bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gaming and Photography: Investigating the Elision of Illusion and the Actual
Authors:   , Paterson Matthew
Published: November 2021

The application of aesthetics and techniques from photography into computer generated images leads audiences to read images of a virtual space similarly to images of a physical space. This phenomenon has allowed for a continuation in the cultural fascination with photorealism, and cases of audiences mistaking images from the virtual space as ‘real’. This thesis looks in detail at how the boundaries between the virtual and physical space shift when approaching the virtual space of a video game from the perspective of a photographer, rather than a player. It looks in detail at how audiences interpret images of the virtual space of video games when displayed in a form reminiscent of art photography. Photographs of the virtual and physical spaces were produced for online surveys and an exhibition to test audience perceptions of image origin. Participants were also asked to try and distinguish photorealism in the landscape form, urban form, and material form. Technical analysis of audience responses, combined with textual analysis of the images themselves, helped in determining the types of content, as well as styles of photography that were used by the audience as indexes to reality in the virtual space. In some cases, the technical theory could explain the thought process of the participants, however in other cases there were dominant factors that more significantly impacted participant interpretations, despite what theory suggested. This highlighted the blur that is emerging between the physical and virtual spaces. There were difficulties in designing tests that could identify and isolate the elements that influenced perceptions of photorealism, due to the complex, and sometimes unexpected, ways in which people made judgments about the images. A variety of factors and areas for future research arose from the tests, including using the medium of photography to document the ever-changing landscape of the virtual space.
Denudation rates derived from spatially-averaged cosmogenic nuclide analysis in Nelson/Tasman catchments, South Island, New Zealand
Authors:   , Burdis Abby Jade
Published: November 2021

New Zealand’s tectonically and climatically dynamic environment generates erosion rates that outstrip global averages by up to ten times in some locations. In order to assess recent changes in erosion rate, and also to predict future erosion dynamics, it is important to quantify long-term, background erosion. Current research on erosion in New Zealand predominantly covers short-term (100 yrs) erosion dynamics and Myr dynamics from thermochronological proxy data. Without competent medium-term denudation data for New Zealand, it is uncertain which variables (climate, anthropogenic disturbance of the landscape, tectonic uplift, lithological, or geomorphic characteristics) exert the dominant control on denudation in New Zealand. Spatially-averaged cosmogenic nuclide analysis can effectively offer this information by providing averaged rates of denudation on millennial timescales without the biases and limitations of short-term erosion methods.  Basin-averaged denudation rates were obtained in the Nelson/Tasman region, New Zealand, from analysis of concentrations of meteoric ¹⁰Be in silt and in-situ produced ¹⁰Be in quartz. The measured denudation rates integrate over ~2750 yrs (in-situ) and ~1200 yrs (meteoric). Not only do the ¹⁰Be records produce erosion rates that are remarkably consistent with each other, but they are also independent of topographic metrics. Denudation rates range from ~112 – 298 t km⁻² yr⁻¹, with the exception of one basin which is eroding at 600 - 800 t km⁻² yr⁻¹. The homogeneity of rates and absence of a significant correlation with geomorphic or lithological characteristics could indicate that the Nelson/Tasman landscape is in (or approaching) a topographic steady state.  Millennial term (¹⁰Be-derived) denudation rates are more rapid than those inferred from other conventional methods in the same region (~50 – 200 t km⁻² yr⁻¹). This is likely the result of the significant contribution of low frequency, high magnitude erosive events to overall erosion of the region. Both in-situ and meteoric ¹⁰Be analyses have the potential to provide competent millennial term estimates of natural background rates of erosion. This will allow for the assessment of geomorphic-scale impacts such as topography, tectonics, climate, and lithology on rates of denudation for the country where many conventional methods do not. Cosmogenic nuclides offer the ability to understand the response of the landscape to these factors in order to make confident erosion predictions for the future.
cnc serendipity
Authors:   , Bennett James Edward
Published: November 2021

This thesis discusses the traditional use of (computer numerically controlled) CNC machining and the role of a designer to control the manipulation of (computer aided manufacturing) CAM software, CNC data and materials. The engaged designer has the capability to add qualities of digital tectonics onto a specified form through the process of working intimately with a CNC lathe. They experiment using abstract forms to find unique qualities that come from the cutting action of the tooling in a lathe. The designer takes on the role of the self-learner to become competent in the software, technology to apply complex textures and expressions.  The designer can capitalise on unforeseen events, adds the action of craft to this industrial production method, creates beauty and provokes an emotional connection. Understanding the potential in the design possibility is to accept the serendipitous influences that can be controlled and the inevitable moments that cannot.  The core of this research is to show how a designer claims authorship of their design at the making stage. They can define the margin of control and randomness, whether something has become too serendipitous, compromising the crafted form, or remained banal, repeating the precision machining, and releasing any character from the object. By finding the best design solution and replicating the same understanding a craftsperson has of their traditional tools. The designer observes, analyses, succeeds and fails, recognising the potential of their experimentation. Using Cross’s model of exploration, generation, evaluation and communication there is the strategy to see the unexpected, realise the potential and make it desirable. Learning the ability to manipulate digital surfaces and identify serendipitous qualities produced by the physical fingerprint of the machining process.  Opposing the machines’ engineering, expressing the marks of the tool on an object, the imprints behaving as fingerprints left on a surface, is a unique characteristic. Something that makes the end user want to experience, feel, move and use it every day. These surprising results may influence the future of how design is conducted with digital technologies and adding digital complexities inspired by traditional craft to design more interesting artefacts.
Cellular effects of gliotoxin: Evaluation of a proteomic, isotope-based method to detect reactive cysteines
Authors:   , Sondhauss Sven
Published: November 2021

Cysteinyl residues in proteins are important for many cellular processes and unregulated modification of the cysteine thiol group can have negative effects on cell vitality and viability. In this thesis, the potential for use of the isotope coded affinity tag (ICAT) method for detection of cysteine modification has been investigated. ICAT reagents label free cysteine thiols. The aim of this study was to use HL-60 cells treated with gliotoxin, a fungal metabolite with a reactive disulfide bridge, as a system to evaluate the performance of ICAT for identification of cysteine modification in a whole cell proteome. Gliotoxin has antimicrobial, antitumor, immunosuppressive and cytotoxic properties that have been related to cysteine modification in proteins. Cellular assays including viability using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, cell cycle analysis, and measurement of reactive oxygen species using dichlorofluorescin diacetate were used to establish conditions for measuring the effects of gliotoxin on HL-60 cells prior to large-scale cellular damage. Cells exposed to gliotoxin and control cells were then labeled with ICAT reagents and analysed by offline reversed phase liquid chromatography followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The pilot results identified tubulin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase as putative targets of gliotoxin. Additionally, this study showed that ICAT can be used to detect modified cysteines from a highly complex sample, but further optimization is needed to unlock the full potential for detection of cysteine modification in complex samples.
Understanding the Māori Television Service’s Policy and Legislation: The First Ten Years
Authors:   , Freeman-Tayler Katie
Published: November 2021

he Māori Television Service emerged in 2004 after many years of political agitation by Māori for the New Zealand government to protect and promote Māori language and culture. Given the subsequent broadcaster’s role in promoting te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, this research project seeks to answer the questions: what strategies for language revitalisation are revealed in the Māori Television Service’s governing policy documents produced from 2003-2013, and how are the Māori Television Service’s strategies for language revitalisation informed by the operating environment of the broadcaster? To answer these questions, discourse analysis of the Māori Television Service’s governing policy documents, and those which inform it, is used to reveal the broadcaster’s strategies for language revitalisation. These documents are contextualised in relation to the wider Māori language struggle, the New Zealand broadcast industry, and socio-political, cultural and economic shifts between 2003 and 2013. Such contextualisation demonstrates the purpose of the broadcaster’s strategies for language revitalisation, how and why these strategies have changed and how these shifts reflect the Māori Television Service’s negotiation of different stakeholders.  Research findings suggest that the Māori Television Service has deployed a range of strategies that enable it to meet its legislative obligations as well as respond to community and industry stakeholders. These strategies include building an audience for its language programming content, operating as a financially prudent Māori organisation, and developing programming strategies in light of technological shifts. The thesis argues that these strategies contribute to the naturalisation and normalisation of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori within the national imaginary, and that these reflect key tactics for language revitalisation as set out in the 2003 Māori Language Strategy. The thesis also identifies a shift from the Māori Television Service’s focus on language programming quantity to language programming quality, and a shift to focusing on te reo speakers over a broad viewer base, across the ten year period of the broadcaster’s existence. The thesis aligns these more recent language programming strategies in relation to current changes in language revitalisation activities. In revealing the competing pressures faced by the broadcaster, this thesis highlights the role the Māori Television Service has played in increasing the symbolic value of te reo Māori, as well as how it has contributed to language revitalisation strategies in sectors beyond broadcasting.
The Cycle of Female Prisoner (Re)Integration: Pathways, criminal justice and imprisonment
Authors:   , Bentley Hannah
Published: November 2021

With increasing rates of female imprisonment, and female prisoner re-imprisonment rates of 33% for first time prisoners and 48% for recidivist prisoners within four years, women’s experiences of (re)integration are in need of examination. Issues of abuse, addiction, economic, social and political deprivation and poor education are not only seen to underpin women’s pathways into crime, but also the treatment of female offenders within a system that has redefined their welfare needs as risks. Using a feminist, qualitative methodology that provides often unheard women with a voice, semi-structured interviews were conducted with female ex-prisoners and those who work with women once released from prison. Interviews examined women’s experiences of release and the areas that contribute to successful or unsuccessful (re)integration. Findings reveal that support networks, release conditions, employment, accommodation and treatment services are key factors that either help or hinder women’s (re)integration. Consistent with literature on women’s (re)integration, interviews further revealed that female offender pathways are not addressed prior to, during, or after release from prison. To address such problems, this thesis argues that collaborative, holistic, gender-specific programmes, that are tailored to meet women’s daily needs and experiences, are required both within the community and prisons.
Investigation of the red algal parasites Rhodophyllis parasitica sp. nov. and Pterocladiophila hemisphaerica from New Zealand
Authors:   , Preuss Maren
Published: November 2021

Red algal parasites are common within red algae and most parasites are closely related to their host. Red algal parasites can switch hosts and their development is unique. Red algal parasites are poorly known in New Zealand. There are only four parasites described in New Zealand and those are based on morphological characteristics. This thesis focuses on the two red algal parasites Rhodophyllis parasitica sp. nov. and Pterocladiophila hemisphaerica from New Zealand. First, development and phylogeny and distribution of an undescribed red algal parasite growing on Rhodophyllis membranacea was investigated. Microscopy, molecular markers (ITS2, cox1, cox2-3 spacer) and phylogenetic analysis, and herbarium sampling were used to address these questions. The parasite, described as Rhodophyllis parasitica sp. nov. shows a close relationship of all genomes to Rhodophyllis membranacea, which suggests that the parasite evolved from its hosts. The parasite is widely distributed throughout New Zealand. The second parasite, Pterocladiophila hemisphaerica was grouped taxonomically, based on morphology, in the order Gracilariales and parasitizes Pterocladia lucida in the order Gelidiales. Molecular marker were used to reveal the relationship of Pterocladiophila hemisphaerica to its host: if the parasite is grouped in the Gracilariales or the Gelidiales; if host switches might have occurred; and if atp8 is present in the parasite. Nuclear DNA (SSU rRNA, LSU rRNA), mitochondrial (cox1) and plastid regions (rbcL-rbcS spacer) from the parasite were sequenced and phylogenetic analysis performed. New primer were designed to amplify atp8 and genetic analysis performed. Pterocladiophila hemisphaerica evolved in the Florideophytes but neither in the Gracilariales or Gelidiales and the parasite possibly switched hosts at least two times, which was shown by three different origins of chloroplast, mitochondria and nuclear DNA. Atp8 in the parasite is present but probably a pseudogene. Rhodophyllis parasitica sp. nov. is the first described red algal parasite species in New Zealand in 55 years and Pterocladiophila hemisphaerica is the first parasite with organelles and nuclei with different histories of origin.
Cultural Learning in Young Māori Offenders and Their Families: A Preliminary Model
Authors:   , Young Patricia Te Wairereahiahi
Published: November 2021

It has been acknowledged that many Māori individuals have become disconnected from their cultural heritage, and this includes young people who have come to the attention of the police, and their families. Community remedial programmes have been funded by the Government through the Ministry of Justice and New Zealand Police to work with young Māori offenders. There is an expectation that by including compensatory cultural components to address assumed weak cultural links through Māori cultural activities, these programmes will be able to rectify the impacts of colonising activities. In this research 23 young Māori people who had attended a community youth programme and 19 parents/caregivers were interviewed about what was important to them and about the place of Māori cultural activities in their lives. Interviews with 14 programme provider staff, four New Zealand Police staff, five community stakeholders and a Judge from a Rangatahi Court explored what they saw were the experiences for the young people and their families. The interviews were semi-structured and interview data was analysed using Grounded Theory to generate a Theory of Māori cultural learning and model of a Māori cultural framework within which Māori cultural socialisation occurs. Findings identified three family composition groups as reflecting aspects of multi-realities for the participant families which were highlighted by membership of whanau family groups; presence of family leadership; participation in Māori cultural community and location of family residence. The differences between the family composition groups had resulted from a breakdown of Māori community and disruption to the function of Māori cultural activities which also impacted on the structures and process of Māori cultural socialisation and transmission. These findings are discussed as are implications for the providers of remedial programmes for young Māori and their families, Māori families, whanau and communities. Suggestions for future research are also made.
Activity-Based Costing and Inter-District Flows in the New Zealand Public Health Sector
Authors:   , van Kesteren Matthew Peter
Published: November 2021

Changes in the New Zealand public health sector in recent years, such as heightened political, economic and social pressures to manage and reduce costs while improving the quality of care in conjunction with stringent health care guidelines, have forced district health boards (DHB) nationwide to reassess their approach to health care provision. This has chiefly involved evaluating current practices or institutions; revising health care systems, including locality of treatment; and assessing established accounting systems and mechanisms (or lack thereof) to understand the source of costs and resource consumption. Acknowledging that patient welfare has always held pre-eminence in the New Zealand public health sector, balancing the dual pressures to enhance the utilisation of limited resources and adhere to social pressures to provide sustained high quality health services has been a difficult exercise for DHBs. In recognition of the potential benefits of activity-based costing (ABC), and the fact that the New Zealand public health sector is severely underrepresented in current literature, this multi-site case study examines how sophisticated costing systems (such as ABC), are being used by DHBs. Using an institutional theory framework, this study posits that DHBs will use sophisticated costing systems to (1) improve cost understanding with the goal of managing and reducing their costs; and (2) contribute to more informed National Prices for Inter-District Flows (IDF), the aim of which is to plan and provide services to meet the directives and outcomes outlined by the Ministry of Health. Overall, the findings are compelling and reveal that costing systems are used on three levels to plan and provide health services, including unsophisticated costing systems that are not formally recognised; moderately sophisticated costing systems (such as CostPro) that are formally recognised; and sophisticated costing systems (such as PPM) that are formally recognised. Furthermore, the findings reveal that DHBs with sophisticated costing systems generate event-level information, which directly influences the calculation of National Prices for IDFs. The findings of this exploratory study also indicate a need to examine the nexus between ABC and IDFs in a New Zealand public health sector context further.
SmartCharge Digital Streetscape: Integrating mobile phones more urbanistically through streetscape interventions
Authors:   , Scheurich Jessica
Published: November 2021

Mobile phone technology is rapidly changing our world, how we interact with one another, and our built environment. This thesis investigates how we can integrate mobile phone technology more urbanistically.  There is a tendency for designs of this kind to be a short-term artistic gesture that do not interact with their surrounding environment in either a long term or meaningful way. This thesis argues that the ability of a design to outwardly impact its environment should be considered; rather than sustaining the common belief that design installations only act as a momentary or disposable implementation. It will examine how design can reinvigorate a space and be absorbed into a city’s everyday routine, in a way that it allows it to become permanent and valuable to the streetscape and the community.  This thesis focuses on our dependency on mobile phones by exploring how these devices can overlap with the urban environment through a streetscape intervention. Choosing to test the design of a recharge station across different sites will allow the investigation of the design’s ability to be adapted into different city environments. These stations will be developed with the intention of creating social hotspots that could have a positive outward effect which impacts their urban setting and surroundings. Ultimately these installations will allow us to become digitally and physically connected with society and our city.
A Gripping Tail: Re-interpreting the Archaic Potnia Theron Schema
Authors:   , Simons Emily
Published: November 2021

The Archaic Potnia Theron schema depicts a central female figure grasping an animal in each hand. She is often associated with the goddess Artemis. Yet, evidence from the early Archaic period indicates that she was not yet associated with the goddess. The identity of the schema has been the subject of a number of studies, and the connection of the figure with Artemis is well ingrained in scholarship. The identification of the figure as Artemis relies heavily on a brief description from Pausanias’s Perigesis, and the epithet Ποτνία Θηρῶν given to Artemis once in the Iliad (Hom. Il. 21.470). Furthermore, the image was later attributed to the goddess Artemis on account of her affiliations to wild animals. However, this thesis investigates the identification of the figure and examines the evidence (or lack thereof) for the attribution of the figure to Artemis in the Archaic period.  Chapter One will investigate the Potnia Theron schema and its use in the Bronze Age. It will consider the possible contribution that the Bronze Age schema may have had on the image in the Archaic period, acknowledging possible influence from the Near East. It will also discuss problems with Archaic source material, the fluidity of Archaic Greek religion, and the characteristics of the Archaic Potnia Theron schema. Chapter Two will analyse the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia in Sparta as the main case study for the use of the Archaic schema in a sanctuary context. The chronology at the site, and its examples of the schema make it particularly useful for this investigation. Chapter Three will follow with an analysis of the schema on items lacking contexts, as it was used for decorative purposes on vases, jewelry, and plaques. Finally, Chapter Four will examine the role of Artemis, how the Potnia Theron pose has since been interpreted to represent the goddess. This thesis will determine when the schema became associated with Artemis and investigate evidence for its use prior to this association.
The Effects of the Spatial Distribution of Moral Profiles in New Zealand on Community Cohesion and Civic Participation
Authors:   , Davies Caitlin L.
Published: November 2021

There is substantial evidence that individuals who share ideological beliefs tend to become geographically clustered in space (see Bishop, 2009; Haidt, 2012). The present studies were the first to assess the spatial distributions of people who share the same moral profiles in a New Zealand (NZ) general population sample. Geographic visualisation analysis was used to map the distributions of moral profiles and identify patterns of spatial clustering of these profiles. High Moralists were found to be overrepresented in rural electorates whereas Individuators were more visible in urban electorates. The spatial patterns of Moderates were less clear and require further studies. We also tested the effects of different distributions of moral profiles within NZ general electorates and our hypotheses that more clustered electorates would exhibit higher feelings of sense of community, group-based political participation, trust in community members, satisfaction with life, and desire to move, were generally not supported. At the individual level, when Moderates were in the majority in their electorates they had higher sense of community scores, and the moral profile that was in the outright minority had lower perceptions that their neighbours shared their values and beliefs. Implications for community cohesion and political conflict are discussed along with suggestions for future research in the area of space and social psychology.
Language Change in Two Early English Printing Houses: Richard Pynson and Wynkyn de Worde, 1490-1530
Authors:   , Cruikshank Alana
Published: November 2021

The introduction of printing to England in the late fifteenth century dramatically altered the form and function of the written English language, as the production of texts increased exponentially within a very short time period. This shift from manuscript to print is characterised as the beginning of Early Modern English, when standardisation and modernisation of text began in earnest and neared completion by 1700. William Caxton, England’s first printer and an enthusiast of literature, is credited with making genuine efforts towards ‘Standard English’ in his short career; his immediate successors, however, are traditionally regarded as reverting to irregular spelling forms and hindering the process of modernisation and standardisation which was slowly developing in the fifteenth century. The aim of this thesis is to examine the language of two of Caxton’s successors – his former apprentice Wynkyn de Worde, and de Worde’s chief competitor Richard Pynson – for signs of modernisation and standardisation within their works. This is achieved through the close study of ten language forms, both morphological and orthographic, between 1490 and 1530.  Thirty-six texts printed by de Worde and Pynson were selected from a variety of genres, including devotional works, sermons, legal texts, travel diaries, histories, and philosophical works, sourced by Pynson and de Worde from medieval manuscripts, contemporary translations, and original compositions, to represent the work of the two printing houses. For each printer, two ten-page samples of two texts were taken from five-year intervals and examined in facsimile, and from this data a number of trends and processes can be identified. Innovative, or modern, variants of the five morphological forms tended to be already common in the first decade of printing, and by 1530 were firmly established, whereas the orthographic forms began to modernise mostly after 1500, and were less regular than the morphological forms studied. Both morphology and orthography within the texts of Pynson and de Worde show clear development away from the forms favoured by Caxton and the Chancery scribes and towards more modern forms. Textual evidence strongly suggests that this trend was due more to the increasingly modern copy-texts of the works produced, and by extension the spelling practices of contemporary writers and translators, rather than concerted efforts of the printing house towards implementing an orthographic standard.
Layered Pasts: Cultural Heritage Landscapes in Cities
Authors:   , Manning Kendra
Published: November 2021

This thesis aims to understand how indigenous heritage values might be represented in post-colonial urban environments. Using an urban design and landscape architecture lens, this paper builds on an emerging body of heritage knowledge in an attempt to recognize the contrasts between western and indigenous heritage values.  Through the study of a selection of indigenous landscape precedents from America, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand, common representational trends of heritage design are identified. These examples illustrate some of the issues that arise when landscapes of indigenous significance are presented within a western heritage framework.  The documents, Tapuwae and Te Aranga: Māori Cultural Landscape Strategy are introduced as guides to Māori intangible heritage. These guides are discussed in relation to the New Zealand urban design and heritage discourse. Contemporary outcomes of this current heritage climate include Waitangi Park and Pipitea pa. These are discussed and found to possess a number of values contributing to a positive approach to indigenous heritage design within Wellington’s challenging urban environment.  To continue this discussion, 39 Taranaki Street becomes the site of a design exploration. In 2005, three ponga (silver tree fern) whare (houses) of Te Aro pa, were unearthed on this site. The whare are the only known physical trace of the Taranaki whānui’s pa (village), which stood from 1835 to 1902. The whare are currently preserved in-situ as part of an apartment complex. The design concept is to link the past layers to the current and future development of the site and its precinct in order to celebrate the close connection between the past and the present that intangible heritage practices facilitate.
A Choreography of Human Transition: Strategic Insertion of an Intervention
Authors:   , Laing Toby Paton
Published: November 2021

Spatial anxiety is very real. Historically this concept has been utilised in the architecture of restraint (Johnston, 42), where punishment is based heavily on isolation and the limitation of freedom.  Under these conditions of incarceration one does not have the choice to circulate throughout spaces to find environments in which one will thrive. If for whatever reason prisoners are allowed to move without complete containment, movement is conducted under the most extreme of supervision (Fairweather, 31).  In most societies the right to privacy and most other human privileges are removed once a severe crime is committed. Although it would not be controversial to suggest that living under these conditions is inhuman, the traditional criteria for becoming forced into incarceration requires that the convicted commits acts considered to be ‘inhumane’ (Rodham, 2013).  Most specialists in the architecture of restraint turn to the safety of traditional prison design, responding without much consideration for innovation.  This Thesis engages with an ongoing focus on reform, (see fig 0.01) specifically exploring the domain of transition. In attempts to define an appropriate mid-point between two worlds; prison and society (see fig 0.02). However, achieving this within the realm of interior architecture first requires the establishment of a strategic design process.
Autism, Visual Thinking, and Independence
Authors:   , Elliott Broughton
Published: November 2021

This project was to design a product that could assist a group of people who live with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The product was a personal organizer application designed to help people with ASD to manage themselves without the need for help from caregiver. This project reveals the difficulties faced by people with ASD, why they need a product such as personal organizer when they grow up, and why the current market of products aimed at people with ASD is flawed. This project contains research from past studies of ASD, new knowledge from participants, their caregivers, and experiments conducted to build an application for the iPad. An application built to make daily life a bit easier for young adults living with the disorder.
The politics of presence: Political representation and New Zealand's Asian members of Parliament
Authors:   , Choi Seonah
Published: November 2021

In New Zealand, existing studies relating to the political representation of the country’s minority groups are largely confined to that of women and the Māori population. Unsurprisingly then, the representation of Asian-New Zealanders is an area that has been mostly overlooked to date. However, the numerous indicators that allude to the group’s growing social and demographic presence also suggests it is of increasing importance that they are included in New Zealand’s political narrative.  This thesis seeks to address the gap by undertaking a case study of current and former Asian-New Zealand members of Parliament, in an attempt to establish their representative role.  The complexities of this undertaking are readily recognised. The theoretical component of this thesis draws on a number of concepts from under the umbrella of political representation. Similarly, the primary data gathered from a series of extensive interviews with the intention of supplementing the aforementioned literature review is subject to other factors, including but not limited to political structure and individual perception.  In spite of the expansive and subjective area of focus, and while only intended to be an exploratory (rather than exhaustive) work, it is hoped that this thesis will make a meaningful contribution to an understudied field in New Zealand political studies.
An Empirical Evaluation of Force-Directed Graph Layout
Authors:   , Klapaukh Roman
Published: November 2021

Force-directed graph layout is a widely used algorithm for the automatic layout of graphs. Little experimental work has been done exploring the behaviour of the algorithm under a variety of conditions. This thesis carries out three large-scale metric-based experiments. The first explores how the core algorithm behaves under changes to initial conditions. The second looks at extending the force-directed layout algorithm with additional forces to reduce overlaps. The third develops a novel symmetry metric for graphs and uses that to explore the symmetries of graphs. This thesis also carries out a user study to show that the differences reported by metrics in the graphs are reflected in a difference in user performance when using graphs for a free-form selection task.
Construction and optimization of novel recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus rAAV2/5 for targeting microglia to regulate immune responses during neuroinflammation
Authors:   , Belhoul-Fakir Hanane
Published: November 2021

Activated microglia promote central nervous system (CNS) inflammation through antigen presentation and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Although this activation is necessary to protect the brain during infection, aberrant release of pro-inflammatory and/or cytotoxic factors such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, nitric oxide and reactive oxygen substances may lead to neuronal damage and degeneration.  Targeting microglia during neuroinflammation to regulate the expression of cytokines without affecting other cell types in the CNS is challenging since no specific microglial markers have yet been established that distinguish microglia from infiltrating, peripheral myeloid cells. Therefore, we propose that a viral-based gene delivery system might be a better strategy to regulate gene expression in microglia. Using the recombinant Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector pseudotype 2/5, which preferentially infects microglia (, we constructed a plasmid backbone which contains GFP under the control of the F4/80 promoter, a macrophage-specific marker. In order to demonstrate the specificity of this promoter for macrophages, we transfected human kidney cells HEK 293 cells, mouse leukemic macrophages RAW 264.7 cells, human hepatocytes cell line (HepG2) and human ovarian carcinoma cell line (1A9) with the AAV-F4/80-eGFP construct or the control plasmid AAV-CAG-eGFP. Our results indicate that the rAAV-F4/80-GFP construct is selective for macrophages.  To begin to assess the usefulness of this system to alter microglia function, we have cloned the Membrane Associated Ring-CH protein (MARCHI) into the rAAV-F4/80-eGFP vector that has been shown earlier to regulate antigen presentation by inducing the intracellular sequestration of MHC class II. We were able to confirm this finding by transfecting interferon gamma stimulated macrophages cell line RAW 264.7 cells via our constructed AAV-F4/80-MARCHI-eGFP vector and demonstrate the ability of our recombinant AAV vector that is driven by specific promoter to deliver and express MARCHI to induce MHC class II sequestration. Together this work will lead to the development of tools that will allow us to dissect the pathways by which microglia promote neuroinflammation.
Intangible architectures: The post office in an age of speed
Authors:   , Robertson Bede William
Published: November 2021

The traditional post office is a confusing and lost character within our urban fabric . Once a central part of towns both rural and urban it is now ignored by the communities it once served, a stagnant figure as communities struggle to figure out what role it still holds. This shift in its role raises larger questions about the shift in the way we view and use communication to express identity. Present day communication is largely conducted over the internet, and we primarily do so through our personal devices. Yet this is not a stagnant shift, with modes of communication evolving and multiplying ever more rapidly. It is through this aspect of speed that begins to address the complexities of this shift.  Paul Virilio’s writings on dromology discuss the connections between communication, geography and the virtual world. It offers a framework through which this shift can be viewed, looking at how these ever increasing speeds lead to a collapse of distance both temporally and physically. This results in a geographic disconnect that erodes our ability to engage in place identity. Architecture offers a way that this shift towards a virtual identity can be re-spatialised and authenticated, acknowledging the fractured identities we now hold in geographic and virtual realities.  To address this dromological shift this thesis looks at aspects of authenticity and performativity within the post office, investigating how they might offer a way to explore the intersection between old modes of postal communication and new ways of communicating through our cellphones. Through these architectural interventions the new post office is found, one that grounds modern communication within the wider chronological narrative of the post office.
Graceful Language Extensions and Interfaces
Authors:   , Homer Michael
Published: November 2021

Grace is a programming language under development aimed at education. Grace is object-oriented, imperative, and block-structured, and intended for use in first- and second-year object-oriented programming courses. We present a number of language features we have designed for Grace and implemented in our self-hosted compiler. We describe the design of a pattern-matching system with object-oriented structure and minimal extension to the language. We give a design for an object-based module system, which we use to build dialects, a means of extending and restricting the language available to the programmer, and of implementing domain-specific languages. We show a visual programming interface that melds visual editing (à la Scratch) with textual editing, and that uses our dialect system, and we give the results of a user experiment we performed to evaluate the usability of our interface.
Toward healthier, sustainable, medium density housing, through a return to natural materials
Authors:   , Jaycock Steven
Published: November 2021

Medium density housing can be built sustainably using natural materials. These homes are healthy to live in and have minimal impact on the environment. Increasing demand, diminishing available land, climate change and unsustainable building practices all contribute to a growing housing crisis. The list of manufactured materials such as asbestos, PVC and formaldehyde, that are hazardous to us and our planet continues to grow. Many modern homes are not fit for purpose, being poorly insulated, damp mould inducing toxic buildings, recognised as a major contributor to poor health, and being detrimental in their manufacture to the environment. Until recently, natural building materials, perceived as inferior to modern manufactured products, have been considered unsuitable for modern building.  The RADIUS¹ solution cycle is developed from this research as an organised design led process. Research driven by design, then through Analysis and Discussion, Inform Design, so as to Utilise new findings to Solve the conundrum.  Historically, natural material structures last for hundreds and in some cases thousands of years. Just as ancient history can show us the way with materials, perhaps recent history can suggest answers to better medium density design, the hexagon is trialed here as one possible alternative site configuration. Global interest in natural materials in developed countries is growing, the higher labour cost is no longer considered problematic, being offset by the significant material cost and environmental impact savings, health benefits and an estimated building life expectancy exceeding 200 years. New Zealand as an advocate of healthy living and conservation of nature should lead the world by example in this field in which it is currently under-represented.  A composite wall and floor of straw, clay, aggregate, sand and lime is readily available, renewable, sustainable and works synergistically to maintain correct moisture levels and inhibit mould. I present two housing developments as proof of concept that natural building materials offer new typologies and a healthy sustainabale way forward.
Landside Synthesis
Authors:   , Melhop Luke
Published: November 2021

The rapid development of commercial aviation produced the contemporary airport in its wake: a synthesis of culture, consumerism and infrastructure. While airports have remained for the most part in peripheral locations, they have developed to a scale and complexity comparable with that of the city/town centre. Isolated, internalized, edge cites. The Queenstown International Airport is the fourth busiest in New Zealand, with passenger traffic figures set to double in the next 25 years; the Wakatipu Basin in which it resides is currently the 2nd fastest growing population in New Zealand. A subsequent design hypothesis is established in line with the projected growth of both environments, questioning if an urban centre and an airport, two physically antithetical environments, can be synthesized if planned synonymously. A critique of the conventional terminal program is the primary initiator of a new form of development, along with design strategies for injecting the airport terminal into an urban environment. The physical design output of this thesis takes the form of an urban masterplan, contextualizing the town centre in relation to the existing built regions of the Wakatipu Basin, forming a framework to outwork the design of a new international airport at an architectural scale, investigating the implications of the program opened to a pedestrian environment.
The Wrong Side of the Tracks
Authors:   , Wiesen Jorle
Published: November 2021

Christchurch was struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on the 22 February 2011. The quake devastated the city, taking lives and causing widespread damage to the inner city and suburban homes. The central city lost over half its buildings and over 7000 homes were condemned throughout Christchurch. The loss of such a great number of homes has created the requirement for new housing to replace those that were lost. Many of which were located in the eastern, less affluent, suburbs.  The response to the housing shortage is the planned creation of large scale subdivisions on the outskirts of the city. Whilst this provides the required housing it creates additional sprawl to a city that does not need it. The extension of Christchurch’s existing suburban sprawl puts pressure on roading and pushes residents further out of the city, creating a disconnection between them.  Christchurch’s central city had a very small residential population prior to the earthquakes with very few options for dense inner city living. The proposed rebuild of the inner city calls for a new ‘dense, vibrant and diverse central hub’. Proposing the introduction of new residential units within the central city. However the placement of the low-rise housing in a key attribute of the rebuild, the eastern green ‘Frame’, diminishes its value as open green space. The proposed housing will also be restrictive in its target market and therefore the idea of a ‘vibrant’ inner city is difficult to achieve.  This thesis acts as response to the planned rebuild of inner Christchurch. Proposing the creation of a model for inner city housing which provides an alternative option to the proposed housing and existing and ongoing suburban sprawl. The design options were explored through a design-led process were the options were critiqued and developed.  The ‘final’ proposal is comprises of three tall towers, aptly named the Triple Towers, which condense the proposed low-rise housing from an 11000 square metre footprint to combined footprint of 1500 square metres. The result is an expansion of the publicly available green space along the proposed eastern frame of the city. The height of the project challenges the height restrictions and is provocative in its proposal and placement. The design explores the relationships between the occupants, the building, the ‘Frame’ and the central city.  The project is discussed through an exploration of the architecture of Rem Koolhaas, Renzo Piano and Oscar Niemeyer. Rather than their architecture being taken as a direct influence on which the design is based the discussion revolves around how and why each piece of comparative architecture is relevant to the designs desired outcome.
Groundcover: Investigating an ecological field-architecture
Authors:   , Velvin Henry
Published: November 2021

With many traditional conservation approaches becoming outdated and inefficient this project looks at the role of architecture in facilitating forward thinking, system based conservation aimed at high levels of self-organization. Through the consolidation of architecture, with concerns relating to ecological conservation, landscape ecology and landscape architecture new approaches to the development of New Zealand’s conservation estate are explored. Adopting the backcountry (DoC) hut as an anti-precident, the existing apathetic approach to the development and care of New Zealand’s conservation estate is critiqued through design research. This thesis looks at the possibility of integrating a system of structures into the landscape at Nga Potiki reserve (South Wairarapa, New Zealand) which, through both their architecture, and programme, actively advance the restoration and invigoration of the site’s ecologies. With the aim of expanding public ecological literacy the structures provide habitation, and importantly, the opportunity for visitors to engage with and understand the significance of the forces that drive natural ecologies. In doing so it aims to investigate the possibility of assimilating ecological conservation into architectural built form.