bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Breeding biology and post-fledging dispersal of red-crowned parakeets (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) translocated to a fenced mainland sanctuary
Authors:   , Irwin Ellen
Published: November 2021

With human impacts like habitat destruction and climate change contributing to range contractions in species, translocations stand out as an important tool for conserving species suffering from these effects. However, an understanding of the life history of many threatened species prior to translocation is often lacking, but critical for translocation success. For example, dispersal away from the release site—particularly when a protected release site is surrounded by unmanaged habitat—can result in translocation failure, and therefore successful translocation practice must include an understanding of a species’ dispersal patterns. I conducted a study examining the breeding biology and post-fledging dispersal of a population of red-crowned parakeets Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae), or kakariki, recently translocated to a mainland sanctuary in Wellington, New Zealand. The sanctuary, ZEALANDIA, is fenced to exclude invasive mammalian predators; however, birds can and do leave. Approximately one-third of juveniles that dispersed outside the sanctuary were killed by predators. Kakariki post-fledging dispersal was male-biased, possibly driven by inbreeding avoidance, and distance dispersed decreased with increasing body condition. Parental age may have also influenced offspring dispersal. In addition, I found that kakariki reproductive success may be affected by age, and estimated lifetime reproductive success was >30 fledglings by age five. Conservation initiatives could work on controlling predators in currently unprotected reserves and around food sources that kakariki targeted, particularly in summer and autumn when many plants are fruiting and recently fledged juveniles are more active. Future translocations should consider selecting younger birds to translocate to take advantage of their high lifetime reproductive success and therefore improve viability of populations.
Gender-based violence in Bougainville: Stories of change
Authors:   , Degerman Viktoria
Published: November 2021

Gender-based violence throughout Papua New Guinea is a well documented concern across disciplines. Within the field of development, gender-based violence is not only seen as a human rights breach, but it is widely accepted that violence exacerbates poverty, and that poverty exacerbates violence. Women are particularly affected by this cyclic nature of violence. Despite numerous initiatives from development actors, the Papua New Guinean government and local agencies, the rate of violence has not shifted in the past two decades (Ganster-Breidler, 2010). Similarly, in Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea, reports state that the rate of violence against women is extremely high. A United Nations study from 2013 showed that over 60 per cent of Bougainville men surveyed had committed rape at some point in their lives, and that physical violence was equally prevalent (Fulu et al., 2013).   In response to these worrisome reports, I began to wonder what can be done to address gender-based violence. What has been successful in the past and what can we learn from those who have firsthand experience of intimate partner violence?   The research addressed these types of problems through the use of 18 interviews conducted with men and women; including former perpetrators of intimate partner violence and survivors. The study was further strengthened by my observations from working at Buka Family Support Centre, a service in Bougainville that cares for survivors of gender-based violence.   I frame this research within feminist and poststructural ways of knowing. It is influenced by a four-tiered conceptual model that considers external and internal influences on individual actions. The analysis was inspired by Foucault’s discourse analysis (Foucault, 1979, 1984) and I pay special attention to dominant and discriminatory discourses and the resistance to these.   In summary, this study offers intimate and detailed stories of change. It reveals that the participants primarily referred to positive change as an absence of physical violence and not necessarily other forms of gender-based violence. The study also shows that the survivors’ resisted violence throughout the abusive period, and those who eventually chose to divorce only did so because of concerns over safety.   The stories are anchored to lived experiences, and the conclusion and recommendations that flow from this qualitative study contribute to knowledge of what works when trying to end violence within an intimate partnership in Bougainville.
Exploring Year 10 Samoan Students’ Experiences of Teaching and Learning in the Mainstream English Classroom
Authors:   , Lautusi Kalia
Published: November 2021

This research examined the ways in which twelve Year 10 Samoan students experienced teaching and learning in the mainstream English classroom. The study was guided by two questions: What perceptions do a group of Samoan students have of the strengths and skills they bring to the English classroom? And: How do these students see themselves as navigating teaching and learning in the English classroom drawing on these strengths?   The aim of the research was to further understand how skills Samoan students develop outside the English classroom are being used by the participants to create positive learning outcomes. As a way to prioritise Pacific student voices, the Pacific research methodology of talanoa was used to gather stories from the participants alongside observations of the English classroom.   Three major themes emerged from the findings – describing the need for interdependence, self-organisation, and fa’atua (or the value or reciprocal and mutually respectful relationships). Karlo Mila-Schaaf’s (2010) concept of polycultural capital was used as a theoretical paradigm to interpret the findings. If educators can understand how a group is functioning well, and the conditions that allow this to happen, this knowledge can lead to benefits for other Pacific students. The study concludes with a consideration of what might happen if teachers consciously provide space for existing skills and strategies.
Self management strategies for people with sickle cell disease in Ghana
Authors:   , Druye Andrews Adjei
Published: November 2021

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the commonest inherited haemoglobinopathy worldwide. Although it is a chronic disease, there is presently no international best practice for self-management of SCD. This exploratory sequential mix-methods study was designed to describe the self-management strategies utilised and their effectiveness for persons with SCD in Ghana. Self-management was conceptualised as actions that concerned preventive health, self-monitoring, self-diagnosing, self-treatment and self-evaluation. A four-stage sequential data collection and analysis process was used. Methods included website review, key informant interviews and surveys. The website review extracted from publically available websites the advice provided to people with SCD regarding keeping well, minimising the development of complications and managing complications. Health professional (n=9) interviews concerned self-management advice and the experiences patients shared of their self-management. Patients with SCD (n=9) and parents of children with SCD (n=10) interviews captured their experiences of self-management; and 112 patients (≥ 16 years) and 201 parents of children (≤15 years) were surveyed about their self-management strategies. Analysis used descriptive and inferential statistics and content and thematic techniques. Patients and parents reported that despite receiving limited clinical advice on self-management they undertook at least one self-management action daily. Most patients reported using multiple strategies; preventive health and maintenance actions were the commonest. Whilst most actions were directed at pain, patients and parents also outlined strategies for managing problems such as fever, leg ulcers, anaemia, priapism, abdominal swelling, jaundice, and hip pain. Most self-management actions were clinically safe, however several unsafe actions identified could pose health risks to patients. Overall, parents tended to be more frequent users of self-management actions for their children than the adults were for themselves. Apart from being an adult or child, self-management was not significantly influenced by key vulnerabilities and contextual factors. Although, many patients and parents had tried traditional practices, most only utilised recommendations from health professionals. Most patients and parents had rated the quality their or their child’s quality of life as good. There is a need for the development of an international, evidenced-informed approach to self-management of SCD. The Ministry of Health, health professionals and the Sickle Cell Association of Ghana could work collectively on this to ensure a culturally appropriate and economically viable approach is developed and implemented.
The Implementation of Action Observation Therapy in Virtual Worlds
Authors:   , Wellwood Nicholas
Published: November 2021

Upper limb rehabilitation after stroke is vital to the recovery of a patient’s range of motion, dexterity and strength (Jauch et al, 2010, p. 824). Rehabilitative practises are diverse and met with varying levels of success (Brewer et al, 2012, p. 11). This research is concerned with action observation therapy and its potential for neural reorganization through consistent repetition of prescribed physiotherapy exercises.  Action observation utilizes mirror neurons to stimulate neural strengthening and recovery (Ertelt et al, 2007, p. 172). The observation of an expert completion of an action by either the patient, a representation of the patient or someone else fires the corresponding mirror neuron (Fogassi et al, 2005, p. 662). Mirror neurons’ ability to be fired under multiple conditions allow a patient who is unable to complete an action, in this case a physiotherapy exercise, to still receive the neural benefit just by observing the action (Ertelt et al, 2007, p. 165).  In collaboration with sensory devices in a virtual medium, action observation will be used to create a dynamic and engaging simulation with the intent of providing a physiotherapy experience that progresses in difficulty. Incremental difficulty will ensure patients are being pushed to their limits in a controlled and monitored environment (IJsselsteijn, 2007, p. 27).  Neural reorganization requires a large number of repetitions of exercises over extended periods of time creating rehabilitative experiences that have traditionally been tedious and mundane (Merians et al, 2002, p. 898; O’Dell, Lin & Harrison, 2009, p. 55). Gamification of traditional methods can engage the patient over an extended period of time By masking the repetitive nature of the exercises with a fun experience, patients can receive the full benefit of the treatment while performing enjoyable tasks (Muzzaffa et al, 2013, p. 69).
Program Verification with Separation Logic and Rely Guarantee
Authors:   , Tabilog Allan
Published: November 2021

This thesis explores two kinds of program logics that have become important for modern program verification - separation logic, for reasoning about programs that use pointers to build mutable data structures, and rely guarantee reasoning, for reasoning about shared variable concurrent programs. We look more closely into the motivations for merging these two kinds of logics into a single formalism that exploits the benefits of both approaches - local, modular, and explicit reasoning about interference between threads in a shared memory concurrent program. We discuss in detail two such formalisms - RGSep and Local Rely Guarantee (LRG), in particular we analyse how each formalism models program state and treats the distinction between global state (shared by all threads) and local state (private to a given thread) and how each logic models actions performed by threads on shared state, and look into the proof rules specifically for reasoning about atomic blocks of code. We present full examples of proofs in each logic and discuss their differences. This thesis also illustrates how a weakest precondition semantics for separation logic can be used to carry out calculational proofs. We also note how in essence these proofs are data abstraction proofs showing that a data structure implements some abstract data type, and relate this idea to a classic data abstraction technique by Hoare. Finally, as part of the thesis we also present a survey of tools that are currently available for doing manual or semi-automated proofs as well as program analyses with separation logic and rely guarantee.
The Impact of Dynamic Convergence on the Human Visual System in Head Mounted Displays
Authors:   , Sumner Ryan
Published: November 2021

The Accommodation-Vergence Conflict (AVC) is a phenomenon in the area of Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) and one of the key issues hindering the popularity of HMDs largely due to it causing a large number of users to suffer from simulator sickness. There have been several proposed solutions developed by previous researchers, including the introduction of 'Dynamic Convergence' (DC) which, addresses the AVC problem in terms of the vergence depth cue. DC also helps in the performance of binocular fusion when viewing at a close vergence depth. As of yet however, DC has not undergone detailed testing for a number of important cases, which limits the amount of data that has been collected on DC's interaction with the human visual system. In addition, no DC research as of yet has dealt with the effect of a change in vergence depth, and how that change in the vergence angle of the focal plane would effect a user.  Thus, this thesis adds to the growing body of research and knowledge in this field by implementing DC with the addition of some transitions between a change in vergence depth. This is done within the Unity3D game engine in order to further investigate the impact of DC with regard to viewing close virtual objects on HMDs through a number of cases. The added transitions are also tested to see if they have any beneficial effects for users when the vergence angle changes. The investigation is centered around a perception based performance/appreciation-oriented visual study whereby participants were asked about their ability to perform binocular fusion on close virtual objects that were either stationary or moving and varying distances and speeds. Participants were also asked to report any symptoms of discomfort.  The research has adopted a mixed methodology experimental approach by conducting user experiments and surveys, before analysing the results through both in-depth quantitative statistical analysis and a variety of qualitative statistical techniques in order to measure and investigate the scale of the problem associated with the impact of DC on the human visual system in HMDs when viewing close virtual objects.  From the investigation it was confirmed that the approximate effective vergence depth range for DC was 0.3m or less, with statistical significance confirmed at the 0.15m distance. Participants reported having an easier time performing binocular fusion at these closer distances while DC was enabled. As a result of this, the majority of cases and scenarios did not report any significant negative responses in terms of discomfort symptoms. However attempts at improving DC with a transition between vergence depths were met with a mixed response from participants. While the need of a transition way be dependent on the user, there still exists some demand for one, thus it should still be available as an option.
Facilitating informed land-use decisions through the modelling of ecosystem service trade-offs
Authors:   , Scott Nicola
Published: November 2021

Increasing global populations are placing increasing pressure on our natural systems, reducing their capacity to produce the ecosystem services that we rely upon for human wellbeing (World Bank, 2004).   Clarifying the implications of land-use decisions across the range of ecosystem services is fundamental to understanding the trade-offs inherent in land-use options. LUCI (the Land Utilization and Capability Indicator) is an emergent Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based framework developed to enable the mapping of several ecosystem services in a spatially explicit manner. This process enables a clearer understanding of the inter-dependencies between ecosystems and potential implications and trade-offs of management interventions across a range of services.   There is however, limited understanding of the impact, utility and credibility of such tools for land-use decision-makers, or of how they perceive the information conveyed. This Thesis considered the impact that presenting information on land-use trade-offs through LUCI had on land-owners at the farm scale.   This research supports previous findings that information alone does not drive behaviour (or decision-making) (Kollmuss, 2002, Fisk, 2011; Kennedy, 2010; Mackenzie-Mohr, 2000; Stern, 2000). Similarly, perceived credibility was not the main driver of decision-making nor is it necessarily rationally based. However without it, voluntary adoption of a new technology or tool is unlikely. Therefore, in seeking to diffuse tools, such as LUCI within a community, process design should take into account the social structures and the characteristics of targeted individuals within that community. The influence of temporal and context specific factors on decision-making provides both barriers and opportunities for technology diffusion.  The research findings propose that when integrating new tools and technologies within communities, consideration is given to using a suite of tools, mechanisms and theories in concert such as Community-Based Social Marketing (Mackenzie-Mohr, 2011) and Diffusion Theory (Rogers, 2003) to facilitate improved diffusion and uptake by communities.
An Anthropological Journey of Belonging: Somali Women Re-Imagine Home in Wellington, New Zealand
Authors:   , Luxford Shani
Published: November 2021

This thesis provides insights into refugee-background Somali women’s active productions of belonging in New Zealand, after resettlement in Wellington communities. It explores how Somali women actively negotiate belonging between three key processes: place, identity and acceptance. It does this by situating their resettlement in the context of the Somali civil conflict. I argue that home in New Zealand is based on emotional and physical attachments to multiple locales across space and time, as enacted and embodied through performances of ‘Somali woman’ identities across social fields. I show how intersectional differences produce diverse experiences of re-imagining home, and the ways that a ‘Somali woman’ identity is changing through the actions of ‘edgewalking’ participants. It also explores how belonging is a two-sided process that is affected by discourses of tolerance in New Zealand. This thesis is structured through both anthropological and feminist frameworks and thus emphasises the voices and positions of the participants at all times. The understandings presented here unfolded from interviews with eight participants, four Somali women and four non-Somalis who had extensive connections with the Somali community. Using the stories from these eight participants, this thesis demonstrates the importance of the homeland, Somaliness and tolerance in creating a sense of belonging in Wellington communities after resettlement processes.
Domain Specific Lateralization of the Frontal Processes Informing Inhibition: A TMS Study
Authors:   , Nielsen Kristopher
Published: November 2021

Response inhibition is the suppression of actions that are inappropriate given some wider context or goal, a capacity that is vital for everyday functioning. In this thesis the theoretical backdrop of executive functioning is discussed, before exploring current research into response inhibition and its neural underpinnings. A theory by Mostofsky and Simmonds (2008) holds that when the decision to inhibit a behavior is a complex one, task dependent parts of an inhibitory network in the prefrontal cortex are utilized. The current thesis argues on the basis of observed biases in the literature, for the possibility that this task dependent engagement features domain specific lateralization. In order to investigate this, a transcranial magnetic stimulation [TMS] experiment is then presented where four go/no-go tasks, spread across language and spatial domains in complex and simple forms, are performed following TMS. Stimulation sites include the right posterior inferior frontal gyrus, the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus, and sham stimulation. Results are then discussed, however implications are limited, likely due to low statistical power.
Improving Adolescent Girls' Argument Writing: A Tier 1 Self-Regulated Strategy Development Intervention in a New Zealand Secondary School Social Studies Classroom
Authors:   , Hutchinson Kathryn
Published: November 2021

Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) is a model of writing instruction with a convincing evidence base (Santangelo, Harris & Graham, 2016). The present study examines why SRSD is more effective for some students than for others. A mixed methods one-group pre-post design was used to compare writing performance, writing self-efficacy, self-regulation for writing, and knowledge of argument writing. The whole-class (n=27) wrote argument essays using an SRSD writing instruction method, in an urban multicultural New Zealand secondary school. Students completed the following digital scales and questionnaires: a writing self-efficacy scale, a self-regulation aptitude for writing scale, and writing knowledge questionnaires pre- and post-intervention. Following the quantitative phase, where students showed gains in argument writing, interviews were conducted with a sample of students who showed low, moderate and high gains in argument writing. Results indicate that while SRSD instruction in argument writing improves writing performance generally, transcription issues can be barriers to writing progress, as can issues with ideation and self-regulation. This Tier 1 SRSD intervention contributes to the SRSD writing research in that it supports the global generalisability of the SRSD method in teaching argument writing, and evaluates reasons for its relative effectiveness.
Social accountability - Its position and potential in the development of Vietnam
Authors:   , Ta Ha
Published: November 2021

Civil society organizations in Vietnam are experiencing some critical transitions. As the nation is no longer on the list of low income countries, an increasing number of such organizations are changing their missions from alleviating poverty to promoting more democratic governance. ‘Social accountability’, as one of their most common employed approaches, is often the combination of civic engagement, evidence-based monitoring, and advocacy. Carrying with it the expectation of improving accountability in Vietnam, the approach is still a new, foreign-imported concept which will challenge and be challenged by particular contextual factors in the country.  This study examines the practices of social accountability in Vietnam to find out its position and potential in terms of development of the country. Promoting social accountability in Vietnam is often based on the assumption that the approach will improve government’s accountability, strengthening the state – citizen relationship. It is envisaged that the country will be eventually more open as a result. It is as yet an optimistic vision and will take time for practitioners to put in place. This study aims to analyse how early adoption of social accountability is affected by Vietnam’s contextual factors, to what extent it is affecting governance and increasing people’s participation, and what organizations can actually expect of social accountability.  The research aims to fill a gap in the literature regarding social accountability in Vietnam. As a new concept, social accountability is often introduced via materials provided by international organizations like World Bank and UNICEF. Most of the documents present successful cases of applying social accountability in other countries like India and Bangladesh, and countries in Latin America. Thus, a critical analysis of adopting social accountability in the Vietnam context is necessary to provide more insights for both practitioners and scholars on the topic.  Employing interviews as the key method, the study seeks input from key informants who are involved in the adoption of social accountability in Vietnam. From perspectives of government officials, development practitioners, and community members, the reality of practicing social accountability and how it is interacting and negotiating with other factors in society should be more clearly revealed. Practical expectations and recommendations to conceive of and practice social accountability in Vietnam are also suggested.
Clustering repeated ordinal data: Model based approaches using finite mixtures
Authors:   , Costilla Monteagudo Roy Ken
Published: November 2021

Model based approaches to cluster continuous and cross-sectional data are abundant and well established. In contrast to that, equivalent approaches for repeated ordinal data are less common and an active area of research. In this dissertation, we propose several models to cluster repeated ordinal data using finite mixtures. In doing so, we explore several ways of incorporating the correlation due to the repeated measurements while taking into account the ordinal nature of the data.   In particular, we extend the Proportional Odds model to incorporate latent random effects and latent transitional terms. These two ways of incorporating the correlation are also known as parameter and data dependent models in the time-series literature. In contrast to most of the existing literature, our aim is classification and not parameter estimation. This is, to provide flexible and parsimonious ways to estimate latent populations and classification probabilities for repeated ordinal data.   We estimate the models using Frequentist (Expectation-Maximization algorithm) and Bayesian (Markov Chain Monte Carlo) inference methods and compare advantages and disadvantages of both approaches with simulated and real datasets. In order to compare models, we use several information criteria: AIC, BIC, DIC and WAIC, as well as a Bayesian Non-Parametric approach (Dirichlet Process Mixtures). With regards to the applications, we illustrate the models using self-reported health status in Australia (poor to excellent), life satisfaction in New Zealand (completely agree to completely disagree) and agreement with a reference genome of infant gut bacteria (equal, segregating and variant) from baby stool samples.
‘Journey to musicking’: Resourcing people to music outside the therapy room
Authors:   , Boom Katie
Published: November 2021

This action research study investigates resourcing people to engage in musicking outside the therapy room. Both the practice and research took place within a residential hospital for people with neurological conditions, situated in Aotearoa New Zealand. Music-centred music therapy, community music therapy, resource-oriented music therapy and the ecological model of music influenced this research. Following three action cycles, the qualitative data collected throughout was thematically analysed. This analysis revealed a framework referred to as the ‘journey to musicking’, which identifies six resources people needed to engage in music: opportunity; motivation; confidence; skills; practical needs; and a problem-solving toolkit. The role of the music therapist in resourcing people in these areas is framed as the role of a tuakana, drawing on an indigenous Māori model predominantly used in education and mentoring programmes: ‘tuakana-teina’. ‘Tuakana-teina’ in this study is defined as a music therapist-participant relationship that is empowering, collaborative and inclusive of the possibility of reciprocity. The personal resources (kete) needed by the tuakana music therapist are also explored, while empowerment and sustainability are highlighted as foundational principles to resourcing people. These principles, especially empowerment, are linked to the Māori concept of restoring rangatiratanga. This research provides a rich qualitative account of practicing music therapy in an empowering, ecological way in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Digital Indigenous Craft: Expressing Māori Culture through Computational tools in Architecture
Authors:   , Durcan James
Published: November 2021

Within present architectural discourse, there is universal concern that contemporary architectural processes efface the culture of indigenous communities, resulting in the homogenisation of architecture globally.  The imminent question therefore is; how can the assimilation of digital tools and indigenous culture be a catalyst to empower culturally embodied architecture that responds to our indigenous Māori identity and spirit, without falling into architectural homogeneity?  Working in direct conjunction with Ngai Tāmanuhi-ri Iwi (tribal group), on the poignant site, Te Kurī-a-Pāoa (Young Nicks Head), this thesis initiates dialogue to investigate the amalgamation of progressive digital fabrication techniques and the rich cultural identity and Mātauranga Māori (cultural knowledge) of Ngai Tāmanuhiri. Subsequently, a pavilion, incorporatinga locally inspired ‘whai’ (stingray) motif has been designed providing an architectural framework to facilitate design-led research. One-uku (clay), has been identified early as an indigenous material with enormous potential and led to the development of custom-built additive fabrication tools that can elevate this abundant local material for use within the architectural sphere. A secondary focus of this research is the development of computational (parametric) and analogue workflows to enable the production of architectural scale ceramic modules.  Ultimately, this thesis argues that when computational design skills are ulilised alongside indigenous knowledge, digitally produced artefacts are capable of becoming meaningful for all.
Measuring patient safety in New Zealand public hospitals
Authors:   , Bowden Nicholas
Published: November 2021

In New Zealand the Ministry of Health recognises quality of care as an integral part of a high performing health system and identifies patient safety as one of the key dimensions of quality. Over recent years a greater emphasis has been placed on improving patient safety mostly as a result of increased awareness around the frequency of medical error and resulting economic cost. However tools used to measure patient safety are limited. In particular the use of hospital administrative data to measure patient safety is scarce and existing safety measures often ignore one of the major issues confronting comparative analyses of hospital safety, risk adjustment to control for the differences in populations hospitals serve.   The objective of this research is to develop comparable measures of patient safety for New Zealand public hospitals. It uses risk adjustment strategies applied to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) with New Zealand hospital administrative data, the National Minimum Dataset 2001 to 2009. The research employs econometric techniques to address risk adjustment of the PSIs, utilising existing AHRQ models but adapting and re-estimating them with New Zealand administrative data.   The findings from the research indicate that to use the AHRQ PSIs as measures of hospital patient safety in New Zealand, risk adjustment should first be employed to ensure measures are comparable across hospitals and over time. Overall, although the impact of risk adjustment appears to be minor, it has relevance and this should be recognised. Relative hospital performance is affected by risk adjustment. In particular, it has the greatest impact on those hospitals with poor rankings. The research takes us a step closer to being able to confidently measure patient safety and quality of care in New Zealand public hospitals in an innovative way.
Seagrass: A Dynamic System
Authors:   , Duncan Alison
Published: November 2021

Small herbivorous invertebrates consume algal epiphytes, reducing negative effects (e.g. shading) on seagrass. Much research to date has focused on crustacean grazers, and comparatively little on gastropods. The aim of this research was to 1) examine seasonal and spatial variation in seagrass and associated gastropods in a large, tidal estuary and 2) examine the response of seagrass and epiphytic algae to nutrient enrichment and grazing pressure in a laboratory experiment.  Surveys were conducted in summer and winter of 2016 to assess the seasonal fluctuations in the associated gastropods and relationships with seagrass and epiphyte biomass within three sites in the Porirua Harbour. Seagrass, gastropods and epiphytic algae showed seasonal trends, including evidence of a loss of grazer control on epiphytes during winter. Potamopyrgus estuarinus, Notoacmea scapha, Diloma spp. and Micrelenchus spp. were the dominant gastropod grazers in the system in both seasons. The gastropod assemblage and seagrass characteristics differed between sites, likely in response to small scale differences in abiotic factors.  Seagrass from Elsdon (a site with elevated nutrient levels) and Browns Bay (a relatively pristine site) were used to investigate the role of select grazers and nutrient enrichment on epiphyte and seagrass growth. Nutrient treatments represented nitrate and phosphate concentrations of Elsdon (High), a 20% increase (High+) and a control (no addition). Little evidence was found for epiphyte regulation by gastropods, nor did epiphyte loads increase with nutrient addition. Seagrass from Browns Bay responded more strongly to High+ treatments than that of Elsdon. The results suggest that seagrass from Elsdon is adapted to the site’s high nutrient loads, where seagrass from Browns Bay is not. The results of this thesis support prior research findings of high variation in seagrass over a small scale, and adds to the currently lacking information on the role of micro-grazers in New Zealand’s seagrass meadows.
Sensing the City - Mapping the Beat. A rhythmanalysis of music-making in Wellington and Copenhagen
Authors:   , Rochow Katie
Published: November 2021

The idea of rhythm has figured as a key conceptual and empirical motif in current research on (urban) space, place and everyday life. Urban spaces are considered polyrhythmic fields, a compound of varied everyday life and spatial rhythms, which produce a particular, but ever-changing, complex mix of heterogeneous social interactions, mobilities, imaginaries and materialities (Edensor 2010). Music-making in the city therefore constitutes and is constituted by a plurality of urban rhythms including the movement between different locations as well as regular temporal patterns of events, activities, experiences and practices as well as energies, objects, flora and fauna which shape the music-maker’s mundane ‘pathways’ through the city. Based on current ethnographic fieldwork in the urban spaces of Wellington (Aotearoa/New Zealand), and Copenhagen (Denmark) this project proposes a way of capturing, understanding and interpreting the multi-faceted rhythmical layout of urban spaces. It will do so by introducing a rhythmanalytical methodology, which draws on interviews, participant generated photographs and mental maps as analytical tools for capturing the interwovenness of socialities, atmospheres, object, texts and images in people’s everyday lives and in this way affords opportunities for attending to the multiple rhythms underlying music-making in the city. The use of cartographic and photographic means of representing these rhythmical dimensions allows us to better attend to an affective register that is often overlooked in studies of music-making. It makes visible some of the ways in which places, from the home to the studio to the performance venue and points in-between form a connective tissue, which anchors the music-makers to the city as well as lends the city its ambience, and, more importantly, its affective charge. As such, the manner in which mood, feeling, a “sense of place,” is evoked through the visual representation of music-makers’ everyday life suggests how the scenic aspects of the city work to simultaneously frame, mediate and facilitate meaningful experiences of place. Consequently, this study documents, through a unique medley of research methods, the way in which music-making serves as a vehicle for the social production of place and the creation of an affective attachment to that place both individual and collective.
A builder's duty of care - When should it apply to the directors and employees of companies involved in the creation of defective buildings?
Authors:   , Brittain Grant
Published: November 2021

This thesis considers the issue of when a tortious duty of care to prevent economic loss should be imposed on the company directors and employees who stand behind the complex structure of companies and contracts involved in the creation of a defective building. Set against the background of the leaky building crisis, and what are (it is argued) unfair litigation outcomes, the thesis traverses the emergence and development of the principles that underpin liability for negligence and negligent misstatement in respect of defective buildings. A review of the cases confirms that the concepts of control and general reliance are the basis of New Zealand law in this area. There follows a discussion of the difficult relationship between company law principles and negligence principles, and the role of assumption of responsibility in the law of negligence and negligent misstatement, including a discussion of developments in the leaky building litigation. The thesis advanced is that, in respect of the creation of defective buildings, the approach to the issue of whether to impose a duty of care on company directors and employees would benefit from placing significant weight on the factor of de facto control of the inputs that dictate the outcome of a building project, and on the lower level factor of a direct or indirect financial interest in the outcome of the project.  It is argued that the approach to imposing a duty of care should be the same for directors and employees and in respect of statements and actions. In cases where the evidence establishes that the financial interest factor is not present, this should give rise to an inference that the company director or employee does not have control of the inputs that dictate the outcome of the project, so that no duty of care arises. This would enable a director or employee to exit litigation by way of an application for summary judgment. This is intended to discourage the practice of joining minor parties to litigation for the purpose of extracting a precautionary settlement. If control of the inputs that dictate the outcome of a project can be established by inference from the existence of the financial interest factor, or by the other evidence, then the two stage approach to the imposition of a duty of care would require a consideration of other factors that might negate the duty, such as the contractual matrix.
Young People's Comprehension of the Rights Caution in New Zealand
Authors:   , Gaston Frances
Published: November 2021

In New Zealand we have a child/youth, and an adult version of the Rights Caution, which are the rights read to an individual when they are arrested, detained, or questioned by police. The child/youth version was created with the developmental needs of young people in mind, however, it remains unclear whether it is assisting young people to better understand their rights. No research has been completed in New Zealand looking at young people’s comprehension of the Rights Caution, however, international research has shown that 1) the majority of individuals under 15 years old have limited rights comprehension, and 2) adapted versions of rights do not increase young people’s understanding. In consideration of these findings, the current research aimed to answer three key questions: 1) Do young people in New Zealand understand the Rights Caution, 2) what level of understanding do they have, and does this change with age, and 3) is the child/youth version of the Rights Caution helping to increase young people’s level of understanding of their rights, compared to the adult version? Participants were recruited from two Wellington region schools (N=101). They were interviewed using The New Zealand Rights Caution Competency Questionnaire, which was designed for this study, to assess young people’s understanding of the New Zealand Rights Caution. Participants were divided into either a 10-to-13-year-old age group (n=58), or a 14-to-16-year-old age group (n=43), and were randomly selected to be interviewed using either the child/youth, or adult version of the Rights Caution. It was found that participants had limited understanding of the Rights Caution, exhibiting more basic understanding, compare to in depth knowledge around the application of the rights. Level of understanding was not affected by participant’s age; the older participants knew as little as the younger ones did. Furthermore, it was found that the child/youth version of the Rights Caution did not assist participants in their understanding, and actually contained language that participants found more difficult to understand. These findings suggest that the New Zealand Rights Caution may not be effective in providing young people with the legal protection that it is intended to, and the processes around its use with New Zealand youth may need to be revised.
River on Fire: The mache parapotamios and Ecological Crises in Greco-Roman Epic
Authors:   , Fairley Alice
Published: November 2021

The mache parapotamios, or river battle, briefly brings nature to the forefront of epic narrative and provides an insight into perceptions of the environment. This type scene, appearing in a number of extant epics including Homer’s Iliad, Silius Italicus’ Punica, and Statius’ Thebaid, demonstrates that these poems are aware of the importance of nature as divine and cosmological, and are concerned with its relationship to humankind. The mache parapotamios does not, however, communicate a ‘green’ message in which nature is considered, or cared for, as an entity unto itself. Destruction of the environment is frequently slated as sacrilegious, and it is often equated with cosmological disorder. What is more, the narrative promotes the consensual domestication of nature so that it will benefit humankind, recognising that undamaged and benevolent nature is better than its wild and aggressive counterpart. In this way, concern for the preservation of nature in epic is anthropocentric.  Using a schema with which to analyse nature in epic, we can categorise aspects of nature into domesticated or undomesticated, and natural or non-natural. In the case of the mache parapotamios, this schema takes into account the personification of the river, as well as its relationship with humans. Alliances with humans demonstrate domestication, such as the Scamander’s cooperation with the Trojans, while enmity towards humans demonstrates a lack of domestication, as when the Trebia of the Punica assaults Scipio. Furthermore, a river is natural when it is in control of itself and acting according to its phusis, but an external force, such as pollution or obstruction, can cause a river to become non-natural. This frequently reflects negatively on the human perpetrators of the non-natural phenomena.  Each of the three chapters discusses one of the texts above and analyses the mache parapotamios, as well as other scenes involving nature, using the proposed schema. While each text presents an altered version of the river battle in order to best suit the needs of the epic, the significance of the relationships between the gods, humans, and nature remains a constant across all three.
Local Learnings from Local Voices: Exploring rural ni-Vanuatu perspectives of agricultural education and extension services in Santo, Vanuatu
Authors:   , Bird Andrew
Published: November 2021

Over the past 100 years, Vanuatu has seen the growth of a commercial agricultural sector through the influence of colonial interests. However, around 80 percent of the population still rely on semi-subsistence agriculture for their daily well-being. Agricultural education and extension resources operate across Vanuatu but are centralised around the Santo, the largest of Vanuatu’s 83 islands. However, their use by rural villages is limited despite growing recognition within rural communities that agricultural practices need to evolve in order to address issues such as climate change and food security. This led me to ask the questions: what are the ways in which villagers engage with these agricultural development resources; what influences whether they use these resources or not; and what would help improve engagement between villagers and resources?  To answer these questions, I undertook this research using an indigenous Pacific research methodology which aligns the data collection approach and process with traditional practices of knowledge sharing and relationship building such as storytelling and open group discussions. This included living in three different villages, building relationship, conversing in Bislama, and conducting semi-structured group discussions in the traditional ni-Vanuatu format of storian.  This research found an apparent disconnect between the rural village context and agricultural education and extension services on Santo. All three villages had minimal engagement with these resources, more regularly receiving agricultural information through other villagers. From the villagers’ perspective, in-village engagement is the most desirable and effective form of engagement. Perceptions of the present situation were dominantly negative with high travel costs, inconsistency in staff availability, past negative experiences with resources, education courses being too long and costly for many villages to attend and contextually misaligned information all influencing poor resource use. Villagers also highlighted the growing impact that climate change is having on food production, with changes to seasonal patterns, increasing weather extremes, and crop failures leading to dietary changes and growing food insecurity. However, villagers, in general, do recognise the potential benefits of agricultural development resources and do want greater engagement. Both past engagement examples and international examples offer options for a way forward and there are positive signs on the horizon. The need for more effective and community focused engagement is only going to increase due to climate change, growing urbanisation, and increasing food insecurity and greater recognition of the local perspective will be essential in order to address the challenges to come.