title: Fight or flight? : resilience and vulnerability in rural Fiji

authors: Cagilaba, Vinau

subjects: Coastal zone management

abstract: Increasing awareness of the likely effects of climatic change, particularly on small Island states, has had several implications for these nations. The vulnerabilities of island communities are likely to increase if climatic change predictions eventuate. However, their vulnerability has not only risen out of the physical threat that is climate change. It has also arisen out of historical processes that have structured the lives of these communities and made them more or less vulnerable. Critical importance is given to the role of social processes in rendering these communities vulnerable and when the issue of climate change is added to the social element, the degree of vulnerability is likely to be even higher.
This thesis considers the experiences of two local communities in Fiji that adapted in two different ways to storm surge and coastal erosion. The village of Solodamu relocated almost its entire village while Rukua village constructed a seawall and undertook land reclamation works. The impacts that arose out of the two different measures that they embarked upon are studied here and their experiences are used as case studies.
The research found that the vulnerabilities of these communities changed over time and was more the result of social processes rather than climatic change and environmental variations. The process of development, while benefiting these communities in certain ways has also increased their vulnerability and reduced their ability to cope with natural hazards and market perturbations. The growing reality that is climate change is likely to add a further dimension of vulnerability to these island communities. However, not everything is as bleak as it seems. These communities have shown resilience in the face of upheaval and continue to adapt their circumstances to fit the situation that they find themselves in.

text: Fight or flight? : resilience and vulnerability in rural Fiji Increasing awareness of the likely effects of climatic change, particularly on small Island states, has had several implications for these nations. The vulnerabilities of island communities are likely to increase if climatic change predictions eventuate. However, their vulnerability has not only risen out of the physical threat that is climate change. It has also arisen out of historical processes that have structured the lives of these communities and made them more or less vulnerable. Critical importance is given to the role of social processes in rendering these communities vulnerable and when the issue of climate change is added to the social element, the degree of vulnerability is likely to be even higher.
This thesis considers the experiences of two local communities in Fiji that adapted in two different ways to storm surge and coastal erosion. The village of Solodamu relocated almost its entire village while Rukua village constructed a seawall and undertook land reclamation works. The impacts that arose out of the two different measures that they embarked upon are studied here and their experiences are used as case studies.
The research found that the vulnerabilities of these communities changed over time and was more the result of social processes rather than climatic change and environmental variations. The process of development, while benefiting these communities in certain ways has also increased their vulnerability and reduced their ability to cope with natural hazards and market perturbations. The growing reality that is climate change is likely to add a further dimension of vulnerability to these island communities. However, not everything is as bleak as it seems. These communities have shown resilience in the face of upheaval and continue to adapt their circumstances to fit the situation that they find themselves in.

year: 2005

title: The ecological consequences of stream sedimentation for freshwater macroinvertebrates in the Te Awanui/Tauranga Harbour catchment

authors: Lea, Brooklyn

subjects: freshwater ecology

abstract: Sedimentation is a significant stressor in streams and rivers globally. The natural sediment regime 
paradigm posits that human activities have greatly altered the natural transport of sediment in river 
networks and that land-uses leading to increased bank erosion and surface runoff have resulted in 
large quantities of fine sediment being deposited in streams and rivers. In New Zealand, land 
conversion from native forest to pastoral agriculture has dramatically increased riverine sediment 
loads, making deposited fine sediment (DFS) a major stressor that negatively impacts stream 
ecosystem health. Consequently, DFS is an important attribute managed under the National Policy 
Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. However, uncertainties remain in how best to 
monitor the effects of DFS, and what impacts different land-use types have on stream ecosystems 
in addition to the adverse influence of sedimentation.  
In my study, I surveyed 24 stream sites allocated evenly to three land-use types (native forest, 
pastoral agriculture, and horticulture, e.g. kiwifruit orchards) in the Tauranga Harbour basin. I 
measured habitat attributes, including DFS, and sampled stream macroinvertebrate communities 
at each site. Using macroinvertebrate data, I calculated and compared taxonomic and trait-based 
metrics as indicators of ecosystem health across land-use types. I used a variety of metrics, 
including the Macroinvertebrate Community Index (MCI) and its quantitative equivalent, the 
QMCI, the Average Score Per Metric (ASPM) index, and community-weighted mean trait 
abundances, including facets of functional diversity to assess impacts on stream health.  
I found that human land uses negatively influenced stream health, indicated by greatly reduced 
MCI, QMCI, and ASPM scores. Although DFS explained most of the negative influences on 
macroinvertebrate communities in pastoral and horticultural streams, there were differences 
between native forest and horticultural streams not accounted for by DFS that contributed to 
declines in ecosystem health. I also found that sediment-specific macroinvertebrate metrics 
(sediment ‘decreasers’) were the best indicators of DFS impacts on stream health. Contrary to my 
predictions, I did not find that functional diversity was strongly reduced by land use or DFS, 
although several key traits responded to these stressors. Notably, life history trait modalities 
involving the number of reproductive cycles per year and oviposition site responded strongly to 
DFS and land use, indicating potential mechanisms contributing towards the impacts of these 
stressors on macroinvertebrate communities.  
ii 
My study points to the need to continuously manage the deposition of fine sediment in streams to 
help mitigate the adverse effects of human land use. Future research should further explore the 
role that fine sediment and other stressors associated with human land uses play in the degradation 
of streams ecosystems in the Tauranga Harbour basin. Quantifying land use and land cover 
(LULC) attributes using geospatial tools will help further explore the relationship between 
catchment properties and macroinvertebrate responses. Additionally, issues regarding trait 
syndromes, trade-offs, and database inconsistencies must be addressed to better understand the 
mechanistic links between specific macroinvertebrate traits and fine sediment.

text: The ecological consequences of stream sedimentation for freshwater macroinvertebrates in the Te Awanui/Tauranga Harbour catchment Sedimentation is a significant stressor in streams and rivers globally. The natural sediment regime 
paradigm posits that human activities have greatly altered the natural transport of sediment in river 
networks and that land-uses leading to increased bank erosion and surface runoff have resulted in 
large quantities of fine sediment being deposited in streams and rivers. In New Zealand, land 
conversion from native forest to pastoral agriculture has dramatically increased riverine sediment 
loads, making deposited fine sediment (DFS) a major stressor that negatively impacts stream 
ecosystem health. Consequently, DFS is an important attribute managed under the National Policy 
Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. However, uncertainties remain in how best to 
monitor the effects of DFS, and what impacts different land-use types have on stream ecosystems 
in addition to the adverse influence of sedimentation.  
In my study, I surveyed 24 stream sites allocated evenly to three land-use types (native forest, 
pastoral agriculture, and horticulture, e.g. kiwifruit orchards) in the Tauranga Harbour basin. I 
measured habitat attributes, including DFS, and sampled stream macroinvertebrate communities 
at each site. Using macroinvertebrate data, I calculated and compared taxonomic and trait-based 
metrics as indicators of ecosystem health across land-use types. I used a variety of metrics, 
including the Macroinvertebrate Community Index (MCI) and its quantitative equivalent, the 
QMCI, the Average Score Per Metric (ASPM) index, and community-weighted mean trait 
abundances, including facets of functional diversity to assess impacts on stream health.  
I found that human land uses negatively influenced stream health, indicated by greatly reduced 
MCI, QMCI, and ASPM scores. Although DFS explained most of the negative influences on 
macroinvertebrate communities in pastoral and horticultural streams, there were differences 
between native forest and horticultural streams not accounted for by DFS that contributed to 
declines in ecosystem health. I also found that sediment-specific macroinvertebrate metrics 
(sediment ‘decreasers’) were the best indicators of DFS impacts on stream health. Contrary to my 
predictions, I did not find that functional diversity was strongly reduced by land use or DFS, 
although several key traits responded to these stressors. Notably, life history trait modalities 
involving the number of reproductive cycles per year and oviposition site responded strongly to 
DFS and land use, indicating potential mechanisms contributing towards the impacts of these 
stressors on macroinvertebrate communities.  
ii 
My study points to the need to continuously manage the deposition of fine sediment in streams to 
help mitigate the adverse effects of human land use. Future research should further explore the 
role that fine sediment and other stressors associated with human land uses play in the degradation 
of streams ecosystems in the Tauranga Harbour basin. Quantifying land use and land cover 
(LULC) attributes using geospatial tools will help further explore the relationship between 
catchment properties and macroinvertebrate responses. Additionally, issues regarding trait 
syndromes, trade-offs, and database inconsistencies must be addressed to better understand the 
mechanistic links between specific macroinvertebrate traits and fine sediment.

year: 2024

title: Exploring te ao Māori: The role of museums

authors: Clarkin-Phillips, Jeanette

subjects: museum

abstract: Museums offer many opportunities for developing knowledge of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. This article reports on research involving a kindergarten located in a national museum. It discusses children’s growing understanding of te ao Māori (the world of Māori) through their regular visits to the collections and exhibits in the museum and suggests teachers in early childhood centres may find connecting with their local museum a valuable resource for enhancing bicultural practice.

text: Exploring te ao Māori: The role of museums Museums offer many opportunities for developing knowledge of the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. This article reports on research involving a kindergarten located in a national museum. It discusses children’s growing understanding of te ao Māori (the world of Māori) through their regular visits to the collections and exhibits in the museum and suggests teachers in early childhood centres may find connecting with their local museum a valuable resource for enhancing bicultural practice.

year: 2012