title: Measuring rural community resilience: case studies in New Zealand and Vermont, USA

authors: Payne, Penny R.

abstract: To date, methods for assessing community resilience have focused predominantly on disaster recovery. Those that do focus on broader social-ecological and psychological contexts tend to be qualitative and have not been validated at the community scale. This situation reveals a need for quantitative measurement tools for assessing community resilience to slow-moving change such as rural depopulation or climate change. Our research provides a proof of concept across two diverse contexts, New Zealand and Vermont, USA, that community resilience can be quantified and broken down into dimensions of resilience. Using mixed methods, we assessed how eight communities across two countries perceive resilience and compared their perceptions with indicators of resilience in the form of official statistics. Vermonters generally perceived their communities as more resilient than did New Zealanders, and reported different dimensions of resilience as drivers of overall perceptions of resilience. Although institutional resilience was a driver of overall resilience in both countries, social and cultural dimensions of resilience were also drivers in New Zealand, whereas economic and environmental dimensions were drivers of overall resilience in Vermont. Resilience indicators were found to be weakly related or unrelated to community perceptions of resilience. This result suggests that the proposed method for measuring resilience can be used across contexts, but that there is not one type of resilience that is the key to higher levels of overall resilience. It also suggests that the two proxy measures of resilience, i.e., community perceptions and indicators, do not provide a consistent picture of resilience, raising the question of which is a more accurate measure.

text: Measuring rural community resilience: case studies in New Zealand and Vermont, USA To date, methods for assessing community resilience have focused predominantly on disaster recovery. Those that do focus on broader social-ecological and psychological contexts tend to be qualitative and have not been validated at the community scale. This situation reveals a need for quantitative measurement tools for assessing community resilience to slow-moving change such as rural depopulation or climate change. Our research provides a proof of concept across two diverse contexts, New Zealand and Vermont, USA, that community resilience can be quantified and broken down into dimensions of resilience. Using mixed methods, we assessed how eight communities across two countries perceive resilience and compared their perceptions with indicators of resilience in the form of official statistics. Vermonters generally perceived their communities as more resilient than did New Zealanders, and reported different dimensions of resilience as drivers of overall perceptions of resilience. Although institutional resilience was a driver of overall resilience in both countries, social and cultural dimensions of resilience were also drivers in New Zealand, whereas economic and environmental dimensions were drivers of overall resilience in Vermont. Resilience indicators were found to be weakly related or unrelated to community perceptions of resilience. This result suggests that the proposed method for measuring resilience can be used across contexts, but that there is not one type of resilience that is the key to higher levels of overall resilience. It also suggests that the two proxy measures of resilience, i.e., community perceptions and indicators, do not provide a consistent picture of resilience, raising the question of which is a more accurate measure.

year: 2021

title: Better than Biggles: Michael Annesley’s ‘Lawrie Fenton’ spy thrillers.

authors: Bydder, Jillene

subjects: F.A.M. Webster

abstract: Captain F.A.M. Webster, the athlete, athletics coach and author who lived from 1886 to 1949, wrote a series of fifteen spy thrillers under the pseudonym of Michael Annesley. His hero, Lawrie Fenton, is a lively and laid-back secret agent for the fictional Intelligence Branch of the (British) Foreign Office. The books were published between 1935 and 1950, and the series is important because of its European settings, analyses of contemporary politics, insights into contemporary points of view, and snapshots of events and places. Fenton was a new and exciting hero for his times. The paper establishes Webster’s unrecognized but important influence on the development of the spy thriller. The photographs are from the Webster family collection.

text: Better than Biggles: Michael Annesley’s ‘Lawrie Fenton’ spy thrillers. Captain F.A.M. Webster, the athlete, athletics coach and author who lived from 1886 to 1949, wrote a series of fifteen spy thrillers under the pseudonym of Michael Annesley. His hero, Lawrie Fenton, is a lively and laid-back secret agent for the fictional Intelligence Branch of the (British) Foreign Office. The books were published between 1935 and 1950, and the series is important because of its European settings, analyses of contemporary politics, insights into contemporary points of view, and snapshots of events and places. Fenton was a new and exciting hero for his times. The paper establishes Webster’s unrecognized but important influence on the development of the spy thriller. The photographs are from the Webster family collection.

year: 2015

title: Ka pūhia te puna o te kauae runga, kia pūheke ai ngā wai ki te kauae raro: Investigating the inclusion of Māori in engineering - A Māori engineers’ journey

authors: Poli, Teresa

subjects: Engineering

abstract: This thesis explored views held by Māori and non- Māori regarding te ao Māori across the engineering system of education, academia, and industry, in understanding what challenges and experiences Māori engineers may face. 
While there are incremental and progressive changes beginning to be seen in the engineering industry when working with iwi Māori, the history of engineering itself is intertwined with colonial contributions that have oppressed Māori. These historical influences continue to impact Māori today as they navigate educational pathways and enter the engineering profession. Colonisation, with its consequences such as stealing te reo, and various forms of cultural oppression, has led to Māori feeling disconnected from the engineering profession. It has also resulted in invisible cultural labour being placed on Māori, as we transition into a profession attempting to rectify the historic wrongs of the past. It was realised a gap existed in engineering education, failing to adequately equip graduates with the essential skills needed for success as engineers in Aotearoa. This gap was particularly evident in the cultural skills necessary for effective collaboration with clients, as well as for working harmoniously with Māori colleagues.
The research framework employed in this rangahau was He waka hourua, symbolising the journey towards a vision where Māori not only hold mana but also a sense of belonging in the field of engineering. This framework recognises the importance of both Māori and Pākehā voices, with a preference for Māori engineers taking a leading role in steering the direction towards the envisioned destination. The data collection process involved the use of Surveys and Whakawhiti kōrero methodologies, gathering both quantitative and qualitative information that played a crucial role in shaping the research findings.
Woven throughout this rangahau are the personal experiences shared by the author, and her journey as a wahine Māori engineer through the engineering system, anchored by her Māoritanga. Throughout, this rangahau analogies of waka are utilised as an acknowledgement of the great engineering feats developed by Māori, and paying homage to the idea that Māori have always been engineers, drawing from characteristics and traits passed down from atua and tīpuna.
The author highlights the scarcity of literature dedicated to supporting the kaupapa of enhancing the mana of Māori in engineering. Rather than providing definitive answers to address the challenges that diminish Māori mana in engineering, this thesis serves as a foundational point, anchored at the wharf, for future rangatira to continue the voyage. Enhancing the mana of Māori in engineering presents an enduring wero, but there is optimism for the future of Māori in engineering, as we carve out institutionalism, we begin to make space on our waka.

text: Ka pūhia te puna o te kauae runga, kia pūheke ai ngā wai ki te kauae raro: Investigating the inclusion of Māori in engineering - A Māori engineers’ journey This thesis explored views held by Māori and non- Māori regarding te ao Māori across the engineering system of education, academia, and industry, in understanding what challenges and experiences Māori engineers may face. 
While there are incremental and progressive changes beginning to be seen in the engineering industry when working with iwi Māori, the history of engineering itself is intertwined with colonial contributions that have oppressed Māori. These historical influences continue to impact Māori today as they navigate educational pathways and enter the engineering profession. Colonisation, with its consequences such as stealing te reo, and various forms of cultural oppression, has led to Māori feeling disconnected from the engineering profession. It has also resulted in invisible cultural labour being placed on Māori, as we transition into a profession attempting to rectify the historic wrongs of the past. It was realised a gap existed in engineering education, failing to adequately equip graduates with the essential skills needed for success as engineers in Aotearoa. This gap was particularly evident in the cultural skills necessary for effective collaboration with clients, as well as for working harmoniously with Māori colleagues.
The research framework employed in this rangahau was He waka hourua, symbolising the journey towards a vision where Māori not only hold mana but also a sense of belonging in the field of engineering. This framework recognises the importance of both Māori and Pākehā voices, with a preference for Māori engineers taking a leading role in steering the direction towards the envisioned destination. The data collection process involved the use of Surveys and Whakawhiti kōrero methodologies, gathering both quantitative and qualitative information that played a crucial role in shaping the research findings.
Woven throughout this rangahau are the personal experiences shared by the author, and her journey as a wahine Māori engineer through the engineering system, anchored by her Māoritanga. Throughout, this rangahau analogies of waka are utilised as an acknowledgement of the great engineering feats developed by Māori, and paying homage to the idea that Māori have always been engineers, drawing from characteristics and traits passed down from atua and tīpuna.
The author highlights the scarcity of literature dedicated to supporting the kaupapa of enhancing the mana of Māori in engineering. Rather than providing definitive answers to address the challenges that diminish Māori mana in engineering, this thesis serves as a foundational point, anchored at the wharf, for future rangatira to continue the voyage. Enhancing the mana of Māori in engineering presents an enduring wero, but there is optimism for the future of Māori in engineering, as we carve out institutionalism, we begin to make space on our waka.

year: 2024