title: Tangi and State Funeral: Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu and Prime Minister Norman Kirk

authors: McRae, Karyn Okeroa

subjects: Tangi

abstract: The tangi of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu (Te Arikinui) in 2006 paralleled the State funerals for New Zealand Prime Ministers like Norman Kirk who died in 1974. State funerals require the huge mobilization of people and resources and always attract the attention of the national and international media. The death of a Prime Minister is news worthy, but what of a minority indigenous fourth world leader like Te Arikinui? Why did her passing attract so much media attention? In this study I argue that media representation of the tangi of Te Arikinui was largely about social, cultural and symbolic capital. In media saturated societies such as Aotearoa/New Zealand, through mainstream media outlets like TV One News and the Waikato Times, Te Arikinui’s tangi event claimed a dominant space in the lives of Maori and non Maori alike. The data source includes print news media coverage of the tangi of Te Arikinui and the State funeral of Norman Kirk. Descriptive narrative and abductive analysis inform the methodology used in this study. As expected, print media reporting of both events progressed through the three stages identified by Durkheim, those of, separation, liminality and reincorporation. The ownership of death, the deceased and the continued possession of their mortal remains, itself a cultural object with symbolic and cultural capital, reflected the actual power and control of the possessor. State funerals and tangi are about the ritualized performance of grief and mourning, and require the appropriate social, cultural and symbolic capital for its enactment.

text: Tangi and State Funeral: Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu and Prime Minister Norman Kirk The tangi of Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu (Te Arikinui) in 2006 paralleled the State funerals for New Zealand Prime Ministers like Norman Kirk who died in 1974. State funerals require the huge mobilization of people and resources and always attract the attention of the national and international media. The death of a Prime Minister is news worthy, but what of a minority indigenous fourth world leader like Te Arikinui? Why did her passing attract so much media attention? In this study I argue that media representation of the tangi of Te Arikinui was largely about social, cultural and symbolic capital. In media saturated societies such as Aotearoa/New Zealand, through mainstream media outlets like TV One News and the Waikato Times, Te Arikinui’s tangi event claimed a dominant space in the lives of Maori and non Maori alike. The data source includes print news media coverage of the tangi of Te Arikinui and the State funeral of Norman Kirk. Descriptive narrative and abductive analysis inform the methodology used in this study. As expected, print media reporting of both events progressed through the three stages identified by Durkheim, those of, separation, liminality and reincorporation. The ownership of death, the deceased and the continued possession of their mortal remains, itself a cultural object with symbolic and cultural capital, reflected the actual power and control of the possessor. State funerals and tangi are about the ritualized performance of grief and mourning, and require the appropriate social, cultural and symbolic capital for its enactment.

year: 2010

title: Caregiver Health Related Quality of Life and Burden When Caring for Children with Traumatic Brain Injury

authors: Rose, Wallis

subjects: Caregiver Burden

abstract: Often family members take on the responsibility of caregiver when another family member sustains a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The caregiving role is a stressful task which may impact negatively upon caregivers’ psychological and physical health. Variables which may contribute to caregiver burden include: caregiver age, educational attainment, income, gender, ethnicity, marital status, supports, time post-injury, and child clinical variables: TBI severity, behavioural functioning and adaptive functioning. The literature varies in its reporting of which areas of health are most affected, and the degree to which sociodemographic and child variables impact upon negative health related quality of life (HRQoL) and burden. To address this the current study explored health outcomes for TBI caregivers using a battery of measures (Medical Study Short Form-36, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, DSM-IV Depression Diagnostic Scale, BAKAS Caregiving Outcomes Scale); questionnaires were also used to collect sociodemographic information and information relating to supports and services used in the rehabilitation of the TBI child. The Behavioural Assessment System for Children was used to collect behavioural and adaptability information from the caregivers about the child. Assessments were carried out at baseline, 1-month, 6-months and 12-months post TBI from a sample of 94 TBI caregivers and at baseline from a sample of 43 Control caregivers.

TBI caregivers experienced poorer overall health and higher levels of depression and were less likely to report positive life changes compared to Control caregivers. Older age and higher income predicted positive life changes. In addition to this higher income predicted better physical and overall health. Ethnicity was found to predict depression with the Māori/‘other ethnicity’ group suffering higher levels of depression. Children’s dysfunctional behaviour was found to predict poorer caregiver health outcomes across several domains; these include physical health, overall health, and depression; while the child’s adaptive functioning was not found to be a predictive factor in any caregiver health domains. New Zealand European and Māori TBI caregivers experienced similar health outcomes and received similar levels of support. However, Māori experienced more positive life changes than New Zealand Europeans. Caregivers’ physical and psychological well-being was found to improve over time, these changes were the greatest between the 1-month and 12-month period.
As a high percentage of children’s TBI’s occur in the home and at school, education aimed at schools and parents to inform of the effects of TBI upon children and families will bring an awareness which may encourage families to seek medical help. In doing so will offer the opportunity to receive or seek support in the initial period post TBI in the hope of reducing the burden for caregivers and producing better health outcomes. Bringing these families into contact with medical services may also help in identifying caregivers at higher risk of poorer health outcomes. Findings of more positive life changes for Māori may suggest cultural ideology is a protective factor in caregiver burden, further investigation may be necessary to understand these cultural differences and how they impact upon the caregiving role.

text: Caregiver Health Related Quality of Life and Burden When Caring for Children with Traumatic Brain Injury Often family members take on the responsibility of caregiver when another family member sustains a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The caregiving role is a stressful task which may impact negatively upon caregivers’ psychological and physical health. Variables which may contribute to caregiver burden include: caregiver age, educational attainment, income, gender, ethnicity, marital status, supports, time post-injury, and child clinical variables: TBI severity, behavioural functioning and adaptive functioning. The literature varies in its reporting of which areas of health are most affected, and the degree to which sociodemographic and child variables impact upon negative health related quality of life (HRQoL) and burden. To address this the current study explored health outcomes for TBI caregivers using a battery of measures (Medical Study Short Form-36, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, DSM-IV Depression Diagnostic Scale, BAKAS Caregiving Outcomes Scale); questionnaires were also used to collect sociodemographic information and information relating to supports and services used in the rehabilitation of the TBI child. The Behavioural Assessment System for Children was used to collect behavioural and adaptability information from the caregivers about the child. Assessments were carried out at baseline, 1-month, 6-months and 12-months post TBI from a sample of 94 TBI caregivers and at baseline from a sample of 43 Control caregivers.

TBI caregivers experienced poorer overall health and higher levels of depression and were less likely to report positive life changes compared to Control caregivers. Older age and higher income predicted positive life changes. In addition to this higher income predicted better physical and overall health. Ethnicity was found to predict depression with the Māori/‘other ethnicity’ group suffering higher levels of depression. Children’s dysfunctional behaviour was found to predict poorer caregiver health outcomes across several domains; these include physical health, overall health, and depression; while the child’s adaptive functioning was not found to be a predictive factor in any caregiver health domains. New Zealand European and Māori TBI caregivers experienced similar health outcomes and received similar levels of support. However, Māori experienced more positive life changes than New Zealand Europeans. Caregivers’ physical and psychological well-being was found to improve over time, these changes were the greatest between the 1-month and 12-month period.
As a high percentage of children’s TBI’s occur in the home and at school, education aimed at schools and parents to inform of the effects of TBI upon children and families will bring an awareness which may encourage families to seek medical help. In doing so will offer the opportunity to receive or seek support in the initial period post TBI in the hope of reducing the burden for caregivers and producing better health outcomes. Bringing these families into contact with medical services may also help in identifying caregivers at higher risk of poorer health outcomes. Findings of more positive life changes for Māori may suggest cultural ideology is a protective factor in caregiver burden, further investigation may be necessary to understand these cultural differences and how they impact upon the caregiving role.

year: 2012

title: Developing data mining applications

authors: Holmes, Geoffrey

subjects: computer science

abstract: In this talk I will review several real-world applications developed at the University of Waikato over the past 15 years. These include the use of near infrared spectroscopy coupled with data mining as an alternate laboratory technique for predicting compound concentrations in soil and plant samples, and the analysis of gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) data, a technique used to determine in environmental applications, for example, the petroleum content in soil and water samples. I will then briefly discuss how experience with these applications has led to the development of an open-source framework for application development.

text: Developing data mining applications In this talk I will review several real-world applications developed at the University of Waikato over the past 15 years. These include the use of near infrared spectroscopy coupled with data mining as an alternate laboratory technique for predicting compound concentrations in soil and plant samples, and the analysis of gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) data, a technique used to determine in environmental applications, for example, the petroleum content in soil and water samples. I will then briefly discuss how experience with these applications has led to the development of an open-source framework for application development.

year: 2013