title: Understanding the context of hospital transfers and away-from-home hospitalisations for Māori

authors: Cormack, Donna

subjects: Humans

abstract: In Aotearoa New Zealand, people regularly travel away from their home to receive hospital care. While the role of whānau support for patients in hospital is critical for Māori, there is little information about away-from-home hospitalisations. This paper describes the frequency and patterning of away-from-home hospitalisations and inter-hospital transfers for Māori. Data from the National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), for the 6-year period of 1 January 2009-31 December 2014, were analysed. Basic frequencies, means and descriptive statistics were produced using SAS software. We found that more than 10% of all routine hospitalisations constituted an away-from-home hospitalisation for Māori; that is, a hospitalisation that was in a district health board (DHB) other than the DHB of usual residence for the patient. One quarter (25.19%) of transfer hospitalisations were to a DHB other than the patient's DHB of domicile. Away-from-home hospital admissions increase for Māori as deprivation increases for both routine and transfer admissions, with over half of Māori hospital admissions among people who live in areas of high deprivation. This analysis aids in understanding away-from-home hospitalisations for Māori whānau, the characteristics associated with these types of hospitalisations and supports the development and implementation of policies which better meet whānau Māori needs. The cumulative impact of the need to travel to hospital for care, levels of poverty and a primarily reimbursement-based travel assistance system all perpetuate an unequal cost burden placed upon Māori whānau.

text: Understanding the context of hospital transfers and away-from-home hospitalisations for Māori In Aotearoa New Zealand, people regularly travel away from their home to receive hospital care. While the role of whānau support for patients in hospital is critical for Māori, there is little information about away-from-home hospitalisations. This paper describes the frequency and patterning of away-from-home hospitalisations and inter-hospital transfers for Māori. Data from the National Minimum Dataset (NMDS), for the 6-year period of 1 January 2009-31 December 2014, were analysed. Basic frequencies, means and descriptive statistics were produced using SAS software. We found that more than 10% of all routine hospitalisations constituted an away-from-home hospitalisation for Māori; that is, a hospitalisation that was in a district health board (DHB) other than the DHB of usual residence for the patient. One quarter (25.19%) of transfer hospitalisations were to a DHB other than the patient's DHB of domicile. Away-from-home hospital admissions increase for Māori as deprivation increases for both routine and transfer admissions, with over half of Māori hospital admissions among people who live in areas of high deprivation. This analysis aids in understanding away-from-home hospitalisations for Māori whānau, the characteristics associated with these types of hospitalisations and supports the development and implementation of policies which better meet whānau Māori needs. The cumulative impact of the need to travel to hospital for care, levels of poverty and a primarily reimbursement-based travel assistance system all perpetuate an unequal cost burden placed upon Māori whānau.

year: 2022-11-11

title: He Piko, He Repo: Environmental DNA as a biomonitoring tool for wetland restoration

authors: Bird, Starsha

subjects: colonisation

abstract: Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots, harbouring distinctive species while providing numerous ecosystem services. Unfortunately, throughout human civilisation, they have been systematically degraded, resulting in a dramatic global loss in wetland extent, the establishment of invasive species and the extinction of many natives and, in Aotearoa New Zealand, impediment of the special connection Māori share with their repo (wetlands). Monitoring wetland biodiversity to take appropriate restorative action and minimise further degradation is imperative, particularly in the face of climate change. Environmental DNA (eDNA; genetic material released by organisms into the environment) is an increasingly popular non-invasive biomonitoring method that provides information about the presence or potential absence of species inhabiting a given ecosystem, but has yet to be optimised for wetland environments. My thesis aimed to address the consequences of colonisation on the relationship between Māori and their wetlands, and to explore the value eDNA holds for wetland biomonitoring. The first analysis (Chapter 2) delved into the past (post-European settlement; 1840s), the present (2023), and the future (2073) of Opuatia Wetland (Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand) through a series of interviews with three individuals who whakapapa to (are connected with) Opuatia Wetland and its surroundings. I found that Opuatia Wetland once flourished with native biodiversity, and kai (food) was readily available. However, land confiscation by European settlers marked the downfall of this once productive and connected catchment such that it is presently in a fairly degraded state, dominated by exotic species, with Māori feeling disconnected from their whenua (land). Considering the future, the interviewees envisioned a revived abundance of native species and desire for restoration efforts to be facilitated by both mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and science. The second analysis (Chapter 3) examined a publicly available eDNA database to retrieve data from 26 wetland sites across Aotearoa New Zealand to understand taxonomic diversity patterns. Here, I showed that DNA sequence composition varied across the motu (country), illustrating that varying environmental conditions among wetland types influences biodiversity. Notably, most sites were dominated by >50% exotic species. These findings highlight the value of publicly shared data for generating new insights, and the need for resource allocations to tackle the persistence of exotic species in wetland ecosystems. The third analysis (Chapter 4) focused on analysing biodiversity dynamics at a single wetland and tested various eDNA sampling techniques. I sampled four spatially distant sites across Opuatia Wetland at three time points during an austral spring and simultaneously obtained data from conventional taxonomic surveys, tested three different filter sizes, and assessed DNA degradation rates using foreign DNA. I found significant differences in biodiversity across time and space, and when using different eDNA collection filters. Foreign DNA persisted for up to one week post-release within a 10 m radius, and combining conventional and eDNA methods provided a more comprehensive overview of biodiversity patterns. These findings collectively showcased key changes in biodiversity, even over short spatial and temporal scales, and identified parameters to consider for wetland biodiversity monitoring and associated data interpretation. It is only a matter of time until the impacts of climate change and invasive species take firmer hold of Aotearoa New Zealand's distinctive and fragile environment. Undoubtedly, eDNA can be part of the solution to mitigate these challenges, owing to its versatility across ecosystem types, capacity to extend to various substrates, and accessibility for researchers and citizen scientists alike. As eDNA methods continue to improve and become integrated into ongoing biomonitoring schemes, building equitable and empowering relationships between Māori and researchers/government bodies will best ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand repo and other environments are maintained and conserved for future generations.

text: He Piko, He Repo: Environmental DNA as a biomonitoring tool for wetland restoration Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots, harbouring distinctive species while providing numerous ecosystem services. Unfortunately, throughout human civilisation, they have been systematically degraded, resulting in a dramatic global loss in wetland extent, the establishment of invasive species and the extinction of many natives and, in Aotearoa New Zealand, impediment of the special connection Māori share with their repo (wetlands). Monitoring wetland biodiversity to take appropriate restorative action and minimise further degradation is imperative, particularly in the face of climate change. Environmental DNA (eDNA; genetic material released by organisms into the environment) is an increasingly popular non-invasive biomonitoring method that provides information about the presence or potential absence of species inhabiting a given ecosystem, but has yet to be optimised for wetland environments. My thesis aimed to address the consequences of colonisation on the relationship between Māori and their wetlands, and to explore the value eDNA holds for wetland biomonitoring. The first analysis (Chapter 2) delved into the past (post-European settlement; 1840s), the present (2023), and the future (2073) of Opuatia Wetland (Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand) through a series of interviews with three individuals who whakapapa to (are connected with) Opuatia Wetland and its surroundings. I found that Opuatia Wetland once flourished with native biodiversity, and kai (food) was readily available. However, land confiscation by European settlers marked the downfall of this once productive and connected catchment such that it is presently in a fairly degraded state, dominated by exotic species, with Māori feeling disconnected from their whenua (land). Considering the future, the interviewees envisioned a revived abundance of native species and desire for restoration efforts to be facilitated by both mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and science. The second analysis (Chapter 3) examined a publicly available eDNA database to retrieve data from 26 wetland sites across Aotearoa New Zealand to understand taxonomic diversity patterns. Here, I showed that DNA sequence composition varied across the motu (country), illustrating that varying environmental conditions among wetland types influences biodiversity. Notably, most sites were dominated by >50% exotic species. These findings highlight the value of publicly shared data for generating new insights, and the need for resource allocations to tackle the persistence of exotic species in wetland ecosystems. The third analysis (Chapter 4) focused on analysing biodiversity dynamics at a single wetland and tested various eDNA sampling techniques. I sampled four spatially distant sites across Opuatia Wetland at three time points during an austral spring and simultaneously obtained data from conventional taxonomic surveys, tested three different filter sizes, and assessed DNA degradation rates using foreign DNA. I found significant differences in biodiversity across time and space, and when using different eDNA collection filters. Foreign DNA persisted for up to one week post-release within a 10 m radius, and combining conventional and eDNA methods provided a more comprehensive overview of biodiversity patterns. These findings collectively showcased key changes in biodiversity, even over short spatial and temporal scales, and identified parameters to consider for wetland biodiversity monitoring and associated data interpretation. It is only a matter of time until the impacts of climate change and invasive species take firmer hold of Aotearoa New Zealand's distinctive and fragile environment. Undoubtedly, eDNA can be part of the solution to mitigate these challenges, owing to its versatility across ecosystem types, capacity to extend to various substrates, and accessibility for researchers and citizen scientists alike. As eDNA methods continue to improve and become integrated into ongoing biomonitoring schemes, building equitable and empowering relationships between Māori and researchers/government bodies will best ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand repo and other environments are maintained and conserved for future generations.

year: 2023

title: Late Holocene cool climate episodes, recorded on Lake Bonney, an Antarctic amplifier lake

authors: Croall, Jacob Grant

abstract: Chemical, stable isotope and natural abundance radionuclide analysis of cores taken through sediments below Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, Antarctica, show evidence of multiple episodes of flooding by meltwaters from Taylor Glacier and desiccation to brines sufficiently concentrated to produce ice free conditions. The last three identified desiccation events date 1550 ± 40, 800 ± 100 and 450 ± 160 yr B.P. and match the last three periods of sustained cooling identified by isotope changes in the Taylor Dome ice core. Similar cooling events have been identified by other authors elsewhere in Antarctica.

The desiccation events have produced dramatic changes in the sediment character of Lake Bonney East Lobe, but show little impact in the West Lobe. In East Lobe halite, hydrohalite, gypsum, and aragonite are precipitated and extreme isotopic enrichment of carbon (up to 813C of +12.0%0) occurred as aragonite was forced from solution by rapid freezing of the brine over winter. Reflooding events were often associated with algal blooms and resulted in radical changes in the 180/1 60 ratio in the water column.

It is speculated that Taylor Glacier retreated to expose a 250 m deep subglacial depression during the last glacial maximum allowing Glacial Lake Washburn to extend westwards to perhaps Cavendish Rocks. The reduced Taylor Glacier enabled Taylor Dome to lower causing deposition of more 180 enriched ice than would otherwise have been expected. Taylor Glacier and Taylor Dome have continued to advance throughout the Holocene.

text: Late Holocene cool climate episodes, recorded on Lake Bonney, an Antarctic amplifier lake Chemical, stable isotope and natural abundance radionuclide analysis of cores taken through sediments below Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, Antarctica, show evidence of multiple episodes of flooding by meltwaters from Taylor Glacier and desiccation to brines sufficiently concentrated to produce ice free conditions. The last three identified desiccation events date 1550 ± 40, 800 ± 100 and 450 ± 160 yr B.P. and match the last three periods of sustained cooling identified by isotope changes in the Taylor Dome ice core. Similar cooling events have been identified by other authors elsewhere in Antarctica.

The desiccation events have produced dramatic changes in the sediment character of Lake Bonney East Lobe, but show little impact in the West Lobe. In East Lobe halite, hydrohalite, gypsum, and aragonite are precipitated and extreme isotopic enrichment of carbon (up to 813C of +12.0%0) occurred as aragonite was forced from solution by rapid freezing of the brine over winter. Reflooding events were often associated with algal blooms and resulted in radical changes in the 180/1 60 ratio in the water column.

It is speculated that Taylor Glacier retreated to expose a 250 m deep subglacial depression during the last glacial maximum allowing Glacial Lake Washburn to extend westwards to perhaps Cavendish Rocks. The reduced Taylor Glacier enabled Taylor Dome to lower causing deposition of more 180 enriched ice than would otherwise have been expected. Taylor Glacier and Taylor Dome have continued to advance throughout the Holocene.

year: 2005