title: Talking technology into the future

authors: Fox-Turnbull, Wendy

abstract: From its very inception in the 1980s Professor Marc de Vries has been a strong advocate for and supportive of the Technology Education in the New Zealand curriculum, its philosophical underpinning and pedagogical approaches. This support has always been very much appreciated by the technology education community in New Zealand. In addition Marc’s support has given the curriculum ‘mana’ [prestige] both within New Zealand and internationally. Like many countries around the world New Zealand has had its challenges in implementing and maintaining technology as part of the taught curriculum. There has been and is currently a reluctance to see and understand that serious and rigourous curriculum can be both academic and practical in nature. This duality is both a strength and a threat to technology. This chapter presents the authors’s SWOT [Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats] analysis of technology in New Zealand, taking into consideration the past while walking with head held high into the future drawing on her experiences as a teacher, teacher educator, researcher and curriculum developer in technology education from 1996 to the current day.

text: Talking technology into the future From its very inception in the 1980s Professor Marc de Vries has been a strong advocate for and supportive of the Technology Education in the New Zealand curriculum, its philosophical underpinning and pedagogical approaches. This support has always been very much appreciated by the technology education community in New Zealand. In addition Marc’s support has given the curriculum ‘mana’ [prestige] both within New Zealand and internationally. Like many countries around the world New Zealand has had its challenges in implementing and maintaining technology as part of the taught curriculum. There has been and is currently a reluctance to see and understand that serious and rigourous curriculum can be both academic and practical in nature. This duality is both a strength and a threat to technology. This chapter presents the authors’s SWOT [Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats] analysis of technology in New Zealand, taking into consideration the past while walking with head held high into the future drawing on her experiences as a teacher, teacher educator, researcher and curriculum developer in technology education from 1996 to the current day.

year: 2025

title: Risk transfer and uncertainty in privatisation: Cases from air transport

authors: Francis, Graham

subjects: risk

abstract: This paper seeks to challenge  the notion of risk transference via examples of PPP and privatisation of state owned assets. The paper draws on case studies in air transport operations, in which the private sector has been encouraged to take full / part responsibility for previously state-controlled operations. Cases have been drawn from the UK and New Zealand since these countries have been at the forefront of air transport privatisation, and provide examples of a variety of public/private arrangements and their outcomes. The state cannot avoid uncertainty through such contractual arrangements. The quantified approach to risk sharing has grave limitations under conditions of uncertainty. So, contrary to governments’ espoused expectations, although ownership and some benefits have been transferred, some risk elements have ultimately not been transferred. This is in part due to uncertainties surroundings the future prospects of the privatised entities / PPP’s. Indeed, the loss of control may result in greater risk, as private sector investors can reap the rewards of financial returns if the market remains buoyant, but at the same time they are protected to some extent by the state from the financial risk of losing their investments.

text: Risk transfer and uncertainty in privatisation: Cases from air transport This paper seeks to challenge  the notion of risk transference via examples of PPP and privatisation of state owned assets. The paper draws on case studies in air transport operations, in which the private sector has been encouraged to take full / part responsibility for previously state-controlled operations. Cases have been drawn from the UK and New Zealand since these countries have been at the forefront of air transport privatisation, and provide examples of a variety of public/private arrangements and their outcomes. The state cannot avoid uncertainty through such contractual arrangements. The quantified approach to risk sharing has grave limitations under conditions of uncertainty. So, contrary to governments’ espoused expectations, although ownership and some benefits have been transferred, some risk elements have ultimately not been transferred. This is in part due to uncertainties surroundings the future prospects of the privatised entities / PPP’s. Indeed, the loss of control may result in greater risk, as private sector investors can reap the rewards of financial returns if the market remains buoyant, but at the same time they are protected to some extent by the state from the financial risk of losing their investments.

year: 2006-10

title: Breaking the browsing barrier for historic search of newspaper texts

authors: Keegan, Te Taka Adrian Gregory

subjects: computer science

abstract: Traditionally, to find information in a newspaper collection it has been necessary to painstakingly browse through the individual issues hoping that relevant words will catch your eye. Researchers of New Zealand’s encounter history received a boost when, in 1996, the Alexander Turnbull Library produced a collection on microfiche totaling almost 18,000 pages and covering a printing period from 1842 to 1933. While having all the newspapers in a single collection was a large step forward, browsing or searching for information in this microfiche collection was still time consuming.
By incorporating the collection into a digital library with an Internet interface, and by enabling full-text search, we have broken this browsing barrier. Making the information available this way is even more significant as the majority of the collection is written in the Māori language; we have created a Māori language resource that is sorely needed by education and research institutes, and one that provides quick and accurate access to the previously obscure source. The process involved in developing this unique digital library collection, the advantages of traditional newspaper stored in this medium, and the possibilities that we intend to investigate in the future, will be discussed in this paper.

text: Breaking the browsing barrier for historic search of newspaper texts Traditionally, to find information in a newspaper collection it has been necessary to painstakingly browse through the individual issues hoping that relevant words will catch your eye. Researchers of New Zealand’s encounter history received a boost when, in 1996, the Alexander Turnbull Library produced a collection on microfiche totaling almost 18,000 pages and covering a printing period from 1842 to 1933. While having all the newspapers in a single collection was a large step forward, browsing or searching for information in this microfiche collection was still time consuming.
By incorporating the collection into a digital library with an Internet interface, and by enabling full-text search, we have broken this browsing barrier. Making the information available this way is even more significant as the majority of the collection is written in the Māori language; we have created a Māori language resource that is sorely needed by education and research institutes, and one that provides quick and accurate access to the previously obscure source. The process involved in developing this unique digital library collection, the advantages of traditional newspaper stored in this medium, and the possibilities that we intend to investigate in the future, will be discussed in this paper.

year: 2001