title: Introduction

authors: Seuffert, Nan

subjects: law

abstract: This issue of Law Text Culture has its genesis in a research project on Mobile Peoples Under the Eye of the Law which was originally proposed by Associate Professor Cathy Coleborne at the University of Waikato. The project was supported with a grant for a one day symposium, held in December 2010, from the University of Waikato Contrestable Research Trust Fund, for which we are grateful. As guest editors we invited contributions of postcolonial analyses that investigated mobile peoples, in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, both historically and in the present. We were especially interested in the ways in which regulation and surveillance in all of its forms — legal, policy, administrative and so forth — produced and constructed mobile peoples, and how categories of gender and sexuality were shaped in relation to mobile peoples in and through these regimes.

text: Introduction This issue of Law Text Culture has its genesis in a research project on Mobile Peoples Under the Eye of the Law which was originally proposed by Associate Professor Cathy Coleborne at the University of Waikato. The project was supported with a grant for a one day symposium, held in December 2010, from the University of Waikato Contrestable Research Trust Fund, for which we are grateful. As guest editors we invited contributions of postcolonial analyses that investigated mobile peoples, in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, both historically and in the present. We were especially interested in the ways in which regulation and surveillance in all of its forms — legal, policy, administrative and so forth — produced and constructed mobile peoples, and how categories of gender and sexuality were shaped in relation to mobile peoples in and through these regimes.

year: 2011

title: Organised Crime: Combating an Elusive Transnational Threat

authors: Senior, Angus John Henry

subjects: organised crime

abstract: Since the end of the Cold War; wide spread political, economic, social and technological changes have enabled organised criminal groups to develop transnational activities. Encouraged by the United States, the world has conceived transnational organised crime as a 'new' and serious security threat. The international community has acknowledged the inherent incapability of national strategies, alone, to combat transnational organised crime. Therefore, concerted efforts have been taken to develop a global and uniformed response. 

Efforts to combat transnational organised crime have been underpinned by a perceived necessity to protect national borders. This reaction is based on traditional, inaccurate, conceptions of organised crime, which focuses on structured, ethnically defined 'outsider' groups as a serious threat to security and the very fabric of society. This concept of organised crime is overly simplistic and fails to grasp the complexity of modern organised crime and its interaction with legal and illegal markets. Organise crime is a multifaceted phenomenon, characterised by loose networks of criminals, who are primarily motivated by profit and operate based on particular 'opportunities'.

Strategies to combat organised crime have been preoccupied with traditional, repressive, criminal justice measures; at the expense of developing a comprehensive understanding of the root problems that allow illicit markets and organised crime to flourish, in communities and society in general. It is essential that the international community, through the United Nations, realistically assess the effectiveness of its current approach, to aid the development of comprehensive strategies for the future.

New Zealand has taken promising steps to combat transnational organised crime. Although in its infancy, NZ has developed a comprehensive strategy which not only utilises traditional criminal justice tools, but also seeks to engage with communities to develop effective prevention measures.

text: Organised Crime: Combating an Elusive Transnational Threat Since the end of the Cold War; wide spread political, economic, social and technological changes have enabled organised criminal groups to develop transnational activities. Encouraged by the United States, the world has conceived transnational organised crime as a 'new' and serious security threat. The international community has acknowledged the inherent incapability of national strategies, alone, to combat transnational organised crime. Therefore, concerted efforts have been taken to develop a global and uniformed response. 

Efforts to combat transnational organised crime have been underpinned by a perceived necessity to protect national borders. This reaction is based on traditional, inaccurate, conceptions of organised crime, which focuses on structured, ethnically defined 'outsider' groups as a serious threat to security and the very fabric of society. This concept of organised crime is overly simplistic and fails to grasp the complexity of modern organised crime and its interaction with legal and illegal markets. Organise crime is a multifaceted phenomenon, characterised by loose networks of criminals, who are primarily motivated by profit and operate based on particular 'opportunities'.

Strategies to combat organised crime have been preoccupied with traditional, repressive, criminal justice measures; at the expense of developing a comprehensive understanding of the root problems that allow illicit markets and organised crime to flourish, in communities and society in general. It is essential that the international community, through the United Nations, realistically assess the effectiveness of its current approach, to aid the development of comprehensive strategies for the future.

New Zealand has taken promising steps to combat transnational organised crime. Although in its infancy, NZ has developed a comprehensive strategy which not only utilises traditional criminal justice tools, but also seeks to engage with communities to develop effective prevention measures.

year: 2010

title: Mā te hangarau te oranga o te reo Māori e tautoko ai? Can technology support the long-term health of the Māori language?

authors: Mato, Paora James

subjects: Te reo Māori

abstract: Can contemporary technologies be used to support the ongoing health of an endangered language? Since the late twentieth century unprecedented and substantial social changes have been propelled by advances in contemporary technologies. Continuous connectivity harnessing digital communication, mass media and social networking has enabled instant diffusions of ideas, viewpoints and values. Unrestrained broadcasting and publishing by the general populace and the absence of the traditional media gatekeepers has been linked to the weakening of traditional cultural and linguistic ties as the private, more intimate oral domains inherent to minority indigenous cultures are being opened up to more public modes of consumption. Additionally, significant numbers of minority language speakers switch from the use of their own languages in digital environments to a language that is globally more recognisable. This type of digital language switching emulates the historical occurrence of language shift as minority language speakers opt to use a language that they perceive to be of more benefit to themselves and to their children.

Ironically, language revitalisation initiatives are embracing the ubiquitous attributes of digital technology. A joint venture between the Microsoft Corporation and the University of Waikato resulted in Māori-language interfaces for Microsoft Office and Windows. These and similar interfaces for a range of other applications were investigated. The testing groups were largely unaware the translated interfaces existed and expressed pleasure and pride to see te reo Māori within the various technologies. Following engagement the feedback was less positive. New words, unfamiliar uses of words and poor translations were cited as significant difficulties. Ensuing navigation was often hesitant and uncertain. Were the translations unsuitable? Is te reo Māori unusable within these technologies? The high incidence of task completion suggests difficulties may have arisen from a previous competence with the technologies in another language - English in this case. Future initiatives would do well to consider that perceived difficulties might arise from factors other than the design of the interfaces themselves.

 
Te reo Māori is being used on Twitter. Particular events significantly impacted the use of tweeting in te reo. During Māori Language Week the number of tweeters increased. During the Matatini Festival the volume of tweets increased. While creating an online Māori-language community, a range of strategies became necessary to maintain and prolong some conversations. At times, bilingual tweets extended faltering conversations. Sometimes forwarding tweets drew success. Furthermore, a significant number of people preferred to watch without engaging directly – perhaps a target area for future strategies.

Te reo Māori is a viable option within various technologies as evidenced by the increasing use of the language on a range of contemporary platforms. Translated interfaces provide opportunities for language promotion and extensive language visibility. The development of an online language forum has shown that conversations in te reo Māori can be successfully fostered using social media. Understanding the differences between the static visibility of translated interfaces and the dynamic nature of online conversations can be a huge asset for language strategies once issues of awareness, perception and extended engagement are successfully addressed.

text: Mā te hangarau te oranga o te reo Māori e tautoko ai? Can technology support the long-term health of the Māori language? Can contemporary technologies be used to support the ongoing health of an endangered language? Since the late twentieth century unprecedented and substantial social changes have been propelled by advances in contemporary technologies. Continuous connectivity harnessing digital communication, mass media and social networking has enabled instant diffusions of ideas, viewpoints and values. Unrestrained broadcasting and publishing by the general populace and the absence of the traditional media gatekeepers has been linked to the weakening of traditional cultural and linguistic ties as the private, more intimate oral domains inherent to minority indigenous cultures are being opened up to more public modes of consumption. Additionally, significant numbers of minority language speakers switch from the use of their own languages in digital environments to a language that is globally more recognisable. This type of digital language switching emulates the historical occurrence of language shift as minority language speakers opt to use a language that they perceive to be of more benefit to themselves and to their children.

Ironically, language revitalisation initiatives are embracing the ubiquitous attributes of digital technology. A joint venture between the Microsoft Corporation and the University of Waikato resulted in Māori-language interfaces for Microsoft Office and Windows. These and similar interfaces for a range of other applications were investigated. The testing groups were largely unaware the translated interfaces existed and expressed pleasure and pride to see te reo Māori within the various technologies. Following engagement the feedback was less positive. New words, unfamiliar uses of words and poor translations were cited as significant difficulties. Ensuing navigation was often hesitant and uncertain. Were the translations unsuitable? Is te reo Māori unusable within these technologies? The high incidence of task completion suggests difficulties may have arisen from a previous competence with the technologies in another language - English in this case. Future initiatives would do well to consider that perceived difficulties might arise from factors other than the design of the interfaces themselves.

 
Te reo Māori is being used on Twitter. Particular events significantly impacted the use of tweeting in te reo. During Māori Language Week the number of tweeters increased. During the Matatini Festival the volume of tweets increased. While creating an online Māori-language community, a range of strategies became necessary to maintain and prolong some conversations. At times, bilingual tweets extended faltering conversations. Sometimes forwarding tweets drew success. Furthermore, a significant number of people preferred to watch without engaging directly – perhaps a target area for future strategies.

Te reo Māori is a viable option within various technologies as evidenced by the increasing use of the language on a range of contemporary platforms. Translated interfaces provide opportunities for language promotion and extensive language visibility. The development of an online language forum has shown that conversations in te reo Māori can be successfully fostered using social media. Understanding the differences between the static visibility of translated interfaces and the dynamic nature of online conversations can be a huge asset for language strategies once issues of awareness, perception and extended engagement are successfully addressed.

year: 2018