title: Aquatic ecology of Lake Rotokare, Taranaki, and options for restoration

authors: Hicks, Brendan J.

subjects: Lake Rotokare

abstract: Lake Rotokare is a 17.8-ha natural lake in eastern Taranaki, located 12 km east of Eltham in the 230-ha Rotokare Scenic Reserve. In 2008, the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust completed construction of an 8.2-km predator proof fence around the reserve.

Frequent algal blooms in summer have led to long periods of lake closure to boating and contact recreation. As there are few lakes in the Taranaki region, these closures are a nuisance to the local community. The objectives of this study were to quantitatively survey the fish community of the lake and to evaluate the lake water quality for the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust for the purpose of advising on options for lake restoration.

Water quality has not deteriorated since 1976-1980, and, if anything, has improved. Secchi disc depth in 2013 (1.95 m) was very similar to measurements in summer 1980 (mean 1.93 m on 30 January 1980). Mean dissolved reactive phosphorus (± 95% confidence interval) was greater in 1976 (190±50 mg/m³) than mean phosphate concentration in 2013 (93±31 mg/m³, p < 0.05, Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test). The thermocline was deeper in 2013 at 6-7 m compared to 3-4 m in 1977. This indicates that a much greater volume of the lake was oxygenated in February 2013 than in February 1977. Also, the intensity of stratification was less in 2013, as the dissolved oxygen concentration below the thermocline was 21027% compared to just 3% in 1977. This suggests that an improvement in water quality has occurred, probably as a result of stock exclusion.

To sample the fish community, boat electrofishing was used at the total of six sites. The total length fished was 1,656 m, which was 6,624 m² in area. Eighty minutes of boat electrofishing caught 234 fish (217 perch, 16 shortfin eels, and 1 longfin eel). Fishing at night showed a 16-fold increase in the catch rate of perch (125 fish/10 min of fishing) compared to fishing during the day (8 fish/10 min of fishing).

Perch dominate the fish community in Lake Rotokare and the biomass and density of eels are low, which is unusual for Taranaki water bodies. The mean density of perch was 4.49 fish/100 m², and the mean density for eels was 0.29 fish/100 m². The lower eel density may be a result of impaired access for eels or may be the result of predation by perch on migrant juvenile eels. There have been changes in the zooplankton community since 1980. The North American invader Daphnia galeata was not found in 1980, and appears to have now replaced the cladoceran Bosmina meridionalis and copepod Boeckella sp. We also found a diverse rotifer community.

text: Aquatic ecology of Lake Rotokare, Taranaki, and options for restoration Lake Rotokare is a 17.8-ha natural lake in eastern Taranaki, located 12 km east of Eltham in the 230-ha Rotokare Scenic Reserve. In 2008, the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust completed construction of an 8.2-km predator proof fence around the reserve.

Frequent algal blooms in summer have led to long periods of lake closure to boating and contact recreation. As there are few lakes in the Taranaki region, these closures are a nuisance to the local community. The objectives of this study were to quantitatively survey the fish community of the lake and to evaluate the lake water quality for the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust for the purpose of advising on options for lake restoration.

Water quality has not deteriorated since 1976-1980, and, if anything, has improved. Secchi disc depth in 2013 (1.95 m) was very similar to measurements in summer 1980 (mean 1.93 m on 30 January 1980). Mean dissolved reactive phosphorus (± 95% confidence interval) was greater in 1976 (190±50 mg/m³) than mean phosphate concentration in 2013 (93±31 mg/m³, p < 0.05, Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test). The thermocline was deeper in 2013 at 6-7 m compared to 3-4 m in 1977. This indicates that a much greater volume of the lake was oxygenated in February 2013 than in February 1977. Also, the intensity of stratification was less in 2013, as the dissolved oxygen concentration below the thermocline was 21027% compared to just 3% in 1977. This suggests that an improvement in water quality has occurred, probably as a result of stock exclusion.

To sample the fish community, boat electrofishing was used at the total of six sites. The total length fished was 1,656 m, which was 6,624 m² in area. Eighty minutes of boat electrofishing caught 234 fish (217 perch, 16 shortfin eels, and 1 longfin eel). Fishing at night showed a 16-fold increase in the catch rate of perch (125 fish/10 min of fishing) compared to fishing during the day (8 fish/10 min of fishing).

Perch dominate the fish community in Lake Rotokare and the biomass and density of eels are low, which is unusual for Taranaki water bodies. The mean density of perch was 4.49 fish/100 m², and the mean density for eels was 0.29 fish/100 m². The lower eel density may be a result of impaired access for eels or may be the result of predation by perch on migrant juvenile eels. There have been changes in the zooplankton community since 1980. The North American invader Daphnia galeata was not found in 1980, and appears to have now replaced the cladoceran Bosmina meridionalis and copepod Boeckella sp. We also found a diverse rotifer community.

year: 2013

title: Sociologies of New Zealand by Charles Crothers [Book review]

authors: Burns, Edgar

abstract: This book offers a concise introduction to anyone interested in the formation of sociology in different national settings across the globe. Charles Crothers’ Sociologies of New Zealand is one of a series of national accounts, now nearly two dozen, under the editorship of John Holmwood and Stephen Turner titled ‘Sociology Transformed’, chronicling sociology’s development country-by-country. It corresponds to Harley and Wickham’s (2014) Australian Sociology: Fragility, Survival, Rivalry in the series. Crothers’ own career covers much of this period, matching sociology as a recognisable university discipline with a professional association that turned 50 in 2013. The Sociological Association of Aotearoa/New Zealand had, in this period, split from the Australian association, started its own journal and added ‘Aotearoa’ to its name, repositioning Māori–white relations in New Zealand.

text: Sociologies of New Zealand by Charles Crothers [Book review] This book offers a concise introduction to anyone interested in the formation of sociology in different national settings across the globe. Charles Crothers’ Sociologies of New Zealand is one of a series of national accounts, now nearly two dozen, under the editorship of John Holmwood and Stephen Turner titled ‘Sociology Transformed’, chronicling sociology’s development country-by-country. It corresponds to Harley and Wickham’s (2014) Australian Sociology: Fragility, Survival, Rivalry in the series. Crothers’ own career covers much of this period, matching sociology as a recognisable university discipline with a professional association that turned 50 in 2013. The Sociological Association of Aotearoa/New Zealand had, in this period, split from the Australian association, started its own journal and added ‘Aotearoa’ to its name, repositioning Māori–white relations in New Zealand.

year: 2021

title: Young Maori males experiences in a secondary school context as sporting, academic and cultural identities.

authors: Porteous, Erin

subjects: Male Maori

abstract: This research focused on the journey of male Māori through secondary school and the effect on their identities in terms of sport, culture and academia. The two key areas of focus were how the culture of the school, including cultural stereotypes, impacts on male Māori learner self-concept, and whether the effect of creating an all Māori boys form class has resulted in an increased sense of belonging and engagement. 
The research was conducted as a case study underpinned by an interpretive methodology, using a focus group interview. The group was made up of five boys, chosen from a newly formed all boys’ Year 11 Māori form class. The boys were selected in conjunction with their form teacher and the schools Kaitiaki, in order to reflect a range of sporting, academic and cultural levels. 
The research findings found that although the boys view of their experiences in school seemed positive overall, they described common incidences and reactions to racial discrimination. The exposure to embedded racial stereotypes and behaviours caused them to create their own solutions, often through threatening violence or aggressive reactions. It appears that when young male Māori are more closely connected to Māori culture, they are more likely they are to create these responses. 
Teachers remain integral to the engagement and belonging of a young male Māori in secondary school. In support of the findings from Kia Eke Panuku (2013), this study found that male Māori require positive relationships with their teachers to engage in the subject and school in a general sense. Relationships based on ako and manaakitanga are key to these students viewing their experiences in school as successful.
Another finding showed the importance of sport and physical activity to young male Māori, though success in this area has been a limiting factor in contributing to overall success in secondary school. The placing of male Māori as a ‘physical being’ (Hokowhitu, 2003a; Hokowhitu, 2003b; Hokowhitu, 2004) creates spaces where Māori can be successful, such as practical based subjects like physical education. This success is perceived as acceptable yet often isolates them away from success in other areas (Erueti & Palmer, 2014), feeding into the stereotype itself.
The success of the all boys’ Māori form class was scrutinised by this study, and found the intended outcomes had not necessarily been met. The overall impact was that the boys had been grouped with a Māori form teacher and the intentions of additional support had been overlooked due to time pressures and deficit thinking in terms of capabilities of the class members.  For the Māori boys in this study, the challenges of overcome historical cultural stereotypes added to the challenge of succeeding at secondary school. The expectation that they walk successfully between the realms of Māori and pākehā to achieve in the current education system coupled with the feeling they needed to act ‘pākehā’ in order to achieve is particularly disturbing. The inequity for them in denying part of their identity seems a hefty price to pay for educational success.
This study highlights the need for schools, communities and individual teachers to recognise these racial and systemic inequities and work tirelessly to develop strategies to eliminate them, in order to create to take a giant step towards equity for all New Zealanders within education.

text: Young Maori males experiences in a secondary school context as sporting, academic and cultural identities. This research focused on the journey of male Māori through secondary school and the effect on their identities in terms of sport, culture and academia. The two key areas of focus were how the culture of the school, including cultural stereotypes, impacts on male Māori learner self-concept, and whether the effect of creating an all Māori boys form class has resulted in an increased sense of belonging and engagement. 
The research was conducted as a case study underpinned by an interpretive methodology, using a focus group interview. The group was made up of five boys, chosen from a newly formed all boys’ Year 11 Māori form class. The boys were selected in conjunction with their form teacher and the schools Kaitiaki, in order to reflect a range of sporting, academic and cultural levels. 
The research findings found that although the boys view of their experiences in school seemed positive overall, they described common incidences and reactions to racial discrimination. The exposure to embedded racial stereotypes and behaviours caused them to create their own solutions, often through threatening violence or aggressive reactions. It appears that when young male Māori are more closely connected to Māori culture, they are more likely they are to create these responses. 
Teachers remain integral to the engagement and belonging of a young male Māori in secondary school. In support of the findings from Kia Eke Panuku (2013), this study found that male Māori require positive relationships with their teachers to engage in the subject and school in a general sense. Relationships based on ako and manaakitanga are key to these students viewing their experiences in school as successful.
Another finding showed the importance of sport and physical activity to young male Māori, though success in this area has been a limiting factor in contributing to overall success in secondary school. The placing of male Māori as a ‘physical being’ (Hokowhitu, 2003a; Hokowhitu, 2003b; Hokowhitu, 2004) creates spaces where Māori can be successful, such as practical based subjects like physical education. This success is perceived as acceptable yet often isolates them away from success in other areas (Erueti & Palmer, 2014), feeding into the stereotype itself.
The success of the all boys’ Māori form class was scrutinised by this study, and found the intended outcomes had not necessarily been met. The overall impact was that the boys had been grouped with a Māori form teacher and the intentions of additional support had been overlooked due to time pressures and deficit thinking in terms of capabilities of the class members.  For the Māori boys in this study, the challenges of overcome historical cultural stereotypes added to the challenge of succeeding at secondary school. The expectation that they walk successfully between the realms of Māori and pākehā to achieve in the current education system coupled with the feeling they needed to act ‘pākehā’ in order to achieve is particularly disturbing. The inequity for them in denying part of their identity seems a hefty price to pay for educational success.
This study highlights the need for schools, communities and individual teachers to recognise these racial and systemic inequities and work tirelessly to develop strategies to eliminate them, in order to create to take a giant step towards equity for all New Zealanders within education.

year: 2016