title: Issues in the non-market valuation of Coromandel coastal recreation: realism, permanence and spatial distribution

authors: Matthews, Yvonne Sharon

subjects: Choice modelling

abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to apply non-market valuation techniques to estimate the effect of coastal development and erosion protection on beach recreation values. The study area is the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. The peninsula is a popular holiday destination and the coastal landscape generates strong feelings of attachment in many New Zealanders.  However, twin pressures of rising coastal land values and shoreline fluctuations have led to conflict between people who want to protect or develop built environments and those who want to conserve or restore natural landscapes. The recreation amenity values which are under threat are difficult to include in a cost-benefit analysis of coastal policy because they have no explicit market price. 
I review the issues and limitations associated with non-market valuation methods and apply advanced visualisation and spatially-referenced data collection techniques to estimate the non-market values. This thesis comprises four papers which are either published or in the process of being published. A particular focus is whether 3D visualisations or "virtual environments" can improve the reliability and validity of stated preference results. The first paper describes the rationale and method for developing the virtual environments for use in a choice experiment about erosion protection and headland development. I find the virtual environments reduced bias, improved choice consistency and made respondents more likely to complete the survey. In the second paper I report the results of a choice experiment about development options for a specific undeveloped beach. I find that the virtual environment presentation format more strongly influences stated preferences amongst respondents with no direct experience of the site. The additional information provided by 3D visualisations may therefore be useful when people have to make decisions about the unfamiliar. 
In the third paper I report the results of tests of stability of stated preferences over time. A novel feature of this study is the use of two re-tests over time rather than just one. I find that stability at an individual level is positively associated with choice certainty. The virtual environments have a positive effect on respondent confidence but respondent education level has a larger effect. The large variation in stated value over time is consistent with the constructed preference viewpoint. However, the results are not necessarily incompatible with the alternative discovered preference hypothesis because there may have been too little consequential feedback to facilitate any preference learning.
In the fourth paper I report the results of a destination choice analysis for beach recreation on the Coromandel Peninsula, using data collected in the same survey as the choice experiments. The focus of the fourth paper is the issue of spatially correlated errors caused by the spatial distribution of sites. Visitors are influenced by opportunities available at other sites and many visit multiple beaches in one trip, which violates the conventional assumption that sites are substitutes. I analyse the cumulative attraction of each pairwise combination of sites and review modelling approaches that allow for flexible patterns of substitutions but are also computationally efficient. I find that an Agglomerating and Competing Destination Choice (ACDC) model with differentiated accessibility parameters for each attribute offers the best fit. It has complex response properties for specific site changes yet retains a computationally feasible closed form. I use the model to examine the implications of two site-specific changes.  The results highlight the importance of preserving coastal camping grounds and natural sand dunes because these attributes increase the diversity and attractiveness of the wider area as well as the individual site. 
The findings of these four papers and the data collected for this thesis make a significant contribution to knowledge about the recreation value of Coromandel beaches. This research is of particular relevance to the local policy issues of coastal erosion and development.

text: Issues in the non-market valuation of Coromandel coastal recreation: realism, permanence and spatial distribution The purpose of this thesis is to apply non-market valuation techniques to estimate the effect of coastal development and erosion protection on beach recreation values. The study area is the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand. The peninsula is a popular holiday destination and the coastal landscape generates strong feelings of attachment in many New Zealanders.  However, twin pressures of rising coastal land values and shoreline fluctuations have led to conflict between people who want to protect or develop built environments and those who want to conserve or restore natural landscapes. The recreation amenity values which are under threat are difficult to include in a cost-benefit analysis of coastal policy because they have no explicit market price. 
I review the issues and limitations associated with non-market valuation methods and apply advanced visualisation and spatially-referenced data collection techniques to estimate the non-market values. This thesis comprises four papers which are either published or in the process of being published. A particular focus is whether 3D visualisations or "virtual environments" can improve the reliability and validity of stated preference results. The first paper describes the rationale and method for developing the virtual environments for use in a choice experiment about erosion protection and headland development. I find the virtual environments reduced bias, improved choice consistency and made respondents more likely to complete the survey. In the second paper I report the results of a choice experiment about development options for a specific undeveloped beach. I find that the virtual environment presentation format more strongly influences stated preferences amongst respondents with no direct experience of the site. The additional information provided by 3D visualisations may therefore be useful when people have to make decisions about the unfamiliar. 
In the third paper I report the results of tests of stability of stated preferences over time. A novel feature of this study is the use of two re-tests over time rather than just one. I find that stability at an individual level is positively associated with choice certainty. The virtual environments have a positive effect on respondent confidence but respondent education level has a larger effect. The large variation in stated value over time is consistent with the constructed preference viewpoint. However, the results are not necessarily incompatible with the alternative discovered preference hypothesis because there may have been too little consequential feedback to facilitate any preference learning.
In the fourth paper I report the results of a destination choice analysis for beach recreation on the Coromandel Peninsula, using data collected in the same survey as the choice experiments. The focus of the fourth paper is the issue of spatially correlated errors caused by the spatial distribution of sites. Visitors are influenced by opportunities available at other sites and many visit multiple beaches in one trip, which violates the conventional assumption that sites are substitutes. I analyse the cumulative attraction of each pairwise combination of sites and review modelling approaches that allow for flexible patterns of substitutions but are also computationally efficient. I find that an Agglomerating and Competing Destination Choice (ACDC) model with differentiated accessibility parameters for each attribute offers the best fit. It has complex response properties for specific site changes yet retains a computationally feasible closed form. I use the model to examine the implications of two site-specific changes.  The results highlight the importance of preserving coastal camping grounds and natural sand dunes because these attributes increase the diversity and attractiveness of the wider area as well as the individual site. 
The findings of these four papers and the data collected for this thesis make a significant contribution to knowledge about the recreation value of Coromandel beaches. This research is of particular relevance to the local policy issues of coastal erosion and development.

year: 2017

title: Talented and living on the wrong side of the tracks

authors: Ballam, Nadine Dawn

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: Gifted young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds are underrepresented in gifted and talented programs in New Zealand schools (Ministry of Education, 2000) and in recent years this has been highlighted as an area of concern. The aim of this paper is to indicate the extent to which giftedness and financially challenging circumstances influence the identities of young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This study investigates the lived experiences of 93 survey participants and eight interviewees aged between 17 and 27 years, who grew up in financially challenging situations in New Zealand. The research indicates that socioeconomic adversity can actually contribute significantly to adaptive outcomes for gifted young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. Moreover, socioeconomic adversity is intrinsically valuable in relation to aspects of identity. This study also suggests that the limitations of giftedness can have more detrimental effects on an individual’s sense of identity than limitations associated with their socioeconomic circumstances.

text: Talented and living on the wrong side of the tracks Gifted young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds are underrepresented in gifted and talented programs in New Zealand schools (Ministry of Education, 2000) and in recent years this has been highlighted as an area of concern. The aim of this paper is to indicate the extent to which giftedness and financially challenging circumstances influence the identities of young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This study investigates the lived experiences of 93 survey participants and eight interviewees aged between 17 and 27 years, who grew up in financially challenging situations in New Zealand. The research indicates that socioeconomic adversity can actually contribute significantly to adaptive outcomes for gifted young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. Moreover, socioeconomic adversity is intrinsically valuable in relation to aspects of identity. This study also suggests that the limitations of giftedness can have more detrimental effects on an individual’s sense of identity than limitations associated with their socioeconomic circumstances.

year: 2010

title: He aha te reo 'Tuturu'? (what is an official language?)

authors: Harlow, Ray

subjects: te reo Māori

abstract: Nō te tau 1987 ka whakaaetia e te Whare Pāremata o Aotearoa te Ture Reo Māori, arā, he ture hei whakamana i te reo Māori hei reo tūturu mō Niu Tïreni, hei tuku atu hoki te mana ki te reo Māori i roto i ētahi whakahaere o ngā ture, ā, hei whakamana hoki i te whakatūnga o te Kōmihana mō te Reo Māori, ā, me te whakaingoa hoki i ngā mahi me ngā mana o taua Kōmihana. Ko te whakamāoritanga o te 5(a) o ngā wāhanga, e pēnei ana: He mana anō ka homai e ngā wāhanga 3 me te 4, engari kāore he mana i tua atu i ēnei i te whakaaetia. He aha aua mana? Mō te wāhanga tuawhā, e mārama ana, ko ngā mana kei reira e takoto ana, arā, te mana o te tangata, ahakoa ko wai, e whaiwāhi ana ki ngā whakahaere kōti, ki te whakaputa kōrero ki te reo Māori. Engari ki te tahuri ki te tuatoru o ngā wāhanga, kāore i āta whakatakotoria ngā mana e pā ana ki taua wāhanga. Kāore hoki he ture atu anā i tēnei e āta whakamāramatia nei aua mana. Nō reira, he tino pātai e pā ana ki te mana o te reo Māori i Aotearoa ko tēnei: he aha ngā mana o tēnei mea, o te “reo tūturu” o tētahi whenua? He aha te tikanga o te kupu nei, “reo tūturu”? He huarahi e taea ai tēnei urupounamu te whakautu, ko te āta titiro i ngā tikanga o ētahi atu whenua e rua nei, neke atu rānei ngā reo e whaimana ana i roto i te ture, kia kitea ai te tino āhua o te mea nei, te reo tūturu, i roto i te ao whānui, me te whakahāngai i aua tikanga ki te tū o te reo Māori i roto i Aotearoa (tirohia Waite, 1992 II, 47-8). Ko te kaupapa o te pepa e takoto atu nei he āta titiro i te tūnga o tētahi reo kotahi, arā, o te reo Romanihi i roto i Huiterangi, i te taha o ētahi reo e toru, o ngā reo Tiamana, Wīwī, Itariana; he rangahau i te tū o taua reo i raro i te ture, i roto i ngā whakahaere tūmatanui o taua whenua. 

"In 1987 the New Zealand Parliament passed The Māori Language Act, An Act to declare the Māori language to be an official language of New Zealand, to confer the right to speak Māori in certain legal proceedings, and to establish Te Kōmihana Mō Te Reo Māori and define its functions and powers. Section 5(a) implies that there are rights granted by virtue of sections 3 and 4 and that these may not be construed to affect any rights beyond these. But what are these rights? With respect to section 4 it is clear, these are the rights specified there, that is, the right of any party to certain types of hearing to speak Māori. When one turns to section 3, there are no rights specifically laid out, nor is there any other legislation detailing those rights. Thus, an important question for the status of Māori within New Zealand is: what are the rights implied in the term “official language”? What is the meaning of the expression “official language”? A way to approach this question is to investigate the situation in other countries with two or more official languages, in order to discover how this term is understood generally in the world, and to apply appropriate aspects of this situation to New Zealand (see Waite, 1992 II, 47-8). This paper reports on research into all aspects of the status and situation of Rhaetoromansh in Switzerland beside three other languages, German, French and Italian. One aspect of this general study was the investigation of the legal status of the language, and its status within governmental institutions."

text: He aha te reo 'Tuturu'? (what is an official language?) Nō te tau 1987 ka whakaaetia e te Whare Pāremata o Aotearoa te Ture Reo Māori, arā, he ture hei whakamana i te reo Māori hei reo tūturu mō Niu Tïreni, hei tuku atu hoki te mana ki te reo Māori i roto i ētahi whakahaere o ngā ture, ā, hei whakamana hoki i te whakatūnga o te Kōmihana mō te Reo Māori, ā, me te whakaingoa hoki i ngā mahi me ngā mana o taua Kōmihana. Ko te whakamāoritanga o te 5(a) o ngā wāhanga, e pēnei ana: He mana anō ka homai e ngā wāhanga 3 me te 4, engari kāore he mana i tua atu i ēnei i te whakaaetia. He aha aua mana? Mō te wāhanga tuawhā, e mārama ana, ko ngā mana kei reira e takoto ana, arā, te mana o te tangata, ahakoa ko wai, e whaiwāhi ana ki ngā whakahaere kōti, ki te whakaputa kōrero ki te reo Māori. Engari ki te tahuri ki te tuatoru o ngā wāhanga, kāore i āta whakatakotoria ngā mana e pā ana ki taua wāhanga. Kāore hoki he ture atu anā i tēnei e āta whakamāramatia nei aua mana. Nō reira, he tino pātai e pā ana ki te mana o te reo Māori i Aotearoa ko tēnei: he aha ngā mana o tēnei mea, o te “reo tūturu” o tētahi whenua? He aha te tikanga o te kupu nei, “reo tūturu”? He huarahi e taea ai tēnei urupounamu te whakautu, ko te āta titiro i ngā tikanga o ētahi atu whenua e rua nei, neke atu rānei ngā reo e whaimana ana i roto i te ture, kia kitea ai te tino āhua o te mea nei, te reo tūturu, i roto i te ao whānui, me te whakahāngai i aua tikanga ki te tū o te reo Māori i roto i Aotearoa (tirohia Waite, 1992 II, 47-8). Ko te kaupapa o te pepa e takoto atu nei he āta titiro i te tūnga o tētahi reo kotahi, arā, o te reo Romanihi i roto i Huiterangi, i te taha o ētahi reo e toru, o ngā reo Tiamana, Wīwī, Itariana; he rangahau i te tū o taua reo i raro i te ture, i roto i ngā whakahaere tūmatanui o taua whenua. 

"In 1987 the New Zealand Parliament passed The Māori Language Act, An Act to declare the Māori language to be an official language of New Zealand, to confer the right to speak Māori in certain legal proceedings, and to establish Te Kōmihana Mō Te Reo Māori and define its functions and powers. Section 5(a) implies that there are rights granted by virtue of sections 3 and 4 and that these may not be construed to affect any rights beyond these. But what are these rights? With respect to section 4 it is clear, these are the rights specified there, that is, the right of any party to certain types of hearing to speak Māori. When one turns to section 3, there are no rights specifically laid out, nor is there any other legislation detailing those rights. Thus, an important question for the status of Māori within New Zealand is: what are the rights implied in the term “official language”? What is the meaning of the expression “official language”? A way to approach this question is to investigate the situation in other countries with two or more official languages, in order to discover how this term is understood generally in the world, and to apply appropriate aspects of this situation to New Zealand (see Waite, 1992 II, 47-8). This paper reports on research into all aspects of the status and situation of Rhaetoromansh in Switzerland beside three other languages, German, French and Italian. One aspect of this general study was the investigation of the legal status of the language, and its status within governmental institutions."

year: 2000-10