title: Black coral forests and marine biodiversity

authors: Daya-Winterbottom, Trevor

abstract: New Zealand has a strong social commitment to environmental protection. It has the 6th largest marine area, and a tradition of enacting world-leading legislation, e.g. the Marine Reserves Act 1971 (MRA), and the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). But despite this background New Zealand has struggled to halt the decline of indigenous biodiversity. Notwithstanding baseline state of the environment reporting since 1997, there has been political resistance to preparing national policy statements regarding indigenous biodiversity to assist with interpreting the law, and attempts to replace the MRA with modern up to date legislation have stalled since 2002. 
This paper will therefore focus on the Fiordland coastal marine area, and the largest global submarine forest of black coral trees found in that area, as a mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of New Zealand’s marine protection laws. Generally, an empirical approach is used in the following sections to interrogate what environmental practice would look like if carried out in a sustainable way, what government entities and the private sector are doing to foster sustainable outcomes, and what should be done to promote sustainability. The overall thesis of the paper is that different evaluation approaches (constitutional, emprical, and governance) are useful in exposing any gaps between policy and practice within the legal system.

text: Black coral forests and marine biodiversity New Zealand has a strong social commitment to environmental protection. It has the 6th largest marine area, and a tradition of enacting world-leading legislation, e.g. the Marine Reserves Act 1971 (MRA), and the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). But despite this background New Zealand has struggled to halt the decline of indigenous biodiversity. Notwithstanding baseline state of the environment reporting since 1997, there has been political resistance to preparing national policy statements regarding indigenous biodiversity to assist with interpreting the law, and attempts to replace the MRA with modern up to date legislation have stalled since 2002. 
This paper will therefore focus on the Fiordland coastal marine area, and the largest global submarine forest of black coral trees found in that area, as a mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of New Zealand’s marine protection laws. Generally, an empirical approach is used in the following sections to interrogate what environmental practice would look like if carried out in a sustainable way, what government entities and the private sector are doing to foster sustainable outcomes, and what should be done to promote sustainability. The overall thesis of the paper is that different evaluation approaches (constitutional, emprical, and governance) are useful in exposing any gaps between policy and practice within the legal system.

year: 2015

title: Acigöl rhyolite field, Central Anatolia (part 1): high-resolution dating of eruption episodes and zircon growth rates

authors: Schmitt, Axel K.

subjects: Zircon

abstract: Protracted pre-eruptive zircon residence is frequently detected in continental rhyolites and can conflict with thermal models, indicating briefer magma cooling durations if scaled to erupted volumes. Here, we present combined U-Th and (U-Th)/He zircon ages from the Acigöl rhyolite field (Central Anatolia, Turkey), which is part of a Quaternary bimodal volcanic complex. Unlike other geochronometers, this approach dates crystallization and eruption on the same crystals, allowing for internal consistency testing. Despite the overall longevity of Acigöl rhyolite volcanism and systematic trends of progressive depletion in compatible trace elements and decreasing zircon saturation temperatures, we find that zircon crystallized in two brief pulses corresponding to eruptions in the eastern and western part of the field during Middle and Late Pleistocene times, respectively. For Late Pleistocene zircon, resolvable differences exist between interior (average: 30.7 ± 0.9 ka; 1σ error) and rim (21.9 ± 1.3 ka) crystallization ages. These translate into radial crystal growth rates of ∼10⁻¹³ to 10⁻¹⁴ cm/s, broadly consistent with those constrained by diffusion experiments. Rim crystallization and (U-Th)/He eruption ages (24.2 ± 0.4 ka) overlap within uncertainty. Evidence for brief zircon residence at Acigöl contrasts with many other rhyolite fields, suggesting that protracted zircon crystallization in, or recycling from, long-lived crystal mushes is not ubiquitous in continental silicic magma systems. Instead, the span of pre-eruptive zircon ages is consistent with autochthonous crystallization in individual small-volume magma batches that originated from basaltic precursors.

text: Acigöl rhyolite field, Central Anatolia (part 1): high-resolution dating of eruption episodes and zircon growth rates Protracted pre-eruptive zircon residence is frequently detected in continental rhyolites and can conflict with thermal models, indicating briefer magma cooling durations if scaled to erupted volumes. Here, we present combined U-Th and (U-Th)/He zircon ages from the Acigöl rhyolite field (Central Anatolia, Turkey), which is part of a Quaternary bimodal volcanic complex. Unlike other geochronometers, this approach dates crystallization and eruption on the same crystals, allowing for internal consistency testing. Despite the overall longevity of Acigöl rhyolite volcanism and systematic trends of progressive depletion in compatible trace elements and decreasing zircon saturation temperatures, we find that zircon crystallized in two brief pulses corresponding to eruptions in the eastern and western part of the field during Middle and Late Pleistocene times, respectively. For Late Pleistocene zircon, resolvable differences exist between interior (average: 30.7 ± 0.9 ka; 1σ error) and rim (21.9 ± 1.3 ka) crystallization ages. These translate into radial crystal growth rates of ∼10⁻¹³ to 10⁻¹⁴ cm/s, broadly consistent with those constrained by diffusion experiments. Rim crystallization and (U-Th)/He eruption ages (24.2 ± 0.4 ka) overlap within uncertainty. Evidence for brief zircon residence at Acigöl contrasts with many other rhyolite fields, suggesting that protracted zircon crystallization in, or recycling from, long-lived crystal mushes is not ubiquitous in continental silicic magma systems. Instead, the span of pre-eruptive zircon ages is consistent with autochthonous crystallization in individual small-volume magma batches that originated from basaltic precursors.

year: 2011

title: The Māori precariat: A silhouette

authors: Stubbs, Thomas

abstract: Recent financial crises and a host of punitive labour and welfare reforms have intensified socio-economic divisions across advanced nations. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the indigenous Maori peoples are subject to systemic labour market disadvantages, and are thus more likely to be affected by increased inequalities in times of economic downturn. Despite the legacies of systematic economic exclusion and discrimination in the economy, the majority of Maori demonstrate a resounding level of social resilience in the face of this hostile context. Even so, there is evidence to suggest that an unacceptable number of Maori still struggle to overcome these challenges. For instance, 13.0 per cent of Maori are in temporary work compared to 8.2 per cent of Pakeha,1 and 12.4 per cent of Maori are experiencing unemployment against 4.4 per cent. of Pakeha.2 These trends contribute to a range of socio-economic challenges, to which mainstream and Maori service providers are struggling to respond.
In this chapter, we develop a demographic silhouette to seek an understanding of socio-economically marginalised - or 'precariat' - Maori. Although we are wary of portraying Maori in an unduly negative light, we also submit that an appreciation of the extent of the issues faced by this group is necessary if our analysis is to be useful in the development of an effective response. We begin by defining the precariat. Using data obtained from Statistics New Zealand's Te Kupenga survey of Maori wellbeing, we then outline the prevalence and composition of the Maori precariat in Aotearoa New Zealand. Overall, we find that the Maori precariat comprises a substantial portion of the Maori population, particularly among females, younger age groups, and those with low or no qualifications. They are predominantly located-in regions that have high levels of seasonal employment, and in more deprived areas. We also find the value attached to Maori culture and experiences of stigma for this group are, for the most part, similar to those among the Maori non-precariat.

text: The Māori precariat: A silhouette Recent financial crises and a host of punitive labour and welfare reforms have intensified socio-economic divisions across advanced nations. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the indigenous Maori peoples are subject to systemic labour market disadvantages, and are thus more likely to be affected by increased inequalities in times of economic downturn. Despite the legacies of systematic economic exclusion and discrimination in the economy, the majority of Maori demonstrate a resounding level of social resilience in the face of this hostile context. Even so, there is evidence to suggest that an unacceptable number of Maori still struggle to overcome these challenges. For instance, 13.0 per cent of Maori are in temporary work compared to 8.2 per cent of Pakeha,1 and 12.4 per cent of Maori are experiencing unemployment against 4.4 per cent. of Pakeha.2 These trends contribute to a range of socio-economic challenges, to which mainstream and Maori service providers are struggling to respond.
In this chapter, we develop a demographic silhouette to seek an understanding of socio-economically marginalised - or 'precariat' - Maori. Although we are wary of portraying Maori in an unduly negative light, we also submit that an appreciation of the extent of the issues faced by this group is necessary if our analysis is to be useful in the development of an effective response. We begin by defining the precariat. Using data obtained from Statistics New Zealand's Te Kupenga survey of Maori wellbeing, we then outline the prevalence and composition of the Maori precariat in Aotearoa New Zealand. Overall, we find that the Maori precariat comprises a substantial portion of the Maori population, particularly among females, younger age groups, and those with low or no qualifications. They are predominantly located-in regions that have high levels of seasonal employment, and in more deprived areas. We also find the value attached to Maori culture and experiences of stigma for this group are, for the most part, similar to those among the Maori non-precariat.

year: 2017