title: Aerial conflicts: Drone regulation and gaps in spatial protection

authors: Wallace, Philippa Jane

subjects: Drones

abstract: Drones have undoubtedly arrived in New Zealand landscapes, but less apparent is that adequate regulatory responses have accompanied them. The purpose of this article is to examine the adequacy of New Zealand law and policy in managing the adverse environmental effects of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).  Currently regulated by the Civil Aviation Act 1990 (CAA 1990) and associated aviation rules, it is argued that this approach fails to sufficiently capture all potential adverse effects. As a result of exemptions for overflying aircraft the Resource Management Act 1991(RMA), the principal legislation governing resource use in the New Zealand environment, is unable to fill the breach. Instead, the CAA 1990 framework applies, rendering an inconsistent regulatory approach exacerbated by rules which rest operational control largely in the hands of property owners. In this manner opportunity to comprehensively manage spatial conflicts is reduced and spatial protection from potential effects is compromised. A better approach is to include RPA operations within the ambit of the RMA, enabling a permissive regime with appropriate controls to manage potential land use/spatial conflicts.

text: Aerial conflicts: Drone regulation and gaps in spatial protection Drones have undoubtedly arrived in New Zealand landscapes, but less apparent is that adequate regulatory responses have accompanied them. The purpose of this article is to examine the adequacy of New Zealand law and policy in managing the adverse environmental effects of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).  Currently regulated by the Civil Aviation Act 1990 (CAA 1990) and associated aviation rules, it is argued that this approach fails to sufficiently capture all potential adverse effects. As a result of exemptions for overflying aircraft the Resource Management Act 1991(RMA), the principal legislation governing resource use in the New Zealand environment, is unable to fill the breach. Instead, the CAA 1990 framework applies, rendering an inconsistent regulatory approach exacerbated by rules which rest operational control largely in the hands of property owners. In this manner opportunity to comprehensively manage spatial conflicts is reduced and spatial protection from potential effects is compromised. A better approach is to include RPA operations within the ambit of the RMA, enabling a permissive regime with appropriate controls to manage potential land use/spatial conflicts.

year: 2016

title: Kid's Music Box: A Digital Music Organizer Designed with Children for Children

authors: Zhang, Edmond Yiwen

subjects: Children

abstract: This thesis is an investigation of software development for children aged six to ten years old. This is a challenging area; despite the trend for children to be exposed to computer technology at an earlier age, they often struggle to utilize it effectively. Children are not merely miniature adults; they have their own needs which are often not met by traditional software. In particular, this thesis focuses on the task of music management: a task that children take much interest in but for which they are given few tools. We address this with the design of a new music management system: the Kid's Music Box.

The development of Kid's Music Box is documented in four main parts: background research, requirements gathering, design and implementation, and evaluation. Background research identifies the strengths and weaknesses of conventional music organizers with respect to young users. Requirements gathering took the form of a focus group study, which aimed to overcome the distinct challenges of obtaining input from children. The design of Kid's Music Box builds on this work, by incorporating functionality, metaphors and design elements that suit the needs and capabilities of young children. Expert evaluations and formal evaluation from children users showed promising results, which concluded that Kid's Music Box is better than other organizers in terms of managing music for children.

text: Kid's Music Box: A Digital Music Organizer Designed with Children for Children This thesis is an investigation of software development for children aged six to ten years old. This is a challenging area; despite the trend for children to be exposed to computer technology at an earlier age, they often struggle to utilize it effectively. Children are not merely miniature adults; they have their own needs which are often not met by traditional software. In particular, this thesis focuses on the task of music management: a task that children take much interest in but for which they are given few tools. We address this with the design of a new music management system: the Kid's Music Box.

The development of Kid's Music Box is documented in four main parts: background research, requirements gathering, design and implementation, and evaluation. Background research identifies the strengths and weaknesses of conventional music organizers with respect to young users. Requirements gathering took the form of a focus group study, which aimed to overcome the distinct challenges of obtaining input from children. The design of Kid's Music Box builds on this work, by incorporating functionality, metaphors and design elements that suit the needs and capabilities of young children. Expert evaluations and formal evaluation from children users showed promising results, which concluded that Kid's Music Box is better than other organizers in terms of managing music for children.

year: 2007

title: Challenges Faced – Implications for Policy: The Everyday Lives of Eastern European Women in New Zealand

authors: Ember, Adrienna

subjects: everyday life

abstract: This study explored the everyday lives, aspirations, and coping strategies of seven Eastern European immigrant women in New Zealand who came from Bulgaria, the former Eastern Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia. The answers to the research questions aimed to contribute to the deconstruction of the invisibility and marginalisation of these women in New Zealand.
Guided by the philosophies of Kaupapa Māori Research; the theory of Human Wellbeing; and the theory of Positive Psychology, and using the methods of narrative inquiry, three interviews were conducted with each participant. The focus of the first interviews was to learn about the everyday lives of research participants in their countries of origin. The second interview explored the reasons of relocation to New Zealand, the settlement process, and how women re-established their lives in their new locations. In the final interviews women talked about their current everyday lives and their plans for the future.
Interviews were recorded and summarised in interview summary reports which research participants modified in collaboration with the researcher until a final version was achieved. In addition, women participated in two focus group sessions. The first session was devoted to establish connections among the participants and allow themes to emerge from their conversations. The second group session aimed to explore areas women struggled with in their lives the most: relationships and employment opportunities.
The study yielded contributions to the research topic, to the acculturation literature, and to the design of research with migrants. Firstly, it revealed both negative and positive aspects of the participants’ everyday lives and highlighted some under-researched cultural differences from the mainstream population.
Women highlighted as an important cultural difference their strong preference for straightforward communication which was often experienced as offensive and blatant by local New Zealanders. Research participants critiqued the necessity of networking to obtain jobs in New Zealand which is a clear obstacle for a newly arrived migrant.
This study also highlighted how the acculturation process is more individual and complex than conventional models have sought to explain. While traditional acculturation literature suggests that migrants go through some common patterns during their settlement that ideally leads to their assimilation to the host culture, in this research not all migrant women intended to assimilate. Indeed, those with a stronger wish to become part of the host culture reported more disappointments than those who embraced their cultural otherness as a positive aspect and did not mind reminding different from the dominant Pakeha culture.
Finally, for migrant studies a less common research design was applied by using the Kaupapa Māori framework. This philosophy proposes a research process that empowers immigrants to voice their needs and strengthen them as agents of their lives beyond the research process. While two strength based theories were used for data interpretation (the 3-D model of the Human Wellbeing Theory and the PERMA model of Positive Psychology), the data analysis revealed that both models showed some limitations by failing to incorporate the dimension of spiritual and physical wellbeing within their domains.

text: Challenges Faced – Implications for Policy: The Everyday Lives of Eastern European Women in New Zealand This study explored the everyday lives, aspirations, and coping strategies of seven Eastern European immigrant women in New Zealand who came from Bulgaria, the former Eastern Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia. The answers to the research questions aimed to contribute to the deconstruction of the invisibility and marginalisation of these women in New Zealand.
Guided by the philosophies of Kaupapa Māori Research; the theory of Human Wellbeing; and the theory of Positive Psychology, and using the methods of narrative inquiry, three interviews were conducted with each participant. The focus of the first interviews was to learn about the everyday lives of research participants in their countries of origin. The second interview explored the reasons of relocation to New Zealand, the settlement process, and how women re-established their lives in their new locations. In the final interviews women talked about their current everyday lives and their plans for the future.
Interviews were recorded and summarised in interview summary reports which research participants modified in collaboration with the researcher until a final version was achieved. In addition, women participated in two focus group sessions. The first session was devoted to establish connections among the participants and allow themes to emerge from their conversations. The second group session aimed to explore areas women struggled with in their lives the most: relationships and employment opportunities.
The study yielded contributions to the research topic, to the acculturation literature, and to the design of research with migrants. Firstly, it revealed both negative and positive aspects of the participants’ everyday lives and highlighted some under-researched cultural differences from the mainstream population.
Women highlighted as an important cultural difference their strong preference for straightforward communication which was often experienced as offensive and blatant by local New Zealanders. Research participants critiqued the necessity of networking to obtain jobs in New Zealand which is a clear obstacle for a newly arrived migrant.
This study also highlighted how the acculturation process is more individual and complex than conventional models have sought to explain. While traditional acculturation literature suggests that migrants go through some common patterns during their settlement that ideally leads to their assimilation to the host culture, in this research not all migrant women intended to assimilate. Indeed, those with a stronger wish to become part of the host culture reported more disappointments than those who embraced their cultural otherness as a positive aspect and did not mind reminding different from the dominant Pakeha culture.
Finally, for migrant studies a less common research design was applied by using the Kaupapa Māori framework. This philosophy proposes a research process that empowers immigrants to voice their needs and strengthen them as agents of their lives beyond the research process. While two strength based theories were used for data interpretation (the 3-D model of the Human Wellbeing Theory and the PERMA model of Positive Psychology), the data analysis revealed that both models showed some limitations by failing to incorporate the dimension of spiritual and physical wellbeing within their domains.

year: 2016