title: Reducing the external environmental costs of pastoral farming in New Zealand: experiences from the Te Arawa lakes, Rotorua

authors: Abell, Jonathan Michael

subjects: agriculture

abstract: Decades of nutrient pollution have caused water quality to decline in the nationally iconic Te Arawa (Rotorua) lakes in New Zealand. Pastoral agriculture is a major nutrient source, and therefore this degradation represents an external environmental cost to intensive farming. This cost is borne by the wider community, and a major publically funded remediation programme is now under way. This article describes the range of actions being taken to reduce nutrient loads from internal (lake bed sediments) and external (primarily diffuse) sources in the lake catchments. The high economic cost and uncertain efficacy of engineering-based actions to reduce internal nutrient loads is highlighted. Major changes to land management practices to control diffuse nutrient pollution are required throughout New Zealand if the need for costly and lengthy remediation programmes elsewhere is to be avoided. More action to educate farmers and the public about eutrophication issues, development and enforcement of environmental standards, and further consideration of the use of market-based instruments are proposed as ways to correct the current market failure.

text: Reducing the external environmental costs of pastoral farming in New Zealand: experiences from the Te Arawa lakes, Rotorua Decades of nutrient pollution have caused water quality to decline in the nationally iconic Te Arawa (Rotorua) lakes in New Zealand. Pastoral agriculture is a major nutrient source, and therefore this degradation represents an external environmental cost to intensive farming. This cost is borne by the wider community, and a major publically funded remediation programme is now under way. This article describes the range of actions being taken to reduce nutrient loads from internal (lake bed sediments) and external (primarily diffuse) sources in the lake catchments. The high economic cost and uncertain efficacy of engineering-based actions to reduce internal nutrient loads is highlighted. Major changes to land management practices to control diffuse nutrient pollution are required throughout New Zealand if the need for costly and lengthy remediation programmes elsewhere is to be avoided. More action to educate farmers and the public about eutrophication issues, development and enforcement of environmental standards, and further consideration of the use of market-based instruments are proposed as ways to correct the current market failure.

year: 2011

title: Corporate social responsibility practices in a developing country: Empirical evidence from Sri Lanka

authors: Fernando, Susith Jude

subjects: Corporate Social Responsibility

abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to extend the understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance and disclosure practices, particularly from a developing country perspective. The study captures deeply rooted sociocultural influences affecting the CSR practice by managers of Sri Lankan companies, and makes a comparison with findings from those of a developed country, New Zealand. It also provides empirical insights into how CSR practices are shaped by both local and global forces.

The empirical study of this thesis was carried out in two phases, adopting a mixed methodology approach. In the first phase, a questionnaire survey of listed companies was conducted to examine the current status quo of CSR practices. The questionnaire was adapted from one used in New Zealand, for comparative purposes. Following an interpretive paradigm in the second phase, follow-up interviews with senior managers were conducted and analysed to explore their own perspectives of adopting CSR practices.

In the questionnaire survey, it was found that environmental CSR practices are disappointing compared to socially-related CSR practices; corporate managers’ personal values significantly drive the adoption of CSR practices and such values are more significant than other drivers in Sri Lankan-owned companies than in foreign-owned companies. The results of the comparative analysis led to the conclusion that the level of economic development of a country could be a possible predictor for the level of CSR practices, although further research evidence would be required to confirm this conclusion. Through analysis of indepth interviews, five defining characteristics pertaining to the CSR practices in Sri Lanka were identified as themes. Legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory, and institutional theory were drawn on to explore these themes and the interview evidence was explained through these multitheoretical perspectives. The CSR behaviour of the companies with international connections can be explained by employing these mainstream CSR theories to a greater extent than is the case with local companies. The thesis argued that Sri Lankan managers are inspired and influenced by the Sri Lankan culture and traditions of philanthropic giving (dana) which historically flourished within Buddhist teachings and ethics. In Sri Lanka, what was once referred to as “philanthropy” has now been refashioned as “sustainability” or “corporate social responsibility”.

There have been few studies of CSR practices in developing countries. Those that have been conducted have lacked engagement with the organisations involved and have rarely tested the applicability of mainstream CSR theories. As a response, this thesis contributes to the literature by extending theoretical and empirical understanding of CSR practices.

text: Corporate social responsibility practices in a developing country: Empirical evidence from Sri Lanka The purpose of this thesis is to extend the understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance and disclosure practices, particularly from a developing country perspective. The study captures deeply rooted sociocultural influences affecting the CSR practice by managers of Sri Lankan companies, and makes a comparison with findings from those of a developed country, New Zealand. It also provides empirical insights into how CSR practices are shaped by both local and global forces.

The empirical study of this thesis was carried out in two phases, adopting a mixed methodology approach. In the first phase, a questionnaire survey of listed companies was conducted to examine the current status quo of CSR practices. The questionnaire was adapted from one used in New Zealand, for comparative purposes. Following an interpretive paradigm in the second phase, follow-up interviews with senior managers were conducted and analysed to explore their own perspectives of adopting CSR practices.

In the questionnaire survey, it was found that environmental CSR practices are disappointing compared to socially-related CSR practices; corporate managers’ personal values significantly drive the adoption of CSR practices and such values are more significant than other drivers in Sri Lankan-owned companies than in foreign-owned companies. The results of the comparative analysis led to the conclusion that the level of economic development of a country could be a possible predictor for the level of CSR practices, although further research evidence would be required to confirm this conclusion. Through analysis of indepth interviews, five defining characteristics pertaining to the CSR practices in Sri Lanka were identified as themes. Legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory, and institutional theory were drawn on to explore these themes and the interview evidence was explained through these multitheoretical perspectives. The CSR behaviour of the companies with international connections can be explained by employing these mainstream CSR theories to a greater extent than is the case with local companies. The thesis argued that Sri Lankan managers are inspired and influenced by the Sri Lankan culture and traditions of philanthropic giving (dana) which historically flourished within Buddhist teachings and ethics. In Sri Lanka, what was once referred to as “philanthropy” has now been refashioned as “sustainability” or “corporate social responsibility”.

There have been few studies of CSR practices in developing countries. Those that have been conducted have lacked engagement with the organisations involved and have rarely tested the applicability of mainstream CSR theories. As a response, this thesis contributes to the literature by extending theoretical and empirical understanding of CSR practices.

year: 2013

title: Translated identities: 'Pakeha' as subjects of the Treaty of Waitangi

authors: Goldsmith, Michael

subjects: Treaty of Waitangi

abstract: The politics of translation is clearly a perennial focus of debate in New Zealand, as shown by thematic links between the New Zealand social anthropology conferences at Waikato in 1990 and Auckland in 2004. Of the many issues of translation swirling around ongoing attempts to interpret the Treaty of Waitangi, a surprisingly neglected one concerns the identities of the people on behalf of whom the Crown signed the Treaty. The term 'Pakeha' appears only once in the Treaty, the question of whom it refers to is by no means straightforward, and it would be unwise to presume that it had the same range of meanings in 1840 as it does in present-day biculturalism. This point is demonstrated by a re-reading of historical material concerning the parties present at or implicated in the signing of the Treaty, including the so-called Pakeha Maori.

text: Translated identities: 'Pakeha' as subjects of the Treaty of Waitangi The politics of translation is clearly a perennial focus of debate in New Zealand, as shown by thematic links between the New Zealand social anthropology conferences at Waikato in 1990 and Auckland in 2004. Of the many issues of translation swirling around ongoing attempts to interpret the Treaty of Waitangi, a surprisingly neglected one concerns the identities of the people on behalf of whom the Crown signed the Treaty. The term 'Pakeha' appears only once in the Treaty, the question of whom it refers to is by no means straightforward, and it would be unwise to presume that it had the same range of meanings in 1840 as it does in present-day biculturalism. This point is demonstrated by a re-reading of historical material concerning the parties present at or implicated in the signing of the Treaty, including the so-called Pakeha Maori.

year: 2005