title: [Review of New Scores From Promethean Editions]

authors: Lodge, Martin

abstract: Review of New Scores From Promethean Editions

text: [Review of New Scores From Promethean Editions] Review of New Scores From Promethean Editions

year: 1997

title: Sedimentology and tephrochronology of last-glacial and holocene lake sediments and peat from south Westland, New Zealand

authors: Cole-Baker, Jeremy R.

subjects: geology

abstract: A high resolution study of lake sediments and peat from three ice marginal sites in South Westland was carried out with the aim of determining the nature and timing of abrupt climate change during the last glaciation and the glacial-interglacial transition. The flux and composition of aeolian dust were used as proxies for the extent of exposed outwash surfaces and hence the extent of ice advance in the vicinity of the core sites. Cores were collected from Skiffington Swamp, Galway Tarn, and Okarito Pakihi in South Westland and the sediments characterised by measuring magnetic susceptibility (MS), combustible organic carbon (COC), grain size and mineralogy. Previously analysed pollen assemblages (Vandergoes, 2000; Vandergoes and Fitzsimons, 2003; Vandergoes et al., 2005; M. J. Vandergoes, unpublished data) were correlated with the data from this study to interpret the relationship between climate and glacial extent. Cores from Skiffington Swamp and Galway Tarn contained a visible tephra layer identified as the Kawakawa Tephra (c. 26,500 cal. years B.P.) based on stratigraphic position and glass shard composition. This layer provided an excellent chronostratigraphic reference point. 
The results from this study show that between 58,000 and 38,000 cal. years B.P., the climate was cool and variable in South Westland. Minor glacier advances occurred within a few kilometres of the Southern Alps. More significant glacier advance was recorded by MS and COC data at Skiffington Swamp after 38,000 cal. years B.P., which implies that glacial advance occurred earlier than the climate cooling recorded by pollen studies. Data from the most distal site (Galway Tarn, located approximately 10 km to the west of Skiffington Swamp) show that ice advanced near to that site at 32,000 cal. years B.P. This marks the start of maximum post-MIS 4 glacier extent. MS values were lowered at Skiffington Swamp during the interval from 30,000 to 22,000 cal. years B.P., indicating that the glacier margins and outwash plains were located well to the west. A decline in MS values at Galway Tarn and a peak in MS values at Skiffington Swamp occurred at 20,000 cal. years B.P., as glaciers retreated and outwash areas moved closer to the Southern Alps. There is no clear evidence at these three sites for a late glacial ice advance. Any such advance had limited impact 10-20 km from the present ice position.

text: Sedimentology and tephrochronology of last-glacial and holocene lake sediments and peat from south Westland, New Zealand A high resolution study of lake sediments and peat from three ice marginal sites in South Westland was carried out with the aim of determining the nature and timing of abrupt climate change during the last glaciation and the glacial-interglacial transition. The flux and composition of aeolian dust were used as proxies for the extent of exposed outwash surfaces and hence the extent of ice advance in the vicinity of the core sites. Cores were collected from Skiffington Swamp, Galway Tarn, and Okarito Pakihi in South Westland and the sediments characterised by measuring magnetic susceptibility (MS), combustible organic carbon (COC), grain size and mineralogy. Previously analysed pollen assemblages (Vandergoes, 2000; Vandergoes and Fitzsimons, 2003; Vandergoes et al., 2005; M. J. Vandergoes, unpublished data) were correlated with the data from this study to interpret the relationship between climate and glacial extent. Cores from Skiffington Swamp and Galway Tarn contained a visible tephra layer identified as the Kawakawa Tephra (c. 26,500 cal. years B.P.) based on stratigraphic position and glass shard composition. This layer provided an excellent chronostratigraphic reference point. 
The results from this study show that between 58,000 and 38,000 cal. years B.P., the climate was cool and variable in South Westland. Minor glacier advances occurred within a few kilometres of the Southern Alps. More significant glacier advance was recorded by MS and COC data at Skiffington Swamp after 38,000 cal. years B.P., which implies that glacial advance occurred earlier than the climate cooling recorded by pollen studies. Data from the most distal site (Galway Tarn, located approximately 10 km to the west of Skiffington Swamp) show that ice advanced near to that site at 32,000 cal. years B.P. This marks the start of maximum post-MIS 4 glacier extent. MS values were lowered at Skiffington Swamp during the interval from 30,000 to 22,000 cal. years B.P., indicating that the glacier margins and outwash plains were located well to the west. A decline in MS values at Galway Tarn and a peak in MS values at Skiffington Swamp occurred at 20,000 cal. years B.P., as glaciers retreated and outwash areas moved closer to the Southern Alps. There is no clear evidence at these three sites for a late glacial ice advance. Any such advance had limited impact 10-20 km from the present ice position.

year: 2006

title: Racial inequalities in engineering employment in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Roy, Rituparna

abstract: This report presents findings from research on racism and inequality in engineering employment in New Zealand. Conducted as part of the Working to End Racial Oppression (WERO) research programme (see: https://wero.ac.nz/), this study examines how racial discrimination operates in recruitment and career progression within the engineering sector. The research was carried out with the support of Engineering New Zealand | Te Ao Rangahau and the Association of Consulting and Engineering New Zealand. 

This research involves two phases of in-depth interviews. The first phase entails interviews with industry key informants such as human resources staff, managers, or people from diversity and culture teams for different engineering firms that ranged from very small to large in size. In the second phase, currently employed engineers from different ethnic groups were undertaken, including Māori, Pacific, Pākehā, Asian and Middle Eastern, Latin American and African (MELAA). The findings from these two sets of interviews are presented respectively in Section 3 and 4. 

The research also included an analysis of the workforce composition and wage gaps in Engineering based on analysis of Census and New Zealand Income Survey data. This analysis, which is presented in Section 1, revealed the disproportionately low number of female engineers, and of Māori and Pacific people employed as engineers. Analysis of average median hourly wages revealed notable differences, with Māori and Pacific engineers having median wages that are around 80% of the overall median. 

There has been a significant emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in recruitment and human resource management in Engineering in recent years. This emphasis reflects industry efforts to address known ethnic and gender imbalances in the workforce. Industry informants, however, highlighted several challenges, tensions, and contradictions they faced in integrating and practicing DEI in recruitment. Employers often struggle to balance competing frameworks such as equity, meritocracy, and people-focused approaches, making recruitment decisions complex. Despite initiatives like blind CV screening, targeted graduate programmes and preferential shortlisting of Māori and Pacific applicants, the industry remains heavily merit-driven. Additionally, DEI efforts are largely gender-focused, lacking an intersectional approach that considers overlapping social inequities. 

The interviews with engineers revealed that individuals from different ethnic groups face distinct barriers and challenges in securing employment and advancing their careers. For Māori and Pacific engineers, the pathway into engineering is severely limited, with only a small number entering the profession each year. Those currently employed often experience what has been described V as a ‘cultural tax’—being expected to take on cultural responsibilities in addition to their technical roles, without monetary compensation or clear career advancement opportunities. Racialised immigrant engineers, on the contrary, reported devaluation and deskilling of their qualifications and experience based on their ethnic and national origins. Despite extensive work experience in their home countries, they were often required to restart their careers in graduate or entry-level positions. Several participants shared experiences of unfair promotions, where White, European, and Anglophone employees were favoured for leadership roles. When discussing their own career trajectories, most non-Pākehā and nonEuropean participants expressed scepticism about ever being promoted to senior positions with decision-making authority. 

The accounts of discriminations and racial inequalities shared by engineers have profound implications for their employment, career progression, well-being, and society at large. Navigating a predominantly monocultural work environment—marked by challenges like cultural taxation, glass ceilings, and the ‘white boys’ club’—places additional burdens on racialised groups. The pressure to constantly prove their worth further exacerbates these issues, leading to serious retention problems. If not addressed, the sector risks losing engineers from diverse ethnic backgrounds, exacerbating gender and ethnic pay gaps, worsening representation and diversity issues, and reinforcing systemic racial inequities. 

Addressing monoculturalism and the ‘white boys’ club’ culture and fostering a genuinely inclusive profession will require systemic changes within engineering firms and in accepted norms in the profession and industry. Without a shift in workplace culture, efforts to recruit more engineers from underrepresented backgrounds will remain ineffective, as many will continue to leave due to unwelcoming environments. To create lasting change, DEI initiatives must go beyond recruitment and actively reshape the structures, policies, and day-today practices that define the industry. This requires the mindful integration of diverse cultural values and practices into every layer of organisational functions, including recruitment, career advancement frameworks, and job descriptions.

text: Racial inequalities in engineering employment in Aotearoa New Zealand This report presents findings from research on racism and inequality in engineering employment in New Zealand. Conducted as part of the Working to End Racial Oppression (WERO) research programme (see: https://wero.ac.nz/), this study examines how racial discrimination operates in recruitment and career progression within the engineering sector. The research was carried out with the support of Engineering New Zealand | Te Ao Rangahau and the Association of Consulting and Engineering New Zealand. 

This research involves two phases of in-depth interviews. The first phase entails interviews with industry key informants such as human resources staff, managers, or people from diversity and culture teams for different engineering firms that ranged from very small to large in size. In the second phase, currently employed engineers from different ethnic groups were undertaken, including Māori, Pacific, Pākehā, Asian and Middle Eastern, Latin American and African (MELAA). The findings from these two sets of interviews are presented respectively in Section 3 and 4. 

The research also included an analysis of the workforce composition and wage gaps in Engineering based on analysis of Census and New Zealand Income Survey data. This analysis, which is presented in Section 1, revealed the disproportionately low number of female engineers, and of Māori and Pacific people employed as engineers. Analysis of average median hourly wages revealed notable differences, with Māori and Pacific engineers having median wages that are around 80% of the overall median. 

There has been a significant emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in recruitment and human resource management in Engineering in recent years. This emphasis reflects industry efforts to address known ethnic and gender imbalances in the workforce. Industry informants, however, highlighted several challenges, tensions, and contradictions they faced in integrating and practicing DEI in recruitment. Employers often struggle to balance competing frameworks such as equity, meritocracy, and people-focused approaches, making recruitment decisions complex. Despite initiatives like blind CV screening, targeted graduate programmes and preferential shortlisting of Māori and Pacific applicants, the industry remains heavily merit-driven. Additionally, DEI efforts are largely gender-focused, lacking an intersectional approach that considers overlapping social inequities. 

The interviews with engineers revealed that individuals from different ethnic groups face distinct barriers and challenges in securing employment and advancing their careers. For Māori and Pacific engineers, the pathway into engineering is severely limited, with only a small number entering the profession each year. Those currently employed often experience what has been described V as a ‘cultural tax’—being expected to take on cultural responsibilities in addition to their technical roles, without monetary compensation or clear career advancement opportunities. Racialised immigrant engineers, on the contrary, reported devaluation and deskilling of their qualifications and experience based on their ethnic and national origins. Despite extensive work experience in their home countries, they were often required to restart their careers in graduate or entry-level positions. Several participants shared experiences of unfair promotions, where White, European, and Anglophone employees were favoured for leadership roles. When discussing their own career trajectories, most non-Pākehā and nonEuropean participants expressed scepticism about ever being promoted to senior positions with decision-making authority. 

The accounts of discriminations and racial inequalities shared by engineers have profound implications for their employment, career progression, well-being, and society at large. Navigating a predominantly monocultural work environment—marked by challenges like cultural taxation, glass ceilings, and the ‘white boys’ club’—places additional burdens on racialised groups. The pressure to constantly prove their worth further exacerbates these issues, leading to serious retention problems. If not addressed, the sector risks losing engineers from diverse ethnic backgrounds, exacerbating gender and ethnic pay gaps, worsening representation and diversity issues, and reinforcing systemic racial inequities. 

Addressing monoculturalism and the ‘white boys’ club’ culture and fostering a genuinely inclusive profession will require systemic changes within engineering firms and in accepted norms in the profession and industry. Without a shift in workplace culture, efforts to recruit more engineers from underrepresented backgrounds will remain ineffective, as many will continue to leave due to unwelcoming environments. To create lasting change, DEI initiatives must go beyond recruitment and actively reshape the structures, policies, and day-today practices that define the industry. This requires the mindful integration of diverse cultural values and practices into every layer of organisational functions, including recruitment, career advancement frameworks, and job descriptions.

year: 2025