title: Parental engagement in primary schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand: A policy enactment case study

authors: Smith, Megan

subjects: Parental engagement

abstract: Parental engagement in education is a deceptively simple idea. Supported by theory and empirical evidence, it is promoted in educational policy in many countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand. Nevertheless, research demonstrates a gap between the rhetoric and the reality of parental engagement practice. The critiques of factors and barriers influencing the gap in practice do not adequately address how schools, as sites of policy enactment, deal with the multifaceted dimensions of parental engagement. 
This study aims to increase the knowledge and understanding of the reality of parental engagement, especially as it is enacted and experienced in an Aotearoa New Zealand school setting. It focuses on two less considered material contexts, built and digital space. The research involved a single bounded case in an English-medium (state-not integrated) primary school. It is possible to apply multiple methods within a policy enactment case study, making it ideal for examining parental engagement's contextual, creative, and negotiated enactment process. 
The study's findings identified several limiting factors in the enactment of parental engagement. Dominant neoliberal and other, more traditional subjectivities constrained parental engagement by restricting the type of opportunities offered and which parents were able to take them up. Built space was underestimated as a source of both constraint and possible support for parental engagement, whilst digital space has transformative potential. 
The study concludes that greater clarity and a shared purpose would support the improved positioning of parents, the evaluation and alignment of built space to enhance parental engagement, maximise the potential of digital technologies, and help guide teachers and schools in their enactment. The findings have implications for government, teacher education, and teacher professional development to help realise these benefits for parental engagement.

text: Parental engagement in primary schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand: A policy enactment case study Parental engagement in education is a deceptively simple idea. Supported by theory and empirical evidence, it is promoted in educational policy in many countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand. Nevertheless, research demonstrates a gap between the rhetoric and the reality of parental engagement practice. The critiques of factors and barriers influencing the gap in practice do not adequately address how schools, as sites of policy enactment, deal with the multifaceted dimensions of parental engagement. 
This study aims to increase the knowledge and understanding of the reality of parental engagement, especially as it is enacted and experienced in an Aotearoa New Zealand school setting. It focuses on two less considered material contexts, built and digital space. The research involved a single bounded case in an English-medium (state-not integrated) primary school. It is possible to apply multiple methods within a policy enactment case study, making it ideal for examining parental engagement's contextual, creative, and negotiated enactment process. 
The study's findings identified several limiting factors in the enactment of parental engagement. Dominant neoliberal and other, more traditional subjectivities constrained parental engagement by restricting the type of opportunities offered and which parents were able to take them up. Built space was underestimated as a source of both constraint and possible support for parental engagement, whilst digital space has transformative potential. 
The study concludes that greater clarity and a shared purpose would support the improved positioning of parents, the evaluation and alignment of built space to enhance parental engagement, maximise the potential of digital technologies, and help guide teachers and schools in their enactment. The findings have implications for government, teacher education, and teacher professional development to help realise these benefits for parental engagement.

year: 2022

title: The effects of irrigation on soil carbon and nitrogen stocks of pumice soils

authors: Millar, Jamie Alexandra

subjects: Carbon

abstract: The use of irrigation has become important for sustaining the production of food, fibre and biofuel. In New Zealand (NZ), irrigation of pastures is increasing in areas with seasonal water deficits, such as the Central North Island. Nationally, there was an estimated 794,443 ha of land under irrigation in 2017. A synthesis of the literature showed that soil C and N stocks response to irrigation was dependent on the initial soil organic matter content and climatic zone. However, most of the literature focused on arid/semiarid climate regimes where cereals and other crops were grown, with few studies conducted on pastoral land in temperate climates. However Mudge et al. (2017), measured a decrease in soil carbon (C) (6.99 t C ha⁻¹) and nitrogen (N) (0.58 t N ha⁻¹) to 0.3 m depth in irrigated grazed pastures relative to adjacent non-irrigated grazed pastures. Of their 34 paired sites across NZ, only seven were sampled from the Pumice Soil order, which was insufficient to determine whether this soil order was vulnerable to soil C and N loss.
The main objective of this thesis was to compare the total soil C and N stocks of irrigated and non-irrigated Pumice Soils. A second objective was to determine where there were any trends in changes in soil C and N in relation to irrigation duration.
Fourteen paired irrigated and adjacent non-irrigated sites were sampled in the Reporoa Basin, north of Taupo and soil C and N stocks were measured accounting for differences in soil bulk density. Most sites where sampled to 0.6 m depth, however, due to high water tables and buried soils, some sites were only sampled to 0.4 m or 0.5 m depth. One site was omitted from statistical analysis due to high residuals (F11-35) and was considered an outlier that potentially represented a poorly matched pair of sites. On average, for the remaining 13 paired sites, irrigated soils had significantly (P < 0.05) lower soil C stocks (5.93 t C ha⁻¹) to 0.2 m depth and lower N stocks (0.24 t N ha⁻¹) to 0.1 m depth in comparison to adjacent non-irrigated soils. When considering the full depth of the sampled soils (0-0.6 m), there were no significant changes in soil C and N stocks (P > 0.05). Using this coring method, I was able to detect a change of about 6.9 % in soil C stocks and a 4.8 % in soil N stocks. This study also found no evidence of a relationship between soil response to irrigation and duration of irrigation.
With the loss of soil C and N under irrigation comes potential release of CO₂ to the atmosphere and N leaching into surrounding water bodies. Based on the findings in this thesis, there is a need for further investigation on the effects of irrigation for different Soil Orders. This research will aid farmers in understanding their land management on-farm and inform them of their potential effects on greenhouse gas emissions on a national scale.

text: The effects of irrigation on soil carbon and nitrogen stocks of pumice soils The use of irrigation has become important for sustaining the production of food, fibre and biofuel. In New Zealand (NZ), irrigation of pastures is increasing in areas with seasonal water deficits, such as the Central North Island. Nationally, there was an estimated 794,443 ha of land under irrigation in 2017. A synthesis of the literature showed that soil C and N stocks response to irrigation was dependent on the initial soil organic matter content and climatic zone. However, most of the literature focused on arid/semiarid climate regimes where cereals and other crops were grown, with few studies conducted on pastoral land in temperate climates. However Mudge et al. (2017), measured a decrease in soil carbon (C) (6.99 t C ha⁻¹) and nitrogen (N) (0.58 t N ha⁻¹) to 0.3 m depth in irrigated grazed pastures relative to adjacent non-irrigated grazed pastures. Of their 34 paired sites across NZ, only seven were sampled from the Pumice Soil order, which was insufficient to determine whether this soil order was vulnerable to soil C and N loss.
The main objective of this thesis was to compare the total soil C and N stocks of irrigated and non-irrigated Pumice Soils. A second objective was to determine where there were any trends in changes in soil C and N in relation to irrigation duration.
Fourteen paired irrigated and adjacent non-irrigated sites were sampled in the Reporoa Basin, north of Taupo and soil C and N stocks were measured accounting for differences in soil bulk density. Most sites where sampled to 0.6 m depth, however, due to high water tables and buried soils, some sites were only sampled to 0.4 m or 0.5 m depth. One site was omitted from statistical analysis due to high residuals (F11-35) and was considered an outlier that potentially represented a poorly matched pair of sites. On average, for the remaining 13 paired sites, irrigated soils had significantly (P < 0.05) lower soil C stocks (5.93 t C ha⁻¹) to 0.2 m depth and lower N stocks (0.24 t N ha⁻¹) to 0.1 m depth in comparison to adjacent non-irrigated soils. When considering the full depth of the sampled soils (0-0.6 m), there were no significant changes in soil C and N stocks (P > 0.05). Using this coring method, I was able to detect a change of about 6.9 % in soil C stocks and a 4.8 % in soil N stocks. This study also found no evidence of a relationship between soil response to irrigation and duration of irrigation.
With the loss of soil C and N under irrigation comes potential release of CO₂ to the atmosphere and N leaching into surrounding water bodies. Based on the findings in this thesis, there is a need for further investigation on the effects of irrigation for different Soil Orders. This research will aid farmers in understanding their land management on-farm and inform them of their potential effects on greenhouse gas emissions on a national scale.

year: 2018

title: Exploring inequity in access to medications for Type 2 Diabetes in primary care in the Waikato region: Final report

authors: Lawrenson, Ross

abstract: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing health issue in New Zealand (NZ) that disproportionately affects twice as many Māori as non-Māori and an increasing number of younger people. T2D is associated with a range of microvascular and macrovascular complications, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD), the latter being the greatest cause of morbidity and mortality in this patient group. However, complications are reduced in patients that have improved glycaemic control. To achieve optimal outcomes and reduce the chance of diabetes-related complications, patients should aim to have their glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) measurement less than 53 mmol/mol if possible.

Diabetes is primarily managed in primary care, and a number of recent publications suggest that there is considerable inequity in the management of diabetes in New Zealand, particularly for Māori. In an earlier piece of work we have shown that Maori are significantly less likely than non-Maori to be prescribed metformin, but that once prescribed it they are equally likely to have the medication dispensed. This suggests that there may be issues that can be addressed within primary care that are influencing the use of diabetes medications.
Thus, the aim of this small piece of work was to characterise diabetes medication use in a Waikato primary care population, and to report on medication adherence and association with HbA1c levels.

text: Exploring inequity in access to medications for Type 2 Diabetes in primary care in the Waikato region: Final report Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing health issue in New Zealand (NZ) that disproportionately affects twice as many Māori as non-Māori and an increasing number of younger people. T2D is associated with a range of microvascular and macrovascular complications, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD), the latter being the greatest cause of morbidity and mortality in this patient group. However, complications are reduced in patients that have improved glycaemic control. To achieve optimal outcomes and reduce the chance of diabetes-related complications, patients should aim to have their glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) measurement less than 53 mmol/mol if possible.

Diabetes is primarily managed in primary care, and a number of recent publications suggest that there is considerable inequity in the management of diabetes in New Zealand, particularly for Māori. In an earlier piece of work we have shown that Maori are significantly less likely than non-Maori to be prescribed metformin, but that once prescribed it they are equally likely to have the medication dispensed. This suggests that there may be issues that can be addressed within primary care that are influencing the use of diabetes medications.
Thus, the aim of this small piece of work was to characterise diabetes medication use in a Waikato primary care population, and to report on medication adherence and association with HbA1c levels.

year: 2021-08-17