title: Barrett Bush management plan

authors: Bryan, Catherine Louise

subjects: Barrett Bush

abstract: The current vegetation pattern of Barrett Bush is the result of complex landscape changes of both recent and historic times. The most recent natural landscape changes occurred as the Waikato River meandered across the region, changing course over many years and depositing the alluvial plain that Barrett Bush grows on. More recent landscape changes have been the result of human activity as vegetation clearance and agricultural development has occurred throughout the district. Fortunately, Barrett Bush was set aside and the reserve now provides insight into original vegetation patterns as well as a refuge for biota characteristic of forests dominated by kahikatea.
Barrett Bush sits a shallow depression of an alluvial plain with a podocarp vegetation composition that is classed as a kahikatea semi-swamp forest (Clarkson et al. 2007). Clarkson et al. (2007) describe the typical natural vegetation of kahikatea semi-swamp forest:
“Semi-swamp forest dominated by kahikatea grew on the poorly drained shallow depressions. Several other species were present in varying amounts, including rimu, matai, pukatea, swamp maire, tawa, pokaka, and occasional cabbage tree. Prominent in the understorey were silver fern, mapou, hangehange, Coprosma areolata, and turepo, and sedges including Hymenophyllum demissum, hen and chicken fern, Astelia fragrans, A. grandis, and Microlaena avenacea.”

text: Barrett Bush management plan The current vegetation pattern of Barrett Bush is the result of complex landscape changes of both recent and historic times. The most recent natural landscape changes occurred as the Waikato River meandered across the region, changing course over many years and depositing the alluvial plain that Barrett Bush grows on. More recent landscape changes have been the result of human activity as vegetation clearance and agricultural development has occurred throughout the district. Fortunately, Barrett Bush was set aside and the reserve now provides insight into original vegetation patterns as well as a refuge for biota characteristic of forests dominated by kahikatea.
Barrett Bush sits a shallow depression of an alluvial plain with a podocarp vegetation composition that is classed as a kahikatea semi-swamp forest (Clarkson et al. 2007). Clarkson et al. (2007) describe the typical natural vegetation of kahikatea semi-swamp forest:
“Semi-swamp forest dominated by kahikatea grew on the poorly drained shallow depressions. Several other species were present in varying amounts, including rimu, matai, pukatea, swamp maire, tawa, pokaka, and occasional cabbage tree. Prominent in the understorey were silver fern, mapou, hangehange, Coprosma areolata, and turepo, and sedges including Hymenophyllum demissum, hen and chicken fern, Astelia fragrans, A. grandis, and Microlaena avenacea.”

year: 2012

title: Assessing the viability of foldable-expandable container homes for post-disaster housing in New Zealand

authors: Babu, Gayathry

subjects: container homes

abstract: Natural disasters frequently demolish New Zealand, with its diverse landscapes. It is particularly susceptible to various natural disasters due to its unique geological position on the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire (McKinnon, Scott, and Margaret Cook, 2020). This makes it prone to earthquakes, volcanic activity, tsunamis, and extreme weather events. A notable example of such a disaster is Cyclone Gabrielle, which struck the Hawke's Bay region in New Zealand. It creates wide damage in housing properties, leaving damaged bridges and culverts, buried roads, significant dropouts, and isolated communities in its wake. One of the major difficulties for government authorities and policymakers is to build houses for the victims of such natural disasters within as short a period as possible. The rapid provision of safe, durable, and affordable shelters is essential to restore a sense of normalcy for affected populations. Traditional reconstruction methods are often slow, expensive, and complex, particularly in regions with limited resources or logistical challenges. This has led to the exploration of alternative housing solutions, such as the use of modified shipping containers.

In New Zealand, as it is a reality, expeditious and resilient housing options are crucial for recovery after a natural disaster. Therefore, strategic solutions should be introduced to assist the responsible entities and agencies in providing shelters to the disaster victims within a short duration.

Container homes offer a unique combination of structural integrity, portability, and affordability, making them an attractive option for post-disaster housing. Their inherent durability allows them to withstand harsh environmental conditions, and their modular nature facilitates quick assembly and scalability. Additionally, container homes can be prefabricated and easily transported to disaster sites, reducing the time required for construction and enabling immediate relief efforts. This thesis explores the feasibility of using double-wing expandable foldable container homes as an innovative post-disaster housing solution in New Zealand, focusing on the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke's Bay.

Findings indicate that container homes offer significant advantages, including reduced construction timelines, cost savings, and the adaptability needed for fast recovery in disaster-affected regions. However, challenges remain in achieving compliance with New Zealand’s stringent building codes and in adapting the homes to withstand several factors such as seismic/ wind resistance, waterproofing, etc. which are prevalent in many disaster-prone areas. Regulatory requirements, such as PS1 and PS4 design approvals and local council consents, emerge as pivotal considerations that can delay deployment if not streamlined.

text: Assessing the viability of foldable-expandable container homes for post-disaster housing in New Zealand Natural disasters frequently demolish New Zealand, with its diverse landscapes. It is particularly susceptible to various natural disasters due to its unique geological position on the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire (McKinnon, Scott, and Margaret Cook, 2020). This makes it prone to earthquakes, volcanic activity, tsunamis, and extreme weather events. A notable example of such a disaster is Cyclone Gabrielle, which struck the Hawke's Bay region in New Zealand. It creates wide damage in housing properties, leaving damaged bridges and culverts, buried roads, significant dropouts, and isolated communities in its wake. One of the major difficulties for government authorities and policymakers is to build houses for the victims of such natural disasters within as short a period as possible. The rapid provision of safe, durable, and affordable shelters is essential to restore a sense of normalcy for affected populations. Traditional reconstruction methods are often slow, expensive, and complex, particularly in regions with limited resources or logistical challenges. This has led to the exploration of alternative housing solutions, such as the use of modified shipping containers.

In New Zealand, as it is a reality, expeditious and resilient housing options are crucial for recovery after a natural disaster. Therefore, strategic solutions should be introduced to assist the responsible entities and agencies in providing shelters to the disaster victims within a short duration.

Container homes offer a unique combination of structural integrity, portability, and affordability, making them an attractive option for post-disaster housing. Their inherent durability allows them to withstand harsh environmental conditions, and their modular nature facilitates quick assembly and scalability. Additionally, container homes can be prefabricated and easily transported to disaster sites, reducing the time required for construction and enabling immediate relief efforts. This thesis explores the feasibility of using double-wing expandable foldable container homes as an innovative post-disaster housing solution in New Zealand, focusing on the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke's Bay.

Findings indicate that container homes offer significant advantages, including reduced construction timelines, cost savings, and the adaptability needed for fast recovery in disaster-affected regions. However, challenges remain in achieving compliance with New Zealand’s stringent building codes and in adapting the homes to withstand several factors such as seismic/ wind resistance, waterproofing, etc. which are prevalent in many disaster-prone areas. Regulatory requirements, such as PS1 and PS4 design approvals and local council consents, emerge as pivotal considerations that can delay deployment if not streamlined.

year: 2025-06-13

title: Ngā tohu o te taiao: Observing signs of the natural world to identify seastar over-abundance as a detriment to shellfish survival in Ōhiwa Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Paul-Burke, Kura

subjects: Tohu

abstract: Māori understandings and experiences of the natural world encompass not only what is known but how it is known, and the intergenerational connectedness of that knowledge with the environments from which it is derived. Ngā tohu o te taiao (hereafter ‘tohu’), or the cultural and environmental signs and indicators of the natural world, are widely used by kaitiaki or local practitioners to identify trends or changes in the state or health of marine taonga (culturally important) species and their associated environments (Paul-Burke, 2017). Māori worldviews position humans within nature and focus on ways in which cultural understandings and intergenerational connections between people and their bio-physical contexts assist in the retention and protection of biodiversity and ecologically sustainable ecosystems (Lyver et al., 2016). Tohu are a fundamental expression of kaitiakitanga or active guardianship and are based on the primal instinct of survival and recognising that in order to survive one must pay attention to the natural signs and signals thoughtfully, so as to manage our mahinga kai (food harvesting area) and ourselves into the future (Paul-Burke et al., 2020). This article considers the example of the over-abundant eleven-armed seastar (pātangaroa, Coscinasterias muricata; hereafter ‘seastar’) predating on culturally and ecologically important shellfish populations in a traditional mahinga kai of Ōhiwa Harbour in the Bay of Plenty region of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The over-abundance of seastars was considered a contemporary tohu of a degrading harbour. It was deemed imperative by iwi (tribe) members that a trial using quantitative methods to investigate predation pressure of seastars on the green-lipped mussel (kuku or kūtai, Perna canaliculus) population be conducted in the harbour. Between September 2018 and February 2019 field trials were undertaken that prioritised mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) alongside marine science to assist with a better understanding of the degrading harbour. It was hoped that the research would help and promote recovery, in particular but not limited to, the once abundant but now severely reduced mussel reefs in the soft-mud-bottomed harbour.

text: Ngā tohu o te taiao: Observing signs of the natural world to identify seastar over-abundance as a detriment to shellfish survival in Ōhiwa Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand Māori understandings and experiences of the natural world encompass not only what is known but how it is known, and the intergenerational connectedness of that knowledge with the environments from which it is derived. Ngā tohu o te taiao (hereafter ‘tohu’), or the cultural and environmental signs and indicators of the natural world, are widely used by kaitiaki or local practitioners to identify trends or changes in the state or health of marine taonga (culturally important) species and their associated environments (Paul-Burke, 2017). Māori worldviews position humans within nature and focus on ways in which cultural understandings and intergenerational connections between people and their bio-physical contexts assist in the retention and protection of biodiversity and ecologically sustainable ecosystems (Lyver et al., 2016). Tohu are a fundamental expression of kaitiakitanga or active guardianship and are based on the primal instinct of survival and recognising that in order to survive one must pay attention to the natural signs and signals thoughtfully, so as to manage our mahinga kai (food harvesting area) and ourselves into the future (Paul-Burke et al., 2020). This article considers the example of the over-abundant eleven-armed seastar (pātangaroa, Coscinasterias muricata; hereafter ‘seastar’) predating on culturally and ecologically important shellfish populations in a traditional mahinga kai of Ōhiwa Harbour in the Bay of Plenty region of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The over-abundance of seastars was considered a contemporary tohu of a degrading harbour. It was deemed imperative by iwi (tribe) members that a trial using quantitative methods to investigate predation pressure of seastars on the green-lipped mussel (kuku or kūtai, Perna canaliculus) population be conducted in the harbour. Between September 2018 and February 2019 field trials were undertaken that prioritised mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) alongside marine science to assist with a better understanding of the degrading harbour. It was hoped that the research would help and promote recovery, in particular but not limited to, the once abundant but now severely reduced mussel reefs in the soft-mud-bottomed harbour.

year: 2022-03-28