title: The Marist missionaries' first encounters with inhabitants of the Pacific

authors: William, Jennings

subjects: missionaries

abstract: Missionaries of the French-based Society of Mary (Marists) arrived in the Pacific in the late 1830s. Reports by European travellers and missionaries had told the first Marists to expect Pacific peoples who were either cannibals or noble savages. Their encounter with recently-converted Mangarevans in the Gambier Islands led them to believe that idyllic Christian societies could be created in the South Pacific. This belief influenced the first Marists' descriptions of Pacific peoples, notably New Zealand Maori. The Marists consequently emphasised the noble savage trope and downplayed cannibalism. They also displayed a relatively tolerant attitude towards indigenous practices.

text: The Marist missionaries' first encounters with inhabitants of the Pacific Missionaries of the French-based Society of Mary (Marists) arrived in the Pacific in the late 1830s. Reports by European travellers and missionaries had told the first Marists to expect Pacific peoples who were either cannibals or noble savages. Their encounter with recently-converted Mangarevans in the Gambier Islands led them to believe that idyllic Christian societies could be created in the South Pacific. This belief influenced the first Marists' descriptions of Pacific peoples, notably New Zealand Maori. The Marists consequently emphasised the noble savage trope and downplayed cannibalism. They also displayed a relatively tolerant attitude towards indigenous practices.

year: 2013

title: lnteragency collaboration in youth justice: Creating change through action research

authors: Atkinson, Melanie

abstract: This thesis describes a community psychology intervention in the Hamilton youth justice sector from September 2001 through to August 2004. I initiated the project with a Maori social service provider, Maatua Whangai, to address poor communication, gaps in service provision, and a lack of coordination and leadership in the sector. Drawing on an action research methodology the purpose of the project was to create better outcomes for youth offenders and their families by using an interagency approach to increase collaboration, coordination and the effectiveness of service delivery.
 My role became one of project manager and researcher. Representatives from the key agencies in the wider youth justice sector became participants and together we embarked on a journey of transformation. The group we formed, initially known as the 'Hamilton Youth Justice Collaboration', became the Hamilton Youth Offending Team (YOT), following the establishment of YOTs nationally by the Ministry of Justice in 2002. 
This thesis details the development of the Hamilton YOT, focusing on its purposes, methods, process, relationships and outcomes. The ten initiatives planned and implemented by the YOT are also discussed. Some of these initiatives addressed system-wide issues. Others targeted the way services were delivered by the statutory youth justice agencies. The final group of initiatives aimed to improve the knowledge of services for young people and also established services or programme to fill gaps in services. 
Collaborative initiatives tend to generate multiple purposes and goals aimed at multiple levels of the situation. Thus an ecological and systems approach was used to analyse the impact of the YOT's activities. This allowed for larger units of analysis at the instrumental, structural, relational and cultural dimensions of the environment. 
In the first instance this project created a group of agencies to provide oversight and leadership for the sector. This growth in capacity for analysing problems, devising solutions, and mobilising the required resources, allowed for the various initiatives to be implemented. YOT members spoke positively about the changes that had been made and there was a perception that the quality of service delivery had increased. The outcome evaluation that was conducted confirmed the assumption that improving communication and coordination of services, aligning service delivery with good practice, and increasing the capacity of services would equate to improved outcomes. In addition to the positive impacts on 'clients', the introduction of norms and practices that focused on cooperation and the increased opportunities for joint work, connectedness and mutual support, produced positive changes in the relational environment. 
While the extent to which interagency collaboration improved is considered, there is a strong focus on what was learned about the process of collaboration. The roles of the researcher and the participation by YOT members are also examined. The thesis ends with a reflection on the project as a whole, considering the major findings the study has made in the areas of action research, evaluation and collaboration.

text: lnteragency collaboration in youth justice: Creating change through action research This thesis describes a community psychology intervention in the Hamilton youth justice sector from September 2001 through to August 2004. I initiated the project with a Maori social service provider, Maatua Whangai, to address poor communication, gaps in service provision, and a lack of coordination and leadership in the sector. Drawing on an action research methodology the purpose of the project was to create better outcomes for youth offenders and their families by using an interagency approach to increase collaboration, coordination and the effectiveness of service delivery.
 My role became one of project manager and researcher. Representatives from the key agencies in the wider youth justice sector became participants and together we embarked on a journey of transformation. The group we formed, initially known as the 'Hamilton Youth Justice Collaboration', became the Hamilton Youth Offending Team (YOT), following the establishment of YOTs nationally by the Ministry of Justice in 2002. 
This thesis details the development of the Hamilton YOT, focusing on its purposes, methods, process, relationships and outcomes. The ten initiatives planned and implemented by the YOT are also discussed. Some of these initiatives addressed system-wide issues. Others targeted the way services were delivered by the statutory youth justice agencies. The final group of initiatives aimed to improve the knowledge of services for young people and also established services or programme to fill gaps in services. 
Collaborative initiatives tend to generate multiple purposes and goals aimed at multiple levels of the situation. Thus an ecological and systems approach was used to analyse the impact of the YOT's activities. This allowed for larger units of analysis at the instrumental, structural, relational and cultural dimensions of the environment. 
In the first instance this project created a group of agencies to provide oversight and leadership for the sector. This growth in capacity for analysing problems, devising solutions, and mobilising the required resources, allowed for the various initiatives to be implemented. YOT members spoke positively about the changes that had been made and there was a perception that the quality of service delivery had increased. The outcome evaluation that was conducted confirmed the assumption that improving communication and coordination of services, aligning service delivery with good practice, and increasing the capacity of services would equate to improved outcomes. In addition to the positive impacts on 'clients', the introduction of norms and practices that focused on cooperation and the increased opportunities for joint work, connectedness and mutual support, produced positive changes in the relational environment. 
While the extent to which interagency collaboration improved is considered, there is a strong focus on what was learned about the process of collaboration. The roles of the researcher and the participation by YOT members are also examined. The thesis ends with a reflection on the project as a whole, considering the major findings the study has made in the areas of action research, evaluation and collaboration.

year: 2006

title: Improving Water Quality through Environmental Policies and Farm Management: an Environmental Economics Analysis of Dairy Farming in  Karapiro Catchment

authors: Ramilan, Thiagarajah

subjects: Water quality

abstract: This research explores the environmental and economic implications of nitrogen discharge abatement from dairy farms. This thesis develops a framework to analyse agri-environmental policies using bio economic modelling. A novel approach has been developed using farm survey data for catchment scale modelling and policy analysis. 

Policy analysis is facilitated by various modelling techniques and software. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to convert data from multiple sources to a common platform for policy analysis. Whole dairy farm system simulations coupled with a Metamodel built on the Overseer software are used to establish the relationship between farm economic returns and nitrogen discharges. This relationship is used to derive abatement costs and resolve policy implementation challenges. Data Envelopment Analysis is used to develop Environmental economic efficiency measures. Finally a stylized model is used to determine spatially optimal riparian buffer strips. 

The results show that the differences in abatement costs and environmental efficiency between farming systems are significant. The adverse effects of information asymmetry can be effectively minimized by adopting differentiated incentives and target monitoring. Riparian buffers are a cost effective abatement tool that complement abatement at the intensive margin. Clear understanding of farm heterogeneity will help to design effective policies.

Techniques for the measurement of policy impact have been successfully developed and add significantly to our knowledge of the underlying relationships. The use of simulated data for agri-environmental policy analysis is versatile and is expected to have several valuable applications. These methods can be applied to other geographic areas and research domains. This thesis provides useful tools for policy makers seeking to develop empirically informed agri environmental policy.

text: Improving Water Quality through Environmental Policies and Farm Management: an Environmental Economics Analysis of Dairy Farming in  Karapiro Catchment This research explores the environmental and economic implications of nitrogen discharge abatement from dairy farms. This thesis develops a framework to analyse agri-environmental policies using bio economic modelling. A novel approach has been developed using farm survey data for catchment scale modelling and policy analysis. 

Policy analysis is facilitated by various modelling techniques and software. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to convert data from multiple sources to a common platform for policy analysis. Whole dairy farm system simulations coupled with a Metamodel built on the Overseer software are used to establish the relationship between farm economic returns and nitrogen discharges. This relationship is used to derive abatement costs and resolve policy implementation challenges. Data Envelopment Analysis is used to develop Environmental economic efficiency measures. Finally a stylized model is used to determine spatially optimal riparian buffer strips. 

The results show that the differences in abatement costs and environmental efficiency between farming systems are significant. The adverse effects of information asymmetry can be effectively minimized by adopting differentiated incentives and target monitoring. Riparian buffers are a cost effective abatement tool that complement abatement at the intensive margin. Clear understanding of farm heterogeneity will help to design effective policies.

Techniques for the measurement of policy impact have been successfully developed and add significantly to our knowledge of the underlying relationships. The use of simulated data for agri-environmental policy analysis is versatile and is expected to have several valuable applications. These methods can be applied to other geographic areas and research domains. This thesis provides useful tools for policy makers seeking to develop empirically informed agri environmental policy.

year: 2008