title: Co-opting or valuing the indigenous voice through translation? A decision for research teams

authors: Kidd, Jacquie

subjects: Māori

abstract: Although te reo Māori is an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand, translation of research material such as information sheets, consent forms and questionnaires into te reo Māori remains highly variable. Translation tends to occur in research projects where Māori lead the work and that exclusively focus on Māori communities and topics. Translations are not offered or undertaken as a matter of course for all research. As a team of Māori and Indigenous researchers working within the health sector, we believe that there are important questions that need to be explored around the practice of using Indigenous languages, rich in similes and metaphors, to convey English/Western concepts/constructs/ideologies. In this paper, we draw on the story of one project to deconstruct and challenge the hegemonic terms through which translation of research material occurs. We explore the messages that translated material sends to potential research participants.
We contend that the choice about whether to translate research material into te reo Māori is one that should be undertaken within a robust decision-making framework that considers the reasons for a translation and its impact on the participants. Translation should not be undertaken primarily to attract Māori participants, but should reliably signal that the research is being undertaken in a way that honours a Māori worldview.

text: Co-opting or valuing the indigenous voice through translation? A decision for research teams Although te reo Māori is an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand, translation of research material such as information sheets, consent forms and questionnaires into te reo Māori remains highly variable. Translation tends to occur in research projects where Māori lead the work and that exclusively focus on Māori communities and topics. Translations are not offered or undertaken as a matter of course for all research. As a team of Māori and Indigenous researchers working within the health sector, we believe that there are important questions that need to be explored around the practice of using Indigenous languages, rich in similes and metaphors, to convey English/Western concepts/constructs/ideologies. In this paper, we draw on the story of one project to deconstruct and challenge the hegemonic terms through which translation of research material occurs. We explore the messages that translated material sends to potential research participants.
We contend that the choice about whether to translate research material into te reo Māori is one that should be undertaken within a robust decision-making framework that considers the reasons for a translation and its impact on the participants. Translation should not be undertaken primarily to attract Māori participants, but should reliably signal that the research is being undertaken in a way that honours a Māori worldview.

year: 2019

title: The piano as cultural symbol in colonial New Zealand

authors: Moffat, Kirstine

subjects: piano

abstract: The piano was an important cultural symbol in colonial New Zealand, yet although there is a significant body of international scholarship on the social and cultural history of the instrument in Britain, America, Canada, Norway, Spain and India there is a dearth of scholarly criticism relating to New Zealand. Research to redress this absence has revealed that the piano was central to settler culture, demonstrating a migrant desire to replicate the known and familiar but also highlighting settler innovations and an emerging nationalism. International connections between New Zealand, Britain, Western Europe, America and Australia are also apparent in relation to migrant patterns, the importation of instruments and sheet music and networks of musical performance and study. The instrument played a role in the complex dynamic of cultural encounter between Maori and settler, with an initial indigenous negativity and bemusement giving way to an interest in the piano and an appropriation of the instrument into Maori cultural contexts and spaces, including the marae. Prevailing perceptions of gender roles and identity are also challenged by research on the piano. Likewise, an examination of piano and class reveals that the instrument was popular with New Zealanders from all socio-economic backgrounds.

text: The piano as cultural symbol in colonial New Zealand The piano was an important cultural symbol in colonial New Zealand, yet although there is a significant body of international scholarship on the social and cultural history of the instrument in Britain, America, Canada, Norway, Spain and India there is a dearth of scholarly criticism relating to New Zealand. Research to redress this absence has revealed that the piano was central to settler culture, demonstrating a migrant desire to replicate the known and familiar but also highlighting settler innovations and an emerging nationalism. International connections between New Zealand, Britain, Western Europe, America and Australia are also apparent in relation to migrant patterns, the importation of instruments and sheet music and networks of musical performance and study. The instrument played a role in the complex dynamic of cultural encounter between Maori and settler, with an initial indigenous negativity and bemusement giving way to an interest in the piano and an appropriation of the instrument into Maori cultural contexts and spaces, including the marae. Prevailing perceptions of gender roles and identity are also challenged by research on the piano. Likewise, an examination of piano and class reveals that the instrument was popular with New Zealanders from all socio-economic backgrounds.

year: 2009

title: Resting metabolic rate prediction equations and the validity to assess energy deficiency in the athlete population

authors: Schofield, Katherine Lesley

subjects: Science & Technology

abstract: Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the amount of energy the body uses at rest. A suppressed RMR has been correlated with low energy availability and therefore used as an indicator of an individual's energy state. Furthermore, confounding identification of low energy availability within an athletic population are the physiological measures required, which can be time consuming and require professional expertise. To negate the demands of laboratory protocols in measuring RMR, predicted RMR (pRMR) equations were developed. Caution should be exercised when applying the pRMR equations for determining low energy availability in athletes owing to the population used to develop the equations and the higher metabolic cost of fat‐free mass, thus elevated RMR, associated with athletes. Moreover, a low ratio of measured RMR to pRMR is often used as an alternative marker for energy deficiency. Predictive equations should implement fat‐free mass within the algorithm when estimating RMR in athletic populations. The purpose of this paper is to describe pRMR equation development and the issues associated with use of pRMR equations for athletic populations. As professional sport increases, validation of pRMR equations in the modern athlete population is needed to monitor energy availability for athletic health and performance.

text: Resting metabolic rate prediction equations and the validity to assess energy deficiency in the athlete population Resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the amount of energy the body uses at rest. A suppressed RMR has been correlated with low energy availability and therefore used as an indicator of an individual's energy state. Furthermore, confounding identification of low energy availability within an athletic population are the physiological measures required, which can be time consuming and require professional expertise. To negate the demands of laboratory protocols in measuring RMR, predicted RMR (pRMR) equations were developed. Caution should be exercised when applying the pRMR equations for determining low energy availability in athletes owing to the population used to develop the equations and the higher metabolic cost of fat‐free mass, thus elevated RMR, associated with athletes. Moreover, a low ratio of measured RMR to pRMR is often used as an alternative marker for energy deficiency. Predictive equations should implement fat‐free mass within the algorithm when estimating RMR in athletic populations. The purpose of this paper is to describe pRMR equation development and the issues associated with use of pRMR equations for athletic populations. As professional sport increases, validation of pRMR equations in the modern athlete population is needed to monitor energy availability for athletic health and performance.

year: 2019