title: Identification of the floral source of New Zealand honeys

authors: Petchell, Laura Eleanor

subjects: Honey

abstract: Depending on the nectar source, honey is either unifloral (derived mostly from one plant type), or polyfloral (derived from multiple plant types). Unifloral honey has characteristic sensory properties, and is therefore of greater commercial value. Currently, identification of floral source involves pollen counting, a specialised and labour intensive process. The current research was aimed at developing an alternative, rapid, chemistry-based method of floral identification. The aroma of honey depends on volatile compounds present; these may be derived from the plant from which nectar was taken. Therefore by identifying volatiles in honey it could be possible to identify floral source. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a technique that is useful for the headspace analysis of volatile compounds; when coupled with GC-MS it provides a powerful tool for fingerprinting volatiles in honey. GC-MS chromatograms of ten New Zealand unifloral honey types were obtained after headspace SPME extraction. Statistical analysis of the GC-MS chromatographic data was used to discriminate between floral types. Probability plots were used to identify compounds indicative of floral source; this method discriminated between honey types with 90% success. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to study the structure of the data. Learning algorithms in Weka (machine-learning software) were used to build models of data to classify honey types. The logistic model tree algorithm classified 89.8% of samples correctly. Such a model has the potential to be used to classify future honey samples, once further samples have been tested to validate the model.

text: Identification of the floral source of New Zealand honeys Depending on the nectar source, honey is either unifloral (derived mostly from one plant type), or polyfloral (derived from multiple plant types). Unifloral honey has characteristic sensory properties, and is therefore of greater commercial value. Currently, identification of floral source involves pollen counting, a specialised and labour intensive process. The current research was aimed at developing an alternative, rapid, chemistry-based method of floral identification. The aroma of honey depends on volatile compounds present; these may be derived from the plant from which nectar was taken. Therefore by identifying volatiles in honey it could be possible to identify floral source. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a technique that is useful for the headspace analysis of volatile compounds; when coupled with GC-MS it provides a powerful tool for fingerprinting volatiles in honey. GC-MS chromatograms of ten New Zealand unifloral honey types were obtained after headspace SPME extraction. Statistical analysis of the GC-MS chromatographic data was used to discriminate between floral types. Probability plots were used to identify compounds indicative of floral source; this method discriminated between honey types with 90% success. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to study the structure of the data. Learning algorithms in Weka (machine-learning software) were used to build models of data to classify honey types. The logistic model tree algorithm classified 89.8% of samples correctly. Such a model has the potential to be used to classify future honey samples, once further samples have been tested to validate the model.

year: 2009

title: A second at the sign: Signage increases visitors’ recall of wildlife information at a kiwi hatchery

authors: George, Annie Bella

subjects: signage

abstract: Conservation of wildlife is an integral part of sustainable development of a nation and conservation education needs to remind citizens of how they can play their part. Signs are one of the commonly used low-cost tools to educate the public about different facts and actions necessary to conserve wildlife. I investigated whether a sign increased recall of pecific facts about kiwi predators. I used a single-case, multiple-baseline-across-site design with an ABAB reversal design. At the intervention site The National Kiwi Hatchery, Rotorua, visitor recall increased when the sign was present, compared to when it was absent.  At the control site, Hamilton Zoo, where no sign was placed, recall was similar to sign-absent conditions at the intervention site and did not change over the study period. My research provides evidence that signs can be effective low-cost behavioural interventions.

text: A second at the sign: Signage increases visitors’ recall of wildlife information at a kiwi hatchery Conservation of wildlife is an integral part of sustainable development of a nation and conservation education needs to remind citizens of how they can play their part. Signs are one of the commonly used low-cost tools to educate the public about different facts and actions necessary to conserve wildlife. I investigated whether a sign increased recall of pecific facts about kiwi predators. I used a single-case, multiple-baseline-across-site design with an ABAB reversal design. At the intervention site The National Kiwi Hatchery, Rotorua, visitor recall increased when the sign was present, compared to when it was absent.  At the control site, Hamilton Zoo, where no sign was placed, recall was similar to sign-absent conditions at the intervention site and did not change over the study period. My research provides evidence that signs can be effective low-cost behavioural interventions.

year: 2026

title: Māori academic success: Why the deficit perspectives?

authors: Aporosa, S. 'Apo'

subjects: Māori

abstract: Academics have long discussed the power of communication to both motivate and discourage. Concerning education, Paulo Freire (1997) had explained the dialogical learning process and the empowerment that comes from the inclusion of student knowledge. Alternatively, Carlson & Dimitriadis (2003) describe disempowerment and underachievement among Afro-American students resulting from societal expectations that they will fail. In a recent education environment scan focused on the Waikato-Tainui rohe, 28 kaupapa Māori education providers were identified as sites of high educational success, with one described as “outshining private schools and bucking national trends” (Carson, 2013). This aside, perceptions of generalized educational failure among Māori are commonplace in Aotearoa New Zealand. These impressions are fed by the media, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and in some cases, academic publications. This paper discusses the power of deficit models and counter-narratives to academic underachievement. This will be juxtaposed with commentary on why some students and their education providers within the Waikato-Tainui rohe appear to be unaffected by these counter- narratives and deficit theorizing.

text: Māori academic success: Why the deficit perspectives? Academics have long discussed the power of communication to both motivate and discourage. Concerning education, Paulo Freire (1997) had explained the dialogical learning process and the empowerment that comes from the inclusion of student knowledge. Alternatively, Carlson & Dimitriadis (2003) describe disempowerment and underachievement among Afro-American students resulting from societal expectations that they will fail. In a recent education environment scan focused on the Waikato-Tainui rohe, 28 kaupapa Māori education providers were identified as sites of high educational success, with one described as “outshining private schools and bucking national trends” (Carson, 2013). This aside, perceptions of generalized educational failure among Māori are commonplace in Aotearoa New Zealand. These impressions are fed by the media, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and in some cases, academic publications. This paper discusses the power of deficit models and counter-narratives to academic underachievement. This will be juxtaposed with commentary on why some students and their education providers within the Waikato-Tainui rohe appear to be unaffected by these counter- narratives and deficit theorizing.

year: 2016