title: Award of damages to part-subsistence villagers in Papua New Guinea

authors: Tennent, Douglas

abstract: One of the great challenges to Courts in civil claims is to award damages in an appropriate manner which as far as possible places the plaintiff in the position that he or she would be in but for the injury. The awarding of appropriate damages to a person leading a part-subsistence village lifestyle presents the Courts with a special challenge.
This article considers the attempts that the Courts in Papua New Guinea have made to award appropriate damages to people living this lifestyle. The article attempts to bring together the common principles that emerge through the cases. It also outlines some of the important issues that still need to be addressed by the Courts to ensure that the actual needs of plaintiffs living in a village lifestyle are addressed.

text: Award of damages to part-subsistence villagers in Papua New Guinea One of the great challenges to Courts in civil claims is to award damages in an appropriate manner which as far as possible places the plaintiff in the position that he or she would be in but for the injury. The awarding of appropriate damages to a person leading a part-subsistence village lifestyle presents the Courts with a special challenge.
This article considers the attempts that the Courts in Papua New Guinea have made to award appropriate damages to people living this lifestyle. The article attempts to bring together the common principles that emerge through the cases. It also outlines some of the important issues that still need to be addressed by the Courts to ensure that the actual needs of plaintiffs living in a village lifestyle are addressed.

year: 2002-01-01

title: The evolutionary history of the extinct ratite moa and New Zealand Neogene paleogeography

authors: Bunce, M.

subjects: ancient DNA

abstract: The ratite moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) were a speciose group of massive graviportal avian herbivores that dominated the New Zealand (NZ) ecosystem until their extinction ≈600 years ago. The phylogeny and evolutionary history of this morphologically diverse order has remained controversial since their initial description in 1839. We synthesize mitochondrial phylogenetic information from 263 subfossil moa specimens from across NZ with morphological, ecological, and new geological data to create the first comprehensive phylogeny, taxonomy, and evolutionary timeframe for all of the species of an extinct order. We also present an important new geological/paleogeographical model of late Cenozoic NZ, which suggests that terrestrial biota on the North and South Island landmasses were isolated for most of the past 20–30 Ma. The data reveal that the patterns of genetic diversity within and between different moa clades reflect a complex history following a major marine transgression in the Oligocene, affected by marine barriers, tectonic activity, and glacial cycles. Surprisingly, the remarkable morphological radiation of moa appears to have occurred much more recently than previous early Miocene (ca. 15 Ma) estimates, and was coincident with the accelerated uplift of the Southern Alps just ca. 5–8.5 Ma. Together with recent fossil evidence, these data suggest that the recent evolutionary history of nearly all of the iconic NZ terrestrial biota occurred principally on just the South Island.

text: The evolutionary history of the extinct ratite moa and New Zealand Neogene paleogeography The ratite moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) were a speciose group of massive graviportal avian herbivores that dominated the New Zealand (NZ) ecosystem until their extinction ≈600 years ago. The phylogeny and evolutionary history of this morphologically diverse order has remained controversial since their initial description in 1839. We synthesize mitochondrial phylogenetic information from 263 subfossil moa specimens from across NZ with morphological, ecological, and new geological data to create the first comprehensive phylogeny, taxonomy, and evolutionary timeframe for all of the species of an extinct order. We also present an important new geological/paleogeographical model of late Cenozoic NZ, which suggests that terrestrial biota on the North and South Island landmasses were isolated for most of the past 20–30 Ma. The data reveal that the patterns of genetic diversity within and between different moa clades reflect a complex history following a major marine transgression in the Oligocene, affected by marine barriers, tectonic activity, and glacial cycles. Surprisingly, the remarkable morphological radiation of moa appears to have occurred much more recently than previous early Miocene (ca. 15 Ma) estimates, and was coincident with the accelerated uplift of the Southern Alps just ca. 5–8.5 Ma. Together with recent fossil evidence, these data suggest that the recent evolutionary history of nearly all of the iconic NZ terrestrial biota occurred principally on just the South Island.

year: 2009

title: Te Pūtahitanga: A Tiriti-led science-policy approach for Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Kukutai, Tahu

abstract: This paper examines the interface between science and policymaking and calls for a policy approach that is enabled by, and responsive to, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Mātauranga Māori. For a science sector to have its greatest reach and impact for all citizens, it must demonstrate relevance, accessibility and inclusion. In Aotearoa, there has been concern about the exclusion of Māori and Pacific expertise from science advice and key decision-making roles. Te Tiriti offers a powerful framework for connecting systems and communities of knowledge in ways that are mutually beneficial and future focused.

text: Te Pūtahitanga: A Tiriti-led science-policy approach for Aotearoa New Zealand This paper examines the interface between science and policymaking and calls for a policy approach that is enabled by, and responsive to, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Mātauranga Māori. For a science sector to have its greatest reach and impact for all citizens, it must demonstrate relevance, accessibility and inclusion. In Aotearoa, there has been concern about the exclusion of Māori and Pacific expertise from science advice and key decision-making roles. Te Tiriti offers a powerful framework for connecting systems and communities of knowledge in ways that are mutually beneficial and future focused.

year: 2021-04-28