bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perception of tools for assessing on-farm nutrient losses and mitigation options
Authors:   , Rogers Maggie
Published: December 2021

This research focuses on the prominent issue of degraded water quality in New Zealand caused by the intensification of agricultural land use, resulting in increased levels of diffuse pollutants such as sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus in waterways (Duncan, 2017). Degraded water quality is a critical issue that needs to be addressed both socially and scientifically. It needs to be addressed socially as human behaviour is influencing this degradation, and the science is needed to further our understanding and implementation of the best mitigation solutions.  The aim of this study was to evaluate how information surrounding potential nutrient mitigation measures provided by decision support tools is understood and interpreted by farmers facing tightening environmental regulations and a changing social outlook on environmental sustainability. To achieve this aim, the following activities were conducted: (i) A review of current theories and tools available to understand and encourage pro-environmental behaviour. (ii) A case study using the Land Utilisation Capability Indicator (LUCI) model to determine stakeholder engagement was carried out through interviews with 6 farmers in the Mangatarere Catchment.  The review showed that while information alone does not drive behaviour change, it is an essential component that when used in collaboration with other methods and incentives, can be very successful (Kennedy, 2010; Mackenzie-Mohr, 2000; Stern, 2000). From this review a method that was identified as having huge potential in terms of managing water quality was the use of land use models alongside targeted on-farm advice (Bouraoui & Grizzetti, 2014).  To understand the stakeholder perception and uptake of the information this method provides a case study was carried out using the LUCI model with 6 farmers in the Mangatarere Catchment. The results showed that LUCI proved to be a valuable tool for both the case study farmers and the wider farming community. Farmer feedback highlighted the importance of ensuring that information provided by such tools is communicated in a consolidated manner. This thesis shows that land use models such as LUCI have the potential to be a beneficial method of engaging stakeholders in prominent issues such as degrading water quality.
Cosmogenic nuclide dating of the sediments of Bulmer Cavern: Implications for the uplift history of southern Northwest Nelson, South Island New Zealand
Authors:   , Holden Gavin
Published: December 2021

The landscape of Northwest Nelson shows evidence of significant tectonic activity since the inception of the Austro-Pacific plate boundary in the Eocene. Evidence of subsidence followed by rapid uplift from the Eocene to the late Miocene is preserved in the sedimentary basins of Northwest Nelson. However, the effects of erosion mean there is very little evidence of post-Miocene tectonic activity preserved in the Northwest Nelson area. This is a period of particular interest, because it coincides with the onset of rapid uplift along the Alpine Fault, which is located to the south, and the very sparse published data for this period suggest very low uplift rates compared to other areas close to the Alpine Fault.  Cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of sediments preserved in Bulmer Cavern, indicate an uplift rate of 0.13mm/a from the mid-Pliocene to the start of the Pleistocene and 0.067mm/a since the start of the Pleistocene.  The Pleistocene uplift rate is similar to other published uplift rates for this period from the northern parts of Northwest Nelson, suggesting that the whole of Northwest Nelson has experienced relative tectonic stability compared to other areas close to the Alpine Fault during this period. The mid-Pliocene uplift rate is possibly the first precisely constrained uplift rate in the area for this period, and suggests that there has been a progressive decrease in uplift rates from much higher rates in the late Miocene.
Using neutral and outlier loci to uncover the genetic structure of 'Mytilus galloprovincialis' populations from the eastern Adriatic coast using population genetic and seascape genetic approaches
Authors:   , Hamilton Joanna Szondy
Published: December 2021

The genetic variation of the Mediterranean blue mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis from the eastern coastline of the Adriatic Sea was investigated using polymorphic microsatellite markers. In total, 843 individuals were sampled from 18 populations representing a variety of coastal environments in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania. Neutral loci revealed low levels of genetic structure in this continuously distributed species, while one outlier locus, MGE7, which may be under selection, provided strong evidence of genetic structure. The distribution of one of the alleles of this locus, MGE7²⁴³, was significantly correlated with latitude. A genetic seascape analysis using 9 environmental and 3 geospatial variables revealed a strong association between MGE7²⁴³ and three highly correlated environmental variables, maximum sea surface temperature, minimum salinity and maximum chlorophyll-a. This association was maintained for homozygous genotypes for the MGE7²⁴³ allele, but not for heterozygotes, providing further evidence that the locus MGE7 may be under selection or closely linked to a gene under selection. These findings highlight how previously unrecognised genetic structure can be identified through the use of genetic seascape approaches.
Co-creation experience and foodscape in tourism: A case study of Yogyakarta
Authors:   , Widyanta Andy
Published: December 2021

Research focusing on co-creation experience in tourism has seen a significant increase in the last decade considering its importance as a basis for experiential value creation and future innovation. Co-creation experience concept is deeply related to food tourism because this type of tourism is about experiencing food and its associations with environments and people. The idea of foodscape is widely used in many studies to understand the connections between food, environments, and people. However, the ideas remain limited to be found in tourism studies in particular food tourism. Thus, investigating the linkage between the concepts of co-creation experience and foodscape is an interesting area of research. As such, this thesis aims to investigate how co-creation experience influences and creates foodscape in a food tourism destination. This research uses Yogyakarta, Indonesia as a basis to explore the construct of foodscape, co-creation tourism experience components that contribute to shaping foodscape, and how these components influence and create foodscape.  The literature on food experience in tourism, co-creation experience, food tourism, and foodscape lays the theoretical foundation for this research. This research uses case study methodology and is based on collections of secondary data, observations, and interviews with food tourism suppliers and international tourists. The findings of this study are divided into three key areas. First, this study identifies five foodscape constructs: tangible and intangible environments, social interactions, food quality, price, and divergence. Second, the co-creation experience that shape foodscape is divided into three components: engagement, personalization, and co-production. It finds that these components center on experience environment and experience involvement. Third, this study finds that each co-creation experience components influence and create foodscape through new food offerings inventions, authenticity seeking, and attraction, facilities, and activities.  This research contributes to understanding the dynamic nature of foodscape and the components of co-creation experience in the context of food tourism. It also develops our understanding of connections between co-creation experience and foodscape of the food tourism destination. As such, for academia, the research result can be used as a cornerstone for further studies in the related fields. Then, for practitioners, the findings may be useful to manage the construction of foodscape through co-creation experience.
The Assessment and Intervention of Communication Repair Strategies in Primary School Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Who Are Minimally Verbal
Authors:   , Bravo Alicia Marie
Published: December 2021

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by marked deficits in communication and social skills in addition to restricted interests and repetitive behaviour. Children with ASD have also been reported to have significant deficits with respect to their ability to repair communication breakdowns. To date, assessments targeting communication repair strategies in children with ASD have been limited in number and lack consistency of implementation. For the current research, both an indirect and direct assessment have been developed to investigate the repair repertoires of primary school-aged children who were minimally verbal. Indirect assessments were conducted with each of the participant’s teachers, and the direct assessments were conducted by creating breakdown scenarios during a requesting routine and recording if and how the children attempted to repair the communication breakdown. Results show that children tended to rely on a singular repair strategy involving the repetition of their initial request. An intervention program was then developed and evaluated with two of the children. These children were taught to use an iPad®-based speech generating device to repair communication breakdowns that occurred when the children’s initial request was followed by receipt of the wrong item. The intervention was evaluated using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline experimental design. Each of the participants showed an increase in responding under specific communication breakdown conditions. While this research is quite preliminary, the data suggests that repair repertoires of children with ASD can be assessed via a structured, direct asses and improved with interventions based on the assessment results.
Mathematical models for blood flow in elastic vessels: Theory and numerical analysis
Authors:   , Li Qian
Published: December 2021

In this thesis we study model equations that describe the propagation of pulsatile flow in elastic vessels. Since dealing with the Navier-Stokes equations is a very difficult task, we derive new asymptotic weakly non-linear and weakly-dispersive Boussinesq systems. Properties of the these systems, such as the well-posedness, and existence of travelling waves are being explored. Finally, we discretize some of the new model equations using finite difference methods and we demonstrate their applicability to blood flow problems. First we introduce the basic equations that describe f luid flow in elastic vessels and previously derived systems. We also review previously derived model equations for fluid flow in elastic tubes. We start with the description of the equations of motion of elastic vessel. Then wederive asymptotically Boussinesq systems for fluid flow in elastic vessels. Because these systems are weakly non-linear and weakly dispersive we expect then to have solitary waves as special solutions. We explore some possibilities by construction analytical solutions. After that we continue the derivation of the previous chapter. We derive a general system where the horizontal velocity is evaluated at any distance from the center of the tube. Special emphasis is paid on the case of constant radius vessels. We also derive unidirectional models and obtain the dissipative Boussinesq system by taking the viscosity effects into account. There is also an alternative derivation of the general system when considering the equations of potential flow. We show that the two different derivations lead to the same system. The alternative derivation is based on asymptotic series expansions. Then we develop finite difference methods for the numerical solution of the BBM equation and for the classical Boussinesq system studied in the previous chapters. Finally, we demonstrate the application of the new models to blood flow problems. By performing several numerical simulations.
"The sort of man": Politics, Clothing and Characteristics in British Propaganda Depictions of Royal Air Force Aviators, 1939-1945
Authors:   , Barnsdale Liam
Published: December 2021

Throughout the Second World War, the Royal Air Force saw widespread promotion by Britain’s propagandists. RAF personnel, primarily aviators, and their work made frequent appearances across multiple propaganda media, being utilised for a wide range of purposes from recruitment to entertainment. This thesis investigates the depictions of RAF aviators in British propaganda material produced during the Second World War. The chronological changes these depictions underwent throughout the conflict are analysed and compared to broader strategic and propaganda trends. Additionally, it examines the repeated use of clothing and characteristics as identifying symbols in these representations, alongside their appearances in commercial advertisements, cartoons and personal testimony. Material produced or influenced by the Ministry of Information, Air Ministry and other parties within Britain’s propaganda machine across multiple media are examined using close textual analysis. Through this examination, these parties’ influences on RAF aviators’ propaganda depictions are revealed, and these representations are compared to reality as described by real aviators in post-war accounts. While comparing reality to propaganda, the traits unique to, or excessively promoted in, propaganda are identified, and condensed into a specific set of visual symbols and characteristics used repeatedly in propaganda depictions of RAF aviators. Examples of these traits from across multiple media are identified and analysed, revealing their systematic use as aids for audience recognition and appreciation.
William Colenso’s Māori-English Lexicon
Authors:   , Thompson Darling Charlotte Frances
Published: December 2021

William Colenso, one of Victorian New Zealand’s most accomplished polymaths, is remembered best as a printer, a defrocked missionary, botanist, and politician. Up till now, his role as a lexicographer has been largely neglected. His major biographies touch only briefly on his attempt to compile a Māori-English dictionary while Colenso himself spent 30 years on this project. His Lexicon, published the year before his death, is only the incomplete letter A of Māori to English and a handful of pages of English to Māori. The neglect by Colenso’s biographers is a surprising omission given the length of time Colenso spent on his Lexicon, the amount of extant material that relates to it, and the richness of the Lexicon itself as a resource. This thesis asks what William Colenso’s Maori-English Lexicon contribute to our understanding of Colenso’s life, and about the history of language in New Zealand?  In chapter one, a brief outline of Colenso’s roles as a missionary, a botanist, a school inspector and a politician establish important biographical context for considering his attempt to compile a Lexicon. The main resource drawn upon is the 30 years’ worth of correspondence between Colenso and the New Zealand government relating to the Lexicon, which affords an overview of the project. The Lexicon itself is a rich resource. In chapter two, I have drawn on a methodology suggested by Ogilvie and Coleman in their paper Forensic Lexicography in order to interrogate the Lexicon. Lastly, in chapter three, themes and discourses found in the archive are considered.  Examining the Lexicon demonstrates how rich of a resource it is. The findings establish the wealth of information that the Lexicon can contribute to historical lexicography, and the history of linguistics in New Zealand. Colenso is revealed a ‘splitter’ in his lexicography, just as he was in his botany. He overwhelmingly drew on printed sources as citations when compiling his Lexicon, which raises questions about what ‘authority’ means when recording a language with an oral tradition.  Te reo Māori was a means for Colenso to access many aspects of te ao Māori. The Lexicon also reveals Colenso as a life-long language learner. The archive reveals Colenso as man deeply anxious about his professional standing. His insistence on what he referred to as fair and reasonable remuneration is an insistence on the worth of his knowledge.  This thesis argues that Colenso’s Lexicon is a product of language contact and cultural exchange. And it is a window into Colenso’s life as a man who learnt another language.
Speech Communication from an Information Theoretical Perspective
Authors:   , Van Kuyk Steven
Published: December 2021

Throughout the last century, models of human speech communication have been proposed by linguists, psychologists, and engineers. Advancements have been made, but a theory of human speech communication that is both comprehensive and quantitative is yet to emerge. This thesis hypothesises that a branch of mathematics known as information theory holds the answer to a more complete theory. Information theory has made fundamental contributions to wireless communications, computer science, statistical inference, cryptography, thermodynamics, and biology. There is no reason that information theory cannot be applied to human speech communication, but thus far, a relatively small effort has been made to do so.  The goal of this research was to develop a quantitative model of speech communication that is consistent with our knowledge of linguistics and that is accurate enough to predict the intelligibility of speech signals. Specifically, this thesis focuses on the following research questions: 1) how does the acoustic information rate of speech compare to the lexical information rate of speech? 2) How can information theory be used to predict the intelligibility of speech-based communication systems? 3) How well do competing models of speech communication predict intelligibility?  To answer the first research question, novel approaches for estimating the information rate of speech communication are proposed. Unlike existing approaches, the methods proposed in this thesis rely on having a chorus of speech signals where each signal in the chorus contains the same linguistic message, but is spoken by a different talker. The advantage of this approach is that variability inherent in the production of speech can be accounted for. The approach gives an estimate of about 180 b/s. This is three times larger than estimates based on lexical models, but it is an order of magnitude smaller than previous estimates that rely on acoustic signals.  To answer the second research question, a novel instrumental intelligibility metric called speech intelligibility in bits (SIIB) and a variant called SIIBGauss are proposed. SIIB is an estimate of the amount of information shared between a talker and a listener in bits per second. Unlike existing intelligibility metrics that are based on information theory, SIIB accounts for talker variability and statistical dependencies between time-frequency units.   Finally, to answer the third research question, a comprehensive evaluation of intrusive intelligibility metrics is provided. The results show that SIIB and SIIBGauss have state-of-the-art performance, that intelligibility metrics tend to perform poorly on data sets that were not used during their development, and show the advantage of reducing statistical dependencies between input features.
An analysis of how political governance of liquid fuels contributes to energy security in Papua New Guinea
Authors:   , Hualupmomi Francis
Published: December 2021

This study examines how political governance of liquid fuels at the institutional level contributes to energy security in Papua New Guinea (PNG) from a political economic perspective. An interpretive methodology and critical case analysis design were used to analyse LNG energy governance regime (policies, legislation, and institutions) and its relationship with energy security. The research design involved analysis of participants’ observations and documents in relation to the critical cases (instances) in the practice of the energy regime under the Somare and O’Neill governments between 2002 and 2017.  By using the characteristics of the Quality Energy Governance Framework (QEGF) which emerged from the analysis of the literature on energy governance and energy security, this study shared a new policy insight that energy security is actually created through the interactions that occur between political actors and the institutions and processes of energy governance. The study found that energy governance is a system of interacting institutions, policies and legislation created by the political institutions for the purpose of achieving economic efficiency in order to produce public value. The effective functioning of this system depends on the quality of the political institutions. A strong political institution constructs a quality policy regime which, in turn, translates into operational and adaptive qualities of an energy regime that enhances energy security. Alternatively, where a political institution is weak, the operational and adaptive qualities of the energy governance system are also incrementally diminished, thus generating energy insecurity, which, in turn, affects development outcomes.  Accordingly, the study concludes that in PNG the qualities of the energy governance system did not seem to effectively function efficiently as a whole due to the political-economic interests and non-compliance to the institutional qualities. This, in turn, has had the effect of generating energy insecurity rather than enhancing energy security. In effect, the practices associated with the formal governance arrangements have failed to deliver a consistent and predictable governance system for PNG LNG and development outcomes have suffered as a result. The social interaction of political and economic actors and their interests in the energy governance system is complex and quite difficult to predict, resulting in an unstable energy regime. Given the unpredictability of this energy regime, political reform should assume primacy as a first order priority to withstand emerging energy governance issues and challenges that might contribute to energy insecurity.
Development and Evaluation of a Novel Mechatronic Percussion System
Authors:   , Little Trent
Published: December 2021

While numerous attempts at creating mechatronic percussion systems exist, many have been limited to only playing a single membranophone or idiophone. These systems inherently lack the ability to reproduce the expressive nature of strikes which human players are capable of and often require manual reconfiguration in order to vary the striking location, type of beater or striking angle. The few which are able to pan across multiple instruments often lack the ability to perform expressively.  We designed a mechatronic percussion system that provides expressivity through controllable variability of the acoustic properties inherent to percussion instruments. Our system can play across the range of an entire traditional drum kit, whether it is set up in a completely horizontal formation, vertically staggered or includes other percussion instruments. When continuously operating at maximum speed, the system is capable of playing for five hours before one subsystem is at risk of failing.  Our system possesses two "wrists", each capable of gripping a variety of beaters. A single wrist can reliably perform single drum strokes at a frequency of 21 Hz, surpassing that of the world's fastest drummer. Operating both wrists results in a striking frequency of 51.9 Hz. The level of force behind each stroke and resultant acoustic quality can be controlled to produce an expressive performance.  A unique feature of this system is the use of a compliant grip, applying variable pressure to the beater held and allows for a variety of beater diameters to be incorporated.
The Holocene Glacial History of Dart Glacier, Southern Alps, New Zealand
Authors:   , Dowling Lisa
Published: December 2021

Mountain glaciers are sensitive climate indicators, as climate variability drives mass changes that are expressed in glacier length fluctuations. These length changes are preserved in the geological record, thus offering the potential to generate new palaeoclimate proxy data that can be used to extend instrumental climate records. This study presents geomorphological mapping and cosmogenic ¹⁰Be surface exposure dating of the Holocene moraines at Dart Glacier, New Zealand. These findings show that an early Holocene advance (~6 km longer than present-day) took place ~7817 ± 336 years ago. Moraine ages also show that a more restricted glacier readvance (~4 km longer than present-day) occurred ~321 ± 44 years ago. Through better constraining the timing and magnitude of Holocene glacier length changes, we extend the ~100-year history of observational records in the upper Dart valley.  Net retreat of Dart Glacier during the Holocene is consistent with other moraine chronologies from New Zealand, which supports existing hypotheses that suggest summer insolation was the dominant driver of multi-millennial climate change at southern mid-latitudes during the current interglacial. Individual moraine forming events at Dart Glacier also coincide with moraine ages from several other catchments in the Southern Alps and likely reflect shorter-term (decadal-centennial-scale) climatic changes. The new geological record constraints of length changes at Dart Glacier offer the opportunity to test such hypotheses more formally using physics-based modelling.  Connecting Holocene moraine records to historical glacier observations using ¹⁰Be surface exposure dating requires consistently low background levels of this rare isotope. Systematic blank experiments show that concentrated analytical grade hydrofluoric acid and reused beakers are likely the largest contributors of ¹⁰Be to the average process blank in the VUW Cosmogenic Laboratory. Based on these findings I recommend small methodological improvements that could be implemented to lower process blank ratios for routine application of ¹⁰Be surface exposure dating to near-historic glacial landforms.
Rare earth nitrides and their applications in magnetic tunnel junctions
Authors:   , Ullstad Felicia
Published: December 2021

In this thesis, we investigate the rare earth nitrides, a family of materials containing many intrinsic ferromagnetic semiconductors, with a particular focus on GdN and SmN.We investigate the rare earth nitride formation reaction, explore some properties of GdN and SmN, and finally manufacture and measure magnetic tunnel junctions which incorporate rare earth nitrides. The investigations of the reaction and properties of the materials are used to improve and understand the magnetic tunnel junctions. All samples and devices are grown at room temperature, giving polycrystalline rare earth nitride films.  We show that a rare earth surface can catalytically break theN2 molecule at ambient temperature and low pressures. We follow the nitrogen reacting with the rare earth to form a rare earth nitride in real time via conductance measurements. By comparing the N2 cracking, reaction, and diffusion at both a RE and a REN surface we propose a pressure range in which the nitrogen content in SmN can be manipulated and conclude that the nitrogen in the top monolayers in a SmN film is mobile.  In the investigation of GdN and SmN, we find that the conductivity of SmN follows the same behaviour as GdN when changing the N2 pressure during deposition. We follow the conductance change in SmN during deposition and propose a minimum thickness for room temperature deposited SmN films for consistent conductivity measurements. We report structural and magnetic changes in GdN which has been exposed to N-ions. We also present data on materials making ohmic contact to both GdN and SmN.  Finally, we report the manufacturing and investigation of magnetic tunnel junctions using GdN and SmN electrodes with a GaN tunnel barrier. A new pattern design produces 20 devices, in a single deposition, which show consistent behaviour and expands on previous work on this topic. The main focus of the investigation is the J-V characteristics of the magnetic tunnel junctions which shows clear non-linear behaviour arising from tunnelling through the GaN. A Simmons fit to the J-V characteristics yields a barrier height of 0:8 eV and barrier thicknesses close to experimentally determined thicknesses. The J-V characteristics are investigated with changing temperature and changing applied magnetic field to investigate the effect of the ferromagnetism of the GdN and SmN electrodes. The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) of the devices show two contributions, a low-temperature TMR contribution and a 50K TMR contribution, and the maximum TMR for all devices are between 100% to 600%. The devices can withstand current densities up to 4000A/cm² and voltages up to 5V which is promising for a wide range of future applications.
Constructing a Vocational and Educational Training System in Peru Drawing from Successful Cases in the Asia-Pacific region
Authors:   , Nano Amburgo María del Carmen
Published: December 2021

Peru currently has a fragmented and incomplete approach to Vocational and Educational Training (VET). This presents a problem for the country’s growing demand for skilled human capital, especially the skills requirements needed to foster Small and Medium Enterprises’ (SMEs) productivity. In a context where trends such as globalization, competitiveness, and scientific and technological advances are setting big challenges to developing countries, it might be relevant that Peru gazes on best practices of those countries that have implemented recent reforms in their VET systems. This research uses a systematic approach to review the international literature on the design of VET policies and systems to discover the aspects which could be of use to Peru’s next steps in the development of its VET system. It drew on the most relevant VET systems across Asia-Pacific countries, such as New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, to identify trends and define criteria to analyse the current VET system. Policy transfer frameworks are used to draw from these systems those characteristics most needed. Some of the most important policies that the Peruvian VET system might consider are to reduce the fragmentation of current VET system by bringing all the targeted programs that the Peruvian government is carrying out at present into a more integrated whole of government approach, the reform of formal provision of technical education at secondary and tertiary level that stress the transferability of degrees across the Asia-Pacific region, and the creation of a training system according to requirements of the labour market and socio-cultural characteristics of students.
Legal Parentage “By Design”: Reimagining Birth Certificates in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors:   , Ballantyne Ruth
Published: December 2021

This thesis highlights two significant flaws in birth certification and legal parentage regimes in Aotearoa New Zealand that negatively impact children conceived and raised in an array of diverse family structures. First, birth certificates currently reflect a child’s legal parentage, excluding any reference to a child’s genetic or gestational origins. This thesis draws on social constructionist conceptions of the self and narrative identity theory, alongside Māori understandings of aspects of whakapapa, to demonstrate that birth certificates should incorporate more information about a child’s origins, and that a failure to do so can have negative consequences for a child’s identity development. To rectify these informational deficits, this thesis argues for the reform of birth certification in Aotearoa New Zealand. It demonstrates the nature and potential of these reforms through the creation of a prototype birth certificate for all children that incorporates their genetic, gestational, and legal parentage.  Second, this thesis claims that the current model of legal parentage, which permits a child to have a maximum of two legally recognised parents at any given time, does not reflect the lives of children who are intentionally brought into the world and raised by more than two individuals. Rather, it embodies historic understandings of legal parentage that privilege traditional heterosexual western forms of reproduction, and fails to account for the realities of assisted human reproduction and modern-day family formation. Expanding the operation of legal parentage to incorporate all of a child’s parental figures (and including them on the child’s birth certificate from the outset) would provide greater legal protection for children born into multi-parent families, in line with that currently enjoyed by children with one or two legal parents. Therefore, this thesis develops an intentional model of legal parentage accommodating more than two legal parents where a child is conceived by assisted human reproduction in specified circumstances.  Reimagining birth certificates and legal parentage as proposed in this thesis would better reflect the social and narrative realities of identity formation, especially for children, whereby who they become is greatly shaped by the individuals in their lives and their experiences in the world. It would also better meet our obligations under the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, as well as possibly affording greater respect to Māori conceptions of identity, which is of fundamental importance given the classification of whakapapa as a taonga guaranteed protection under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The expansion of legal parentage beyond the two-parent paradigm would also provide greater legal protection to children in Aotearoa New Zealand, arguably making this area of family law consistent with a legal framework that is otherwise well attuned to recognising the diversity and complexity of family relationships.
If Walls Could Speak: Designing a satellite creative campus through a combination of adaptive reuse strategies and artistic manoeuvres generated from music video to enhance a repurposed building’s identity
Authors:   , Taylor Morgan
Published: December 2021

In many examples of adaptive reuse, the original identity of a work of architecture becomes lost or obscured when the new interior program is no longer represented by the meaning inherent in the exterior facades. This design research investigation explores how active incorporation of memory into an architectural design concept can enable a repurposed building to tell a meaningful story over time. Most contemporary architectural design relating to adaptive reuse does not take advantage of this important opportunity.  This thesis looks at a site that is currently home to NIWA, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research facility, at Greta Point, on Evans Bay outside of Wellington. This research site and the surrounding area have many layers of history and inherent narrative associated with it, making this a strong site for this adaptive reuse design research experiment.  This thesis argues that new architecture and old architecture in adaptive reuse projects can maintain strong meaningful identities while co-existing in harmony with one another and their new programmes. one principal goal of this investigation is to avoid facadism where an original facade becomes a meaningless mask for what is happening inside a repurposed building. This thesis investigates how this can be achieved by: analysing contemporary narrative, memory-based music videos to explore how the application of similar techniques might enable adaptive reuse projects to enhance a building’s identity; investigating how these design techniques can help provide meaningful identity to the architectural components while establishing relationships between old and new, inside and outside; enhancing the greater history and narrative of the site; and by adding meaning to the conflicting grids that may have arisen over time in relation to the wider history of the site.
Bring Back the Bach
Authors:   , Woolley Isabella
Published: December 2021

The historic informal architecture of New Zealand’s coastline is precise; it’s small, modest, individual, and ultimately exhibits the concept that less, is more. This architectural heritage is the bach. It’s an icon on the New Zealand coastlines. These occasionally occupied dwellings hold a nostalgic feeling to many Kiwi’s. Baches typically sit lightly on the land, and are careful to not outshine the beautiful environment that attracted its occupants to its site.  Through the effects of privatization and subdivision, parts of New Zealand’s coastline have been overdeveloped, which has dramatically affected and diminished the coastal environment. The contemporary holiday home is typically a more expensive, large, suburban house, unsympathetic to its landscape. This change in coastal architecture and settlement patterns is making the coastline inaccessible for many. As the old Kiwi bach is being redeveloped and replaced, New Zealand architecture is losing part of its identity. We are ruining that pristine environment that attracted us to the coastline in the beginning.  This research looks towards coastal environments in the northern area of the North Island of New Zealand. Kawau Island serves as the testing ground for the design research, with a historic and hypothetical subdivision as the setting. The design tests the research at varying scales; how the land can be subdivided, how the land can be occupied, and how the buildings can be designed, to collectively and individually have less impact on the environment. The purpose of this research is to find how we can design more sustainably for our inhabitation of the coast of New Zealand. If we still want to inhabit the coastline, how can this happen in a more mindful way? We inhabit the coast to enjoy that environment, so we need to build with the least impact so that it can be retained and enjoyed.  An understanding of building with low-impact to the environment is at the forefront of this research, to ensure that there is minimal impact throughout both construction, and occupation. Building with minimal impact was investigated through theoretical sustainability principles, precedents and design testing. This impact is interpreted through several different aspects of the development; the way that the development is owned and operated, the siting and clustering of buildings within the land, the tectonics and constructions of individual dwellings, and the way that this development connects on a larger scale with the island.
Urban Riverscapes: Reconnecting Urban Environments With the River Landscape
Authors:   , Fairgray Elle
Published: December 2021

Water is a fundamental component of New Zealand’s landscape, culture, history and identity. It is moving, changing form, accumulating and dispersing, it is ever changing never in the same context twice. Rivers are a single representation of this process in which we experience water in the landscape.  New Zealand has beautiful and intense water ways that pass through urban environments, yet due to the flood protection measures in place, they are disconnected from the urban environment. They are difficult to access and do not hold a presence in our growing urban environment which they once had significance in.  Stopbanks are the most common form of river flood protection infrastructure in New Zealand. They treat the river as a static element without giving them the space to move, flood and meander. They create a physical barrier between the urban environment and river space and do not respond to the differences of rivers and urban environments.  Growing urbanisation is increasing the pressure on stormwater infrastructure and growing the risk and effects of flooding. Increasing magnitude and frequency of rainfall events is only putting more pressure on flood protection infrastructure and stopbank infrastructure is crumbling under the pressure. Urban environments are requiring a larger level of flood protection that the traditional stopbank can provide.  This thesis is an investigation into the role of stopbanks for flood protection in urban river spaces and their effect of the experiential and ecological experience of the river. This investigation, developed through an analysis of the Waiwhakaiho River in New Plymouth, the Waikanae River in Kapiti and the Waipoua River in the Waiarapa informs a redesign of flood protection measures in New Zealand medium sized towns to repair the disconnection of the urban environment to the river.
Creating Ethical Markets or Marketing Ethics? A Critical Exploration of Ethical Value Networks in Chilean and Peruvian Viticulture and Oenology
Authors:   , Williams Peter
Published: December 2021

The global integration of agriculture has increasingly exposed rural groups in Latin America, and other regions of the Global South, to external economic forces. This integration, encouraged by neoliberal ideology, has in many ways exacerbated underdevelopment and peripherality of these regions. Small-scale farmers tend to disproportionately suffer from trade inequality and a range of negative social, economic, and environmental outcomes associated with the integration of agriculture. In response, consumers in the Global North have become more concerned about how food is being produced and to what standards, particularly when production takes place in the South. In part, this has driven the rise of what this research theorises as ethical value networks and linked product labels. Diverse networks and product labels based in social justice, sustainability, quality and origin have been promoted as alternative models to globalised agriculture. It is claimed that these alternative networks assist rural groups otherwise disadvantaged by neoliberal globalisation by facilitating access to higher-value ethical niche markets, while encouraging localised ethical forms of development.  This research critically explores two examples of ethical value networks in South American viticulture. It examines the use of fair trade certifications in Chilean wine and the protected designation of origin mark on pisco from Peru. This research emphasises the importance of local social, economic, and political contexts in the formation and outcomes of ethical value networks. It argues that despite the potential of the two studied networks to encourage local social and community development, entrenched socio-economic inequalities in Chile and Peru have hindered the expected positive outcomes of these ethical value networks. Moreover, this thesis argues that the studied networks have in many ways worsened local rural inequalities by supporting industrial and newer producers while excluding the most vulnerable actors in the wine and pisco sectors. Therefore, although this thesis illustrates the potential capacities of ethical value networks in fostering local development outcomes through product labelling, it also reveals the main limitations of these networks as currently implemented.
International students' academic learning in mainstream classrooms: A case study
Authors:   , Petrovic Biljana
Published: December 2021

This study sought to explore the academic learning experiences of a group of secondary international students. A number of schools provide education to international students in this country, however little attention has been paid to exploring this group of students’ academic learning. This study addressed the subject with two questions: What are international ELL students’ perspectives on their mainstream academic learning; and What do mainstream teachers report facilitate these students’ learning? I used a case study approach to examine the five students’ and four teachers’ experiences in their unique settings (Lichtman, 2013), as reported by them (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2011). I transcribed and coded the interviews. According to both teachers and students, group activities and the teachers’ scaffolding via one-to-one oral discussions or written feedback were the most productive learning strategies for students. From the perspective of Vygotsky’s (1978) concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, the students appeared to move towards independent learning through supported interactions with their peers and teachers to achieve the learning outcomes in their mainstream subjects.
Towards Unavoidable Minors of Binary 4-connected Matroids
Authors:   , Jowett Susan
Published: December 2021

We show that for every n ≥ 3 there is some number m such that every 4-connected binary matroid with an M (K3,m)-minor or an M* (K3,m)-minor and no rank-n minor isomorphic to M* (K3,n) blocked in a path-like way, has a minor isomorphic to one of the following: M (K4,n), M* (K4,n), the cycle matroid of an n-spoke double wheel, the cycle matroid of a rank-n circular ladder, the cycle matroid of a rank-n Möbius ladder, a matroid obtained by adding an element in the span of the petals of M (K3,n) but not in the span of any subset of these petals and contracting this element, or a rank-n matroid closely related to the cycle matroid of a double wheel, which we call a non graphic double wheel. We also show that for all n there exists m such that the following holds. If M is a 4-connected binary matroid with a sufficiently large spanning restriction that has a certain structure of order m that generalises a swirl-like flower, then M has one of the following as a minor: a rank-n spike, M (K4,n), M* (K4,n), the cycle matroid of an n-spoke double wheel, the cycle matroid of a rank-n circular ladder, the cycle matroid of a rank-n Möbius ladder, a matroid obtained by adding an element in the span of the petals of M (K3,n) but not in the span of any subset of these petals and contracting this element, a rank-n non graphic double wheel, M* (K3,n) blocked in a path-like way or a highly structured 3-connected matroid of rank n that we call a clam.
Global Illumination on a Mobile Phone: Scalable Real-time Global Illumination using Sparse Radiance Probes
Authors:   , Bennett Joseph
Published: December 2021

Real-time global illumination that scales from low to high-end hardware is important for interactive applications so they can reach wider audiences. To do this, the real-time lighting algorithm used needs to have varying performance characteristics.  Sparse Radiance Probes (SRP) is a recent real-time global illumination algorithm that runs in under 5 ms per frame on a high-end Nvidia Titan X GPU. Its low per-frame timings suggest it could scale to low-end devices, but no prior work provides complete implementation details and evaluates its performance across devices with varying performance characteristics to prove this. Therefore, this thesis aims to fill this gap and determine if SRP is scalable across low to high-end devices. SRP is implemented with adjustable scaling parameters, and its performance is compared across three test devices. A low-end iPhone 7, a mid-range AMD Radeon 560 graphics card, and a high-end AMD RX Vega 56 graphics card. The implementation in this thesis ran above 60 FPS for simple scenes on the iPhone 7, and with a reasonable reduction in quality, it ran just above 30 FPS on more complex scenes like Crytek Sponza. These results show that SRP can scale to low-end devices. While the implementation in this thesis runs in real time, there are implementation optimisations that would make SRP run even faster across all the test devices without reducing quality.