title: My journey with te reo Māori: From primary schooling in the mid 20th century to retirement from full-time academic service in the early years of the 21st Century

authors: Houia-Roberts, Ngaere

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: This is not an academic article in the traditional sense. It is a personal account of my experiences, as a first language speaker of te reo Māori, of New Zealand's educational system from the middle of the 20th century to the early years of the 21st century, from the early days of my primary schooling, through my service as a teacher, teacher trainer and academic researcher until my retirement from full-time academic service in 2005. A great deal has been written about the ways in which attitudes and approaches to te reo Māori have changed over that period of time but very little has been written about how it felt to be part of these changes. Our society is based on facts and feelings. If our mokopuna are to understand the fabric of our society, they need to have access to feelings as well as to facts. In this paper, weft and warp, facts and feelings, are woven together. This personal account is dedicated to our mokopuna, to all of our mokopuna, whatever their origin and whatever their colour. The future of our society depends upon their understanding.

text: My journey with te reo Māori: From primary schooling in the mid 20th century to retirement from full-time academic service in the early years of the 21st Century This is not an academic article in the traditional sense. It is a personal account of my experiences, as a first language speaker of te reo Māori, of New Zealand's educational system from the middle of the 20th century to the early years of the 21st century, from the early days of my primary schooling, through my service as a teacher, teacher trainer and academic researcher until my retirement from full-time academic service in 2005. A great deal has been written about the ways in which attitudes and approaches to te reo Māori have changed over that period of time but very little has been written about how it felt to be part of these changes. Our society is based on facts and feelings. If our mokopuna are to understand the fabric of our society, they need to have access to feelings as well as to facts. In this paper, weft and warp, facts and feelings, are woven together. This personal account is dedicated to our mokopuna, to all of our mokopuna, whatever their origin and whatever their colour. The future of our society depends upon their understanding.

year: 2006-02

title: The Unmet Legal, Social and Cultural Needs of Māori with Disabilities

authors: Hickey, Susan Jane

subjects: Māori

abstract: There is little work done in the area of indigenous disability identity issues and how they are recognised in domestic and international human rights laws. The discourse of disability has always been based on social constructionism and without it, there is no identity. I discuss its relevance to indigenous (Māori) with disabilities and how the multiplicitous nature of the identity of  other  has a particular impact when indigenous, gender and disability are all identified from marginalised groups. I also explore the impact of westernised thinking around impairment, in particular the models of disabilities on indigenous well-being. The issues of family (whānau), whakawhanaungatanga (family relationships), interdependence (community) and collectivity identities central to indigenous thinking are largely ignored by law and policy, yet central to indigenous identity. This ignorance in policy has led to the disparities that continue to remain for indigenous persons with disabilities, particularly those from within thematic identity groups.

text: The Unmet Legal, Social and Cultural Needs of Māori with Disabilities There is little work done in the area of indigenous disability identity issues and how they are recognised in domestic and international human rights laws. The discourse of disability has always been based on social constructionism and without it, there is no identity. I discuss its relevance to indigenous (Māori) with disabilities and how the multiplicitous nature of the identity of  other  has a particular impact when indigenous, gender and disability are all identified from marginalised groups. I also explore the impact of westernised thinking around impairment, in particular the models of disabilities on indigenous well-being. The issues of family (whānau), whakawhanaungatanga (family relationships), interdependence (community) and collectivity identities central to indigenous thinking are largely ignored by law and policy, yet central to indigenous identity. This ignorance in policy has led to the disparities that continue to remain for indigenous persons with disabilities, particularly those from within thematic identity groups.

year: 2008

title: Potent toxins in Arctic environments – Presence of saxitoxins and an unusual microcystin variant in Arctic freshwater ecosystems

authors: Kleinteich, Julia

abstract: Cyanobacteria are the predominant phototrophs in freshwater ecosystems of the polar regions where they commonly form extensive benthic mats. Despite their major biological role in these ecosystems, little attention has been paid to their physiology and biochemistry. An important feature of cyanobacteria from the temperate and tropical regions is the production of a large variety of toxic secondary metabolites. In Antarctica, and more recently in the Arctic, the cyanobacterial toxins microcystin and nodularin (Antarctic only) have been detected in freshwater microbial mats. To date other cyanobacterial toxins have not been reported from these locations. Five Arctic cyanobacterial communities were screened for saxitoxin, another common cyanobacterial toxin, and microcystins using immunological, spectroscopic and molecular methods. Saxitoxin was detected for the first time in cyanobacteria from the Arctic. In addition, an unusual microcystin variant was identified using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Gene expression analyses confirmed the analytical findings, whereby parts of the sxt and mcy operon involved in saxitoxin and microcystin synthesis, were detected and sequenced in one and five of the Arctic cyanobacterial samples, respectively. The detection of these compounds in the cryosphere improves the understanding of the biogeography and distribution of toxic cyanobacteria globally. The sequences of sxt and mcy genes provided from this habitat for the first time may help to clarify the evolutionary origin of toxin production in cyanobacteria.

text: Potent toxins in Arctic environments – Presence of saxitoxins and an unusual microcystin variant in Arctic freshwater ecosystems Cyanobacteria are the predominant phototrophs in freshwater ecosystems of the polar regions where they commonly form extensive benthic mats. Despite their major biological role in these ecosystems, little attention has been paid to their physiology and biochemistry. An important feature of cyanobacteria from the temperate and tropical regions is the production of a large variety of toxic secondary metabolites. In Antarctica, and more recently in the Arctic, the cyanobacterial toxins microcystin and nodularin (Antarctic only) have been detected in freshwater microbial mats. To date other cyanobacterial toxins have not been reported from these locations. Five Arctic cyanobacterial communities were screened for saxitoxin, another common cyanobacterial toxin, and microcystins using immunological, spectroscopic and molecular methods. Saxitoxin was detected for the first time in cyanobacteria from the Arctic. In addition, an unusual microcystin variant was identified using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Gene expression analyses confirmed the analytical findings, whereby parts of the sxt and mcy operon involved in saxitoxin and microcystin synthesis, were detected and sequenced in one and five of the Arctic cyanobacterial samples, respectively. The detection of these compounds in the cryosphere improves the understanding of the biogeography and distribution of toxic cyanobacteria globally. The sequences of sxt and mcy genes provided from this habitat for the first time may help to clarify the evolutionary origin of toxin production in cyanobacteria.

year: 2013