title: Technical note: A significance test for data-sparse zones in scatter plots

authors: Vetrova, V. V.

subjects: data-sparse zones

abstract: Data-sparse zones in scatter plots of hydrological variables can be of interest in various contexts. For example, a well-defined data-sparse zone may indicate inhibition of one variable by another. It is of interest therefore to determine whether data-sparse regions in scatter plots are of sufficient extent to be beyond random chance. We consider the specific situation of data-sparse regions defined by a linear internal boundary within a scatter plot defined over a rectangular region. An Excel VBA macro is provided for carrying out a randomisation-based significance test of the data-sparse region, taking into account both the within-region number of data points and the extent of the region. Example applications are given with respect to a rainfall time series from Israel and also to validation scatter plots from a seasonal forecasting model for lake inflows in New Zealand.

text: Technical note: A significance test for data-sparse zones in scatter plots Data-sparse zones in scatter plots of hydrological variables can be of interest in various contexts. For example, a well-defined data-sparse zone may indicate inhibition of one variable by another. It is of interest therefore to determine whether data-sparse regions in scatter plots are of sufficient extent to be beyond random chance. We consider the specific situation of data-sparse regions defined by a linear internal boundary within a scatter plot defined over a rectangular region. An Excel VBA macro is provided for carrying out a randomisation-based significance test of the data-sparse region, taking into account both the within-region number of data points and the extent of the region. Example applications are given with respect to a rainfall time series from Israel and also to validation scatter plots from a seasonal forecasting model for lake inflows in New Zealand.

year: 2012

title: Something rich and strange

authors: Moffat, Kirstine

abstract: Review of 'The Chimes' by Anna Smaill (novel  longlisted for The Man Booker Prize 2015).

text: Something rich and strange Review of 'The Chimes' by Anna Smaill (novel  longlisted for The Man Booker Prize 2015).

year: 2016

title: Restoring the flow: Challenging the existing management frameworks to integrate Mātauranga Māori

authors: Hall, Tredegar Rangiātea

subjects: tangata whenua water management

abstract: Within the context of the current regimes of fresh water management in Aotearoa, this thesis is an exploration of the significance of freshwater to Māori; our rangatiratanga, Treaty rights and ownership. The Māori world view and the way this relates to fresh water is described and contrasted with the principles and practices of water management in the contemporary neo-liberal governance structures of this country. The impacts of the commodification of water through ownership rights, the limited monitoring capacity and the inability to provide a governance structure that will work across diverse environments are seen to threaten the sustainability of a critical part of our environment. The primary focus of on this research is on the relationship between the exclusion of tangata whenua from decision making in resource management and the degradation of the environment.
 
The thesis comments on the development of resource management legislation and actions of the state in Aotearoa, and uses post-colonial theory as a starting point to document the subordinate relationship of Māori within contemporary governance. This has privileged mono-cultural and neoliberal forms of water management that has scarred Papatūānuku and threatens human sustainability into the future.
    
The recent co-management agreement for the Waikato River is the specific case study against which a recent effort to reduce the alienation of Māori is viewed. A kaupapa Māori methodology is used to acquire and understand the importance of mātauranga Māori/ Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and what is required for these principles to enhance water management practices within the case study area. The original contribution of the work is drawn from interviews conducted with Māori and others who are involved in or informed by the commitment to explore co-management sustainable management options. These views are woven into a substantial and interpretative commentary on the role of Māori in future water governance.

The thesis argues that the best way to enhance water management and environmental protection is by inducing a planning paradigm shift where tangata whenua are given greater influence in environmental decision making that resembles an equal Treaty of Waitangi partnership, where the ethic of kaitiakitanga is empowered. Such a strategy would allow decision making regarding water and environmental management to be more focused on what is best for the resource and its survival rather than what most cost effective for some owners of water rights. Encouraging the acceptance of mātauranga Māori and incorporating more efficient and sustainable innovative technologies can restore the mauri of water in our place.

text: Restoring the flow: Challenging the existing management frameworks to integrate Mātauranga Māori Within the context of the current regimes of fresh water management in Aotearoa, this thesis is an exploration of the significance of freshwater to Māori; our rangatiratanga, Treaty rights and ownership. The Māori world view and the way this relates to fresh water is described and contrasted with the principles and practices of water management in the contemporary neo-liberal governance structures of this country. The impacts of the commodification of water through ownership rights, the limited monitoring capacity and the inability to provide a governance structure that will work across diverse environments are seen to threaten the sustainability of a critical part of our environment. The primary focus of on this research is on the relationship between the exclusion of tangata whenua from decision making in resource management and the degradation of the environment.
 
The thesis comments on the development of resource management legislation and actions of the state in Aotearoa, and uses post-colonial theory as a starting point to document the subordinate relationship of Māori within contemporary governance. This has privileged mono-cultural and neoliberal forms of water management that has scarred Papatūānuku and threatens human sustainability into the future.
    
The recent co-management agreement for the Waikato River is the specific case study against which a recent effort to reduce the alienation of Māori is viewed. A kaupapa Māori methodology is used to acquire and understand the importance of mātauranga Māori/ Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and what is required for these principles to enhance water management practices within the case study area. The original contribution of the work is drawn from interviews conducted with Māori and others who are involved in or informed by the commitment to explore co-management sustainable management options. These views are woven into a substantial and interpretative commentary on the role of Māori in future water governance.

The thesis argues that the best way to enhance water management and environmental protection is by inducing a planning paradigm shift where tangata whenua are given greater influence in environmental decision making that resembles an equal Treaty of Waitangi partnership, where the ethic of kaitiakitanga is empowered. Such a strategy would allow decision making regarding water and environmental management to be more focused on what is best for the resource and its survival rather than what most cost effective for some owners of water rights. Encouraging the acceptance of mātauranga Māori and incorporating more efficient and sustainable innovative technologies can restore the mauri of water in our place.

year: 2012