title: Water laws and the cultural values associated with rivers: Current frameworks and future directions.

authors: Campbell, Samuel

subjects: rivers

abstract: The world’s rivers are in ecological decline. They are the most threatened of all freshwater habitats, and threats to their ecological integrity are both increasing and compounding. Rivers are crucial for supporting biological diversity (being unusually biodiverse habitats) and are key to the function of the Earth system. Rivers are also critical for supporting people. They provide food, water for drinking and irrigation, and a significant proportion of the world’s energy. Additionally, people value rivers for their heritage, and the opportunities they provide for aesthetic appreciation and recreation. Rivers also form key components of cosmologies and spiritual practices, and indigenous ways of living and being. These ‘cultural’ values associated with rivers are the focus of this study.

Laws which govern the use and conservation of rivers are generally concerned with safeguarding the socio-economic benefits generated by their utilization. Heritage, aesthetic and recreation interests are recognized to a lesser extent. Each of these provides their own justifications for and approaches to the ecological conservation of rivers. However, the potential role of cultural values (spiritual and indigenous values) in improving ecological outcomes for rivers is underexplored. In this study, I examine the recognition of cultural values associated with rivers in water laws at the international, regional and domestic levels. I ask the question: would greater recognition and implementation of cultural values in water laws improve ecological outcomes for rivers?

I find that the cultural values associated with rivers are heterogeneous and highly context-specific. Their capacity to enhance ecological conservation of rivers is variable. However, some cultural values show real promise in their ability to improve ecological outcomes. I argue that these values should be recognized and implemented in water laws at the domestic, regional and international levels.

text: Water laws and the cultural values associated with rivers: Current frameworks and future directions. The world’s rivers are in ecological decline. They are the most threatened of all freshwater habitats, and threats to their ecological integrity are both increasing and compounding. Rivers are crucial for supporting biological diversity (being unusually biodiverse habitats) and are key to the function of the Earth system. Rivers are also critical for supporting people. They provide food, water for drinking and irrigation, and a significant proportion of the world’s energy. Additionally, people value rivers for their heritage, and the opportunities they provide for aesthetic appreciation and recreation. Rivers also form key components of cosmologies and spiritual practices, and indigenous ways of living and being. These ‘cultural’ values associated with rivers are the focus of this study.

Laws which govern the use and conservation of rivers are generally concerned with safeguarding the socio-economic benefits generated by their utilization. Heritage, aesthetic and recreation interests are recognized to a lesser extent. Each of these provides their own justifications for and approaches to the ecological conservation of rivers. However, the potential role of cultural values (spiritual and indigenous values) in improving ecological outcomes for rivers is underexplored. In this study, I examine the recognition of cultural values associated with rivers in water laws at the international, regional and domestic levels. I ask the question: would greater recognition and implementation of cultural values in water laws improve ecological outcomes for rivers?

I find that the cultural values associated with rivers are heterogeneous and highly context-specific. Their capacity to enhance ecological conservation of rivers is variable. However, some cultural values show real promise in their ability to improve ecological outcomes. I argue that these values should be recognized and implemented in water laws at the domestic, regional and international levels.

year: 2022

title: Integrating ethics into primary science programmes

authors: Ryan, Barbara Elizabeth

subjects: ethics

abstract: Ethics is a valuable way to approach science in primary school because grappling with ethical issues engages students. Focusing on ethics encourages students to extend their understanding of scientific concepts as it is essential to have a sound grasp of the science in order to meaningfully evaluate different positions. For teachers looking to enhance their practice in this area, the ethics-in-science planning tool presented in this article might be a useful resource to consider. The tool supports teachers to think through and develop a detailed lesson sequence for teaching ethics in science.

text: Integrating ethics into primary science programmes Ethics is a valuable way to approach science in primary school because grappling with ethical issues engages students. Focusing on ethics encourages students to extend their understanding of scientific concepts as it is essential to have a sound grasp of the science in order to meaningfully evaluate different positions. For teachers looking to enhance their practice in this area, the ethics-in-science planning tool presented in this article might be a useful resource to consider. The tool supports teachers to think through and develop a detailed lesson sequence for teaching ethics in science.

year: 2012

title: Relational and culturally responsive supervision of doctoral students working in Māori contexts: Inspirations from the Kingitanga

authors: Glynn, Ted

subjects: Relational and culturally responsive supervision

abstract: There is much to celebrate in the greatly increased number of Māori and non-Māori students in New Zealand tertiary institutions undertaking doctoral research on issues of importance to Māori.
However, in honouring their commitments to the Treaty of Waitangi, tertiary institutions need to ensure that Māori doctoral students and their Māori communities maintain their right to define their own research questions, research paradigms and methodologies. As supervisors of doctoral research students investigating issues of significance to Māori people, it is essential that we learn to position ourselves as visitors in someone else’s cultural space, as partners in the Treaty of Waitangi, and as co-constructors of knowledge and research methodology rather than as experts and gatekeepers (Berryman, SooHoo, & Nevin, 2013; Glynn, 2012).

This paper was occasioned by an invitation from the organisers of the annual Kingitanga Day cultural and educational programme at the University of Waikato. The Kingitanga movement has much to teach us about how to frame and conduct research that responds to long-standing injustices that have marginalised Māori people. The Kingitanga has inspired us through the resistance, resilience, agency and humility of its leaders in asserting their right to define the effects of historic and contemporary injustices, and the right to define their own responses to these injustices.

In this paper, we explore some of the relational and culturally responsive understandings we have arrived at from supervising the research of four doctoral candidates in Education (two Māori and two non-Māori). This research has been designed to promote the success and wellbeing of Māori students in mainstream schools, addressing historic and ongoing injustices experienced by Māori students and their whānau and communities.

text: Relational and culturally responsive supervision of doctoral students working in Māori contexts: Inspirations from the Kingitanga There is much to celebrate in the greatly increased number of Māori and non-Māori students in New Zealand tertiary institutions undertaking doctoral research on issues of importance to Māori.
However, in honouring their commitments to the Treaty of Waitangi, tertiary institutions need to ensure that Māori doctoral students and their Māori communities maintain their right to define their own research questions, research paradigms and methodologies. As supervisors of doctoral research students investigating issues of significance to Māori people, it is essential that we learn to position ourselves as visitors in someone else’s cultural space, as partners in the Treaty of Waitangi, and as co-constructors of knowledge and research methodology rather than as experts and gatekeepers (Berryman, SooHoo, & Nevin, 2013; Glynn, 2012).

This paper was occasioned by an invitation from the organisers of the annual Kingitanga Day cultural and educational programme at the University of Waikato. The Kingitanga movement has much to teach us about how to frame and conduct research that responds to long-standing injustices that have marginalised Māori people. The Kingitanga has inspired us through the resistance, resilience, agency and humility of its leaders in asserting their right to define the effects of historic and contemporary injustices, and the right to define their own responses to these injustices.

In this paper, we explore some of the relational and culturally responsive understandings we have arrived at from supervising the research of four doctoral candidates in Education (two Māori and two non-Māori). This research has been designed to promote the success and wellbeing of Māori students in mainstream schools, addressing historic and ongoing injustices experienced by Māori students and their whānau and communities.

year: 2015