bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Politics of Labour Migration and Demographic Change in Contemporary Japan
Authors:   , Bishop Andrew 
Published: November 2021

<p>Japan currently faces a demographic crisis resulting from declines in fertility rates and rapid expansion of Japan’s elderly population. Public pensions will come under immense strain as shrinking numbers of working age people are forced to support ever more retirees. At the same time, declines in fertility and falling population figures threaten Japan’s future economic growth and vitality. This thesis investigates the relationship between the demographic crisis and Japan’s strict immigration policies. Policymakers continue to refuse to allow migration to Japan in order to offset declines in Japan’s own working age population. The thesis aims to explain why Japan remains so reluctant to accept migrant workers from abroad, even though this may offer a solution to the problems of demographic decline and depopulation. I contend that conventional analyses of Japan’s immigration policies do not provide adequate explanations for why Japan continues to exclude foreign labourers. Rather, I argue that Japan’s attitude must be understood in connection with a binary, “us-and-them” mindset toward foreign countries and communities collectively that exists in Japan’s governing and bureaucratic institutions. This mindset is evident in Japan’s practical labour policy implementation, and has important cultural and political implications for Japan’s public discourses of national identity and interests. The thesis argues that Japan remains unwilling to accept migrant labourers because of an immigration policy structure that resolutely adheres to an outdated view of migrants as mere units of labour. This overlooks changed global models of migration that prioritise human rights, proactive social integration and strategic selection of migrants. While Japan could ease the effects of depopulation and demographic decline by revising core policy assumptions in order to effectively integrate migrants into the dwindling national workforce, it has so far failed to engage with newer models of migration. My analysis locates Japan’s crisis within a wider context of global demographic change and transnational population movement in the twenty-first century.</p>
The Rise of the State: Broadband Policy in New Zealand 2000-2011
Authors:   , Carter Jordan Tracy 
Published: November 2021

<p>Between 2000 and 2011, changes in government policy significantly increased the role of the state in telecommunications markets in New Zealand. In both regulatory and investment activities, the historic approach of liberal market regulation was transformed into active intervention. This changed approach aimed at speeding access to high-speed broadband services. There was a remarkable lack of political debate between the major political parties as to the objective being sought, or direction of policy towards greater intervention in order to achieve it. This research outlines in broad terms the background to the debates underpinning policy change, and the history of New Zealand’s approach. It outlines in detail the key policy changes made. In the regulatory domain, four key changes are discussed. These are: the implementation of sector-specific legislation (Telecommunications Act 2001); the decision not to unbundle the copper local loop (2004); amendments to the Telecommunications Act strengthening the regulator and imposing ‘operational separation’ of Telecom (2006); and the ‘structural separation’ of Telecom and the debate on regulatory forbearance (2011). By the end of the case period, these changes meant that generic competition law had been replaced by sector-specific legislation, a specialist regulator with broad powers to monitor and regulate the industry, and a leading solution to discrimination issues with the complete ownership separation of network and services in copper and fibre-optic telecommunications networks. In the investment domain, five key stages are discussed. These are: Project PROBE (2001-4), the Broadband Challenge (2005), the Broadband Investment Fund (2008), the Ultra-Fast Broadband Initiative (2009) and the Rural Broadband Initiative (2009). Together these saw public spending on telecommunications infrastructure rise from nothing in 2000, to a combined package in the two final (and current) initiatives of around $1.6bn of public funds. This money combines with private investment to deliver fibre-optic broadband infrastructure to three-quarters of homes, and significant improvements to the availability of higher-speed broadband in rural and remote parts of New Zealand. Increasing levels of government intervention in these markets was an opportunity for considerable political contest. Instead the case period 2000-2011 is characterised by similarities rather than differences between National and Labour. The thesis suggests that an explanation for this similarity arose from the perceived importance of high-speed broadband infrastructure for New Zealand’s economic prospects, and a shared analysis by Labour and National that market provision would not suffice. This imperative defeated temptations to politicise the project.</p>
Key Elements for Engaging Dairy Farmers in Action Towards Healthy Waterways: a Case Study in the Aorere Catchment, New Zealand
Authors:   , Robertson Jodie 
Published: November 2021

<p>Over the past few years, there has been increasing attention in New Zealand drawn to the pollution of water bodies from dairy farm effluent, and ways to mitigate this. The aim of this research is to identify the key elements involved in engaging farmers in community based action to mitigate agricultural water pollution. The study examines a Landcare project that has shown signs of apparent success, entitled the Aorere Catchment Project (ACP), in Golden Bay, New Zealand. The ACP was initiated after the Aorere River was found to have high pathogen levels, likely resulting from dairy farm runoff. This research evaluates the projects apparent success, and follows the evolution of the project to gain an understanding of the key success factors in engaging farmers. Surveys of dairy farmers in the Aorere valley were undertaken in 2007 and again in 2010 to identify management practices and identify changes in issues and farmer attitudes over this period. This study found that the ACP has had extensive success, both in resolving waterway issues and engaging farmers in action for healthy waterways. The underlying community led philosophy of the project has been vital in the success of this project. The key project principles, ‘farmers as leaders’, and ‘experts on tap not on top’ have contributed greatly to the projects uptake. There are however some catchment specific elements that have aided the apparent success of this initiative. The Aorere catchment project model unchanged would not be suitable for every catchment in New Zealand, as not all the elements of success were under the projects control. The model does however serve as a good example for similar projects in other New Zealand catchments, and also the importance of a suitable indicator of success.</p>
Commute as Ritual: Wellington Harbour Ferry Terminal
Authors:   , Mitchener Andrew R. 
Published: November 2021

<p>Transport infrastructure is the template upon which we build our inhabitations. Decisions regarding street arrangements, block sizes, and larger scale infrastructure design for example have an enduring and profound affect on the quality of our spatial environments. The conceptual framework we apply when generating and subsequently manipulating this template sets the parameters by which it is judged. By convention, transport infrastructure is considered a purely technical undertaking, within which designers rarely play any meaningful part. The spaces of mobility are thus from their very genesis conceived as instrumental in nature, judged as mere conduits whose function is to join meaningful places such as work and home, fulfilling an economic imperative. Recent research has shown however that affective, symbolic factors play a greater role than instrumental considerations in modal choice of commuters, suggesting that, to the end user at least, transport possesses a value beyond simple utility. Indeed, mobility itself is often cited as a defining characteristic of the modern world, implying a highly symbolic status. This gap between the instrumental conceptual framework we apply to transport infrastructure and the symbolically loaded experience of mobility is an opportunity for design to enrich the experience of users, framed in this research as commuters. Through investigation of the commute as a quotidian, secular ritual greater consideration is given to extra-economic value in the spaces of transport infrastructure. This research analyses the nature and function of ritual in contemporary secular life and argues for the applicability of a ritual framework for understanding value in transport infrastructure. The spatial implications of ritual (defined as symbol + action and exhibiting the key sociocultural functions of mnemonic and liminality) are explored through the design of a harbour ferry terminal for Wellington.</p>
Representing Justice: Architecture and the New Zealand Supreme Court
Authors:   , Watson Matthew Thomas 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis investigates the architectural significance of a recent exemplar of judicial architecture, the New Zealand Supreme Court complex (2010), in order to assess the complex’s design as an embodiment of judicial aspirations. The underlying assumption of this study (based on the works of Goodsell, Edelman, Garapon and others) is that the architecture of the Supreme Court complex legibly responds to its layered (but not always publicly accessible) briefing process, a process which expresses the aspirations of the New Zealand justice system at the beginning of the 21st century. By way of background, the study describes the history of the New Zealand judicial system, outlining the evolution of New Zealand’s court hierarchy (including the genesis of the Supreme Court as New Zealand’s court of final appeal) and of New Zealand’s judicial architecture. The role of the Supreme Court within New Zealand’s constitutional and legal framework is also examined, particularly in relation to recognising and supporting the rule of law and Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand jurisprudence. The judicial aspirations of the Supreme Court are evinced through analyses of the Supreme Court Act 2003 and the Supreme Court project’s briefing process. These aspirations are coupled with an analysis of the Supreme Court complex’s built form to enable an assessment of architectural expressions in the Supreme Court complex of concepts of judicial independence, history and tradition; the indigenous nature of the Supreme Court; and the Court’s role in upholding the rule of law and sovereignty of Parliament. The outcome of this research is a greater understanding of the function of the Supreme Court complex as a symbol of the judicial values and aspirations for New Zealand’s justice system in the early 21st century. The significant findings of this study are that the Supreme Court complex is legibly successful in terms of its architectural engagement with New Zealand’s judicial heritage and the contemporary approaches of openness, transparency and access in the judicial system, but that the architecture the Supreme Court fails to appropriately engage with the significance of the on-going M􀀀ori–Crown constitutional relationship embodied in the Treaty of Waitangi, evincing a disconnect between the judicial aspirations expressed at the establishment of the institution and those expressed in the Court’s built form. It is suggested that this discrepancy highlights a layering of aspirations that occurred in the Supreme Court complex’s briefing process.</p>
Weaving Words and Drawing Lines: The Bauhaus Masters Endeavours to Establish a Universal Visual Language within Foundation Education
Authors:   , O'Sullivan Nan Catherine 
Published: November 2021

<p>This study investigates the roots of interdisciplinary architectural and design education and methodology in Europe and the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. In particular this thesis is concerned with the establishment of the principles of a universal visual language within this context. Walter Gropius' (1883‐1969) efforts to propagate a universal understanding of architecture, art and design at the Bauhaus is a central focus of this study along with the use of a universal visual language to facilitate such an ideal. This thesis argues that the instigation of the Bauhaus preliminary course, the Vorkurs, developed by Johannes Itten (1888–1967) and matured by Bauhaüslers Lázsló Moholy‐Nagy (1895‐1946) and Josef Albers (1888‐1976) offered vitality, integrity, creativity and longevity to Bauhaus pedagogy and posits that the beliefs and practices of the Vorkurs contributed significantly to the translation of European modern design education in the United States. Although Bauhaus pedagogical translations were refuted by some and misunderstood by others in the wholly different economic context of the United States, this study proposes that the translations of the Vorkurs methodology, by the émigré Bauhaüslers, Moholy‐Nagy at the New Bauhaus in Chicago, Albers at Black Mountain College and Yale and Gropius at Harvard contributed to the codification of modern twentieth‐century design education, and as such continues to offer relevance in current architectural and design pedagogical environments.</p>
Parametric Architectural Design Solutions – Some Observed Difficulties of Application
Authors:   , Fraser Matthew 
Published: November 2021

<p>It is generally accepted that the restrictions of digital parametric design tools (DPDT’s) are currently shifting. Technology and interface can be engineered to overcome many complex problems within architectural processes, yet this does not necessarily mean solutions are easier to obtain; quite the opposite can occur. As architectural practitioners lean more towards the ubiquitous use of digital processes the decisions made by the designer can be overshadowed by the advantages of time saving technologies and heuristic rules of thumb. The various inherent interfaces of digital processes tend to conceal the real complexity and nuance of the set of possible solutions and analyses. The awareness of the workings of the tools and processes from a ‘base principle’ point of view could be a weak point in regards to the uptake by a new generation of architects who experience a growing simplification of interfaces within new digital design processes. This poses a problem for a profession which seeks to integrate technical skills knowledge into wider, sometimes loosely structured, set of processes. This research highlights the problems faced by architects, students, and specialists who aspire to apply innovative digital processes in a strategic manner. The concern which arises is this lack of understanding of how tools could be used reduces the ability to integrate them within design process. Theoretical literature falls short in providing robust guidance to the application of illunderstood design tools, further compounding the sincere integration of practical solutions. There are ways forward for developers to create new and updated tools, such as form modellers, design aids, and optimisation helpers, but these do not necessarily meet their full potential in providing integrated solutions. It is possible to improve our understanding of these potentials by looking at how these tools can be used in both practical and theoretical terms. In this thesis this is done by framing and answering the following research question: What are the characteristics of some of the observed issues and obstacles revealed in the practical application of digital parametric design tools in architecture? This question is adopted so that the obstacles of DPDT’s may be better understood and allow for better integration, better design outcomes, and better future use of powerful latent potential. This research defines the process of parametric design through analysis of literature and applies this to participantobserver case studies. It finds that a clarification of particular issues and obstacles can be useful to improved understanding of DPDT’s and that certain qualitative characteristics of these obstacles can constrain applications and avenues of exploration.</p>
Marketing and Design in Organisational New Product Development: Early Evidence From New Zealand Manufacturing Firms
Authors:   , Sun Susan 
Published: November 2021

<p>The multidisciplinary nature of organisational new product development (NPD) suggests that the development of successful new products is dependent upon the individual and combined efforts of various functions. Despite being recognised as two highly important disciplines in NPD, marketing and design have received little empirical examination of their roles in the NPD process and their effects on NPD outcome. In order to address this gap within the literature, the objectives of this thesis were to assess the presence of marketing and design in NPD, explore the nature of the marketing-design relationship, and examine the effects of marketing influence, design influence, and the level of marketing-design connectedness on NPD outcome. The study was set within the New Zealand context and data was collected via a web-based survey from 91 manufacturing firms that adopted both marketing and design in their NPD programmes. The results showed marketing and design to be two highly influential functions in NPD. Both functions were also found to be strongly involved in the NPD process. A positive relationship was found between marketing and design’s functional influence, which suggested the possibility of an interdependent relationship between the two disciplines. Finally, marketing and design were found to affect different aspects of NPD outcome, with marketing positively affecting product innovativeness, and design positively affecting process proficiency and financial performance. The research has implications for the future development of marketing, design, and NPD theories, as well as for managers seeking to improve their NPD activities through the alignment of their marketing and design functions.</p>
Teaching Midwifery Face-to-Face or Via the Screen: The Impact of Flexible Delivery of Teaching on Student Engagement
Authors:   , Milne Tania Dawn 
Published: November 2021

<p>The aim of this research was to describe how undergraduate midwifery students’ engagement with learning is impacted when they have teaching delivered by different methods of instruction. It asks the question: does flexible delivery of teaching impact on their ability to engage in their learning? This research describes the impact of different modes of flexible delivery of teaching within a new curriculum on students in a pre-registration midwifery undergraduate programme at Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), New Zealand. This new curriculum commenced in 2010 as a response to legislative and industry driven changes to midwifery education in New Zealand. The research used an on-line survey to ask students enrolled in years one and two of the programme and those who had exited the programme during the same timeframe, A range of questions about their learning experiences. Surveys were sent to 104 enrolled students and 15 students that had exited the BMid programme. Fifty two (50%) responses were received from the enrolled students and three (20%) from those that had exited the programme. There were three key findings of this research. Firstly the participants identified differences with their sense of belonging amongst their peers, tutors and the administration team outside of their regional learning hubs. The second key and unsurprising finding was that respondents across the board preferred face-to-face sessions to video conferencing sessions and thirdly that the demographic profile of the respondents from the regional learning hubs was different to those attending from the Hamilton city hub. The implications of these key findings are; · For tertiary institutions to acknowledge and consider the links between high quality learning, student engagement and outcomes. · To support the need for continuing training and education for both faculty and students with regards to flexible delivery of teaching and to provide professional development and relevant technology to support more interactive forms of learning if delivered via video conferencing or by online activities. · To further research the needs of Māori students and those who have exited the programme in order to discover what would need to change in order for them to continue with their studies.</p>
Grade Retention Practices in Primary Education in Timor-Leste: A Case Study
Authors:   , Leite Cidalio 
Published: November 2021

<p>Grade retention is the practice of requiring a student who has been in a given grade level for a full school year to remain at that same grade level the following year (Jimerson, 2001; Owings & Kaplan, 2001; Wynn, 2010). Grade retention has always been practised in primary education in Timor-Leste. This study investigates rationales behind grade retention practice in grade 1 primary education in Timor-Leste. A qualitative case study was use to investigate the mechanisms teachers use to retain or promote a student. Teachers‟ beliefs about grade retention, their efforts to prevent students from being retained, and factors that may inhibit students‟ learning are explored. Six teachers and four principals from six primary schools in two districts participated in this study. Analysis of data that were collected by using semi-structure interviews and studying documents relating to the practice of grade retention revealed that grade retention has been inconsistently practised amongst the participating schools in Timor-Leste. Despite having poor classroom conditions for learning and low teacher qualifications, teachers continue to retain low achieving students due to their beliefs that grade retention improves students‟ learning. This study suggests that classroom conditions need to be improved, and teachers‟ qualifications need to be upgraded in order to increase student learning while reducing grade retention.</p>