title: Intercultural Communication Competence: A Waikato Management School Case Study

authors: Perry, Andrea Kathryn

subjects: Intercultural communication competence

abstract: In New Zealand, as in our globalized world, diverse cultures are in closer contact than ever before and the ability to communicate across this cultural diversity, to build relationships and to achieve shared goals, is becoming a necessity. Yet the presence of cultural diversity does not automatically lead to competent intercultural communication. What does it mean to be effective and appropriate in culturally diverse local and global contexts and what are the opportunities and challenges for developing intercultural communication competence? These are the questions motivating this study which develops a contextualised theory and perspective about intercultural communication competence by using a Waikato Management School (WMS) case study. It also has a broader focus and interest by exploring a relational theory of intercultural communication competence in an Aotearoa New Zealand context.

The case study involves 19 interview participants; 10 students, 6 alumni and 3 academic staff representing a cross section of departments within the Waikato Management School. Bias toward native English language speakers and those from western culture has regularly occurred in previous research therefore this study intentionally includes those who speak languages other than English (14 out of 19 participants) with diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds and experiences.

Key findings of the research show that being effective and appropriate in culturally diverse local and global contexts is demonstrated by cultural humility, reflected in progressively deeper attitudes from openness and awareness, through to respect, empathy and ultimately friendship. Cultural knowledge, including knowledge of cultural values, beliefs and practices, and knowledge of cultural communication differences in order to deal with offense are also identified as integral. Intercultural experience gained through engaging in intercultural situations either in New Zealand or overseas is part of what it means to have intercultural communication competence. Language proficiency, both language specific to the intercultural situation and more generally learning of any language in order to develop intercultural communication competence is a necessity.

Findings show that developing cultural communication skill and understanding is a high priority. Some believe the dominant focus should be on Māori culture, others feel the dominant focus should be cultures in close proximity to New Zealand such as Pacific and Asian culture. Historical tensions which give rise to negativity around learning Māori worldviews and ways are observed as are the importance of reflecting on self and in particular to become aware of one’s own white privilege. Ignorance and stereotyping are identified as significant barriers to intercultural communication competence. Part of overcoming stereotypes is by improving knowledge. Findings also show that it is highly important to develop positive cultural interaction by removing segregation and enhancing community. Willingness to interact and ongoing English language development for non-native English language speakers is also vital so that positive intercultural interaction can occur.

The research has practical applications and recommendations for WMS strategic planning regarding the development of graduates who are competent in culturally diverse local and global contexts. It also develops a Meaningful Intercultural Relations (MIR) model which extends previous models by identifying special cultural knowledge necessary given the specific New Zealand context. It also makes a contribution to theory by centralising meaningful intercultural relations as an integral dimension of each of the four contributors to intercultural communication competence: cultural humility, intercultural experience, cultural knowledge and language proficiency. It is also outlined as an integral dimension of each of the four inhibitors of competence: lack of willingness/segregation, stereotyping, white privilege/offense taken and received, and language inadequacy.

text: Intercultural Communication Competence: A Waikato Management School Case Study In New Zealand, as in our globalized world, diverse cultures are in closer contact than ever before and the ability to communicate across this cultural diversity, to build relationships and to achieve shared goals, is becoming a necessity. Yet the presence of cultural diversity does not automatically lead to competent intercultural communication. What does it mean to be effective and appropriate in culturally diverse local and global contexts and what are the opportunities and challenges for developing intercultural communication competence? These are the questions motivating this study which develops a contextualised theory and perspective about intercultural communication competence by using a Waikato Management School (WMS) case study. It also has a broader focus and interest by exploring a relational theory of intercultural communication competence in an Aotearoa New Zealand context.

The case study involves 19 interview participants; 10 students, 6 alumni and 3 academic staff representing a cross section of departments within the Waikato Management School. Bias toward native English language speakers and those from western culture has regularly occurred in previous research therefore this study intentionally includes those who speak languages other than English (14 out of 19 participants) with diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds and experiences.

Key findings of the research show that being effective and appropriate in culturally diverse local and global contexts is demonstrated by cultural humility, reflected in progressively deeper attitudes from openness and awareness, through to respect, empathy and ultimately friendship. Cultural knowledge, including knowledge of cultural values, beliefs and practices, and knowledge of cultural communication differences in order to deal with offense are also identified as integral. Intercultural experience gained through engaging in intercultural situations either in New Zealand or overseas is part of what it means to have intercultural communication competence. Language proficiency, both language specific to the intercultural situation and more generally learning of any language in order to develop intercultural communication competence is a necessity.

Findings show that developing cultural communication skill and understanding is a high priority. Some believe the dominant focus should be on Māori culture, others feel the dominant focus should be cultures in close proximity to New Zealand such as Pacific and Asian culture. Historical tensions which give rise to negativity around learning Māori worldviews and ways are observed as are the importance of reflecting on self and in particular to become aware of one’s own white privilege. Ignorance and stereotyping are identified as significant barriers to intercultural communication competence. Part of overcoming stereotypes is by improving knowledge. Findings also show that it is highly important to develop positive cultural interaction by removing segregation and enhancing community. Willingness to interact and ongoing English language development for non-native English language speakers is also vital so that positive intercultural interaction can occur.

The research has practical applications and recommendations for WMS strategic planning regarding the development of graduates who are competent in culturally diverse local and global contexts. It also develops a Meaningful Intercultural Relations (MIR) model which extends previous models by identifying special cultural knowledge necessary given the specific New Zealand context. It also makes a contribution to theory by centralising meaningful intercultural relations as an integral dimension of each of the four contributors to intercultural communication competence: cultural humility, intercultural experience, cultural knowledge and language proficiency. It is also outlined as an integral dimension of each of the four inhibitors of competence: lack of willingness/segregation, stereotyping, white privilege/offense taken and received, and language inadequacy.

year: 2016

title: Impacts of forest harvesting on the performance of soil-landscape modelling in a radiata pine forest, northern New Zealand

authors: Jones, Hayden S.

abstract: New Zealand's forestry industry requires new information on the spatial distribution of certain target soil properties and locally significant soil classes in order to implement sustainable and site-specific forest management practices. Soil-landscape modelling has been identified as a potentially useful tool for collecting this information. However, its performance in plantation forest environments - where the impacts of forest management on soils can be considerable - has not yet been comprehensively evaluated. As a step towards such an evaluation, this study was undertaken to determine and assess the impacts of hauler-based, clear-fell, forest harvesting on the performance of soil-landscape modelling as a tool for the spatial prediction of soil classes and target soil properties in a radiata pine forest. The research was conducted within southern Mahurangi Forest, an exotic, Pinus radiata-dominated plantation forest, situated on the Northland Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand.

Three major sub-studies were conducted. In the first, the impacts of forest harvesting on the performance of the qualitative soil-landscape modelling approach to the spatial prediction of soil drainage classes (identified as locally significant) were determined. In the second, the impacts of forest harvesting on the predictive relationships used by quantitative soil-landscape modelling and class-based (including semi-quantitative soil-landscape modelling) approaches to the spatial prediction of target soil properties were determined. Harvesting impacts on the magnitude and variance of the target soil properties (topsoil pH, available Mg, available P, available K, macroporosity, and total C) were also examined. In the third sub-study, the impacts of forest harvesting on the performance of seven techniques representing the class-based, quantitative soillandscape modelling, and geostatistical approaches to the spatial prediction of target soil properties were determined and compared. Four class-based techniques (labelled 1-4 and based on soil drainage classes, landscape units, and soillandscape units), two quantitative soil-landscape modelling techniques (multilinear regression and regression kriging), and one geostatistical technique ( ordinary kriging) were investigated.

All sub-studies were undertaken primarily within two separate, but essentially adjacent 5-ha sampling plots. One plot was under first rotation mature Pinus radiata trees, i.e. the pre-harvested plot; the other plot had been harvested and was under second rotation, two-year-old trees, i.e. the post-harvested plot. Each plot consisted of 208 sample points on a 16.7-m regular grid pattern. The preharvested plot was effectively the control plot and hauler-based, clear-fell, forest harvesting was the treatment applied to the post-harvested plot. 

The predictive models were developed (and predictive relationships investigated) using only 146 of the data points so that the remaining 62 points could be used to validate the predictions. A separate qualitative soil-landscape model was developed for each plot in general accordance with the land systems approach. The performances of the techniques for predicting the target soil properties were evaluated and compared using several statistical measures including mean error, root-mean-square error, goodness-of-prediction, mean rank, and standard deviation of rank. The predictive relationships between the target properties and the soil drainage classes, landscape units, and soil-landscape units were described using a least-squares-means analysis of variance whereas the relationships between the target properties and the terrain attributes ( derived from a 5-m digital elevation model) were described using the squared-multiple-correlation statistic. 

The soils of southern Mahurangi Forest differ predominantly in terms of soil drainage condition. A modified version of the New Zealand soil drainage classification was defined to partition better the local variation in soil profile hydromorphology (e.g. the existing imperfectly drained class was subdivided into two new classes). The modified drainage classes were amalgamated into two broad drainage classes (Wet soils and Dry soils) to improve the practicality of the qualitative soil-landscape models. The relationships between the broad drainage classes and the landscape units were found to be fractionally weaker in the postharvest plot than in the pre-harvested. However, the weaker relationships are probably attributable to the generally drier nature of the landscape in the postharvested plot and are not likely to be due to forest harvesting. The qualitative soil-landscape models were applied to predict the spatial distribution of the broad drainage classes within their respective plots. The performance of the models was good, with both registering correct predictions at >80% of the validation points. Therefore, forest harvesting had no detrimental impact on the predictive performance of qualitative soil-landscape modelling. 

Forest harvesting was found to have had a significant impact on the magnitude of all target properties. The means of some target properties (topsoil pH, available Mg, and macroporosity) were significantly decreased whereas the means of other target properties (available P, available K, and total C) were significantly increased after harvesting. The variance of some target properties was also found to have been significantly affected by forest harvesting. The variance of topsoil pH and available Mg was significantly decreased whereas the variance of total C was significantly increased after harvesting. Moreover, forest harvesting altered and weakened the relationships between most target properties and the modified soil drainage classes and landscape units. Also, the correlations between most target properties and the terrain attributes were weaker after forest harvesting. However, the relationships between most target properties and the broad drainage classes and soil-landscape units were not altered or weakened by harvesting. 

Most techniques for the spatial prediction of target soil properties gave less biased and slightly less accurate predictions of most target soil properties after forest harvesting. Furthermore, most prediction techniques offered less of an improvement in accuracy over the sample mean after harvesting for most target properties, meaning that most techniques became relatively less useful after harvesting. Considering all target soil properties together, the relative performance of some prediction techniques (regression kriging and ordinary kriging) generally became poorer whereas the relative performance of other techniques (class-based 2, class-based 3, and class-based 4) generally improved after harvesting. On balance, the relative performances of the class-based 1 and multi-linear regression techniques remained the same. Ordinary kriging (the geostatistical technique) is the best predictor of target soil properties in the preharvested areas of southern Mahurangi Forest whereas the class-based 2 technique (a semi-quantitative soil-landscape model) is the best within the post-harvested areas. Furthermore, the class-based 2 technique has the potential to offer a more practical and cost-effective alternative to ordinary kriging throughout the forest. The other techniques (e.g. the quantitative soil-landscape models) either failed to perform well after harvesting or were likely to be less cost-effective, or both.

text: Impacts of forest harvesting on the performance of soil-landscape modelling in a radiata pine forest, northern New Zealand New Zealand's forestry industry requires new information on the spatial distribution of certain target soil properties and locally significant soil classes in order to implement sustainable and site-specific forest management practices. Soil-landscape modelling has been identified as a potentially useful tool for collecting this information. However, its performance in plantation forest environments - where the impacts of forest management on soils can be considerable - has not yet been comprehensively evaluated. As a step towards such an evaluation, this study was undertaken to determine and assess the impacts of hauler-based, clear-fell, forest harvesting on the performance of soil-landscape modelling as a tool for the spatial prediction of soil classes and target soil properties in a radiata pine forest. The research was conducted within southern Mahurangi Forest, an exotic, Pinus radiata-dominated plantation forest, situated on the Northland Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand.

Three major sub-studies were conducted. In the first, the impacts of forest harvesting on the performance of the qualitative soil-landscape modelling approach to the spatial prediction of soil drainage classes (identified as locally significant) were determined. In the second, the impacts of forest harvesting on the predictive relationships used by quantitative soil-landscape modelling and class-based (including semi-quantitative soil-landscape modelling) approaches to the spatial prediction of target soil properties were determined. Harvesting impacts on the magnitude and variance of the target soil properties (topsoil pH, available Mg, available P, available K, macroporosity, and total C) were also examined. In the third sub-study, the impacts of forest harvesting on the performance of seven techniques representing the class-based, quantitative soillandscape modelling, and geostatistical approaches to the spatial prediction of target soil properties were determined and compared. Four class-based techniques (labelled 1-4 and based on soil drainage classes, landscape units, and soillandscape units), two quantitative soil-landscape modelling techniques (multilinear regression and regression kriging), and one geostatistical technique ( ordinary kriging) were investigated.

All sub-studies were undertaken primarily within two separate, but essentially adjacent 5-ha sampling plots. One plot was under first rotation mature Pinus radiata trees, i.e. the pre-harvested plot; the other plot had been harvested and was under second rotation, two-year-old trees, i.e. the post-harvested plot. Each plot consisted of 208 sample points on a 16.7-m regular grid pattern. The preharvested plot was effectively the control plot and hauler-based, clear-fell, forest harvesting was the treatment applied to the post-harvested plot. 

The predictive models were developed (and predictive relationships investigated) using only 146 of the data points so that the remaining 62 points could be used to validate the predictions. A separate qualitative soil-landscape model was developed for each plot in general accordance with the land systems approach. The performances of the techniques for predicting the target soil properties were evaluated and compared using several statistical measures including mean error, root-mean-square error, goodness-of-prediction, mean rank, and standard deviation of rank. The predictive relationships between the target properties and the soil drainage classes, landscape units, and soil-landscape units were described using a least-squares-means analysis of variance whereas the relationships between the target properties and the terrain attributes ( derived from a 5-m digital elevation model) were described using the squared-multiple-correlation statistic. 

The soils of southern Mahurangi Forest differ predominantly in terms of soil drainage condition. A modified version of the New Zealand soil drainage classification was defined to partition better the local variation in soil profile hydromorphology (e.g. the existing imperfectly drained class was subdivided into two new classes). The modified drainage classes were amalgamated into two broad drainage classes (Wet soils and Dry soils) to improve the practicality of the qualitative soil-landscape models. The relationships between the broad drainage classes and the landscape units were found to be fractionally weaker in the postharvest plot than in the pre-harvested. However, the weaker relationships are probably attributable to the generally drier nature of the landscape in the postharvested plot and are not likely to be due to forest harvesting. The qualitative soil-landscape models were applied to predict the spatial distribution of the broad drainage classes within their respective plots. The performance of the models was good, with both registering correct predictions at >80% of the validation points. Therefore, forest harvesting had no detrimental impact on the predictive performance of qualitative soil-landscape modelling. 

Forest harvesting was found to have had a significant impact on the magnitude of all target properties. The means of some target properties (topsoil pH, available Mg, and macroporosity) were significantly decreased whereas the means of other target properties (available P, available K, and total C) were significantly increased after harvesting. The variance of some target properties was also found to have been significantly affected by forest harvesting. The variance of topsoil pH and available Mg was significantly decreased whereas the variance of total C was significantly increased after harvesting. Moreover, forest harvesting altered and weakened the relationships between most target properties and the modified soil drainage classes and landscape units. Also, the correlations between most target properties and the terrain attributes were weaker after forest harvesting. However, the relationships between most target properties and the broad drainage classes and soil-landscape units were not altered or weakened by harvesting. 

Most techniques for the spatial prediction of target soil properties gave less biased and slightly less accurate predictions of most target soil properties after forest harvesting. Furthermore, most prediction techniques offered less of an improvement in accuracy over the sample mean after harvesting for most target properties, meaning that most techniques became relatively less useful after harvesting. Considering all target soil properties together, the relative performance of some prediction techniques (regression kriging and ordinary kriging) generally became poorer whereas the relative performance of other techniques (class-based 2, class-based 3, and class-based 4) generally improved after harvesting. On balance, the relative performances of the class-based 1 and multi-linear regression techniques remained the same. Ordinary kriging (the geostatistical technique) is the best predictor of target soil properties in the preharvested areas of southern Mahurangi Forest whereas the class-based 2 technique (a semi-quantitative soil-landscape model) is the best within the post-harvested areas. Furthermore, the class-based 2 technique has the potential to offer a more practical and cost-effective alternative to ordinary kriging throughout the forest. The other techniques (e.g. the quantitative soil-landscape models) either failed to perform well after harvesting or were likely to be less cost-effective, or both.

year: 2004

title: Pākehā counsellors consider their positioning: Towards postcolonial praxis

authors: Crocket, Alastair Robert

subjects: Counselling

abstract: The challenges of achieving the potential, which the Treaty of Waitangi offers for a postcolonial present and future, have shaped life in Aotearoa New Zealand over the last four decades. This thesis draws on this history and challenge to consider the practice possibilities for Pākehā counsellors when they work with clients and colleagues of other cultures. It is strongly influenced by the Treaty of Waitangi but seeks not to be limited to a Māori/Pākehā binary. It has been undertaken in the hopes of informing developments in the practice of students seeking to qualify to work as counsellors and more experienced practitioners. The first theoretical foundation for this study is poststructuralism which is considered as a braided stream of theorizing where braids divide and unite. A Foucauldian social constructionism underlies this project, which extends to a consideration of subjectification, agency and positioning theory. This study is also intentionally postcolonial drawing on Said’s seminal works, Orientalism (1979) and Culture and Imperialism (1993) and North American and European writing about identity politics and intersectionality. It views the centring of the Treaty of Waitangi in this land as postcolonial work. These two emphases, poststructuralism and postcolonialism, provide the theoretical base for an exploration of the context of professional counselling practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Five experienced counsellors constituted a research group who firstly discussed practising as a Pākehā counsellor and then acknowledged their hopes and fears for their practice with clients of other cultures. In later stages of the data generation the participants were invited to join in processes of discourse analysis and deconstruction which produced shifts in practice and practice identity. This study identifies two forms of praxis that might inform a counselling practice which seeks to achieve a postcolonial purpose: these are named as critical discursive praxis and critical Pākehā praxis.

text: Pākehā counsellors consider their positioning: Towards postcolonial praxis The challenges of achieving the potential, which the Treaty of Waitangi offers for a postcolonial present and future, have shaped life in Aotearoa New Zealand over the last four decades. This thesis draws on this history and challenge to consider the practice possibilities for Pākehā counsellors when they work with clients and colleagues of other cultures. It is strongly influenced by the Treaty of Waitangi but seeks not to be limited to a Māori/Pākehā binary. It has been undertaken in the hopes of informing developments in the practice of students seeking to qualify to work as counsellors and more experienced practitioners. The first theoretical foundation for this study is poststructuralism which is considered as a braided stream of theorizing where braids divide and unite. A Foucauldian social constructionism underlies this project, which extends to a consideration of subjectification, agency and positioning theory. This study is also intentionally postcolonial drawing on Said’s seminal works, Orientalism (1979) and Culture and Imperialism (1993) and North American and European writing about identity politics and intersectionality. It views the centring of the Treaty of Waitangi in this land as postcolonial work. These two emphases, poststructuralism and postcolonialism, provide the theoretical base for an exploration of the context of professional counselling practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Five experienced counsellors constituted a research group who firstly discussed practising as a Pākehā counsellor and then acknowledged their hopes and fears for their practice with clients of other cultures. In later stages of the data generation the participants were invited to join in processes of discourse analysis and deconstruction which produced shifts in practice and practice identity. This study identifies two forms of praxis that might inform a counselling practice which seeks to achieve a postcolonial purpose: these are named as critical discursive praxis and critical Pākehā praxis.

year: 2010