title: The Topp Twins: Untouchable girls: The movie

authors: Johnston, Lynda

subjects: The Topp Twins

abstract: The recently released documentary The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls: The Movie (2009) has quickly become an important cultural text in Aotearoa New Zealand. It opened on April 9, 2009 and immediately broke records for best opening day and weekend in New Zealand’s movie history. For readers to get some sense of this documentary, it is worth watching the trailer (http://topptwins.com/tv-and-film/untouchable-girls) which provides a tantalising peak into the life story, so far, of the Topp Twins – much loved New Zealand entertainers. But the documentary does more than chart life stories, it highlights major social and political movements that helped shape national discourses of what it feels like to be a ‘Kiwi’ (the term ‘Kiwi’ is used by people – of all ethnicities and social classes - who feel they have a New Zealand national identity). I have chosen this documentary for this scholar’s choice essay because it links with a number of discourses that inspire my work on how emotions such as ‘pride’ shape people and place. Untouchable Girls  illustrates the fluidity and partiality of subjectivities (both individually and collectively) and the ways in which subjectivities can be challenged and contested without humiliation.

text: The Topp Twins: Untouchable girls: The movie The recently released documentary The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls: The Movie (2009) has quickly become an important cultural text in Aotearoa New Zealand. It opened on April 9, 2009 and immediately broke records for best opening day and weekend in New Zealand’s movie history. For readers to get some sense of this documentary, it is worth watching the trailer (http://topptwins.com/tv-and-film/untouchable-girls) which provides a tantalising peak into the life story, so far, of the Topp Twins – much loved New Zealand entertainers. But the documentary does more than chart life stories, it highlights major social and political movements that helped shape national discourses of what it feels like to be a ‘Kiwi’ (the term ‘Kiwi’ is used by people – of all ethnicities and social classes - who feel they have a New Zealand national identity). I have chosen this documentary for this scholar’s choice essay because it links with a number of discourses that inspire my work on how emotions such as ‘pride’ shape people and place. Untouchable Girls  illustrates the fluidity and partiality of subjectivities (both individually and collectively) and the ways in which subjectivities can be challenged and contested without humiliation.

year: 2009

title: Investigating the data in investor alerting portals

authors: Nichols, David M.

subjects: computer science

abstract: Financial regulators in many jurisdictions publish investor alerts that identify newly identified threats such as imposter websites and unlicensed firms. Many of these lists are aggregated by the International Organization of Securities Commissions. We analyse these alerts to understand if they can be used to create cybersecurity measures to protect consumers. An exploratory study indicates that the dangerous websites identified in the alerts are largely not detected by the safety services in web browsers. The financial security of consumers can be improved through coordination between the financial regulators, browser developers and cybersecurity services. We provide recommendations for improving the effectiveness of investor alerts through better data publication practices.

text: Investigating the data in investor alerting portals Financial regulators in many jurisdictions publish investor alerts that identify newly identified threats such as imposter websites and unlicensed firms. Many of these lists are aggregated by the International Organization of Securities Commissions. We analyse these alerts to understand if they can be used to create cybersecurity measures to protect consumers. An exploratory study indicates that the dangerous websites identified in the alerts are largely not detected by the safety services in web browsers. The financial security of consumers can be improved through coordination between the financial regulators, browser developers and cybersecurity services. We provide recommendations for improving the effectiveness of investor alerts through better data publication practices.

year: 2025-12-09

title: "It's about empowering the whānau": Māori adult students succeeding at university

authors: Williams, Daphne Christina (Tina)

subjects: māori academic success

abstract: A large number of studies have demonstrated that Māori students are not performing well in education. The literature in the general area of Māori education paints a very grim picture that demonstrates a clear preoccupation with failure and underachievement. These studies often overlook the experiences of Māori adult students who return to study long after leaving school and experience considerable success. This paper focuses on the academic success of 16 indigenous students at a New Zealand university. It is based on the findings of a qualitative investigation that explored the experiences of Māori adult students who entered university with very few formal school qualifications and then went on to attain undergraduate degrees. This paper pays particular attention to the role of the whānau in facilitating Māori educational success at university.

text: "It's about empowering the whānau": Māori adult students succeeding at university A large number of studies have demonstrated that Māori students are not performing well in education. The literature in the general area of Māori education paints a very grim picture that demonstrates a clear preoccupation with failure and underachievement. These studies often overlook the experiences of Māori adult students who return to study long after leaving school and experience considerable success. This paper focuses on the academic success of 16 indigenous students at a New Zealand university. It is based on the findings of a qualitative investigation that explored the experiences of Māori adult students who entered university with very few formal school qualifications and then went on to attain undergraduate degrees. This paper pays particular attention to the role of the whānau in facilitating Māori educational success at university.

year: 2011