title: The state of well-being - A search for meaning in the New Zealand Regulatory Environment

authors: Wallace, Philippa Jane

abstract: The term "well-being" has gained prominence in national and international policy agendas. A malleable term with positive connotations and wide reach, it has become a standard objective for human advancement. New Zealand makes extensive use of the term in legislation, but well-being is seldom defined. This article explores wellbeing in New Zealand law and policy, with a focus on the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA). "Well-being" is revealed as a contested and context-dependent term at the heart of New Zealand's resource debates. Application tends to the uncritical in terms of definition and theoretical foundation. This may mask important differences between the states, which are not necessarily correlative, and may result in conflation of well-being with development. Although the term "well-being" is used with frequency in legislation, important differences are evident in the subject of wellbeing, the nature and extent of any obligation in respect of well-being, the identity of the obligor and the particularisation of dimensions of well-being. At times these nuances are lost in translation, and whilst acknowledging the benefits of the expansive and adaptive term, recommendations are made regarding its use in environmental law.

text: The state of well-being - A search for meaning in the New Zealand Regulatory Environment The term "well-being" has gained prominence in national and international policy agendas. A malleable term with positive connotations and wide reach, it has become a standard objective for human advancement. New Zealand makes extensive use of the term in legislation, but well-being is seldom defined. This article explores wellbeing in New Zealand law and policy, with a focus on the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA). "Well-being" is revealed as a contested and context-dependent term at the heart of New Zealand's resource debates. Application tends to the uncritical in terms of definition and theoretical foundation. This may mask important differences between the states, which are not necessarily correlative, and may result in conflation of well-being with development. Although the term "well-being" is used with frequency in legislation, important differences are evident in the subject of wellbeing, the nature and extent of any obligation in respect of well-being, the identity of the obligor and the particularisation of dimensions of well-being. At times these nuances are lost in translation, and whilst acknowledging the benefits of the expansive and adaptive term, recommendations are made regarding its use in environmental law.

year: 2019

title: Microbial biogeography of 1,000 geothermal springs: spatial, temporal, and allopatric dynamics of extremophiles in the Taupō Volcanic Zone, Aotearoa-New Zealand

authors: Power, Jean Florence

subjects: Microbiology

abstract: Geothermal springs are model ecosystems to investigate microbial biogeography as they represent discrete, relatively homogeneous habitats, are distributed across multiple geographical scales, and span broad geochemical gradients. This thesis reports the largest consolidated study of geothermal ecosystems to determine causal factors that influence both spatial and temporal biogeographical patterns of extremophiles. Bacterial and archaeal community composition, 46 physicochemical parameters, and metadata from 925 geothermal spring water columns across the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ), Aotearoa-New Zealand were measured. Standardised methodologies were employed to define microbial diversity via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and associated physicochemistry, ensuring confidence in sample comparison. Over an 8,000 km² spatial scale, multivariate statistical analyses determined diversity was primarily influenced by pH at temperatures <70 °C; with temperature only having a significant effect at >70 °C. Further, community dissimilarity increased with increasing geographic distance across the region, highlighting niche selection driving assembly at a local scale.

This research also describes the first comprehensive temporal study of geothermal microbial communities in Aotearoa-New Zealand. One hundred and fifteen water column samples from 31 geothermal features were taken over a 34-month period to ascertain microbial community stability, community response to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances in the local environment, and temporal variation in spring diversity across the pH range found in the TVZ. Results indicated temperature and associated groundwater physicochemistry were the most likely parameters to vary stochastically in these geothermal features, with community abundances rather than composition more readily affected by a changing environment. However, variation in pH (pH ±1) had a more significant effect on community structure than temperature (±20 °C), with alpha diversity failing to be an adequate measure of temporal microbial disparity in geothermal features outside of circumneutral conditions. While a substantial physicochemical disturbance was required to shift community structures at the phylum level, geothermal ecosystems were resilient at this broad taxonomic rank and returned to a pre-disturbed state if environmental conditions re-established.

The discovery that genus 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 (phylum Aquificota) exhibited the greatest average abundance (11.2 %) and distribution (74.2 %) of all taxa across 925 geothermal ecosystems in the TVZ, and an apparent absence of this taxon in global geothermal systems, led to the hypothesis that allopatric speciation enabled the evolution of an endemic bacterial genus to Aotearoa-New Zealand. Maximal read abundance of 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 occurred in geothermal features with pH 4-6, 50-70 °C, and low oxidation-reduction potentials, highlighting a specific environmental niche that could enhance habitat isolation. Genomic analysis of the only characterised species for the genus, 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑠 CP.B2ᵀ, confirmed a chemolithoautotrophic metabolism dependent on hydrogen oxidation. While similarity between 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 populations illustrated dispersal was not limited across the TVZ, extensive amplicon, metagenomic, and phylogenomic analyses of local and global microbial communities from DNA sequence databases indicated 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 is geographically restricted to the Aotearoa-New Zealand archipelago. It was concluded that combined geographical and physicochemical constraints prevent this taxon from distributing on a broader scale, resulting in the establishment of an endemic bacterial genus.

Collectively, the findings from this thesis provide an insight into ecological behaviour in geothermal springs, highlighting the diverse controls between different taxa within the same habitat-type, and expand understanding of microbial biogeography in extreme ecosystems.

text: Microbial biogeography of 1,000 geothermal springs: spatial, temporal, and allopatric dynamics of extremophiles in the Taupō Volcanic Zone, Aotearoa-New Zealand Geothermal springs are model ecosystems to investigate microbial biogeography as they represent discrete, relatively homogeneous habitats, are distributed across multiple geographical scales, and span broad geochemical gradients. This thesis reports the largest consolidated study of geothermal ecosystems to determine causal factors that influence both spatial and temporal biogeographical patterns of extremophiles. Bacterial and archaeal community composition, 46 physicochemical parameters, and metadata from 925 geothermal spring water columns across the Taupō Volcanic Zone (TVZ), Aotearoa-New Zealand were measured. Standardised methodologies were employed to define microbial diversity via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and associated physicochemistry, ensuring confidence in sample comparison. Over an 8,000 km² spatial scale, multivariate statistical analyses determined diversity was primarily influenced by pH at temperatures <70 °C; with temperature only having a significant effect at >70 °C. Further, community dissimilarity increased with increasing geographic distance across the region, highlighting niche selection driving assembly at a local scale.

This research also describes the first comprehensive temporal study of geothermal microbial communities in Aotearoa-New Zealand. One hundred and fifteen water column samples from 31 geothermal features were taken over a 34-month period to ascertain microbial community stability, community response to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances in the local environment, and temporal variation in spring diversity across the pH range found in the TVZ. Results indicated temperature and associated groundwater physicochemistry were the most likely parameters to vary stochastically in these geothermal features, with community abundances rather than composition more readily affected by a changing environment. However, variation in pH (pH ±1) had a more significant effect on community structure than temperature (±20 °C), with alpha diversity failing to be an adequate measure of temporal microbial disparity in geothermal features outside of circumneutral conditions. While a substantial physicochemical disturbance was required to shift community structures at the phylum level, geothermal ecosystems were resilient at this broad taxonomic rank and returned to a pre-disturbed state if environmental conditions re-established.

The discovery that genus 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 (phylum Aquificota) exhibited the greatest average abundance (11.2 %) and distribution (74.2 %) of all taxa across 925 geothermal ecosystems in the TVZ, and an apparent absence of this taxon in global geothermal systems, led to the hypothesis that allopatric speciation enabled the evolution of an endemic bacterial genus to Aotearoa-New Zealand. Maximal read abundance of 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 occurred in geothermal features with pH 4-6, 50-70 °C, and low oxidation-reduction potentials, highlighting a specific environmental niche that could enhance habitat isolation. Genomic analysis of the only characterised species for the genus, 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑠 CP.B2ᵀ, confirmed a chemolithoautotrophic metabolism dependent on hydrogen oxidation. While similarity between 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 populations illustrated dispersal was not limited across the TVZ, extensive amplicon, metagenomic, and phylogenomic analyses of local and global microbial communities from DNA sequence databases indicated 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑜 is geographically restricted to the Aotearoa-New Zealand archipelago. It was concluded that combined geographical and physicochemical constraints prevent this taxon from distributing on a broader scale, resulting in the establishment of an endemic bacterial genus.

Collectively, the findings from this thesis provide an insight into ecological behaviour in geothermal springs, highlighting the diverse controls between different taxa within the same habitat-type, and expand understanding of microbial biogeography in extreme ecosystems.

year: 2023

title: Maori land in Hauraki

authors: Hart, Philip

abstract: Imagining the Hauraki Peninsula to contain payable goldfields and knowing that land to the south of Thames had great agricultural potential, Pakeha were determined to acquire it, and were frustrated by what was considered to be ‘Maori intransigence’. For their part, Maori landowners were justifiably concerned about losing their land, and hindered and delayed opening it to settlement for as long as possible. A major difficulty for officials seeking to acquire land was how to determine boundaries between different blocks and how to identify the true owners when there were rival claims put forward by hapu and individuals. Land purchase agents used a variety of means to get blocks through the land court and then to individualize the title, notably the controversial ‘raihana’ policy, which benefited some landowners at the expense of others. The expensive legal process involved often forced those who had proved their ownership to sell land to pay for their success, a success which resulted in grantees treating the land as their personal property rather than tribal property. Some Pakeha as well as many Maori protested at the unfair process; even James Mackay, the most effective practitioner of raihana, came to lament his success and its consequences for the younger generation of Maori (he blamed the system, not himself). When far too late, it was urged that land should have been leased rather than sold and that proceeds from sales should not have been squandered.
Instead of having commissions of enquiry, as some suggested, the land court system meant that judges determined ownership on the evidence presented to them, even though some owners were not present nor had their interests represented. Sometimes the evidence was false, as was admitted by some witnesses when their perjury was exposed. And in the case of the Ohinemuri district, for which the records survive, when the land was sold to the Crown some Maori received too much money, some too little, and some missed out altogether. The struggles to open Ohinemuri to miners and settlers is examined in detail, revealing that some rangatira expected economic gain and that Te Hira’s party, who opposed the opening, were undermined by some of Te Hira’s followers: being ‘Hauhau’, they refused to take money from the Crown but instead took raihana, meaning goods which were charged against their land in a way they did not understand. Nor did anyone fully understand the system apart from Mackay, whose policy was eventually repudiated by the politicians who had encouraged it previously. Not all land was lost, but because the government did not assist landowners with advice and finance until well into the twentieth century what land that was retained could not be developed adequately.

text: Maori land in Hauraki Imagining the Hauraki Peninsula to contain payable goldfields and knowing that land to the south of Thames had great agricultural potential, Pakeha were determined to acquire it, and were frustrated by what was considered to be ‘Maori intransigence’. For their part, Maori landowners were justifiably concerned about losing their land, and hindered and delayed opening it to settlement for as long as possible. A major difficulty for officials seeking to acquire land was how to determine boundaries between different blocks and how to identify the true owners when there were rival claims put forward by hapu and individuals. Land purchase agents used a variety of means to get blocks through the land court and then to individualize the title, notably the controversial ‘raihana’ policy, which benefited some landowners at the expense of others. The expensive legal process involved often forced those who had proved their ownership to sell land to pay for their success, a success which resulted in grantees treating the land as their personal property rather than tribal property. Some Pakeha as well as many Maori protested at the unfair process; even James Mackay, the most effective practitioner of raihana, came to lament his success and its consequences for the younger generation of Maori (he blamed the system, not himself). When far too late, it was urged that land should have been leased rather than sold and that proceeds from sales should not have been squandered.
Instead of having commissions of enquiry, as some suggested, the land court system meant that judges determined ownership on the evidence presented to them, even though some owners were not present nor had their interests represented. Sometimes the evidence was false, as was admitted by some witnesses when their perjury was exposed. And in the case of the Ohinemuri district, for which the records survive, when the land was sold to the Crown some Maori received too much money, some too little, and some missed out altogether. The struggles to open Ohinemuri to miners and settlers is examined in detail, revealing that some rangatira expected economic gain and that Te Hira’s party, who opposed the opening, were undermined by some of Te Hira’s followers: being ‘Hauhau’, they refused to take money from the Crown but instead took raihana, meaning goods which were charged against their land in a way they did not understand. Nor did anyone fully understand the system apart from Mackay, whose policy was eventually repudiated by the politicians who had encouraged it previously. Not all land was lost, but because the government did not assist landowners with advice and finance until well into the twentieth century what land that was retained could not be developed adequately.

year: 2016