title: The extent of burial of the Rena Oil Spill within Bay of Plenty coastal sediments

authors: de Groot, Neeltje, P.H.M.

subjects: PAHs

abstract: The grounding of the MV Rena on October 5th, 2011 caused 350-400 tons of heavy fuel oil to spill into the ocean. A significant portion of the oil reached the Bay of Plenty coastline six days later. This thesis investigated the effectiveness of oil clean-up operations that involved spill response crew and some eight thousand volunteers. Previous oil spill studies discussed in literature, have established that spilled oil can mix with sediment beneath the beach surface. 26 Sediment cores averaging ~80cm in length were retrieved ~one year after the Rena oil spill at 12 locations between Waihi and Maketu and were chemically analysed to a depth of 40 cm (0-20 cm and 20-40 cm). GC/MS quantitative results concluded that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were present in the sediment. However, only 7 of the 52 samples contained 4 of the 5 fingerprinted PAHs; phenanthrene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene and chrysene, that characterise the Rena oil, with naphthalene undetected in all of the 52 samples. Naphthalene degrades quickly due to its low molecular weight and commonly evaporates from the marine environment within the first few weeks of exposure. Therefore, the absence of naphthalene was anticipated. Variations of phenanthrene and pyrene were detected 27 other sediment samples at low, mid and high tide locations, in both surface 0-20 cm samples and the deeper 20-40 cm samples. Due to the absence of the most resilient PAHs benzo(a)anthracene and chrysene in the 27 samples characterise Rena oil, is likely that phenanthrene and pyrene have come from other hydrocarbon sources such as stormwater outfalls. Laboratory settling flask experiments demonstrated that heavy fuel oil formed droplets and would bind to sediment of both siliciclastic and bioclastic origin. Oil droplets would sink, float or stay suspended in the water column due to oil droplet density variations. Oil that bound to sand grains tended to sink and join the bottom sediments, and oil droplets that contained bubbles of water or air tended to float to the surface of the water column. Storms that occurred in the weeks after the initial Rena spill hindered oil clean-up operations and increased wave activity which potentially enabled oil to mix further into coastal sediments. The maximum depth of disturbance was recorded at Pukehina Beach at 28 cm during storm conditions which established that chemical analysis to a depth of 40 cm encompassed the maximum depth that oil could be mixed into the beach sediment in the intertidal zone. This study has set the foundations on understanding the geotechnical effects of spilled oil and coastal sediment interactions in the Bay of Plenty. The region would benefit from further depth of disturbance studies to assist in more efficient remediation of possible oil spills in the future.

text: The extent of burial of the Rena Oil Spill within Bay of Plenty coastal sediments The grounding of the MV Rena on October 5th, 2011 caused 350-400 tons of heavy fuel oil to spill into the ocean. A significant portion of the oil reached the Bay of Plenty coastline six days later. This thesis investigated the effectiveness of oil clean-up operations that involved spill response crew and some eight thousand volunteers. Previous oil spill studies discussed in literature, have established that spilled oil can mix with sediment beneath the beach surface. 26 Sediment cores averaging ~80cm in length were retrieved ~one year after the Rena oil spill at 12 locations between Waihi and Maketu and were chemically analysed to a depth of 40 cm (0-20 cm and 20-40 cm). GC/MS quantitative results concluded that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were present in the sediment. However, only 7 of the 52 samples contained 4 of the 5 fingerprinted PAHs; phenanthrene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene and chrysene, that characterise the Rena oil, with naphthalene undetected in all of the 52 samples. Naphthalene degrades quickly due to its low molecular weight and commonly evaporates from the marine environment within the first few weeks of exposure. Therefore, the absence of naphthalene was anticipated. Variations of phenanthrene and pyrene were detected 27 other sediment samples at low, mid and high tide locations, in both surface 0-20 cm samples and the deeper 20-40 cm samples. Due to the absence of the most resilient PAHs benzo(a)anthracene and chrysene in the 27 samples characterise Rena oil, is likely that phenanthrene and pyrene have come from other hydrocarbon sources such as stormwater outfalls. Laboratory settling flask experiments demonstrated that heavy fuel oil formed droplets and would bind to sediment of both siliciclastic and bioclastic origin. Oil droplets would sink, float or stay suspended in the water column due to oil droplet density variations. Oil that bound to sand grains tended to sink and join the bottom sediments, and oil droplets that contained bubbles of water or air tended to float to the surface of the water column. Storms that occurred in the weeks after the initial Rena spill hindered oil clean-up operations and increased wave activity which potentially enabled oil to mix further into coastal sediments. The maximum depth of disturbance was recorded at Pukehina Beach at 28 cm during storm conditions which established that chemical analysis to a depth of 40 cm encompassed the maximum depth that oil could be mixed into the beach sediment in the intertidal zone. This study has set the foundations on understanding the geotechnical effects of spilled oil and coastal sediment interactions in the Bay of Plenty. The region would benefit from further depth of disturbance studies to assist in more efficient remediation of possible oil spills in the future.

year: 2014

title: New Zealand regions, 1986-2001: Population geography

authors: Pool, Ian

subjects: urban

abstract: This paper is primarily concerned with the spatial aspects of population, namely with: (i) patterns of settlement (urban, rural) and attendant population size variations by region, (ii) changes over time between rural and urban areas at a Regional Council level, (iii) and between regions in New Zealand. It is important to look at this because many trends in human capital, social equity, families and health that are seen at a regional level may be gaps between more urbanised and more isolated areas. There are, in fact, significant differences in levels of urbanisation between regions and these have major implications for policy.

text: New Zealand regions, 1986-2001: Population geography This paper is primarily concerned with the spatial aspects of population, namely with: (i) patterns of settlement (urban, rural) and attendant population size variations by region, (ii) changes over time between rural and urban areas at a Regional Council level, (iii) and between regions in New Zealand. It is important to look at this because many trends in human capital, social equity, families and health that are seen at a regional level may be gaps between more urbanised and more isolated areas. There are, in fact, significant differences in levels of urbanisation between regions and these have major implications for policy.

year: 2005-10

title: Insecure, unpredictable, hoping to survive: Four cases of Māori people living precariously in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Uerata, Lynley Moana

subjects: Māori

abstract: A conceptualisation of precarity is introduced and adopted. A critique of contemporary conceptualisations of precarity is presented, drawing especially on Stuart Hall’s interpretation of articulation and Marx’s concept of relative surplus population. Much of the literature on precarity focusses on the neoliberal mode of contemporary capitalism originating in the late 1970s. However, there is limited literature which explores precarity as a way of life. A precarious way of life is characterised by interacting forms of precarity which embed insecurity, instability, and unpredictability in the everyday lives of real people. An account of the Māori experience of precarity since the pre-colonial era to the present-day is presented. Māori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand who were colonised by the British Empire in the 1800s. 
The main research questions addressed in my thesis are: What forms of precarity are present in the everyday context? How do forms of precarity relate to each other? How do forms of precarity relate to being Māori? What kinds of support do those living with precarity gain from social structures, institutions, and social actors? What is the role of culture in the way Māori experience and mediate precarity? An analysis of semi-structured in-depth engagements with Māori people living precariously in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand in 2016, based on four case studies, shows the character and significance of forms, sources, and effects of precarity in everyday life. As historical processes continue to overdetermine experiences of social structures and institutions in the present, in a contemporary capitalist context precarity arises from a wide range of interacting sources, forms, and effects of precarity. Among the different kinds of actors and organisations which comprise the support systems constructed to mediate precarity in the everyday context, cultural practices and resources can play a significant role for people who are culturally connected. When people are integrated into their local and cultural communities, they can cope better with a precarious way of life.

text: Insecure, unpredictable, hoping to survive: Four cases of Māori people living precariously in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand A conceptualisation of precarity is introduced and adopted. A critique of contemporary conceptualisations of precarity is presented, drawing especially on Stuart Hall’s interpretation of articulation and Marx’s concept of relative surplus population. Much of the literature on precarity focusses on the neoliberal mode of contemporary capitalism originating in the late 1970s. However, there is limited literature which explores precarity as a way of life. A precarious way of life is characterised by interacting forms of precarity which embed insecurity, instability, and unpredictability in the everyday lives of real people. An account of the Māori experience of precarity since the pre-colonial era to the present-day is presented. Māori are the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand who were colonised by the British Empire in the 1800s. 
The main research questions addressed in my thesis are: What forms of precarity are present in the everyday context? How do forms of precarity relate to each other? How do forms of precarity relate to being Māori? What kinds of support do those living with precarity gain from social structures, institutions, and social actors? What is the role of culture in the way Māori experience and mediate precarity? An analysis of semi-structured in-depth engagements with Māori people living precariously in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand in 2016, based on four case studies, shows the character and significance of forms, sources, and effects of precarity in everyday life. As historical processes continue to overdetermine experiences of social structures and institutions in the present, in a contemporary capitalist context precarity arises from a wide range of interacting sources, forms, and effects of precarity. Among the different kinds of actors and organisations which comprise the support systems constructed to mediate precarity in the everyday context, cultural practices and resources can play a significant role for people who are culturally connected. When people are integrated into their local and cultural communities, they can cope better with a precarious way of life.

year: 2021