title: Women's participation in education and training in New Zealand: is the 'learn while you earn' option accessible to all?

authors: Piercy, Gemma Louise

subjects: education

abstract: Strong education and training systems are viewed as a route to increased labour market participation for groups that have traditionally been excluded from, or marginalised in, the labour market. Engagement in the labour force for such groups has both individual and societal benefits. However, while this emphasis on an increased role for the state in education and training is encouraging, commentators have questioned the ability of 'Third Way' discourse to meet the unique needs of women, given the absence of explicit feminist dialogue in wider discussions on associated policy and practice. Informed by this critique, this article aims to evaluate changes in education and training policy and practice in New Zealand since 1999, in terms of the extent to which it enhances opportunities for women's participation in education and training.

text: Women's participation in education and training in New Zealand: is the 'learn while you earn' option accessible to all? Strong education and training systems are viewed as a route to increased labour market participation for groups that have traditionally been excluded from, or marginalised in, the labour market. Engagement in the labour force for such groups has both individual and societal benefits. However, while this emphasis on an increased role for the state in education and training is encouraging, commentators have questioned the ability of 'Third Way' discourse to meet the unique needs of women, given the absence of explicit feminist dialogue in wider discussions on associated policy and practice. Informed by this critique, this article aims to evaluate changes in education and training policy and practice in New Zealand since 1999, in terms of the extent to which it enhances opportunities for women's participation in education and training.

year: 2006

title: Behaviour-based classification of encryption-type ransomware using system calls

authors: Chew, Christopher J.W.

subjects: Ransomware

abstract: The malware landscape is ever-changing, with threat actors utilising more sophisticated techniques to compromise data. As the usage of smartphones increases, more threat actors will turn their attention to capitalise on the popularity. 

This thesis addresses this ongoing issue and focuses on encryption-type ransomware, which has been a rising malware threat in recent years, on the Android operating system. Many state-of-the-art anti-malware solutions have shifted away from static signature-based approaches as the techniques utilised by threat actors have become more advanced. Most newer solutions look towards the use of dynamic analysis to automatically identify malware. However, the large quantities of information required by dynamic analysis approaches often present a challenging task for developing robust automated anti-malware solutions and may be easily circumvented by future threat actors, which implies that more specialised automated solutions are required.

In the work presented in this thesis, we observe encryption-type ransomware behavioural patterns at a system call-level. We describe the Android Applications dataset on which a large portion of this work is based. By utilising the created dataset and the behavioural patterns, this thesis presents solutions using Finite State Machines (FSM) and supervisor reduction to quickly detect Android encryption-type ransomware. Furthermore, the solutions are evaluated on Linux encryption-type ransomware to show its transferability and generalisability.

We measured the success of our techniques by using the following accuracy metrics: true positive rates, false negative rates, true negative rates, false positive rates, and achieved an F1-score of up to 93.8%.

text: Behaviour-based classification of encryption-type ransomware using system calls The malware landscape is ever-changing, with threat actors utilising more sophisticated techniques to compromise data. As the usage of smartphones increases, more threat actors will turn their attention to capitalise on the popularity. 

This thesis addresses this ongoing issue and focuses on encryption-type ransomware, which has been a rising malware threat in recent years, on the Android operating system. Many state-of-the-art anti-malware solutions have shifted away from static signature-based approaches as the techniques utilised by threat actors have become more advanced. Most newer solutions look towards the use of dynamic analysis to automatically identify malware. However, the large quantities of information required by dynamic analysis approaches often present a challenging task for developing robust automated anti-malware solutions and may be easily circumvented by future threat actors, which implies that more specialised automated solutions are required.

In the work presented in this thesis, we observe encryption-type ransomware behavioural patterns at a system call-level. We describe the Android Applications dataset on which a large portion of this work is based. By utilising the created dataset and the behavioural patterns, this thesis presents solutions using Finite State Machines (FSM) and supervisor reduction to quickly detect Android encryption-type ransomware. Furthermore, the solutions are evaluated on Linux encryption-type ransomware to show its transferability and generalisability.

We measured the success of our techniques by using the following accuracy metrics: true positive rates, false negative rates, true negative rates, false positive rates, and achieved an F1-score of up to 93.8%.

year: 2023

title: Contextualizing street homelessness in New Zealand: A case study approach

authors: Groot, Shiloh Ann Maree

subjects: homelessness

abstract: Homelessness is commonly associated with large urban settings. For people who sleep on the streets it encompasses experiences of stigma, regulation and displacement, marginalization, violence, loneliness, and bodily decline. This thesis addresses the lack of research into the everyday practices of homeless people in New Zealand through a detailed exploration of the experiences of four homeless people. Through critically engaging with relevant scholarly literature this study documents the importance of human fortitude, agency, and meaningful social engagements in the lives of homeless people. Attention is given to how four homeless people (Brett, Daniel, Joshua and Ariā) construct place-based identities and the relational, spatial and material dimensions of homelessness, which are central to participants’ everyday lives. Participants were recruited through experienced community workers at the Auckland City Mission. A case-based ethnographic approach was used to engage with participants through volunteer work, direct observations, biographical interviews, photo-production projects, and photo-elicitation interviews. Workshops with staff on each case study were conducted to bridge the divide between critical scholars and community groups through advocacy and joint action. The analysis considers each case in turn. Brett differentiates himself from other homeless people and works to find space for himself to gain respite and solitude. Daniel engages in domestic practices on the streets that are commonly associated with home-making, such as decorating a physical space with personal objects and cultivating a sense of place, routine, comfort, and familiarity. Joshua immerses himself in a street family and forms close relationships with other homeless people that provide him with a sense of belonging, purpose, connection, support and responsibility. Ariā exemplifies how Māori cultural practices can enrich and mould a person’s efforts to retain a positive sense of self while homeless. Māori cultural concepts relating to caring, leadership, unity, relationships, spirituality, history and place are evoked to ground understandings of Ariā’s everyday life. Strategies for making a life on the streets involves Brett, Daniel, Joshua and Ariā working to maintain a sense of self and place in the face of adversity. A core finding from this research relates to the resilience of these participants, which spans personal and relational dimensions and extends to the social and physical environment.

text: Contextualizing street homelessness in New Zealand: A case study approach Homelessness is commonly associated with large urban settings. For people who sleep on the streets it encompasses experiences of stigma, regulation and displacement, marginalization, violence, loneliness, and bodily decline. This thesis addresses the lack of research into the everyday practices of homeless people in New Zealand through a detailed exploration of the experiences of four homeless people. Through critically engaging with relevant scholarly literature this study documents the importance of human fortitude, agency, and meaningful social engagements in the lives of homeless people. Attention is given to how four homeless people (Brett, Daniel, Joshua and Ariā) construct place-based identities and the relational, spatial and material dimensions of homelessness, which are central to participants’ everyday lives. Participants were recruited through experienced community workers at the Auckland City Mission. A case-based ethnographic approach was used to engage with participants through volunteer work, direct observations, biographical interviews, photo-production projects, and photo-elicitation interviews. Workshops with staff on each case study were conducted to bridge the divide between critical scholars and community groups through advocacy and joint action. The analysis considers each case in turn. Brett differentiates himself from other homeless people and works to find space for himself to gain respite and solitude. Daniel engages in domestic practices on the streets that are commonly associated with home-making, such as decorating a physical space with personal objects and cultivating a sense of place, routine, comfort, and familiarity. Joshua immerses himself in a street family and forms close relationships with other homeless people that provide him with a sense of belonging, purpose, connection, support and responsibility. Ariā exemplifies how Māori cultural practices can enrich and mould a person’s efforts to retain a positive sense of self while homeless. Māori cultural concepts relating to caring, leadership, unity, relationships, spirituality, history and place are evoked to ground understandings of Ariā’s everyday life. Strategies for making a life on the streets involves Brett, Daniel, Joshua and Ariā working to maintain a sense of self and place in the face of adversity. A core finding from this research relates to the resilience of these participants, which spans personal and relational dimensions and extends to the social and physical environment.

year: 2010