title: The Impact of Financial Literacy Training for Migrants

authors: Gibson, John

subjects: finance

abstract: Remittances are a major source of external financing for many developing countries, but the cost of sending them remains high in many migration corridors. Despite efforts to lower these costs by offering new products and developing cost-comparison information sources, many new and promising inexpensive remittance methods have relatively low adoption rates. The lack of financial literacy among migrants has been identified as one potentially important barrier to competition and new product adoption. This paper presents the results of a randomized experiment designed to measure the impact of providing financial literacy training to migrants. Training appears to increase financial knowledge and information-seeking behavior and reduces the risk of switching to costlier remittance products, but it does not result in significant changes in the frequency of remitting or in the remitted amount.

text: The Impact of Financial Literacy Training for Migrants Remittances are a major source of external financing for many developing countries, but the cost of sending them remains high in many migration corridors. Despite efforts to lower these costs by offering new products and developing cost-comparison information sources, many new and promising inexpensive remittance methods have relatively low adoption rates. The lack of financial literacy among migrants has been identified as one potentially important barrier to competition and new product adoption. This paper presents the results of a randomized experiment designed to measure the impact of providing financial literacy training to migrants. Training appears to increase financial knowledge and information-seeking behavior and reduces the risk of switching to costlier remittance products, but it does not result in significant changes in the frequency of remitting or in the remitted amount.

year: 2012

title: Socio-economic drivers of freshwater fish declines in a changing climate: a New Zealand perspective

authors: Ling, Nicholas

subjects: biodiversity

abstract: New Zealand has a freshwater fish fauna characterized by high levels of national and local endemism and which is threatened by anthropogenic stressors including habitat destruction or deterioration, commercial harvest, pollution and interactions with invasive exotic species. Significant expansion of New Zealand's dairy production has recently created further deterioration of lowland water quality and greater pressure for water allocation in drier eastern regions of the South Island. New Zealand has large freshwater resources and its climate is predicted to experience less dramatic changes in mean annual temperature and precipitation than many other regions of the world as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Predicted changes in regional climate and further expansion of the dairy industry, however, will impose similar pressures on freshwater resources in northern New Zealand to those already acting to threaten freshwater biodiversity in the eastern South Island.

text: Socio-economic drivers of freshwater fish declines in a changing climate: a New Zealand perspective New Zealand has a freshwater fish fauna characterized by high levels of national and local endemism and which is threatened by anthropogenic stressors including habitat destruction or deterioration, commercial harvest, pollution and interactions with invasive exotic species. Significant expansion of New Zealand's dairy production has recently created further deterioration of lowland water quality and greater pressure for water allocation in drier eastern regions of the South Island. New Zealand has large freshwater resources and its climate is predicted to experience less dramatic changes in mean annual temperature and precipitation than many other regions of the world as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Predicted changes in regional climate and further expansion of the dairy industry, however, will impose similar pressures on freshwater resources in northern New Zealand to those already acting to threaten freshwater biodiversity in the eastern South Island.

year: 2010

title: The cultural and ecological health of the Tokaanu Stream

authors: Eastwood, Kevin

abstract: Freshwater ecosystems worldwide face increasing threats from human activities like land development and altered flow regimes. These pressures, along with climate change, jeopardize water quality and quantity. Despite these challenges, effective management can improve water quality and habitat, thus sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Lake Taupō, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest freshwater lake, holds immense significance for the local iwi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa. The Tokaanu Stream is a tributary of Lake Taupō that was once considered a premier fly-fishing spot. However, the stream has been severely impacted by the Tongariro Power Scheme, which required it to be bisected and channelized to accommodate the Tokaanu tailrace. Coupled with land-use changes in the catchment, these alterations have caused the local hapū, Ngāti Kurauia, who have mana whenua over the lower stream, to raise concerns about its ecological and cultural degradation. To address this problem, I developed a cultural monitoring framework (CMF) in collaboration with Ngāti Kurauia, alongside conventional stream monitoring, at six sites in the lower Tokaanu Stream.
The bespoke CMF was developed through kōrero and wānanga (discussions and workshops) with Ngāti Kurauia. This participatory approach resulted in a CMF with 16 attributes covering vegetation, birdlife, water quality, pollution, engineering, and substrate. Regular assessments revealed a longitudinal decline in stream condition from the most upstream site (Site 1) to the most downstream (Site 6). The state of Site 3 was identified as the most desirable, whilst Site 5 was the most degraded.
Alongside the CMF, I assessed stream health using conventional scientific measures. This monitoring also showed a longitudinal decline in stream ecosystem health moving downstream. Water quality worsened, with indicator bacteria increasing from 45 to 190 CFU/100 ml and total ammoniacal nitrogen from 0.029 to 0.125 g/m3 over the 4 km segment. Deposited fine sediment cover was high, increasing from 69% cover at Site 1 to 83% at Site 6. Cellulose degradation rates (a functional indicator) were diminished at Sites 5 and 6 in both years, even with warming from geothermal springs. Macroinvertebrate communities, monitored in 2023 and 2024, initially showed a linear decline moving downstream in 2023. However, in-stream remediation in early 2024, undertaken by a private contractor, significantly improved macroinvertebrate indicators at impacted sites (Sites 4-6).
The challenges facing the Tokaanu Stream are complex, stemming from geothermal inputs, urbanisation, upstream agriculture, and channelization. Declining water quality may be linked to faulty sewage infrastructure in Tokaanu Village. The stream's diversion includes a tailrace spillway that prevents larger downstream flows, potentially reducing scouring events crucial for natural sediment dynamics. These changes have significant ecological and cultural ramifications for Ngāti Kurauia.
To better understand and address these issues, I argue for an additional downstream State of the Environment (SOE) monitoring site. The current site, near the upstream spring, fails to capture the full impact of catchment inputs, including diffuse pollution from Tokaanu Village and altered sediment dynamics from the diversion. An additional SOE site, coupled with the findings of my thesis, would provide crucial knowledge to support efforts in restoring the Tokaanu Stream's ecological health and the mana of Ngāti Kurauia.

text: The cultural and ecological health of the Tokaanu Stream Freshwater ecosystems worldwide face increasing threats from human activities like land development and altered flow regimes. These pressures, along with climate change, jeopardize water quality and quantity. Despite these challenges, effective management can improve water quality and habitat, thus sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Lake Taupō, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest freshwater lake, holds immense significance for the local iwi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa. The Tokaanu Stream is a tributary of Lake Taupō that was once considered a premier fly-fishing spot. However, the stream has been severely impacted by the Tongariro Power Scheme, which required it to be bisected and channelized to accommodate the Tokaanu tailrace. Coupled with land-use changes in the catchment, these alterations have caused the local hapū, Ngāti Kurauia, who have mana whenua over the lower stream, to raise concerns about its ecological and cultural degradation. To address this problem, I developed a cultural monitoring framework (CMF) in collaboration with Ngāti Kurauia, alongside conventional stream monitoring, at six sites in the lower Tokaanu Stream.
The bespoke CMF was developed through kōrero and wānanga (discussions and workshops) with Ngāti Kurauia. This participatory approach resulted in a CMF with 16 attributes covering vegetation, birdlife, water quality, pollution, engineering, and substrate. Regular assessments revealed a longitudinal decline in stream condition from the most upstream site (Site 1) to the most downstream (Site 6). The state of Site 3 was identified as the most desirable, whilst Site 5 was the most degraded.
Alongside the CMF, I assessed stream health using conventional scientific measures. This monitoring also showed a longitudinal decline in stream ecosystem health moving downstream. Water quality worsened, with indicator bacteria increasing from 45 to 190 CFU/100 ml and total ammoniacal nitrogen from 0.029 to 0.125 g/m3 over the 4 km segment. Deposited fine sediment cover was high, increasing from 69% cover at Site 1 to 83% at Site 6. Cellulose degradation rates (a functional indicator) were diminished at Sites 5 and 6 in both years, even with warming from geothermal springs. Macroinvertebrate communities, monitored in 2023 and 2024, initially showed a linear decline moving downstream in 2023. However, in-stream remediation in early 2024, undertaken by a private contractor, significantly improved macroinvertebrate indicators at impacted sites (Sites 4-6).
The challenges facing the Tokaanu Stream are complex, stemming from geothermal inputs, urbanisation, upstream agriculture, and channelization. Declining water quality may be linked to faulty sewage infrastructure in Tokaanu Village. The stream's diversion includes a tailrace spillway that prevents larger downstream flows, potentially reducing scouring events crucial for natural sediment dynamics. These changes have significant ecological and cultural ramifications for Ngāti Kurauia.
To better understand and address these issues, I argue for an additional downstream State of the Environment (SOE) monitoring site. The current site, near the upstream spring, fails to capture the full impact of catchment inputs, including diffuse pollution from Tokaanu Village and altered sediment dynamics from the diversion. An additional SOE site, coupled with the findings of my thesis, would provide crucial knowledge to support efforts in restoring the Tokaanu Stream's ecological health and the mana of Ngāti Kurauia.

year: 2025