title: The Challenge to Fijian Methodism - the vanua, identity, ethnicity and change

authors: Degei, Sekove. Bigitibau

subjects: Fijian Methodism

abstract: Christianity is the dominant religion in the Fiji islands today. However, this was not the case in the early eighteen hundreds. Back then, the Fijians had lived a life and culture of their own that was not known to the world. This all changed when different groups of Europeans started to arrive in the early eighteen hundreds.  Of these, the group that had the most influence on the Fijians was the English Wesleyan missionaries. The result of their evangelism was the establishment of the Methodist church in 1835.  This church is the dominant denomination in Christian Fiji and has been closely meshed with concepts of Fijian identity. However, the church's dominance is being challenged, partly because of the entwining of concepts of church and the vanua (land, people). Additionally the arrival of other, new denominations with their different ideologies has also affected the standing and influence of the Methodists.

In this thesis the way in which the missionaries had introduced themselves to the Fijians and how they influenced and converted them to Christianity are outlined.  This was not a one-way affair, where only the missionaries' ways of living and ideologies were involved.  They first had to accept the structure and some of the customs of the vanua before their mission could proceed. It was found that the influence and ideologies brought by the missionaries was incorporated into the vanua ideologies and has formed the basis of what became the Fijian way of life. When Fiji became a colony of Britain in 1874, the incorporation of the vanua and Methodist Christian ideologies and structure was well established. 

However, all these views, and the previously accepted local views of Fijian culture, have changed in response to the challenges from the new denominations.  The effect of these new approaches and ideologies on the vanua and the Methodists in Fiji is discussed. The outcome of this on-going situation is not yet clear.

text: The Challenge to Fijian Methodism - the vanua, identity, ethnicity and change Christianity is the dominant religion in the Fiji islands today. However, this was not the case in the early eighteen hundreds. Back then, the Fijians had lived a life and culture of their own that was not known to the world. This all changed when different groups of Europeans started to arrive in the early eighteen hundreds.  Of these, the group that had the most influence on the Fijians was the English Wesleyan missionaries. The result of their evangelism was the establishment of the Methodist church in 1835.  This church is the dominant denomination in Christian Fiji and has been closely meshed with concepts of Fijian identity. However, the church's dominance is being challenged, partly because of the entwining of concepts of church and the vanua (land, people). Additionally the arrival of other, new denominations with their different ideologies has also affected the standing and influence of the Methodists.

In this thesis the way in which the missionaries had introduced themselves to the Fijians and how they influenced and converted them to Christianity are outlined.  This was not a one-way affair, where only the missionaries' ways of living and ideologies were involved.  They first had to accept the structure and some of the customs of the vanua before their mission could proceed. It was found that the influence and ideologies brought by the missionaries was incorporated into the vanua ideologies and has formed the basis of what became the Fijian way of life. When Fiji became a colony of Britain in 1874, the incorporation of the vanua and Methodist Christian ideologies and structure was well established. 

However, all these views, and the previously accepted local views of Fijian culture, have changed in response to the challenges from the new denominations.  The effect of these new approaches and ideologies on the vanua and the Methodists in Fiji is discussed. The outcome of this on-going situation is not yet clear.

year: 2007

title: Interreligious prayer: Prospects and parameters

authors: Pratt, Douglas

subjects: religion

abstract: The coming together of people of diverse religions to plan or reflect upon a common action or venture, and to consider, let alone engage in, an act of shared spiritual experience – such as interreligious prayer – is something comparatively novel and relatively rare. Yet the impetus for acts of inter-faith prayer, worship, or other liturgically shared acts, is increasing as more and more experiences of cross-religion engagement and dialogical encounter occur, and as communities encompassing religious diversity address issues in common, or respond to crises that affect all. In some corners of the globe this is already very much the case; for others it is only just emerging into view on the horizon of possibility. 

In this paper I explore the question of interreligious prayer arising from my involvement in a joint World Council of Churches and Vatican Study undertaken during the 1990s. The questions which lay behind this co-operative venture remain, of course, live ones today and require continual reflection and fresh thinking. When the natural human response is to pray, and the context of that response is multi-religious, what can we do together? How can we do it? Indeed, ought we to do it? And if we do, on what basis may we proceed? What justification can we give in respect of our own faith? What are the issues to be addressed? How, if at all, may they be resolved?

text: Interreligious prayer: Prospects and parameters The coming together of people of diverse religions to plan or reflect upon a common action or venture, and to consider, let alone engage in, an act of shared spiritual experience – such as interreligious prayer – is something comparatively novel and relatively rare. Yet the impetus for acts of inter-faith prayer, worship, or other liturgically shared acts, is increasing as more and more experiences of cross-religion engagement and dialogical encounter occur, and as communities encompassing religious diversity address issues in common, or respond to crises that affect all. In some corners of the globe this is already very much the case; for others it is only just emerging into view on the horizon of possibility. 

In this paper I explore the question of interreligious prayer arising from my involvement in a joint World Council of Churches and Vatican Study undertaken during the 1990s. The questions which lay behind this co-operative venture remain, of course, live ones today and require continual reflection and fresh thinking. When the natural human response is to pray, and the context of that response is multi-religious, what can we do together? How can we do it? Indeed, ought we to do it? And if we do, on what basis may we proceed? What justification can we give in respect of our own faith? What are the issues to be addressed? How, if at all, may they be resolved?

year: 2006-10

title: Evaluating the effects of invasive brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) on kōura (freshwater crayfish, Paranephrops planifrons) in Lake Rotoiti

authors: Francis, Laura Beverley

subjects: catfish

abstract: Brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) are opportunistic carnivores native to North America and were first detected in Te Weta Bay, Lake Rotoiti, in March 2016. A cordon was placed across the bay to try and contain catfish, but they had already established populations elsewhere. Spread of catfish in the lake raised concern for resident populations of freshwater crayfish or kōura (Paranephrops planifrons), which are of ecological and cultural significance to Māori. Given the limited knowledge of the potential impacts of catfish on native biota, this thesis aims to evaluate the effects of catfish on kōura in Lake Rotoiti. To do this, Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) routine fyke netting data was used to explore species trends and relationships. A habitat survey was also conducted using whakaweku (bracken fern bundles) and fyke nets, to generate data on species’ habitat preferences and kōura metrics (e.g., sizes and sex ratios). In addition to fishing, kōura and catfish stomachs were dissected to determine diet. Potential food items of catfish were also collected for stable isotope analysis to estimate dietary overlap between catfish and kōura, and long-term resource acquisition. 

Routine BOPRC fyke netting results indicated that kōura catch per unit effort (CPUE) has declined in Lake Rotoiti, with mean catch rates dropping from 10.6 kōura net-1 night-1 in 2016 to 4.2 kōura net-1 night-1 in 2018. Over the same period, catfish CPUE has increased in the lake, with the highest catch rates in Te Weta Bay, where mean catch rates have increased from 1.1 catfish net-1 night-1 in 2016 to 63.7 catfish net-1 night-1 in 2018. Catfish catch rates were negatively associated with catch rates of kōura (r = −0.180). Mean catfish density also had a significant effect on kōura catch rates, with significantly more kōura being caught at sites without catfish. The negative association between catfish and kōura could be due to catfish eating or competing with kōura, or their differing habitat preferences. Catfish were positively associated with sites that are weedy or muddy and kōura were negatively associated with muddy habitats and were positively associated with rocky habitats. Whakaweku set at shallow depths <1 m in the lake littoral zone were ineffective at catching kōura during the habitat survey. 

Catfish diet consisted largely of chironomid larvae (Chironomidae), detritus, common bullies (Gobiomorphus cotidianus), and to a lesser extent kōura. Kōura were found in 12% of large catfish (>200 mm fork length; FL) stomachs analysed and contributed 5% volumetrically to large catfish diet. Unfortunately, the contribution of kōura to catfish diet could not be established using stable isotopes because isotopic signatures of kōura and bullies were too close to differentiate. Kōura diet consisted primarily of animal remains (common bullies and invertebrates) and detritus. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen revealed that diets of kōura and catfish overlapped, with kōura sharing more of their diet with catfish than vice versa, likely reflecting catfish’s broad diet. This study suggests that catfish are responsible for the recent decline in kōura CPUE in Lake Rotoiti and that catfish are directly and indirectly affecting kōura through predation and competition for shared food resources.

text: Evaluating the effects of invasive brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) on kōura (freshwater crayfish, Paranephrops planifrons) in Lake Rotoiti Brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) are opportunistic carnivores native to North America and were first detected in Te Weta Bay, Lake Rotoiti, in March 2016. A cordon was placed across the bay to try and contain catfish, but they had already established populations elsewhere. Spread of catfish in the lake raised concern for resident populations of freshwater crayfish or kōura (Paranephrops planifrons), which are of ecological and cultural significance to Māori. Given the limited knowledge of the potential impacts of catfish on native biota, this thesis aims to evaluate the effects of catfish on kōura in Lake Rotoiti. To do this, Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) routine fyke netting data was used to explore species trends and relationships. A habitat survey was also conducted using whakaweku (bracken fern bundles) and fyke nets, to generate data on species’ habitat preferences and kōura metrics (e.g., sizes and sex ratios). In addition to fishing, kōura and catfish stomachs were dissected to determine diet. Potential food items of catfish were also collected for stable isotope analysis to estimate dietary overlap between catfish and kōura, and long-term resource acquisition. 

Routine BOPRC fyke netting results indicated that kōura catch per unit effort (CPUE) has declined in Lake Rotoiti, with mean catch rates dropping from 10.6 kōura net-1 night-1 in 2016 to 4.2 kōura net-1 night-1 in 2018. Over the same period, catfish CPUE has increased in the lake, with the highest catch rates in Te Weta Bay, where mean catch rates have increased from 1.1 catfish net-1 night-1 in 2016 to 63.7 catfish net-1 night-1 in 2018. Catfish catch rates were negatively associated with catch rates of kōura (r = −0.180). Mean catfish density also had a significant effect on kōura catch rates, with significantly more kōura being caught at sites without catfish. The negative association between catfish and kōura could be due to catfish eating or competing with kōura, or their differing habitat preferences. Catfish were positively associated with sites that are weedy or muddy and kōura were negatively associated with muddy habitats and were positively associated with rocky habitats. Whakaweku set at shallow depths <1 m in the lake littoral zone were ineffective at catching kōura during the habitat survey. 

Catfish diet consisted largely of chironomid larvae (Chironomidae), detritus, common bullies (Gobiomorphus cotidianus), and to a lesser extent kōura. Kōura were found in 12% of large catfish (>200 mm fork length; FL) stomachs analysed and contributed 5% volumetrically to large catfish diet. Unfortunately, the contribution of kōura to catfish diet could not be established using stable isotopes because isotopic signatures of kōura and bullies were too close to differentiate. Kōura diet consisted primarily of animal remains (common bullies and invertebrates) and detritus. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen revealed that diets of kōura and catfish overlapped, with kōura sharing more of their diet with catfish than vice versa, likely reflecting catfish’s broad diet. This study suggests that catfish are responsible for the recent decline in kōura CPUE in Lake Rotoiti and that catfish are directly and indirectly affecting kōura through predation and competition for shared food resources.

year: 2019