title: Choosing Regional Futures: Challenges and choices in building integrated models to support long-term regional planning in New Zealand

authors: Rutledge, D. T.

subjects: integrated systems modelling

abstract: Better integrated knowledge of coupled ecological-socio-economic systems can assist regional policy development and planning in moving towards sustainable development by assessing the viability of those systems to meet the needs of current and future generations. Developing models that will yield such integrated knowledge poses significant challenges and requires hard choices. We explore these challenges and choices in the context of the Choosing Regional Futures project. In our project a regional council in New Zealand and several research organizations are co-developing a spatial decision support system (SDSS) to assist the council in undertaking long-term integrated planning as required by recent legislative changes. The SDSS integrates aspects of the economy, environment, and society. It consists of a spatially-explicit systems model operating at three scales: regional, district (i.e. sub-region), and local (200 m grid cells). The SDSS addresses aspects of biodiversity, economics, demography, land use change, and water resources. Climate change and external drivers at global and national scales are also included to explore their influence on future regional development. While researchers lead SDSS development, council staff participated in the project to build their knowledge and capacity, thereby maximizing both the relevance and likelihood of uptake upon project completion.

text: Choosing Regional Futures: Challenges and choices in building integrated models to support long-term regional planning in New Zealand Better integrated knowledge of coupled ecological-socio-economic systems can assist regional policy development and planning in moving towards sustainable development by assessing the viability of those systems to meet the needs of current and future generations. Developing models that will yield such integrated knowledge poses significant challenges and requires hard choices. We explore these challenges and choices in the context of the Choosing Regional Futures project. In our project a regional council in New Zealand and several research organizations are co-developing a spatial decision support system (SDSS) to assist the council in undertaking long-term integrated planning as required by recent legislative changes. The SDSS integrates aspects of the economy, environment, and society. It consists of a spatially-explicit systems model operating at three scales: regional, district (i.e. sub-region), and local (200 m grid cells). The SDSS addresses aspects of biodiversity, economics, demography, land use change, and water resources. Climate change and external drivers at global and national scales are also included to explore their influence on future regional development. While researchers lead SDSS development, council staff participated in the project to build their knowledge and capacity, thereby maximizing both the relevance and likelihood of uptake upon project completion.

year: 2008

title: Hemp fibre reinforced composites using chelator and enzyme treatments

authors: Li, Yan

subjects: short-fibre composites

abstract: The main objective of the current work was to investigate using chelator treatment, and combined chelator and enzyme treatments, to separate hemp fibre from its bundles, as well as remove non-cellulosic compounds, and thus therefore improve the interfacial bonding in the composite. Wet chemical analysis, FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis and single fibre tensile testing were used to characterise the effect of treatment on hemp fibres. The higher chelator concentration treated hemp fibre composites had the highest tensile strength of 42 MPa, an increase of 19% compared to composites with untreated hemp fibre.

text: Hemp fibre reinforced composites using chelator and enzyme treatments The main objective of the current work was to investigate using chelator treatment, and combined chelator and enzyme treatments, to separate hemp fibre from its bundles, as well as remove non-cellulosic compounds, and thus therefore improve the interfacial bonding in the composite. Wet chemical analysis, FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis and single fibre tensile testing were used to characterise the effect of treatment on hemp fibres. The higher chelator concentration treated hemp fibre composites had the highest tensile strength of 42 MPa, an increase of 19% compared to composites with untreated hemp fibre.

year: 2010

title: Māori child rearing and infant sleep practices

authors: Jones, Horiana Majorie

abstract: Sleep is important to a healthy lifestyle for parents and children, and having effective ways of putting a child to sleep contributes significantly to mental and physical wellbeing. Cultural groups around the world have developed a variety of approaches to this task, for example, rocking, co-sleeping, bed-sharing, breastfeeding to sleep, and encouraging infants to self soothe through various methods of infant sleep training. In New Zealand the continuation of traditional Māori approaches to infant sleep, e.g. co-sleeping, bed-sharing, responsivity to infant cues have been over-shadowed by its negative association with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and dependence on parent interaction when initiating infant sleep. In this study, we were interested in the approaches Māori parents used to put their pēpi (child, 2 months-2 years of age) to sleep and the various factors that have influenced these approaches. Data were collected through online surveys (n =58) and face-to-face interviews (n =10) with Māori parents. Survey results indicated that being held and breast or bottle fed to sleep were the most practiced techniques by Māori parents. Parent assisted approaches, e.g., rocking, feeding, lying with baby until they go to sleep, were the most practiced. Many parents planned for their babies to sleep separately but very few actually persisted with self-soothing approaches due to a number of factors, such as discomfort with listening to their babies cry, culture, whānau (extended families) influences safety, and convenience. The majority of participants expressed a desire for separate sleep; however, few within the interview group actually successfully practiced separate sleep regularly.

text: Māori child rearing and infant sleep practices Sleep is important to a healthy lifestyle for parents and children, and having effective ways of putting a child to sleep contributes significantly to mental and physical wellbeing. Cultural groups around the world have developed a variety of approaches to this task, for example, rocking, co-sleeping, bed-sharing, breastfeeding to sleep, and encouraging infants to self soothe through various methods of infant sleep training. In New Zealand the continuation of traditional Māori approaches to infant sleep, e.g. co-sleeping, bed-sharing, responsivity to infant cues have been over-shadowed by its negative association with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and dependence on parent interaction when initiating infant sleep. In this study, we were interested in the approaches Māori parents used to put their pēpi (child, 2 months-2 years of age) to sleep and the various factors that have influenced these approaches. Data were collected through online surveys (n =58) and face-to-face interviews (n =10) with Māori parents. Survey results indicated that being held and breast or bottle fed to sleep were the most practiced techniques by Māori parents. Parent assisted approaches, e.g., rocking, feeding, lying with baby until they go to sleep, were the most practiced. Many parents planned for their babies to sleep separately but very few actually persisted with self-soothing approaches due to a number of factors, such as discomfort with listening to their babies cry, culture, whānau (extended families) influences safety, and convenience. The majority of participants expressed a desire for separate sleep; however, few within the interview group actually successfully practiced separate sleep regularly.

year: 2017