bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Currency of Identity: Ireland 1978 to 1992
Authors:   , Murphy Barbara
Published: November 2021

Following 10 years in operation, the European Monetary Union (EMU) has been shaken by the global financial crisis and some peripheral states have experienced significant economic shock. The pitfalls of currency unions have been well documented in the literature of International Political Economy (IPE), so the situation that these states find themselves in cannot come as a surprise to any member country. Without highly synchronised economies, some states will suffer significantly in the event of an exogenous shock. This begs the question why a country would make an "irrational" choice to join the monetary union to begin with. The predominant IPE theories on how the EMU was formed are explained using rational choice with material interests as the focus for interstate bargaining. By arguing that they really have no choice to begin with, rational choice theory renders small states impotent. Unsatisfied with this reductionist answer, this body of work explores the participation of one of the states currently in trouble by introducing a constructivist theory of economic identity politics. Exploring the historical record of Ireland in the period of 1978 and 1992, this work reveals that Ireland in fact had choices, and the "irrational" choices it made were significantly influenced by Irish identity politics. However Ireland's "irrational" motivation can only be understood by including economic identity politics into the analysis. It will reveal that the supranational institutions of the European Union can serve as economic instruments to further nationalist goals. In the process the institution can become embedded in the nation such a country like Ireland is now a hybrid - highly European monetarily while it still remains distinctively Irish. As small states now make up the majority of the European Union this thesis adds to our understanding of small state participation in its most ambitious institution thus far.
Newcomers as Accessories: A Study of Basque and Catalan Autonomy Campaigns through Immigrant Integration Strategies
Authors:   , Davies Danielle
Published: November 2021

This thesis examines the political autonomy campaigns of subnational entities. Subnational entities may be defined as political entities located below the state level whose members are connected through historic territories and socio-cultural identities. Catalonia and the Basque Country are presented as the two case studies of this thesis and are approached with a comparative framework. From the outset, an examination of the Westphalian state structure of the international political system is provided, with particular emphasis on the political position of subnational entities. The thesis then utilises the contemporary phenomenon of international migration and explores the international immigration trends that affect Catalonia and the Basque Country. The potential tension at the intersection of international immigration and subnational autonomy campaigns is analysed, guided by the question of whether Catalonia or the Basque Country approach foreign immigration as a hindrance or a help to their political autonomy campaigns. The integration policies of Catalonia and the Basque Country are then assessed, as well as an analysis of the alternative political relations which Catalonia and the Basque Country have formed based upon the issue of foreign immigrant integration. This thesis finds that although the sovereign state structure continues to dominate the international political system, Catalonia and the Basque Country demonstrate how subnational autonomy campaigns continue to be pursued. Furthermore, this thesis finds that Catalonia and the Basque Country have recently utilised the issue of foreign immigrant integration as a stratagem for enhancing their informal political competencies.
Semantic Influences on Overt and Covert Visual Attention
Authors:   , Weaver Matthew David
Published: November 2021

People are constantly confronted by a barrage of visual information. Visual attention is the crucial mechanism which selects for further processing, subsets of information which are most behaviourally relevant, allowing us to function effectively within our everyday environment. This thesis explored how semantic information (i.e., information which has meaning) encountered within the environment influences the selective orienting of visual attention. Past research has shown semantic information does affect the orienting of attention, but the processes by which it does so remain unclear. The extent of semantic influence on the visual attention system was determined by parsing visual orienting into the tractable components of covert and overt orienting, and capture and hold process stages therein. This thesis consisted of a series of experiments which were designed, utilising well- established paradigms and semantic manipulations in concert with eye-tracking techniques, to test whether the capture and hold of either overt or covert forms of visual attention were influenced by semantic information. Taking together the main findings across all experiments, the following conclusions were drawn. 1) Semantic information differentially influences covert and overt attentional orienting processes. 2) The capture and hold of covert attention is generally uninfluenced by semantic information. 3) Semantic information briefly encountered in the environment can facilitate or prime action independent of covert attentional orienting.4) Overt attention can be both preferentially captured and held by semantically salient information encountered in visual environments. The visual attentional system thus appears to have a complex relationship with semantic information encountered in the visual environment. Semantic information has a differential influence on selective orienting processes that depends on the form of orienting employed and a range of circumstances under which attentional selection takes place.
Complementarity: Towards Robust Human Rights Governance in the New Zealand State Sector
Authors:   , Greatrex Helen Patricia
Published: November 2021

Successive governments have committed New Zealand to implementing international human rights standards domestically. In terms of practical governance, what does this mean and how might effectiveness be measured? A face-value answer can be found in domestic laws and institutions relating to human rights. However, this thesis argues that the effective implementation of ratified international human rights goes well beyond what this thesis terms the law+litigation approach (crucial though that is). By tracing developments historically, analysing the policy and governance issues, and using case studies this research shows that effective implementation is characterised by a new concept: 'complementarity'. This concept is about an increasing coherence between a number of factors affecting the state sector which impact on the fostering and delivery of human rights. These include international and domestic dimensions, law and public policy, public fairness, administrative pragmatism, and proactive and reactive approaches to implementation. Greater complementarity is shown to produce another term suggested in the thesis: robust human rights governance. The opposite - fragile human rights governance - is also explored. As well as the complementarity model, this research also suggests there are six phases in New Zealand's human rights history. It is argued that the sixth most robust stage has been reached, but that there are elements of previous stages that are weak, developing or non-existent. Leading on from this 20 criteria to assess what effectiveness 'looks like' in relation to robust human rights governance are also developed. Although this is primarily a New Zealand study, the widespread adoption of human rights standards by many states inevitably means that the issues are relevant to other countries, even though there are always varying degrees of similarity-difference in constitutional background and developed or emerging human rights systems. This thesis shows the pathways, the mechanisms, the evolving frameworks and the approaches that would help to differentiate robust from fragile human rights governance. The tools in this research should therefore enable a more nuanced assessment of effectiveness in terms of robust human rights governance.
The Maori Arts in Education: The Importance of Being : How Maori Arts Education Contributes Towards a Holistic Approach of Knowing Based on the Inter-relatedness of Understanding, Doing, and Being
Authors:   , Hindle Rawiri
Published: November 2021

This thesis examines the impact of the Nga Toi professional development and implementation model on resource teachers of Maori and Maori advisors. It explores the inter-relatedness of understanding, doing and being in relation to professional development, and teaching and learning in general. With the intention of acknowledging that 'being' is an equally important component in arts education. This research is a qualitative investigation into the phenomenon of Nga Toi Professional Development and is embedded within a Kaupapa Maori paradigm. Eight participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using themes that arose out of the data itself. The data was categorised into the three areas of doing, being and understanding to allow for an analysis of what the respondents were saying in relation to the research question, 'How can Maori arts education contribute towards a holistic approach of knowing based on the inter-relatedness of understanding, doing, and being?' It is the interconnectedness of these three concepts that allow for a deeper knowing of things. This could be described as a knowing of the mind, body and soul and equates with terms such as realisation or 'in the zone' and enlightenment. The design of the Nga Toi professional development acknowledged and incorporated the allowance for 'being', as interpreted in this study, into the planning. This created some ambiguity in planning as some things emerged through the process and the learning was retrospective or came out of being reflective. Some of the structures, such as the dramaturgy processes assisted in creating an environment which in equal parts challenged yet supported participants to move into unknown spaces. Integrating 'being' as an integral part of arts education challenges current thought that everything has to be assessed and have an outcome. Being challenges this approach to learning as it is often the immeasurable quotient in a performance or action. Being in the arts evokes an emotional or even spiritual response; you know when it's there but can't predict what it will look like or the impact it will have. From the facilitators perspective success in the Nga Toi professional development was expressed through developing skills, understandings and being through experiential or practical workshops and following it up with the theory. A major intention of this study is to create a space and a dialogue for debate and discussion in regards to the inclusion of 'being' in arts education.
Applying Kabeer's Social Relations Approach to Village Health Volunteers in Rural Papua New Guinea
Authors:   , Heather Ruth
Published: November 2021

In this thesis I explore the effectiveness and sustainability of the Village Health Volunteer system within the East Sepik Women and Children's Health Project (ESWCHP), Papua New Guinea. The ESWCHP is a well-established project that provides a health infrastructure for primary health care services in rural areas of the East Sepik Province. The ESWCHP supports Church Health Services, and village women who volunteer (Village Health Volunteers) to provide primary care in rural village settings. In 2006, I undertook research to assess the impact of the ESWCHP. The assessment showed that rural people were very supportive of the Project and that it had made a significant, positive difference to health in rural villages. There was however, an overwhelming response to the research from Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) with requests for a greater level of support from rural people and the ESWCHP (in terms of training, payment, and status) and greater consistency of medical supplies. In this qualitative thesis research, I revisited the 2006 data using a combined theoretical frame of gender and development, participatory development and Sen's capability approach. I developed a detailed method based on Kabeer's Social Relations Approach (1994) to guide the process of interpretation, analysis and representation of memories, notes, and data. Through the analysis of social relations, I examined questions concerning the effectiveness of the VHV system in the face of escalating maternal death rates and epidemic levels of HIV/AIDs, and its sustainability. The analysis showed that the ESWCHP was facing compounding gender inequalities that put sustainability of the VHV system at risk. The analysis also showed that on the basis of key health indicators, the ESWCHP health infrastructure with its current heavy reliance on VHVs was neither successful nor effective. Research is urgently needed to identify a sustainable and effective model of rural health care to address the rapidly escalating maternal death and HIV rates of rural people in PNG.
The Development of Learning Regions in New Zealand: An ICT Perspective
Authors:   , Toland Janet Mary
Published: November 2021

The term "Learning Region" is used to identify a region which is innovative, economically successful, and inhabited by citizens who are active members of their local community. Such regions are characterised by strong links between local businesses, community groups, and education providers. Within a regional area interaction and exchange of information is easier and cheaper than in a national or international context. The success of an individual organisation is directly related to the quality of information available locally. Information technology can be an important tool in improving the flow of knowledge between the stakeholders within a region. The study examines the role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) play in the development of learning regions in New Zealand, and how they can be used to improve the quality of information flows both within the region itself, and between the region and the outside world. In particular the research considers what contribution ICTs make to organisational learning and innovation. Historical methods are used to build up a picture of the significant changes that have taken place within two contrasting regions of New Zealand between 1985 and 2005. The two selected regions are Southland and Wellington. Data was collected by searching regional newspapers, and conducting interviews with key figures in each region. A "6-I" framework of the "ideal" features of a learning region was developed from the literature review and this was used to analyse the data. The findings show a clear linear progression in terms of the development of hard ICT based networks, but a less clear pattern in terms of soft social networks where the same issues were revisited a number of times over the years. Though there was evidence of a relationship between the soft networks that existed at the regional level and the utilisation of hard ICT networks within a region it was difficult to quantify. Hard and soft networks evolve differently over time and the relationship between the two is nuanced. Both regions were successful in setting up high quality ICT networks. However, with the exception of the education sector, both regions struggled to co-ordinate their soft networks. Though good social capital existed in each region, especially in Southland, it was located in different interest groups and was not easy to bring together. This lack of co-ordination meant that the possibilities opened up by ICT infrastructure in terms of increasing innovation were not fully realised. Both regions demonstrated many of the characteristics of learning regions but neither region was able to bring all aspects together to reach their full potential. The thesis demonstrates the important role that soft social networks play in the successful utilisation of ICT networks within a regional setting.
Developing 'My Way' in Chinese Language Teaching: Qualitative Case Studies of Teachers' Personal Practical Knowledge
Authors:   , Sun Dekun
Published: November 2021

Much of L2 teacher cognition research has focused on L2 English education with native speakers teaching adult students at private institutes and tertiary levels. The present study was set up to investigate Chinese language teachers' personal practical knowledge (PPK) in teaching Chinese in New Zealand secondary schools. Taking qualitative case study as the approach, the present study selected three teachers as participants - two native Chinese speakers (immigrants) and one non-native Chinese speaker with Chinese heritage background - to explore the characteristics of their PPK, and to identify the factors shaping that PPK. The purpose of the study is to gain insight into teacher professional development processes. The data for the present study are mainly interviews with the teachers, supplemented with classroom observations of their teaching, post-lesson discussions, and my field notes. Data analysis and interpretation revealed that each teacher developed her own unique characteristic of PPK, which was captured by a dominant image, an overriding perspective that guided her practice. The factors shaping their PPK and practice are shown to be their prior knowledge, particularly ideologies originating from their native culture, their awareness of their status as native and non-native speakers, their teaching experience, and the institutional context. However, the extent of the impact on each teacher differed depending upon their personal background and level of professional development. The present study supported the view that a teacher's PPK is the dynamic integration of her prior knowledge and understanding of the situation, is oriented toward practice, and is constructed and reconstructed out of the narratives of a teacher's life. Based on this study, a number of implications have been identified for teacher development, as well as suggestions for further study of teachers' PPK.
Stress Resistance in an Extreme Environment: Lessons Learnt from a Temperate Symbiotic Sea Anemone
Authors:   , Palka Milena Sylwia
Published: November 2021

Coral bleaching, the loss of symbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) or their photosynthetic pigments in response to environmental stress, is of huge global concern. In contrast to tropical corals, which are highly sensitive to fluctuations in environmental parameters such as temperature, light and salinity, zooxanthellate invertebrates in temperate waters rarely bleach despite highly variable conditions. In this study, we tested the effects of salinity with combined effects of light and temperature stress on the photophysiology and stability of the temperate symbiotic sea anemone, Anthopleura aureoradiata, through chlorophyll fluorescence. In the field it was demonstrated that A. aureoradiata was resilient to abiotic fluctuations of considerable magnitude in the intertidal zone. Salinity was revealed to range naturally between a winter low of 30 and summer high of 40 ppt in an elevated tide pool with no measurable effects on the photophysiology of A. aureoradiata residing within. In a controlled environment, only extreme high and low salinities had an effect on the zooxanthellar photosystem, with a wide range of tolerance between 15-50 ppt dependent on the levels of temperature and light. Both high and low light, and temperature, also impacted upon photophysiology. Moreover, each of these variables independently, as well as combined, exacerbated the impact of salinity stress. In addition, the duration of exposure played an important role in the survival of this symbiosis, with only 48-96 h exposure to the extreme salinities of 5, 10, 55 and 60 ppt inducing irreversible photosynthetic failure, bleaching and death. Thus, the data supports the idea that this anemone-zooxanthellar symbiosis is highly resilient to considerable amounts of abiotic stress, a likely a function of the robust photophysiology of its zooxanthellae. This resilience to bleaching suggests that A. aureoradiata and its zooxanthallae have evolved a combination of powerful defensive mechanisms to help aid against the heterogenous environment from which they come. I will present an overview of these osmoregulatory mechanisms, photoacclimatory strategies and behaviours that this symbiosis likely deploys in order to combat environmentally realistic ranges in abiotic factors. Further studies would be necessary to deduce whether it is the host or zooxanthellae which are responsible for the breakdown of this symbiosis.
Development of Extrospective Systems for Mobile Robotic Vehicles.
Authors:   , McClymont Johnny Robert Keogh
Published: November 2021

Extrospection is the process of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses. On robotic platforms this is primarily focussed on determining distances to objects of interest and is achieved through the use of ranging sensors. Any hardware implemented on mobile robotic platforms, including sensors, must ideally be small in size and weight, have good power efficiency, be self-contained and interface easily with the existing platform hardware. The development of stable, expandable and interchangeable mobile robot based sensing systems is crucial to the establishment of platforms on which complex robotic research can be conducted and evaluated in real world situations. This thesis details the design and development of two extrospective systems for incorporation in the Victoria University of Wellington's fleet of mobile robotic platforms. The first system is a generic intelligent sensor network. Fundamental to this system has been the development of network architecture and protocols that provide a stable scheme for connecting a large number of sensors to a mobile robotic platform with little or no dependence on the existing hardware configuration of the platform. A prototype sensor network comprising fourteen infrared position sensitive detectors providing a short to medium distance ranging system (0.2 - 3 m) with a 360' field of view has been successfully developed and tested. The second system is a redesign of an existing prototype full-field image ranger system. The redesign has yielded a smaller, mobile version of the prototype system capable of ranging medium to long distances (0 - 15 m) with a 22.2' - 16.5' field-of-view. This ranger system can now be incorporated onto mobile robotic platforms for further research into the capabilities of full-field image ranging as a form of extrospection on a mobile platform.
Engagement in Music Therapy: A Detailed study of Communication Between the Therapist and Client Presenting with Severe and Multiple Handicaps
Authors:   , Stamenovic Miona
Published: November 2021

The impact of multiple disabilities causes difficulties in the area of communication. Individuals with severe and multiple handicaps often have no verbal language as a result of serious physical impairments. This population may show little obvious response and it is therefore difficult to know if they are engaged and for the person him or herself to maintain engagement when involved in activities. The purpose of the study was to find out what happens in a normal music therapy session, during moments of perceived engagement. Four individuals experienced in the field of multiple disabilities were invited to take part in semi-structured interviews where they observed a half hour video of a therapist and a student with severe and multiple handicaps participating in music therapy. Data was analyzed in two steps, firstly through participants observing and explaining their reactions to video of music therapy and secondly by the researcher interviewing the participants and writing up a transcript of their commentaries about the video. The key themes that emerged in participants' descriptions of engagement during moments in music therapy suggest it is possible to observe and identify engagement as reflected in the students' non-verbal responses, such as body movement, eye contact and vocalizations.
A Comparison of Repeated MDMA- and AMPH-Produced Centre and Periphery Activity and the Underlying Neuroadaptations
Authors:   , Bradbury Sarah J.
Published: November 2021

The recreational use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or 'ecstasy') is increasing in New Zealand. MDMA is a ring-substituted derivative of AMPH and, similar to AMPH, produces hyperactivity upon administration. However, the behavioural profile of hyperlocomotion produced by MDMA differs from that produced by AMPH, suggesting that different neural mechanisms underlie the behavioural response. The repeated administration of both MDMA and AMPH induces sensitised hyperactive responses that have recently been found to be different. In the present study, MDMA- and AMPH-induced centre and periphery hyperactivity were compared to investigate the neuroadaptations produced by repeated exposure to the two drugs. Rats were pre-treated with saline, MDMA, or AMPH and the acute response to MDMA, AMPH, or the D1 agonist, SKF-81297 was measured to determine whether cross-sensitisation was produced. Repeated administration of MDMA and AMPH produced similar behavioural profiles. However, cross-sensitisation between the two drugs was uni-directional, suggesting that the two produce different neuroadaptations. Repeated AMPH, but not MDMA, produced a sensitised response to the hyperlocomotor effects of SKF-81297, suggesting that D1 receptor mechanisms are one example of different neuroadaptations.
Decadal Shoreline Stability in Eastbourne, Wellington Harbour
Authors:   , Olson David
Published: November 2021

Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG) Beach research in recent decades has overwhelmingly focussed on open-oceanic environments, however, those found in fetch limited settings remain poorly understood. This thesis has examined spatial and temporal morphological change through such a system in Eastbourne, Wellington Harbour, New Zealand. This site has only recently prograded following several decades of erosion. This accretion has been the result of a northward migrating gravel front, which is introducing gravel sized sediment into the previously sandy system resulting in significant changes in beach morphology and volume. The aim of this study is to quantify these spatial and temporal changes and to assess shoreline stability on a decadal timescale. Additionally it aims to ascertain whether the current progradation is a long term change to the system or the result of a short term sediment increase. This assessment has been conducted in the form of topographic surveying, grain size and aerial photograph analysis. The topographic surveying and grain size analysis provides an accurate description of beach morphology. This is compared to the established MSG beach morphology models for the open coast, but operating on a smaller scale because of the lower energy fetch-limited environment of the study area. Aerial photograph analysis is used to show the longer term changes in beach width and the northern migration of the gravel fraction of the sediment supply regime. The spatial analysis results show that the beach morphology is highly variable. In the embayments that are more exposed to oceanic swell waves beach profiles are broad and steep, and in the beaches in the northern sections of the coastline which are more sheltered from oceanic swell waves, profiles are flat and narrow. The temporal results show that the coastal accretion observed through the study area has been initially rapid, followed by sustained increased beach width. These results suggest that the morphological variation on this coastline is part of a long term adjustment to a change in sediment supply, initiated by tectonic uplift and subsequently driven by longshore sediment transport. The observed mechanism of longshore transport has been suggested to be a function of sediment properties, relative wave energy and bathymetry/topography. The findings of this research are used to develop a conceptual model of shoreline evolution for the study area in response to changes that have occurred over the last 154 years.
Children’s Memory for Mild Emotional Information: Positive and Negative Emotional Information and Associations with Temperament
Authors:   , McIvor Janelle L.
Published: November 2021

The 2 aims of the current study were to investigate 1) children’s memory for positive and negative emotional information and 2) the influence of temperament on the type of emotional information recalled. Seventy-five children aged 61-77 months participated in a staged event, “Visiting the Pretend Zoo”. Approximately 6-9 days later children participated in a memory interview. Parents/caregivers completed a temperament questionnaire. Children recalled more negative relative to positive emotional information. Children higher in Effortful Control (EC) recalled more negative emotional information relative to children lower in EC. This indicates that EC may play an important role in children’s memory. No other effects of temperament were identified. Limitations of the current study are discussed followed by directions for future study.
The Politics of Development: A Study of the Structure of Politics from 1870 to 1890
Authors:   , Armstrong Warwick Robert
Published: November 2021

This thesis is the result not of any specific idea gained from a general study of the period under review; rather it is based upon the research and work done on an earlier project, a provincial history of Taranaki, which, concentrating mainly on the eighteen-seventies, culminated in the abolition struggle and the years immediately following. However, the detailed study of the provincial economy, its politics in both the provincial and central government spheres, and the political attitudes of the local press, accompanied by a general coverage of the politics of the central government throughout the decade, led to the conclusion that in one province at least, the politics of the period were economically based - around the focal point of Sir Julius Vogel's 1870 public works and immigration policy. From this gradually evolved the concept that economic development and material progress were the issues of greatest importance in the politics of the seventies; they were the prime cause of provincialist jealousies and parochialism, while, in the sphere of central government, Vogelism became the issue on which newly-formed groupings aligned themselves. To see if this concept had validity, the first thing which had to be done was to extend research to get a wider understanding of colonial and provincial economic and political developments, as well as cover the main provincial newspapers for editorial and public opinion throughout the country.
Integrating Sensory Experience in Parametric Architecture through a Phenomenal Lens
Authors:   , Lee Yirao
Published: November 2021

‘Parametricism’ has come to play a major role in contemporary architectural design and is now considered the dominant style for avant-garde practice. This thesis argues that despite parametricism’s unique capacity to articulate programmatic complexity, visual and intellectualized imperatives at the loss of experiential imperatives have limited parametricism as a medium through which architecture is produced, promoted, and evaluated. Architect Juhani Pallasmaa believes that this leads to the deprivation of vital human existential questions that enable us to relate to our built environment and that provide meaning to that environment. This thesis explores how parametric architecture can further develop by addressing the deficiencies that Pallasmaa has described, to further incorporate a sense of temporality, experiential depth and personal belonging. Based on these critical examinations, the second half of the thesis includes design experiments which test the integration of sensory experiences within parametric design. Archives New Zealand has been selected as the vehicle for this design exploration because throughout history, archives have symbolically represented important spaces in cities to express the re-connection of our history and culture. Today, however archives are often perceived as little more than secular storage for objects and documents. The thesis tests how the interior design of a nation’s archives can be conceived through parametricism, while also incorporating symbolic and phenomenological imperatives. This thesis concludes with five interior design experiments that are each derived from this experimental design process. The five interiors illustrate the mediation between parametric and phenomenal imperatives. These experiments conclude that through critical application of sensory imperatives, we may reconnect our human existence within the parametric world.
Redefining the Vernacular in the Hybrid Architecture of Malaysia
Authors:   , Sim Stefanie
Published: November 2021

The objective of the thesis is to view the presence of vernacular architecture as a strong sub current of modern praxis in Malaysia. Vernacular architecture has played a pivotal role in shaping architecture and in defining perceptions of modernity. It is the vernacular interaction and negotiation with regional and global influences that has generated the complex and hybrid nature of Malaysian architecture. The notion of the ‘vernacular’ has a negative and pejorative connotation and is commonly described as simplistic, unrefined and undeveloped. Contrary to that, the thesis reveals the complex cultural, social, intellectual and functional identities of Malaysian vernacular structures. The term ‘vernacular’ is constantly evolving and is not limited to the past but lives on in contemporary architecture. The thesis suggests that the presence of vernacular concepts do not dissipate as a result of hybrid interactions between different cultures but rather evolve during this creative process. Significant events that transpire throughout the history of the country play a crucial role in shaping and altering vernacular architecture. Colonisation and migration contribute to the complex architectural identity of Malaysia as diverse cultural influences are introduced and imposed onto native traditions. Change is inevitable in a living society. However, change can be seen as either disruptive or as part of a continuum. Through critical comparisons and case studies, the thesis argues that the vernacular is continually evolving as a product of cultural regeneration. It is from the parallels drawn between the vernacular and architecture introduced by foreigners that allow for the comprehension of these new building types as well as the acceptance of alternate lifestyle.
The Development and Maintenance of Customer Relationships through Communication: a Consumer Perspective
Authors:   , Thompson Nicholas Paul
Published: November 2021

Consumers increasingly control their relationships with brands, including how and with whom they choose to communicate. Bringing together elements of relationship marketing and brand theory, this research examines the process by which consumers form brand relationships. Results highlight the influence of advertising and social networking upon relationships, and confirm that a consumer’s connection with a brand impacts brand performance. In doing so the manner in which customer relationships are developed and maintained from a consumer perspective is identified, as well as the benefits of relationships for brand owners. This thesis focuses on customer relationships from a consumer perspective. Specifically, it examines the process by which individual consumers build and maintain relationships with brands through communication. Bringing together elements of relationship marketing and branding theory, the underlying purpose is to identify key factors influencing a consumer’s perceived relationship with a brand and determine their measurement. The literature suggests that individual consumers form a connection with brands, seeing them as relationship partners (Fournier, 1998). They do so to varying extents, depending on the brand. The relevance of a brand to a consumer, therefore, extends further than brand image or the signals associated with a brand. Relationships between consumers and brands involve an emotional connection. A consumer’s perceived connection with a brand then influences the manner in which they behave regarding that brand ...
Market Structure and Equilibrium in a Hydro Dominated Electricity Market
Authors:   , Lu Andrea
Published: November 2021

Hydro generation plays an important role in electricity generation, especially in countries like New Zealand where 60 to 65 percent of electricity is generated in the hydro sector. In contrast to other types of electricity generation, for example gas generation, hydro generation has two unique properties: uncertainty regarding future resource availability and the ability to store the nature resource. Although hydro resource is often considered to be ‘free’, the ability to store creates an endogenous hidden marginal cost of water: usage today entails the loss of the ability to be used in future periods. Therefore pricing in a hydro dominated electricity market should be different from the approaches applied in markets that consist of generation methods that use only non-storable resources. This paper introduces a tractable approach to model a hydro dominated electricity market that incorporates inter-temporal decision making. It enables us to compute the equilibrium outcomes and the endogenous hidden marginal cost of water under different market structures.
Breathing Through their Noses: Candidate Selection and Role Adaptation amongst First-Term MPs in the New Zealand Parliament
Authors:   , Barnes Steven
Published: November 2021

Sir Keith Holyoake, New Zealand Prime Minister from 1960 to 1972, famously counselled first-term Members of Parliament to ‘breathe through their noses’, suggesting that it was in their best interests to keep their heads down and mouths shut. Perhaps this recommendation is instrumental in the low profile of first-term MPs in New Zealand and the subsequent dearth of information available about these individuals. Within political science, scholarly attention has tended to focus on the ‘power holders’ – senior leaders and those perceived to have the most influence. In New Zealand, this has resulted in a growing field of literature about prime ministers, party leaders, and the few parliamentarians who reach cabinet. This thesis steps back from power holders to shed light on new MPs. It is important to know who new MPs are. Within parliamentary systems MPs often serve long apprenticeships before being promoted to the senior positions of their party and government. Thus MPs who enter parliament today may hold significant influence in the future. However, very little is known about legislators when they enter parliament. Do all Members of Parliament wish to become ministers or prime ministers, or do they have more modest aspirations, such as being the best local MP they possibly can? By understanding the motivations of our neophyte politicians we can better understand the types of people who are likely to become significant political actors in the future. This study aims to understand how and why individuals become MPs and how they adapt to the role once they have been elected. This thesis uses information gained from two rounds of interviews conducted with first-term Members of Parliament during their first nine months in office. Thus this research presents an insight into how MPs view candidate selection and follows them through their first few months in the job as they reconcile their pre-election expectations with the roles expected of MPs. The result is an account of how individuals become MPs and the roles they develop once elected.
Public-Private Partnership in New Zealand and Malaysia
Authors:   , Rusmani Nordyanawati binti
Published: November 2021

The importance of high quality infrastructure and its maintenance lies in its ability to stimulate economic growth as it fuels business activities, creates job opportunities, markets product, and generates earnings (Yakcop, 2006a). In consideration of this importance, the public sector encourages private sector participation in the delivery of public services and infrastructure in terms of funding and expertise. A successful Public Private Partnership (PPP) is one vehicle used internationally. Both New Zealand and Malaysia acknowledge the potential of PPPs in delivering high quality infrastructure and services to the general public. Consequently, both countries made a move towards PPPs by creating PPP-specialized units and producing PPP guidelines. However, thus far, Malaysia has been more active in pursuing PPPs when compared to New Zealand‘s cautious approach to PPPs. Hence, the purpose of this thesis is to find out the reasoning behind this trend. Issues relevant to reasons for implementing PPPs, features of PPPs, allocation of risks, performance indicators and accounting for PPPs are analysed to justify this trend. This thesis finds that the Malaysian "Vision 2020" has signalled a government preference for PPPs, including its ability to encourage bumiputera participation. Further, the government has developed a system involving Special Purpose Vehicles and utilizing government-held superannuation funds for project finance aid. Consequently, the system reduces the transfer of risk from the public sector to the private sector partners. This has transcended the major issue in New Zealand where the lack of a competitive market has restricted the development of PPPs. A lack of public support has also contributed to New Zealand‘s PPP under-development.
An Investigation into Rule of Thumb Behaviour in New Zealand
Authors:   , Malanchak Adam
Published: November 2021

In recent times, macroeconomic models have begun to describe aggregate consumer and firm behaviour by allowing some proportion to behave in a rule of thumb manner. This dissertation attempts to address two main issues that are concurrent in the literature. First I test for the proportion of aggregate behaviour that deviates from Classical consumer allocation theory and New Keynesian firm pricing theory in New Zealand. Rule of thumb consumers are assumed to consume out of current income as opposed to obeying the Permanent Income Hypothesis, while rule of thumb firms set prices in a backward looking manner. Using the GMM estimation procedure, I examine the sensitivity of estimates across a range of instrumental variables. After positive GMM specification tests I find the proportion of rule of thumb consumers is 0.21 and the proportion of backward looking price setters is 0.82. These results suggest that specifications which fail to allow for rule of thumb behaviour cannot fully reflect consumer and firm decisions. The second main issue seeks to address how these estimates compare to those estimated in a small open economy DSGE model. Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) estimation finds an estimated degree of external habit persistence of 0.9, proportion of rule of thumb consumers of 0.34, and the proportion of backward looking price setters falls to 0.7. A full range of MCMC diagnostics is subsequently computed. The diagnostic tests are largely favourable.
Pulling Teeth
Authors:   , Smith Sam
Published: November 2021

Pulling Teeth is a 13x half hour comedy series in the vein of 30 Rock and Green Wing ... New graduate Rob Hutchinson hates the global view that all dentists are money hungry sadists who would kill a kitten just for kicks. Rob strives to use the clinic to prove the world wrong, and maybe in the process he'll win the romantic attention of Kate. But it's going to be difficult with the staff he inherits. South African playboy dentist Joost Pint is too clueless to know that he is out of line when working on patients in nothing but socks and a plastic gold crown. Receptionist Kate Barker's need for superiority makes her blind to Rob’s awkward advances, but absolutely fine with selling clinic supplies on the black market ...
Strengthening Local Government and Community Governance in New Zealand
Authors:   , Reid Michael
Published: November 2021

The role of local government and specifically the concept of community governance have been the focus of much attention in recent years. For much of its history, local government was typically viewed by governments and citizens as a conservative sector, valued for its dependability rather than for innovation and its services rather than for its role in promoting community well-being. Public sector reform, globalisation and increasing demands by citizens have increased awareness of, and appreciation for, the potential for local governments to work with other organisations to address complex policy and management issues. These pressures have compelled the sector to innovate, and venture into areas that were previously considered to be outside its remit. Local governments the world over have therefore undergone extensive programmes of reform, often aiming to reorient councils from service delivery roles to broader roles concerned with community well-being, strengthening community leadership, and steering local and regional service providers towards local goals and strategic objectives. This trend has been characterised as a shift from local government to ‘community governance’ (Rhodes 1997, Stoker 2000). Local government in New Zealand is no exception. The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA 2002) broadened local government’s powers and purposes, introducing a collaborative, citizen-centred style of working within a framework oriented to securing community well-being and sustainable development. This research examines the concept and practice of local and community governance, internationally and in New Zealand. Its focus is the local government reforms introduced in New Zealand over the last two decades, and specifically the role of community governance. It uses several research methods to assess options for strengthening community governance in practice. The primary method is the development of a model which examines 10 dimensions of the New Zealand system to assess the degree to which they are able to achieve community governance. In addition, the approach to community planning undertaken by a sample of local authorities is examined to assess the degree to which councils are using this mechanism as an instrument for strengthening community governance. Further, a number of local government participants were invited to answer a range of questions about three alternative governance scenarios designed to test whether or not there is an ‘ideal’ local government structure for achieving community governance.