title: Interim guidance on the use of new sea-level rise projections

authors: Bell, Robert G.

subjects: sea-level rise

abstract: The recently updated future projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2021–22 confirm that sea-level rise is accelerating. The updated projections show an increase in projected sea-level rise compared with the earlier projections in the 2017 Ministry for the Environment (the Ministry) Coastal hazards and climate change guidance. New localised projections are also now available, which for the first time explicitly include the effect of local upward or downward movement of land locally on sea-level rise.

text: Interim guidance on the use of new sea-level rise projections The recently updated future projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2021–22 confirm that sea-level rise is accelerating. The updated projections show an increase in projected sea-level rise compared with the earlier projections in the 2017 Ministry for the Environment (the Ministry) Coastal hazards and climate change guidance. New localised projections are also now available, which for the first time explicitly include the effect of local upward or downward movement of land locally on sea-level rise.

year: 2022

title: Software frameworks for rural AI robotics

authors: Bashir, Faizan

abstract: Robotic Autonomous robotic systems intended for agricultural environments must operate under conditions of unreliable connectivity, limited infrastructure, and high environmental variability. These constraints present significant challenges for system architecture, communication design, and human– robot interaction. This thesis investigates these challenges through the design, analysis, and evaluation of Nicobot, a mobile agricultural research platform developed to explore software frameworks for rural AI robotics.   
The research focuses on how system architecture, user interface design, and communication mechanisms influence the feasibility of autonomous operation in rural and low-connectivity settings.    
Architectural analysis reveals that, despite the presence of edge computing components and multiple communication technologies, decision-making and fault recovery remain heavily dependent on human operators. The system therefore operates under a supervisory autonomy model, where the robot supports controlled behaviour but does not independently interpret sensor data or adapt to connectivity degradation. Evaluation of the user interface shows that technical data exposure, limited feedback, and reliance on user interpretation reduce usability for non-technical agricultural users. Communication analysis further demonstrates that multiple channels alone do not guarantee robustness unless they are integrated with adaptive system behaviour.   
The findings highlight that autonomy in rural agricultural robotics cannot be achieved through the addition of technological components alone. Instead, autonomy emerges from deliberate architectural allocation of responsibility, clear separation of control roles, and interface designs that support transparency and reduced cognitive load. This thesis contributes design-oriented insights for future rural robotic systems, emphasising contextual independence, supervisory interaction, architectural coherence, and simplicity as guiding principles for practical agricultural autonomy.

text: Software frameworks for rural AI robotics Robotic Autonomous robotic systems intended for agricultural environments must operate under conditions of unreliable connectivity, limited infrastructure, and high environmental variability. These constraints present significant challenges for system architecture, communication design, and human– robot interaction. This thesis investigates these challenges through the design, analysis, and evaluation of Nicobot, a mobile agricultural research platform developed to explore software frameworks for rural AI robotics.   
The research focuses on how system architecture, user interface design, and communication mechanisms influence the feasibility of autonomous operation in rural and low-connectivity settings.    
Architectural analysis reveals that, despite the presence of edge computing components and multiple communication technologies, decision-making and fault recovery remain heavily dependent on human operators. The system therefore operates under a supervisory autonomy model, where the robot supports controlled behaviour but does not independently interpret sensor data or adapt to connectivity degradation. Evaluation of the user interface shows that technical data exposure, limited feedback, and reliance on user interpretation reduce usability for non-technical agricultural users. Communication analysis further demonstrates that multiple channels alone do not guarantee robustness unless they are integrated with adaptive system behaviour.   
The findings highlight that autonomy in rural agricultural robotics cannot be achieved through the addition of technological components alone. Instead, autonomy emerges from deliberate architectural allocation of responsibility, clear separation of control roles, and interface designs that support transparency and reduced cognitive load. This thesis contributes design-oriented insights for future rural robotic systems, emphasising contextual independence, supervisory interaction, architectural coherence, and simplicity as guiding principles for practical agricultural autonomy.

year: 2026

title: Kōtuku Kai Whakaata

authors: Jacob, Casey-Anne Roimata-Aroha

subjects: Tumuakitanga

abstract: He iwi a Ngāti Hauā nō roto o Tainui waka, ā, ko tōna rohenga kei te rāwhiti o te rohe o Waikato. Mai anō ka mau tonu a Ngāti Hauā ki tōna arikitanga, nō runga i te whakapapa kia kawea te iwi kia puritia e Ngāti Hauā tōna arikitanga me tōna mana motuhake. Ko tā tēnei tuhikura, ko te whakatōmene i te kukuwhatanga o te rangatiratanga o Ngāti Hauā mā ngā pūrākau o ngā ariki tekau, nāna anō i pīkau i te arikitanga o Ngāti Hauā. Ka puritia e rātou te moemoeā o tō rātou tupuna a Tarapīpipi, te Pou whakawahi Kīngi tuatahi. Nā te moemoeā o ngā ariki, o ngā iwi o taua wā ka tū mai a Tarapīpipi ki te whakapou i te Kīngi tuatahi i te tau 1858. Hei whakapūaho i te whakatairitenga o te ao kōhatu o te Māori me te nohonga o te Pākehā ki Aotearoa nei, ka tīmata tēnei rangahau ki te pāpā o Tarapīpipi, ki a Te Waharoa. Ka whakatakina ai i ngā ariki o Ngāti Hauā, ngā uri tākerekere o Te Waharoa. Ko ia pūrākau o tēnā Tumuaki, o tēnā Tumuaki he tirohanga ki ngā piki me ngā heke o ia reanga mai i te tāmitanga o te Māori, ā, he manatu ki te mana o te tino rangatiratanga me kotahitanga. Ko te pakirehua matua o te rangahau e whakautua ai e tēnei tuhikura, koia tēnei: He aha te Tumuakitanga? Ko tāna urupounamu hāpai, he aha ngā pūrākau o tēnā ariki, o tēnā Tumuaki o Ngāti Hauā?

Ngāti Hauā is an iwi (tribe) of the Waikato-Tainui confederation based in the eastern Waikato area. For over 200 years, Ngāti Hauā has maintained the role of ariki, based on whakapapa, to lead the iwi into prosperity. This thesis seeks to explore the evolution of the leadership of Ngāti Hauā through the pūrākau of eleven of its ariki who have carried the chieftainship of Ngāti Hauā since the 19th century. They have all maintained the vision of their ancestor Tarapīpipi, the inaugural Kingmaker. A collective vision of unity, prosperity, and peace by ariki and iwi of that time, culminated in Tarapīpipi crowning the first Māori monarch in 1858. To elucidate the juxtaposition of an ancient Māori world and the settlement of Pākehā in Aotearoa, this research starts with the father of Tarapīpipi, Te Waharoa. It then traces each consecutive ariki of Ngāti Hauā who all are direct descendants of Te Waharoa, through the medium of pūrākau (story). Each story is an insight into the struggles and triumphs of each generation since the colonisation of Aotearoa and is a powerful reminder of self-determination and unity. The principal question this thesis aims to answer is: What is the Tumuakitanga? It’s subsidiary question is, what are the stories of each paramount chief of Ngāti Hauā?

text: Kōtuku Kai Whakaata He iwi a Ngāti Hauā nō roto o Tainui waka, ā, ko tōna rohenga kei te rāwhiti o te rohe o Waikato. Mai anō ka mau tonu a Ngāti Hauā ki tōna arikitanga, nō runga i te whakapapa kia kawea te iwi kia puritia e Ngāti Hauā tōna arikitanga me tōna mana motuhake. Ko tā tēnei tuhikura, ko te whakatōmene i te kukuwhatanga o te rangatiratanga o Ngāti Hauā mā ngā pūrākau o ngā ariki tekau, nāna anō i pīkau i te arikitanga o Ngāti Hauā. Ka puritia e rātou te moemoeā o tō rātou tupuna a Tarapīpipi, te Pou whakawahi Kīngi tuatahi. Nā te moemoeā o ngā ariki, o ngā iwi o taua wā ka tū mai a Tarapīpipi ki te whakapou i te Kīngi tuatahi i te tau 1858. Hei whakapūaho i te whakatairitenga o te ao kōhatu o te Māori me te nohonga o te Pākehā ki Aotearoa nei, ka tīmata tēnei rangahau ki te pāpā o Tarapīpipi, ki a Te Waharoa. Ka whakatakina ai i ngā ariki o Ngāti Hauā, ngā uri tākerekere o Te Waharoa. Ko ia pūrākau o tēnā Tumuaki, o tēnā Tumuaki he tirohanga ki ngā piki me ngā heke o ia reanga mai i te tāmitanga o te Māori, ā, he manatu ki te mana o te tino rangatiratanga me kotahitanga. Ko te pakirehua matua o te rangahau e whakautua ai e tēnei tuhikura, koia tēnei: He aha te Tumuakitanga? Ko tāna urupounamu hāpai, he aha ngā pūrākau o tēnā ariki, o tēnā Tumuaki o Ngāti Hauā?

Ngāti Hauā is an iwi (tribe) of the Waikato-Tainui confederation based in the eastern Waikato area. For over 200 years, Ngāti Hauā has maintained the role of ariki, based on whakapapa, to lead the iwi into prosperity. This thesis seeks to explore the evolution of the leadership of Ngāti Hauā through the pūrākau of eleven of its ariki who have carried the chieftainship of Ngāti Hauā since the 19th century. They have all maintained the vision of their ancestor Tarapīpipi, the inaugural Kingmaker. A collective vision of unity, prosperity, and peace by ariki and iwi of that time, culminated in Tarapīpipi crowning the first Māori monarch in 1858. To elucidate the juxtaposition of an ancient Māori world and the settlement of Pākehā in Aotearoa, this research starts with the father of Tarapīpipi, Te Waharoa. It then traces each consecutive ariki of Ngāti Hauā who all are direct descendants of Te Waharoa, through the medium of pūrākau (story). Each story is an insight into the struggles and triumphs of each generation since the colonisation of Aotearoa and is a powerful reminder of self-determination and unity. The principal question this thesis aims to answer is: What is the Tumuakitanga? It’s subsidiary question is, what are the stories of each paramount chief of Ngāti Hauā?

year: 2023