title: An Exploration of Models for Collaborative Leadership of Virtual Learning Network e-Learning Clusters in New Zealand

authors: Buchanan, Philip Conway

subjects: Collaborative

abstract: Faced with the massive challenge of personalising learning for a digital generation, educators need to change.  Collaboration and collaborative leadership, having been widely researched and implemented, are now considered to be strategic components of systemic transformation.  Many jurisdictions have trialled or instituted collaborative or cluster-based projects to address the collaborative learning and leadership challenges associated with transformation through e-learning.  New Zealand’s emergent Virtual Learning Network and e-learning clusters have developed new system leadership from grass-roots rural schools with the Ministry of Education’s strategic support.  Can these innovative collaborative projects continue to improve and sustainably contribute to educational transformation in NZ?
This small-scale qualitative investigation focussed on semi-structured interviews to gather data from five experienced rural cluster Lead Principals who have successfully lead some of the stronger rural Virtual Learning Network e-learning clusters across rural New Zealand. The key research question which guided the interview questions and analysis was:
What are the most appropriate and effective models for managing and leading collaborative relationships and shared long-term projects for clusters of secondary schools? 
The aim was to discover the conceptions and use of collaborative processes, structures and leadership which theoretical and empirical research suggest are critical components of system-wide reform.  
Research findings reveal a high degree of congruence between theory and the practice of these five Lead Principals.  Their understanding and practice of shared, distributive and collaborative leadership, with a clear commitment to building leadership capacity, was based more upon their personal style supported by some knowledge of the international literature, rather than formal policies. However, while these maturing clusters have outlasted many others, they continue to face challenges of viability, effectiveness, and sustainability, in spite of the Ministry of Education’s support for critical background infrastructure.  The data shows that while there are strong collaborative support strategies in and for these clusters, two key areas could be addressed more effectively.
This study suggests that collaborative transparency and accountability needs strengthening in a drive for consistent quality and effectiveness.  Also, while new structural cluster models may be emerging in the search for sustainability, the well-established cost of managing collaborations has not yet been accepted by the MoE, leaving 100% of the burden of management costs on the mostly small rural schools.   It is therefore recommended that the MoE find a way around the current school-based funding model to at least partially fund regional management of these transformative collaborations, perhaps within the government’s current drive to build performance management and accountability.  New Zealand’s systemic transformation and its current leadership within the e-learning revolution may depend on it.

text: An Exploration of Models for Collaborative Leadership of Virtual Learning Network e-Learning Clusters in New Zealand Faced with the massive challenge of personalising learning for a digital generation, educators need to change.  Collaboration and collaborative leadership, having been widely researched and implemented, are now considered to be strategic components of systemic transformation.  Many jurisdictions have trialled or instituted collaborative or cluster-based projects to address the collaborative learning and leadership challenges associated with transformation through e-learning.  New Zealand’s emergent Virtual Learning Network and e-learning clusters have developed new system leadership from grass-roots rural schools with the Ministry of Education’s strategic support.  Can these innovative collaborative projects continue to improve and sustainably contribute to educational transformation in NZ?
This small-scale qualitative investigation focussed on semi-structured interviews to gather data from five experienced rural cluster Lead Principals who have successfully lead some of the stronger rural Virtual Learning Network e-learning clusters across rural New Zealand. The key research question which guided the interview questions and analysis was:
What are the most appropriate and effective models for managing and leading collaborative relationships and shared long-term projects for clusters of secondary schools? 
The aim was to discover the conceptions and use of collaborative processes, structures and leadership which theoretical and empirical research suggest are critical components of system-wide reform.  
Research findings reveal a high degree of congruence between theory and the practice of these five Lead Principals.  Their understanding and practice of shared, distributive and collaborative leadership, with a clear commitment to building leadership capacity, was based more upon their personal style supported by some knowledge of the international literature, rather than formal policies. However, while these maturing clusters have outlasted many others, they continue to face challenges of viability, effectiveness, and sustainability, in spite of the Ministry of Education’s support for critical background infrastructure.  The data shows that while there are strong collaborative support strategies in and for these clusters, two key areas could be addressed more effectively.
This study suggests that collaborative transparency and accountability needs strengthening in a drive for consistent quality and effectiveness.  Also, while new structural cluster models may be emerging in the search for sustainability, the well-established cost of managing collaborations has not yet been accepted by the MoE, leaving 100% of the burden of management costs on the mostly small rural schools.   It is therefore recommended that the MoE find a way around the current school-based funding model to at least partially fund regional management of these transformative collaborations, perhaps within the government’s current drive to build performance management and accountability.  New Zealand’s systemic transformation and its current leadership within the e-learning revolution may depend on it.

year: 2013

title: The Characteristics and Impacts of Landfill Leachate from Horotiu, New Zealand and Maseru, Lesotho: A Comparative Study

authors: Mohobane, Thabiso

subjects: leachate

abstract: Landfills are a potential pollution threat to both ground and surface water resources. This study focuses on two landfills, the Horotiu municipal waste landfill, near Hamilton, New Zealand, and the Maseru landfill in Lesotho. The Horotiu landfill is located less than 50 metres from the Waikato River and also sits on a shallow (lt;lm to water table) aquifer.  In Lesotho, the Maseru landfill is 4 km from a river and 2 km from a water reservoir and rests on a huge aquifer. Over 5000 people depend on groundwater in the area between the landfill and the river.  The objectives of my study were to: 1. compare and contrast conditions, management, and potential environmental impacts of the Horotiu and Maseru landfills; 2. evaluate the potential for groundwater contamination as the result of leachate migration; and 3. investigate the chemical characteristics of the landfill leachates and the impacts of the landfills on groundwater quality. 

The Horotiu study was based on the leachate and groundwater quality monitoring data obtained from the Hamilton City Council. Samples were collected every three months from 1991-2006 and analysed for about 30 chemical parameters. The data for the Maseru landfill consisted of groundwater quality collected by the author during July-September 2007 and borehole pumping data obtained from the Department of Water Affairs, in Lesotho. 

At Horotiu results indicate that the leachate had high concentrations of: NH4-N (630 mg/l), TOC (405 mg/l), BOD (126 mg/l), and COD (1289 mg/l), while heavy metals were in low concentrations (lt;0.1mg/l).   Leachate quality was found to change with time and with rainfall. Groundwater samples obtained from the landfill boreholes indicated that the Horotiu landfill had an influence in the quality of groundwater. Groundwater at the down-slope side of the landfill had higher concentrations of all chemical parameters, except for NO3-N, SO4-2 and Reactive P, than the groundwater on the upstream side. The mean groundwater quality at Horotiu was within New Zealand drinking water standards though some standards were exceeded by some individual samples.  

In the Maseru landfill, the borehole water had high concentrations of chemical parameters such as EC (1580 μS/cm) and Chloride (190 mg/l), compared to the national average of 250 μS/cm and 28 mg/l. The Maseru landfill groundwater quality was within the WHO drinking water standard for all analysed chemical constituents, except lead. 

Groundwater beneath both landfills was influenced by leachate but the impacts are currently not at an alarming stage, for analysed chemical parameters. At Maseru introduction of landfill linings has potential to reduce the effect of leachate on groundwater.

text: The Characteristics and Impacts of Landfill Leachate from Horotiu, New Zealand and Maseru, Lesotho: A Comparative Study Landfills are a potential pollution threat to both ground and surface water resources. This study focuses on two landfills, the Horotiu municipal waste landfill, near Hamilton, New Zealand, and the Maseru landfill in Lesotho. The Horotiu landfill is located less than 50 metres from the Waikato River and also sits on a shallow (lt;lm to water table) aquifer.  In Lesotho, the Maseru landfill is 4 km from a river and 2 km from a water reservoir and rests on a huge aquifer. Over 5000 people depend on groundwater in the area between the landfill and the river.  The objectives of my study were to: 1. compare and contrast conditions, management, and potential environmental impacts of the Horotiu and Maseru landfills; 2. evaluate the potential for groundwater contamination as the result of leachate migration; and 3. investigate the chemical characteristics of the landfill leachates and the impacts of the landfills on groundwater quality. 

The Horotiu study was based on the leachate and groundwater quality monitoring data obtained from the Hamilton City Council. Samples were collected every three months from 1991-2006 and analysed for about 30 chemical parameters. The data for the Maseru landfill consisted of groundwater quality collected by the author during July-September 2007 and borehole pumping data obtained from the Department of Water Affairs, in Lesotho. 

At Horotiu results indicate that the leachate had high concentrations of: NH4-N (630 mg/l), TOC (405 mg/l), BOD (126 mg/l), and COD (1289 mg/l), while heavy metals were in low concentrations (lt;0.1mg/l).   Leachate quality was found to change with time and with rainfall. Groundwater samples obtained from the landfill boreholes indicated that the Horotiu landfill had an influence in the quality of groundwater. Groundwater at the down-slope side of the landfill had higher concentrations of all chemical parameters, except for NO3-N, SO4-2 and Reactive P, than the groundwater on the upstream side. The mean groundwater quality at Horotiu was within New Zealand drinking water standards though some standards were exceeded by some individual samples.  

In the Maseru landfill, the borehole water had high concentrations of chemical parameters such as EC (1580 μS/cm) and Chloride (190 mg/l), compared to the national average of 250 μS/cm and 28 mg/l. The Maseru landfill groundwater quality was within the WHO drinking water standard for all analysed chemical constituents, except lead. 

Groundwater beneath both landfills was influenced by leachate but the impacts are currently not at an alarming stage, for analysed chemical parameters. At Maseru introduction of landfill linings has potential to reduce the effect of leachate on groundwater.

year: 2008

title: Mai uta ki tai: Cyclone-driven suspended sediment effects on early benthic juvenile kōura (Jasus edwardsii), Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Aotearoa

authors: Karaha-Paki, Vijuan

abstract: Kōura (Jasus edwardsii) are ecologically, culturally, and economically significant taonga species central to mahinga kai systems throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. In Te Tairāwhiti, particularly Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Cyclone Gabrielle (February 2023) resulted in unprecedented sediment loads being delivered to coastal waters, smothering inshore rocky reefs that serve as critical nursery habitats for settling puerulus and juvenile kōura. This research investigated how repeated suspended sediment exposure affects the body condition, survival, and physiological condition of early benthic juvenile kōura, integrating Western scientific methods with mātauranga Māori perspectives to support kaitiakitanga and ecosystem recovery. 

A 52-day pulse-based laboratory experiment exposed 81 early benthic juvenile kōura to three treatment levels: Control (0 mg/L), Tobserved (1,000 mg/L), and Tmaximised (5,000 mg/L) suspended sediment concentrations, alternating between exposure phases and recovery periods to simulate natural post-storm sedimentation dynamics. Sediment was sourced from the Mangahauini River mouth to reflect local conditions. Kōura were initially housed communally (Days 1-19), and then separated into individual tāruke following observed cannibalism. Across the experiment, body weight to carapace length (BW:CL) ratios, survival, blood refractive index, gill condition, and moult stage were assessed. 

All treatment groups began with statistically equivalent body condition (p = 0.135), but cumulative effects emerged over time. During communal housing, mortality was highest in the Tobserved treatment (51.9%) compared with Control and Tmaximised treatments (both 18.5%). After separation, Tmaximised individuals showed the greatest losses (45.5%), mostly during the recovery rather than exposure phases. Overall mortality reached 45.7%, with sediment-exposed treatments experiencing 55% (Tmaximised) to 59% (Tobserved) losses compared with 22.2% in the Controls (p = 0.001). 

By Day 52, sediment exposure significantly reduced body condition (p = 0.016), with the Controls maintaining higher BW:CL ratios than Tmaximised (p = 0.013). Gill assessments indicated universal and severe damage in sediment-exposed kōura (100%) but none in the Controls (0%). Quantitative image analysis confirmed strong sediment concentration- dependent effects across all damage metrics – particle lodgement, filament integrity, surface discolouration, and composite scores (all p < 0.001) – with structural deformities in 66.7% of Tobserved and 100% of Tmaximised individuals. Blood refractive index showed no treatment differences, and 84.1% of kōura remained in intermoult stage at Day 52, with no significant difference in moult stage distribution between treatments (p = 0.328). However, moult frequency during the individual phase was lower in sediment-exposed groups compared to the Controls (Control: n = 11, Tobserved: n = 4, Tmaximised: n = 5). 

These findings show that suspended sediment exposure poses population-level threats to kōura recruitment through irreversible gill damage and delayed mortality. Elevated cannibalism during communal holding, particularly observed in the Tobserved treatment, likely resulted from temporal clustering of moult events rather than sediment-induced behaviour. For Te Ākau o Tokomaru and the wider CRA 3 fishery, this highlights the need for integrated catchment-to- coast management addressing land-derived sediment inputs and protecting coastal nursery habitats. From a Te Ao Māori perspective, sedimentation represents a disruption to whakapapa relationships with Tangaroa and a weakening of mauri in coastal ecosystems. Restoring these connections requires co-governance frameworks that embed mātauranga Māori, empower kaitiaki-led monitoring and rāhui, and address the cumulative impacts of land-use intensification and repeated cyclone events on ecosystem resilience in Te Tairāwhiti.

text: Mai uta ki tai: Cyclone-driven suspended sediment effects on early benthic juvenile kōura (Jasus edwardsii), Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Aotearoa Kōura (Jasus edwardsii) are ecologically, culturally, and economically significant taonga species central to mahinga kai systems throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. In Te Tairāwhiti, particularly Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Cyclone Gabrielle (February 2023) resulted in unprecedented sediment loads being delivered to coastal waters, smothering inshore rocky reefs that serve as critical nursery habitats for settling puerulus and juvenile kōura. This research investigated how repeated suspended sediment exposure affects the body condition, survival, and physiological condition of early benthic juvenile kōura, integrating Western scientific methods with mātauranga Māori perspectives to support kaitiakitanga and ecosystem recovery. 

A 52-day pulse-based laboratory experiment exposed 81 early benthic juvenile kōura to three treatment levels: Control (0 mg/L), Tobserved (1,000 mg/L), and Tmaximised (5,000 mg/L) suspended sediment concentrations, alternating between exposure phases and recovery periods to simulate natural post-storm sedimentation dynamics. Sediment was sourced from the Mangahauini River mouth to reflect local conditions. Kōura were initially housed communally (Days 1-19), and then separated into individual tāruke following observed cannibalism. Across the experiment, body weight to carapace length (BW:CL) ratios, survival, blood refractive index, gill condition, and moult stage were assessed. 

All treatment groups began with statistically equivalent body condition (p = 0.135), but cumulative effects emerged over time. During communal housing, mortality was highest in the Tobserved treatment (51.9%) compared with Control and Tmaximised treatments (both 18.5%). After separation, Tmaximised individuals showed the greatest losses (45.5%), mostly during the recovery rather than exposure phases. Overall mortality reached 45.7%, with sediment-exposed treatments experiencing 55% (Tmaximised) to 59% (Tobserved) losses compared with 22.2% in the Controls (p = 0.001). 

By Day 52, sediment exposure significantly reduced body condition (p = 0.016), with the Controls maintaining higher BW:CL ratios than Tmaximised (p = 0.013). Gill assessments indicated universal and severe damage in sediment-exposed kōura (100%) but none in the Controls (0%). Quantitative image analysis confirmed strong sediment concentration- dependent effects across all damage metrics – particle lodgement, filament integrity, surface discolouration, and composite scores (all p < 0.001) – with structural deformities in 66.7% of Tobserved and 100% of Tmaximised individuals. Blood refractive index showed no treatment differences, and 84.1% of kōura remained in intermoult stage at Day 52, with no significant difference in moult stage distribution between treatments (p = 0.328). However, moult frequency during the individual phase was lower in sediment-exposed groups compared to the Controls (Control: n = 11, Tobserved: n = 4, Tmaximised: n = 5). 

These findings show that suspended sediment exposure poses population-level threats to kōura recruitment through irreversible gill damage and delayed mortality. Elevated cannibalism during communal holding, particularly observed in the Tobserved treatment, likely resulted from temporal clustering of moult events rather than sediment-induced behaviour. For Te Ākau o Tokomaru and the wider CRA 3 fishery, this highlights the need for integrated catchment-to- coast management addressing land-derived sediment inputs and protecting coastal nursery habitats. From a Te Ao Māori perspective, sedimentation represents a disruption to whakapapa relationships with Tangaroa and a weakening of mauri in coastal ecosystems. Restoring these connections requires co-governance frameworks that embed mātauranga Māori, empower kaitiaki-led monitoring and rāhui, and address the cumulative impacts of land-use intensification and repeated cyclone events on ecosystem resilience in Te Tairāwhiti.

year: 2025