title: A critical analysis of Section 27 of the Sentencing Act (2002)

authors: Oakley, Tara Joan

subjects: Section 27

abstract: This thesis analyses the effectiveness of Section 27 of the Sentencing Act (2002) in achieving its primary objective of addressing the high rate of Māori incarceration. This problem largely stems from the destruction of Māori culture through colonisation and is held in place by systemic and institutional racism in the contemporary context. Theoretically, Section 27 provides a mechanism to off-set the societal dislocation and disadvantage Māori have experienced as a result of colonialism, crime control policies and urbanisation.

Analysis of the operational reality of Section 27 focused on the following questions:
•	Is Section 27 being utilised as intended by legislation?
•	What are the underlying rationale and reasons why the Section is utilised by Court officials?
•	What are the underlying rationale and reasons why the Section is not utilised by Court officials?
•	What changes to legislation, policy or institutional practice are required to enhance the use of Section 27?
The research involved qualitative interviews of eight lawyers from two different geographic locations in New Zealand, and four cultural consultants (those employed to write professional Section 27 reports). Their responses were analysed and grouped into three different themes: benefits, barriers, and improvement to legislation and practice.  

Major findings of the research include positive outcomes such as improved community re-engagement for offenders and improved sentencing outcomes. On the other hand, however, there is an inconsistency of use of Section 27, as well as a variable impact when it is used during the sentencing process. This inconsistency appears due to a lack of cultural knowledge and understanding within the court system. Thus, there is a need for cultural education of those working within the court system and for the development of a framework and guidelines.  For this to be imbedded as a consistent practice for use in sentencing decisions it needs to be backed up with adequate government funding and legislative and policy support.

text: A critical analysis of Section 27 of the Sentencing Act (2002) This thesis analyses the effectiveness of Section 27 of the Sentencing Act (2002) in achieving its primary objective of addressing the high rate of Māori incarceration. This problem largely stems from the destruction of Māori culture through colonisation and is held in place by systemic and institutional racism in the contemporary context. Theoretically, Section 27 provides a mechanism to off-set the societal dislocation and disadvantage Māori have experienced as a result of colonialism, crime control policies and urbanisation.

Analysis of the operational reality of Section 27 focused on the following questions:
•	Is Section 27 being utilised as intended by legislation?
•	What are the underlying rationale and reasons why the Section is utilised by Court officials?
•	What are the underlying rationale and reasons why the Section is not utilised by Court officials?
•	What changes to legislation, policy or institutional practice are required to enhance the use of Section 27?
The research involved qualitative interviews of eight lawyers from two different geographic locations in New Zealand, and four cultural consultants (those employed to write professional Section 27 reports). Their responses were analysed and grouped into three different themes: benefits, barriers, and improvement to legislation and practice.  

Major findings of the research include positive outcomes such as improved community re-engagement for offenders and improved sentencing outcomes. On the other hand, however, there is an inconsistency of use of Section 27, as well as a variable impact when it is used during the sentencing process. This inconsistency appears due to a lack of cultural knowledge and understanding within the court system. Thus, there is a need for cultural education of those working within the court system and for the development of a framework and guidelines.  For this to be imbedded as a consistent practice for use in sentencing decisions it needs to be backed up with adequate government funding and legislative and policy support.

year: 2020

title: Microsoft Translator Hub for Māori language

authors: Keegan, Te Taka Adrian Gregory

subjects: computer science

abstract: Recent improvements in Machine Translation (MT) software has opened new possibilities for applications of automatic language translation. But can these opportunities exist for the smaller, minority languages of the world? Training data was collected for the language pair of Māori and English which was used to build an MT system using Microsoft’s Translator Hub software. A comparative analysis was undertaken with this system and Google Translate. Various MT metrics and analysis software was considered before deciding to use the Asiya toolkit to undertake the comparative analysis. Māori language experts were also used to provide a human perspective on the output translations. The overall results showed no significant difference in the translation quality produced by the two systems. Despite some misgivings around the accuracy of the translations these results do show promise for MT usage by minority languages.

text: Microsoft Translator Hub for Māori language Recent improvements in Machine Translation (MT) software has opened new possibilities for applications of automatic language translation. But can these opportunities exist for the smaller, minority languages of the world? Training data was collected for the language pair of Māori and English which was used to build an MT system using Microsoft’s Translator Hub software. A comparative analysis was undertaken with this system and Google Translate. Various MT metrics and analysis software was considered before deciding to use the Asiya toolkit to undertake the comparative analysis. Māori language experts were also used to provide a human perspective on the output translations. The overall results showed no significant difference in the translation quality produced by the two systems. Despite some misgivings around the accuracy of the translations these results do show promise for MT usage by minority languages.

year: 2018

title: The complexity of judgment in the everyday work of educators

authors: Earl Rinehart, (Suzanne) Kerry

abstract: We experience judgment in everyday life: the process and the outcome, making and receiving. In this piece, I turn to John Dewey’s notions on how judgments are situational, interpretive, (con)temporary, active, and relational. Contrary to everyday connotations of the word judgment, Dewey reminds us that judgment is more contingent than propositional. The aim of this piece is to re-consider our understanding of judgment in everyday educational work. Crafted from a range of sources, anecdotes are alternated with statements about judgment in the work of school principals and teachers, one to illustrate the other. The form chosen for this project echoes that of Ron Pelias’s 1994 piece on performance in everyday discourse.

text: The complexity of judgment in the everyday work of educators We experience judgment in everyday life: the process and the outcome, making and receiving. In this piece, I turn to John Dewey’s notions on how judgments are situational, interpretive, (con)temporary, active, and relational. Contrary to everyday connotations of the word judgment, Dewey reminds us that judgment is more contingent than propositional. The aim of this piece is to re-consider our understanding of judgment in everyday educational work. Crafted from a range of sources, anecdotes are alternated with statements about judgment in the work of school principals and teachers, one to illustrate the other. The form chosen for this project echoes that of Ron Pelias’s 1994 piece on performance in everyday discourse.

year: 2019