title: The political economy of employment relationships in New Zealand

authors: Cullinane, Joanna

abstract: This thesis investigates the nature of employment relationships in New Zealand. The analysis is based on the assertion that much of the 'established wisdom' about employment relationships in New Zealand workplaces is not accurate and that this lack of accuracy obscures the true nature of New Zealand's political economy. In the course of its analysis, the thesis utilises a radical humanist methodology, which highlights the nature of employment relationships and their role in New Zealand's political economy. The methodological framework is Marxist, and specifically incorporated labour process theory, French Regulation analysis, and Gramscian andDurkheimian analysis. The framework is termed 'middle range' because reflects a deliberate attempt to combine high and low order theory about employment relationships. 
Arising from analysis of literature and primary research results, the thesis concludes that employment relationships are instrumental in the formation of social ideologies and hegemonies and alliances necessary to sustain new manifestations of political economy. However, employment relationships themselves are shaped by academic families of disciplines that reflect the wider structured antagonism that is inherent in capitalism. However, core finding in the thesis is that although the academic disciplines are inextricably linked with the nature of employment relationships in New Zealand, caution must be exercised when this link is utilised. This is because the primary research indicated that the established views in the literature about the operation of certain academic disciplines did not closely match the reality of practice in New Zealand workplaces. Therefore, the assumed nature of employment relationships that might be thought to arise out of such literature cannot be relied upon to be entirely accurate. 
This finding of a lack of congruence between the established view in the literature and the actual practices in New Zealand workplaces might potentially cause dismay, but its explanation actually provides the kernel to the new knowledge this thesis adds. The lack of congruence simply indicates that the uniqueness of New Zealand's of political economy has bred a unique set of employment relationships.

text: The political economy of employment relationships in New Zealand This thesis investigates the nature of employment relationships in New Zealand. The analysis is based on the assertion that much of the 'established wisdom' about employment relationships in New Zealand workplaces is not accurate and that this lack of accuracy obscures the true nature of New Zealand's political economy. In the course of its analysis, the thesis utilises a radical humanist methodology, which highlights the nature of employment relationships and their role in New Zealand's political economy. The methodological framework is Marxist, and specifically incorporated labour process theory, French Regulation analysis, and Gramscian andDurkheimian analysis. The framework is termed 'middle range' because reflects a deliberate attempt to combine high and low order theory about employment relationships. 
Arising from analysis of literature and primary research results, the thesis concludes that employment relationships are instrumental in the formation of social ideologies and hegemonies and alliances necessary to sustain new manifestations of political economy. However, employment relationships themselves are shaped by academic families of disciplines that reflect the wider structured antagonism that is inherent in capitalism. However, core finding in the thesis is that although the academic disciplines are inextricably linked with the nature of employment relationships in New Zealand, caution must be exercised when this link is utilised. This is because the primary research indicated that the established views in the literature about the operation of certain academic disciplines did not closely match the reality of practice in New Zealand workplaces. Therefore, the assumed nature of employment relationships that might be thought to arise out of such literature cannot be relied upon to be entirely accurate. 
This finding of a lack of congruence between the established view in the literature and the actual practices in New Zealand workplaces might potentially cause dismay, but its explanation actually provides the kernel to the new knowledge this thesis adds. The lack of congruence simply indicates that the uniqueness of New Zealand's of political economy has bred a unique set of employment relationships.

year: 2003

title: Reduced-error pruning with significance tests

authors: Frank, Eibe

subjects: computer science

abstract: When building classification models, it is common practice to prune them to counter spurious effects of the training data: this often improves performance and reduces model size. “Reduced-error pruning” is a fast pruning procedure for decision trees that is known to produce small and accurate trees. Apart from the data from which the tree is grown, it uses an independent “pruning” set, and pruning decisions are based on the model’s error rate on this fresh data. Recently it has been observed that reduced-error pruning overfits the pruning data, producing unnecessarily large decision trees. This paper investigates whether standard statistical significance tests can be used to counter this phenomenon. 
The problem of overfitting to the pruning set highlights the need for significance testing. We investigate two classes of test, “parametric” and “non-parametric.” The standard chi-squared statistic can be used both in a parametric test and as the basis for a non-parametric permutation test. In both cases it is necessary to select the significance level at which pruning is applied. We show empirically that both versions of the chi-squared test perform equally well if their significance levels are adjusted appropriately. Using a collection of standard datasets, we show that significance testing improves on standard reduced error pruning if the significance level is tailored to the particular dataset at hand using cross-validation, yielding consistently smaller trees that perform at least as well and sometimes better.

text: Reduced-error pruning with significance tests When building classification models, it is common practice to prune them to counter spurious effects of the training data: this often improves performance and reduces model size. “Reduced-error pruning” is a fast pruning procedure for decision trees that is known to produce small and accurate trees. Apart from the data from which the tree is grown, it uses an independent “pruning” set, and pruning decisions are based on the model’s error rate on this fresh data. Recently it has been observed that reduced-error pruning overfits the pruning data, producing unnecessarily large decision trees. This paper investigates whether standard statistical significance tests can be used to counter this phenomenon. 
The problem of overfitting to the pruning set highlights the need for significance testing. We investigate two classes of test, “parametric” and “non-parametric.” The standard chi-squared statistic can be used both in a parametric test and as the basis for a non-parametric permutation test. In both cases it is necessary to select the significance level at which pruning is applied. We show empirically that both versions of the chi-squared test perform equally well if their significance levels are adjusted appropriately. Using a collection of standard datasets, we show that significance testing improves on standard reduced error pruning if the significance level is tailored to the particular dataset at hand using cross-validation, yielding consistently smaller trees that perform at least as well and sometimes better.

year: 1999-06

title: Ka pūhia te puna o te kauae runga, kia pūheke ai ngā wai ki te kauae raro: Investigating the inclusion of Māori in engineering - A Māori engineers’ journey

authors: Poli, Teresa

subjects: Engineering

abstract: This thesis explored views held by Māori and non- Māori regarding te ao Māori across the engineering system of education, academia, and industry, in understanding what challenges and experiences Māori engineers may face. 
While there are incremental and progressive changes beginning to be seen in the engineering industry when working with iwi Māori, the history of engineering itself is intertwined with colonial contributions that have oppressed Māori. These historical influences continue to impact Māori today as they navigate educational pathways and enter the engineering profession. Colonisation, with its consequences such as stealing te reo, and various forms of cultural oppression, has led to Māori feeling disconnected from the engineering profession. It has also resulted in invisible cultural labour being placed on Māori, as we transition into a profession attempting to rectify the historic wrongs of the past. It was realised a gap existed in engineering education, failing to adequately equip graduates with the essential skills needed for success as engineers in Aotearoa. This gap was particularly evident in the cultural skills necessary for effective collaboration with clients, as well as for working harmoniously with Māori colleagues.
The research framework employed in this rangahau was He waka hourua, symbolising the journey towards a vision where Māori not only hold mana but also a sense of belonging in the field of engineering. This framework recognises the importance of both Māori and Pākehā voices, with a preference for Māori engineers taking a leading role in steering the direction towards the envisioned destination. The data collection process involved the use of Surveys and Whakawhiti kōrero methodologies, gathering both quantitative and qualitative information that played a crucial role in shaping the research findings.
Woven throughout this rangahau are the personal experiences shared by the author, and her journey as a wahine Māori engineer through the engineering system, anchored by her Māoritanga. Throughout, this rangahau analogies of waka are utilised as an acknowledgement of the great engineering feats developed by Māori, and paying homage to the idea that Māori have always been engineers, drawing from characteristics and traits passed down from atua and tīpuna.
The author highlights the scarcity of literature dedicated to supporting the kaupapa of enhancing the mana of Māori in engineering. Rather than providing definitive answers to address the challenges that diminish Māori mana in engineering, this thesis serves as a foundational point, anchored at the wharf, for future rangatira to continue the voyage. Enhancing the mana of Māori in engineering presents an enduring wero, but there is optimism for the future of Māori in engineering, as we carve out institutionalism, we begin to make space on our waka.

text: Ka pūhia te puna o te kauae runga, kia pūheke ai ngā wai ki te kauae raro: Investigating the inclusion of Māori in engineering - A Māori engineers’ journey This thesis explored views held by Māori and non- Māori regarding te ao Māori across the engineering system of education, academia, and industry, in understanding what challenges and experiences Māori engineers may face. 
While there are incremental and progressive changes beginning to be seen in the engineering industry when working with iwi Māori, the history of engineering itself is intertwined with colonial contributions that have oppressed Māori. These historical influences continue to impact Māori today as they navigate educational pathways and enter the engineering profession. Colonisation, with its consequences such as stealing te reo, and various forms of cultural oppression, has led to Māori feeling disconnected from the engineering profession. It has also resulted in invisible cultural labour being placed on Māori, as we transition into a profession attempting to rectify the historic wrongs of the past. It was realised a gap existed in engineering education, failing to adequately equip graduates with the essential skills needed for success as engineers in Aotearoa. This gap was particularly evident in the cultural skills necessary for effective collaboration with clients, as well as for working harmoniously with Māori colleagues.
The research framework employed in this rangahau was He waka hourua, symbolising the journey towards a vision where Māori not only hold mana but also a sense of belonging in the field of engineering. This framework recognises the importance of both Māori and Pākehā voices, with a preference for Māori engineers taking a leading role in steering the direction towards the envisioned destination. The data collection process involved the use of Surveys and Whakawhiti kōrero methodologies, gathering both quantitative and qualitative information that played a crucial role in shaping the research findings.
Woven throughout this rangahau are the personal experiences shared by the author, and her journey as a wahine Māori engineer through the engineering system, anchored by her Māoritanga. Throughout, this rangahau analogies of waka are utilised as an acknowledgement of the great engineering feats developed by Māori, and paying homage to the idea that Māori have always been engineers, drawing from characteristics and traits passed down from atua and tīpuna.
The author highlights the scarcity of literature dedicated to supporting the kaupapa of enhancing the mana of Māori in engineering. Rather than providing definitive answers to address the challenges that diminish Māori mana in engineering, this thesis serves as a foundational point, anchored at the wharf, for future rangatira to continue the voyage. Enhancing the mana of Māori in engineering presents an enduring wero, but there is optimism for the future of Māori in engineering, as we carve out institutionalism, we begin to make space on our waka.

year: 2024