title: Halting indigenous biodiversity decline: ambiguity, equity, and outcomes in RMA assessment of significance

authors: Walker, Susan F.

subjects: collective action

abstract: In New Zealand, assessment of ‘significance’ is undertaken to give effect to a legal requirement for local authorities to provide for protection of significant sites under the Resource Management Act (1991). The ambiguity of the statute enables different interests to define significance according to their goals: vested interests (developers), local authorities, and non-vested interests in pursuit of protection of environmental public goods may advance different definitions. We examine two sets of criteria used for assessment of significance for biological diversity under the Act. Criteria adapted from the 1980s Protected Natural Areas Programme are inadequate to achieve the maintenance of biological diversity if ranking is used to identify only highest priority sites. Norton and Roper-Lindsay (2004) propose a narrow definition of significance and criteria that identify only a few high-quality sites as significant. Both sets are likely to serve the interests of developers and local authorities, but place the penalty of uncertainty on non-vested interests seeking to maintain biological diversity, and are likely to exacerbate the decline of biological diversity and the loss of landscape-scale processes required for its persistence. When adopting criteria for assessment of significance, we suggest local authorities should consider whose interests are served by different criteria sets, and who will bear the penalty of uncertainty regarding biological diversity outcomes. They should also ask whether significance criteria are adequate, and sufficiently robust to the uncertainty inherent in the assessment of natural values, to halt the decline of indigenous biological diversity.

text: Halting indigenous biodiversity decline: ambiguity, equity, and outcomes in RMA assessment of significance In New Zealand, assessment of ‘significance’ is undertaken to give effect to a legal requirement for local authorities to provide for protection of significant sites under the Resource Management Act (1991). The ambiguity of the statute enables different interests to define significance according to their goals: vested interests (developers), local authorities, and non-vested interests in pursuit of protection of environmental public goods may advance different definitions. We examine two sets of criteria used for assessment of significance for biological diversity under the Act. Criteria adapted from the 1980s Protected Natural Areas Programme are inadequate to achieve the maintenance of biological diversity if ranking is used to identify only highest priority sites. Norton and Roper-Lindsay (2004) propose a narrow definition of significance and criteria that identify only a few high-quality sites as significant. Both sets are likely to serve the interests of developers and local authorities, but place the penalty of uncertainty on non-vested interests seeking to maintain biological diversity, and are likely to exacerbate the decline of biological diversity and the loss of landscape-scale processes required for its persistence. When adopting criteria for assessment of significance, we suggest local authorities should consider whose interests are served by different criteria sets, and who will bear the penalty of uncertainty regarding biological diversity outcomes. They should also ask whether significance criteria are adequate, and sufficiently robust to the uncertainty inherent in the assessment of natural values, to halt the decline of indigenous biological diversity.

year: 2008

title: The death of Private Leonard Manning

authors: Smith, Ron C.

subjects: Leonard Manning

abstract: New Zealand Army Private, Leonard Manning, was killed in an ambush in East Timor in July 2000.  The circumstances of his killing and the military context in which it occurred, raised many questions at the time and many of these remain unresolved.  This report brings together what was known, as of the middle of 2005, expanding on articles published by the author in the New Zealand International Review, in 2001 and 2005.

text: The death of Private Leonard Manning New Zealand Army Private, Leonard Manning, was killed in an ambush in East Timor in July 2000.  The circumstances of his killing and the military context in which it occurred, raised many questions at the time and many of these remain unresolved.  This report brings together what was known, as of the middle of 2005, expanding on articles published by the author in the New Zealand International Review, in 2001 and 2005.

year: 2005-06

title: Te Mata Ono-The six faces of Māori broadcasting

authors: Kaire-Melbourne, Kimiora

subjects: Māori broadcasting

abstract: Māori have always been involved in media communication and from a traditional viewpoint karanga, whaikōrero, taonga pūoro, haka, waiata and mōteatea are all mediums used to share messages across a mass audience. Since the arrival of European settlers, we have seen Māori content disseminated through platforms such as newspaper, radio, and more recently via the medium of television. This particular study is concerned with the way that Māori are represented and information is shared via indigenous broadcaster, Māori Television. Using a theoretical model made up of six key components, this thesis asserts that Te Mata Ono could not only help to improve the production of Māori content but also reshape and modify the medium of television itself, to become more culturally appropriate. Ultimately, this model could guide Māori Television, outlining a Māori specific approach to broadcasting. This study is one part of a two-part study. Due to the limitations of a four-paper masters thesis, I will only be examining three elements of Te Mata Ono, which are Mata Māori, Mata ō-tua and Mata Pākehā. Another thesis that was conducted simultaneously by Te Aorere Pewhairangi explores the remaining three elements of the same model, Mata Iwi, Mata Ako and Mata Tikanga. Te Mata Ono could be applied to Māori Television, making a positive contribution to the future development of Māori broadcasting.

text: Te Mata Ono-The six faces of Māori broadcasting Māori have always been involved in media communication and from a traditional viewpoint karanga, whaikōrero, taonga pūoro, haka, waiata and mōteatea are all mediums used to share messages across a mass audience. Since the arrival of European settlers, we have seen Māori content disseminated through platforms such as newspaper, radio, and more recently via the medium of television. This particular study is concerned with the way that Māori are represented and information is shared via indigenous broadcaster, Māori Television. Using a theoretical model made up of six key components, this thesis asserts that Te Mata Ono could not only help to improve the production of Māori content but also reshape and modify the medium of television itself, to become more culturally appropriate. Ultimately, this model could guide Māori Television, outlining a Māori specific approach to broadcasting. This study is one part of a two-part study. Due to the limitations of a four-paper masters thesis, I will only be examining three elements of Te Mata Ono, which are Mata Māori, Mata ō-tua and Mata Pākehā. Another thesis that was conducted simultaneously by Te Aorere Pewhairangi explores the remaining three elements of the same model, Mata Iwi, Mata Ako and Mata Tikanga. Te Mata Ono could be applied to Māori Television, making a positive contribution to the future development of Māori broadcasting.

year: 2019