title: Factors affecting post-release dispersal, mortality, and territory settlement of endangered kokako translocated from two distinct song neighborhoods

authors: Bradley, David William

subjects: Callaeas wilsoni

abstract: Animal translocation success rate is generally low, with the causes of failure poorly understood without comprehensive and protracted monitoring. Here we examine the outcome of a translocation of endangered North Island kokako (Callaeas wilsoni) from two adjacent song neighborhoods in New Zealand, each with individual vocal traditions (c. 75% of phrases unshared) to a single release site. We conducted detailed radio-telemetry to monitor post-release dispersal over 50 days during four serial releases of 20 birds while we broadcast neighborhood-specific song around the release site. The birds moved substantial distances after release, however overall short-term release site dispersal was not as great as predicted by a random walk model, suggesting an attraction to playback and/or a reluctance to explore areas away from the release site. This apparent attraction was not specific to a given song neighborhood, however. Although the post-release mortality rate (22% over 31 days) was relatively high in this translocation, we did not detect an effect of sex, age, source origin, or duration of captivity on mortality. We show that habitat use during this acclimation period was disproportionate to availability – the birds’ preferred habitat was similar to that at the capture site. At least four pairs formed, with two and three confirmed breeding in the first and second seasons post-release respectively. Mate choice was non-assortative with respect to song neighborhood, revealing that reduced phrase sharing rates found in adjoining neighborhoods are not a barrier to pair formation. We compare this example with other kokako translocations and make recommendations for future translocations.

text: Factors affecting post-release dispersal, mortality, and territory settlement of endangered kokako translocated from two distinct song neighborhoods Animal translocation success rate is generally low, with the causes of failure poorly understood without comprehensive and protracted monitoring. Here we examine the outcome of a translocation of endangered North Island kokako (Callaeas wilsoni) from two adjacent song neighborhoods in New Zealand, each with individual vocal traditions (c. 75% of phrases unshared) to a single release site. We conducted detailed radio-telemetry to monitor post-release dispersal over 50 days during four serial releases of 20 birds while we broadcast neighborhood-specific song around the release site. The birds moved substantial distances after release, however overall short-term release site dispersal was not as great as predicted by a random walk model, suggesting an attraction to playback and/or a reluctance to explore areas away from the release site. This apparent attraction was not specific to a given song neighborhood, however. Although the post-release mortality rate (22% over 31 days) was relatively high in this translocation, we did not detect an effect of sex, age, source origin, or duration of captivity on mortality. We show that habitat use during this acclimation period was disproportionate to availability – the birds’ preferred habitat was similar to that at the capture site. At least four pairs formed, with two and three confirmed breeding in the first and second seasons post-release respectively. Mate choice was non-assortative with respect to song neighborhood, revealing that reduced phrase sharing rates found in adjoining neighborhoods are not a barrier to pair formation. We compare this example with other kokako translocations and make recommendations for future translocations.

year: 2012

title: Interreligious prayer: Prospects and parameters

authors: Pratt, Douglas

subjects: religion

abstract: The coming together of people of diverse religions to plan or reflect upon a common action or venture, and to consider, let alone engage in, an act of shared spiritual experience – such as interreligious prayer – is something comparatively novel and relatively rare. Yet the impetus for acts of inter-faith prayer, worship, or other liturgically shared acts, is increasing as more and more experiences of cross-religion engagement and dialogical encounter occur, and as communities encompassing religious diversity address issues in common, or respond to crises that affect all. In some corners of the globe this is already very much the case; for others it is only just emerging into view on the horizon of possibility. 

In this paper I explore the question of interreligious prayer arising from my involvement in a joint World Council of Churches and Vatican Study undertaken during the 1990s. The questions which lay behind this co-operative venture remain, of course, live ones today and require continual reflection and fresh thinking. When the natural human response is to pray, and the context of that response is multi-religious, what can we do together? How can we do it? Indeed, ought we to do it? And if we do, on what basis may we proceed? What justification can we give in respect of our own faith? What are the issues to be addressed? How, if at all, may they be resolved?

text: Interreligious prayer: Prospects and parameters The coming together of people of diverse religions to plan or reflect upon a common action or venture, and to consider, let alone engage in, an act of shared spiritual experience – such as interreligious prayer – is something comparatively novel and relatively rare. Yet the impetus for acts of inter-faith prayer, worship, or other liturgically shared acts, is increasing as more and more experiences of cross-religion engagement and dialogical encounter occur, and as communities encompassing religious diversity address issues in common, or respond to crises that affect all. In some corners of the globe this is already very much the case; for others it is only just emerging into view on the horizon of possibility. 

In this paper I explore the question of interreligious prayer arising from my involvement in a joint World Council of Churches and Vatican Study undertaken during the 1990s. The questions which lay behind this co-operative venture remain, of course, live ones today and require continual reflection and fresh thinking. When the natural human response is to pray, and the context of that response is multi-religious, what can we do together? How can we do it? Indeed, ought we to do it? And if we do, on what basis may we proceed? What justification can we give in respect of our own faith? What are the issues to be addressed? How, if at all, may they be resolved?

year: 2006-10

title: The Māori language curriculum for New Zealand schools: Spiral lesson/ lesson sequence design

authors: Johnson, Diane

subjects: Māori language teaching

abstract: A draft curriculum document for the teaching and learning of te reo Māori as a subject in mainstream schools in New Zealand (that is, in schools other than Kura Kaupapa Māori schools) was designed and trialled in 2004 and 2005. That draft is currently being reworked in line with the advice of those who trialled the document as well as that of a team of advisers set up by the Ministry of Education. The revised curriculum document will be submitted to the Ministry of Education in May 2006. As is the case with all new curriculum documents, the implementation phase will be critical. The extent to which this flexible, outcomes-focused curriculum document will genuinely inform new approaches to teaching and learning will depend not only upon the good will of teachers and communities, but also upon their ability to interpret the curriculum and to use it in a way that informs the design of language programmes, including the planning of units of work and of lessons and lesson sequences. In balancing language development and language practice, a communicative core and spiral approach is recommended, an approach in which there are core lessons (where the focus is language development) and spiral lessons (where the focus is language practice). In an earlier issue of this Journal (Johnson, 2003), one of us discussed core lesson design. Here, the design of spiral lessons is discussed and exemplified in the context of an outcomes-based curriculum.

text: The Māori language curriculum for New Zealand schools: Spiral lesson/ lesson sequence design A draft curriculum document for the teaching and learning of te reo Māori as a subject in mainstream schools in New Zealand (that is, in schools other than Kura Kaupapa Māori schools) was designed and trialled in 2004 and 2005. That draft is currently being reworked in line with the advice of those who trialled the document as well as that of a team of advisers set up by the Ministry of Education. The revised curriculum document will be submitted to the Ministry of Education in May 2006. As is the case with all new curriculum documents, the implementation phase will be critical. The extent to which this flexible, outcomes-focused curriculum document will genuinely inform new approaches to teaching and learning will depend not only upon the good will of teachers and communities, but also upon their ability to interpret the curriculum and to use it in a way that informs the design of language programmes, including the planning of units of work and of lessons and lesson sequences. In balancing language development and language practice, a communicative core and spiral approach is recommended, an approach in which there are core lessons (where the focus is language development) and spiral lessons (where the focus is language practice). In an earlier issue of this Journal (Johnson, 2003), one of us discussed core lesson design. Here, the design of spiral lessons is discussed and exemplified in the context of an outcomes-based curriculum.

year: 2005