title: Towards a climate-event stratigraphy for New Zealand for the past 30,000 years - An evaluation of the 2005 NZ-INTIMATE meeting

authors: Lowe, David J.

abstract: More than 30 geoscientists representing a range of disciplines met at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) Rafter Laboratory in Lower Hutt in early July to present new developments in the quest to prepare a definitive climate-event stratigraphy for the New Zealand (NZ) region since 30 ka (all ages in calendar years unless noted otherwise). The meeting, ably convened by Brent Alloway (GNS) and Jamie Shulmeister (Canterbury University), was the second to be held by the NZ-INTIMATE (NZ-INT) palaeoclimate community.

text: Towards a climate-event stratigraphy for New Zealand for the past 30,000 years - An evaluation of the 2005 NZ-INTIMATE meeting More than 30 geoscientists representing a range of disciplines met at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) Rafter Laboratory in Lower Hutt in early July to present new developments in the quest to prepare a definitive climate-event stratigraphy for the New Zealand (NZ) region since 30 ka (all ages in calendar years unless noted otherwise). The meeting, ably convened by Brent Alloway (GNS) and Jamie Shulmeister (Canterbury University), was the second to be held by the NZ-INTIMATE (NZ-INT) palaeoclimate community.

year: 2005

title: Correlations Between a Cyanobacteria Bloom's Decline and Environmental Dynamics.

authors: O'Rorke, Richard

subjects: cayanobacteria

abstract: Lake Kainui is an ombrogenous peat lake that is eutrophic and has frequent cyanobacterial blooms.  This research aimed to elucidate the factors that correlated with cyanobacterial bloom decline in Lake Kainui.  Abiotic and biotic variables in Lake Kainui were monitored weekly across the bloom decline phase.  Physicochemical parameters measured included nutrients, micronutrients, water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH and meteorological variables.  Planktonic and particle-associated bacterial community composition (BCC) was assessed through time using molecular fingerprinting (ARISA).  Total algal, cyanobacterial, planktonic bacteria, planktonic viruses and planktonic crustacean abundances were determined using microscopy.

The bloom decline coincided with multiple factors including; an increasing ratio of TN:TP, changes in the ratio of mixing depth (z¬mix) to euphotic depth (zeu) and pH.  The lake was stratified for several weeks before the decline and the resulting lake stability potentially created an adverse environment for cyanobacterial dominance.  Changes in planktonic biota were various.  Virus dynamics were positively correlated with phytoplankton dynamics.  If virus abundance was negatively correlated to phytoplankton diversity, it would potentially mean that viruses were controlling the phytoplankton assemblage, however virus abundance was positively correlated to phytoplankton diversity, which suggests that viruses had a positive impact on the bloom.  The positive effect was most likely due to to viruses upregulating the amount of dissolved organic matter through lysis.  Bacterial abundance showed no clear correlation with other variables, but bacterial community composition (BCC) shifted as the bloom declined.  Planktonic Cladocera spiked just after the bloom decline.  Bosmina was the dominant species of Cladocera, but was probably too small to ingest colonial Microcystis, which suggests that the Bosmina may be consuming degradation products produced by Microcystis.  These observations indicate that if planktonic biota played a role in bloom dynamics it was most likely due to shifts in the biota causing shifts in trophic cycling that alternately favour or disfavour blooming.

text: Correlations Between a Cyanobacteria Bloom's Decline and Environmental Dynamics. Lake Kainui is an ombrogenous peat lake that is eutrophic and has frequent cyanobacterial blooms.  This research aimed to elucidate the factors that correlated with cyanobacterial bloom decline in Lake Kainui.  Abiotic and biotic variables in Lake Kainui were monitored weekly across the bloom decline phase.  Physicochemical parameters measured included nutrients, micronutrients, water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH and meteorological variables.  Planktonic and particle-associated bacterial community composition (BCC) was assessed through time using molecular fingerprinting (ARISA).  Total algal, cyanobacterial, planktonic bacteria, planktonic viruses and planktonic crustacean abundances were determined using microscopy.

The bloom decline coincided with multiple factors including; an increasing ratio of TN:TP, changes in the ratio of mixing depth (z¬mix) to euphotic depth (zeu) and pH.  The lake was stratified for several weeks before the decline and the resulting lake stability potentially created an adverse environment for cyanobacterial dominance.  Changes in planktonic biota were various.  Virus dynamics were positively correlated with phytoplankton dynamics.  If virus abundance was negatively correlated to phytoplankton diversity, it would potentially mean that viruses were controlling the phytoplankton assemblage, however virus abundance was positively correlated to phytoplankton diversity, which suggests that viruses had a positive impact on the bloom.  The positive effect was most likely due to to viruses upregulating the amount of dissolved organic matter through lysis.  Bacterial abundance showed no clear correlation with other variables, but bacterial community composition (BCC) shifted as the bloom declined.  Planktonic Cladocera spiked just after the bloom decline.  Bosmina was the dominant species of Cladocera, but was probably too small to ingest colonial Microcystis, which suggests that the Bosmina may be consuming degradation products produced by Microcystis.  These observations indicate that if planktonic biota played a role in bloom dynamics it was most likely due to shifts in the biota causing shifts in trophic cycling that alternately favour or disfavour blooming.

year: 2009

title: Investigating the Social Supports of Successful Māori Undergraduate Appellants at the University of Waikato

authors: Diamond, Danielle Jade

subjects: Social Supports

abstract: Educational disparities between Māori and non-Māori tertiary students are evident in regards to participation, retention, and completion rates at secondary and tertiary levels. Instead of focusing on negative statistics, it was of interest to investigate Māori students who had failed sufficient papers to initially be denied re-entry to university study, yet continued to attain their degrees, as a result of a successful appeal. Māori undergraduate students, who had successfully appealed from 2003-2012, were recruited for my research. The availability and utilisation of social supports were investigated, along with the decision to make an appeal, the role of cultural expectations, and barriers experienced by participants. A mixed method approach was utilised in this research through use of an adapted overarching Kaupapa Māori framework, statistical analysis, and 13 interviews. My research found that social supports were beneficial for participants throughout their appeal, as they provided: emotional, instrumental, appraisal, and informational support. Although the social supports utilised by participants were satisfactory, barriers to accessing formal supports were also found, which included: perceived stigma having failed their papers, pride, as well as being whakamā. The appeal process was a beneficial intervention from the University of Waikato, which provided participants another opportunity to overcome the factors that contributed to their initial failure. Post appeal, participants implemented strategies to address and reduce their factors in order to become academically engaged. Participants were deemed to be resilient from their continued pursuit of degree attainment, implementation of their strategies, and their use of perceived social supports.

text: Investigating the Social Supports of Successful Māori Undergraduate Appellants at the University of Waikato Educational disparities between Māori and non-Māori tertiary students are evident in regards to participation, retention, and completion rates at secondary and tertiary levels. Instead of focusing on negative statistics, it was of interest to investigate Māori students who had failed sufficient papers to initially be denied re-entry to university study, yet continued to attain their degrees, as a result of a successful appeal. Māori undergraduate students, who had successfully appealed from 2003-2012, were recruited for my research. The availability and utilisation of social supports were investigated, along with the decision to make an appeal, the role of cultural expectations, and barriers experienced by participants. A mixed method approach was utilised in this research through use of an adapted overarching Kaupapa Māori framework, statistical analysis, and 13 interviews. My research found that social supports were beneficial for participants throughout their appeal, as they provided: emotional, instrumental, appraisal, and informational support. Although the social supports utilised by participants were satisfactory, barriers to accessing formal supports were also found, which included: perceived stigma having failed their papers, pride, as well as being whakamā. The appeal process was a beneficial intervention from the University of Waikato, which provided participants another opportunity to overcome the factors that contributed to their initial failure. Post appeal, participants implemented strategies to address and reduce their factors in order to become academically engaged. Participants were deemed to be resilient from their continued pursuit of degree attainment, implementation of their strategies, and their use of perceived social supports.

year: 2013