title: The plant ecology of Miranda wetland: Restoration options

authors: Strahan, Dougal Clyde

abstract: Wetlands are increasingly recognised and valued. Communities are accepting the challenges of restoring these severely degraded ecosystems. This study discusses the problems and opportunities associated with restoring Miranda wetland, that forms part of the Firth of Thames, and is an internationally recognised wetland area.

A review of wetland restoration emphasises the unique characteristics and interacting factors operating in wetland ecosystems. Sound planning including specific objective setting and vegetation communities were surveyed for composition, distribution and structure. Basic environmental factors were measured monthly to form community type characteristics and assist in delineating habitat boundaries.

Impacts affecting native vegetation types are assessed and specific attention is given to the control of Carex divisa including tests on salinity tolerance to identify potential competitor species. Restoration options include revegetation, continued grazing, and returning the original hydrology.

text: The plant ecology of Miranda wetland: Restoration options Wetlands are increasingly recognised and valued. Communities are accepting the challenges of restoring these severely degraded ecosystems. This study discusses the problems and opportunities associated with restoring Miranda wetland, that forms part of the Firth of Thames, and is an internationally recognised wetland area.

A review of wetland restoration emphasises the unique characteristics and interacting factors operating in wetland ecosystems. Sound planning including specific objective setting and vegetation communities were surveyed for composition, distribution and structure. Basic environmental factors were measured monthly to form community type characteristics and assist in delineating habitat boundaries.

Impacts affecting native vegetation types are assessed and specific attention is given to the control of Carex divisa including tests on salinity tolerance to identify potential competitor species. Restoration options include revegetation, continued grazing, and returning the original hydrology.

year: 1997

title: Assessing learning skills and work habits: What do report card data tell us?

authors: Merchant, Stefan Denis

subjects: learning skills

abstract: Many school systems ask teachers to assess and report upon aspects of student performance beyond academic achievement. In Ontario, K–12 teachers assess a common set of six Learning Skills and Work Habits. How well teachers are able to undertake these assessments is not well studied. This study examines Grade 9 and 12 report card data from two districts in Ontario, Canada to determine to what extent different learning skills are assessed independently of each other, and to what extent they are associated with teacher-awarded academic achievement and achievement on a standardized Grade 9 mathematics examination delivered by Ontario’s Educational Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). Results indicate that the set of six Learning Skills and Work Habits are assessed as a unitary construct. Grades on these skills have higher correlations with teacher-awarded grades than with standardized test scores. Finally, gender differences in both academic achievement and achievement on the set of skills are investigated.

text: Assessing learning skills and work habits: What do report card data tell us? Many school systems ask teachers to assess and report upon aspects of student performance beyond academic achievement. In Ontario, K–12 teachers assess a common set of six Learning Skills and Work Habits. How well teachers are able to undertake these assessments is not well studied. This study examines Grade 9 and 12 report card data from two districts in Ontario, Canada to determine to what extent different learning skills are assessed independently of each other, and to what extent they are associated with teacher-awarded academic achievement and achievement on a standardized Grade 9 mathematics examination delivered by Ontario’s Educational Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). Results indicate that the set of six Learning Skills and Work Habits are assessed as a unitary construct. Grades on these skills have higher correlations with teacher-awarded grades than with standardized test scores. Finally, gender differences in both academic achievement and achievement on the set of skills are investigated.

year: 2022-10-16

title: Homeless Māori Men: Re-connection, Re-joining, and Re-membering Ways of Being

authors: King, Pita Richard Wiremu

subjects: Māori psychology

abstract: There are a range of interventions and programmes to address the on-going issue of Māori homelessness. This thesis explores a gardening project hosted by a Ngāti Whātua marae (communal complex used for everyday Māori life) in Auckland for homeless Māori men. The garden project facilitates a sense of belonging, dignity, purpose, meaning and connectedness with other Māori people. It provides insights into how culturally-patterned relationships are centrally important to resolving the overrepresentation of indigenous peoples’ in homelessness populations. I employ the use of semi-structured interviews, reflective journaling, and photography as techniques to record and document the daily interactions in the marae gardens. Participants came from three distinct groups, which include: homeless Māori men, the Auckland City Mission, and Ngāti Whātua o Orakei. A total of eight participants were formally interviewed, along with another six who engaged in casual conversations, in this research, with ages ranged from 30 to 70 years of age. Key findings from this research relate to the construction and preservation of Māori identity while in a state of homelessness, the functioning of marae as spaces of care that foster the wellbeing of Māori, and the role of food in the reproduction of Māori cultural values in everyday life. The broader significance of my work is to use indigenous concepts to build an understanding of the activities, needs and relationships of homeless Māori men that they can recognise themselves from.

text: Homeless Māori Men: Re-connection, Re-joining, and Re-membering Ways of Being There are a range of interventions and programmes to address the on-going issue of Māori homelessness. This thesis explores a gardening project hosted by a Ngāti Whātua marae (communal complex used for everyday Māori life) in Auckland for homeless Māori men. The garden project facilitates a sense of belonging, dignity, purpose, meaning and connectedness with other Māori people. It provides insights into how culturally-patterned relationships are centrally important to resolving the overrepresentation of indigenous peoples’ in homelessness populations. I employ the use of semi-structured interviews, reflective journaling, and photography as techniques to record and document the daily interactions in the marae gardens. Participants came from three distinct groups, which include: homeless Māori men, the Auckland City Mission, and Ngāti Whātua o Orakei. A total of eight participants were formally interviewed, along with another six who engaged in casual conversations, in this research, with ages ranged from 30 to 70 years of age. Key findings from this research relate to the construction and preservation of Māori identity while in a state of homelessness, the functioning of marae as spaces of care that foster the wellbeing of Māori, and the role of food in the reproduction of Māori cultural values in everyday life. The broader significance of my work is to use indigenous concepts to build an understanding of the activities, needs and relationships of homeless Māori men that they can recognise themselves from.

year: 2014