title: Microbial biodiversity of thermophilic communities in hot mineral soils of Tramway Ridge, Mount Erebus, Antarctica

authors: Soo, Rochelle M.

subjects: Tramway Ridge

abstract: Tramway Ridge, located near the summit of Mount Erebus in Antarctica, is probably the most remote geothermal soil habitat on Earth. Steam fumaroles maintain moist, hot soil environments creating extreme local physicochemical differentials. In this study a culture-independent approach combining automated rRNA intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and a 16S rRNA gene library was used to characterize soil microbial (Bacterial and Archaeal) diversity along intense physicochemical gradients. Statistical analysis of ARISA data showed a clear delineation between bacterial community structure at sites close to fumaroles and all other sites. Temperature and pH were identified as the primary drivers of this demarcation. A clone library constructed from a high-temperature site led to the identification of 18 novel bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). All 16S rRNA gene sequences were deep branching and distantly (85–93%) related to other environmental clones. Five of the signatures branched with an unknown group between candidate division OP10 and Chloroflexi. Within this clade, sequence similarity was low, suggesting it contains several yet-to-be described bacterial groups. Five archaeal OTUs were obtained and exhibited high levels of sequence similarity (95–97%) with Crenarchaeota sourced from deep-subsurface environments on two distant continents. The novel bacterial assemblage coupled with the unique archaeal affinities reinvigorates the hypotheses that Tramway Ridge organisms are relics of archaic microbial lineages specifically adapted to survive in this harsh environment and that this site may provide a portal to the deep-subsurface biosphere.

text: Microbial biodiversity of thermophilic communities in hot mineral soils of Tramway Ridge, Mount Erebus, Antarctica Tramway Ridge, located near the summit of Mount Erebus in Antarctica, is probably the most remote geothermal soil habitat on Earth. Steam fumaroles maintain moist, hot soil environments creating extreme local physicochemical differentials. In this study a culture-independent approach combining automated rRNA intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and a 16S rRNA gene library was used to characterize soil microbial (Bacterial and Archaeal) diversity along intense physicochemical gradients. Statistical analysis of ARISA data showed a clear delineation between bacterial community structure at sites close to fumaroles and all other sites. Temperature and pH were identified as the primary drivers of this demarcation. A clone library constructed from a high-temperature site led to the identification of 18 novel bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). All 16S rRNA gene sequences were deep branching and distantly (85–93%) related to other environmental clones. Five of the signatures branched with an unknown group between candidate division OP10 and Chloroflexi. Within this clade, sequence similarity was low, suggesting it contains several yet-to-be described bacterial groups. Five archaeal OTUs were obtained and exhibited high levels of sequence similarity (95–97%) with Crenarchaeota sourced from deep-subsurface environments on two distant continents. The novel bacterial assemblage coupled with the unique archaeal affinities reinvigorates the hypotheses that Tramway Ridge organisms are relics of archaic microbial lineages specifically adapted to survive in this harsh environment and that this site may provide a portal to the deep-subsurface biosphere.

year: 2009

title: Meanings of 'the Outdoors': Shaping outdoor education in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Straker, Jo

subjects: Outdoor Education

abstract: Abstract
The issue of human-nature relationships has become increasingly important given the environmental issues affecting the world. Thus, education which can encourage students to positively engage and connect with the world around them is vital. Outdoor education offers one way to help build relationships, but only if outdoor educators have an understanding and appreciation of the ways 'the outdoors' influences their pedagogy. Over the years, growing emphasis on adventure activities, social and personal development, and experiential learning styles, has subsumed the role of 'the outdoors' within outdoor education.
Using an interpretive narrative framework, this research focuses on 'the outdoors' as a defining feature of outdoor education.  A series of three semi-structured interviews with 11 outdoor educators provided opportunities to explore meanings of the outdoors and how those meanings influenced their understandings and practices of outdoor education. An inductive analysis of the interviews identified five primary themes; locations, activities, living simply, emotional responses, and relationships, and these were used to unpack the participants' beliefs and experiences of 'the outdoors' and outdoor education. In order to retain the richness and complexity of the meanings the participants shared, the findings are presented in a variety of formats including vignettes and poetic text. 
The findings are multi-layered, something that reflected the dynamic nature of 'the outdoors' and the ensuing opportunities offered for creative and critical thinking. There was also evidence that the participants were vigilant about adopting a multi-dimensional approach to outdoor education. This required integrating pragmatic pro-environmental actions, experiential opportunities, challenge activities, spontaneous learning moments, and quiet time into many of their sessions. In so doing, they ensured experiences for their students were holistic, meaningful, and engaging, as well as promoting a respectful relationship with 'the outdoors'. Some of these practices were constrained at times by the expectations of current secondary school educational orthodoxies, especially those relating to assessing pre-determined outcomes. Nonetheless, there was an unreserved belief that outdoor education has an increasingly distinct and important role to play in the school curriculum. How this will be enacted depends on the challenges and opportunities that rise and fall with changing social, political, and economic agendas.

text: Meanings of 'the Outdoors': Shaping outdoor education in Aotearoa New Zealand Abstract
The issue of human-nature relationships has become increasingly important given the environmental issues affecting the world. Thus, education which can encourage students to positively engage and connect with the world around them is vital. Outdoor education offers one way to help build relationships, but only if outdoor educators have an understanding and appreciation of the ways 'the outdoors' influences their pedagogy. Over the years, growing emphasis on adventure activities, social and personal development, and experiential learning styles, has subsumed the role of 'the outdoors' within outdoor education.
Using an interpretive narrative framework, this research focuses on 'the outdoors' as a defining feature of outdoor education.  A series of three semi-structured interviews with 11 outdoor educators provided opportunities to explore meanings of the outdoors and how those meanings influenced their understandings and practices of outdoor education. An inductive analysis of the interviews identified five primary themes; locations, activities, living simply, emotional responses, and relationships, and these were used to unpack the participants' beliefs and experiences of 'the outdoors' and outdoor education. In order to retain the richness and complexity of the meanings the participants shared, the findings are presented in a variety of formats including vignettes and poetic text. 
The findings are multi-layered, something that reflected the dynamic nature of 'the outdoors' and the ensuing opportunities offered for creative and critical thinking. There was also evidence that the participants were vigilant about adopting a multi-dimensional approach to outdoor education. This required integrating pragmatic pro-environmental actions, experiential opportunities, challenge activities, spontaneous learning moments, and quiet time into many of their sessions. In so doing, they ensured experiences for their students were holistic, meaningful, and engaging, as well as promoting a respectful relationship with 'the outdoors'. Some of these practices were constrained at times by the expectations of current secondary school educational orthodoxies, especially those relating to assessing pre-determined outcomes. Nonetheless, there was an unreserved belief that outdoor education has an increasingly distinct and important role to play in the school curriculum. How this will be enacted depends on the challenges and opportunities that rise and fall with changing social, political, and economic agendas.

year: 2014

title: “It is about enabling Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake”: An analysis of submissions on the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill 2021 endorsing a Māori health authority

authors: Edmonds, Moengaroa

subjects: Health Equity

abstract: Indigenous leadership in healthcare is one way for Indigenous peoples to exercise sovereignty over their health. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the establishment of the Māori Health Authority (MHA) was grounded in a decades-long imperative to address Māori health inequities and operationalise te Tiriti o Waitangi within the health system. However, the populist National-led coalition government formed in November 2023 included the abolishment of the MHA in their first 100-day plan and eventually disestablished it in February 2024. This study analysed 155 public group submissions on the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill made in 2021 and representing health professionals, iwi, hapū, and community groups. Core themes endorsing the MHA as a statutory entity included honouring te Tiriti, advocating for Māori-led solutions to health inequities, decolonising health systems, and affirming Indigenous rights. The political decision to remove the MHA is antithetical to the explicit endorsement statements made by an overwhelming majority of group submitters with expertise in health organisational structures and healthcare provision. Our study has implications for future local and international research in documenting counter-narratives for Indigenous struggles in health systems.

text: “It is about enabling Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake”: An analysis of submissions on the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill 2021 endorsing a Māori health authority Indigenous leadership in healthcare is one way for Indigenous peoples to exercise sovereignty over their health. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the establishment of the Māori Health Authority (MHA) was grounded in a decades-long imperative to address Māori health inequities and operationalise te Tiriti o Waitangi within the health system. However, the populist National-led coalition government formed in November 2023 included the abolishment of the MHA in their first 100-day plan and eventually disestablished it in February 2024. This study analysed 155 public group submissions on the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill made in 2021 and representing health professionals, iwi, hapū, and community groups. Core themes endorsing the MHA as a statutory entity included honouring te Tiriti, advocating for Māori-led solutions to health inequities, decolonising health systems, and affirming Indigenous rights. The political decision to remove the MHA is antithetical to the explicit endorsement statements made by an overwhelming majority of group submitters with expertise in health organisational structures and healthcare provision. Our study has implications for future local and international research in documenting counter-narratives for Indigenous struggles in health systems.

year: 2025