title: Which future for the Hurunui? Combining choice analysis with stakeholder consultation

authors: Marsh, Dan

subjects: choice experiment

abstract: The future of the Hurunui River and its catchment has been hotly contested between those who seek to store and/or divert water from the river in order to increase agricultural production and those who would like to see the river undeveloped and the quality of natural resources in the river and catchment improved. The Canterbury Regional Council wished to develop an approach to manage catchment nutrient loads across the region in order to achieve the objectives of its Natural Resources Regional Plan (NRRP) for water quality and aquatic habitats. Our approach, combining stakeholder consultation with choice analysis, was developed and tested in the Hurunui catchment in 2010-2011.
The policy objective of the choice experiment was to describe and quantify the preferences of Canterbury Region residents with respect to existing conditions (the status quo) and potential future land use and water quality scenarios for the catchment. It was envisaged that this quantitative information on preferences across the region would be used by policy makers at the same time as they considered the outcomes of the stakeholder deliberative process.
At the conclusion of the consultation process there was ‘general acceptance’ of a future development strategy for the Hurunui catchment that would maintain water quality in the main river at 2005-2009 levels while improving the tributaries to 1990-1995 water quality. Results from the choice experiment are broadly supportive of this approach. Canterbury region residents would require substantial compensation (mean $244-$315 per household per year) before they would accept a decline in water quality in the main river or in the tributaries. Willingness to pay for improvements in the main river is lower with a mean of $25-$33 per house hold per year.

text: Which future for the Hurunui? Combining choice analysis with stakeholder consultation The future of the Hurunui River and its catchment has been hotly contested between those who seek to store and/or divert water from the river in order to increase agricultural production and those who would like to see the river undeveloped and the quality of natural resources in the river and catchment improved. The Canterbury Regional Council wished to develop an approach to manage catchment nutrient loads across the region in order to achieve the objectives of its Natural Resources Regional Plan (NRRP) for water quality and aquatic habitats. Our approach, combining stakeholder consultation with choice analysis, was developed and tested in the Hurunui catchment in 2010-2011.
The policy objective of the choice experiment was to describe and quantify the preferences of Canterbury Region residents with respect to existing conditions (the status quo) and potential future land use and water quality scenarios for the catchment. It was envisaged that this quantitative information on preferences across the region would be used by policy makers at the same time as they considered the outcomes of the stakeholder deliberative process.
At the conclusion of the consultation process there was ‘general acceptance’ of a future development strategy for the Hurunui catchment that would maintain water quality in the main river at 2005-2009 levels while improving the tributaries to 1990-1995 water quality. Results from the choice experiment are broadly supportive of this approach. Canterbury region residents would require substantial compensation (mean $244-$315 per household per year) before they would accept a decline in water quality in the main river or in the tributaries. Willingness to pay for improvements in the main river is lower with a mean of $25-$33 per house hold per year.

year: 2012-12

title: Evidence-based interventions for primary-aged children exhibiting externalising behaviours: A systematic literature review

authors: Powell, Gina

abstract: Background: Externalising disorders (EDs) are among the most common behavioural problems in childhood, with disruptive behaviours in Aotearoa New Zealand schools recently identified as a major concern. Despite widespread implementation of interventions, uncertainty remains about their effectiveness and alignment with developmental theory. 

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for primary-aged children (5–14 years) exhibiting EDs, assess the certainty of evidence, examine moderating factors of intervention outcomes, and consider implications for practice in the Aotearoa context. 

Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, eight databases and trial registries were searched. Eligible studies were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions targeting EDs in primary-aged children. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool, and findings were synthesised narratively given heterogeneity across interventions and outcomes. 

Results: Twenty-three RCTs met inclusion criteria, yielding 148 outcome measures. The majority (77.7%) were at high risk of bias, largely due to reliance on unblinded raters, insufficient reporting, and baseline imbalances. Sensitivity analyses excluding very low-certainty studies left only 17 outcomes, of which eight were rated as high certainty. Behavioural outcomes were heavily over-represented (67.5%), with relational and environmental outcomes underexplored. Moderator analyses indicated that interventions targeting single subgroups produced more favourable outcomes than multisystem approaches, though overall evidence quality limited confidence in these findings. 

Conclusions: Current RCT evidence for ED interventions in primary-aged children is of low quality, restricting firm conclusions about effectiveness. The imbalance in outcome domains and mechanisms suggests an overemphasis on behaviourist approaches at the expense of relational and ecological factors. High-quality, large-scale RCTs are urgently needed, particularly those addressing classroom environments, relational mechanisms, and culturally grounded approaches relevant to Aotearoa. 

Registration: The protocol for this review was registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF). https://osf.io/9afzx/

text: Evidence-based interventions for primary-aged children exhibiting externalising behaviours: A systematic literature review Background: Externalising disorders (EDs) are among the most common behavioural problems in childhood, with disruptive behaviours in Aotearoa New Zealand schools recently identified as a major concern. Despite widespread implementation of interventions, uncertainty remains about their effectiveness and alignment with developmental theory. 

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for primary-aged children (5–14 years) exhibiting EDs, assess the certainty of evidence, examine moderating factors of intervention outcomes, and consider implications for practice in the Aotearoa context. 

Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, eight databases and trial registries were searched. Eligible studies were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions targeting EDs in primary-aged children. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool, and findings were synthesised narratively given heterogeneity across interventions and outcomes. 

Results: Twenty-three RCTs met inclusion criteria, yielding 148 outcome measures. The majority (77.7%) were at high risk of bias, largely due to reliance on unblinded raters, insufficient reporting, and baseline imbalances. Sensitivity analyses excluding very low-certainty studies left only 17 outcomes, of which eight were rated as high certainty. Behavioural outcomes were heavily over-represented (67.5%), with relational and environmental outcomes underexplored. Moderator analyses indicated that interventions targeting single subgroups produced more favourable outcomes than multisystem approaches, though overall evidence quality limited confidence in these findings. 

Conclusions: Current RCT evidence for ED interventions in primary-aged children is of low quality, restricting firm conclusions about effectiveness. The imbalance in outcome domains and mechanisms suggests an overemphasis on behaviourist approaches at the expense of relational and ecological factors. High-quality, large-scale RCTs are urgently needed, particularly those addressing classroom environments, relational mechanisms, and culturally grounded approaches relevant to Aotearoa. 

Registration: The protocol for this review was registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF). https://osf.io/9afzx/

year: 2025

title: Military Settlement in the Middle Waikato Basin

authors: Allen, Peter D.H.

abstract: Military settlement formed a brief but distinctive phase in the European occupation of the Middle Waikato Basin. Prior to the 1863 - 1864 Waikato War, few Europeans, other than a small number of missionaries and traders, were settled in the region. The setting of the Middle Waikato Basin was largely unmodified by Man, except along the major rivers where a dense Maori population was settled. 
During the 1850's, the encroachment of European settlers upon Maori tribal lands in many North Island regions, including the Waikato, led to an increase in tension between the two populations and open conflict. This conflict slowed down the progress of colonization in the North Island. To enable colonization to continue in those regions disturbed by Maori unrest, a scheme of military settlement was devised. The aim of this scheme was the formation of compact, self-sufficient defensive settlements to act as a deterrent to Maori unrest. These settlements would also provide an assurance to settlers of security for their life and property.
 Military settlement in the Middle Waikato Basin consisted of two phases. In the first phase, the nodal points of the military settlements, the townships, were established and occupied by the military settlers. In the second phase, farm districts were surveyed around the nodal points and the military settlers moved out from the townships to occupy and develop the land they were allocated. A number of factors, relating to deficiencies in the scheme of military settlement and to the particular problems of settlement in the region, contributed to the failure of the military settlers to successfully establish farms on the land they were allocated. 
The scheme of military settlement largely failed as a method of colonization in the Middle Waikato Basin. However, the pattern of human occupation, established in the initial phase of military settlement, remained when the need for defensive settlements had gone, and forms the basis of the present pattern of settlement.

text: Military Settlement in the Middle Waikato Basin Military settlement formed a brief but distinctive phase in the European occupation of the Middle Waikato Basin. Prior to the 1863 - 1864 Waikato War, few Europeans, other than a small number of missionaries and traders, were settled in the region. The setting of the Middle Waikato Basin was largely unmodified by Man, except along the major rivers where a dense Maori population was settled. 
During the 1850's, the encroachment of European settlers upon Maori tribal lands in many North Island regions, including the Waikato, led to an increase in tension between the two populations and open conflict. This conflict slowed down the progress of colonization in the North Island. To enable colonization to continue in those regions disturbed by Maori unrest, a scheme of military settlement was devised. The aim of this scheme was the formation of compact, self-sufficient defensive settlements to act as a deterrent to Maori unrest. These settlements would also provide an assurance to settlers of security for their life and property.
 Military settlement in the Middle Waikato Basin consisted of two phases. In the first phase, the nodal points of the military settlements, the townships, were established and occupied by the military settlers. In the second phase, farm districts were surveyed around the nodal points and the military settlers moved out from the townships to occupy and develop the land they were allocated. A number of factors, relating to deficiencies in the scheme of military settlement and to the particular problems of settlement in the region, contributed to the failure of the military settlers to successfully establish farms on the land they were allocated. 
The scheme of military settlement largely failed as a method of colonization in the Middle Waikato Basin. However, the pattern of human occupation, established in the initial phase of military settlement, remained when the need for defensive settlements had gone, and forms the basis of the present pattern of settlement.

year: 1969