title: Symposium insights on use of TDRs

authors: Matheson, Bal

abstract: Bal is a specialist in resource management and environmental law, and is a partner in Russell McVeagh's Environment, Planning, and Natural Resources Group. He provides strategic advice for, and leads, many large scale infrastructure and commercial projects from the conceptual stage through to obtaining consents. This includes applications in the energy sector (hydro-electricity generation), industrial air discharge projects (sulphur, PM10, solvents), manufacturing, infrastructure (gas and electricity transmission, bulk water supply, wastewater, trade waste), mining (quarrying, clean fills and mining), contaminated land (assessment and remediation), dairy (manufacturing sites and dairy farms), residential (retirement villages, aged care facilities, townhouse developments), education facilities, large scale subdivisions, and town centre developments (retail, commercial). Bal has a particular interest in water related topics. He is co-author of the 'Water' chapter of the 4th Ed. and online editions of New Zealand's leading environmental textbook Environmental and Resource Management Law (Ed. Nolan, D.A.), and has been involved in many projects involving water takes and discharges. Most recently this has included acting for TrustPower Limited on its successful application to vary the National Water Conservation Order (Rakaia River) 1988, enabling the development of a comprehensive irrigation and generation scheme on the Canterbury Plains, while ensuring that the outstanding characteristics identified by the Order remained protected.
Bal also has considerable experience in related fields of the Public Works Act 1981 (acting for both those acquiring land and landowners who are subject to Public Works Act procedures), Local Government Act processes (rating, development contributions), law reform, and, under the Resource Management Act 1991, district and regional plan formulation.

text: Symposium insights on use of TDRs Bal is a specialist in resource management and environmental law, and is a partner in Russell McVeagh's Environment, Planning, and Natural Resources Group. He provides strategic advice for, and leads, many large scale infrastructure and commercial projects from the conceptual stage through to obtaining consents. This includes applications in the energy sector (hydro-electricity generation), industrial air discharge projects (sulphur, PM10, solvents), manufacturing, infrastructure (gas and electricity transmission, bulk water supply, wastewater, trade waste), mining (quarrying, clean fills and mining), contaminated land (assessment and remediation), dairy (manufacturing sites and dairy farms), residential (retirement villages, aged care facilities, townhouse developments), education facilities, large scale subdivisions, and town centre developments (retail, commercial). Bal has a particular interest in water related topics. He is co-author of the 'Water' chapter of the 4th Ed. and online editions of New Zealand's leading environmental textbook Environmental and Resource Management Law (Ed. Nolan, D.A.), and has been involved in many projects involving water takes and discharges. Most recently this has included acting for TrustPower Limited on its successful application to vary the National Water Conservation Order (Rakaia River) 1988, enabling the development of a comprehensive irrigation and generation scheme on the Canterbury Plains, while ensuring that the outstanding characteristics identified by the Order remained protected.
Bal also has considerable experience in related fields of the Public Works Act 1981 (acting for both those acquiring land and landowners who are subject to Public Works Act procedures), Local Government Act processes (rating, development contributions), law reform, and, under the Resource Management Act 1991, district and regional plan formulation.

year: 2013

title: Appreciating Learning: Children using Appreciative Inquiry as an approach to helping them to understand their learning

authors: Davies, Angelena

subjects: Appreciative Inquiry

abstract: Understanding one’s own learning (or meta-learning) is a topic of increasing interest in education in the 21st century. Children, who know how they learn, know themselves as learners. This is an important part of becoming a life-long learner in a world where the fast-pace of change creates the illusion that the future is one of greater unknown. Initiatives to help children to ‘learn how they learn’ often teach meta-cognition skills is isolation from the learning process; a strategy for learning that has been found to be ineffective. For children to come to see their role in their own learning, they need to learn about themselves and the unique strengths that they bring to their learning experiences. This is particularly so for children who struggle at school or those who do not believe they have the potential to learn.

This qualitative research examines Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as a strengths-based approach to helping children understand their learning. Four 10-year-old children (in year 6) and I engaged together in action research to design and implement an AI intervention, and then evaluate its effectiveness as an approach to learn about their learning. Social constructivist theory is used to understand the children’s shifts in understandings and perceptions, prior to and following the AI intervention. Three key areas provided the conceptual framework for the thesis: social constructivist learning, meta-learning and AI.

The research project delivered new findings in several areas. The first main area of findings show that the children experienced significant shifts in their understandings of learning and perceptions of themselves as learners. The formal school context had a powerful influence on their understandings of learning and through the AI they came to view learning as taking place in a much wider context. The formal school context also influenced how they saw themselves as learners and some children believed they that, due to their low grades, they were ‘no good’ at learning. Participation in the AI process helped them to identify their strengths as learners and appreciate how their uniqueness actually benefits their learning. 

The second main area of findings identified four key factors that are pertinent to the children’s participation in AI: collaborative dialogue, agency in learning, experiential learning and children focus on their strengths as learners. Using AI with children is not as straightforward as using this with adults and, as such, requires that changes be made to the model, the aim being to shift its orientation from being one of a progressive approach to an experiential approach.

A key objective of this research was not to impose a learning theory on the children’s experience of learning, instead, through AI theory, the process allowed the children to discover their own learning theories for how they might use their strengths in their future learning. In this way, AI as an approach to meta-learning, was empowering because it worked from the ground up and from the inside out. Additionally, the ‘action’ aspect of the research provided a space for the children to actively make changes in their learning.

Children’s perspectives were sought in order that the children themselves could inform the formulation of my research questions. This approach not only respects the children’s capacity to contribute to research, but it provides authentic insights into the experiences of those who are directly influenced by the AI intervention; the children themselves. The children’s perspectives warrant special attention with respect to how they might best condition the design of the methodological approach used in this research to help them come to know their learning and themselves as learners.

text: Appreciating Learning: Children using Appreciative Inquiry as an approach to helping them to understand their learning Understanding one’s own learning (or meta-learning) is a topic of increasing interest in education in the 21st century. Children, who know how they learn, know themselves as learners. This is an important part of becoming a life-long learner in a world where the fast-pace of change creates the illusion that the future is one of greater unknown. Initiatives to help children to ‘learn how they learn’ often teach meta-cognition skills is isolation from the learning process; a strategy for learning that has been found to be ineffective. For children to come to see their role in their own learning, they need to learn about themselves and the unique strengths that they bring to their learning experiences. This is particularly so for children who struggle at school or those who do not believe they have the potential to learn.

This qualitative research examines Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as a strengths-based approach to helping children understand their learning. Four 10-year-old children (in year 6) and I engaged together in action research to design and implement an AI intervention, and then evaluate its effectiveness as an approach to learn about their learning. Social constructivist theory is used to understand the children’s shifts in understandings and perceptions, prior to and following the AI intervention. Three key areas provided the conceptual framework for the thesis: social constructivist learning, meta-learning and AI.

The research project delivered new findings in several areas. The first main area of findings show that the children experienced significant shifts in their understandings of learning and perceptions of themselves as learners. The formal school context had a powerful influence on their understandings of learning and through the AI they came to view learning as taking place in a much wider context. The formal school context also influenced how they saw themselves as learners and some children believed they that, due to their low grades, they were ‘no good’ at learning. Participation in the AI process helped them to identify their strengths as learners and appreciate how their uniqueness actually benefits their learning. 

The second main area of findings identified four key factors that are pertinent to the children’s participation in AI: collaborative dialogue, agency in learning, experiential learning and children focus on their strengths as learners. Using AI with children is not as straightforward as using this with adults and, as such, requires that changes be made to the model, the aim being to shift its orientation from being one of a progressive approach to an experiential approach.

A key objective of this research was not to impose a learning theory on the children’s experience of learning, instead, through AI theory, the process allowed the children to discover their own learning theories for how they might use their strengths in their future learning. In this way, AI as an approach to meta-learning, was empowering because it worked from the ground up and from the inside out. Additionally, the ‘action’ aspect of the research provided a space for the children to actively make changes in their learning.

Children’s perspectives were sought in order that the children themselves could inform the formulation of my research questions. This approach not only respects the children’s capacity to contribute to research, but it provides authentic insights into the experiences of those who are directly influenced by the AI intervention; the children themselves. The children’s perspectives warrant special attention with respect to how they might best condition the design of the methodological approach used in this research to help them come to know their learning and themselves as learners.

year: 2013

title: Maori and epilepsy: Personal perceptions of the cause, treatment and consequences of epilepsy by Maori in the Bay of Plenty

authors: Simonsen, Kiri

subjects: Maori

abstract: This paper discusses the perceptions of epilepsy held by Maori in the Bay of Plenty. The paper
begins by introducing the purpose and rationale of the research. It then moves on to describe the
aims and qualitative research methods that were used to collect the data. Finally the paper
discusses the findings of the research, this includes: a close look at the unique perceptions of
epilepsy that were reported by Maori in the Bay of Plenty; the lack of resources and services
available in a small rural town of the Bay of Plenty; the services desired by Maori; attitudes
towards medication and the inappropriate behaviour many of the participants experienced by the
medical profession.

text: Maori and epilepsy: Personal perceptions of the cause, treatment and consequences of epilepsy by Maori in the Bay of Plenty This paper discusses the perceptions of epilepsy held by Maori in the Bay of Plenty. The paper
begins by introducing the purpose and rationale of the research. It then moves on to describe the
aims and qualitative research methods that were used to collect the data. Finally the paper
discusses the findings of the research, this includes: a close look at the unique perceptions of
epilepsy that were reported by Maori in the Bay of Plenty; the lack of resources and services
available in a small rural town of the Bay of Plenty; the services desired by Maori; attitudes
towards medication and the inappropriate behaviour many of the participants experienced by the
medical profession.

year: 1999