title: The race to bridge the gap: An analysis of women's policy within the spectrum of New Zealand politics in the lead up to the 2014 general election

authors: Holdsworth, Roxanna Elizabeth

subjects: Gender

abstract: Women in Aotearoa New Zealand were the first in the developed world to receive the right to vote in parliamentary elections. However, despite this early promise of gender equality, the introduction of a variety of initiatives aimed to foster equality has had limited success, and such equality remains a contentious issue. This paper focuses on political communication surrounding women’s affairs in the most recent general election in Aotearoa New Zealand. I examine the media campaigns and policy statements from seven political parties to determine how each party represents the gender divide and seeks to address women’s issues. My analysis is based on interviews with party spokespersons for women’s affairs and documented party policy sourced from both websites and party representatives. I draw on thematic and critical discourse analysis to determine how messages about women’s affairs are constructed and positioned in relation to current socio-political issues. Through the implementation of gendered communication theory, which acknowledges that men and women observe and practice different communication tools and styles, and social construction feminism—the exercise of gendering as a consistent aspect of who we are, how we view others, as well as our societal standing—my analysis of the findings identifies the dominant discourses within the political spectrum in New Zealand. I discuss the implications of the various party policies in relation, for example, to parental leave and domestic violence and whether the enactment of these policies is likely to prove beneficial to New Zealand women. My analysis of the findings highlights the strategic direction of current policy aimed at closing the gender gap and addressing women’s issues in Aotearoa New Zealand, represented through themes. The discussion demonstrates that differing perspectives of equality as opposed to equity require further consideration before significant progress can be made towards developing cohesive, culturally relevant practices, as opposed to the temporary measures often instigated by ideology to support a political campaign.

text: The race to bridge the gap: An analysis of women's policy within the spectrum of New Zealand politics in the lead up to the 2014 general election Women in Aotearoa New Zealand were the first in the developed world to receive the right to vote in parliamentary elections. However, despite this early promise of gender equality, the introduction of a variety of initiatives aimed to foster equality has had limited success, and such equality remains a contentious issue. This paper focuses on political communication surrounding women’s affairs in the most recent general election in Aotearoa New Zealand. I examine the media campaigns and policy statements from seven political parties to determine how each party represents the gender divide and seeks to address women’s issues. My analysis is based on interviews with party spokespersons for women’s affairs and documented party policy sourced from both websites and party representatives. I draw on thematic and critical discourse analysis to determine how messages about women’s affairs are constructed and positioned in relation to current socio-political issues. Through the implementation of gendered communication theory, which acknowledges that men and women observe and practice different communication tools and styles, and social construction feminism—the exercise of gendering as a consistent aspect of who we are, how we view others, as well as our societal standing—my analysis of the findings identifies the dominant discourses within the political spectrum in New Zealand. I discuss the implications of the various party policies in relation, for example, to parental leave and domestic violence and whether the enactment of these policies is likely to prove beneficial to New Zealand women. My analysis of the findings highlights the strategic direction of current policy aimed at closing the gender gap and addressing women’s issues in Aotearoa New Zealand, represented through themes. The discussion demonstrates that differing perspectives of equality as opposed to equity require further consideration before significant progress can be made towards developing cohesive, culturally relevant practices, as opposed to the temporary measures often instigated by ideology to support a political campaign.

year: 2015

title: Doppler velocimetry lidar with amplified reference beam storage loop

authors: Shen, Jyi-Lai

abstract: Wind shear and clear air turbulence are phenomena in which wind speeds can change rapidly presenting a threat to aircraft and their passengers. Lidar is a proven technique for wind speed measurement but remains a research tool only and is not yet commercially viable as an early warning system. This is mainly due to the expense and bulk of the single frequency injection locked lasers required for long-range coherent measurements. 

A different design philosophy for a pulsed Doppler lidar system has recently been presented in the literature, where the reference beam pulse is stored in a fibre optic storage loop. Each successive reference pulse has travelled a distance equivalent to the measurement beam’s path length. This approach reduces the coherence requirements and allows the use of cheaper, smaller, and lower coherence sources. However, a major problem of this system is that the energy of the stored pulses decays exponentially. 

This thesis introduces a new and improved reference pulse storage loop, which includes an erbium doped fibre amplifier to compensate for the decay of the reference signal. Details of the design are presented. The original storage loop concept is transferred to the fibre optics telecommunication wavelength range of 1.55μm. The noise and gain of the system is characterized. Special attention is paid to avoiding laser oscillation while maintaining sufficient gain. The components, like isolators, filters, and polarisation controllers, required to achieve satisfactory operation are presented. Electronic and software techniques based on phase lock loop and wavelet transformation are included in the overall system design to reduce noise. The experiments prove that the amplitude of 16 stored pulses remains constant to within 10% fluctuation.

To prove the validity of the concept the velocity of a rotating mirror is measured at various measurement distances of 0 to 583 m that coincide with the 16 reference pulses. The experiments show successful optical mixing between the stored amplified reference and the delayed measurement beams. In the range 1 to 10 m/s the velocity can be determined to better than ±0.14 m/s (standard deviation). Software simulations of the system indicate that with improved equipment measurements should be possible for up to 70 stored pulses, which correspond to a measurement distance of 2,550 m.

The results obtained illustrate that the amplified reference beam storage loop is a viable concept for Doppler lidar velocimetry.

text: Doppler velocimetry lidar with amplified reference beam storage loop Wind shear and clear air turbulence are phenomena in which wind speeds can change rapidly presenting a threat to aircraft and their passengers. Lidar is a proven technique for wind speed measurement but remains a research tool only and is not yet commercially viable as an early warning system. This is mainly due to the expense and bulk of the single frequency injection locked lasers required for long-range coherent measurements. 

A different design philosophy for a pulsed Doppler lidar system has recently been presented in the literature, where the reference beam pulse is stored in a fibre optic storage loop. Each successive reference pulse has travelled a distance equivalent to the measurement beam’s path length. This approach reduces the coherence requirements and allows the use of cheaper, smaller, and lower coherence sources. However, a major problem of this system is that the energy of the stored pulses decays exponentially. 

This thesis introduces a new and improved reference pulse storage loop, which includes an erbium doped fibre amplifier to compensate for the decay of the reference signal. Details of the design are presented. The original storage loop concept is transferred to the fibre optics telecommunication wavelength range of 1.55μm. The noise and gain of the system is characterized. Special attention is paid to avoiding laser oscillation while maintaining sufficient gain. The components, like isolators, filters, and polarisation controllers, required to achieve satisfactory operation are presented. Electronic and software techniques based on phase lock loop and wavelet transformation are included in the overall system design to reduce noise. The experiments prove that the amplitude of 16 stored pulses remains constant to within 10% fluctuation.

To prove the validity of the concept the velocity of a rotating mirror is measured at various measurement distances of 0 to 583 m that coincide with the 16 reference pulses. The experiments show successful optical mixing between the stored amplified reference and the delayed measurement beams. In the range 1 to 10 m/s the velocity can be determined to better than ±0.14 m/s (standard deviation). Software simulations of the system indicate that with improved equipment measurements should be possible for up to 70 stored pulses, which correspond to a measurement distance of 2,550 m.

The results obtained illustrate that the amplified reference beam storage loop is a viable concept for Doppler lidar velocimetry.

year: 2003

title: Accommodating multiculturalism and biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand: implication for language education.

authors: May, Stephen

subjects: bilingual education

abstract: The field of language education in Aotearoa New Zealand, as elsewhere, has developed significantly since its early and almost exclusive focus on the acquisition of English literacy in schools. As the field has expanded, so too has the range of language education sectors addressed and the theoretical approaches and understandings employed in relation to language and literacy education. Both developments have resulted in a more coordinated literacy education policy - exemplified to date most clearly in the New Zealand Literacy Taskforce - and a more situated, less monolithic understanding of the widely different literacies available to learners. Despite these developments, however, one area still remains noticeably under-theorised and marginalized in relation to the ongoing development of language and literacy education policy in Aotearoa New Zealand - the place of second language learners within it. This paper explores this lacuna and the potential policy implications of addressing and integrating first and second language educational concerns within an evolving national literacy education policy. This has particular implications for the further development of bilingual education - both for Maori and, possibly, other minority groups - and for the related possibilities of multicultural education. It also requires a wider and clearer recognition of minority language education rights, as developed within both international law and political theory, in order to apply these rights appropriately to an Aotearoa New Zealand context which is currently witnessing rapid and extensive demographic (and linguistic) change.

text: Accommodating multiculturalism and biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand: implication for language education. The field of language education in Aotearoa New Zealand, as elsewhere, has developed significantly since its early and almost exclusive focus on the acquisition of English literacy in schools. As the field has expanded, so too has the range of language education sectors addressed and the theoretical approaches and understandings employed in relation to language and literacy education. Both developments have resulted in a more coordinated literacy education policy - exemplified to date most clearly in the New Zealand Literacy Taskforce - and a more situated, less monolithic understanding of the widely different literacies available to learners. Despite these developments, however, one area still remains noticeably under-theorised and marginalized in relation to the ongoing development of language and literacy education policy in Aotearoa New Zealand - the place of second language learners within it. This paper explores this lacuna and the potential policy implications of addressing and integrating first and second language educational concerns within an evolving national literacy education policy. This has particular implications for the further development of bilingual education - both for Maori and, possibly, other minority groups - and for the related possibilities of multicultural education. It also requires a wider and clearer recognition of minority language education rights, as developed within both international law and political theory, in order to apply these rights appropriately to an Aotearoa New Zealand context which is currently witnessing rapid and extensive demographic (and linguistic) change.

year: 2002