title: Connectivity and complexity of floodplain habitats govern zooplankton dynamics in a large temperate river system

authors: Górski, Konrad

subjects: flood pulse

abstract: 1.	Large river–floodplain systems are characterised by seasonal flow variability. High flows lead to hydrological connection between the main channel and inundated off-channel lakes, wetlands and floodplains, which provide essential habitats for riverine biota. We tested the following hypotheses: (i) that crustacean zooplankton are more abundant in connected lentic habitats such as riverine lakes and wetlands and have a different community composition compared with the main channel and (ii) that vegetation structure will moderate abundances of crustacean zooplankton in the lower reaches of the Waikato River, New Zealand.
2.	Zooplankton densities in main channel inflows and inundated floodplains showed clear seasonal changes, with cladoceran and copepod abundance peaks occurring in the majority of sites 2–3 weeks following the peak spring discharges (coinciding with the retreat of water from floodplains into the main channel).
3.	Mean densities of zooplankton were highest in the inflows originating from riverine lakes (10–20 ind. Lˉ¹) where rotifers were dominant. We recorded significantly higher abundances of copepods in peat bog and swamp wetland inflows (c. 5 ind. Lˉ¹) relative to the main river channel and riverine lake inflows (0.1–1 ind. Lˉ¹). Some lake inflows also had high numbers of cladocerans (5–10 ind. Lˉ¹). 
4.	Inundated floodplains displayed heterogeneity in zooplankton community composition in relation to their structural complexity. Flooded forest accommodated higher numbers of copepods (c. 8 ind. Lˉ¹) and cladocerans (c. 17 ind. Lˉ¹) than flooded grassland, where zooplankton assemblages resembled those in the main river channel and were characterised by dominance of rotifers and low overall zooplankton densities (1–2 ind. Lˉ¹).
5.	Our results suggest that seasonal flow and flood pulses, which determine the degree of connectivity of the main channel with the floodplain and off-channel habitats, govern zooplankton densities and community structure in this large temperate river. Furthermore, the structural complexity of floodplain habitats may play an important role in enhancing riverine zooplankton diversity. We postulate that the post-flood peak of large-bodied cladocerans and copepods might have historically played an important role in the provision of food for juvenile fish such as migrating Galaxiidae.

text: Connectivity and complexity of floodplain habitats govern zooplankton dynamics in a large temperate river system 1.	Large river–floodplain systems are characterised by seasonal flow variability. High flows lead to hydrological connection between the main channel and inundated off-channel lakes, wetlands and floodplains, which provide essential habitats for riverine biota. We tested the following hypotheses: (i) that crustacean zooplankton are more abundant in connected lentic habitats such as riverine lakes and wetlands and have a different community composition compared with the main channel and (ii) that vegetation structure will moderate abundances of crustacean zooplankton in the lower reaches of the Waikato River, New Zealand.
2.	Zooplankton densities in main channel inflows and inundated floodplains showed clear seasonal changes, with cladoceran and copepod abundance peaks occurring in the majority of sites 2–3 weeks following the peak spring discharges (coinciding with the retreat of water from floodplains into the main channel).
3.	Mean densities of zooplankton were highest in the inflows originating from riverine lakes (10–20 ind. Lˉ¹) where rotifers were dominant. We recorded significantly higher abundances of copepods in peat bog and swamp wetland inflows (c. 5 ind. Lˉ¹) relative to the main river channel and riverine lake inflows (0.1–1 ind. Lˉ¹). Some lake inflows also had high numbers of cladocerans (5–10 ind. Lˉ¹). 
4.	Inundated floodplains displayed heterogeneity in zooplankton community composition in relation to their structural complexity. Flooded forest accommodated higher numbers of copepods (c. 8 ind. Lˉ¹) and cladocerans (c. 17 ind. Lˉ¹) than flooded grassland, where zooplankton assemblages resembled those in the main river channel and were characterised by dominance of rotifers and low overall zooplankton densities (1–2 ind. Lˉ¹).
5.	Our results suggest that seasonal flow and flood pulses, which determine the degree of connectivity of the main channel with the floodplain and off-channel habitats, govern zooplankton densities and community structure in this large temperate river. Furthermore, the structural complexity of floodplain habitats may play an important role in enhancing riverine zooplankton diversity. We postulate that the post-flood peak of large-bodied cladocerans and copepods might have historically played an important role in the provision of food for juvenile fish such as migrating Galaxiidae.

year: 2013

title: The impact of neo-liberalism on the idea of public office: Legal office in New Zealand

authors: Wilson, Margaret

abstract: In this paper I shall assess the impact of the recent reviews of the Crown Law Office in New Zealand and the public legal office of Solicitor-General. In 2011 the State Services Commission, The Treasury and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet commissioned a review of the Crown Law Office as part of Performance Improvement Framework (PIF). The Performance Improvement Framework " .. .is a framework applied by a small group of respected organisational leaders to provide insights into agency performance, identifying where agencies are strong or performing well and where they are weak or need to improve."3 The PIF is part of the Better Public Services project that is " ... part of a shift to a more explicit standard of defining and tracking performance, changing the nature of incentives in the public sector, boosting the role that the corporate centre can play and enhancing the ability of stakeholders and the public to scrutinise what they are getting for their tax dollars."4 The Crown Law review then was part of a wider review of state agencies that was essentially shifting the focus of the agencies to be more efficiency-based and performance driven.

text: The impact of neo-liberalism on the idea of public office: Legal office in New Zealand In this paper I shall assess the impact of the recent reviews of the Crown Law Office in New Zealand and the public legal office of Solicitor-General. In 2011 the State Services Commission, The Treasury and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet commissioned a review of the Crown Law Office as part of Performance Improvement Framework (PIF). The Performance Improvement Framework " .. .is a framework applied by a small group of respected organisational leaders to provide insights into agency performance, identifying where agencies are strong or performing well and where they are weak or need to improve."3 The PIF is part of the Better Public Services project that is " ... part of a shift to a more explicit standard of defining and tracking performance, changing the nature of incentives in the public sector, boosting the role that the corporate centre can play and enhancing the ability of stakeholders and the public to scrutinise what they are getting for their tax dollars."4 The Crown Law review then was part of a wider review of state agencies that was essentially shifting the focus of the agencies to be more efficiency-based and performance driven.

year: 2017

title: Monitoring te mana o te wai: Intergrating an indigenous cultural health index with conventional biomonitoring tools for improved freshwater management

authors: Edgecombe, Shana Jade Te Iaa Tarere

subjects: Freshwater

abstract: Globally, there are universal efforts to quantify and address human impacts on ecosystems. In particular, changes in land use and river regulation have led to drastic declines in stream and river ecosystem health. These human impacts are driving the global freshwater biodiversity crisis and degrade ecosystem services provided by aquatic habitats. In Aotearoa New Zealand there is widespread concern about the state of our Nation’s freshwater ecosystems. Coupled with a renaissance in Māori culture, there has been a drive to develop indicators that help articulate cultural values, assess ecosystem health from a cultural perspective, and provide greater agency for Māori in environmental monitoring and management. In my thesis, I sought to integrate an established cultural monitoring framework with conventional biomonitoring tools for improved freshwater management. I hypothesized that using a suite of monitoring approaches would help detect the impacts of human land use on stream ecosystem health, and that cultural indicators would be consistent with conventional measures in diagnosing land use impacts. I also hypothesized that there could be discrepancies between cultural monitoring and conventional approaches, as each represent different perspectives and ways of knowing streams and rivers. 
To test my hypotheses, I selected ten stream sites across the catchment of the Kuratau River, a major tributary of Lake Taupō. Based on River Environment Classification land cover types, I used a balanced study design with five sites draining indigenous forest, and five sites draining pastoral land. I measured key stream physicochemical properties and collected water samples for determination of nutrient concentration and faecal coliform counts. I also characterised instream and riparian habitat. I collected benthic macroinvertebrate samples and sampled water for environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess different facets of biodiversity. I measured decomposition using the Cotton Strip Assay and quantified periphyton biomass using a portable fluorometer. In combination with these approaches, I also used a Cultural Health Index, an established cultural monitoring framework that assesses three components: customary significance, taonga species/mahinga kai (food gathering), and the Cultural Stream Health Measure (CSHM) to assess identified attributes for stream health.
I found that pastoral land uses lead to a decline in stream ecosystem health when compared to sites draining indigenous forest. Pastoral sites had higher specific conductivity and concentrations of total nitrogen and nitrate. Habitat variables changed, with increased sedimentation and more degraded riparian zones in pastoral streams. Decomposition rates as measured by the cotton strip assay increased in the pasture sites, which was likely a response to increased nutrient availability. There were shifts in macroinvertebrate composition, with key indicator taxa for Indigenous forest sites including pollution-sensitive mayflies and stoneflies. Total taxa, EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera), and aquatic insect richness all significantly declined in pastoral sites. Increases in primary production were less pronounced, but did increase alongside abundances of grazing caddisflies and snails in the sites draining pastoral catchments. 
The Cultural Health Index indicated that sites in the Kuratau River catchment had customary and mahinga kai values. CSHM responded negatively to pastoral land uses, and the effect size it described was congruent with other responses. The CSHM was strongly correlated with an indicator of riparian habitat condition (the Riparian Condition Index) and had weak negative correlations with sedimentation and stream temperatures. The CSHM was not correlated with macroinvertebrate indices, which may have been because of the relatively few sites sampled, the narrow impact gradient in the Kuratau catchment, and the lack of temporal replication. However, cultural monitoring approaches should be seen to complement conventional environmental monitoring methods for assessing freshwater and not be expected to duplicate them. The strength of the Cultural Health Index approach comes from establishing Māori agency to assess the environment through a Te Ao Māori lens, and to support and foster inclusion for tangata whenua epistemologies in environmental monitoring and resource management. Future research should consider greater hapū involvement and further explore the mechanisms driving changes in stream health and biodiversity.

text: Monitoring te mana o te wai: Intergrating an indigenous cultural health index with conventional biomonitoring tools for improved freshwater management Globally, there are universal efforts to quantify and address human impacts on ecosystems. In particular, changes in land use and river regulation have led to drastic declines in stream and river ecosystem health. These human impacts are driving the global freshwater biodiversity crisis and degrade ecosystem services provided by aquatic habitats. In Aotearoa New Zealand there is widespread concern about the state of our Nation’s freshwater ecosystems. Coupled with a renaissance in Māori culture, there has been a drive to develop indicators that help articulate cultural values, assess ecosystem health from a cultural perspective, and provide greater agency for Māori in environmental monitoring and management. In my thesis, I sought to integrate an established cultural monitoring framework with conventional biomonitoring tools for improved freshwater management. I hypothesized that using a suite of monitoring approaches would help detect the impacts of human land use on stream ecosystem health, and that cultural indicators would be consistent with conventional measures in diagnosing land use impacts. I also hypothesized that there could be discrepancies between cultural monitoring and conventional approaches, as each represent different perspectives and ways of knowing streams and rivers. 
To test my hypotheses, I selected ten stream sites across the catchment of the Kuratau River, a major tributary of Lake Taupō. Based on River Environment Classification land cover types, I used a balanced study design with five sites draining indigenous forest, and five sites draining pastoral land. I measured key stream physicochemical properties and collected water samples for determination of nutrient concentration and faecal coliform counts. I also characterised instream and riparian habitat. I collected benthic macroinvertebrate samples and sampled water for environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess different facets of biodiversity. I measured decomposition using the Cotton Strip Assay and quantified periphyton biomass using a portable fluorometer. In combination with these approaches, I also used a Cultural Health Index, an established cultural monitoring framework that assesses three components: customary significance, taonga species/mahinga kai (food gathering), and the Cultural Stream Health Measure (CSHM) to assess identified attributes for stream health.
I found that pastoral land uses lead to a decline in stream ecosystem health when compared to sites draining indigenous forest. Pastoral sites had higher specific conductivity and concentrations of total nitrogen and nitrate. Habitat variables changed, with increased sedimentation and more degraded riparian zones in pastoral streams. Decomposition rates as measured by the cotton strip assay increased in the pasture sites, which was likely a response to increased nutrient availability. There were shifts in macroinvertebrate composition, with key indicator taxa for Indigenous forest sites including pollution-sensitive mayflies and stoneflies. Total taxa, EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera), and aquatic insect richness all significantly declined in pastoral sites. Increases in primary production were less pronounced, but did increase alongside abundances of grazing caddisflies and snails in the sites draining pastoral catchments. 
The Cultural Health Index indicated that sites in the Kuratau River catchment had customary and mahinga kai values. CSHM responded negatively to pastoral land uses, and the effect size it described was congruent with other responses. The CSHM was strongly correlated with an indicator of riparian habitat condition (the Riparian Condition Index) and had weak negative correlations with sedimentation and stream temperatures. The CSHM was not correlated with macroinvertebrate indices, which may have been because of the relatively few sites sampled, the narrow impact gradient in the Kuratau catchment, and the lack of temporal replication. However, cultural monitoring approaches should be seen to complement conventional environmental monitoring methods for assessing freshwater and not be expected to duplicate them. The strength of the Cultural Health Index approach comes from establishing Māori agency to assess the environment through a Te Ao Māori lens, and to support and foster inclusion for tangata whenua epistemologies in environmental monitoring and resource management. Future research should consider greater hapū involvement and further explore the mechanisms driving changes in stream health and biodiversity.

year: 2024