title: Tū te turuturu nō Hine-te-iwaiwa: Mana wahine geographies of birth in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Simmonds, Naomi Beth

subjects: Mana wahine

abstract: This thesis examines the embodied, spiritual and spatial experiences of maternity for Māori women. It reveals how colonial and patriarchal discourses are embedded and embodied in the spaces of childbirth in Aotearoa New Zealand. I use a mana wahine (Māori women’s) framework to critique discourses that continue to marginalise and isolate Māori women and their whānau (family group) during their maternity experiences. Importantly, this research highlights the possibilities of reclaiming and reconfiguring mana wahine in both theory and practice. In doing so, I conceptualise new geographies that account for, and celebrate, uniquely Māori understandings and expressions of maternity. 
Mana wahine provides a much needed theoretical framework that enables Māori women to (re)define and (re)present our lived realities on our own terms. A qualitative mixed method approach of interviews, solicited diary writing and a marae based wānanga is employed to examine the lived experiences of birth for ten first time mothers, five midwives and a wānanga of 17 women and their whānau. In total 32 women participated in various phases of the research.
Empirical material is arranged around four key themes. The first considers the ways in which colonialism is lived and embodied in maternity experiences for many whānau. New formations of colonialism are evident in the silence that can surround the maternal body for women in this research. The second theme highlights how whakapapa (genealogy), wairua (spirituality), and whenua (land/placenta), can provide a powerful reconceptualisation of the maternal body that offers new possibilities for thinking about maternal embodiment, the spaces of birth (both material and discursive) and maternity policy and practice. Third, it is argued that many women and whānau occupy a number of in-between maternity spaces as a result of our colonised realities. As such, considerations of space from a mana wahine perspective can serve to destabilise the dualisms that dominate the spatial politics of birth in Aotearoa. Finally, this thesis posits that by reclaiming the collective and spiritual spaces of birth and afterbirth it is possible to transform and empower women and whānau in their maternity experiences. 
This thesis responds to a scarcity of academic scholarship on mana wahine maternities. It advances mana wahine and feminist geographical knowledges by providing a critical spatial perspective on Māori women’s maternal geographies. It is argued that reclaiming mana wahine maternities has the potential to transform women’s birthing experiences by (re)asserting the tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) of women, of their babies, and of their whānau, and thus the rangatiratanga of Māori communities, hapū (sub-tribe/sub-tribes) and iwi (tribe/tribes).

text: Tū te turuturu nō Hine-te-iwaiwa: Mana wahine geographies of birth in Aotearoa New Zealand This thesis examines the embodied, spiritual and spatial experiences of maternity for Māori women. It reveals how colonial and patriarchal discourses are embedded and embodied in the spaces of childbirth in Aotearoa New Zealand. I use a mana wahine (Māori women’s) framework to critique discourses that continue to marginalise and isolate Māori women and their whānau (family group) during their maternity experiences. Importantly, this research highlights the possibilities of reclaiming and reconfiguring mana wahine in both theory and practice. In doing so, I conceptualise new geographies that account for, and celebrate, uniquely Māori understandings and expressions of maternity. 
Mana wahine provides a much needed theoretical framework that enables Māori women to (re)define and (re)present our lived realities on our own terms. A qualitative mixed method approach of interviews, solicited diary writing and a marae based wānanga is employed to examine the lived experiences of birth for ten first time mothers, five midwives and a wānanga of 17 women and their whānau. In total 32 women participated in various phases of the research.
Empirical material is arranged around four key themes. The first considers the ways in which colonialism is lived and embodied in maternity experiences for many whānau. New formations of colonialism are evident in the silence that can surround the maternal body for women in this research. The second theme highlights how whakapapa (genealogy), wairua (spirituality), and whenua (land/placenta), can provide a powerful reconceptualisation of the maternal body that offers new possibilities for thinking about maternal embodiment, the spaces of birth (both material and discursive) and maternity policy and practice. Third, it is argued that many women and whānau occupy a number of in-between maternity spaces as a result of our colonised realities. As such, considerations of space from a mana wahine perspective can serve to destabilise the dualisms that dominate the spatial politics of birth in Aotearoa. Finally, this thesis posits that by reclaiming the collective and spiritual spaces of birth and afterbirth it is possible to transform and empower women and whānau in their maternity experiences. 
This thesis responds to a scarcity of academic scholarship on mana wahine maternities. It advances mana wahine and feminist geographical knowledges by providing a critical spatial perspective on Māori women’s maternal geographies. It is argued that reclaiming mana wahine maternities has the potential to transform women’s birthing experiences by (re)asserting the tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) of women, of their babies, and of their whānau, and thus the rangatiratanga of Māori communities, hapū (sub-tribe/sub-tribes) and iwi (tribe/tribes).

year: 2014

title: Addressing disparities by listening to Māori whānau: Lessons for Kāhui Ako

authors: Horne, Sharon Karey

subjects: Addressing

abstract: This research involved interviewing five Māori whānau, with children attending four of six schools across a  Kāhui Ako, to identify the extent to which their children were enjoying and achieving education success as Māori.
A review of the literature highlighted precolonial ways of teaching and learning where whānau were highly involved in the education of their children and where teaching and learning was reciprocal and where the mana of children, whānau and hapū were important.
Applying culturally responsive methodologies and using group focussed, semi-structured interviews to collect whānau perspectives it was revealed that many Māori children were neither enjoying education nor achieving success as Māori. Māori whānau spoke sincerely about their own experiences and those of their children.  Critical and consistent messages from Māori whānau identified what must be addressed if Māori children are to reach their full potential and enjoy and achieve education success with their Māori cultural identity secure. 
This thesis identifies that it is crucial for school leaders and teachers to listen to what whānau are saying if educators are to take greater responsibility for the performance of Māori students’ learning and cultural identity by delivering their teaching performance against the cultural competencies stated in Tātaiako.  Addressing, reducing and removing the ongoing challenges and disparities Māori children and whānau face in education is essential. However, unless school leaders and teachers believe they have to change, then Māori will continue to get from schooling what they have always got. That is not good enough for Māori whānau and nor is it good enough for anyone’s whānau. This thesis discusses how together we can make this happen.

text: Addressing disparities by listening to Māori whānau: Lessons for Kāhui Ako This research involved interviewing five Māori whānau, with children attending four of six schools across a  Kāhui Ako, to identify the extent to which their children were enjoying and achieving education success as Māori.
A review of the literature highlighted precolonial ways of teaching and learning where whānau were highly involved in the education of their children and where teaching and learning was reciprocal and where the mana of children, whānau and hapū were important.
Applying culturally responsive methodologies and using group focussed, semi-structured interviews to collect whānau perspectives it was revealed that many Māori children were neither enjoying education nor achieving success as Māori. Māori whānau spoke sincerely about their own experiences and those of their children.  Critical and consistent messages from Māori whānau identified what must be addressed if Māori children are to reach their full potential and enjoy and achieve education success with their Māori cultural identity secure. 
This thesis identifies that it is crucial for school leaders and teachers to listen to what whānau are saying if educators are to take greater responsibility for the performance of Māori students’ learning and cultural identity by delivering their teaching performance against the cultural competencies stated in Tātaiako.  Addressing, reducing and removing the ongoing challenges and disparities Māori children and whānau face in education is essential. However, unless school leaders and teachers believe they have to change, then Māori will continue to get from schooling what they have always got. That is not good enough for Māori whānau and nor is it good enough for anyone’s whānau. This thesis discusses how together we can make this happen.

year: 2020

title: Effect of intensive catchment and in-lake restoration procedures on phosphorus concentrations in a eutrophic lake

authors: Özkundakci, Deniz

subjects: eutrophication

abstract: Lake Okaro is a small, warm monomictic lake in central North Island, New Zealand, which progressed from oligotrophic to eutrophic through the 1960s. Trends in phosphorus (P) concentrations in the lake are linked to multiple restoration efforts over a 5-year period (2003–2008). The restoration procedures include a 2.3 ha constructed wetland established in February 2006 and riparian margin protection to reduce external loading, as well as an Alum application in December 2003 and sediment capping using modified zeolite in September 2008 to reduce internal loading. The annual average total phosphorus (TP) concentration in the lake decreased by 41% from 2004–2005 to 2007–2008. Two predictive models based on external P loading data generally underestimated the measured TP concentrations in the water column due to internal P loading. The relatively rapid response of TP concentrations after reduction of the internal loading using modified zeolite suggests that this technique can effect a rapid decrease in lake water TP concentrations though the trophic state of Lake Okaro showed high resilience to the reduced P loading. It is concluded that the combined effect of all restoration procedures resulted in a relatively rapid decrease in TP concentrations in Lake Okaro, which may be prolonged by continued external load reduction.

text: Effect of intensive catchment and in-lake restoration procedures on phosphorus concentrations in a eutrophic lake Lake Okaro is a small, warm monomictic lake in central North Island, New Zealand, which progressed from oligotrophic to eutrophic through the 1960s. Trends in phosphorus (P) concentrations in the lake are linked to multiple restoration efforts over a 5-year period (2003–2008). The restoration procedures include a 2.3 ha constructed wetland established in February 2006 and riparian margin protection to reduce external loading, as well as an Alum application in December 2003 and sediment capping using modified zeolite in September 2008 to reduce internal loading. The annual average total phosphorus (TP) concentration in the lake decreased by 41% from 2004–2005 to 2007–2008. Two predictive models based on external P loading data generally underestimated the measured TP concentrations in the water column due to internal P loading. The relatively rapid response of TP concentrations after reduction of the internal loading using modified zeolite suggests that this technique can effect a rapid decrease in lake water TP concentrations though the trophic state of Lake Okaro showed high resilience to the reduced P loading. It is concluded that the combined effect of all restoration procedures resulted in a relatively rapid decrease in TP concentrations in Lake Okaro, which may be prolonged by continued external load reduction.

year: 2010