walk’ for New Zealand that would allow athletes with a physical impairment to experience New Zealand’s unique landscapes. In doing so, it will provide the opportunity for physically impaired people to continue tramping, or discover a new outdoor activity that not only improves their physical and mental wellbeing; but also allows them to establish personal connections to the land they are from or visiting. Physically pulling/pushing and manoeuvring through ‘backcountry’ landscapes, this research-led-design encourages the physically impaired community to engage with difficult terrains in a multi-sensorial manner.
High-Resolution Water Stable Isotope Ice-Core Record: Roosevelt Island, Antarctica
Authors:   , Emanuelsson Daniel
Published: November 2021

This thesis presents a water-isotope (δD) record from 1900 to 2009 for the Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) ice core, Antarctica. Examination of the RICE isotope record with observation data (using global reanalysis and SST datasets) revealed details of the climate signal that is preserved within the full 763 m isotope record. RICE δD provides a proxy record, which captures the central tropical Pacific ENSO variability, the significant (p < 0.01) central Pacific δD-SST correlation pattern contain the Niño-4 SST region. Central tropical Pacific ENSO variability projects upon the Amundsen Sea region via a Pacific–South American pattern (PSA)-like teleconnection. RICE δD is primarily influenced by Amundsen Sea circulation, which coincides with the leading PSA pattern’s (PSA1) circulation focal point in the Amundsen Sea. Additionally, RICE regional physical setting (sheltered from direct impact from Amundsen Sea cyclones by WA orography) offers a unique setting, where enriched isotopes only are associated with one PSA1 polarity (El Niño, PSA1+, Amundsen Sea anticyclones). In contrast, during La Niña and Amundsen Sea cyclones, δD is depleted. Combined these settings, provides a compelling explanation to why RICE δD preserves PSA1 and ENSO variability. On interannual and seasonal time scales, the RICE δD variability is well-explained by the PSA teleconnections and their interactions over the Pacific sector. The influence from PSA2 on δD is strong during the beginning of the year (December–February, DJF). In contrast, the PSA1 influence is strong during the latter part of the year, peaking in spring (September–November, SON). The isotope record appears to preserve tropical Pacific El Niño-like interdecadal variability, particularly a decadal-signal from the central-Pacific (Niño-4 SST region) and from the Pacific-wide Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). On decadal-scales RICE δD is modulated by ENSO and Southern Annular Mode (SAM); when the correlation with SAM is active (during IPO+) δD appears to be in a depleted state and when the correlation with SAM breaks down (during IPO−) δD appears to be in a relatively enriched state. A RICE δD SST proxy reconstruction can potentially provide a record longer than the currently available observational datasets, allowing for examination of intrinsic decadal-scale tropical Pacific climate variability and its extratropical impact.
Steel Sanctums: The adaptive reuse of a derelict cargo ship
Authors:   , Holland Patrick
Published: November 2021

This Master of Interior Architecture design research project proposes that a derelict cargo ship within one of the ship breaking yards of Chittagong, Bangladesh can be reused to accommodate the sites workers and act as a vehicle through which an interior intervention can be used to explore the significance and value of a derelict cargo ship. A design response that acknowledges the context of the site will allow for the exploration of the derelict cargo ship as a viable space for reuse and interior intervention.  As relevant case studies suggest there is a contemporary trend to reuse abandoned and derelict spaces. The implementation of derelict cargo ships as a viable spaces could provide a new perspective on the contemporary tendency to adaptively reuse these types of structures. This speculative research project explores ways in which one such structure could be investigated for interior intervention.   A derelict ship in the shipbreaking yards of Chittagong will become the shell in which a speculative, interior design solution will be explored. This will investigate the viability and significance of the adaptive reuse of cargo ships for the site’s context and the wider built environment. It will allow for a deeper understanding of the implications of inhabiting cargo ships.
Surfacing some implications of the sharing economy: A New Zealand perspective
Authors:   , Dunn Caleb
Published: November 2021

This thesis highlights major influences and effects that the sharing economy appears to be having on New Zealand businesses. The sharing economy is “a socio-economic ecosystem built around the sharing of human and physical resources” (Matofska, 2014). It has enabled consumers to borrow and/or lease resources owned by other businesses and even individuals within a nation’s economy as a whole. The purpose of this study is to uncover insights into whether New Zealand businesses are preparing or have prepared to counter the effects of the shifting market landscape, in the form of the sharing economy, and how have these reactions manifested. The distinctiveness of this particular study is the focus on primary information collection and emphasis on cross- industry and organisation empirical research. A comprehensive literature review has been undertaken to capture the nature of previous studies in this subject area and frame the direction that this research will take. Subsequent to the literature review, it was decided that qualitative in-depth interviews with ten business managers from New Zealand companies would provide the best scope in identifying the key reactions and effects of managers to emergence of the sharing economy.  The results demonstrate that a majority of the participants have re-considered their operational strategy, with many moving into niche areas of their industry to deliver value that cannot be matched by sharing platforms. Resource allocation and worker conditions have also adjusted to better suit the dynamics of a market environment that has been influenced by the sharing economy. A number of issues in adaptation to the sharing economy have also been unearthed. Regulatory disputes and market suitability to sharing processes have been the major causes for concern, but through collaboration with a variety of stakeholders, those who have adjusted have found success in creating what they indicate are prosperous environments. Some incumbents have been unyielding as their industry experiences disruption from the sharing economy, and the results of this thesis demonstrate that this is done at their own detriment. Incumbent firms must be wary of the growing levels of sophistication of sharing platforms and whether their adaptions thus far are sustainable in the long term.
Rewriting Mansfield: Writing, Editing and Translation
Authors:   , Manenti Davide
Published: November 2021

This thesis explores the notion, the process and the ethical implications of rewriting, drawing on insights from literary and translation theories, psychoanalysis and trauma studies. It analyses three major forms of rewriting: the author’s, the editor’s and the translator’s. While writing, editing and translation have their own specific norms of production, methodologies, possibilities and limits, all these textual practices are implicitly concerned with the meaning-making process of rewriting. Chapter One presents the central case study of the project: John Middleton Murry’s editing of Katherine Mansfield’s notebooks, which resulted in the publication of Journal of Katherine Mansfield (1927). The chapter reviews relevant Mansfield scholarship and discusses textual, methodological and theoretical issues concerning the problem of rewriting. Chapter Two follows the ebb and flow of Mansfield’s own rewriting process by discussing the ways in which she ‘translated’ her notebook entries into her fiction. Chapter Three offers a re-reading of the Journal of Katherine Mansfield and sheds new light on Murry’s controversial editorial manipulation. Chapter Four examines the first Italian translation of the Journal – Diario di Katherine Mansfield, authored by Mara Fabietti in 1933 – and my own re-translation of ‘Life of Ma Parker’ – a 1921 Mansfield story that epitomizes the main themes and issues addressed in this study. This thesis demonstrates how deeply intertwined writing, editing and translating are, and presents an understanding of rewriting as a complex and fascinating process that simultaneously resists meaning and yearns for it.
There are some alternatives: Remembering 1980s Britain in contemporary British literature
Authors:   , Reilly Ella
Published: November 2021

This thesis explores how the 1980s haunt contemporary British literature. Cognizant of a trend of cultural production (literary, film, television, music) interested in this period since the beginning of the twenty-first century, this thesis focuses on three historical novels by three critically acclaimed authors: Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty, David Peace’s GB84 (both 2004) and David Mitchell’s Black Swan Green (2006). It reads these historical novels as memory texts conditioned both by their moment of publication (mid-2000s Britain under the premiership of Tony Blair) and the moments of the 1980s that they remember (1980s Britain under the premiership of Margaret Thatcher). These novels are oriented around different facets of the 1980s (the high-Tory world, the 1984-85 miners’ strike and the Falklands War respectively) and so, read together, offer a cumulative portrait of the decade. However, each novel is read on its own terms for its specific interests in the public aspects of the 1980s. This thesis is thus divided into three chapters, with each taking a different memory discourse or mode as its analytical approach, as invited by the particularities of the novel it examines. The Line of Beauty is read in terms of the spectral presence of heritage; GB84 in terms of occulted and occulting nostalgia; Black Swan Green in terms of the media and postcolonial melancholia.
Look at her: Analysing the depiction of women on the covers of women's magazines from 1975-2015
Authors:   , Beaumont Sophie
Published: November 2021

Women’s magazines have a role in constructing and defining what it means to be a woman. Deciphering messages in mediums specifically designed for women is therefore key to understanding what women may be learning about femininity. This thesis examines the depiction of women in women’s magazines, focussing on sexualisation and the portrayal of traditional gender roles. Traditional gender stereotypes and the sexual objectification of women are key mechanisms contributing to the subordinate position of women in society. This thesis argues that alongside their contributions to gender inequality, such depictions can also reinforce ideas that sustain rape culture with the latter referring to a climate where sexual violence is normalised and trivialised. By conducting a longitudinal content analysis (1975 –2015) of cover pages from New Zealand women’s magazines, this thesis investigates whether there are any changes in the level of sexualisation and depiction of traditional gender roles across prominent women’s magazines. The findings of this thesis indicate that overall there is a low level of sexualisation present in cover page images from women’s magazines, and significant differences exist both between publications as well as across the four decades of analysis. The depiction of traditional gender roles is consistent across the time period studied, and when such gender stereotypes are present they remove agency from women reducing them to ‘decorative’ objects within images. Messages suggesting women should be sexualised and decorative may reinforce ideas central to gender inequality, rape culture, and sexual violence against women. The implications of this thesis suggest that women’s magazines may not be a safe space for readers to celebrate their gender – rather, such publications may influence ideas that facilitate gender inequality.
The unfortunate regressivity of public natural disaster insurance: Quantifying distributional implications of EQC building cover for New Zealand
Authors:   , Owen Sally
Published: November 2021

This thesis examines the question “What have been the distributional implications of the setup of Earthquake Commission (EQC) building cover for New Zealand homeowners?” In New Zealand, the vast majority of property owners pay identical premiums for the benefit of the first $100,000 tranche of natural disaster cover per dwelling. The research provides a detailed quantification of the degree of regressivity of the scheme created by these flat premiums. Using EQC claims and property datasets relating to the Canterbury Earthquake Series, I test the hypothesis that wealthier homeowners are receiving more benefit. Wealth is identified by property value, income and a range of socio-economic variables collected from the most recent New Zealand Census before the earthquake series. In explaining EQC total dwelling payout by property value and by these socio-economic variables, the research shows there is a distributional implication to EQC’s building cover. This thesis includes a proposed modification to the premium structure of the scheme, whereby regressivity could be avoided. The research concludes with a survey of other public natural disaster insurance schemes worldwide, and identifies those likely to face similar regressivity issues.
Self-reported psychopathology profiles of high risk violent men with and without a history of physical intimate partner violence
Authors:   , Laing Kelsi
Published: November 2021

Although intimate partner violent men have been found to be different from non-violent men on a number of variables, little research has compared partner violent men to men who engage in violence outside of relationships. The present research explored the similarities and differences between men with and without a history of physical partner violence within a sample of high risk violent men who attended New Zealands' High Risk Special Treatment Units. Pre-treatment psychopathology, measured on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III (MCMI-III;Millon, Davis, & Millon, 1997) was compared between these two groups and few differences were found. Comparisons on criminal history, criminal risk and change in dynamic risk also revealed no significant differences between these two groups. This research also explored whether similar or different psychopathology subtypes exist among men with and without a history of intimate partner violence. A latent profile analysis was conducted to examine psychopathology subtypes, and the proportions of men with and without a history of partner violence within each subtype were compared. The results showed that there were similar proportions of men from both groups within each of the subtypes, suggesting that men with and without a history of intimate partner violence share similar psychopathology profiles. The likelihood of reconviction or reimprisonment within 1 year of release from prison was also comapred between men with and without a history of intimate partner violence. The two groups were found to be reconvicted at a similar rate for any offence, violent offences, and were at a similar likelihood of being re-imprisoned. To conclude, the results suggest some similarity between men with and without a history of intimate partner violence, but future research should explore a wider range of factors that may distinguish between these two groups and inform whether men who engage in partner violence are unique from men who engage in other forms of violence.
A Curated Cacophony: Implementing an Intangible
Authors:   , Wright Oliver
Published: November 2021

This research investigates a progression away from acoustics formed by spaces and towards spaces that are driven by target acoustics. Despite architecture and acoustics’ shared consideration of form, materiality and inhabitation, too often acoustics is neglected from design and so is treated remedially, nullifying creativity. A case study project was undertaken to investigate the opportunities and limitations of two parametric tools, Galapagos (a generative solver) and Pachyderm (an acoustic simulation tool), to develop acoustic qualities in early architectural design. Yet, what are these acoustic qualities and how could they be measured? Testing of cafes in the Wellington CBD was undertaken to investigate these questions.  Six cafes were acoustically tested and five patrons from each of these completed a subjective survey. The café testing suggested that Reverberation Time (RT) could be an effective acoustic measure to direct architectural design. The café with the lowest patron enjoyment rating also recorded the longest RT and highest Sound Pressure Level (SPL), reinforcing the relationship between these three elements. Through these findings, patron enjoyment was concluded to be dependent on SPL and SPL was concluded to be dependent on RT (Whitlock and Dodd, 424). In order to increase patron enjoyment, Galapagos was utilised to explore possible forms that met a target design RT of 0.7 seconds. An RT of 0.7 seconds was chosen as it was shorter than the AS/NZS 2107 (2000) maximum and was comparable to the cafés with the two highest subjective enjoyment ratings.  Through a parametric and analogue design methodology, Galapagos and Pachyderm were used to investigate how acoustic goals could shape a café design. The case study project produced a design that not only meets this acoustic criterion but harnesses form to sculpt sound. Instead of applying absorption to flat surfaces, the convex curves on the north and east facades disperse sound, producing both a diffuse environment and an engaging architectural element. This integrated investigation demonstrated that a parametric and analogue design process can be implemented to create a acoustically and architecturally effective design.
The Porirua Transcripts: Affect, Atmosphere and Place
Authors:   , Thomson Scott
Published: November 2021

Porirua is a young city in many respects, but the relationship this city has to the landscape in which it lies is deep-rooted. The connection between the harbour water, the land and the people that dwell there contribute to a sense of place. But, the extensive development of Porirua’s urban realm in the recent times has resulted in inner-city planning schemes and architectural projects that turn the city’s back on the natural landscape and the ephemeral qualities that evoke a sense of place. What remains is a disenfranchised population that is unaware of the relationship between land and water within Porirua’s urban centre, and is consequently unable to recognize the effect that further urban growth will have on the landscape in years to come. Therefore, the research in this thesis explores the proposition that architecture holds a vital role in facilitating and amplifying the relationship between people and a place. This proposition is explored through a design-led research methodology that adopts and employs both analogue and digital design methods for the extraction, design, and occupation of ephemeral and atmospheric qualites of place. Furthermore, the methodology in this thesis requires the use of both research for design and research through design. This will provide the basic structure whereby a literary and physical context is established that situates the research in an existing theoretical body of knowledge. Design chapters follow this context chapter utilizing the information to generate a body of architectural work that responds to the research proposition. The body of architectural design work consists of three iterative experiments that increase in scale and complexity, architectural interventions include: an installation, a house and a public building. In each design iterative methods of representation were fundamental in the process of extracting, amplifying through design, and occupying atmospheric and ephemeral qualities. Architectural outcomes and iterative design explorations demonstrate the importance of drawing from ephemeral and atmospheric qualities of a place in order to generate architecture that can amplify the connection people have to Porirua.
Wittgenstein on Scepticism. An Interpretation of Wittgenstein's On Certainty
Authors:   , Orłowicz Agata
Published: November 2021

The thesis puts forward a new interpretation of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s On Certainty and contrasts it with the standard reading of the book, also known in literature as the Framework Reading. The Framework Reading sees hinge propositions, that is our most basic and indubitable beliefs, as framing our practice of talking about the world, and, therefore, external to this practice. As such, they are seen as not truth-apt, purely regulative in character and our relation to them as non-epistemic. According to the interpretation put forward in this thesis, we should instead see hinges as uncontroversially correct moves in our practice of talking about the world, and, therefore, we should see them as obviously true and playing both a regulative and a descriptive role.
Late Holocene Sedimentation on the Southern Kāpiti Coast
Authors:   , Nolan Rackley Michael
Published: November 2021

The Kāpiti Coast is a broad low lying coastal plain on the western coast of New Zealand’s North Island. The coastal plain has formed over the last 6500 years through rapid progradation of coastal sediment, developing a distinct cuspate foreland. With numerous coastal communities across the low coastal plain, recent coastal erosion of the southern coastal plain combined with forecast sea level rise has drawn attention to coastal hazards. However, understanding these hazards has been hampered by a lack of information on the Holocene tectonic and sedimentary development of the coastal plain.  This study focuses on the southern portion of the Kāpiti Coast using a geological approach to document coastal outcrops and drillcores. Using detailed sedimentological analysis including description, grainsize, composition and shape, in addition to observation of the modern environment, a detailed facies scheme and depositional model for the southern Kāpiti Coast are produced.  Combining the interpreted depositional environments and age control provided by C14, OSL and well-dated pumice deposition, progressive coastal progradation and a transition from marine to terrestrial environments is reconstructed for the southern Kāpiti Coast. Records from this study reveal rapid sedimentation, at rates of up to 12.6m/1000 years within this southern limb, slowing dramatically with coastal retreat beginning within the last 400 years.  Recognising the vertical offset of the beach/dune boundary as a marker of past sea level recorded in the cores and outcrops, a 1m uplift is recognised at the southernmost point of the coastal plain. In addition to constraining the penultimate movement of the Ohariu Fault, it contrasts with the tectonic stability of the central part of the coastal plain and subsidence further north. Such insight into vertical base level change across the coastal plain has implications for future coastal hazard identification.
A Taxonomic Investigation into the Red Alga Plocamium within New Zealand
Authors:   , Cooper Madeline Wynn
Published: November 2021

The red alga Plocamium is a cosmopolitan genus, known for its distinct branching pattern and rich chemical composition. Recent studies indicate morphological-based species delimitation approaches have failed to accurately discern diversity, distributions, and evolutionary relationship between species worldwide. Currently there are seven recognized species within New Zealand based on traditional morphological approaches and no molecular based work focused on discerning true diversity of New Zealand species in this genus. This thesis is the first to use molecular-assisted alpha taxonomy to investigate Plocamium within New Zealand. Phylogenetic analyses (Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference) based on COI, rbcL, LSU and combined LSU/COI markers, three molecular species delimitation methods (Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, General Mixed Yule Coalescent, and Bayesian implementation of the Poisson Tree Processes), and morphometric analyses of various characters (width of main axis (WMA), width of lowest basal ramuli (WLBR), length of lowest basal ramuli (LLBR), number of alternating series of ramuli (NASR), average number of ramuli per alternating series (ANRAS), curvature of basal ramuli (CBR) and serrations present or absent from basal ramuli (SERBR) were used to address this topic. The species delimitation methods revealed at least eleven (A-K) putative genetic species (with some incongruences) within the New Zealand specimens included in the study. Morphometric analyses indicated morphology reflects genetic diversity when multiple measures of multiple characters are used, however this is not the case when considering single characters. Phylogenetic analyses revealed possible monophyly of New Zealand candidate species C-K, and possible relationships to Australian, Chilean, and Taiwanese species. However these backbone relationships were poorly supported. The results of this study indicate that Plocamium diversity within New Zealand has been underestimated and provide the first steps in discovering the true species diversity of Plocamium within New Zealand.
The darker side of the moon: Satanic traditions in New Zealand as magick systems
Authors:   , Latham John
Published: November 2021

When people discover the topic of my thesis they usually ask "Why Satanism?". In 1998 Satanism caught my attention when I was doing an undergraduate paper in sociology, the sociology of religion. Here I encountered several studies on the Satanic Ritual Abuse phenomena (SRA, also known as Satanic Panic and Satanism scare) See appendices for a brief history of SRA of the late 1980's and early 1990's in England, America, Australia and here in New Zealand. SRA evolved from accusations that satanic cults were involved in rituals where children were physically and sexually abused, and possibly killed. There were also reports that children were being bred for such practices. Both here and overseas cases were investigated by government agencies. The Peter Ellis case is perhaps the defining example of SRA in New Zealand. See appendices for an overview of this case In 1999,I noticed the census figures between 1986 and 1996 showed a growth of New Zealanders who identified as Satanist during the height of SRA scare, with the number rising nearly 400% (from 240 to 906).  From this several questions arose: perhaps most importantly what is Satanism: why had this number grown: and how does one become a Satanist? As I began researching answers to these questions, I became aware of elements that were not apparent from the literature. Not all Satanism is about being evil and using black Magick. The spelling of Magick with a 'k' is to differentiate between religious Magick and show (illusional) magic. This is explained in more detail later. Some elements of Satanism link it closely with other Magick traditions. In this thesis I discuss two questions: what is Satanism in New Zealand and is there a relationship between Satanism and other Magick traditions in New Zealand?