title: Changes in carbon and nitrogen stocks following conversion of plantation forest to dairy pasture on pumice soils, in the Central North Island

authors: Lewis, Riki Windsor

subjects: Carbon

abstract: Since 1990 approximately 36,000 ha of land in the Waikato has been converted from pine plantation to dairy farms. By changing land use from plantation forest to pasture there is potential to change soil properties. The property of interest, due to international discussion (Kyoto Protocol), is the potential for soils to store carbon. My main objective was to determine the rate and magnitude of change in soil carbon, soil nitrogen, and C:N ratio following land conversion from pine plantation to pasture. My study examined three areas (Atiamuri, Tokoroa and Wairakei) in the Central North Island of New Zealand. At each study area sites ranging from pine plantation, through 2, 3, 4, 5 and 11 years since conversion, to long-term (>40 years) dairy or sheep/beef pasture, were identified. Three transects were established at each site and 7 soil core samples each to a depth of 60 cm, were taken at random intervals along each transect. Soil cores were split into horizons with samples from each horizon bulked together for each transect. At the midpoint of each transect a pit was dug and soil dry bulk density samples were taken from each horizon. At one pit from each site a sample of each soil horizon was taken. In the laboratory all soil samples were passed through a 2 mm sieve and air dried. Air dried samples were crushed and analysed for total carbon and total nitrogen with a TruSpec CN Carbon/Nitrogen Determinator. Soil dry bulk density was lower (P<0.05) in the pine sites Ap horizons (0.47 to 0.54 g cm-3) than the Ap horizon for all other sites (0.59 to 0.76 g cm-3) at the Atiamuri, Tokoroa and Wairakei areas. There was no significant difference in Ap horizon depths between pine forest, recent conversion and long-term pasture sites at any of the study areas. Carbon concentration in the Ap horizon (5.5 to 9 %) showed few significant differences between land-use sites. The total soil carbon at Atiamuri and Wairakei was higher (P<0.05) in the long-term pastures (88 to 100 t/ha) than in the pine (42 to 54 t/ha), however there was no significant difference between pine and long-term pasture at Tokoroa and data from recently converted sites were variable with no apparent significant differences. Total soil nitrogen at all three study areas was higher (P<0.05) in the long-term pasture sites (5 to 8 t/ha) than in the pine sites (9 to 12 t/ha). The C:N ratio in the Ap horizon was higher (P<0.05) in pine sites (mean of 16) than in the long-term pasture sites (mean of 10). The variability in the recently converted sites meant that generally no short-term changes in carbon, nitrogen or C:N ratio, following conversion from pine forest to dairy pasture were discernable.

text: Changes in carbon and nitrogen stocks following conversion of plantation forest to dairy pasture on pumice soils, in the Central North Island Since 1990 approximately 36,000 ha of land in the Waikato has been converted from pine plantation to dairy farms. By changing land use from plantation forest to pasture there is potential to change soil properties. The property of interest, due to international discussion (Kyoto Protocol), is the potential for soils to store carbon. My main objective was to determine the rate and magnitude of change in soil carbon, soil nitrogen, and C:N ratio following land conversion from pine plantation to pasture. My study examined three areas (Atiamuri, Tokoroa and Wairakei) in the Central North Island of New Zealand. At each study area sites ranging from pine plantation, through 2, 3, 4, 5 and 11 years since conversion, to long-term (>40 years) dairy or sheep/beef pasture, were identified. Three transects were established at each site and 7 soil core samples each to a depth of 60 cm, were taken at random intervals along each transect. Soil cores were split into horizons with samples from each horizon bulked together for each transect. At the midpoint of each transect a pit was dug and soil dry bulk density samples were taken from each horizon. At one pit from each site a sample of each soil horizon was taken. In the laboratory all soil samples were passed through a 2 mm sieve and air dried. Air dried samples were crushed and analysed for total carbon and total nitrogen with a TruSpec CN Carbon/Nitrogen Determinator. Soil dry bulk density was lower (P<0.05) in the pine sites Ap horizons (0.47 to 0.54 g cm-3) than the Ap horizon for all other sites (0.59 to 0.76 g cm-3) at the Atiamuri, Tokoroa and Wairakei areas. There was no significant difference in Ap horizon depths between pine forest, recent conversion and long-term pasture sites at any of the study areas. Carbon concentration in the Ap horizon (5.5 to 9 %) showed few significant differences between land-use sites. The total soil carbon at Atiamuri and Wairakei was higher (P<0.05) in the long-term pastures (88 to 100 t/ha) than in the pine (42 to 54 t/ha), however there was no significant difference between pine and long-term pasture at Tokoroa and data from recently converted sites were variable with no apparent significant differences. Total soil nitrogen at all three study areas was higher (P<0.05) in the long-term pasture sites (5 to 8 t/ha) than in the pine sites (9 to 12 t/ha). The C:N ratio in the Ap horizon was higher (P<0.05) in pine sites (mean of 16) than in the long-term pasture sites (mean of 10). The variability in the recently converted sites meant that generally no short-term changes in carbon, nitrogen or C:N ratio, following conversion from pine forest to dairy pasture were discernable.

year: 2011

title: Youth gang membership: Factors influencing and maintaining membership

authors: Campbell, Sarah Michelle

subjects: Youth gang

abstract: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of young people who were actively engaged in youth gangs. This included developing an understanding of the factors that both influenced and maintained their desire for youth gang membership. This was achieved by carrying out seven semi-structured interviews with young people aged between sixteen and twenty-three who were residing in the city of Hamilton, New Zealand. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim to ensure the experiences of these young people were accurately recorded. A thematic analysis of the data was then carried out, highlighting both the themes and subthemes across the data set.

Five primary themes were identified within this data set to highlight the factors that both influenced and maintained a desire for youth gang membership. This included the influence of friends, the availability of money, and a desire to participate in antisocial behaviours within the gang. Participants also explained the importance of their neighbourhood surroundings in facilitating youth gang membership. While these overarching themes have been previously reported within literature (Goldstein, 1991; Thornberry, Krohn, Lizotte, Smith & Tobin, 2003), the young people in this study offered their subtly unique experiences and journey into the gang lifestyle. The final theme highlighted the negative evaluation that these young people perceived to experience from others which influenced and maintained their desire to pursue the gang lifestyle. This finding is not as prevalent in the existing youth gang literature, but is discussed within the social psychology literature as the "self-fulfilling prophecy".

One of the main findings of this study was that these young people were engaged in the youth gang lifestyle from as young as nine years of age. Once accepted into the gang, participants explained that they then began to withdraw from school and other mainstream activities to pursue their life in the gang. It then became difficult to present these young people with an alternative to their chosen lifestyle as they had access to the support, tangible goods and respect that was desired. They were also accepted into a group of like-minded friends who existed as a substitute family. Further research is needed to better understand the variety of experiences that young people in New Zealand have when joining a youth gang.

text: Youth gang membership: Factors influencing and maintaining membership The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of young people who were actively engaged in youth gangs. This included developing an understanding of the factors that both influenced and maintained their desire for youth gang membership. This was achieved by carrying out seven semi-structured interviews with young people aged between sixteen and twenty-three who were residing in the city of Hamilton, New Zealand. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim to ensure the experiences of these young people were accurately recorded. A thematic analysis of the data was then carried out, highlighting both the themes and subthemes across the data set.

Five primary themes were identified within this data set to highlight the factors that both influenced and maintained a desire for youth gang membership. This included the influence of friends, the availability of money, and a desire to participate in antisocial behaviours within the gang. Participants also explained the importance of their neighbourhood surroundings in facilitating youth gang membership. While these overarching themes have been previously reported within literature (Goldstein, 1991; Thornberry, Krohn, Lizotte, Smith & Tobin, 2003), the young people in this study offered their subtly unique experiences and journey into the gang lifestyle. The final theme highlighted the negative evaluation that these young people perceived to experience from others which influenced and maintained their desire to pursue the gang lifestyle. This finding is not as prevalent in the existing youth gang literature, but is discussed within the social psychology literature as the "self-fulfilling prophecy".

One of the main findings of this study was that these young people were engaged in the youth gang lifestyle from as young as nine years of age. Once accepted into the gang, participants explained that they then began to withdraw from school and other mainstream activities to pursue their life in the gang. It then became difficult to present these young people with an alternative to their chosen lifestyle as they had access to the support, tangible goods and respect that was desired. They were also accepted into a group of like-minded friends who existed as a substitute family. Further research is needed to better understand the variety of experiences that young people in New Zealand have when joining a youth gang.

year: 2011

title: A critical race analysis of Māori representation in university strategic documents in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Waitoki, Waikaremoana

subjects: critical race theory

abstract: Following the recent claims lodged at two universities in Aotearoa New Zealand alleging the existence of racism, there has been scepticism towards the professed commitments by universities to create an inclusive and safe environment for Indigenous Māori. As a Kaupapa Māori-informed study, we (a group of Māori and Tauiwi scholars) employed tenets of Critical Race Theory to examine how the representation of Māori is racialised and subordinated in university strategic documents. We located five predominant discourses portraying different mechanisms that reify whiteness in university practices such as the selective interpretation of Te Tiriti articles, targeted recruitment of Māori, framing of Māori as dependent on the Crown to succeed, commodification of mātauranga Māori, and avoidance of conversations about structural racism, colonisation, and racial equity. Our findings suggest that university strategic goal statements need to incorporate a critical race analysis, or else risk perpetuating practices that fall short of challenging the status quo.

text: A critical race analysis of Māori representation in university strategic documents in Aotearoa New Zealand Following the recent claims lodged at two universities in Aotearoa New Zealand alleging the existence of racism, there has been scepticism towards the professed commitments by universities to create an inclusive and safe environment for Indigenous Māori. As a Kaupapa Māori-informed study, we (a group of Māori and Tauiwi scholars) employed tenets of Critical Race Theory to examine how the representation of Māori is racialised and subordinated in university strategic documents. We located five predominant discourses portraying different mechanisms that reify whiteness in university practices such as the selective interpretation of Te Tiriti articles, targeted recruitment of Māori, framing of Māori as dependent on the Crown to succeed, commodification of mātauranga Māori, and avoidance of conversations about structural racism, colonisation, and racial equity. Our findings suggest that university strategic goal statements need to incorporate a critical race analysis, or else risk perpetuating practices that fall short of challenging the status quo.

year: 2024