title: Mai uta ki tai: Cyclone-driven suspended sediment effects on early benthic juvenile kōura (Jasus edwardsii), Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Aotearoa

authors: Karaha-Paki, Vijuan

abstract: Kōura (Jasus edwardsii) are ecologically, culturally, and economically significant taonga species central to mahinga kai systems throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. In Te Tairāwhiti, particularly Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Cyclone Gabrielle (February 2023) resulted in unprecedented sediment loads being delivered to coastal waters, smothering inshore rocky reefs that serve as critical nursery habitats for settling puerulus and juvenile kōura. This research investigated how repeated suspended sediment exposure affects the body condition, survival, and physiological condition of early benthic juvenile kōura, integrating Western scientific methods with mātauranga Māori perspectives to support kaitiakitanga and ecosystem recovery. 

A 52-day pulse-based laboratory experiment exposed 81 early benthic juvenile kōura to three treatment levels: Control (0 mg/L), Tobserved (1,000 mg/L), and Tmaximised (5,000 mg/L) suspended sediment concentrations, alternating between exposure phases and recovery periods to simulate natural post-storm sedimentation dynamics. Sediment was sourced from the Mangahauini River mouth to reflect local conditions. Kōura were initially housed communally (Days 1-19), and then separated into individual tāruke following observed cannibalism. Across the experiment, body weight to carapace length (BW:CL) ratios, survival, blood refractive index, gill condition, and moult stage were assessed. 

All treatment groups began with statistically equivalent body condition (p = 0.135), but cumulative effects emerged over time. During communal housing, mortality was highest in the Tobserved treatment (51.9%) compared with Control and Tmaximised treatments (both 18.5%). After separation, Tmaximised individuals showed the greatest losses (45.5%), mostly during the recovery rather than exposure phases. Overall mortality reached 45.7%, with sediment-exposed treatments experiencing 55% (Tmaximised) to 59% (Tobserved) losses compared with 22.2% in the Controls (p = 0.001). 

By Day 52, sediment exposure significantly reduced body condition (p = 0.016), with the Controls maintaining higher BW:CL ratios than Tmaximised (p = 0.013). Gill assessments indicated universal and severe damage in sediment-exposed kōura (100%) but none in the Controls (0%). Quantitative image analysis confirmed strong sediment concentration- dependent effects across all damage metrics – particle lodgement, filament integrity, surface discolouration, and composite scores (all p < 0.001) – with structural deformities in 66.7% of Tobserved and 100% of Tmaximised individuals. Blood refractive index showed no treatment differences, and 84.1% of kōura remained in intermoult stage at Day 52, with no significant difference in moult stage distribution between treatments (p = 0.328). However, moult frequency during the individual phase was lower in sediment-exposed groups compared to the Controls (Control: n = 11, Tobserved: n = 4, Tmaximised: n = 5). 

These findings show that suspended sediment exposure poses population-level threats to kōura recruitment through irreversible gill damage and delayed mortality. Elevated cannibalism during communal holding, particularly observed in the Tobserved treatment, likely resulted from temporal clustering of moult events rather than sediment-induced behaviour. For Te Ākau o Tokomaru and the wider CRA 3 fishery, this highlights the need for integrated catchment-to- coast management addressing land-derived sediment inputs and protecting coastal nursery habitats. From a Te Ao Māori perspective, sedimentation represents a disruption to whakapapa relationships with Tangaroa and a weakening of mauri in coastal ecosystems. Restoring these connections requires co-governance frameworks that embed mātauranga Māori, empower kaitiaki-led monitoring and rāhui, and address the cumulative impacts of land-use intensification and repeated cyclone events on ecosystem resilience in Te Tairāwhiti.

text: Mai uta ki tai: Cyclone-driven suspended sediment effects on early benthic juvenile kōura (Jasus edwardsii), Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Aotearoa Kōura (Jasus edwardsii) are ecologically, culturally, and economically significant taonga species central to mahinga kai systems throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. In Te Tairāwhiti, particularly Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Cyclone Gabrielle (February 2023) resulted in unprecedented sediment loads being delivered to coastal waters, smothering inshore rocky reefs that serve as critical nursery habitats for settling puerulus and juvenile kōura. This research investigated how repeated suspended sediment exposure affects the body condition, survival, and physiological condition of early benthic juvenile kōura, integrating Western scientific methods with mātauranga Māori perspectives to support kaitiakitanga and ecosystem recovery. 

A 52-day pulse-based laboratory experiment exposed 81 early benthic juvenile kōura to three treatment levels: Control (0 mg/L), Tobserved (1,000 mg/L), and Tmaximised (5,000 mg/L) suspended sediment concentrations, alternating between exposure phases and recovery periods to simulate natural post-storm sedimentation dynamics. Sediment was sourced from the Mangahauini River mouth to reflect local conditions. Kōura were initially housed communally (Days 1-19), and then separated into individual tāruke following observed cannibalism. Across the experiment, body weight to carapace length (BW:CL) ratios, survival, blood refractive index, gill condition, and moult stage were assessed. 

All treatment groups began with statistically equivalent body condition (p = 0.135), but cumulative effects emerged over time. During communal housing, mortality was highest in the Tobserved treatment (51.9%) compared with Control and Tmaximised treatments (both 18.5%). After separation, Tmaximised individuals showed the greatest losses (45.5%), mostly during the recovery rather than exposure phases. Overall mortality reached 45.7%, with sediment-exposed treatments experiencing 55% (Tmaximised) to 59% (Tobserved) losses compared with 22.2% in the Controls (p = 0.001). 

By Day 52, sediment exposure significantly reduced body condition (p = 0.016), with the Controls maintaining higher BW:CL ratios than Tmaximised (p = 0.013). Gill assessments indicated universal and severe damage in sediment-exposed kōura (100%) but none in the Controls (0%). Quantitative image analysis confirmed strong sediment concentration- dependent effects across all damage metrics – particle lodgement, filament integrity, surface discolouration, and composite scores (all p < 0.001) – with structural deformities in 66.7% of Tobserved and 100% of Tmaximised individuals. Blood refractive index showed no treatment differences, and 84.1% of kōura remained in intermoult stage at Day 52, with no significant difference in moult stage distribution between treatments (p = 0.328). However, moult frequency during the individual phase was lower in sediment-exposed groups compared to the Controls (Control: n = 11, Tobserved: n = 4, Tmaximised: n = 5). 

These findings show that suspended sediment exposure poses population-level threats to kōura recruitment through irreversible gill damage and delayed mortality. Elevated cannibalism during communal holding, particularly observed in the Tobserved treatment, likely resulted from temporal clustering of moult events rather than sediment-induced behaviour. For Te Ākau o Tokomaru and the wider CRA 3 fishery, this highlights the need for integrated catchment-to- coast management addressing land-derived sediment inputs and protecting coastal nursery habitats. From a Te Ao Māori perspective, sedimentation represents a disruption to whakapapa relationships with Tangaroa and a weakening of mauri in coastal ecosystems. Restoring these connections requires co-governance frameworks that embed mātauranga Māori, empower kaitiaki-led monitoring and rāhui, and address the cumulative impacts of land-use intensification and repeated cyclone events on ecosystem resilience in Te Tairāwhiti.

year: 2025

title: He hekenga toto, he hekenga tōtā, he hekenga roimata.

authors: Mikaere, Te Maharanui Jacob

abstract: Ariā
Ko tā te tuhinga nei he whakakite i ngā āwangawanga o te kaituhi mō te maha o te hunga taiohi kua tipu mai i raro i te ātaarangi o te Kōhanga Reo, o te Kura Kaupapa Māori, o te wharekura hoki, kua noho ko te reo Māori hei reo tuatahi, engari mō te aronui ki te reo me tōna katoa kore kore rawa atu. Kei te kōrerohia ōna hītori me tōna whakapapa. I ahu mai tō tāua reo i hea? I pēhea tō tāua reo i ngā wā o mua? I pēhea tō tāua reo i te taetanga mai o tauiwi i te takiwā o te 1800? I ahatia tō tāua reo e tauiwi i tērā rautau i kīa ake he reo koretake noa te reo Māori? Nā wai tō tāua reo i ruke ki rāhaki i ngā tau 1900? Ka mutu, nā wai tō tāua reo i whakahoki mai ki te kōpū o tēnei whakatipuranga? Nā ēnei tūmomo urupounamu au i karanga ki te ihi o tōku whare kōrero. 
Ko te ngako o ngā kōrero o roto i te tuhinga nei he whakatewhatewha, he matapaki i te kūare o te hunga taiohi ki te whakapapa, ki te hītori o te reo Māori. Koia ko ōna piki me ōna heke, ngā whakapātaritari i ngana ki te whakapoko i te ahi o te reo Māori i te tata whāngaromanga ōna. Ko te nuinga o ngā kōrero he mea rangahau mai i ngā pukapuka me te whakatakoto i ngā kitenga hei pānuitanga mā te hunga e tāpara ana ki ngā kai o roto. Me whakanui ka tika ngā pēhitanga o te hunga i takatakahi i te ara papatoiake hei whaitanga mā tātau ka tahi, ka rua me kōkuhu ēnei tūmomo mātauranga ki ngā marau whakaako tamariki me kore noa e tahuri mai te hunga taiohi ki tōna reo me tōna katoa. E ora ai te whakapapa o te reo me ōna hītori me whakakōpā e tātau  tōna whakapapa, me ōna kōrero ki ngā tamariki kōhanga mai, kura kaupapa mai, wharekura mai, ā huri atu ki ngā pia whare wānanga hoki. Mā te whakaako i te hītori ki a ngāi taiohi ākene pea ka tipu te kauanuanu ki tōna reo. Kia kekeno atu au ki tōku reanga kei te kitea he momo whakahīhī kua puea ake ai ki roto tonu i a tātau. Ko te momo o tēnei whakahīhī he mea tūkino i te hunga kore reo, he mea whakaiti i ngā tāngata kua noho rehurehu ki ngā kawenga a tāua te Māori. E whakapono ana au mā te kauanuanu o tōku reanga ki tōna reo ka tipu hoki te kauanuanu ki te hunga kāore pea i rongo i ngā hua o te reo, rātau te hunga kua noho pōhara, kua noho manene nā ngā rā pōkākā o te whakapākehātanga. Atu i te whakahīhī o te ngākau kua puea hoki tētahi momo e patu nei i te kōrerotanga o tō tātau reo, arā ake ko te ngākau māngere. I te korenga o te aronui o tōku reanga ki te reo kua tipu ake ētahi, ahakoa i pakeke mai i roto i te Kōhanga Reo mō te kōrero Māori atu kia pakeke ana rātau he aha te aha. Mā te ako i ngā hītori o tō tātau reo e titi ai ki te whatu manawa te hiranga o tō tātau reo, mā tērā e kore rawa te tangata e noho hāneanea me te pōhēhē ka pai noa te reo Māori, ka mutu kāore he tino take kia kaha kōrerotia. 
Ko te tino whāinga o tēnei tuhinga he ngana ki te whakarārangi mai ko hea te huarahi e tuwhera ai ngā kuaha o te ao Māori ki te katoa e tū rangatira ai tātau. Ahakoa pakeke mai taiohi mai rānei, ahakoa matatau ki te reo tauhou ki te reo rānei ko te mea nui kia tū whakahīhī, kia tū māia te iwi Māori ki raurangi.

text: He hekenga toto, he hekenga tōtā, he hekenga roimata. Ariā
Ko tā te tuhinga nei he whakakite i ngā āwangawanga o te kaituhi mō te maha o te hunga taiohi kua tipu mai i raro i te ātaarangi o te Kōhanga Reo, o te Kura Kaupapa Māori, o te wharekura hoki, kua noho ko te reo Māori hei reo tuatahi, engari mō te aronui ki te reo me tōna katoa kore kore rawa atu. Kei te kōrerohia ōna hītori me tōna whakapapa. I ahu mai tō tāua reo i hea? I pēhea tō tāua reo i ngā wā o mua? I pēhea tō tāua reo i te taetanga mai o tauiwi i te takiwā o te 1800? I ahatia tō tāua reo e tauiwi i tērā rautau i kīa ake he reo koretake noa te reo Māori? Nā wai tō tāua reo i ruke ki rāhaki i ngā tau 1900? Ka mutu, nā wai tō tāua reo i whakahoki mai ki te kōpū o tēnei whakatipuranga? Nā ēnei tūmomo urupounamu au i karanga ki te ihi o tōku whare kōrero. 
Ko te ngako o ngā kōrero o roto i te tuhinga nei he whakatewhatewha, he matapaki i te kūare o te hunga taiohi ki te whakapapa, ki te hītori o te reo Māori. Koia ko ōna piki me ōna heke, ngā whakapātaritari i ngana ki te whakapoko i te ahi o te reo Māori i te tata whāngaromanga ōna. Ko te nuinga o ngā kōrero he mea rangahau mai i ngā pukapuka me te whakatakoto i ngā kitenga hei pānuitanga mā te hunga e tāpara ana ki ngā kai o roto. Me whakanui ka tika ngā pēhitanga o te hunga i takatakahi i te ara papatoiake hei whaitanga mā tātau ka tahi, ka rua me kōkuhu ēnei tūmomo mātauranga ki ngā marau whakaako tamariki me kore noa e tahuri mai te hunga taiohi ki tōna reo me tōna katoa. E ora ai te whakapapa o te reo me ōna hītori me whakakōpā e tātau  tōna whakapapa, me ōna kōrero ki ngā tamariki kōhanga mai, kura kaupapa mai, wharekura mai, ā huri atu ki ngā pia whare wānanga hoki. Mā te whakaako i te hītori ki a ngāi taiohi ākene pea ka tipu te kauanuanu ki tōna reo. Kia kekeno atu au ki tōku reanga kei te kitea he momo whakahīhī kua puea ake ai ki roto tonu i a tātau. Ko te momo o tēnei whakahīhī he mea tūkino i te hunga kore reo, he mea whakaiti i ngā tāngata kua noho rehurehu ki ngā kawenga a tāua te Māori. E whakapono ana au mā te kauanuanu o tōku reanga ki tōna reo ka tipu hoki te kauanuanu ki te hunga kāore pea i rongo i ngā hua o te reo, rātau te hunga kua noho pōhara, kua noho manene nā ngā rā pōkākā o te whakapākehātanga. Atu i te whakahīhī o te ngākau kua puea hoki tētahi momo e patu nei i te kōrerotanga o tō tātau reo, arā ake ko te ngākau māngere. I te korenga o te aronui o tōku reanga ki te reo kua tipu ake ētahi, ahakoa i pakeke mai i roto i te Kōhanga Reo mō te kōrero Māori atu kia pakeke ana rātau he aha te aha. Mā te ako i ngā hītori o tō tātau reo e titi ai ki te whatu manawa te hiranga o tō tātau reo, mā tērā e kore rawa te tangata e noho hāneanea me te pōhēhē ka pai noa te reo Māori, ka mutu kāore he tino take kia kaha kōrerotia. 
Ko te tino whāinga o tēnei tuhinga he ngana ki te whakarārangi mai ko hea te huarahi e tuwhera ai ngā kuaha o te ao Māori ki te katoa e tū rangatira ai tātau. Ahakoa pakeke mai taiohi mai rānei, ahakoa matatau ki te reo tauhou ki te reo rānei ko te mea nui kia tū whakahīhī, kia tū māia te iwi Māori ki raurangi.

year: 2016

title: Defining and deploying the concept of 'precarious employment': Valuable idea or empirical fallacy?

authors: East, Dayna Erin

abstract: The definition.

We define precarious employment as work for remuneration that is deemed more-or-less precarious based on three indicators explicitly related to the regularity of the employment contract:

- the job can be terminated with little or no prior notice from the employer
- working hours and/or earnings are uncertain/irregular
- a contract for ongoing employment is non-existent.

Across different typologies and definitions, job insecurity is the core/essential element (or common denominator) of precarious employment.

Precarious employment, so defined, will be experienced differently by heterogeneous workers who possess different buffers against its insecurity.

Regardless of the subjective experience, workers can objectively be said to be (or not) in precarious employment.

text: Defining and deploying the concept of 'precarious employment': Valuable idea or empirical fallacy? The definition.

We define precarious employment as work for remuneration that is deemed more-or-less precarious based on three indicators explicitly related to the regularity of the employment contract:

- the job can be terminated with little or no prior notice from the employer
- working hours and/or earnings are uncertain/irregular
- a contract for ongoing employment is non-existent.

Across different typologies and definitions, job insecurity is the core/essential element (or common denominator) of precarious employment.

Precarious employment, so defined, will be experienced differently by heterogeneous workers who possess different buffers against its insecurity.

Regardless of the subjective experience, workers can objectively be said to be (or not) in precarious employment.

year: 2025