title: 3D Printing of Natural Fibre Reinforced Recycled Polypropylene

authors: Stoof, David

abstract: The adverse effects that waste plastics are having on the environment is becoming increasingly apparent. However, the plastics recycling industry in New Zealand is entirely market driven, necessitating the development of new markets to account for increasing quantities of waste. Innovations in additive manufacturing (AM) have presented opportunities to recycle thermoplastics for use as AM feedstock material. Using waste thermoplastic materials to fabricate composites in this way, adds value to the polymer by enhancing mechanical and aesthetic properties. A range of composite filaments with differing fibre and gypsum weight contents were then produced using pre and post-consumer polypropylene (PP). The most successful filaments in terms of tensile properties consisted of 30 wt% harakeke in a post-consumer PP matrix which had a tensile strength and Young’s modulus of 41MPa and 3.8 GPa respectively. Comparing these results to those of plain PP filament, showed improvements in tensile strength and Young’s modulus of 77% and 275% respectively. Finally, a novel method of measuring shrinkage in 3d printed components was developed and used to compare relative shrinkage of different composites. The composite that showed the least shrinkage consisted of 30 wt% harakeke with a shrinkage value of 0.34% corresponding to a net reduction of 84% relative to plain PP.

text: 3D Printing of Natural Fibre Reinforced Recycled Polypropylene The adverse effects that waste plastics are having on the environment is becoming increasingly apparent. However, the plastics recycling industry in New Zealand is entirely market driven, necessitating the development of new markets to account for increasing quantities of waste. Innovations in additive manufacturing (AM) have presented opportunities to recycle thermoplastics for use as AM feedstock material. Using waste thermoplastic materials to fabricate composites in this way, adds value to the polymer by enhancing mechanical and aesthetic properties. A range of composite filaments with differing fibre and gypsum weight contents were then produced using pre and post-consumer polypropylene (PP). The most successful filaments in terms of tensile properties consisted of 30 wt% harakeke in a post-consumer PP matrix which had a tensile strength and Young’s modulus of 41MPa and 3.8 GPa respectively. Comparing these results to those of plain PP filament, showed improvements in tensile strength and Young’s modulus of 77% and 275% respectively. Finally, a novel method of measuring shrinkage in 3d printed components was developed and used to compare relative shrinkage of different composites. The composite that showed the least shrinkage consisted of 30 wt% harakeke with a shrinkage value of 0.34% corresponding to a net reduction of 84% relative to plain PP.

year: 2017

title: Interrogating the intersection of participation and performance outcomes in school sport: A case study of sport in educational settings

authors: Sherlock Ludlow, Finlay

subjects: youth development

abstract: The aim of this research was to explore the challenges faced by educators when attempting to offer both participation and performance pathways for pupils in a school setting. Education is often overlooked when performance sport is integrated into community, youth, and school settings. This research sought to explore the nuances of school sport delivery within New Zealand. Amidst falling participation rates of youth in sport, it is evident that schools play a critical role in offering quality sporting experiences to young people. One of the driving factors of the falling rates of participation is the professionalisation (including specialisation) of youth sport. To counter this, initiatives such as 'Balance is Better' and GoodSports have been developed to prioritise youth development in sport. Yet schools and sporting academies can deliver sport how they see fit, and as such, do not need to align to these initiatives. It is therefore important to understand what the day-to-day delivery of youth sport looks like within schools. Specifically, this research considers the tensions that school sport staff face in delivering sport programmes within a complicated youth sport landscape. This thesis adopts a pragmatic paradigm, informing a qualitative case study. The primary tools for data collection were observations and interviews with nine staff across a range of roles within an independent school in New Zealand. Using Practice Architectures as a theoretical lens through which to analyse data, interactions within the school were grouped into social-political; cultural-discursive; and material-economic arrangements. Through the bundles of these arrangements, three key tensions emerge when considering some of the challenges faced by sport staff in education settings: 1) inconsistent and ineffective leadership to determine the direction of sport; 2) a disconnect in values between practitioners; 3) a need for processes to socialise the staff to the school values. The findings and implications of this study highlight the importance of schools offering opportunities for staff to align themselves with the values of the school, and the importance of the school having a sense of what day-to-day sporting delivery looks like to its students. Beyond this, it is argued that further research and sport governance platforms (such as that of Sport New Zealand) should work to support schools to ensure that sport is delivered in accordance with school values and youth development initiatives.

text: Interrogating the intersection of participation and performance outcomes in school sport: A case study of sport in educational settings The aim of this research was to explore the challenges faced by educators when attempting to offer both participation and performance pathways for pupils in a school setting. Education is often overlooked when performance sport is integrated into community, youth, and school settings. This research sought to explore the nuances of school sport delivery within New Zealand. Amidst falling participation rates of youth in sport, it is evident that schools play a critical role in offering quality sporting experiences to young people. One of the driving factors of the falling rates of participation is the professionalisation (including specialisation) of youth sport. To counter this, initiatives such as 'Balance is Better' and GoodSports have been developed to prioritise youth development in sport. Yet schools and sporting academies can deliver sport how they see fit, and as such, do not need to align to these initiatives. It is therefore important to understand what the day-to-day delivery of youth sport looks like within schools. Specifically, this research considers the tensions that school sport staff face in delivering sport programmes within a complicated youth sport landscape. This thesis adopts a pragmatic paradigm, informing a qualitative case study. The primary tools for data collection were observations and interviews with nine staff across a range of roles within an independent school in New Zealand. Using Practice Architectures as a theoretical lens through which to analyse data, interactions within the school were grouped into social-political; cultural-discursive; and material-economic arrangements. Through the bundles of these arrangements, three key tensions emerge when considering some of the challenges faced by sport staff in education settings: 1) inconsistent and ineffective leadership to determine the direction of sport; 2) a disconnect in values between practitioners; 3) a need for processes to socialise the staff to the school values. The findings and implications of this study highlight the importance of schools offering opportunities for staff to align themselves with the values of the school, and the importance of the school having a sense of what day-to-day sporting delivery looks like to its students. Beyond this, it is argued that further research and sport governance platforms (such as that of Sport New Zealand) should work to support schools to ensure that sport is delivered in accordance with school values and youth development initiatives.

year: 2025

title: Understanding cultural relationships: Whānau, whanaungatanga and Māori student attainment of university entrance in a mainstream secondary school in Aotearoa, New Zealand

authors: McGill, Kristin

subjects: Cultural relationships

abstract: This study seeks to understand the importance of cultural relationships in supporting Māori student achievement of University Entrance.  This research is based on the stories of five female ākonga Māori, all of whom completed five years of secondary education, and their whānau.  It looks deeply into their relational experiences of whanaungatanga and whānautanga with their school, and the impact this had on their academic achievement of NCEA Level 3 and University Entrance. 

The results highlight the importance of culturally grounded transformative praxis and the risk of attempting to incorporate culturally located principles such as whānau and whanaungatanga into a schooling context, while still operating within historical hegemonic frameworks.

text: Understanding cultural relationships: Whānau, whanaungatanga and Māori student attainment of university entrance in a mainstream secondary school in Aotearoa, New Zealand This study seeks to understand the importance of cultural relationships in supporting Māori student achievement of University Entrance.  This research is based on the stories of five female ākonga Māori, all of whom completed five years of secondary education, and their whānau.  It looks deeply into their relational experiences of whanaungatanga and whānautanga with their school, and the impact this had on their academic achievement of NCEA Level 3 and University Entrance. 

The results highlight the importance of culturally grounded transformative praxis and the risk of attempting to incorporate culturally located principles such as whānau and whanaungatanga into a schooling context, while still operating within historical hegemonic frameworks.

year: 2023