title: Using 'the body' as an 'instrument of research': kimch'i and pavlova

authors: Longhurst, Robyn

subjects: New Zealand

abstract: Often researchers position themselves in relation to race, age and gender, but the body is less often discussed as an actual 'instrument of research'. We aim to extend thinking on this point by reflecting on a project we conducted on migrant women and food in New Zealand. We present a vignette as an example of how we used our bodies as 'instruments of research' at a 'shared lunch' attended by new migrants from a range of different countries. At the lunch some combined on their plates spicy dishes such as kimch'i (fermented vegetables) and sweet dishes such as pavlova (a meringue dessert). For others this combination prompted feelings of disgust. We conclude that the body is a primary tool through which all interactions and emotions filter in accessing research subjects and their geographies.

text: Using 'the body' as an 'instrument of research': kimch'i and pavlova Often researchers position themselves in relation to race, age and gender, but the body is less often discussed as an actual 'instrument of research'. We aim to extend thinking on this point by reflecting on a project we conducted on migrant women and food in New Zealand. We present a vignette as an example of how we used our bodies as 'instruments of research' at a 'shared lunch' attended by new migrants from a range of different countries. At the lunch some combined on their plates spicy dishes such as kimch'i (fermented vegetables) and sweet dishes such as pavlova (a meringue dessert). For others this combination prompted feelings of disgust. We conclude that the body is a primary tool through which all interactions and emotions filter in accessing research subjects and their geographies.

year: 2008

title: Job Desire and Motivation: Response Distortion in Personality Assessment

authors: Roess, Michaella Delphine

subjects: Job Desire

abstract: This study examined personality response distortion based on an individual‟s job desire within a personnel selection scenario. The aim was to determine the extent to which job desire affected individuals‟ responses to a personality assessment. Numerous researchers have studied individuals‟ choices and thought processes that lead to response distortion (Ellingson & McFarland, 2011; McFarland & Ryan, 2000; Snell, Sydell, & Lueke, 1999). Although one determinant that has been proposed is the concept of an individual‟s perceived job desire, little research has been conducted relating to this. Job desire was defined as an individual‟s motivation and passion for a position being applied for. As the study inferred individual‟s job desire from their motivation, individual‟s growth need strength (GNS) and need for achievement (nAch) measures were also assessed.
Ninety-four participants were subjected to two conditions: one a situation of high job desire and one a situation of low job desire. Responses to a measure of the Big Five personality dimensions (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability), GNS and nAch were assessed and compared between the two conditions. The findings suggest that job desire affected the individuals‟ pattern of response. Participants responded more positively within the high job desire condition in regards to all five personality dimensions and nAch. Significant correlations occurred between GNS and openness to experience and emotional stability and nAch significantly correlated with openness to experience and conscientiousness.
If an individual possesses high job desire, they are more likely to respond more positively on a personality assessment. The increase in response means from low to high job desire could be related to item transparency. High job desire may motivate the individual to think about the items more to determine the desired correct response. In addition, individuals who change their behaviour depending on the situation are thought to have a higher functional awareness of what is needed. The results indicated that personality assessments are affected by response distortion raising possible consequences relating to personnel selection. Hiring managers may benefit from using use personality assessments in conjunction with other appropriate selection methods tools to cross-reference the self-report measure. Further investigation of an individual‟s job desire is recommended to confirm which personality dimensions are most affected by response distortion. Additionally, further exploration of whether it is possible to assess an applicant‟s job desire may be warranted.

text: Job Desire and Motivation: Response Distortion in Personality Assessment This study examined personality response distortion based on an individual‟s job desire within a personnel selection scenario. The aim was to determine the extent to which job desire affected individuals‟ responses to a personality assessment. Numerous researchers have studied individuals‟ choices and thought processes that lead to response distortion (Ellingson & McFarland, 2011; McFarland & Ryan, 2000; Snell, Sydell, & Lueke, 1999). Although one determinant that has been proposed is the concept of an individual‟s perceived job desire, little research has been conducted relating to this. Job desire was defined as an individual‟s motivation and passion for a position being applied for. As the study inferred individual‟s job desire from their motivation, individual‟s growth need strength (GNS) and need for achievement (nAch) measures were also assessed.
Ninety-four participants were subjected to two conditions: one a situation of high job desire and one a situation of low job desire. Responses to a measure of the Big Five personality dimensions (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability), GNS and nAch were assessed and compared between the two conditions. The findings suggest that job desire affected the individuals‟ pattern of response. Participants responded more positively within the high job desire condition in regards to all five personality dimensions and nAch. Significant correlations occurred between GNS and openness to experience and emotional stability and nAch significantly correlated with openness to experience and conscientiousness.
If an individual possesses high job desire, they are more likely to respond more positively on a personality assessment. The increase in response means from low to high job desire could be related to item transparency. High job desire may motivate the individual to think about the items more to determine the desired correct response. In addition, individuals who change their behaviour depending on the situation are thought to have a higher functional awareness of what is needed. The results indicated that personality assessments are affected by response distortion raising possible consequences relating to personnel selection. Hiring managers may benefit from using use personality assessments in conjunction with other appropriate selection methods tools to cross-reference the self-report measure. Further investigation of an individual‟s job desire is recommended to confirm which personality dimensions are most affected by response distortion. Additionally, further exploration of whether it is possible to assess an applicant‟s job desire may be warranted.

year: 2014

title: Waikato Taniwharau: Prioritising competing needs in the management of the Waikato River

authors: Morgan, Te Kipa Kepa Brian

subjects: Mauri

abstract: The Waikato River system is New Zealand’s longest river and has significant spiritual relevance for the Waikato-Tainui people and other river iwi, who regard it as an indicator of their mauri or well-being, and central to their identity. The Waikato has also been the focus of on-going tensions between Māori cultural and spiritual values and beliefs, and national engineering objectives. The Waikato River was the primary source of food, transportation and communications link for the region and of pivotal military significance in the New Zealand land wars of the 19th Century. The river system is also a strategic asset for power generation and the flow has been extensively modified with the engineering of dams, lakes, tunnels and canals used to generate one sixth of New Zealand's total electrical generating capacity via the Waikato and Tongariro Power schemes. 
Large scale deforestation in combination with altered hydrologic characteristics have resulted in siltation of the once navigable river. The Waikato is impacted upon by numerous sources of pollution including; Arsenic from a Geothermal Power Station; nutrient enrichment from fertilizer and effluent spreading practices in dairy farming; more than 80 point source discharges to the main stem; and 1,600 discharges to its tributaries. 
The river system contains numerous fish types and has an international reputation for fishing. More than twenty communities extract and treat its waters for potable use including Auckland City. Historic practices resulted in significant adverse impacts on water quality and the mauri of the Waikato. The river is now administered by a regional council. These attributes make the Waikato River a complex management challenge: a contemporary relevance of the widely known metaphor; Waikato Taniwharau (Waikato with hundreds of guardians). 
Aotearoa New Zealand is currently resolving policy issues for the effective management of its fresh water resource. A national survey of opinion in 2005 distilled public priorities for fresh water management. The Freshwater for a Sustainable Future consultation identified many concerns and that the management of these resources is not being carried out in a sustainable manner. The Land and Water forum acknowledged many of these issues in the National Policy on Fresh Water (2010). The New Zealand government is currently preparing to sell down its 100% control of the hydro generation assets on the river, through a sale of shares in the State owned Enterprises that manage these assets. 
During the initial public consultation, responses from Māori, the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand, indicated that there existed significant dissatisfaction with past management and a lack of confidence in future policy and water management decision making. The dissatisfaction manifested as broad opposition to and indifference towards participation in consultation. In subsequent years, some Māori groups have nevertheless chosen to engage in research processes seeking improvements on past practice. A Decision Making Framework (DMF) developed in 2004 has been adopted in several of these proposals due to its ability to balance the competing priorities of engineers representing the dominant western worldview and Māori, the Tangata Whenua (people of the land). 
The Mauri Model DMF is unique in its approach to the management of water resources as the framework offers a transparent and inclusive approach to considering the environmental, economic, social and cultural aspects of decisions being contemplated. The Mauri Model DMF is unique because it is capable of including multiple-worldviews and adopts mauri (intrinsic value or well-being) in the place of money based assessments of pseudo sustainability using Cost Benefit Analysis. 
The Mauri Model DMF does this using a two stage process that first identifies participants’ worldviews and inherent bias regarding water resource management, and then facilitates transparent assessment of selected sustainability performance indicators. The assessment can then be contemplated as the separate environmental, economic, social and cultural dimensions of the decision, collectively as an overall result; or the priorities associated with different worldviews can be applied to determine the sensitivity of the result to different cultural contexts or worldviews. 
A sustainability assessment for the Waikato River is presented within the context of new co-management aspirations that require decision making to reflect the values of both the Government and the Waikato-Tainui peoples. How might the Mauri Model contribute in the complex context of co-management of the Waikato River? Three existing resource uses are assessed to illustrate the contribution that alternative frameworks can make to an enhanced understanding of the challenges that the new co-management regime will need to overcome.

text: Waikato Taniwharau: Prioritising competing needs in the management of the Waikato River The Waikato River system is New Zealand’s longest river and has significant spiritual relevance for the Waikato-Tainui people and other river iwi, who regard it as an indicator of their mauri or well-being, and central to their identity. The Waikato has also been the focus of on-going tensions between Māori cultural and spiritual values and beliefs, and national engineering objectives. The Waikato River was the primary source of food, transportation and communications link for the region and of pivotal military significance in the New Zealand land wars of the 19th Century. The river system is also a strategic asset for power generation and the flow has been extensively modified with the engineering of dams, lakes, tunnels and canals used to generate one sixth of New Zealand's total electrical generating capacity via the Waikato and Tongariro Power schemes. 
Large scale deforestation in combination with altered hydrologic characteristics have resulted in siltation of the once navigable river. The Waikato is impacted upon by numerous sources of pollution including; Arsenic from a Geothermal Power Station; nutrient enrichment from fertilizer and effluent spreading practices in dairy farming; more than 80 point source discharges to the main stem; and 1,600 discharges to its tributaries. 
The river system contains numerous fish types and has an international reputation for fishing. More than twenty communities extract and treat its waters for potable use including Auckland City. Historic practices resulted in significant adverse impacts on water quality and the mauri of the Waikato. The river is now administered by a regional council. These attributes make the Waikato River a complex management challenge: a contemporary relevance of the widely known metaphor; Waikato Taniwharau (Waikato with hundreds of guardians). 
Aotearoa New Zealand is currently resolving policy issues for the effective management of its fresh water resource. A national survey of opinion in 2005 distilled public priorities for fresh water management. The Freshwater for a Sustainable Future consultation identified many concerns and that the management of these resources is not being carried out in a sustainable manner. The Land and Water forum acknowledged many of these issues in the National Policy on Fresh Water (2010). The New Zealand government is currently preparing to sell down its 100% control of the hydro generation assets on the river, through a sale of shares in the State owned Enterprises that manage these assets. 
During the initial public consultation, responses from Māori, the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand, indicated that there existed significant dissatisfaction with past management and a lack of confidence in future policy and water management decision making. The dissatisfaction manifested as broad opposition to and indifference towards participation in consultation. In subsequent years, some Māori groups have nevertheless chosen to engage in research processes seeking improvements on past practice. A Decision Making Framework (DMF) developed in 2004 has been adopted in several of these proposals due to its ability to balance the competing priorities of engineers representing the dominant western worldview and Māori, the Tangata Whenua (people of the land). 
The Mauri Model DMF is unique in its approach to the management of water resources as the framework offers a transparent and inclusive approach to considering the environmental, economic, social and cultural aspects of decisions being contemplated. The Mauri Model DMF is unique because it is capable of including multiple-worldviews and adopts mauri (intrinsic value or well-being) in the place of money based assessments of pseudo sustainability using Cost Benefit Analysis. 
The Mauri Model DMF does this using a two stage process that first identifies participants’ worldviews and inherent bias regarding water resource management, and then facilitates transparent assessment of selected sustainability performance indicators. The assessment can then be contemplated as the separate environmental, economic, social and cultural dimensions of the decision, collectively as an overall result; or the priorities associated with different worldviews can be applied to determine the sensitivity of the result to different cultural contexts or worldviews. 
A sustainability assessment for the Waikato River is presented within the context of new co-management aspirations that require decision making to reflect the values of both the Government and the Waikato-Tainui peoples. How might the Mauri Model contribute in the complex context of co-management of the Waikato River? Three existing resource uses are assessed to illustrate the contribution that alternative frameworks can make to an enhanced understanding of the challenges that the new co-management regime will need to overcome.

year: 2013