title: Mining at Te Aroha before the murder in February 1881

authors: Hart, Philip

abstract: Mining was slow to restart after the Christmas holidays on a goldfield whose value was still unknown. Some miners did not return, but other men, mostly with mining experience, replaced them. As was pointed out, more testing was required to justify the cautious optimism, and more explorations did not discover any payable ore or a reef of any sort. More capital was needed to fund adequate development, and the lack of a battery held back the field.
Some searched the nearby countryside, fruitlessly, but at Tui the mostly Maori miners working there seemed to be having better results. Unskilled miners who drove incompetent and even dangerous adits wasted their efforts, while others were accused of shepherding their ground. Two companies formed during January attracted many small investors, but experienced miners started leaving for newer finds, and non-miners abandoned their attempts at mining after discovering that gold was not easy to find. But others remained hopeful, and waited for the erection of a local battery to prove the value of what they had found.

text: Mining at Te Aroha before the murder in February 1881 Mining was slow to restart after the Christmas holidays on a goldfield whose value was still unknown. Some miners did not return, but other men, mostly with mining experience, replaced them. As was pointed out, more testing was required to justify the cautious optimism, and more explorations did not discover any payable ore or a reef of any sort. More capital was needed to fund adequate development, and the lack of a battery held back the field.
Some searched the nearby countryside, fruitlessly, but at Tui the mostly Maori miners working there seemed to be having better results. Unskilled miners who drove incompetent and even dangerous adits wasted their efforts, while others were accused of shepherding their ground. Two companies formed during January attracted many small investors, but experienced miners started leaving for newer finds, and non-miners abandoned their attempts at mining after discovering that gold was not easy to find. But others remained hopeful, and waited for the erection of a local battery to prove the value of what they had found.

year: 2016

title: Māori language resources and Māori initiatives for teaching and learning te reo Māori

authors: Greensill, Hineitimoana

abstract: As the most southerly member of the Polynesian languages, a sub-group of the widespread Austronesian language family (Harlow, 2007), te reo Māori has been the subject of substantial analysis, documentation, and analyses of its structure since first contact with Captain Cook in 1769 (Whaanga & Greensill, 2014). The history, trials and tribulations of te reo Māori in Aotearoa have been well documented (see, for example, Reedy, 2000; Spolsky, 2005; Waitangi Tribunal, 1986, 2011). The various reasons for the language’s decline has been an area of ongoing debate and critique by academics, researchers, linguists, language activists, parliamentarians and Māori in recent times (see, for example, Bauer, 2008; Benton, 2015; Higgins, Rewi, & Olsen-Reeder, 2014; Rata, 2007; Winitana, 2011).

text: Māori language resources and Māori initiatives for teaching and learning te reo Māori As the most southerly member of the Polynesian languages, a sub-group of the widespread Austronesian language family (Harlow, 2007), te reo Māori has been the subject of substantial analysis, documentation, and analyses of its structure since first contact with Captain Cook in 1769 (Whaanga & Greensill, 2014). The history, trials and tribulations of te reo Māori in Aotearoa have been well documented (see, for example, Reedy, 2000; Spolsky, 2005; Waitangi Tribunal, 1986, 2011). The various reasons for the language’s decline has been an area of ongoing debate and critique by academics, researchers, linguists, language activists, parliamentarians and Māori in recent times (see, for example, Bauer, 2008; Benton, 2015; Higgins, Rewi, & Olsen-Reeder, 2014; Rata, 2007; Winitana, 2011).

year: 2017

title: Natural Product Analysis of Coastal Marine Species of New Zealand

authors: Hales, Richard John

abstract: A chemical survey of 58 marine samples obtained from three sites around Tauranga New Zealand was undertaken in an effort to identify new metabolites. MTT assays using HeLa and P388 cell lines were carried out to determine if any of the samples contained bioactive compounds.

For each sample, a crude extract was obtained and analysed by Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LCMS). The chromatogram traces were examined and fives samples containing potential metabolites of interest were chosen for further investigation. Of the five samples two were identified from preliminary taxonomic analysis as Lyngbya sp. (cyanobacterium) and Cliona celata (a sponge). The compound targeted in Lyngbya sp. was thought to potentially be a new peptide and the Cliona celata compounds contained bromine atoms. These two samples were extracted in bulk and fractionated by reversed phase and size exclusion chromatography. From the mass spectral data and the taxonomy there were no identified samples on the MarinLit database. The separation yielded several fractions and these were analysed by LCMS to identify which ones contained the targeted compounds. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and tandem mass spectrometry was then used on the most concentrated (targeted compound) fractions to get more structural information. NMR spectroscopy of Cliona celata was found contain many impurities and the target compounds concentrations were not sufficient enough to give any structural information. The compound from Lyngbya sp. appeared to be a fatty acid.  The sterol composition of Cliona celata was also analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). The three other samples analysed in more detail were Aplidium sp. (RI 2-13), Alcyonaria sp. (RI 2-14) and Ircinia sp. (RI 2-17). These samples were fractionated by small scale chromatography and then subjected to tandem mass spectrometry with some structural features being identified.

All samples from the chemical survey were tested against the HeLa and P388 cell lines using the MTT assay. After inconclusive results from initial tests, the method was modified to give more consistent results. Even with the modifications to the method, there were still inconsistencies in the results. Only one sample, the brown alga Xiphophora sp. gave an expected trend of decreasing cell metabolism with increasing sample concentration which would indicate cytotoxic activity. The experiment would need to be repeated in independent tests to confirm the result.

text: Natural Product Analysis of Coastal Marine Species of New Zealand A chemical survey of 58 marine samples obtained from three sites around Tauranga New Zealand was undertaken in an effort to identify new metabolites. MTT assays using HeLa and P388 cell lines were carried out to determine if any of the samples contained bioactive compounds.

For each sample, a crude extract was obtained and analysed by Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LCMS). The chromatogram traces were examined and fives samples containing potential metabolites of interest were chosen for further investigation. Of the five samples two were identified from preliminary taxonomic analysis as Lyngbya sp. (cyanobacterium) and Cliona celata (a sponge). The compound targeted in Lyngbya sp. was thought to potentially be a new peptide and the Cliona celata compounds contained bromine atoms. These two samples were extracted in bulk and fractionated by reversed phase and size exclusion chromatography. From the mass spectral data and the taxonomy there were no identified samples on the MarinLit database. The separation yielded several fractions and these were analysed by LCMS to identify which ones contained the targeted compounds. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and tandem mass spectrometry was then used on the most concentrated (targeted compound) fractions to get more structural information. NMR spectroscopy of Cliona celata was found contain many impurities and the target compounds concentrations were not sufficient enough to give any structural information. The compound from Lyngbya sp. appeared to be a fatty acid.  The sterol composition of Cliona celata was also analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). The three other samples analysed in more detail were Aplidium sp. (RI 2-13), Alcyonaria sp. (RI 2-14) and Ircinia sp. (RI 2-17). These samples were fractionated by small scale chromatography and then subjected to tandem mass spectrometry with some structural features being identified.

All samples from the chemical survey were tested against the HeLa and P388 cell lines using the MTT assay. After inconclusive results from initial tests, the method was modified to give more consistent results. Even with the modifications to the method, there were still inconsistencies in the results. Only one sample, the brown alga Xiphophora sp. gave an expected trend of decreasing cell metabolism with increasing sample concentration which would indicate cytotoxic activity. The experiment would need to be repeated in independent tests to confirm the result.

year: 2013