bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Glacier Speed-Up Events and Subglacial Hydrology on the Lower Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
Authors:   , Kehrl Laura M.
Published: November 2021

The contribution of glacier mass loss to future sea level rise is still poorly constrained (Lemke and others, 2007). One of the remaining unknowns is how water inputs influence glacier velocity. Short-term variations in glacier velocity occur when a water input exceeds the capacity of the subglacial drainage system, and the subglacial water pressure increases. Several studies (Van de Wal and others, 2008; Sundal and others, 2011) have suggested that high ice-flow velocities during these events are later offset by lower ice-flow velocities due to a more efficient subglacial drainage system. This study combines in-situ velocity measurements with a full Stokes glacier flowline model to understand the spatial and temporal variations in glacier flow on the lower Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand. The Franz Josef Glacier experiences significant water inputs throughout the year (Anderson and others, 2006), and as a result, the subglacial drainage system is likely well-developed. In March 2011, measured ice-flow velocities increased by up to 75% above background values in response to rain events and by up to 32% in response to diurnal melt cycles. These speed-up events occurred at all survey locations across the lower glacier. Through flowline modelling, it is shown that the enhanced glacier flow can be explained by a spatially-uniform subglacial water pressure that increased during periods of heavy rain and glacier melt. From these results, it is suggested that temporary spikes in water inputs can cause glacier speed-up events, even when the subglacial hydrology system is well-developed (cf. Schoof, 2010). Future studies should focus on determining the contribution of glacier speed-up events to overall glacier motion.
Decadal Climate Oscillations, Synoptic Variability, and Ice Core Climate Proxy Records in the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica
Authors:   , Markle Bradley Ross
Published: November 2021

This thesis investigates synoptic variability in the Ross Sea region, Antarctica and develops geochemical proxies of this variability from an ice core record in Southern Victoria Land. Particular focus is given to the influence of decadal climate oscillations on synoptic conditions and potential records of these oscillations in ice core proxy records as long-­‐term records of these oscillations are important for understanding future climate change. I present an investigation of the joint influence of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) on variability in the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL), a dominant climatological feature that strongly influences the weather in the Ross Sea region. It is shown that the positive phase of each oscillation is associated with significant strengthening of the ASL, while negative phases are associated with a weakening. Through regression analysis I show that a simple linear combination of indices representing these oscillations can explain more than 40% of the geopotential height variance in the AS region at a seasonal scale and over 70% of the variance at an annual scale. These results are consistent with the known mechanisms of ENSO and SAM interaction in the region and show that while SAM is dominant hemispherically, ENSO is only influential in the Pacific Sector. Finally it is demonstrated that a simple model of linear reinforcement and interference between the oscillations describes their influence on the variability in the ASL better than models incorporating more complex interactions. Atmospheric back-­‐trajectory modeling and cluster analysis are used to investigate synoptic variability at the Gawn Ice Piedmont (GIP) ice core site in the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica. I identify two dominant air-­‐mass trajectory clusters: oceanic – cyclonic and continental trajectories. My analysis shows that oceanic – cyclonic trajectories peak during April (southern hemisphere winter), while continental trajectories reach their maximum during December (summer). A causal association is demonstrated between ENSO and the frequency of oceanic – cyclonic trajectories originating from the Ross Sea region. In contrast, it is shown that the Southern Annular Mode has little influence on the frequency of cyclonic clusters. I then develop proxy records for the synoptic variability using a shallow firn core from the GIP site containing 8 years of geochemical record. Continental trajectories correlate with concentrations of nitrate (NO3), which is sourced from stratospheric air-­‐masses descending over the Antarctic interior. Oceanic – cyclonic trajectory clusters strongly correlate with deuterium excess at seasonal and inter-­‐annual scales, a proxy sensitive to changes in relative humidity and sea surface temperature (SST) in the in the Ross and Amundsen Seas. Decadal variability in the frequency of oceanic – cyclonic trajectories is discussed with respect to ENSO, SAM, and changes in SST and sea ice extent.
An Architectural Dialogue with the Eleatic Stranger
Authors:   , Squire Christian Jacob
Published: November 2021

Reports throughout New Zealand have highlighted a chronic and growing problem in our urban centres – the effects of alcohol abuse and binge drinking leave our youth vulnerable and unprotected. The results can sometimes be catastrophic. Makeshift paramedic tents have recently been erected in Wellington to provide aid and retreat, but these are temporary structures and only available two nights per week. The vulnerability of New Zealand’s youth occurs not only on nights with too much alcohol, but also in response to the daily stresses brought on by contemporary urban life. New Zealand youth suicide rates are the highest out of 30 OECD nations and more than twice the OECD average (Chapman). Likewise the secularization of contemporary urban society has resulted in the loss of spiritual retreats previously found within churches and religious centres. This thesis examines the need for a permanent urban retreat for all those who are temporarily vulnerable. The thesis investigates how architectural form can provide a new approach to urban retreat by critically engaging analogous theories found in the writings of Plato and Louis Kahn. Both Plato’s theory of Forms (discussed in Plato’s “Dialogues”) and Louis Kahn’s 1961 essay “Form and Design” are centred on the idea of achieving an enlightened state of mind, freeing the mind from the physical realm. Plato’s theory of Forms posits that the universe is separated into two realms: an intelligible realm and a sensible realm. All objects that exist in the sensible realm – perceivable to us by our senses – are merely imperfect shadows of their essences or Forms. By understanding this, we can free our minds from the distractions of life which so often lead to stress and despair. Plato’s theory of Forms has many parallels with the architectural theory of Louis Kahn, as evidenced in Kahn’s “Form and Design”. Kahn describes the ‘measurable’ and ‘immeasurable’ realms, which are analogous to Plato’s sensible and intelligible realms. This thesis critically engages these analogous theories of Plato and Kahn – achieving an enlightened state of mind, freeing the mind from the physical realm – to establish how architectural form can provide urban retreat for those who are temporarily vulnerable. The site for the design research investigation is the nameless alleyway in the Courtenay Place precinct which separates Wellington’s historic St James Theatre from The Mermaid bar and brothel – a site which symbolizes the conflicting stimuli to which our urban residents are now continually exposed.
Multilateral Resource Negotiations Between Weak and Powerful States: The Case of the 1987 United States-Pacific Island Fisheries Treaty
Authors:   , Havea Sōsefo Fietangata
Published: November 2021

On April 2, 1987, the Treaty on Fisheries Between Governments of Certain Pacific Island States and the Government of the United States of America was signed. The signatories to the Fisheries were the 16 members of the South Pacific Forum and the United States of America. After six difficult years of negotiations, the Treaty permitted American fishing vessels to fish in Pacific Islands’ waters in exchange for a substantial access fee. This thesis identifies key aspects of that treaty and examines what it meant from both a theoretical and practical standpoint. How did a collection of small, comparatively weak Pacific states strike a satisfactory deal with the most powerful state on the planet? What did the agreement mean in terms of its political, legal and environmental consequences? As well as looking at the events and negotiations that led to the treaty, this thesis also attempts to discern the key political lessons that flow from this case that might be relevant for the future development of the Pacific island States in the key area of fisheries regulation. The thesis argues that disputes between Pacific nations and the United States over tuna resources and the presence of the Soviet Union in the Pacific region were the two critical factors that led to the adoption of the Treaty. From the United States’ perspective, the Treaty was seen (at the time) as the only viable option if it were to reconsolidate its long and prosperous position in the Pacific region. The US did not want the Soviet Union to capitalize on American fishing disputes with the Pacific islands, and it could not afford for the Soviet Union to establish a strong association with the Pacific islands. The Treaty therefore served three purposes for Washington: (i) it maintained its long friendship with the Pacific islands, (ii) it maintained its fisheries interests in the region, (iii) and it kept the Pacific communist-free. This fusion of US economic and strategic interests gave Pacific Island States a stronger hand in the negotiations than their size and power would have otherwise offered.
Self-regulation in English Language Learning: Case Studies of Six Malaysian Undergraduates
Authors:   , Mohd Zahidi Azizah Binti
Published: November 2021

This study employed a qualitative design involving multiple case studies to explore how six English Language learners used self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies to complete language learning tasks and cope with the challenges of learning and using English as a second language. The case studies of the English language learners provided a detailed description of self-regulation among tertiary level students in Malaysia. This study explored the personal and contextual factors that might act as facilitators and constraints of the participants’ self-regulation. This study is underpinned by a social cognitive theory of self-regulation as a conceptual and theoretical framework. The primary data sources of this study were multiple interviews with the learners over a semester and interviews with three language instructors. Course documents and assignments, students’ reflective diaries, and notes on observations were additional data sources. Thematic analysis of the data indicated that the six English language learners used SRL strategies in unique and varying degrees, within their Academic Communication course and in the university context. Findings from the study suggest that personal and environmental factors influence the self-regulated learning strategies used in language learning. Implications for language teachers at the tertiary level were identified and discussed.
Observational Spatial Memory in North Island Robins (Petroica Longpies)
Authors:   , Armstrong Nicola Ellen
Published: November 2021

Observational spatial memory is employed by members of food-hoarding species to pilfer caches created by other individuals more effectively. North Island robins (Petroica australis) experience high levels of reciprocal cache pilferage within mate pairs. These circumstances were hypothesised to produce conditions under which advanced pilferage strategies such as observational spatial memory may evolve. Here I tested the ability of North Island robins to use observational spatial memory to discriminate between varying prey rewards. Three experiments were conducted which differed in the maximum number of prey items offered as a reward. Additional variables of retention interval, number of cache sites and a variable reward were included to assess how the birds’ memory was affected by small-scale factors. Results showed that North Island robins performed above chance expectations in most treatment combinations, indicating that they were able to utilize observational spatial memory. They were equally able to discriminate between different combinations of prey numbers that were hidden in 2, 3 and 4 caches sites from between 0, 10 and 60 seconds. Overall results indicate that North Island robins can solve complex numerical problems involving more than two parameters and up to one minute long retention intervals without training.
Pasifika Tertiary Students' Use of Information and Communication Technologies
Authors:   , Manueli Kerese Tuifaktoga
Published: November 2021

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are pervasive in our daily lives. In New Zealand tertiary education institutions, the adoption of ICT is widespread. Meanwhile, Pasifika students’ participation in tertiary education has been increasing. Yet, for this group of students, academic success has been a concern to successive governments, tertiary institutions, and Pasifika peoples. ICT may offer an opportunity to improve Pasifika students’ academic achievement. The study is premised on the belief that positive learning experiences will lead to improved academic outcomes. Consequently, the study explored ways of using ICT to enhance Pasifika students’ learning experiences. Adopting an interpretivist approach, the case study investigated the ICT skills and the use of ICT for learning enhancements of a group of Pasifika students at a New Zealand institute of technology. Over a period of eighteen months, data was gathered through talanoa, participant observation, and the researcher’s reflective journal. The three method approach enabled data triangulation. Data analysis adhered to the theoretical propositions of the study. Among the key findings, is the disturbing realization that Pasifika students’ ICT skill levels were not at the level assumed by the institution. The main uses of ICT by the Pasifika students in this study were for personal communication and entertainment. The students’ use of ICT for educational purposes was limited due to the mismatch of their ICT skills and those required by the institution. Inadvertently, this has further disadvantaged the students’ learning experiences. The study concludes by offering an ICT skills development framework for use with Pasifika students. Moreover, the study proposes a number of recommendations for practice, policy, and further research.
Power, Media and Development: A Study of the Solomon Islands
Authors:   , Broadbent Adele
Published: November 2021

Development donors spend millions of dollars a year on Media Development. Supporting the growth of a free and pluralistic media is being heralded as an integral part of working towards good governance and democracy in developing countries. It is seen as a technology transfer, apolitical and worthy. This research seeks to explore development donors’ use of Media Development as part of an overall stateVbuilding strategy. It has investigated this by looking at the history and contemporary experience of the growing Media Development sector. It has uncovered growing unease around the priorities of the programmes used in this area. There are charges that its religious adherence to the commercialised neoliberal model of media threatens to marginalise the poor. There are concerns that Media Development is seen by donors as a way of training the ‘watchdog’ to oversee the funds that they no longer have control over in the new aid modality.   This research is grounded in the Solomon Islands where a relatively new local media is the subject of a Media Development programme. This is a country that wears the labels of a ‘least developed nation’ and, in the recent past, a ‘postVconflict country’ and a ‘failed state’. The thesis is an attempt to get a snapshot of the Solomon Islands’ media and its relationship with aid donors by exploring these ideas with journalists, civil society, the main media assistance programme, commentators, and villagers living outside of the capital of Honiara.   While the majority of the contributors see a Western model of media as inevitable with globalisation, there would appear to be an appetite for conversations around a more indigenised media that engages more fully with the local reality. There is an identifiable gap in research in this area of Media Development as a donor tool.
Tangible Lighting Controls
Authors:   , Dugar Amardeep Mohanlal
Published: November 2021

'Tangible lighting controls' is used as an umbrella term to describe lighting control systems that are easy to understand and pleasurable to use by end-users. The crucial question posed is, what is the nature of interface designs sought by end-users for maximising interaction with lighting control systems? The manner in which this question is posed implies a fundamental assumption that improved usability and end-user experience are the primary goals. The concept of end-user understanding of lighting control interfaces is proposed as a basis for improving the usability and end-user experience of lighting control interfaces. Usability engineering methods involving survey research, experimental mock-ups and prototyping have been used to enable end-users to design and evaluate lighting control interfaces. The essential difference is to include end-users' point of view about ease of understanding control functions and pleasure of performing control tasks along with a technical point of view about meeting required standards. Manufacturers' claims about the effectiveness of existing lighting control interfaces are challenged, and an entirely different way of thinking about interface design is revealed. Such a change of thinking may be seen as a new framework for improved designs of lighting control interfaces as well as evaluation of their usability and end-user experience.
Negotiating the Transition: Parents' Experience of their Oldest Child's Transition to School
Authors:   , Woodhams Maureen Catherine Stockman
Published: November 2021

This study follows the lived experience of parents within six families during their oldest child's transition from early childhood centre to school. The aim was to understand the transition to school from a parent perspective in order that early childhood and school staff can better support families through their child's transition. A successful transition to school is frequently associated with later success in schooling. Research into children's transition has often focused on the child as an individual, with adults acting as informants about children's experiences. Parents have the unique position as the adults who are part of each of the three microsystems of home, early childhood centre and school, and therefore have an essential role in communicating between the microsystems and supporting their child's transition. This qualitative constructionist study interviewed parents one month before and one month after their oldest child started school, followed by a parent focus group. Each of the families in the study had existing theories of development and transitions which they combined with the information they obtained about school to plan and enact strategies to support their child's transition to school. The parents viewed school as a community to which they wanted their child and themselves to belong. They had some expectations of their role as a school parent; this identity was affected by the discourses of parents and teachers which they held and encountered, and by their interactions with people at school. The essence of these parents' experience was of negotiating the transition to school. There were two aspects to this: fitting in to an existing school culture; and attempting to adapt some aspects of the transition experience for their child by discussion with the teacher. Good communication, including feeling their point of view had been heard and also understanding the teacher's point of view, helped these parents to feel effective and valued in their role as school parents.
Common Ground: Multivalent Communal Space in Medium Density Housing
Authors:   , Pattinson Stephen John
Published: November 2021

The combined effect of shrinking average household size and steady urban population growth places considerable stress on existing land supply within urban limits, creating significant challenges for meeting new housing demand in a sustainable way. One option, intensification, is occurring rapidly in New Zealand’s main urban centres. Intensive housing in Auckland, for example, represents 35% of Auckland’s total housing market (2007), and “…indications are that the size of the intensive housing market will increase … it is possible that in the future intensive housing will be the housing market rather than a segment within it.” It is therefore important and urgent to consider ways of achieving higher density housing efficiently on less available land. One design strategy that may contribute significantly towards achieving this goal is the use of ‘multivalent’ communal space. In New Zealand, little consideration is given to the provision of ‘multivalent’ communal space in higher density housing. Consequently, opportunities are being missed to utilise urban land more efficiently in ways that enhance the quality of higher density living environments. This thesis research suggests that ‘multivalent’ communal space has significant potential for better utilisation of urban land and the enhancement of residents’ quality of life in intensive urban environments.
Coleridge’s Imperfect Circles
Authors:   , Biggs Patrick
Published: November 2021

This thesis takes as its starting point Coleridge’s assertion that “[t]he common end of all . . . Poems is . . . to make those events which in real or imagined History move in a strait [sic] Line, assume to our Understandings a circular motion” (CL 4: 545). Coleridge’s so-called “Conversation” poems seem to conform most conspicuously to this aesthetic theory, structured as they are to return to their starting points at their conclusions. The assumption, however, that this comforting circular structure is commensurate with the sense of these poems can be questioned, for the conclusions of the “Conversation” poems are rarely, if ever, reassuring. The formal circularity of these poems is frequently achieved more by persuasive rhetoric than by any cohesion of elements. The circular structure encourages the reader’s expectations of unity and synthesis, but ultimately these expectations are disappointed, and instead the reader is surprised by an ending more troubling than the rhetoric of return and reassurance would suggest. Taking three “Conversation” poems as case studies (“The Eolian Harp,” “This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison,” and “Frost at Midnight”), this thesis attempts to explicate those tensions which exist in the “Conversation” poems between form and effect, between structure and sense.
'Critical Ingredients of Success': Exercise for Men : Exploring the Preferences and Experiences of Men Who have Had a Diagnosis of Cancer
Authors:   , Kendrick Colleen
Published: November 2021

Evidence demonstrates the benefits of exercise for those with a cancer diagnosis and there is an increasing recognition of the need to tailor exercise opportunities for specific patient groups. However, little is known about the preferences and experiences of exercise in men who have had a diagnosis of cancer. In May 2011, the Waikato/Bay of Plenty division of the Cancer Society of New Zealand introduced a supervised, circuit-based group exercise programme specifically for men. Given this was the first known such programme in New Zealand, this study involved a process evaluation of the programme‘s development and implementation. The aims of the study were to explore the experiences of the men who participated, to investigate their preferences for exercise, and identify factors essential to the ongoing design and delivery of acceptable, accessible and appropriate exercise programmes for men. The 10 male participants and the physiotherapist who delivered the programme were interviewed about their experiences of the 6 week programme. The men were aged 62-80 years with a median age of 69, had diverse professional and personal backgrounds, varied types and stages of cancer and a wide range of physical fitness. The interview data were analysed using an inductive, thematic approach. The programme met the men's needs and each felt invigorated for attending. The men all wanted the programme to continue. Four major themes emerged: 1) the importance of a safe, inclusive programme, 2) camaraderie and the impact of competition and humour, 3) acceptability of the programme and its purpose, and 4) the overall value of the programme. This research builds on existing knowledge and contributes to a deeper understanding of the utility and feasibility of a group-based exercise programme for men, and the factors that need to be considered in designing further programmes. Practicalities, possibilities and implications for practice and future research are discussed. These include the use of simple transferable resources and the ease in which this flexible programme could be further developed and expanded, the value of a multidisciplinary approach, and the potential multiple benefits for men‘s health care.
Auto-Ethnography in a Kabyle Landscape
Authors:   , Taieb Si Belkacem
Published: November 2021

In this auto-ethnography, as an indigenous man in a Kabyle landscape, I take into account the relational experience that involves the development of a Kabyle identity. The indigenous cultures in North of Africa all come from the same family called the Imazighen (free men). Kabyle live in the North East of Algeria but there are other Imazighen living in the diaspora all over North Africa, from Morocco to Egypt, like Touaregs or Mozabites. My inquiry narrates my personal experience as a Kabyle man born of Kabyle parents in France. In this auto-ethnography I return to my father’s village to understand and access my heritage. I hope that this narrative helps my readers to reflect on the effects of globalization on the transmission of indigenous cultures. I portray Algeria, a North African Muslim country in 2010. I draw on critical pedagogy, socio-constructivism and indigenous knowledge and experiences. Looking to Algeria with the perspective of an indigenous person, I explore the social organization in my village and the way values and relationship shape the traditional education of a Kabyle man. My experiences and research in my ancestral village show that the war Kabyle people have fought against France has not resulted in independence. Rather, in my case, decolonization made me twice stranger to myself as Kabyle in an Arabic dominated country but also as an immigrant in France, the old colonial country, and Canada. However, my spiritual and sacred heritage is still alive in me, shaped by both my own experiences and the teachings of other members of my culture, and I have expressed this heritage throughout this narrative.
Who Knows Best? Participatory Design with Tenants in Wellington City Council's Housing Upgrade Programme
Authors:   , Leckie Nick
Published: November 2021

Public participation is the cornerstone of a democratic society and it presents very specific challenges in relation to development projects. This thesis explores participatory design - the important interface between the design of a physical project and the people who are affected by it - in reference to Wellington City Council’s (WCC’s) upgrading of social housing. It asks ‘is there scope for widening tenant participation in the Housing Upgrade Programme?’  A literature review establishes a loose definition of participation based on seven principles: approaches to participation are diverse; often ‘under-done’; cannot be neatly packaged or predicted and therefore cut across professional boundaries; engage power relations; and they tend to cultivate choice in outcomes and bring into being a collective intelligence.  From here the study engages action research techniques and case study analysis to further understanding of participatory processes. A comparative analysis of WCC’s current participatory approach and that of an Architecture Sans Frontieres participatory design workshop on slum upgrading in Nairobi, Kenya is conducted which reveals room for extension in WCC’s current approach and finds the Kenya workshop process exemplary. ‘A design experiment’ is then carried out which conducts some participatory exercises at a WCC housing site - Te Ara Hou apartments in Newtown, Wellington. These exercises contribute to a modest design proposal of additional housing units and a retrofitted community space for Te Ara Hou.  All preceding steps then inform what is the ultimate outcome of the study; a set of eight generic principles to inform best-practice participatory process. These principles are then used to evaluate three cases which demonstrates how they might be applied in practice. These three cases evaluated are WCC’s existing approach, the ASF workshop approach and a proposed approach for WCC. The third case makes suggestions around how WCC could develop their participatory approach. Ultimately, the thesis finds that there is scope for widening tenant participation in the Housing Upgrade Programme, and the eight principles offer suggestions around how that might be done.
Measuring Shear Wave Splitting Using the Silver and Chan Method
Authors:   , Walsh Ernestynne
Published: November 2021

Seismic shear waves emitted by earthquakes can be modelled as plane (transverse) waves. When entering an anisotropic medium they can be split into two orthogonal components moving at different speeds. This splitting occurs along an axis, the fast direction, that is determined by the ambient tectonic stress. Shear wave splitting is thus a commonly used tool for examining tectonic stress in the Earth’s interior. A common technique used to measure shear wave splitting is the Silver and Chan (1991) method. However, there is little literature assessing the robustness of this method, particularly for its use with local earthquakes, and the quality of results can vary. We present here a comprehensive analysis of the Silver and Chan method comprising theoretical derivations and statistical tests of the assumptions behind this method. We then produce an automated grading system calibrated against an expert manual grader using multiple linear regression. We find that there are errors in the derivation of certain equations in the Silver and Chan method and that it produces biased estimates of the errors. Further, the assumptions used to generate the errors do not hold. However, for high quality results (earthquake events where the signal is strong and the earthquake geometry is optimal), the standard errors are representative of the spread in the parameter estimates. Also, we find that our automated grading method produces grades that match the manual grades, and is able to identify mistakes in the manual grades by detecting substantial inconsistencies with the automated grades.
Sorting It out: Food Waste Separation in Large New Zealand Hotels: Barriers and Incentives
Authors:   , Singleton Richard L
Published: November 2021

Food waste presents a resource management challenge for New Zealand communities, businesses and governance institutions. The energy, labour, soil, water and myriad other inputs used to grow, manufacture, distribute and prepare food are lost with each kilogram that is thrown away. Numerous technologies enable the energy and nutrient potential within food waste to be recovered. Systems of this type are most efficacious when food is separated from other waste streams at source. This research demonstrates that New Zealand‟s existing waste related legislation has the potential to foster market conditions favourable to food waste recovery initiatives and technologies. However, the suite of policy instruments currently actuated provides weak stimulus for the adoption, innovation or expansion of food waste diversion ventures amongst stakeholders. Current legislation does little to incentivise food waste separation within hotels. Many hotel operators are reliant upon third party provision of waste collection, recovery and or disposal services. Exceptions include operators for whom onsite food waste processing systems or arrangements with individual farmers (who collect waste at low cost) are viable. Within this thesis, food waste, the New Zealand tourism product and the environment‟s capacity to assimilate waste are conceptualised as common pool resources requiring interconnected management regimes.
Key Criteria for Information Quality in the Use of Online Social Media for Emergency Management in New Zealand
Authors:   , Jensen Gunilla Elleholm
Published: November 2021

Knowledge and information give people the power to make decisions and to act; they are the key to the success of real-time decision making. Social media can be valuable in emergencies where information can be shared to save lives and minimise the human and social impact. Fostering information quality is important in order to validate the information collected for decision making. With the empowerment of the general public and the abundance of information on social media, information quality becomes central to achieving an effective and efficient outcome in emergency response and saving lives. A gap exists in the research in the area of information quality in the use of online social media for emergency management in New Zealand. The research question for this study is: What are the key criteria for fostering information quality in the use of online social media for emergency management in New Zealand? How are they achieved? The data collection method employed was in-depth interviews of members of emergency management organisations in New Zealand. The interviews were followed by participant check. Previous research has identified accuracy, consistency and relevancy as the most frequently acknowledged criteria for information quality. This study found that the three key criteria for information quality in the use of online social media for emergency management in New Zealand are: Using verified and validated information; Using timely information; Building and using networks. There were two conflicts between the criteria: The need to dispel rumours or get time critical information out to the public can be in conflict with making sure that information is verified and trustworthy. The other conflict lies in the desire to control communication on social media, which hinders sharing of information and engagement with the public. It was found that the key criteria for information quality can be achieved by engaging with followers, so that their shared information can be included in the EOCs standard verification processes, and at the same time letting the followers know what the time frame is for new information releases.
The Influence of Complexity in Determining New Product Development Strategies
Authors:   , Spill Holger
Published: November 2021

How does complexity influence new product development (NPD) strategies? There are many ways of managing the challenge of new product development. This is especially true for new software products where a huge variety of approaches is possible. This study examines how successful New Zealand tech companies manage their NPD and how innovation complexity influences this. The new products are all software-intensive and have the additional pressure of being built for commercialisation. The study found that while there is considerable variation within NPD, the level of innovation complexity determined the approach companies were taking. Companies with complex innovation challenges had more iterative software development; flexible internal processes; nimbleness in decision-making and re-prioritisation. Lower levels of complexity in innovation were linked to more formal and sequential approaches to NPD; less reviewing of process or product experimentation. Overall there were also lower levels of strain. The Cyclic Innovation Model (A. J. Berkhout, Hartmann, & Trott, 2011) provides a useful description of how complexity in innovation is situated within a network of markets, customers, products and science and how innovation is not a linear, sequential process. The study additionally suggests that strong entrepreneurial skills are essential to managing high complexity.
Personal Knowledge Management: An Analysis of Benefits and Challenges of Using Web 2.0 Technologies at the Individual Level
Authors:   , Fathizargaran Rouhollah
Published: November 2021

This research investigates the benefits and challenges of using Web 2.0 technologies (Wikis, Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) for personal knowledge management (PKM). It focuses on the challenges and benefits of using these technologies at the individual level to find out how realization of the key benefits and mitigation of challenges can improve personal performance in software engineering companies. This research also investigates the influence of PKM skills proposed by Dorsey (2000) in realising benefits and minimising challenges. Methods of data collection involved semi-structured interviews with three middle level managers and three software developers from four multinational software engineering companies. Qualitative research methods were used for analysing data. To explore benefits and challenges of using Web 2.0 technologies for PKM, a general inductive analysis strategy (Thomas, 2006) was used. This approach helped the researcher to derive concepts and themes which emerged from the raw data. Analysis also drew on and extended Dorsey‟s PKM skill model (2000) to identify which benefits and challenges of using Web 2.0 technologies can be addressed by PKM skills. Results from this study highlighted three important benefits of using Web 2.0 technologies for PKM: improved time saving, improved collaboration, and improved communication across hierarchical barriers. Ease of use of technologies and ease of organising information were found to be enablers of the technologies for effective management of personal knowledge. Results also showed four important challenges of using Web 2.0 tools for PKM: inaccurate and inappropriate information, lack of participation, lack of knowledge about the nature of technologies, and security sensitive. Findings of this study highlighted the importance of PKM skills to realise benefits of Web 2.0 technologies and minimise their challenges. The benefits and challenges of using Web 2.0 technologies have direct impact on individual performances. If employees are aware of these challenges, and have appropriate PKM skills, they will be able to improve their individual performances. The researcher suggests an extension of the Dorsey‟s PKM skill model (2000). Furthermore, in order to enable better understanding about the impact of PKM skills on individual performances using Web 2.0 tools a tentative model is proposed at the end of the study, which needs to be further explored in future studies.
The Disrupted and Realigned Self: Exploring the Narratives of New Zealanders with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Authors:   , Bell Lara Joyce Milka
Published: November 2021

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) causes pronounced, debilitating fatigue that is not alleviated by rest, along with muscle and joint weakness, pain, cognitive difficulties and can be worsened through mental and physical exertion. However, it is also without an aetiology, and there is little consensus amongst both medical and patient spheres as to what CFS/ME actually is. In this thesis I draw on interviews with people with CFS/ME and participant observation in a patient-led support group in order to explore the way in which CFS/ME shaped participants’ identities and narratives of the self. I argue that participants moved through two stages that I call ‘The Disrupted Self’ and ‘The Realigned Self’. Falling ill with CFS/ME rapidly disrupted participants’ understandings of the bodies, their position within their family and the community, interactions with doctors, and all the usual markers on which they had previously formed their self-identities. In this state, I argue that participants and those with whom they engaged viewed both CFS/ME and my participants as liminal, ‘betwixt and between’ (Turner 1969) social roles and contemporary New Zealand ideals of illness, the individual, and the ‘sick person’. As the initial disruption and confusion of falling ill subsided, however, my participants worked to develop a new secure self-identity, the ‘Realigned Self’. They move into a normalised long-term liminal state by prioritising their health, adjusting their expectations of their body, developing their own conception of the aetiology of CFS/ME and forming a positive narrative of their new lives. This identity work utilised wider cultural ideals about the active, responsibilised and authentic self; common to late modern contemporary life (Beck and Beck-Gernsheim 2001, Desjarlais 1994, Giddens 1991, Rose 1996). Yet this realignment was often not reflected in the views of my participants’ friends, families and doctors. This illustrates the diverse perspectives and different degrees of liminality that exist within experiences and narratives of CFS/ME and contested illnesses.
Towards Justice for Victims: A New Role for Victim Impact Statements in Sexual Violence Cases
Authors:   , McGovern Danica Caitlyn Yvette
Published: November 2021

This dissertation argues that the current approach to victim impact statements in New Zealand serves victims poorly. The primary purpose of victim impact statements is to provide information about harm, in order to assist the sentencing judge to assess the seriousness of the offending. This limits the extent to which victim impact statements can meet victims’ needs and protect their interests. This dissertation proposes a new role for victim impact statements (with a focus on their use in sexual violence cases). It argues that the purpose of victim impact statements should be to meet victims’ needs for recognition, acknowledgement and assistance with recovery, and to protect victims’ interests in reparation and prevention of further harm from the offender and from the sentence imposed on the offender. Meeting these needs and protecting these interests is necessary to provide justice for victims. Finally, this dissertation argues that victim impact statements should not be used to assess the seriousness of the offending.
Characterisation of the Genes Encoding Mannuronan-C5-Epimerase in the Brown Alga Lessonia Variegata
Authors:   , Ghosh Sayani
Published: November 2021

Alginate is known to be a commercially valuable polysaccharide, of great importance in industries such as food, cosmetics, medicine and pharmaceuticals. It is obtained commercially by harvesting brown algae. The final step in the alginate biochemical pathway involves the epimerization of D-mannuronic residues into L-guluronic residues, catalyzed by the enzyme mannuronan-C5-epimerase. This final step has been found to be responsible for controlling the physicochemical properties of the produced alginate. This study is the first to characterize the genes encoding for the enzyme mannuronan-C5- epimerase in the Northern, Southern and Wellington lineages of the brown alga Lessonia variegata (Phaeophyceae). The gene of interest was amplified by standard PCR and cloning. Cloning PCR results revealed the presence of two distinct copies of the gene in Lessonia variegata. The coding region of the copies was found to be very conserved with very little sequence variation. The Lessonia variegata sequences were compared with those of Laminaria digitata and Saccharina japonica, which indicated that at least one gene duplication event has occurred in Lessonia variegata, leading to the formation of two gene duplicates. The possible mechanisms by which the gene paralogs may control the structure and function of the produced alginate have been discussed.
Preparations for Implementation of RDA in New Zealand Public Libraries
Authors:   , Turner Chloe Samantha
Published: November 2021

This study examines how New Zealand public libraries will implement the new cataloguing standard of RDA by investigating what preparations for implementation they are making. This study uses a qualitative methodology. The researcher interviewed seven Heads of Cataloguing from public libraries in the lower North Island. These interviews were then analysed to bring out common themes and any differences between interviews. Public libraries in New Zealand are not currently planning on implementing RDA. This will come in the near future when the Library of Congress and then the National Library release their decisions on the implementation of RDA As the last cataloguing change was over thirty years ago, public libraries are likely to be uncertain about what they will need to do to implement this change and how it will affect them. This research will be useful in that it will allow other New Zealand public libraries to see how various libraries are preparing for RDA. This information can then be used to aid in their own decision-making processes.
Sentimental Equipment: New Zealand, the Great War and Cultural Mobilisation
Authors:   , Loveridge Steven
Published: November 2021

During the First World War, New Zealand society was dominated by messages stressing the paramount importance of the war effort to which the country was so heavily committed. Reflecting the total nature of the conflict, these exhortations regularly linked individual duties to the war effort and associated that effort with larger, or higher, purposes. It is often perceived, or presumed, that the dominance of this material arose from general wartime hysteria or was the result of imposed propaganda - with all the manipulative trickery that term connotes. Either way, such perceptions dovetail with notions that the war represents a historical rupture and that wartime discourse might be characterised as insincere, inauthentic and abnormal. Challenging this interpretation, this thesis considers wartime messages as emblematic of deeper cultural sentiments and wider social forces. Specifically, it argues that they represented the results of a cultural mobilisation; a phenomenon whereby cultural resources were mobilised alongside material resources. Consequently many pre-existing social dynamics, debates, orientations, mythologies, values, stereotypes and motifs were retained, but repurposed, in response to the war. A range of subjects illustrating this phenomenon are surveyed, including collective identity, anti-Germanism, gender archetypes, gender antitypes and social cohesion. This study highlights two major dimensions of the phenomenon: firstly, the relationship between the pre-war social/cultural landscape and the mobilised results; and, secondly, how the ideological war effort operated by layering meanings upon wartime developments. Analysing these aspects of cultural mobilisation sets New Zealand‘s military involvement in a broader context and enriches our historical understanding of the society which entered and fought the Great War.
An Analysis of the Processes that Ensure Success in ERP Implementations - A Case Study in a Public Sector Organisation
Authors:   , Ciubotaru George Madalin
Published: November 2021

Companies adopt and implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to streamline their business processes, enhance functionality and reporting and ultimately to increase efficiency. ERP implementations are highly complex projects. This paper analyses those factors that need to be considered and understood for a successful implementation. ERP implementation chances of success can be increased by ensuring the ERP project receives a high level of executive and project sponsor support. Top and middle management commitment and leadership and good, clear communication should also be paid particular attention to by any organisation gearing up to undertake such an initiative.