title: Kasaysayan at mga salaysay: A bibliography of research with Asian communities in Aotearoa (2000-2024)

authors: Aquino, Paolo

subjects: Asian

abstract: In 2022, the Director of Asian Family Services commented, “Again, nothing about us”, after failing to lobby for the consideration of Asian needs in health structure reform. This exclusionary sentiment is not confined to the health sector but is also prevalent in public sectors and academia in Aotearoa New Zealand. The number of Asians employed as academic staff in tertiary education sectors falls behind the Asian general population estimates. The lack of equity-based funding for Asians is also evident in research sectors. The specific challenges that Asian researchers face in academia are rarely identified, discussed, or addressed through university policies that supposedly endorse diversity, equality, and inclusion. Try flipping through a university strategic document, and you will not be surprised to see no mention of “Asians”. Asians are caught in an awkward situation where they are occasionally showcased to fulfill the “diversity” quota but are otherwise largely invisible.

The bibliography is a wero (challenge) to the invisibility of Asians in research. It is a collection of pivotal contributions made by researchers advancing knowledge for Asian communities. This body of evidence demonstrated our resistance to model minority expectations and assimilationist pressures by continuing to draw on Asian philosophies and epistemologies, engaging with Asian communities, and writing about the subjective experiences of “Asians” as we defy being generalised under the “one New Zealand” narrative. It also constitutes a response to the call for compiling existing Asian research into a bibliography (Tasker & D’Silva, forthcoming), which will serve as an academic reference for researchers and others to identify research gaps.

text: Kasaysayan at mga salaysay: A bibliography of research with Asian communities in Aotearoa (2000-2024) In 2022, the Director of Asian Family Services commented, “Again, nothing about us”, after failing to lobby for the consideration of Asian needs in health structure reform. This exclusionary sentiment is not confined to the health sector but is also prevalent in public sectors and academia in Aotearoa New Zealand. The number of Asians employed as academic staff in tertiary education sectors falls behind the Asian general population estimates. The lack of equity-based funding for Asians is also evident in research sectors. The specific challenges that Asian researchers face in academia are rarely identified, discussed, or addressed through university policies that supposedly endorse diversity, equality, and inclusion. Try flipping through a university strategic document, and you will not be surprised to see no mention of “Asians”. Asians are caught in an awkward situation where they are occasionally showcased to fulfill the “diversity” quota but are otherwise largely invisible.

The bibliography is a wero (challenge) to the invisibility of Asians in research. It is a collection of pivotal contributions made by researchers advancing knowledge for Asian communities. This body of evidence demonstrated our resistance to model minority expectations and assimilationist pressures by continuing to draw on Asian philosophies and epistemologies, engaging with Asian communities, and writing about the subjective experiences of “Asians” as we defy being generalised under the “one New Zealand” narrative. It also constitutes a response to the call for compiling existing Asian research into a bibliography (Tasker & D’Silva, forthcoming), which will serve as an academic reference for researchers and others to identify research gaps.

year: 2025-02-07

title: Utilizing soil indicators to explain historical vegetation changes of a peatland subjected to flood inundation

authors: Blyth, James Mitchell

subjects: Atmospheric ammonia

abstract: Flooding and land use changes can be a significant source of nutrients to wetlands and contribute to ecosystem changes at a community level. We studied changes in vegetation composition and peat properties in a New Zealand wetland incorporated into a flood control scheme. Lack of hydrological records pre-development of the flood control scheme allowed the opportunity to use nutrient and physical indicators developed for restiad vegetation groups, to identify if increased flooding was the primary cause for ecological succession. Vegetation changes along a 2.3-km transect were related to hydrological processes, peat characteristics and atmospheric ammonia inputs. Measurements for peat and vegetation composition were taken from 27 sites, whereas hydrological analysis incorporated seven automated water level sites and a historical investigation of 46years of river flood records. Ammonia deposition was higher on the farmland/wetland fringe (4.0kgNha-1year-1) but decreased to background levels (2-2.5kgNha-1year-1) 500m into the wetland. Classification and ordination of vegetation data with environmental variables identified six main groups along a gradient from low nutrients and stable water tables (farthest from the river) to high nutrients and a dynamic water table near the river. Invasion over 50years of the native scrub tree Leptospermum scoparium into restiad bog was linked to enhanced nutrient inputs and physical degradation from flooding, portrayed through levels higher than restiad indicator target ranges. This study shows that target ranges for vegetation indicators can be used as a tool to identify ecological succession and invasion.

text: Utilizing soil indicators to explain historical vegetation changes of a peatland subjected to flood inundation Flooding and land use changes can be a significant source of nutrients to wetlands and contribute to ecosystem changes at a community level. We studied changes in vegetation composition and peat properties in a New Zealand wetland incorporated into a flood control scheme. Lack of hydrological records pre-development of the flood control scheme allowed the opportunity to use nutrient and physical indicators developed for restiad vegetation groups, to identify if increased flooding was the primary cause for ecological succession. Vegetation changes along a 2.3-km transect were related to hydrological processes, peat characteristics and atmospheric ammonia inputs. Measurements for peat and vegetation composition were taken from 27 sites, whereas hydrological analysis incorporated seven automated water level sites and a historical investigation of 46years of river flood records. Ammonia deposition was higher on the farmland/wetland fringe (4.0kgNha-1year-1) but decreased to background levels (2-2.5kgNha-1year-1) 500m into the wetland. Classification and ordination of vegetation data with environmental variables identified six main groups along a gradient from low nutrients and stable water tables (farthest from the river) to high nutrients and a dynamic water table near the river. Invasion over 50years of the native scrub tree Leptospermum scoparium into restiad bog was linked to enhanced nutrient inputs and physical degradation from flooding, portrayed through levels higher than restiad indicator target ranges. This study shows that target ranges for vegetation indicators can be used as a tool to identify ecological succession and invasion.

year: 2013

title: Whiti te rā: A guide to connecting Māori to traditional wellbeing pathways.

authors: McLachlan, Andre David

abstract: Māori health models, introduced in the 1980s, brought needed cultural worldviews to an otherwise monocultural health system. However, minimal changes have occurred. In mainstream practice, deeper cultural understandings and action-orientations of these models can be overlooked, to the detriment of Māori wellbeing.
In particular, Māori cultural concepts such as mauri ora (an active state of wellbeing) and a secure cultural identity are notable core wellbeing pathways that need further exploration. Using a systematic narrative literature review, 36 papers identified pathways that used core cultural activities for Māori wellbeing. A thematic analysis produced six themes or pathways towards wellbeing for Māori – te reo Māori: Māori language, taiao: connection with the environment, wairua: Māori spiritual beliefs and practices, mahi-a-toi:
Māori expressive art forms, take pū whānau: Māori relational values, and whakapapa: intergenerational relationships. Forty experienced Māori psychologists analysed the themes and offered expert examples practice pathways for Māori wellbeing. The six themes and feedback is presented in a visual image Whiti Te Rā with instructions for Māori practitioners to guide whai ora Māori (Māori clients) to explore their level of knowledge and comfort, and active engagement with Māori pathways to wellbeing. The model has potential for mental health policy, future research, curriculum development, and synthesising Māori knowledge towards wellbeing pathways.

text: Whiti te rā: A guide to connecting Māori to traditional wellbeing pathways. Māori health models, introduced in the 1980s, brought needed cultural worldviews to an otherwise monocultural health system. However, minimal changes have occurred. In mainstream practice, deeper cultural understandings and action-orientations of these models can be overlooked, to the detriment of Māori wellbeing.
In particular, Māori cultural concepts such as mauri ora (an active state of wellbeing) and a secure cultural identity are notable core wellbeing pathways that need further exploration. Using a systematic narrative literature review, 36 papers identified pathways that used core cultural activities for Māori wellbeing. A thematic analysis produced six themes or pathways towards wellbeing for Māori – te reo Māori: Māori language, taiao: connection with the environment, wairua: Māori spiritual beliefs and practices, mahi-a-toi:
Māori expressive art forms, take pū whānau: Māori relational values, and whakapapa: intergenerational relationships. Forty experienced Māori psychologists analysed the themes and offered expert examples practice pathways for Māori wellbeing. The six themes and feedback is presented in a visual image Whiti Te Rā with instructions for Māori practitioners to guide whai ora Māori (Māori clients) to explore their level of knowledge and comfort, and active engagement with Māori pathways to wellbeing. The model has potential for mental health policy, future research, curriculum development, and synthesising Māori knowledge towards wellbeing pathways.

year: 2021