title: "The Bee on Honey-Dew Hath Fed": Carbohydrate composition and prebiotic potential of an Australian commercial honey and some New Zealand honeydew honeys

authors: Swears, Rosemary M.

abstract: The compositions of floral and honeydew honeys differ, inter alia, in that honeydew honey typically has higher oligosaccharide and acid contents. Honeydew honey is made from honeydew excreted as a byproduct of plant sap digestion by aphids, including the Giant Willow Aphid (GWA), an invasive pest insect in New Zealand and other countries. GWA honeydew honey is problematic to apiarists, as it crystallizes in the comb, reducing yield and making it commercially unacceptable. This crystallization has been ascribed to high levels of the oligosaccharide melezitose. 
Some oligosaccharides are prebiotic; that is, indigestible to humans but selectively fermented by beneficial colonic bacteria, conferring a health benefit. This research used NMR, HPLC and GC-MS methods for identification and quantitation of carbohydrate fractions in Beeotic®, an Australian honey marketed as prebiotic, and in some New Zealand honeydew honeys, and developed methods to extract melezitose crystals and to make palatable candy from GWA honeydew honey. The acid and enzyme lability of melezitose were also determined, as an indication of its prebiotic potential.
Analysis of Beeotic® showed it to contain 2.73 ± 0.36% oligosaccharides, 12.06 ± 0.10% disaccharides, 23.11 ± 0.59% glucose, and 49.16 ± 0.82% fructose. It was estimated that to ingest a dose capable of providing a prebiotic effect, a consumer would have to eat a minimum of 73.18 ± 9.67 g of Beeotic® daily, perhaps more if the oligosaccharides present in Beeotic® have lower prebiotic activity. This mass of honey contains 64 g digestible sugars: more than double the WHO-recommended daily maximum. 
Analysis of a New Zealand beech honeydew honey showed it to contain 13.83 ± 0.01% oligosaccharides, 14.56 ± 0.10% disaccharides, 22.29 ± 0.23% glucose, and 44.61 ± 0.29% fructose. The minimum daily dose to confer a prebiotic effect would be 14.46 ± 0.44 g of beech honeydew honey, which includes 11 g digestible sugars. 
Analysis of GWA honeydew honey, in the first known carbohydrate profile of this honey, showed it to contain 37.74 ± 0.19% oligosaccharides (of which 27.4% of the honey mass was melezitose), 37.11 ± 0.27% disaccharides, 16.54 ± 0.82% glucose, and 24.68 ± 1.13% fructose. The minimum daily dose to confer a prebiotic effect would be 5.30 ± 0.03 g of GWA honeydew honey, which includes 4 g digestible sugars.
Preliminary methods were developed for making GWA honeydew honey into a palatable candy, and for extracting melezitose from GWA honeydew honey. Enzyme digestion of melezitose caused minimal hydrolysis, and acid digestion no significant hydrolysis; this indicates that melezitose may fulfil the prebiotic criterion of human indigestibility and therefore GWA honeydew honey may, pending a full prebiotic activity assay, be an appropriate prebiotic functional food. This would add value to what is currently a waste product and offset the impact of GWA honeydew on New Zealand apiarists.

text: "The Bee on Honey-Dew Hath Fed": Carbohydrate composition and prebiotic potential of an Australian commercial honey and some New Zealand honeydew honeys The compositions of floral and honeydew honeys differ, inter alia, in that honeydew honey typically has higher oligosaccharide and acid contents. Honeydew honey is made from honeydew excreted as a byproduct of plant sap digestion by aphids, including the Giant Willow Aphid (GWA), an invasive pest insect in New Zealand and other countries. GWA honeydew honey is problematic to apiarists, as it crystallizes in the comb, reducing yield and making it commercially unacceptable. This crystallization has been ascribed to high levels of the oligosaccharide melezitose. 
Some oligosaccharides are prebiotic; that is, indigestible to humans but selectively fermented by beneficial colonic bacteria, conferring a health benefit. This research used NMR, HPLC and GC-MS methods for identification and quantitation of carbohydrate fractions in Beeotic®, an Australian honey marketed as prebiotic, and in some New Zealand honeydew honeys, and developed methods to extract melezitose crystals and to make palatable candy from GWA honeydew honey. The acid and enzyme lability of melezitose were also determined, as an indication of its prebiotic potential.
Analysis of Beeotic® showed it to contain 2.73 ± 0.36% oligosaccharides, 12.06 ± 0.10% disaccharides, 23.11 ± 0.59% glucose, and 49.16 ± 0.82% fructose. It was estimated that to ingest a dose capable of providing a prebiotic effect, a consumer would have to eat a minimum of 73.18 ± 9.67 g of Beeotic® daily, perhaps more if the oligosaccharides present in Beeotic® have lower prebiotic activity. This mass of honey contains 64 g digestible sugars: more than double the WHO-recommended daily maximum. 
Analysis of a New Zealand beech honeydew honey showed it to contain 13.83 ± 0.01% oligosaccharides, 14.56 ± 0.10% disaccharides, 22.29 ± 0.23% glucose, and 44.61 ± 0.29% fructose. The minimum daily dose to confer a prebiotic effect would be 14.46 ± 0.44 g of beech honeydew honey, which includes 11 g digestible sugars. 
Analysis of GWA honeydew honey, in the first known carbohydrate profile of this honey, showed it to contain 37.74 ± 0.19% oligosaccharides (of which 27.4% of the honey mass was melezitose), 37.11 ± 0.27% disaccharides, 16.54 ± 0.82% glucose, and 24.68 ± 1.13% fructose. The minimum daily dose to confer a prebiotic effect would be 5.30 ± 0.03 g of GWA honeydew honey, which includes 4 g digestible sugars.
Preliminary methods were developed for making GWA honeydew honey into a palatable candy, and for extracting melezitose from GWA honeydew honey. Enzyme digestion of melezitose caused minimal hydrolysis, and acid digestion no significant hydrolysis; this indicates that melezitose may fulfil the prebiotic criterion of human indigestibility and therefore GWA honeydew honey may, pending a full prebiotic activity assay, be an appropriate prebiotic functional food. This would add value to what is currently a waste product and offset the impact of GWA honeydew on New Zealand apiarists.

year: 2020

title: Becoming effective technology teachers: enhancing  assessment practices in primary classrooms

authors: Moreland, Judy

abstract: This thesis explores primary school teachers’ technology pedagogical content knowledge and how this impacts on teaching practices in technology education, particularly formative interactions. Based in the interpretist paradigm and using case study methods, the two-year journeys of eight co-educational teachers from two primary schools and their technology education perceptions and practices are described. The first year (1998) explores existing teacher knowledge and practices and student learning. The second year (1999) traces the impact of a professional development programme aimed at enhancing teachers’ technology pedagogical content knowledge in relationship to formative assessment. The significant impact of a planning framework containing the categories of technological practice, conceptual aspects, procedural aspects, societal aspects and technical aspects is examined.

Findings from the first year reveal that existing school subcultures, school policies and teacher subject expertise influence teacher classroom practices in technology. Planning, teaching and assessment were often related to social and managerial aspects rather than procedural and conceptual technological aspects. Hence, learning and formative assessment interactions focussed on these aspects rather than student understandings in technology. The second year explores the development of teachers’ technological knowledge through a collaborative, ongoing teacher development programme. The development and use of a planning framework exerted considerable influence on teachers’ constructing appropriate knowledge and understandings and on developing a technological knowledge base robust and distinct from previous knowledge bases. A complex mix of specialist knowledge is required for teachers to become competent, confident teachers of technology. It is important to decide on appropriate student learning outcomes and to transform teacher technological understandings to those suitable for students. 

Further, the study shows that improvement in classroom formative interactions, especially the provision of descriptive feedback, makes a strong contribution to enhancing learning. It confirms that enhancing teacher pedagogical content knowledge impacts on their ability to provide descriptive feedback. Embedding formative assessment in technology and undertaking it in a sociocultural, transactional, conversational and future-oriented way strengthens student technological learning. Student gains are made in technology when teachers focus descriptive feedback on specific technological goals, particular technological qualities of student work and the provision of advice on how to improve technologically. This study provides empirical evidence that teacher perceptions and practices in technology and technology education impact on the technological learning of students. The assumption that students’ learning of technology can be enhanced through enhancing teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and formative assessment practices is justified.

text: Becoming effective technology teachers: enhancing  assessment practices in primary classrooms This thesis explores primary school teachers’ technology pedagogical content knowledge and how this impacts on teaching practices in technology education, particularly formative interactions. Based in the interpretist paradigm and using case study methods, the two-year journeys of eight co-educational teachers from two primary schools and their technology education perceptions and practices are described. The first year (1998) explores existing teacher knowledge and practices and student learning. The second year (1999) traces the impact of a professional development programme aimed at enhancing teachers’ technology pedagogical content knowledge in relationship to formative assessment. The significant impact of a planning framework containing the categories of technological practice, conceptual aspects, procedural aspects, societal aspects and technical aspects is examined.

Findings from the first year reveal that existing school subcultures, school policies and teacher subject expertise influence teacher classroom practices in technology. Planning, teaching and assessment were often related to social and managerial aspects rather than procedural and conceptual technological aspects. Hence, learning and formative assessment interactions focussed on these aspects rather than student understandings in technology. The second year explores the development of teachers’ technological knowledge through a collaborative, ongoing teacher development programme. The development and use of a planning framework exerted considerable influence on teachers’ constructing appropriate knowledge and understandings and on developing a technological knowledge base robust and distinct from previous knowledge bases. A complex mix of specialist knowledge is required for teachers to become competent, confident teachers of technology. It is important to decide on appropriate student learning outcomes and to transform teacher technological understandings to those suitable for students. 

Further, the study shows that improvement in classroom formative interactions, especially the provision of descriptive feedback, makes a strong contribution to enhancing learning. It confirms that enhancing teacher pedagogical content knowledge impacts on their ability to provide descriptive feedback. Embedding formative assessment in technology and undertaking it in a sociocultural, transactional, conversational and future-oriented way strengthens student technological learning. Student gains are made in technology when teachers focus descriptive feedback on specific technological goals, particular technological qualities of student work and the provision of advice on how to improve technologically. This study provides empirical evidence that teacher perceptions and practices in technology and technology education impact on the technological learning of students. The assumption that students’ learning of technology can be enhanced through enhancing teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and formative assessment practices is justified.

year: 2003

title: Census 2018 and Implications for Māori

authors: Kukutai, Tahu

abstract: The population census is a universal tool of governance but has come under increasing pressure as governments look to reduce costs, gain efficiencies and counter declining response rates. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the census transformation strategy has a short-term focus on modernising the census and a long-term vision of a fully administrative census. The digital-first 2018 Census was an ambitious step towards modernisation but there are growing concerns that it may fail to deliver high-quality data, particularly for Māori and iwi. This research note considers the implications of lower response rates and reflects on the steps that might be taken to retain the trust and confidence of Māori in the census, including possibilities for Māori data governance across the official statistics system.

text: Census 2018 and Implications for Māori The population census is a universal tool of governance but has come under increasing pressure as governments look to reduce costs, gain efficiencies and counter declining response rates. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the census transformation strategy has a short-term focus on modernising the census and a long-term vision of a fully administrative census. The digital-first 2018 Census was an ambitious step towards modernisation but there are growing concerns that it may fail to deliver high-quality data, particularly for Māori and iwi. This research note considers the implications of lower response rates and reflects on the steps that might be taken to retain the trust and confidence of Māori in the census, including possibilities for Māori data governance across the official statistics system.

year: 2018