title: Developing the Te Aroha district until c.1910

authors: Hart, Philip

abstract: When the Aroha Block was opened to Pakeha settlers, they found what to them was a wilderness with a great potential. Some of those seeking farms were miners, and as mining faded they encouraged the government to establish special farm settlements for them. But before the land’s potential could be tapped, it had to be surveyed, purchased from the Crown (often using the deferred payment scheme, as at Te Aroha West), and drained, a process fraught with difficulties and, it was charged, incompetence. Some land speculators were attracted to the district because the new goldfield provided a market for produce. As it took years to construct good roads, the Waihou River was the main means of moving people and produce. Once the river was snagged and the swamps were drained, a new problem arose: silting, solved for a time by planting willows along its banks. Over time, bridges replaced punts, and in 1886 the railway arrived.
After surviving harsh conditions when developing their land, farmers were able to provide a wide range of agricultural produce to local and regional markets. Kauri gum was dug, fleetingly, and the flax industry waxed and waned, but the arrival of dairying in the 1890s was an important step forward in the successful development of the district. In time, the first settlers could look back on their achievements and rejoice in the myth (and the reality) of the hardy pioneer.

text: Developing the Te Aroha district until c.1910 When the Aroha Block was opened to Pakeha settlers, they found what to them was a wilderness with a great potential. Some of those seeking farms were miners, and as mining faded they encouraged the government to establish special farm settlements for them. But before the land’s potential could be tapped, it had to be surveyed, purchased from the Crown (often using the deferred payment scheme, as at Te Aroha West), and drained, a process fraught with difficulties and, it was charged, incompetence. Some land speculators were attracted to the district because the new goldfield provided a market for produce. As it took years to construct good roads, the Waihou River was the main means of moving people and produce. Once the river was snagged and the swamps were drained, a new problem arose: silting, solved for a time by planting willows along its banks. Over time, bridges replaced punts, and in 1886 the railway arrived.
After surviving harsh conditions when developing their land, farmers were able to provide a wide range of agricultural produce to local and regional markets. Kauri gum was dug, fleetingly, and the flax industry waxed and waned, but the arrival of dairying in the 1890s was an important step forward in the successful development of the district. In time, the first settlers could look back on their achievements and rejoice in the myth (and the reality) of the hardy pioneer.

year: 2016

title: Off-grid Energy Monitoring

authors: Alahmari, Mohammed Mushabab

subjects: monitoring

abstract: A range of circumstances and physical conditions exist in New Zealand that strongly motivates the adoption of off-grid electricity systems. However, there is scant detailed knowledge and understanding of many aspects of their use, including their effectiveness and economics. Moreover, the availability of detailed data on their use, which could produce this knowledge and potentially help to more effectively control these systems, is likewise lacking. Along with an interest in such systems in New Zealand, attention on the developing world, particularly the Pacific region, is also evident.
This research first involves a review of off-grid systems in New Zealand, particularly in terms of scale and form, along with related monitoring work performed within and outside the country, and the monitoring hardware and software used for that task. Second, the installation of precision monitoring equipment and associated communications are evaluated in terms of available off-grid residential systems of genuine off-grid systems, full-time permanently occupied residencies, and non-grid connections. Third, the commissioning and testing of the above-related equipment, and the storing of the data in a database, is conducted. Fourth, the development of real-time monitoring dashboards and data analysis techniques that provide short-, medium-, and long-term information on installation operations is performed. Finally, opportunities for improvement, including controls leading to improvement, are identified.

text: Off-grid Energy Monitoring A range of circumstances and physical conditions exist in New Zealand that strongly motivates the adoption of off-grid electricity systems. However, there is scant detailed knowledge and understanding of many aspects of their use, including their effectiveness and economics. Moreover, the availability of detailed data on their use, which could produce this knowledge and potentially help to more effectively control these systems, is likewise lacking. Along with an interest in such systems in New Zealand, attention on the developing world, particularly the Pacific region, is also evident.
This research first involves a review of off-grid systems in New Zealand, particularly in terms of scale and form, along with related monitoring work performed within and outside the country, and the monitoring hardware and software used for that task. Second, the installation of precision monitoring equipment and associated communications are evaluated in terms of available off-grid residential systems of genuine off-grid systems, full-time permanently occupied residencies, and non-grid connections. Third, the commissioning and testing of the above-related equipment, and the storing of the data in a database, is conducted. Fourth, the development of real-time monitoring dashboards and data analysis techniques that provide short-, medium-, and long-term information on installation operations is performed. Finally, opportunities for improvement, including controls leading to improvement, are identified.

year: 2013

title: Mā ngā huruhuru ka rere te manu: Understanding leadership for critical educational reform in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Anderson, Zac Kylie Elizabeth

subjects: educational leadership

abstract: The research project presented in this thesis explores the leadership journeys of four first-time principals engaging in Kia Eke Panuku, a professional development initiative in English-medium secondary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand.  It seeks to understand the role these first-time principals play in insitutionalising to depth, educational reform to enable Māori students to pursue their potential as Māori under the Ka Hikitia imperative.  This thesis investigates the type of leadership required to achieve educational reform for Māori learners in Aotearoa, embedded in the inherent promise of the Treaty of Waitangi.
  
This thesis contends these principals contribute to educational reform by bringing criticality to their leadership and embracing an ongoing and iterative process of conscientisation and resistance, leading to transformative praxis.  These principals recognised their role as educators leading pedagogical change in their schools, as well as leading others within their sphere of influence to ultimately change the fabric of society in Aotearoa.  They both learned and led alongside each other, displaying an openness to embracing multiple worldviews with a deeply held moral imperative to eradicate oppression of Māori students.  Such a stance actively creates bicultural spaces within schools, where both Treaty partners can benefit from the principles of the Treaty promises.

text: Mā ngā huruhuru ka rere te manu: Understanding leadership for critical educational reform in Aotearoa New Zealand The research project presented in this thesis explores the leadership journeys of four first-time principals engaging in Kia Eke Panuku, a professional development initiative in English-medium secondary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand.  It seeks to understand the role these first-time principals play in insitutionalising to depth, educational reform to enable Māori students to pursue their potential as Māori under the Ka Hikitia imperative.  This thesis investigates the type of leadership required to achieve educational reform for Māori learners in Aotearoa, embedded in the inherent promise of the Treaty of Waitangi.
  
This thesis contends these principals contribute to educational reform by bringing criticality to their leadership and embracing an ongoing and iterative process of conscientisation and resistance, leading to transformative praxis.  These principals recognised their role as educators leading pedagogical change in their schools, as well as leading others within their sphere of influence to ultimately change the fabric of society in Aotearoa.  They both learned and led alongside each other, displaying an openness to embracing multiple worldviews with a deeply held moral imperative to eradicate oppression of Māori students.  Such a stance actively creates bicultural spaces within schools, where both Treaty partners can benefit from the principles of the Treaty promises.

year: 2018