title: Where to from here: Charting a way forward for language and education policy in Aotearoa/New Zealand

authors: May, Stephen

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: The principle of cultural and linguistic homogeneity, upon which the organization of modern nation-states is predicated, is becoming increasingly hard to defend and maintain.  At the demographic level, nation-states comprise (indeed, have always comprised) a variety of different cultural and linguistic groups.  These include, alongside majority populations, indigenous peoples and other national minorities, as well as migrant communities.  This long-standing demographic diversity has also increased markedly in modern times, particularly with patterns of increased migration and the forced relocation of refugees.  These demographic changes have, in turn, placed increasing pressure on the public policies of nation-states which have historically been inimical or formal recognition of cultural and linguistic diversity.  As a result, nation-states are having to address more seriously the 'politics of multiculturalism' - that is, the degree to which the languages and cultures of so called 'minority' groups can be (or should be) accorded recognition in the public domain.  This also necessarily involves addressing directly issues of bilingualism and multilingualism and their implications for language and education policy and practice.

This paper explores these broader debates in specific relation to Aotearoa/New Zealand which itself has seen a marked increase in migration, and attendant cultural and linguistic diversity, over the last ten years.  Debates on multiculturalism, and their implications for public policy, are contentious enough in themselves, but are further complicated in Aotearoa/New Zealand by prior bicultural commitments to Maori.  Can multicultural/multilingual commitments be extended without compromising, or undermining biculturalism?  What are the specific implications of this potential dialectic between biculturalism and multiculturalism for the further development of language and education policy in Aotearoa/New Zealand?  The paper will attempt to develop a set of general principles as a basis for moving these debates forward, drawing on discussions of language rights, and language planning and policy, as well as recent developments in international law.  Specific implications for language education will also be discussed.

text: Where to from here: Charting a way forward for language and education policy in Aotearoa/New Zealand The principle of cultural and linguistic homogeneity, upon which the organization of modern nation-states is predicated, is becoming increasingly hard to defend and maintain.  At the demographic level, nation-states comprise (indeed, have always comprised) a variety of different cultural and linguistic groups.  These include, alongside majority populations, indigenous peoples and other national minorities, as well as migrant communities.  This long-standing demographic diversity has also increased markedly in modern times, particularly with patterns of increased migration and the forced relocation of refugees.  These demographic changes have, in turn, placed increasing pressure on the public policies of nation-states which have historically been inimical or formal recognition of cultural and linguistic diversity.  As a result, nation-states are having to address more seriously the 'politics of multiculturalism' - that is, the degree to which the languages and cultures of so called 'minority' groups can be (or should be) accorded recognition in the public domain.  This also necessarily involves addressing directly issues of bilingualism and multilingualism and their implications for language and education policy and practice.

This paper explores these broader debates in specific relation to Aotearoa/New Zealand which itself has seen a marked increase in migration, and attendant cultural and linguistic diversity, over the last ten years.  Debates on multiculturalism, and their implications for public policy, are contentious enough in themselves, but are further complicated in Aotearoa/New Zealand by prior bicultural commitments to Maori.  Can multicultural/multilingual commitments be extended without compromising, or undermining biculturalism?  What are the specific implications of this potential dialectic between biculturalism and multiculturalism for the further development of language and education policy in Aotearoa/New Zealand?  The paper will attempt to develop a set of general principles as a basis for moving these debates forward, drawing on discussions of language rights, and language planning and policy, as well as recent developments in international law.  Specific implications for language education will also be discussed.

year: 2002-01-01

title: Integrating mātauranga Māori into community resilience frameworks for the built environment

authors: Dunlop, Ezra

abstract: Efforts to improve community resilience have seen universal efforts to grow capabilities in disaster management for the built environment. Although comprehensive frameworks exist, the perspective used to derive these frameworks fails to address marginalised communities' vulnerabilities, including the Indigenous Māori people. Colonisation and socio-economic deprivation of Māori mean community response frameworks fail to reflect their values and specific needs when preparing and responding to natural disasters.
The nature of Māori culture and values presents an opportunity to reimagine the scope of community resilience for an inclusive framework. The Māori history has resilient practices weaved into the very fabric of their culture through the oral transmission of waiata, whakataukī, whakairo, and pūrākau. The practice of community resilience amongst ancient Māori was not consigned to singular events but is a holistic perspective bound to their manner of living. Sourcing and qualifying this information from people aligned and immersed in nature is the knowledge required to improve the frameworks to respond to natural disasters while expanding the literature on community resilience.
This study collaborated with Ngāti Toa to represent the Māori worldview using tikanga Māori and Kaupapa Māori methodology in an action-based participatory research approach. The research analyzed traditional Māori resilience through wānanga and korero kanohi-ki-te-kanohi and evaluated various mātauranga, tikanga, and kaupapa that relate to the resilient nature of Ngāti Toa. Modern Māori perspectives of community resilience were compared to this information using a realistic earthquake scenario in the Wellington region. This led to expanding community resilience to be more inclusive of Māori communities and informed measures to enhance their resilience and address their unique needs following a disaster.
This study found that the Ngāti Toa community employs traditional resilience practices dating back to their migration to Aotearoa from Hawaiki. These practices are community-led and grounded in unity, with resilience being viewed as a collective responsibility. The study identified various Te Ao Māori resilience principles by translating traditional resilience principles into corresponding Te Ao Māori principles. A response and recovery plan was developed for Ngāti Toa in response to a realistic earthquake scenario. This plan includes a vulnerability matrix and a community resilience calculator to inform Ngāti Toa of their vulnerability level and needs following a disaster.
The community resilience frameworks developed for the Wellington region in response to the 7.5 magnitude earthquake were found to be economically dependent and did not utilize the response capabilities and strengths of Ngāti Toa. The frameworks lacked proper representation from Ngāti Toa and failed to address the needs of the Māori community in Wellington, resulting in inequitable outcomes. To rectify this,
Page | iii
community resilience frameworks for Māori should adopt a principle-based approach that supports collaborative engagement and integrates Māori cultural values. Unity is a crucial strength underpinning Māori resilience. Technological mediums such as retrofitting Marae should be developed to enhance Māori response capabilities and harness the strengths of Te Ao Māori resilience.

text: Integrating mātauranga Māori into community resilience frameworks for the built environment Efforts to improve community resilience have seen universal efforts to grow capabilities in disaster management for the built environment. Although comprehensive frameworks exist, the perspective used to derive these frameworks fails to address marginalised communities' vulnerabilities, including the Indigenous Māori people. Colonisation and socio-economic deprivation of Māori mean community response frameworks fail to reflect their values and specific needs when preparing and responding to natural disasters.
The nature of Māori culture and values presents an opportunity to reimagine the scope of community resilience for an inclusive framework. The Māori history has resilient practices weaved into the very fabric of their culture through the oral transmission of waiata, whakataukī, whakairo, and pūrākau. The practice of community resilience amongst ancient Māori was not consigned to singular events but is a holistic perspective bound to their manner of living. Sourcing and qualifying this information from people aligned and immersed in nature is the knowledge required to improve the frameworks to respond to natural disasters while expanding the literature on community resilience.
This study collaborated with Ngāti Toa to represent the Māori worldview using tikanga Māori and Kaupapa Māori methodology in an action-based participatory research approach. The research analyzed traditional Māori resilience through wānanga and korero kanohi-ki-te-kanohi and evaluated various mātauranga, tikanga, and kaupapa that relate to the resilient nature of Ngāti Toa. Modern Māori perspectives of community resilience were compared to this information using a realistic earthquake scenario in the Wellington region. This led to expanding community resilience to be more inclusive of Māori communities and informed measures to enhance their resilience and address their unique needs following a disaster.
This study found that the Ngāti Toa community employs traditional resilience practices dating back to their migration to Aotearoa from Hawaiki. These practices are community-led and grounded in unity, with resilience being viewed as a collective responsibility. The study identified various Te Ao Māori resilience principles by translating traditional resilience principles into corresponding Te Ao Māori principles. A response and recovery plan was developed for Ngāti Toa in response to a realistic earthquake scenario. This plan includes a vulnerability matrix and a community resilience calculator to inform Ngāti Toa of their vulnerability level and needs following a disaster.
The community resilience frameworks developed for the Wellington region in response to the 7.5 magnitude earthquake were found to be economically dependent and did not utilize the response capabilities and strengths of Ngāti Toa. The frameworks lacked proper representation from Ngāti Toa and failed to address the needs of the Māori community in Wellington, resulting in inequitable outcomes. To rectify this,
Page | iii
community resilience frameworks for Māori should adopt a principle-based approach that supports collaborative engagement and integrates Māori cultural values. Unity is a crucial strength underpinning Māori resilience. Technological mediums such as retrofitting Marae should be developed to enhance Māori response capabilities and harness the strengths of Te Ao Māori resilience.

year: 2023

title: Alternative expression forms of the bovine αₛ₁-casein gene

authors: Xie, Tao

abstract: The αₛ₁-casein A variant protein results from a rare polymorphism in the bovine αₛ₁-casein gene. It is dramatically different from other αₛ₁-caseins in that it has a 13 amino acid (encoded by the entire exon 4 of the αₛ₁-casein gene) deletion, which significantly alters the physico-chemical properties of the protein. Previous work suggested that the deletion is caused by exon 4 skipping during RNA processing and that a T→A transversion mutation at position +6 in the intron 4 splice donor site is responsible for this skipping (Mohr et al. 1994). The current investigation initially focused on the genetic aetiology of variant A animals in an New Zealand herd; it was found that a single base (adenine) deletion, which is different from the previously reported mutation in the αₛ₁-casein gene, occurs at position +4 of the intron 4 splice donor site in these animals. An amplification created restriction site (ACRS) based method has been developed to genotype this variant of calves and bulls. Later work centred on the investigation of aberrant αₛ₁-casein A variant RNA and protein arising from RNA processing perturbations rather than mutations in the coding sequences of the gene per se. Interestingly, it was found that αₛ₁-casein A variant mRNA and protein is actually expressed by all normal cows examined, at 1-5 percent of the level of the normal gene product! In addition, the identification of low levels of exon 17 and exon 4&5 aberrant skipped transcripts beside that of the exon 4 skipping suggests that, under normal circumstances, bovine αₛ₁-casein gene mRNA undergoes multi-exon-skipping during processing. Thus, it is possible that this gene might also express a spectrum of other hitherto unsuspected, truncated, αₛ₁-casein proteins. These studies utilised the sloughed off mammary epithelia cells in milk to characterise the αₛ₁-casein mRNAs. This technique was found to provide an ideal non-invasive approach for both gene expression studies on the mammary gland and as a screening technique for milk protein gene polymorphisms.

text: Alternative expression forms of the bovine αₛ₁-casein gene The αₛ₁-casein A variant protein results from a rare polymorphism in the bovine αₛ₁-casein gene. It is dramatically different from other αₛ₁-caseins in that it has a 13 amino acid (encoded by the entire exon 4 of the αₛ₁-casein gene) deletion, which significantly alters the physico-chemical properties of the protein. Previous work suggested that the deletion is caused by exon 4 skipping during RNA processing and that a T→A transversion mutation at position +6 in the intron 4 splice donor site is responsible for this skipping (Mohr et al. 1994). The current investigation initially focused on the genetic aetiology of variant A animals in an New Zealand herd; it was found that a single base (adenine) deletion, which is different from the previously reported mutation in the αₛ₁-casein gene, occurs at position +4 of the intron 4 splice donor site in these animals. An amplification created restriction site (ACRS) based method has been developed to genotype this variant of calves and bulls. Later work centred on the investigation of aberrant αₛ₁-casein A variant RNA and protein arising from RNA processing perturbations rather than mutations in the coding sequences of the gene per se. Interestingly, it was found that αₛ₁-casein A variant mRNA and protein is actually expressed by all normal cows examined, at 1-5 percent of the level of the normal gene product! In addition, the identification of low levels of exon 17 and exon 4&5 aberrant skipped transcripts beside that of the exon 4 skipping suggests that, under normal circumstances, bovine αₛ₁-casein gene mRNA undergoes multi-exon-skipping during processing. Thus, it is possible that this gene might also express a spectrum of other hitherto unsuspected, truncated, αₛ₁-casein proteins. These studies utilised the sloughed off mammary epithelia cells in milk to characterise the αₛ₁-casein mRNAs. This technique was found to provide an ideal non-invasive approach for both gene expression studies on the mammary gland and as a screening technique for milk protein gene polymorphisms.

year: 1999