bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of insurance in business recovery after a natural disaster: The case of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake
Authors:   , Poontirakul Porntida
Published: November 2021

We aim to investigate the role of insurance in business recovery following the devastating Christchurch earthquake in February, 22nd, 2011. We analyze data from two business surveys conducted after the earthquake to examine how insurance affected business operation in the aftermath of the earthquake both in the short-term and longer-term. For the short-term analysis, we use a combination of propensity score matching (PSM) and linear probability model (LPM) to analyze the data. We first estimate the propensity scores for insurance take-up of each firm conditional on the firm’s individual characteristics. Stratification based on the estimated propensity scores is used to match the treated (insured) and the control (uninsured) firms. We then estimate the probability of firms’ continuing operations with a set of control variables to account for the level of damage and disruption caused by the quake in each stratum. We find little evidence of any beneficial effect of insurance coverage on business continuity in the short-run. For the longer-term analysis, we analyze the available survey data using logistic regression. The result suggests that business interruption insurance significantly promotes increased level of long-term productivity for surviving firms following the earthquake.
Globalization should be what states make of it
Authors:   , Le Moguédec Régis
Published: November 2021

A significant factor that prevented the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) from becoming as calamitous as the Great Depression of 1929, is the fact that states reacted swiftly to inject massive sums of public money to save the banks and the global financial system.  This massive state intervention highlighted the limits of the progressive deregulation of the international system which characterized the process of globalization. It showed that states had huge responsibilities in keeping the global economy afloat, albeit without a clear compass or direction. The apparent ‘anarchy’ of the global market system makes conceivable that, to paraphrase A. Wendt, “globalization should be what states make of it”.  Limiting the scope of study to the postmodern state, and looking at the discourse surrounding the globalization process that promotes de-regulation and limited government within a ‘neo-liberal paradigm’ it looks at the ‘democratic deficit’ which weakens the political decision-making process. If not yet a ‘paradigm shift’, the GFC has many ingredients of a crisis of capitalism which needs to re-invent itself, and political action is crucial to curb the excesses of finance. Looking at France, and the election of Francois Hollande on a strong ‘anti-finance’ platform in 2012 and its European Union dimension, it remains to be seen if that kind of shift will actually be able to operate and be successful to set the tone for global reforms.  In conclusion, the core argument is that the global ‘trial’ of the neoliberal paradigm and the concept of financial deregulation should now enter a new phase. It is historically and symbolically the defeat of the self-regulating markets as a blueprint for global prosperity. The present structures are inadequate, and states have to find new ways for cooperation in order to steer this integrated world towards greater cohesion.
#PrettyLittleLiars: ABC Family in TV’s Post-Network Era
Authors:   , Galope Ariane
Published: November 2021

This thesis explores the branding of ABC Family as a home for ‘Millennial’ viewers through its original TV drama programme, Pretty Little Liars. ABC Family emerged during what Amanda Lotz (2007) terms the ‘post-network’ era of American television, a period that has been characterised by fierce inter-network competition and the availability of TV programming on a larger array of platforms, including online platforms. These revolutionary changes have been coupled with the emergence of a commercially desirable demographic known as the ‘Millennials’, a group of young people who are considered to be ‘native’ to this ‘post-network’ environment and whose media use and preferences are challenging networks to revise their strategies and develop programmes that aim to solicit their attention and engagement.  Pretty Little Liars has been specifically constructed to assert the brand identity of ABC Family as a channel “for and about Millennials” (Liesse A2). This programme has sought to distinguish itself within teen-oriented TV drama by incorporating cinematic aesthetics, serial storytelling, narrative complexity, and intertextuality – all of which have been characteristic of adult-oriented ‘high-end’ TV drama in the ‘post-network’ era. Pretty Little Liars has supplemented these efforts to distinguish itself by cultivating a thriving online presence. Important to this online presence are the use of ‘transmedia storytelling’ and social media. As this thesis demonstrates, transmedia storytelling and social media have the capacity to significantly extend the experience of a TV programme beyond what is aired on television. Importantly, their deployment in support of Pretty Little Liars has been successful in encouraging consistent viewing of new episodes as they are broadcast, a pattern that persists despite the post-network era’s capacity for delayed viewing on alternative platforms.  This thesis undertakes an in-depth examination of ABC Family’s ‘post-network’ strategy in three chapters, each of which takes a different critical perspective. Chapter One examines the internal and external challenges that contributed to the emergence of ABC Family’s rebranding. Chapter Two analyses Pretty Little Liars as a ‘high end’ teen-oriented TV drama that functions to elevate the profile of ABC Family while simultaneously engaging ‘Millennial’ viewers. Finally, Chapter Three explores the transmedia extensions of Pretty Little Liars that function to supplement the television narrative in ways that encourage and reward consistent viewing patterns and long-term loyalty.
Nanoparticle Charge and Shape Measurements using Tuneable Resistive Pulse Sensing
Authors:   , Eldridge James
Published: November 2021

Accurate characterisation of micro- and nanoparticles is of key importance in a variety of scientific fields from colloidal chemistry to medicine. Tuneable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) has been shown to be effective in determining the size and concentration of nanoparticles in solution. Detection is achieved using the Coulter principle, in which each particle passing through a pore in an insulating membrane generates a resistive pulse in the ionic current passing through the pore. The distinctive feature of TRPS relative to other RPS systems is that the membrane material is thermoplastic polyurethane, which can be actuated on macroscopic scales in order to tune the pore geometry.  In this thesis we attempt to extend existing TRPS techniques to enable the characterisation of nanoparticle charge and shape. For the prediction of resistive pulses produced in a conical pore we characterise the electrolyte solutions, pore geometry and pore zeta-potential and use known volume calibration particles. The first major investigation used TRPS to quantitatively measure the zeta-potential of carboxylate polystyrene particles in solution. We find that zeta-potential measurements made using pulse full width half maximum data are more reproducible than those from pulse rate data. We show that particle zeta-potentials produced using TRPS are consistent with literature and those measured using dynamic light scattering techniques.  The next major task was investigating the relationship between pulse shape and particle shape. TRPS was used to compare PEGylated gold nanorods with spherical carboxylate polystyrene particles. We determine common levels of variation across the metrics of pulse magnitude, duration and pulse asymmetry. The rise and fall gradients of resistive pulses may enable differentiation of spherical and non-spherical particles.  Finally, using the metrics and techniques developed during charge and shape investigations, TRPS was applied to Rattus rattus red blood cells, Shewanella marintestina bacteria and bacterially-produced polyhydroxyalkanoate particles. We find that TRPS is capable of producing accurate size distributions of all these particle sets, even though they represent nonspherical or highly disperse particle sets. TRPS produces particle volume measurements that are consistent with either literature values or electron microscopy measurements of the dominant species of these particle sets. We also find some evidence that TRPS is able to differentiate between spherical and non-spherical particles using pulse rise and fall gradients in Shewanella and Rattus rattus red blood cells. We expect TRPS to continue to find application in quantitative measurements across a variety of particles and applications in the future.
"Everybody knows by hearing but not by seeing": Exploring the use of photovoice to document challenges of some inter-provincial students at the University of Danang, Vietnam
Authors:   , Tran Duc
Published: November 2021

This research employed a Participatory Action Research methodology to work with minority inter-provincial students and unearth their lived experiences at the University of Danang in Vietnam. It focused on examining the undervaluation of inter-provincial students’ voices in the university’s policies – and to a wider extent, in most Vietnamese universities – by facilitating a process in which their challenges and ideas for change at university could be heard.  This research also sought to observe and analyse the influences of power dynamics within a Confucian-heritaged context on the participatory research process itself. Vietnam is believed to be a society in which hierarchical power takes its deepest roots due to the effects of Confucianism. By using Participatory Action Research with a variety of methods – photovoice, diagraming, group discussion, interviewing and exhibition – I sought to facilitate student voices and document some of the potential and constraints of the methodology within this cultural context.  The research involved eleven student participants and ten teacher participants over a period of six weeks. Data was collectively analysed and shared by student participants with invited teachers through an exhibition at the University of Danang. Throughout the process, I took extensive field notes of my observations and interactions with participants. Data analysis was then written and presented in this thesis based on what participants had provided. Key themes that this thesis explores are: (1) challenges that faced inter-provincial students, (2) the impact of Confucius hierarchical power on participants’ involvement and ownership in the research and (3) the role of language and emotion when undertaking Participatory Action Research in such a context.  The process generated clear evidence of the common challenges facing interprovincial students associated with limited finances, mentality/spirituality, and poor living conditions. From analysis of these challenges, the research provides recommendations for teachers, university administrators and policy-makers. These recommendations promote a more holistic pedagogy that better encourages students to develop themselves throughout their time at university.  The thesis also concludes that the use of Participatory Action Research within higher education settings in Vietnam can serve as a research model for the betterment of disadvantaged minority students. It could help minimise the effects of neoliberalism on the country’s higher education sector and foster better development outcomes for students and their home provinces.
Spatial Multizone Soundfield Reproduction Design
Authors:   , Jin Wenyu
Published: November 2021

It is desirable for people sharing a physical space to access different multimedia information streams simultaneously. For a good user experience, the interference of the different streams should be held to a minimum. This is straightforward for the video component but currently difficult for the audio sound component. Spatial multizone soundfield reproduction, which aims to provide an individual sound environment to each of a set of listeners without the use of physical isolation or headphones, has drawn significant attention of researchers in recent years. The realization of multizone soundfield reproduction is a conceptually challenging problem as currently most of the soundfield reproduction techniques concentrate on a single zone.  This thesis considers the theory and design of a multizone soundfield reproduction system using arrays of loudspeakers in given complex environments. We first introduce a novel method for spatial multizone soundfield reproduction based on describing the desired multizone soundfield as an orthogonal expansion of formulated basis functions over the desired reproduction region. This provides the theoretical basis of both 2-D (height invariant) and 3-D soundfield reproduction for this work. We then extend the reproduction of the multizone soundfield over the desired region to reverberant environments, which is based on the identification of the acoustic transfer function (ATF) from the loudspeaker over the desired reproduction region using sparse methods. The simulation results confirm that the method leads to a significantly reduced number of required microphones for an accurate multizone sound reproduction compared with the state of the art, while it also facilitates the reproduction over a wide frequency range.  In addition, we focus on the improvements of the proposed multizone reproduction system with regard to practical implementation. The so-called 2.5D multizone oundfield reproduction is considered to accurately reproduce the desired multizone soundfield over a selected 2-D plane at the height approximately level with the listener’s ears using a single array of loudspeakers with 3-D reverberant settings. Then, we propose an adaptive reverberation cancelation method for the multizone soundfield reproduction within the desired region and simplify the prior soundfield measurement process. Simulation results suggest that the proposed method provides a faster convergence rate than the comparative approaches under the same hardware provision. Finally, we conduct the real-world implementation based on the proposed theoretical work. The experimental results show that we can achieve a very noticeable acoustic energy contrast between the signals recorded in the bright zone and the quiet zone, especially for the system implementation with reverberation equalization.
A life lived on the corner
Authors:   , McGovern Bronwyn Jewell
Published: November 2021

This thesis explores the everyday life of Brother, a well-known street dweller and local identity, who lives everyday life on a busy street corner in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. Brother’s way of doing ‘being ordinary’ attracts strong public curiosity, media interest, and monitoring by informal and formal social control mechanisms, including medical intervention. This research provides a comprehensive account of what can happen to those at the margins who dare, or are impelled, to do things differently. My research is inspired by the longstanding tradition of street corner sociology, and grounded within the sociology of everyday life orientation. My street ethnography involved participant observation over a three-and-a-half year period. In that time, I observed Brother and other street people, capturing the depth and nuanced complexities of a life lived in the open. Central to this thesis is an examination of the ways in which wider social structures and institutions bear upon the local micro-setting, in particular how classification processes act to ‘make, remake, and unmake’ people. Three core concepts of space, body, and social interaction are explored to examine, through the situatedness of everyday talk and social action, how social meanings are locally produced and understood. I argue that by developing spatial, bodily, and interactional methods, Brother has established organisational and social capacities, and lines of conduct, that are firmly founded in autonomous actions. Through his rejection of ascribed ‘homeless’ membership and his clear embracement of a street lifestyle, Brother’s street life is shown to subvert and trouble normative understandings, while engendering and maintaining a lived sense of home in the city he calls his whare [house]. My research contributes an Aotearoa New Zealand perspective to the international sociological street corner landscape, and provides a Wellington perspective to the emerging domestic literature on street life. More broadly, my study aims to stimulate critical sociological reflection regarding different modes of being and belonging in the world and how we, as a society, respond to this.
Studies on the Synthesis of Marine Natural Product (-)-Zampanolide and its Analogues
Authors:   , Wang Jingjing
Published: November 2021

(-)-Zampanolide is a microtubule-stabilising marine natural product, with promise as a cancer drug candidate. The potential therapeutic application of zampanolide has fuelled worldwide interest in its total synthesis, but few analogue studies have been reported. Analogues afford the possibility of examining the structure-activity relationships with a view to optimising for potency and medicinal viability. This project seeks to devise a new route to zampanolide and generate a series of analogues for bioactivity evaluation.   The initial approach to zampanolide and a number of designed analogues was through disconnections at C20 by an N-aldol reaction, at C1 by Yamaguchi esterification, at C8-C9 by metathesis and at C15-C16 by alkynylation. During the development of fragment syntheses, problems were encountered with protection of the secondary hydroxyl group at C19 and establishment of an aldehyde at C15. Useful natural and analogue fragments were generated during this exploratory phase.  The order of connections was revised, and effort has been put towards the improvement of the synthetic efficiency. A three-component reaction involving (triphenylphosphoranylidene)-ketene, also known as Bestmann ylide, as a linchpin was envisaged to provide the dienoate of zampanolide. This is an expanded application of Bestmann ylide and therefore the scope of this linchpin reaction was investigated using simple alcohols and aldehydes. Success in the scoping study fortified this approach, and the coupling of the C3-C8 and C16-C20 fragments of zampanolide proceeded with good yields and stereoselectivity of the E,Z-geometry.  The planned late stage connections were tested on model substrates. The side arm attachment by a chiral boron reagent-promoted aza-aldol reaction failed to produce desired product on a simple model. However, model substrates that better account for the functionality of the zampanolide macrocycle are proposed for subsequent studies. In case these also do not succeed, reliable alternative methods described in the literature would be used. Several methods were scanned for the asymmetric alkynylation required for the C15-C16 bond connection. That involving ProPhenol and diethylzinc produced an excellent yield with a model alkyne. Although the stereoselectivity of the alkynylation is yet to be optimized, it was also tested on the full zampanolide fragment generated from the Bestmann ylide reaction. A small amount of the desired product was isolated, establishing 16 out of the 18 carbons of the macrocycle. Formation of a macrocycle is close at hand.
The Application of Spectral Induced Polarization to Determination of Hydraulic Conductivity
Authors:   , Joseph Sheen
Published: November 2021

Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) is a geophysical technique that measures the frequency dependence of the electrical conductivity of a material. This thesis is an attempt to investigate the potential of using SIP as a proxy to predict the hydraulic conductivity of New Zealand shallow coastal aquifers. SIP measurements were made on sand samples that are typical of New Zealand coastal aquifers with a custom built impedance spectrometer and sample holder allowing the measurement of a phase difference as small a milliradian.  Even though the relaxation time shows a small dependence on pore fluid conductivity, especially at lower pore fluid conductivities, this variation is not serious enough to affect the hydraulic conductivity estimation at the field scale, but could be significant in the investigation of mechanisms that cause polarization in porous media.  Measurements on sieved fractions of sand established that there is an excellent correlation between the Cole-Cole relaxation time constant and grain size. The Cole-Cole relaxation time constant is very sensitive to the grain size distribution. Hydraulic conductivity predictions were attempted using various existing models. While the results are encouraging, it looks like there may not be a single universal model to predict hydraulic conductivity using SIP response.  When a correction term in the form of a multiplication constant is used, all the tested models seem to make very good predictions. But the constants calculated by fitting to the measured data could be applicable only to the type of materials studied. The dependence of the existing models on quantities like counterion diffusion coefficient, electrical formation factor and porosity makes hydraulic conductivity prediction challenging as these quantities are difficult to measure accurately in a field setting. Nevertheless it is concluded that SIP can be successfully applied to study hydraulic conductivity of New Zealand shallow coastal aquifers.
Robust Multichannel Microphone Beamforming
Authors:   , Anderson Craig
Published: November 2021

In this thesis, a method for the design and implementation of a spatially robust multichannel microphone beamforming system is presented.  A set of spatial correlation functions are derived for 2D and 3D far-field/near-field scenarios based on von Mises(-Fisher), Gaussian, and uniform source location distributions. These correlation functions are used to design spatially robust beamformers and blocking beamformers (nullformers) designed to enhance or suppress a known source, where the target source location is not perfectly known due to either an incorrect location estimate or movement of the target while the beamformers are active.  The spatially robust beam/null-formers form signal and interferer plus noise references which can be further processed via a blind source separation algorithm to remove mutual components - removing the interference and sensor noise from the signal path and vice versa. The noise reduction performance of the combined beamforming and blind source separation system approaches that of a perfect information MVDR beamformer under reverberant conditions.  It is demonstrated that the proposed algorithm can be implemented on low-power hardware with good performance on hardware similar to current mobile platforms using a four-element microphone array.
Infestations as a Natural Disaster: The Economic Impacts of the Fonterra Whey Protein Concentrate Contamination Incident
Authors:   , Stojkov Katarina
Published: November 2021

This paper presents the results from an investigation into the economic implications for New Zealand of the 2013 Whey Protein Concentrate contamination incident (popularly known as the Fonterra Botulism scare). It assesses the impact of this incident to dairy exports using synthetic control methods. A synthetic counterfactual scenario where the incident did not occur is developed using weighted averages of the dairy exports of countries unaffected by the scare. The research finds that there was an initial negative shock to the exports of products that were thought to have been contaminated, but that there were no significant sustained impacts on other dairy products. The affected products make up only a small proportion of New Zealand dairy exports, with the vast majority of dairy exports being unaffected products. Infant formula exports appear to have recovered somewhat in the long run, however whey product exports remain lower than they otherwise would have been.
Strategising for Resilience
Authors:   , Collins Simon
Published: November 2021

The term “resilience” is used to describe aspects of businesses that are able to withstand potentially destructive changes in the commercial environment in which they operate. Few studies have investigated the ability that some firms have not just to endure disturbance, but to buck market trends and improve, grow and capitalise on potentially destructive change. This thesis aims to elaborate our existing understanding by contributing empirical knowledge on resilient firms through the examination of the research questions: In the context of the New Zealand Manufacturing sector during the Global Financial Crisis, what contributes to resilience in firms? And, do dynamic capabilities play a role in the resilience of firms?  To address the identified gap in the literature, this research analysed the strategies of seventeen New Zealand manufacturing firms during the Global Financial Crisis utilising a qualitative, case study approach. Teece’s (2007) Sensing, Seizing and Transformation dynamic capabilities framework was used to analyse and categorise the firms’ actions. The findings confirm some, but also refute other, pre-existing assumptions and understandings regarding the resilience of firms that are offered by the prevailing literature.  This thesis contributes to the field of theory by offering evidence for five propositions that extend the existing resilience literature. These are: first, that the dynamic capabilities framework provides a useful means through which to examine the resilience of firms; second, resilient firms appear to have bundles of dynamic capabilities that provide resilience when present; third, certain capabilities appear to be necessary but not sufficient to create resilience; fourth, capabilities that enable firms to generate additional efficiency and margin appear to be among the most valuable in the creation of resilience, and fifth, capabilities that increase the ‘volume’ of knowledge, and improve the flow of, and access to, knowledge within a firm also appear to be among the most valuable for creating resilience.  This examination of the concept of resilience presents new perspectives on why some firms perform better during crises, and how advantage is created and maintained when the environment generates barriers to performance. The results progress resilience as an emerging concept in the strategic management literature in two ways: first, the addition of empirical evidence extends and elaborates current theory regarding what constitutes resilient action in firms; and second, the results highlight the strengths and weaknesses of applying a dynamic capabilities framework to explore strategic management concepts.
Fore to Form
Authors:   , Irvine James
Published: November 2021

Designing for sports equipment demands excellence. The sheer nature of competition drives athletes to achieve the unachievable. This obsession to improve shifts from the athlete to the designer. The continual development and availability of materials, technologies and processes makes the role of the designer more critical than ever. Though the one real opportunity for innovation lies in how the designer interprets and utilizes these technologies.  The question that this research asks is: Can the integration and synchronisation of contemporary digital tools reshape the design process of golf clubs? This investigation predominantly uses an experimental ‘research through design’ approach based on the ideas and methods derived from a number of professional design projects and theoretical design approaches.  It argues that the unique combination and application of emerging digital tools can expose a breadth of creative design opportunities for golf club design. Golf clubs, like any other sports equipment must be designed with the underlying, crucial theme of performance improvement. The term performance can be broken down into two aspects; mental (visual) and physical (functional). The criteria for these aspects changes with each individual and demands a new level of customisation.  This thesis investigates how this could be achieved and proposes innovative pathways to integrate individual performance data as form defining inputs. It also explores the potential of new digital aesthetics to enhance functional criteria yet preserving critical features of traditional club design.
How did a Music Therapy Student Work with Patients with Dementia Who Were Anxious and/or Agitated?
Authors:   , Chin Hsiau Wung
Published: November 2021

This research aimed to uncover the strategies and techniques that I used in my work with patients who have dementia and who were anxious and/or agitated. The objective of this study was to examine and learn from my work in order to improve my own, and potentially others’ practice. Secondary analysis of data collected from my music therapy clinical practice in a hospital was used as methodology of study. The analysis found 21 techniques and strategies in my work with patients with dementia who were anxious and/or agitated. They include the use of:  (1) Choice; (2) Culture of race (used Maori songs); (3) Direct Engagement; (4) Exploration; (5) Familiar Song; (6) Favourite Songs; (7) Following the Patient; (8) Identity; (9) Imitation and Matching Patients’ Sound Making; (10) Improvisation; (11) Lyrics; (12) Matching Tempo; (13) Object-Musical Instrument (drum); (14) Observation; (15) Physical Interaction; (16) Safety; (17) Space; (18) Tempo; (19) Verbal Interaction; (20) Voice Only; and (21) Volume.  These techniques and strategies were developed as I learnt from different articles, books, own experiences as well as supported by my supervisors. Apart from helping patients to reduce their anxiety and/or agitation, maintaining or increasing socialisation, interaction, and general wellbeing of patients seemed important too. Patients are likely to experience less anxiety and/or agitation if their needs are being supported. Findings will be of interest to music therapists and music therapy students working in hospitals or in dementia units in New Zealand. Future research about music therapy work with patients with dementia who are anxious and/or agitated together with their family members is suggested.
How did Music Therapy Contribute to Patients’ Quality of Life in a Hospice and Palliative Care Setting?
Authors:   , Jeong Ah Young
Published: November 2021

This qualitative research explores how I, as a student music therapist, contributed to patients’ quality of life (QoL) in a hospice and palliative care setting. The study principally focuses on the different music therapy and personal approaches that I used and which seemed to contribute to patients’ QoL. The research was carried out at a hospice in New Zealand and I had sessions with in-patients, day hospice patients and out-patients who were all at varying stages of illness.  In this research, secondary analysis of data is used to answer my research question. The data used in this study are the clinical notes and reflexive journals that I gathered while working with 67 patients in a total of 194 sessions. Because QoL is a broad complex concept, I have chosen to use a conceptual framework suggested by music therapy theorist Even Ruud (1997) to put a structure to answering my research question. In thematic analysis, the data were both deductively and inductively analysed.  The findings describe music therapy methods, activities, strategies and techniques as well as personal approaches I employed which seemed to promote a sense of affective awareness, agency, belonging and meaning, and coherence of life in patients receiving hospice and palliative care. This study indicated that Ruud’s (1997) framework has particular meaning in the context of hospice palliative care and that the framework could be extended for use in hospice and palliative care. The clinical vignette further provide an exploratory view of the use of music therapy techniques and the quality of relationships, and how both of these contributed to increasing a patient’s QoL.  In the discussion, the findings are further explained in the light of other studies. In particular, ‘being with’ patients underpinned all of the musical and personal approaches that I made in working with hospice patients and this is evaluated as an overarching point. Although Ruud’s (1997) idea of QoL was a good fit in my study, the study may suggests how his model could address ways in which affective awareness, agency, belonging and meaning and coherence of life can be supported with various music and personal approaches in the context of music therapy in hospice and palliative care settings.
Stratigraphic Investigations into the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene of the Northern Aorangi Range, Wairarapa
Authors:   , Bertaud-Gandar Tamsin Lesley Beatrice
Published: November 2021

The late Miocene-early Pliocene geology of the Makara and Ruakokoputuna Valleys in the northern Aorangi Range, south-east Wairarapa, is described in detail. In this area, a succession of Neogene sedimentary units laps onto basement rocks of Cretaceous age, and late Miocene-early Pliocene stratigraphy varies markedly, from bathyal mudstone to high energy coastal environments, over distances of only a few kilometres. Sections were measured at four key locations, which provided reference sites for stratigraphic changes across the study area. Additional detailed field mapping was carried out around Te Ahitaitai Ridge. Depositional environments were interpreted using grain size analysis, macrofossil and foraminiferal assemblages, and palynology. Foraminiferal biostratigraphy was used to constrain the ages of samples. Data obtained by these methods were combined with previous authors’ work to produce a synthesis map, unit correlations, and geological cross-sections of the Makara and Ruakokoputuna Valleys. Late Miocene-early Pliocene geological history is interpreted, and a depositional model is proposed to explain the presence of giant cross-beds in the Clay Creek Limestone.  Despite major differences in lithology, the Clay Creek Limestone and Bells Creek Mudstone are shown to be partially laterally equivalent, while the overlying Makara Greensand is shown to be a diachronous unit which ranges from late Miocene (Kapitean) to early Pliocene (Opoitian) in age. This revised stratigraphy raises questions about the current classification of the Palliser and Onoke Groups, and provides new insights into regional geological history. The late Miocene-early Pliocene stratigraphy records a history of regional subsidence, punctuated by episodes of deformation which caused localised uplift and erosion. Previous seismic imaging studies identified one such episode of accelerated crustal shortening and deformation in the Wairarapa region near the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. The Clay Creek Limestone has proven to be a useful marker horizon for constraining the timing and style of deformation, which is interpreted to have occurred prior to 7.2 Ma. Major differences in stratigraphy between the upthrown and downthrown sides of the Mangaopari Fault indicate that the fault was active during this deformational episode. Lithostratigraphic units from the study area have been correlated with units in other parts of the Wairarapa, and these correlations suggest that late Miocene deformation in the region may have propagated from south to north.
Generalisations of Quasi-Hyperbolic Discounting
Authors:   , Rajanayagam Shanella
Published: November 2021

This paper proposes several time preference specifications that generalise quasi-hyperbolic discounting, while retaining its analytical tractability. We define their discount functions and provide a recursive formulation of the implied lifetime payoffs. A calibration exercise demonstrates that these specifications deliver better approximations to true hyperbolic discounting. We characterise the Markov-perfect equilibrium of a general intra-personal game of agents with various time preferences. When applied to specific economic examples, our proposals yield policies that are close to those of true hyperbolic discounters. Furthermore, these approximations can be used in settings where an exact solution for hyperbolic agents is not available. Finally, we suggest further generalisations which would provide an even better fit.
Voices in the Reo: Music, Community and Membership in a Rātana Brass Band
Authors:   , Thomas Helen
Published: November 2021

This study explores the brass bands of the Rātana community. Te Hāhi Rātana (the Rātana Church) is a Māori Christian church based in Aotearoa New Zealand. Between 1932 and 1984 Te Hāhi Rātana established seven brass bands, which today constitute an amateur brass movement with over eighty years of history and several hundred active band members around the country. Rātana brass bands are widely recognised as emblematic of the Rātana Church and associated political movement, yet the bands gain only passing mention in New Zealand music histories and reference works. This thesis presents the first in-depth research about Rātana brass bands.  Based on fieldwork conducted over a one-year period, this thesis investigates Rātana brass banding in its community context. Taking a contemporary ethnographic approach, I explore aspects of symbolism, performance and membership, discussing some of the localised meanings and functions of the brass band in the Rātana context. The research presented in the thesis centred around interviews and interactions with members of one of seven Rātana brass bands, whose voices I incorporate into the text. Observations of the band members playing in church and marae contexts form the basis for narrative ethnographic descriptions and interpretive discussion. Drawing on ‘insider notions’ of community and banding, such as the idea of whānau (family), I explore the Rātana community and faith through the brass bands. This study considers some of the ways in which brass band music serves to bind and sustain the musical collectivities of the bands themselves, and the large, geographically spread, spiritual community of which they are a part.
Whakatipu te Pā Harakeke: What are the success factors that normalise the use of Māori language within the whānau?
Authors:   , Muller Maureen
Published: November 2021

Despite the language revitalisation efforts of kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa Māori, the Māori language is still endangered. The population of highly proficient speakers is dwindling (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). The Māori language is not a language of everyday use across a range of settings (Te Puni Kōkiri, 2008). Language experts have identified intergenerational transmission as the principal means of evaluating the vitality of a language and a key factor in reversing language shift (Fishman, 1991; Spolsky, 2004). This requires re-establishing the Māori language in the home. Although there is evidence of the re-emergence of intergenerational Māori language transmission, this is at the initial stages and is not yet the norm in Māori society. The process of transferring the Māori language from generation to generation depends on decisions by parents to learn and use te reo Māori on an everyday basis in their interactions with their children. Whilst educational institutions can support whānau and communities, they cannot take their place (Fishman, 1991). Community support is vital because a living language requires a pool of active speakers, in particular those who speak the language to younger community members.  This thesis examines the efforts of eight whānau who have contributed to the revitalisation of the Māori language by ensuring the language is transmitted intergenerationally to their children. All but one of the parents learnt Māori as a second language in their adult years. Six critical success factors emerged from the findings that can be utilised by language planners and parents wanting to normalise the use of Māori within the whānau. The factors include critical awareness, family language policy, Poureo, support, resources and increasing parental language skills.
Violence, Identity, and Alterity: Post-War Rhetoric of Sri Lanka’s Bodu Bala Sena
Authors:   , Shirley Bruno Marshall
Published: November 2021

The Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Strength Army) is a Sinhalese nationalist movement led by Buddhist monks that recently came to international prominence following a 2014 anti-Muslim rally that erupted into deadly violence. The Bodu Bala Sena is set apart from earlier nationalist movements in that its hostility is primarily directed towards Sri Lankan Muslims instead of Tamil separatists. Despite this difference I argue that the Bodu Bala Sena is best considered as a new development in this existing tradition of Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism, and that the re-orientation of the Bodu Bala Sena’s hostility from Tamils to Muslims reveals the extent to which Sinhalese nationalist conceptions of their own identity are built around various interpretations of a particular “identity narrative.” This identity narrative, which has its genesis in anti-colonial interpretations of the Mahavamsa, casts the Sinhalese people as defenders of a sacred island (the dhammadipa) against impious foreign invaders who threaten its unity and sanctity. The case of the Bodu Bala Sena demonstrates both the ongoing relevance of this identity narrative in the post-war era and, importantly, the availability of the narrative for contextual re-interpretation. The identity narrative model, which incorporates both mythic origins and contextual interpretation, helps to bridge some of the existing debates on the nature and origins of Buddhist nationalism in Sri Lanka which tend to favour either one or the other.
Forgotten Integration: An investigation into the integration of Post-Olympic Parks
Authors:   , Warren Marcus
Published: November 2021

The Summer Olympics occur every four years, capturing the hearts of the world for a nite period of time. During this time, the eyes of the world are set on the host city of whom provide a facility and an infrastructure to accommodate not only the athletes, but the millions of spectators that attend the events and the memorable moments that ensue.  While the Summer Olympics and it’s park are focused heavily upon during the games, integration of the site into the host city has become largely forgotten post-Olympics. Ultimately, these once vast locations have now become deserted and dystopia environments within the host city. This thesis addresses the problem of integrating Olympic parks back into the context of the host city by enabling new and diverse spaces. The work of Charles Waldheim, Rem Koolhaas, Alex Wall, Tricia Cusack and Dennis Saunders are employed over five main ideas: wetland urbanism, urban grid, edge extension, fragmented distribution and landscape occupation.  Strategic integration of post-Olympic Sites into the existing host city can arguably be done so by creating a multi-programmatic system that adapts and transforms to respond to the dynamic needs of both the Olympic Site and the local urban context of the surrounding city.  This thesis considers the task of integrating the Sydney Olympic Park back into Sydney’s context, transforming its current form into a state of integration with the host city that is successful. The thesis produces a design, based on five key design principles which have been created through conclusions of research: wetlands, extension, grid, distribution and occupation.
Values and their relationship to pro-environmental engagement: A comprehensive and systematic investigation
Authors:   , da Costa Diniz Pollyane Kahelen
Published: November 2021

Environmental problems are a result of maladaptive human behaviour. One way to tackle these problems is by fostering values that underlie pro-environmental engagement. Research has shown that self-transcendence values (e.g., social justice, equality, and world at peace) are positively correlated to environmental attitudes and behaviours. The present research aims to advance past research by systematically assessing the role of values in motivating individuals’ pro-environmental engagement. Three empirical studies were conducted. Study 1 used a meta-analytical approach to provide a quantitative summary of research on the link between values and environmental outcomes. The final dataset included 47,660 participants from 41 countries and 90 independent samples. Results showed that the self-transcendence versus self-enhancement values dimension is the most often considered in the literature and, as expected, self-transcendence values are the best predictors of environmental outcomes. The analysis also showed that methodological aspects, such as the type of values measured, affected the association between values and environmental outcomes. Study 2 comprised two experiments using the value self-confrontation technique to promote value change and influence individuals’ environmental behavioural intentions. Experiment 1 was conducted with 189 university students (M = 20.00, SD = 3.43). Results from Experiment 1 showed that values were susceptible to change and that value change predicted environmental behavioural intentions. Experiment 2 was conducted with a sample of 115 participants from the general population (M = 35.00, SD = 4.61) and partially replicated the findings of Experiment 1. Importantly, Experiment 2 found that value change was dependent on how strongly individuals felt connected to the reference group. Study 3 tested the moderation effect of moral identity, self-efficacy, self-control and consideration of future consequences in the link between values and environmental behavioural intentions. A total of 221 participants (M = 21.68; SD = 5.92) took part in an online survey. Results indicated that only moral identity moderated the relationship between values and environmental behavioural intentions. It was found that moral identity enhanced the positive influence of self-transcendence values on environmental behavioural intentions. Findings are discussed considering the key role of self-transcendence values in fostering environmental behavioural intentions and the importance of identity in the values-environmental behavioural intentions link. Practical implications of the findings are also discussed.  Note: This thesis was a finalist for the Outstanding Postgraduate Research Award.
Black Hole Radiation, Greybody Factors, and Generalised Wick Rotation
Authors:   , Gray Finnian
Published: November 2021

In this thesis we look at the intersection of quantum field theory and general relativity. We focus on Hawking radiation from black holes and its implications. This is done on two fronts. In the first we consider the greybody factors arising from a Schwarzschild black hole. We develop a new way to numerically calculate these greybody factors using the transfer matrix formalism and the product calculus. We use this technique to calculate some of the relevant physical quantities and consider their effect on the radiation process.  The second front considers a generalisation of Wick rotation. This is motivated by the success of Wick rotation and Euclidean quantum field theory techniques to calculate the Hawking temperature. We find that, while an analytic continuation of the coordinates is not well defined and highly coordinate dependent, a direct continuation of the Lorentzian signature metric to Euclidean signature has promising results. It reproduces the Hawking temperature and is coordinate independent. However for consistency, we propose a new action for the Euclidean theory which cannot be simply the Euclidean Einstein-Hilbert action.