title: ‘Let’s Get Wild’: Sensuous Geographies of Kāwhia Kai and Hokitika Wildfoods Festivals in Aōtearoa New Zealand

authors: Modlik, Melanie

subjects: Food Festivals

abstract: Food Festivals allow communities to celebrate local food and drink. This original thesis examines the mutual relationship between food festival organisers, festival attendees and festival spaces. Two unique New Zealand regional food festivals – Kāwhia Kai on the West Coast of the North Island and Wildfoods Hokitika on the West Coast of the South Island - are critically examined. The research addresses three questions. First, how do these food festivals construct their locations and vice versa? Second, in what ways do food festivals contribute to place identity? And, third, how do food festival attendees sensually experience the festivals?
The concept of embodiment provides the overarching framework for this research. With academic interests in both tourism and geography, I weave understandings of culinary tourism, festivals, tourist embodied experiences, sensuality, visercality and abjection to address my research questions. I use this theoretical ‘toolbox’ alongside qualitative methodological approaches which enable research participants to express their embodied experiences and emotions. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with festival organisers and food stall holders. Participant ‘sensing’ was carried out in both Kāwhia and Hokitika. In thinking about the social, cultural and ‘felt’ aspects of food, I also use my own body as an instrument of research. Promotional texts were collected and all data analysed using critical discourse analysis.
The empirical material is divided into two themes. The first theme focuses on location and place identity. Concepts of ‘place attachment’ and ‘sense of belonging’ construct food festival regions. The formation of ‘new colonial’ and ‘new Māori’ traditions is another way in which these food festivals created unique place identities. The second theme highlights the embodied experiences and spaces of both food festivals. Bodily senses, place and spaces are created through visceral and abject reactions to food experiences.
Food festivals have the potential to enhance the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of regional communities. The success of food festivals, however, is dependent on multi-sensual embodied experiences.

text: ‘Let’s Get Wild’: Sensuous Geographies of Kāwhia Kai and Hokitika Wildfoods Festivals in Aōtearoa New Zealand Food Festivals allow communities to celebrate local food and drink. This original thesis examines the mutual relationship between food festival organisers, festival attendees and festival spaces. Two unique New Zealand regional food festivals – Kāwhia Kai on the West Coast of the North Island and Wildfoods Hokitika on the West Coast of the South Island - are critically examined. The research addresses three questions. First, how do these food festivals construct their locations and vice versa? Second, in what ways do food festivals contribute to place identity? And, third, how do food festival attendees sensually experience the festivals?
The concept of embodiment provides the overarching framework for this research. With academic interests in both tourism and geography, I weave understandings of culinary tourism, festivals, tourist embodied experiences, sensuality, visercality and abjection to address my research questions. I use this theoretical ‘toolbox’ alongside qualitative methodological approaches which enable research participants to express their embodied experiences and emotions. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with festival organisers and food stall holders. Participant ‘sensing’ was carried out in both Kāwhia and Hokitika. In thinking about the social, cultural and ‘felt’ aspects of food, I also use my own body as an instrument of research. Promotional texts were collected and all data analysed using critical discourse analysis.
The empirical material is divided into two themes. The first theme focuses on location and place identity. Concepts of ‘place attachment’ and ‘sense of belonging’ construct food festival regions. The formation of ‘new colonial’ and ‘new Māori’ traditions is another way in which these food festivals created unique place identities. The second theme highlights the embodied experiences and spaces of both food festivals. Bodily senses, place and spaces are created through visceral and abject reactions to food experiences.
Food festivals have the potential to enhance the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of regional communities. The success of food festivals, however, is dependent on multi-sensual embodied experiences.

year: 2015

title: Recognising the negative impacts of aquatic weed management: Okawa Bay, Lake Rotoiti case study

authors: Scholes, Paul

abstract: The Te Arawa Rotorua Lakes Programme continues to implement measures to maintain and restore lake water quality in line with trophic level indices (TLI’s) for respective lakes. In Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti this has also meant not only reducing nutrients to and in the lakes but also managing periodic cyano-bacterial (blue-green) algal blooms.
Restoration measures in the Rotorua and Rotoiti catchments have included land use management efforts to arrest nutrient inputs; diversion of Lake Rotorua waters from entering Rotoiti; sewage reticulation of lakeside communities; and treatment of inflows
with aluminium sulphate (alum). While restoration efforts have produced water quality gains in both lakes, in recent years, cyano-bacterial blooms have occurred in the shallow embayment of Lake Rotoiti, known as Okawa Bay.
These water quality gains have not come without a cost. Submerged aquatic weeds such as Hornwort are an increasing problem in the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes and significant resources are needed to manage infestations primarily for aesthetic and recreational
amenity. Control of exotic aquatic weed is mostly with application of herbicide. Herbicide treatment leaves a decomposing biomass in the waterbody, potentially increasing the nutrient status.
We examine the impact aquatic weed decomposition has had on Okawa Bay’s nutrient status and the cyano-bacterial blooms over recent summers, and Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s response to reduce localised bloom development.

text: Recognising the negative impacts of aquatic weed management: Okawa Bay, Lake Rotoiti case study The Te Arawa Rotorua Lakes Programme continues to implement measures to maintain and restore lake water quality in line with trophic level indices (TLI’s) for respective lakes. In Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti this has also meant not only reducing nutrients to and in the lakes but also managing periodic cyano-bacterial (blue-green) algal blooms.
Restoration measures in the Rotorua and Rotoiti catchments have included land use management efforts to arrest nutrient inputs; diversion of Lake Rotorua waters from entering Rotoiti; sewage reticulation of lakeside communities; and treatment of inflows
with aluminium sulphate (alum). While restoration efforts have produced water quality gains in both lakes, in recent years, cyano-bacterial blooms have occurred in the shallow embayment of Lake Rotoiti, known as Okawa Bay.
These water quality gains have not come without a cost. Submerged aquatic weeds such as Hornwort are an increasing problem in the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes and significant resources are needed to manage infestations primarily for aesthetic and recreational
amenity. Control of exotic aquatic weed is mostly with application of herbicide. Herbicide treatment leaves a decomposing biomass in the waterbody, potentially increasing the nutrient status.
We examine the impact aquatic weed decomposition has had on Okawa Bay’s nutrient status and the cyano-bacterial blooms over recent summers, and Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s response to reduce localised bloom development.

year: 2015

title: Anhedonia and alternative sports

authors: Rinehart, Robert E.

subjects: sport

abstract: The vague sense of being unable to experience pleasure, and the rush to experience it quickly, episodically, and deeply, is a key paradox in contemporary life. Alternative sport (whiz, extreme, action, and lifestyle) provides an interesting setting for studying this contemporary anhedonic expression in the postmodern subject.

text: Anhedonia and alternative sports The vague sense of being unable to experience pleasure, and the rush to experience it quickly, episodically, and deeply, is a key paradox in contemporary life. Alternative sport (whiz, extreme, action, and lifestyle) provides an interesting setting for studying this contemporary anhedonic expression in the postmodern subject.

year: 2014