title: Comment

authors: Carr, Margaret

abstract: Introduction to this special issue of the Early Childhood Folio on key learning competencies across place and time. Publication of these working papers (adapted and edited for the Early Childhood Folio) from a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) project means they will now be widely available for teachers. These are articles by teachers for teachers.

text: Comment Introduction to this special issue of the Early Childhood Folio on key learning competencies across place and time. Publication of these working papers (adapted and edited for the Early Childhood Folio) from a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) project means they will now be widely available for teachers. These are articles by teachers for teachers.

year: 2011

title: Functional trait variation along a hydrological gradient and trait-based predictions of the composition of a wetland plant community

authors: Purcell, Adam

subjects: functional trait

abstract: Predicting the assembly of plant communities is considered the Holy Grail of functional ecology and has never been more important as we head into an era of environmental change. Studying plant functional traits provides the best opportunity for understanding the community assembly processes that determine the abundance and distribution of plant species. Plant functional traits provide information on the direct physiological adaptations of plants to various environmental conditions. The assembly of plant communities is driven by filtering processes that select for or against certain functional traits and a plant can only be present within a community if it contains the functional traits necessary to germinate, survive and compete in the environment of the community. An understanding of how functional traits are filtered by the environment and biotic interactions provides the foundations for predictive community assembly models. However, the understanding of how functional traits are filtered along hydrological gradients is poor for the majority of functional traits. 
In this thesis I aimed to identify how plant functional traits respond to variation in soil hydrology in the presence and absence of grazing and determine whether a trait-based model of environmental filtering could predict the composition of an ephemeral wetland plant community. To achieve these aims, I performed a survey of the plant community in an ephemeral wetland in grazed and ungrazed transects. The survey was conducted along a hydrological gradient that was split into an elevation gradient above the flood line and a flooding gradient below the flood line. I measured nine root, leaf and shoot traits on 885 plant samples collected during the community survey and investigated the response of community-weighted and individual-level traits along the hydrological gradient using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) and Generalized Linear Models (GLMs). To determine whether a trait-based model of environmental filtering could predict the composition of the plant community, I incorporated the individual-level trait relationships into a community assembly model known as Traitspace and predicted the relative abundance of the 23 most common species found within the Kettlehole.
Community-weighted root traits were more strongly related to the hydrological gradient than aboveground traits. Root aerenchyma increased as the number of days submerged increased while root dry matter content (RDMC), specific root length (SRL), root tissue density (RTD) and root branching intensity (RBI) decreased with increasing flooding. Community-weighted specific leaf area (SLA) and root tissue density were more closely related to the elevation gradient than any other traits. SLA decreased as elevation above the flood line increased while RTD increased with elevation. The relationships between individual-level traits and the elevation and flooding gradients were far weaker than community-weighted traits but showed similar trends in the directions of trait responses along the gradients. Grazing reduced the community-weighted trait values of all traits except SLA and aboveground dry matter content (AGDMC) along the flooding gradient and had little effect on the trait values observed along the elevation gradient.
Using environmental filtering of functional traits, the Traitspace model was able to predict the distribution and abundance of a number of key species within the wetland plant community but was unable to accurately predict the abundance and distribution of other species. The accuracy of the Traitspace model was best when all nine functional traits were used to produce predictions of species abundances but SLA and height were recognised as the two traits to provide the most predictive ability.
The strong filtering of root traits illustrate the important information that root traits provide in terms of the adaptations of plants in environments with varied soil hydrology. Easily measurable aboveground traits are often favoured in functional ecology but these results highlight the importance of measuring root traits in trait-based research. Traitspace has the ability to predict the abundance and distribution of some species within a wetland plant community using environmental filtering of functional traits. Community assembly at small spatial scales is mostly driven by biotic interactions rather than environmental filtering which may limit the power of current predictive models. The inclusion of biotic interactions into trait-based models will improve the predictions of community composition at small spatial scales in wetland ecosystems and help us to progress towards achieving the goal of accurately predicting the composition of plant communities.

text: Functional trait variation along a hydrological gradient and trait-based predictions of the composition of a wetland plant community Predicting the assembly of plant communities is considered the Holy Grail of functional ecology and has never been more important as we head into an era of environmental change. Studying plant functional traits provides the best opportunity for understanding the community assembly processes that determine the abundance and distribution of plant species. Plant functional traits provide information on the direct physiological adaptations of plants to various environmental conditions. The assembly of plant communities is driven by filtering processes that select for or against certain functional traits and a plant can only be present within a community if it contains the functional traits necessary to germinate, survive and compete in the environment of the community. An understanding of how functional traits are filtered by the environment and biotic interactions provides the foundations for predictive community assembly models. However, the understanding of how functional traits are filtered along hydrological gradients is poor for the majority of functional traits. 
In this thesis I aimed to identify how plant functional traits respond to variation in soil hydrology in the presence and absence of grazing and determine whether a trait-based model of environmental filtering could predict the composition of an ephemeral wetland plant community. To achieve these aims, I performed a survey of the plant community in an ephemeral wetland in grazed and ungrazed transects. The survey was conducted along a hydrological gradient that was split into an elevation gradient above the flood line and a flooding gradient below the flood line. I measured nine root, leaf and shoot traits on 885 plant samples collected during the community survey and investigated the response of community-weighted and individual-level traits along the hydrological gradient using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) and Generalized Linear Models (GLMs). To determine whether a trait-based model of environmental filtering could predict the composition of the plant community, I incorporated the individual-level trait relationships into a community assembly model known as Traitspace and predicted the relative abundance of the 23 most common species found within the Kettlehole.
Community-weighted root traits were more strongly related to the hydrological gradient than aboveground traits. Root aerenchyma increased as the number of days submerged increased while root dry matter content (RDMC), specific root length (SRL), root tissue density (RTD) and root branching intensity (RBI) decreased with increasing flooding. Community-weighted specific leaf area (SLA) and root tissue density were more closely related to the elevation gradient than any other traits. SLA decreased as elevation above the flood line increased while RTD increased with elevation. The relationships between individual-level traits and the elevation and flooding gradients were far weaker than community-weighted traits but showed similar trends in the directions of trait responses along the gradients. Grazing reduced the community-weighted trait values of all traits except SLA and aboveground dry matter content (AGDMC) along the flooding gradient and had little effect on the trait values observed along the elevation gradient.
Using environmental filtering of functional traits, the Traitspace model was able to predict the distribution and abundance of a number of key species within the wetland plant community but was unable to accurately predict the abundance and distribution of other species. The accuracy of the Traitspace model was best when all nine functional traits were used to produce predictions of species abundances but SLA and height were recognised as the two traits to provide the most predictive ability.
The strong filtering of root traits illustrate the important information that root traits provide in terms of the adaptations of plants in environments with varied soil hydrology. Easily measurable aboveground traits are often favoured in functional ecology but these results highlight the importance of measuring root traits in trait-based research. Traitspace has the ability to predict the abundance and distribution of some species within a wetland plant community using environmental filtering of functional traits. Community assembly at small spatial scales is mostly driven by biotic interactions rather than environmental filtering which may limit the power of current predictive models. The inclusion of biotic interactions into trait-based models will improve the predictions of community composition at small spatial scales in wetland ecosystems and help us to progress towards achieving the goal of accurately predicting the composition of plant communities.

year: 2016

title: Kapa Haka Whakataetae Kua tini haere te kanohi o te mahi kapa haka i te ao hurihuri nei.

authors: Rollo, Te Manaaroha Pirihira

subjects: Kapa Haka

abstract: Tihei Haka! Mauriora Kapa haka (Rollo, 2006)
Ka tū te ihiihi, ka tū te wanawana o te hunga i ngā hui whakataetae kapa haka o te motu. He hui rongonui i te maramataka a te Māori ia tau ia tau, ā, he hui whakahirahira anō mō rātou mā i whakawhiti mai i tāwahi rā hoki. Mā te mahi a te kapa haka ka whakaari ngā rōpū haka i ngā mahi nō nehe rā me ngā mahi hou o te ao onāianei. Ahakoa te āhuatanga o te mahi, he taonga tuku iho nā rātou mā kua mene ki te pō.  Moe mai rā e te kāhui o ngā whetu i te pō, moe mai i te Ariki o te rangi. 

I tēnei tuhinga, e āta titiro ana 'hau ki ngā mahi hou me te āhuatanga hou kei ngā rōpū haka i te whakataetae-a-motu, arā Te Matatini me ētahi atu momo whakataetae i Aotearoa, tāpiri mai hoki ērā kei Te Moana nui a Kiwa. Ko te ingoa matua o tēnei tuhinga,  KAPA HAKA WHAKATAETAE. Kua tīni haere te kanohi o te mahi kapa haka i te ao hurihuri nei .
No reira, ko te tino pātai kei tēnei rangahau ko tērā. He aha ngā mahi hou kei te kapa haka whakataetae? Nā he hua anō hoki kei reira? Ka hāngaia tonu e te tuhinga nei  ngā hui whakataetae kapa haka mai i te tau 1972 tae noa ki te tau 2006.

Ngā ūpoko o te tuhinga whakapae
E whā ngā wāhanga ūpoko o tēnei tuhinga whakapae. Mā ngā ūpoko katoa ka kitea ai ngā momo kaupapa ake e hāngai pū ana ki te kaupapa mō te whakataetae kapa haka me ōna āhuatanga hou. He mahi whakahirahira tāku ki te whakatakoto i ngā kōrero, i ngā whakaaro, i ngā mātauranga o tēnā tangata mōhio, o tēnā tangata mātau ki roto i ngā whare māramatanga, arā ngā  wāhanga wēnā,  hei mātauranga hou mō te ao katoa.

I te ūpoko tuatahi, ka anga te titiro ki ngā whakamāramatanga o ngā tikanga-a-iwi e pā ana ki te  tūturutanga me te ao o te kapa haka. Mā wēnei whakamāramatanga hei awhi i a 'hau i taku rangahau ki te mahi onāianei o te whakataetae kapa haka. Ka whai mātauranga 'hau mō ngā tikanga o ngā kupu e rua. Ko ēnei ko te kupu  haka  te tuatahi, ā, ko te kupu  kapa haka  te tuarua. He aha ngā rerekētanga me te ōritenga o wēnei kupu rongonui? Ka anga whakamua ki ngā tūmanako me ngā ritenga o te whakataetae kapa haka a te motu mai i te New Zealand Polynesian Festival tae atu ki Te Matatini. Ko te whāinga mutunga o tēnei wāhanga, ka hoki whakanui ki te whakataetae-a-motu mai i te tau 1972 tae noa atu ki te tau 2006.

Ko te ūpoko tuarua, ka whakatakoto e 'hau ngā whakautu o ngā patapātai mai i ngā rārangi kōrero me ngā whakaaro whānui i whakahokia mai e ngā tāngata o ngā rōpū haka e whā, arā, Te Rōpū Haka o Te Kotahitanga, Ngāti Poneke Young Māori Club, ko Te Waihīrere, ā, huri atu ki Te Pou a Mangatāwhiri hoki, he rōpū i whakatūhia anō i te tau 2005. I tēnei wāhanga ka kitea ngā kōrero ātaahua, ngā mātauranga tūturu me ngā whakaaro hōhonu o ngā kaiako me ngā tāngata e tautoko ana i taku mahi kimi mātauranga.  Nā rātou ka ohorere, ka mirimiri hoki i tōku hinengaro ki ngā māramatanga hou. He tika anō te kupu ā  Pā Henare Tate nō Ngapuhi nui tonu e kī ana,  Mā te whakaatu, ka mōhio, mā te mōhio, ka mārama, mā te mārama, ka mātau, mā te mātau, ka ora   (Barlow 1991)

I te ūpoko tuatoru he whakaaturanga tēnei o āku tirohanga ki ngā āhua rerekē me ngā mahi hou i roto i ngā rōpū haka i runga i te ātamira o te whakataetae, i roto hoki i te mura o te ahi o te whakataetae. Kua tuhituhi au i ngā momo āhuatanga e pā ana ki  te taha o te kanikani, te mahi-a-korikori me ngā mahi katoa i runga i te atamira. Ahakoa iti ko tētahi atu wahanga o ērā kōrero e pā ana ki te pūoro me ōna mana kua puta i konei. Ka huri taku tuhinga ki te taha o te reo waiata, te toi whakaari me te whakaataata o ngā mahi a te Rēhia. I konei ka titiro ki te tāmoko, te pani kanohi me te pani tinana, arā he mahi hou katoa. Ko te wahanga mutunga e pā ana ki te reo Māori me te tito waiata hoki. Ahakoa he maha ngā āhuatanga, ko ngā tuhinga nei mō ia āhuatanga kia kitea ai ngā rerekēnga me ngā mahi hou i te whakataetae kapa haka o te ao Māori. No reira te nuinga engari ko wētahi i whakaurua mai i ētahi atu iwi ō tāwahi.       

Ko te ūpoko whakamutunga, ka hāngai taku titiro ki te ao o te whakataetae, arā, ki ngā whakaaro me te tā o te hinengaro me te ngākau o te tangata. Ka peka haere ki te whakatū o ngā rōpū whakataetae me te parakatihi o ngā waiata, ngā haka me ngā whakaritenga mo te whakataetae kapa haka. Ko te kōrero whakamutunga, ka huri ki wētahi atu o ngā whakataetae mai i Te Kuki Airani, i Tahiti me Hawaii hoki. Āe mārika, ka ora te ao o te whakataetae puta noa i te ao nui. Ki ahau, mā tēnei tuhinga hei whakapuare ngā hurihanga o te ao Māori me te ao o te kapa haka. Ka ea, he tika hoki te whakataukī rā,  ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi    (Ryan 1995), arā ka kimi i ērā e pīataata ai o rātou wairua, hinengaro, ngākau.

text: Kapa Haka Whakataetae Kua tini haere te kanohi o te mahi kapa haka i te ao hurihuri nei. Tihei Haka! Mauriora Kapa haka (Rollo, 2006)
Ka tū te ihiihi, ka tū te wanawana o te hunga i ngā hui whakataetae kapa haka o te motu. He hui rongonui i te maramataka a te Māori ia tau ia tau, ā, he hui whakahirahira anō mō rātou mā i whakawhiti mai i tāwahi rā hoki. Mā te mahi a te kapa haka ka whakaari ngā rōpū haka i ngā mahi nō nehe rā me ngā mahi hou o te ao onāianei. Ahakoa te āhuatanga o te mahi, he taonga tuku iho nā rātou mā kua mene ki te pō.  Moe mai rā e te kāhui o ngā whetu i te pō, moe mai i te Ariki o te rangi. 

I tēnei tuhinga, e āta titiro ana 'hau ki ngā mahi hou me te āhuatanga hou kei ngā rōpū haka i te whakataetae-a-motu, arā Te Matatini me ētahi atu momo whakataetae i Aotearoa, tāpiri mai hoki ērā kei Te Moana nui a Kiwa. Ko te ingoa matua o tēnei tuhinga,  KAPA HAKA WHAKATAETAE. Kua tīni haere te kanohi o te mahi kapa haka i te ao hurihuri nei .
No reira, ko te tino pātai kei tēnei rangahau ko tērā. He aha ngā mahi hou kei te kapa haka whakataetae? Nā he hua anō hoki kei reira? Ka hāngaia tonu e te tuhinga nei  ngā hui whakataetae kapa haka mai i te tau 1972 tae noa ki te tau 2006.

Ngā ūpoko o te tuhinga whakapae
E whā ngā wāhanga ūpoko o tēnei tuhinga whakapae. Mā ngā ūpoko katoa ka kitea ai ngā momo kaupapa ake e hāngai pū ana ki te kaupapa mō te whakataetae kapa haka me ōna āhuatanga hou. He mahi whakahirahira tāku ki te whakatakoto i ngā kōrero, i ngā whakaaro, i ngā mātauranga o tēnā tangata mōhio, o tēnā tangata mātau ki roto i ngā whare māramatanga, arā ngā  wāhanga wēnā,  hei mātauranga hou mō te ao katoa.

I te ūpoko tuatahi, ka anga te titiro ki ngā whakamāramatanga o ngā tikanga-a-iwi e pā ana ki te  tūturutanga me te ao o te kapa haka. Mā wēnei whakamāramatanga hei awhi i a 'hau i taku rangahau ki te mahi onāianei o te whakataetae kapa haka. Ka whai mātauranga 'hau mō ngā tikanga o ngā kupu e rua. Ko ēnei ko te kupu  haka  te tuatahi, ā, ko te kupu  kapa haka  te tuarua. He aha ngā rerekētanga me te ōritenga o wēnei kupu rongonui? Ka anga whakamua ki ngā tūmanako me ngā ritenga o te whakataetae kapa haka a te motu mai i te New Zealand Polynesian Festival tae atu ki Te Matatini. Ko te whāinga mutunga o tēnei wāhanga, ka hoki whakanui ki te whakataetae-a-motu mai i te tau 1972 tae noa atu ki te tau 2006.

Ko te ūpoko tuarua, ka whakatakoto e 'hau ngā whakautu o ngā patapātai mai i ngā rārangi kōrero me ngā whakaaro whānui i whakahokia mai e ngā tāngata o ngā rōpū haka e whā, arā, Te Rōpū Haka o Te Kotahitanga, Ngāti Poneke Young Māori Club, ko Te Waihīrere, ā, huri atu ki Te Pou a Mangatāwhiri hoki, he rōpū i whakatūhia anō i te tau 2005. I tēnei wāhanga ka kitea ngā kōrero ātaahua, ngā mātauranga tūturu me ngā whakaaro hōhonu o ngā kaiako me ngā tāngata e tautoko ana i taku mahi kimi mātauranga.  Nā rātou ka ohorere, ka mirimiri hoki i tōku hinengaro ki ngā māramatanga hou. He tika anō te kupu ā  Pā Henare Tate nō Ngapuhi nui tonu e kī ana,  Mā te whakaatu, ka mōhio, mā te mōhio, ka mārama, mā te mārama, ka mātau, mā te mātau, ka ora   (Barlow 1991)

I te ūpoko tuatoru he whakaaturanga tēnei o āku tirohanga ki ngā āhua rerekē me ngā mahi hou i roto i ngā rōpū haka i runga i te ātamira o te whakataetae, i roto hoki i te mura o te ahi o te whakataetae. Kua tuhituhi au i ngā momo āhuatanga e pā ana ki  te taha o te kanikani, te mahi-a-korikori me ngā mahi katoa i runga i te atamira. Ahakoa iti ko tētahi atu wahanga o ērā kōrero e pā ana ki te pūoro me ōna mana kua puta i konei. Ka huri taku tuhinga ki te taha o te reo waiata, te toi whakaari me te whakaataata o ngā mahi a te Rēhia. I konei ka titiro ki te tāmoko, te pani kanohi me te pani tinana, arā he mahi hou katoa. Ko te wahanga mutunga e pā ana ki te reo Māori me te tito waiata hoki. Ahakoa he maha ngā āhuatanga, ko ngā tuhinga nei mō ia āhuatanga kia kitea ai ngā rerekēnga me ngā mahi hou i te whakataetae kapa haka o te ao Māori. No reira te nuinga engari ko wētahi i whakaurua mai i ētahi atu iwi ō tāwahi.       

Ko te ūpoko whakamutunga, ka hāngai taku titiro ki te ao o te whakataetae, arā, ki ngā whakaaro me te tā o te hinengaro me te ngākau o te tangata. Ka peka haere ki te whakatū o ngā rōpū whakataetae me te parakatihi o ngā waiata, ngā haka me ngā whakaritenga mo te whakataetae kapa haka. Ko te kōrero whakamutunga, ka huri ki wētahi atu o ngā whakataetae mai i Te Kuki Airani, i Tahiti me Hawaii hoki. Āe mārika, ka ora te ao o te whakataetae puta noa i te ao nui. Ki ahau, mā tēnei tuhinga hei whakapuare ngā hurihanga o te ao Māori me te ao o te kapa haka. Ka ea, he tika hoki te whakataukī rā,  ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi    (Ryan 1995), arā ka kimi i ērā e pīataata ai o rātou wairua, hinengaro, ngākau.

year: 2007