title: Gender affirming or disenfranchised grief? Considering death rights in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Schott, Gareth R.

subjects: decolonising death

abstract: The pre-colonial Māori world treated variety in gender and sexual expression in an accepting and encompassing manner (Te Awekotuku, et al. 2005; Aspin and Hutchings 2007). Among the many negative health implications of colonialism for Māori, it is acknowledged that “tangata takatāpui [LGBTQ+ people] moved from a social and cultural situation where minority stress was simply not a factor … to one where it has become a key force in the negative health outcomes they experience” (Stevens 2016, 15). This chapter acknowledges how death can generate ‘ownership battles’ over the deceased, resulting in members of the LGBTQ+ community, receiving final farewells that have been unrepresentative, or a reversal of the freedom to self-determine identity. We reflect on how death rights for takatāpui individuals is a human and cultural right in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. In doing so, it calls for an extension of the principles of the Māori health framework Te Pae Māhutonga currently being applied in advocation of gender affirming health research and practice conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand (Veale et al. 2019). This chapter reconsiders how we understand ‘templated’ rituals and death rites by introducing the challenges of a more responsive and gender affirming parting.

text: Gender affirming or disenfranchised grief? Considering death rights in Aotearoa New Zealand The pre-colonial Māori world treated variety in gender and sexual expression in an accepting and encompassing manner (Te Awekotuku, et al. 2005; Aspin and Hutchings 2007). Among the many negative health implications of colonialism for Māori, it is acknowledged that “tangata takatāpui [LGBTQ+ people] moved from a social and cultural situation where minority stress was simply not a factor … to one where it has become a key force in the negative health outcomes they experience” (Stevens 2016, 15). This chapter acknowledges how death can generate ‘ownership battles’ over the deceased, resulting in members of the LGBTQ+ community, receiving final farewells that have been unrepresentative, or a reversal of the freedom to self-determine identity. We reflect on how death rights for takatāpui individuals is a human and cultural right in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. In doing so, it calls for an extension of the principles of the Māori health framework Te Pae Māhutonga currently being applied in advocation of gender affirming health research and practice conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand (Veale et al. 2019). This chapter reconsiders how we understand ‘templated’ rituals and death rites by introducing the challenges of a more responsive and gender affirming parting.

year: 2026

title: Machine translation for te reo Māori

authors: Keegan, Te Taka Adrian Gregory

abstract: What is Machine Translation? Machine Translation (MT) is a process where computer software is used to translate texts from one natural (or spoken) language to another. Early research centred on two distinct approaches: Rules Based Machine Translation (RBMT) and Statistical Machine Translation (SMT). In simple terms RBMT makes use of large sets of linguistic rules that define languages whereas SMT uses statistical techniques to build language models from large language corpora. Increases in computing power and the amount of language corpora available has meant that SMT had become the preferred option with recent advances in neural networks also being applied to improve the accuracy of SMT. For commercial reasons, this is an area of research that has generated a lot of interest and funding support from some major international computer companies, including Google¹,Microsoft² and Facebook³.
Why is Machine Translation important for te reo Māori? A te reo Māori purist may argue that it is not important to focus activities on having a machine undertake translations for te reo Māori; if people want to understand te reo Māori then they should put in the effort to learn the language. This line of reasoning is difficult to argue with. But, from a Māori language activist perspective the value of MT is not so much in the translation of te reo Māori to (say) English, but rather the translation of English to te reo Māori. If this translation can be done efficiently, with low costs, it will assist in the proliferation of te reo Māori into new contexts, new environments and will assist its normalisation in New Zealand's society.
At this time, two of the major international companies, Google and Microsoft, have invested significantly in MT for te reo Māori. This paper summarises their endeavours and reports on the quality of translations they have been able to generate.

text: Machine translation for te reo Māori What is Machine Translation? Machine Translation (MT) is a process where computer software is used to translate texts from one natural (or spoken) language to another. Early research centred on two distinct approaches: Rules Based Machine Translation (RBMT) and Statistical Machine Translation (SMT). In simple terms RBMT makes use of large sets of linguistic rules that define languages whereas SMT uses statistical techniques to build language models from large language corpora. Increases in computing power and the amount of language corpora available has meant that SMT had become the preferred option with recent advances in neural networks also being applied to improve the accuracy of SMT. For commercial reasons, this is an area of research that has generated a lot of interest and funding support from some major international computer companies, including Google¹,Microsoft² and Facebook³.
Why is Machine Translation important for te reo Māori? A te reo Māori purist may argue that it is not important to focus activities on having a machine undertake translations for te reo Māori; if people want to understand te reo Māori then they should put in the effort to learn the language. This line of reasoning is difficult to argue with. But, from a Māori language activist perspective the value of MT is not so much in the translation of te reo Māori to (say) English, but rather the translation of English to te reo Māori. If this translation can be done efficiently, with low costs, it will assist in the proliferation of te reo Māori into new contexts, new environments and will assist its normalisation in New Zealand's society.
At this time, two of the major international companies, Google and Microsoft, have invested significantly in MT for te reo Māori. This paper summarises their endeavours and reports on the quality of translations they have been able to generate.

year: 2017

title: The assessment of dynamic risk and recidivism in a sample of special needs sexual offenders

authors: Blacker, Janine

subjects: sexual offenders

abstract: The predictive validity of four risk assessment instruments: the RRASOR, SVR-20, RM2000-V and the ARMIDILO-Stable and -Acute dynamic client subscales were assessed on a sample of 88 offenders: 44 mainstream and 44 sexual offenders with special needs, who had been matched on risk items within the RRASOR tool. Instruments were coded retrospectively from file information. Sexual reconviction data was used, in conjunction with sexual recidivism data based on unofficial data sources, over a mean follow-up period of 8.8 years. The results of this study found that the ARMIDILO instrument was the best predictor for sexual reconviction among offenders with special needs (ARMIDILO-Stable, AUC=0.60; ARMIDILO-Acute, AUC=0.73), while the predictive validities of the RRASOR (AUC=0.53) and the RM2000-V (AUC=0.50) were little better than chance. In contrast, the SVR-20 yielded a higher score (AUC=0.73) for the non-ID sample, than for the intellectually disabled sample (AUC=0.45). Within the special needs group, the ARMIDILO-Acute, SVR-20 Psychosocial Affect, and Overall scales were better predictors of sexual recidivism for the intellectually disabled subgroup (AUCs ranging from 0.75 to 0.88). These results are discussed in the context of current practice.

text: The assessment of dynamic risk and recidivism in a sample of special needs sexual offenders The predictive validity of four risk assessment instruments: the RRASOR, SVR-20, RM2000-V and the ARMIDILO-Stable and -Acute dynamic client subscales were assessed on a sample of 88 offenders: 44 mainstream and 44 sexual offenders with special needs, who had been matched on risk items within the RRASOR tool. Instruments were coded retrospectively from file information. Sexual reconviction data was used, in conjunction with sexual recidivism data based on unofficial data sources, over a mean follow-up period of 8.8 years. The results of this study found that the ARMIDILO instrument was the best predictor for sexual reconviction among offenders with special needs (ARMIDILO-Stable, AUC=0.60; ARMIDILO-Acute, AUC=0.73), while the predictive validities of the RRASOR (AUC=0.53) and the RM2000-V (AUC=0.50) were little better than chance. In contrast, the SVR-20 yielded a higher score (AUC=0.73) for the non-ID sample, than for the intellectually disabled sample (AUC=0.45). Within the special needs group, the ARMIDILO-Acute, SVR-20 Psychosocial Affect, and Overall scales were better predictors of sexual recidivism for the intellectually disabled subgroup (AUCs ranging from 0.75 to 0.88). These results are discussed in the context of current practice.

year: 2011