title: New Zealand shareholder attitudes towards corporate environmental disclosure

authors: de Villiers, Charl

subjects: shareholder

abstract: Purpose – The natural environment has become an increasingly important business issue over the last ten years while shareholder views on the importance of corporate environmental disclosure have not been extensively investigated. The purpose of this paper is to report the requirements of individual shareholders for the disclosure and regulation of environmental information and their intended use of the information.
Design/methodology/approach – Respondents were questioned using an online survey whether they want specific types of environmental information from companies and if so, where they want it disclosed, why they want it disclosed and if they feel strongly enough about it to want it made compulsory and be subject to an audit. The authors regard New Zealand as an ideal experimental setting for the investigation of shareholder views and focus on the members of an active shareholders' association in New Zealand and obtain a very high response rate.
Findings – The paper finds that most shareholders are very positive about the disclosure of a range of environmental information items and furthermore they want environmental information to be made compulsory, to be audited, and to be published in the annual report and also on the company website. The most important reason given by shareholders for requiring environmental information is that they want companies to be accountable for their environmental impacts. The results are potentially significant for company governance and management decision making and will also have policy implications for regulators.
Practical implications – The findings have important implications for the government, the accounting profession and other standard setters. The paper suggests that the time has come for legislators, regulatory bodies and standard setters to take note of the policy implications if such a large proportion (59 percent – 72 percent) of shareholders want environmental disclosure to be compulsory and prescribed and not left to the discretion of companies.
Social implications – The information needs of individual shareholders who make their own investment decisions should be of great interest to regulators, because such investors rely on publicly available information, whereas institutional investors also collect private information. Regulators need to remove information asymmetry by regulating and/or mandating disclosures and shareholder requirements for information should be an important consideration.
Originality/value – This paper is of high value. The paper addresses why the information is requested and what it would be used for, something that the studies prior to the year 2000 did not cover. In addition this study is the first to survey New Zealand investors 1996, i.e. prior to the resurgence of late in societal interest in environmental issues.

text: New Zealand shareholder attitudes towards corporate environmental disclosure Purpose – The natural environment has become an increasingly important business issue over the last ten years while shareholder views on the importance of corporate environmental disclosure have not been extensively investigated. The purpose of this paper is to report the requirements of individual shareholders for the disclosure and regulation of environmental information and their intended use of the information.
Design/methodology/approach – Respondents were questioned using an online survey whether they want specific types of environmental information from companies and if so, where they want it disclosed, why they want it disclosed and if they feel strongly enough about it to want it made compulsory and be subject to an audit. The authors regard New Zealand as an ideal experimental setting for the investigation of shareholder views and focus on the members of an active shareholders' association in New Zealand and obtain a very high response rate.
Findings – The paper finds that most shareholders are very positive about the disclosure of a range of environmental information items and furthermore they want environmental information to be made compulsory, to be audited, and to be published in the annual report and also on the company website. The most important reason given by shareholders for requiring environmental information is that they want companies to be accountable for their environmental impacts. The results are potentially significant for company governance and management decision making and will also have policy implications for regulators.
Practical implications – The findings have important implications for the government, the accounting profession and other standard setters. The paper suggests that the time has come for legislators, regulatory bodies and standard setters to take note of the policy implications if such a large proportion (59 percent – 72 percent) of shareholders want environmental disclosure to be compulsory and prescribed and not left to the discretion of companies.
Social implications – The information needs of individual shareholders who make their own investment decisions should be of great interest to regulators, because such investors rely on publicly available information, whereas institutional investors also collect private information. Regulators need to remove information asymmetry by regulating and/or mandating disclosures and shareholder requirements for information should be an important consideration.
Originality/value – This paper is of high value. The paper addresses why the information is requested and what it would be used for, something that the studies prior to the year 2000 did not cover. In addition this study is the first to survey New Zealand investors 1996, i.e. prior to the resurgence of late in societal interest in environmental issues.

year: 2012

title: Building computational thinking through programming in K-6 education: A New Zealand experience

authors: Falloon, Garry

subjects: computational

abstract: The recent inclusion of computational skills in core curriculum by governments in the UK and Australia, has been linked to industry calls for schools to better equip young people with capabilities and dispositions aligned with needs of future high-tech industries and rapidly changing workplaces. This move has stimulated much interest in New Zealand, and while lacking any compulsory curriculum mandate, many teachers in K-12 classrooms are exploring the potential of coding tasks for developing computational skills as part of their mathematics, science and technology curricula. 
This paper reports findings from a study that used a unique data capture app embedded in iPads to record 9&10 year old students while they used two apps of very different designs for coding tasks. Using Studiocode video analysis software, data were analysed using a framework developed from Brennan and Resnick’s [1] three dimensions of computational thinking, to learn more about how these apps constituted useful environments for developing computational thinking. Results suggest that coding apps of a ‘teaching’ design complement apps where computational concepts and practices are applied to project creation, and indeed may be more efficient if the desired outcome specifically targets the learning of concepts. Implications for teachers exploring coding apps for computational thinking development are drawn.

text: Building computational thinking through programming in K-6 education: A New Zealand experience The recent inclusion of computational skills in core curriculum by governments in the UK and Australia, has been linked to industry calls for schools to better equip young people with capabilities and dispositions aligned with needs of future high-tech industries and rapidly changing workplaces. This move has stimulated much interest in New Zealand, and while lacking any compulsory curriculum mandate, many teachers in K-12 classrooms are exploring the potential of coding tasks for developing computational skills as part of their mathematics, science and technology curricula. 
This paper reports findings from a study that used a unique data capture app embedded in iPads to record 9&10 year old students while they used two apps of very different designs for coding tasks. Using Studiocode video analysis software, data were analysed using a framework developed from Brennan and Resnick’s [1] three dimensions of computational thinking, to learn more about how these apps constituted useful environments for developing computational thinking. Results suggest that coding apps of a ‘teaching’ design complement apps where computational concepts and practices are applied to project creation, and indeed may be more efficient if the desired outcome specifically targets the learning of concepts. Implications for teachers exploring coding apps for computational thinking development are drawn.

year: 2015

title: He pakiriha

authors: Temara, Pou

subjects: Tikanga

abstract: Kua tae ki te wā hai kōrero i ētahi tikanga marae, ētahi tikanga kawa e kawa ana ki tā te mātanga titiro. Tērā ētahi tikanga e whakamahia ana e ngā kaumātua o nāianei e uru atu ana ki te pae o rorirori, ka mutu, e ai ki tā ngā kaumātua nei, ko te mutunga mai o te tika ā rātau i whakatau ai. Nā hei whakarāpopoto i te whakaaro whānui, i ētahi wā kāore ko te mea e tika ana ki ō tātau whakaaro te huarahi pai. Ko tā te tikanga he kimi i te huarahi e tika ana, kia kore ai e whara ngā whakaaro o te tangata. Ko te tikanga ehara i te mea i whakairotia ki te kōhatu, engari e taea ana te neke i ngā pae o te tikanga kia pai ai te whakahaere a te tangata i āna mahi, kia tau ai te rangimārie, kia mau tonu ai te mana o te tangata. E whakapae ana ahau e kūmea ana e ētahi kaumātua ētahi tikanga kia hāngai ki tā rātau i whakaaro ai kai te tika, kai te hē rānei. Mā ētahi tauira e mārama ai te kaipānui ki te kaupapa me te whakaaro o te kaituhi.

text: He pakiriha Kua tae ki te wā hai kōrero i ētahi tikanga marae, ētahi tikanga kawa e kawa ana ki tā te mātanga titiro. Tērā ētahi tikanga e whakamahia ana e ngā kaumātua o nāianei e uru atu ana ki te pae o rorirori, ka mutu, e ai ki tā ngā kaumātua nei, ko te mutunga mai o te tika ā rātau i whakatau ai. Nā hei whakarāpopoto i te whakaaro whānui, i ētahi wā kāore ko te mea e tika ana ki ō tātau whakaaro te huarahi pai. Ko tā te tikanga he kimi i te huarahi e tika ana, kia kore ai e whara ngā whakaaro o te tangata. Ko te tikanga ehara i te mea i whakairotia ki te kōhatu, engari e taea ana te neke i ngā pae o te tikanga kia pai ai te whakahaere a te tangata i āna mahi, kia tau ai te rangimārie, kia mau tonu ai te mana o te tangata. E whakapae ana ahau e kūmea ana e ētahi kaumātua ētahi tikanga kia hāngai ki tā rātau i whakaaro ai kai te tika, kai te hē rānei. Mā ētahi tauira e mārama ai te kaipānui ki te kaupapa me te whakaaro o te kaituhi.

year: 2017