title: Setting the agenda? The selective use of statistics in Brazilian media

authors: Zirker, Daniel

subjects: Print Media

abstract: This   article   discusses   the   apparently     selective     production     of     political  narratives  by  major  Brazilian  newspapers  and  the  use  of  economic  statistics   during   the   period   of   2015-2017.  We  employ  content  analyses  to  understand  at  least  three  phenomena:  the  high  levels  of  convergence  of  the  Brazilian   print   media;   the   increasing   and  selective  use  of  specific  national  statistics;  and  instances  of  anomalous  patterns in news production

text: Setting the agenda? The selective use of statistics in Brazilian media This   article   discusses   the   apparently     selective     production     of     political  narratives  by  major  Brazilian  newspapers  and  the  use  of  economic  statistics   during   the   period   of   2015-2017.  We  employ  content  analyses  to  understand  at  least  three  phenomena:  the  high  levels  of  convergence  of  the  Brazilian   print   media;   the   increasing   and  selective  use  of  specific  national  statistics;  and  instances  of  anomalous  patterns in news production

year: 2019

title: Guidebook for Rangitoto Island AQUA field trip, Auckland, 2016

authors: Lowe, David J.

abstract: Rangitoto is arguably Auckland’s most beautiful and omnipresent landscape feature. It is a symmetrical, ~6-km wide, basaltic shield volcano that last erupted ~550‒500 cal. yr BP (c. 1400‒1450 AD), not long after the arrival and settlement of Polynesians in the Auckland region (c. 1280 AD). It is by far the largest, and the youngest, volcano in the Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF). The AVF consists of approximately 53 individual eruptive centres, all of which are within the boundaries of the Auckland urban area. Recent research on cryptotephras (defined below) in sediments from Lake Pupuke on North Shore and in wetlands on Motutapu Island, and on a 150-m-long drill core obtained in February, 2014, has revealed that Rangitoto has a much more complex history that previously thought, and may be better viewed as a ‘volcanic complex with multiple episodes of eruptions’ (Linnell et al. 2016). In summary, (1) activity commenced c. 6000 cal. yr BP involving minor effusive and pyroclastic volcanism; (2) a voluminous shield-building phase took place from c. 650550 cal. yr BP (c. 13001400 AD), forming the main island ediface; and (3) the final phase of activity, from c. 550500 cal. yr BP (c. 14001450 AD), was explosive and less voluminous, producing scoria cones at the summit. The flora on Rangitoto is unique among the islands situated in the Hauraki Gulf because of the island’s young age, and the fact that technically Rangitoto is an ‘oceanic’ island. Its flora and fauna are derived entirely from long distance dispersal. The island contains some 582 vascular plant taxa of which 228 (39%) are indigenous. Various other special ecological features, and studies on plant succession and their drivers, make the island a truly fascinating place to visit. At this time of year, we should see many pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) trees in flower.

text: Guidebook for Rangitoto Island AQUA field trip, Auckland, 2016 Rangitoto is arguably Auckland’s most beautiful and omnipresent landscape feature. It is a symmetrical, ~6-km wide, basaltic shield volcano that last erupted ~550‒500 cal. yr BP (c. 1400‒1450 AD), not long after the arrival and settlement of Polynesians in the Auckland region (c. 1280 AD). It is by far the largest, and the youngest, volcano in the Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF). The AVF consists of approximately 53 individual eruptive centres, all of which are within the boundaries of the Auckland urban area. Recent research on cryptotephras (defined below) in sediments from Lake Pupuke on North Shore and in wetlands on Motutapu Island, and on a 150-m-long drill core obtained in February, 2014, has revealed that Rangitoto has a much more complex history that previously thought, and may be better viewed as a ‘volcanic complex with multiple episodes of eruptions’ (Linnell et al. 2016). In summary, (1) activity commenced c. 6000 cal. yr BP involving minor effusive and pyroclastic volcanism; (2) a voluminous shield-building phase took place from c. 650550 cal. yr BP (c. 13001400 AD), forming the main island ediface; and (3) the final phase of activity, from c. 550500 cal. yr BP (c. 14001450 AD), was explosive and less voluminous, producing scoria cones at the summit. The flora on Rangitoto is unique among the islands situated in the Hauraki Gulf because of the island’s young age, and the fact that technically Rangitoto is an ‘oceanic’ island. Its flora and fauna are derived entirely from long distance dispersal. The island contains some 582 vascular plant taxa of which 228 (39%) are indigenous. Various other special ecological features, and studies on plant succession and their drivers, make the island a truly fascinating place to visit. At this time of year, we should see many pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) trees in flower.

year: 2016

title: Mai uta ki tai: Cyclone-driven suspended sediment effects on early benthic juvenile kōura (Jasus edwardsii), Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Aotearoa

authors: Karaha-Paki, Vijuan

abstract: Kōura (Jasus edwardsii) are ecologically, culturally, and economically significant taonga species central to mahinga kai systems throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. In Te Tairāwhiti, particularly Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Cyclone Gabrielle (February 2023) resulted in unprecedented sediment loads being delivered to coastal waters, smothering inshore rocky reefs that serve as critical nursery habitats for settling puerulus and juvenile kōura. This research investigated how repeated suspended sediment exposure affects the body condition, survival, and physiological condition of early benthic juvenile kōura, integrating Western scientific methods with mātauranga Māori perspectives to support kaitiakitanga and ecosystem recovery. 

A 52-day pulse-based laboratory experiment exposed 81 early benthic juvenile kōura to three treatment levels: Control (0 mg/L), Tobserved (1,000 mg/L), and Tmaximised (5,000 mg/L) suspended sediment concentrations, alternating between exposure phases and recovery periods to simulate natural post-storm sedimentation dynamics. Sediment was sourced from the Mangahauini River mouth to reflect local conditions. Kōura were initially housed communally (Days 1-19), and then separated into individual tāruke following observed cannibalism. Across the experiment, body weight to carapace length (BW:CL) ratios, survival, blood refractive index, gill condition, and moult stage were assessed. 

All treatment groups began with statistically equivalent body condition (p = 0.135), but cumulative effects emerged over time. During communal housing, mortality was highest in the Tobserved treatment (51.9%) compared with Control and Tmaximised treatments (both 18.5%). After separation, Tmaximised individuals showed the greatest losses (45.5%), mostly during the recovery rather than exposure phases. Overall mortality reached 45.7%, with sediment-exposed treatments experiencing 55% (Tmaximised) to 59% (Tobserved) losses compared with 22.2% in the Controls (p = 0.001). 

By Day 52, sediment exposure significantly reduced body condition (p = 0.016), with the Controls maintaining higher BW:CL ratios than Tmaximised (p = 0.013). Gill assessments indicated universal and severe damage in sediment-exposed kōura (100%) but none in the Controls (0%). Quantitative image analysis confirmed strong sediment concentration- dependent effects across all damage metrics – particle lodgement, filament integrity, surface discolouration, and composite scores (all p < 0.001) – with structural deformities in 66.7% of Tobserved and 100% of Tmaximised individuals. Blood refractive index showed no treatment differences, and 84.1% of kōura remained in intermoult stage at Day 52, with no significant difference in moult stage distribution between treatments (p = 0.328). However, moult frequency during the individual phase was lower in sediment-exposed groups compared to the Controls (Control: n = 11, Tobserved: n = 4, Tmaximised: n = 5). 

These findings show that suspended sediment exposure poses population-level threats to kōura recruitment through irreversible gill damage and delayed mortality. Elevated cannibalism during communal holding, particularly observed in the Tobserved treatment, likely resulted from temporal clustering of moult events rather than sediment-induced behaviour. For Te Ākau o Tokomaru and the wider CRA 3 fishery, this highlights the need for integrated catchment-to- coast management addressing land-derived sediment inputs and protecting coastal nursery habitats. From a Te Ao Māori perspective, sedimentation represents a disruption to whakapapa relationships with Tangaroa and a weakening of mauri in coastal ecosystems. Restoring these connections requires co-governance frameworks that embed mātauranga Māori, empower kaitiaki-led monitoring and rāhui, and address the cumulative impacts of land-use intensification and repeated cyclone events on ecosystem resilience in Te Tairāwhiti.

text: Mai uta ki tai: Cyclone-driven suspended sediment effects on early benthic juvenile kōura (Jasus edwardsii), Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Aotearoa Kōura (Jasus edwardsii) are ecologically, culturally, and economically significant taonga species central to mahinga kai systems throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. In Te Tairāwhiti, particularly Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Cyclone Gabrielle (February 2023) resulted in unprecedented sediment loads being delivered to coastal waters, smothering inshore rocky reefs that serve as critical nursery habitats for settling puerulus and juvenile kōura. This research investigated how repeated suspended sediment exposure affects the body condition, survival, and physiological condition of early benthic juvenile kōura, integrating Western scientific methods with mātauranga Māori perspectives to support kaitiakitanga and ecosystem recovery. 

A 52-day pulse-based laboratory experiment exposed 81 early benthic juvenile kōura to three treatment levels: Control (0 mg/L), Tobserved (1,000 mg/L), and Tmaximised (5,000 mg/L) suspended sediment concentrations, alternating between exposure phases and recovery periods to simulate natural post-storm sedimentation dynamics. Sediment was sourced from the Mangahauini River mouth to reflect local conditions. Kōura were initially housed communally (Days 1-19), and then separated into individual tāruke following observed cannibalism. Across the experiment, body weight to carapace length (BW:CL) ratios, survival, blood refractive index, gill condition, and moult stage were assessed. 

All treatment groups began with statistically equivalent body condition (p = 0.135), but cumulative effects emerged over time. During communal housing, mortality was highest in the Tobserved treatment (51.9%) compared with Control and Tmaximised treatments (both 18.5%). After separation, Tmaximised individuals showed the greatest losses (45.5%), mostly during the recovery rather than exposure phases. Overall mortality reached 45.7%, with sediment-exposed treatments experiencing 55% (Tmaximised) to 59% (Tobserved) losses compared with 22.2% in the Controls (p = 0.001). 

By Day 52, sediment exposure significantly reduced body condition (p = 0.016), with the Controls maintaining higher BW:CL ratios than Tmaximised (p = 0.013). Gill assessments indicated universal and severe damage in sediment-exposed kōura (100%) but none in the Controls (0%). Quantitative image analysis confirmed strong sediment concentration- dependent effects across all damage metrics – particle lodgement, filament integrity, surface discolouration, and composite scores (all p < 0.001) – with structural deformities in 66.7% of Tobserved and 100% of Tmaximised individuals. Blood refractive index showed no treatment differences, and 84.1% of kōura remained in intermoult stage at Day 52, with no significant difference in moult stage distribution between treatments (p = 0.328). However, moult frequency during the individual phase was lower in sediment-exposed groups compared to the Controls (Control: n = 11, Tobserved: n = 4, Tmaximised: n = 5). 

These findings show that suspended sediment exposure poses population-level threats to kōura recruitment through irreversible gill damage and delayed mortality. Elevated cannibalism during communal holding, particularly observed in the Tobserved treatment, likely resulted from temporal clustering of moult events rather than sediment-induced behaviour. For Te Ākau o Tokomaru and the wider CRA 3 fishery, this highlights the need for integrated catchment-to- coast management addressing land-derived sediment inputs and protecting coastal nursery habitats. From a Te Ao Māori perspective, sedimentation represents a disruption to whakapapa relationships with Tangaroa and a weakening of mauri in coastal ecosystems. Restoring these connections requires co-governance frameworks that embed mātauranga Māori, empower kaitiaki-led monitoring and rāhui, and address the cumulative impacts of land-use intensification and repeated cyclone events on ecosystem resilience in Te Tairāwhiti.

year: 2025