title: English doesn’t need protecting in New Zealand – But other languages do

authors: Calude, Andreea S.

subjects: language

abstract: Anyone tuning into political debates about the recently introduced English Language Bill might be led to think New Zealand’s most widely spoken tongue is endangered.

The bill, which forms part of a coalition deal between the New Zealand First and National parties and aims to make English an official language in Aotearoa, has been widely criticised as unnecessary.

One opposition MP branded it an “answer to a problem that does not exist”.

Indeed, English is spoken by more than 4.75 million New Zealanders – 96% of the population – and dominates the nation’s television, radio, classrooms and workplaces.

One reason for designating languages “official” is to protect and support minority or marginalised languages, often those under threat. Can we really say the same of English?

text: English doesn’t need protecting in New Zealand – But other languages do Anyone tuning into political debates about the recently introduced English Language Bill might be led to think New Zealand’s most widely spoken tongue is endangered.

The bill, which forms part of a coalition deal between the New Zealand First and National parties and aims to make English an official language in Aotearoa, has been widely criticised as unnecessary.

One opposition MP branded it an “answer to a problem that does not exist”.

Indeed, English is spoken by more than 4.75 million New Zealanders – 96% of the population – and dominates the nation’s television, radio, classrooms and workplaces.

One reason for designating languages “official” is to protect and support minority or marginalised languages, often those under threat. Can we really say the same of English?

year: 2026-03-06

title: FreeForm: Informal form design on a large interactive display surface

authors: Plimmer, Beryl

subjects: Sketching

abstract: This demonstration shows the tool we have developed for hand-sketching user interfaces. Our motivation for developing this tool is to provide an environment where novice programmers can move freely along the design continuum from informal low-fidelity prototypes to completed formal designs. A low-cost digital whiteboard is used to provide a shared work space for Freeform. The tool is integrated into a programming IDE and provides penbased sketching and editing, a storyboard, run mode, recognition of shapes and words and conversion into a formal design in the programming IDE.

text: FreeForm: Informal form design on a large interactive display surface This demonstration shows the tool we have developed for hand-sketching user interfaces. Our motivation for developing this tool is to provide an environment where novice programmers can move freely along the design continuum from informal low-fidelity prototypes to completed formal designs. A low-cost digital whiteboard is used to provide a shared work space for Freeform. The tool is integrated into a programming IDE and provides penbased sketching and editing, a storyboard, run mode, recognition of shapes and words and conversion into a formal design in the programming IDE.

year: 2001

title: Developing an integrated ocean observing system for New Zealand

authors: O'Callaghan, J

subjects: Science & Technology

abstract: New Zealand (NZ) is an island nation with stewardship of an ocean twenty times larger than its land area. While the challenges facing NZ's ocean are similar to other maritime countries, no coherent national plan exists that meets the needs of scientists, stakeholders or kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of NZ's ocean in a changing climate. The NZ marine science community used the OceanObs'19 white paper to establish a framework and implementation plan for a collaborative NZ ocean observing system (NZ-OOS). Co-production of ocean knowledge with Māori will be embedded in this national strategy for growing a sustainable, blue economy for NZ. The strengths of an observing system for a relatively small nation come from direct connections between the science impetus through to users and stakeholders of an NZ-OOS. The community will leverage off existing ocean observations to optimize effort and resources in a system that has historically made limited investment in ocean observing. The goal of the community paper will be achieved by bringing together oceanographers, data scientists and marine stakeholders to develop an NZ-OOS that provides best knowledge and tools to the sectors of society that use or are influenced by the ocean.

text: Developing an integrated ocean observing system for New Zealand New Zealand (NZ) is an island nation with stewardship of an ocean twenty times larger than its land area. While the challenges facing NZ's ocean are similar to other maritime countries, no coherent national plan exists that meets the needs of scientists, stakeholders or kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of NZ's ocean in a changing climate. The NZ marine science community used the OceanObs'19 white paper to establish a framework and implementation plan for a collaborative NZ ocean observing system (NZ-OOS). Co-production of ocean knowledge with Māori will be embedded in this national strategy for growing a sustainable, blue economy for NZ. The strengths of an observing system for a relatively small nation come from direct connections between the science impetus through to users and stakeholders of an NZ-OOS. The community will leverage off existing ocean observations to optimize effort and resources in a system that has historically made limited investment in ocean observing. The goal of the community paper will be achieved by bringing together oceanographers, data scientists and marine stakeholders to develop an NZ-OOS that provides best knowledge and tools to the sectors of society that use or are influenced by the ocean.

year: 2019-03-26