title: Boat electrofishing survey of the Kaituna River and Bell Road oxbow

authors: Hicks, Brendan J.

abstract: The Department of Conservation (DOC) and Bay of Plenty Regional Council contracted the University of Waikato to conduct a boat electrofishing survey of the Kaituna River and Bell Road oxbow.  This survey was in response to sightings of large orange fish in the oxbow by members of the public and the consequent concern that these fish might be koi carp (Cyprinus carpio).  We also recorded species of native fish to determine their relative density and biomass in the oxbow and the adjacent Kaituna River.  
The 10 sites fished in the Kaituna River and Bell Road oxbow (latitude 37.743780°S, longitude 176.359509°W) are located about 5 km northeast of Te Puke township and about 5.5 km upstream from the sea. Both the oxbow and the main river channel are tidal at this point. The oxbow had a diverse macrophyte assemblage of hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), the oxygen weed 
Egeria densa, floating sudds of reed sweetgrass (Glyceria maxima), and water pepper (Persicaria hydropiper), with scattered plants of curly-leaved pondweed (Potamogeton crispus). There were also small amounts of parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), floating water fern (Azolla rubra), duckweed (Lemna minor), watercress (Nasturtium officinale), and native pondweed (Potamogeton ochreatus). The main river channel had fringing beds of the oxygen weeds Lagarosiphon major and Elodea canadensis below the low water mark. 
All sites where fished on 8 October 2014; surface water temperature was 14.7°C in the oxbow at the start of fishing at 1030 h, ambient conductivity was 187.0 μS cm⁻¹, and specific conductivity was 232.8 μS cm⁻¹. Black disc distance was 0.98 m. In the main river channel at 1440 h ambient conductivity was 106.6 μS cm⁻¹, and specific conductivity was 136.7 μS cm⁻¹. We fished 1,953 m in length and an area of 7,812 m2 from a total of ten sites.  We caught a total of 127 fish, with shortfin eel the most abundant species. Longfin eel comprised 14.0 kg of the total fish biomass caught of 26.4 kg. The 24 goldfish caught in the oxbow comprised 3.3 kg of biomass. Common, giant, and redfin bullies were about equally abundant. Yelloweye mullet were caught only in the main channel of the river. Shrimp were caught in varying numbers at all sites v, the mid-water shot in the oxbow. 
As the purpose of this fishing was to establish the identity of large orange fish seen in the Bell Road oxbow, the finding of goldfish was significant. From the size and colour ranges and abundance of the goldfish caught in the oxbow it is highly likely that any orange fish seen in the oxbow were large orange goldfish and not koi carp.

text: Boat electrofishing survey of the Kaituna River and Bell Road oxbow The Department of Conservation (DOC) and Bay of Plenty Regional Council contracted the University of Waikato to conduct a boat electrofishing survey of the Kaituna River and Bell Road oxbow.  This survey was in response to sightings of large orange fish in the oxbow by members of the public and the consequent concern that these fish might be koi carp (Cyprinus carpio).  We also recorded species of native fish to determine their relative density and biomass in the oxbow and the adjacent Kaituna River.  
The 10 sites fished in the Kaituna River and Bell Road oxbow (latitude 37.743780°S, longitude 176.359509°W) are located about 5 km northeast of Te Puke township and about 5.5 km upstream from the sea. Both the oxbow and the main river channel are tidal at this point. The oxbow had a diverse macrophyte assemblage of hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), the oxygen weed 
Egeria densa, floating sudds of reed sweetgrass (Glyceria maxima), and water pepper (Persicaria hydropiper), with scattered plants of curly-leaved pondweed (Potamogeton crispus). There were also small amounts of parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), floating water fern (Azolla rubra), duckweed (Lemna minor), watercress (Nasturtium officinale), and native pondweed (Potamogeton ochreatus). The main river channel had fringing beds of the oxygen weeds Lagarosiphon major and Elodea canadensis below the low water mark. 
All sites where fished on 8 October 2014; surface water temperature was 14.7°C in the oxbow at the start of fishing at 1030 h, ambient conductivity was 187.0 μS cm⁻¹, and specific conductivity was 232.8 μS cm⁻¹. Black disc distance was 0.98 m. In the main river channel at 1440 h ambient conductivity was 106.6 μS cm⁻¹, and specific conductivity was 136.7 μS cm⁻¹. We fished 1,953 m in length and an area of 7,812 m2 from a total of ten sites.  We caught a total of 127 fish, with shortfin eel the most abundant species. Longfin eel comprised 14.0 kg of the total fish biomass caught of 26.4 kg. The 24 goldfish caught in the oxbow comprised 3.3 kg of biomass. Common, giant, and redfin bullies were about equally abundant. Yelloweye mullet were caught only in the main channel of the river. Shrimp were caught in varying numbers at all sites v, the mid-water shot in the oxbow. 
As the purpose of this fishing was to establish the identity of large orange fish seen in the Bell Road oxbow, the finding of goldfish was significant. From the size and colour ranges and abundance of the goldfish caught in the oxbow it is highly likely that any orange fish seen in the oxbow were large orange goldfish and not koi carp.

year: 2014

title: Intercultural communication between two infants in a multicultural early childhood education context in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Serhan, Yasmine

subjects: early childhood education

abstract: This study explores what intercultural communication could look like in an early childhood education setting in Aotearoa, New Zealand. In particular, it investigates the interactions between two infants that are under 18-months and have different home languages to one another. The research data was gathered using qualitative research methods. The infants’ interactions were observed and video-recorded over a period of 2 weeks. Additional data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with the parents of the infants. This study gathered the experiences of infants and the voices of their families to create an in-depth description of infants’ multimodal experiences of intercultural communication. A Bakhtinian dialogic approach was used to address the subtleties that occurred within the communication between the infants, such as words, gestures, and feelings. The findings of this study indicate that infants are agentic subjects that utilise a number of strategies to initiate, maintain, and end intercultural interactions. Firstly, it was found that infants used joint attention and shared intentionality to understand each other’s intentions and respond appropriately. Secondly, the infants synchronised with each other during playful interactions and communicated through laughter, babble, vocalisations, and imitation. Thirdly, disagreement and uncertainty characterised an unexpected element of intercultural communication-which occurred a as result of having different cultural understandings around different phenomena. Finally, it was found that infants used their cultural experiences at home as a reference in their interactions with each other at the centre. This study implies that educators must critically consider the affordances of early childhood education environments for supporting infant-peer interculturalism. In addition, working with infants in a multicultural ECE setting calls for teachers to recognise, respond to, and validate infants’ various multicultural forms of communication.

text: Intercultural communication between two infants in a multicultural early childhood education context in Aotearoa New Zealand This study explores what intercultural communication could look like in an early childhood education setting in Aotearoa, New Zealand. In particular, it investigates the interactions between two infants that are under 18-months and have different home languages to one another. The research data was gathered using qualitative research methods. The infants’ interactions were observed and video-recorded over a period of 2 weeks. Additional data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with the parents of the infants. This study gathered the experiences of infants and the voices of their families to create an in-depth description of infants’ multimodal experiences of intercultural communication. A Bakhtinian dialogic approach was used to address the subtleties that occurred within the communication between the infants, such as words, gestures, and feelings. The findings of this study indicate that infants are agentic subjects that utilise a number of strategies to initiate, maintain, and end intercultural interactions. Firstly, it was found that infants used joint attention and shared intentionality to understand each other’s intentions and respond appropriately. Secondly, the infants synchronised with each other during playful interactions and communicated through laughter, babble, vocalisations, and imitation. Thirdly, disagreement and uncertainty characterised an unexpected element of intercultural communication-which occurred a as result of having different cultural understandings around different phenomena. Finally, it was found that infants used their cultural experiences at home as a reference in their interactions with each other at the centre. This study implies that educators must critically consider the affordances of early childhood education environments for supporting infant-peer interculturalism. In addition, working with infants in a multicultural ECE setting calls for teachers to recognise, respond to, and validate infants’ various multicultural forms of communication.

year: 2020

title: Developing restorative practices in schools: Some reflections

authors: Drewery, Wendy

subjects: Counselling

abstract: The use of disciplinary practices derived from restorative justice have recently been gaining popularity and inciting keen interest in the education community. Practices that have so far been introduced have tended to centre on conferencing, although there is a broadening range of other practices in schools that are being brought under the heading “restorative”. This paper offers some reflections on these developments, building on the experiences of a team at the University of Waikato, which completed two projects on restorative conferencing in schools for the Ministry of Education under the rubric of the Suspension Reduction Initiative, and continues to develop understanding of the practices. The projects included developing and trialling processes for suspension hearings using restorative conferencing and principles from restorative justice. Objectives of both projects were related to the desire to reduce numbers of suspensions and exclusions, particularly of Māori children. We argue that the introduction of restorative practices invites schools into some tectonic shifts in thinking about offending behaviour, about community, and ultimately about the purposes of education.

text: Developing restorative practices in schools: Some reflections The use of disciplinary practices derived from restorative justice have recently been gaining popularity and inciting keen interest in the education community. Practices that have so far been introduced have tended to centre on conferencing, although there is a broadening range of other practices in schools that are being brought under the heading “restorative”. This paper offers some reflections on these developments, building on the experiences of a team at the University of Waikato, which completed two projects on restorative conferencing in schools for the Ministry of Education under the rubric of the Suspension Reduction Initiative, and continues to develop understanding of the practices. The projects included developing and trialling processes for suspension hearings using restorative conferencing and principles from restorative justice. Objectives of both projects were related to the desire to reduce numbers of suspensions and exclusions, particularly of Māori children. We argue that the introduction of restorative practices invites schools into some tectonic shifts in thinking about offending behaviour, about community, and ultimately about the purposes of education.

year: 2005