title: The cultural and ecological health of the Tokaanu Stream

authors: Eastwood, Kevin

abstract: Freshwater ecosystems worldwide face increasing threats from human activities like land development and altered flow regimes. These pressures, along with climate change, jeopardize water quality and quantity. Despite these challenges, effective management can improve water quality and habitat, thus sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Lake Taupō, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest freshwater lake, holds immense significance for the local iwi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa. The Tokaanu Stream is a tributary of Lake Taupō that was once considered a premier fly-fishing spot. However, the stream has been severely impacted by the Tongariro Power Scheme, which required it to be bisected and channelized to accommodate the Tokaanu tailrace. Coupled with land-use changes in the catchment, these alterations have caused the local hapū, Ngāti Kurauia, who have mana whenua over the lower stream, to raise concerns about its ecological and cultural degradation. To address this problem, I developed a cultural monitoring framework (CMF) in collaboration with Ngāti Kurauia, alongside conventional stream monitoring, at six sites in the lower Tokaanu Stream.
The bespoke CMF was developed through kōrero and wānanga (discussions and workshops) with Ngāti Kurauia. This participatory approach resulted in a CMF with 16 attributes covering vegetation, birdlife, water quality, pollution, engineering, and substrate. Regular assessments revealed a longitudinal decline in stream condition from the most upstream site (Site 1) to the most downstream (Site 6). The state of Site 3 was identified as the most desirable, whilst Site 5 was the most degraded.
Alongside the CMF, I assessed stream health using conventional scientific measures. This monitoring also showed a longitudinal decline in stream ecosystem health moving downstream. Water quality worsened, with indicator bacteria increasing from 45 to 190 CFU/100 ml and total ammoniacal nitrogen from 0.029 to 0.125 g/m3 over the 4 km segment. Deposited fine sediment cover was high, increasing from 69% cover at Site 1 to 83% at Site 6. Cellulose degradation rates (a functional indicator) were diminished at Sites 5 and 6 in both years, even with warming from geothermal springs. Macroinvertebrate communities, monitored in 2023 and 2024, initially showed a linear decline moving downstream in 2023. However, in-stream remediation in early 2024, undertaken by a private contractor, significantly improved macroinvertebrate indicators at impacted sites (Sites 4-6).
The challenges facing the Tokaanu Stream are complex, stemming from geothermal inputs, urbanisation, upstream agriculture, and channelization. Declining water quality may be linked to faulty sewage infrastructure in Tokaanu Village. The stream's diversion includes a tailrace spillway that prevents larger downstream flows, potentially reducing scouring events crucial for natural sediment dynamics. These changes have significant ecological and cultural ramifications for Ngāti Kurauia.
To better understand and address these issues, I argue for an additional downstream State of the Environment (SOE) monitoring site. The current site, near the upstream spring, fails to capture the full impact of catchment inputs, including diffuse pollution from Tokaanu Village and altered sediment dynamics from the diversion. An additional SOE site, coupled with the findings of my thesis, would provide crucial knowledge to support efforts in restoring the Tokaanu Stream's ecological health and the mana of Ngāti Kurauia.

text: The cultural and ecological health of the Tokaanu Stream Freshwater ecosystems worldwide face increasing threats from human activities like land development and altered flow regimes. These pressures, along with climate change, jeopardize water quality and quantity. Despite these challenges, effective management can improve water quality and habitat, thus sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Lake Taupō, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest freshwater lake, holds immense significance for the local iwi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa. The Tokaanu Stream is a tributary of Lake Taupō that was once considered a premier fly-fishing spot. However, the stream has been severely impacted by the Tongariro Power Scheme, which required it to be bisected and channelized to accommodate the Tokaanu tailrace. Coupled with land-use changes in the catchment, these alterations have caused the local hapū, Ngāti Kurauia, who have mana whenua over the lower stream, to raise concerns about its ecological and cultural degradation. To address this problem, I developed a cultural monitoring framework (CMF) in collaboration with Ngāti Kurauia, alongside conventional stream monitoring, at six sites in the lower Tokaanu Stream.
The bespoke CMF was developed through kōrero and wānanga (discussions and workshops) with Ngāti Kurauia. This participatory approach resulted in a CMF with 16 attributes covering vegetation, birdlife, water quality, pollution, engineering, and substrate. Regular assessments revealed a longitudinal decline in stream condition from the most upstream site (Site 1) to the most downstream (Site 6). The state of Site 3 was identified as the most desirable, whilst Site 5 was the most degraded.
Alongside the CMF, I assessed stream health using conventional scientific measures. This monitoring also showed a longitudinal decline in stream ecosystem health moving downstream. Water quality worsened, with indicator bacteria increasing from 45 to 190 CFU/100 ml and total ammoniacal nitrogen from 0.029 to 0.125 g/m3 over the 4 km segment. Deposited fine sediment cover was high, increasing from 69% cover at Site 1 to 83% at Site 6. Cellulose degradation rates (a functional indicator) were diminished at Sites 5 and 6 in both years, even with warming from geothermal springs. Macroinvertebrate communities, monitored in 2023 and 2024, initially showed a linear decline moving downstream in 2023. However, in-stream remediation in early 2024, undertaken by a private contractor, significantly improved macroinvertebrate indicators at impacted sites (Sites 4-6).
The challenges facing the Tokaanu Stream are complex, stemming from geothermal inputs, urbanisation, upstream agriculture, and channelization. Declining water quality may be linked to faulty sewage infrastructure in Tokaanu Village. The stream's diversion includes a tailrace spillway that prevents larger downstream flows, potentially reducing scouring events crucial for natural sediment dynamics. These changes have significant ecological and cultural ramifications for Ngāti Kurauia.
To better understand and address these issues, I argue for an additional downstream State of the Environment (SOE) monitoring site. The current site, near the upstream spring, fails to capture the full impact of catchment inputs, including diffuse pollution from Tokaanu Village and altered sediment dynamics from the diversion. An additional SOE site, coupled with the findings of my thesis, would provide crucial knowledge to support efforts in restoring the Tokaanu Stream's ecological health and the mana of Ngāti Kurauia.

year: 2025

title: Wāhine Māori engagement with literacies

authors: Masters-Awatere, Bridgette

subjects: Literacy

abstract: Wāhine Māori engagement with literacies (2023) is a case study report in collaboration with Te Whakaruruhau. It has been undertaken as part of a larger project, The expression, experience and transcendence of low skills in Aotearoa New Zealand (2019–2024), the aim of which is to provide policy recommendations to improve life-course trajectories and socio-economic outcomes for adults with low literacy and numeracy skills in Aotearoa New Zealand. Broadly speaking, Wāhine Māori engagement with literacy examines the framing and application of literacy measures in contemporary New Zealand culture. More specifically, it is about the lives and learning of wāhine (women) Māori (the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) within that culture and their attitudes towards, and complex relationships with, literacy as it is defined in their own lives and in the current setting. The study aims for a holistic understanding of lived literacies in driving the development of educational policies by public institutions and private groups. Reframing literacy as literacies is posited as a means to empower marginalised groups and to challenge the dominance of the Eurocentric education paradigm. Formal learning in English-language schools cannot be the extent of national literacy standards as it disregards Māori epistemological and ontological realities and can discount wāhine, many of whom may prioritise other modes of literacy. Centring their perspectives will bring about a more culturally inclusive future, one that makes space for the development of emotional and cultural literacies—as well as other forms such as digital, media, visual, financial, and health literacies—alongside the conventional version of literacy that has a monopoly in the present system.

text: Wāhine Māori engagement with literacies Wāhine Māori engagement with literacies (2023) is a case study report in collaboration with Te Whakaruruhau. It has been undertaken as part of a larger project, The expression, experience and transcendence of low skills in Aotearoa New Zealand (2019–2024), the aim of which is to provide policy recommendations to improve life-course trajectories and socio-economic outcomes for adults with low literacy and numeracy skills in Aotearoa New Zealand. Broadly speaking, Wāhine Māori engagement with literacy examines the framing and application of literacy measures in contemporary New Zealand culture. More specifically, it is about the lives and learning of wāhine (women) Māori (the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) within that culture and their attitudes towards, and complex relationships with, literacy as it is defined in their own lives and in the current setting. The study aims for a holistic understanding of lived literacies in driving the development of educational policies by public institutions and private groups. Reframing literacy as literacies is posited as a means to empower marginalised groups and to challenge the dominance of the Eurocentric education paradigm. Formal learning in English-language schools cannot be the extent of national literacy standards as it disregards Māori epistemological and ontological realities and can discount wāhine, many of whom may prioritise other modes of literacy. Centring their perspectives will bring about a more culturally inclusive future, one that makes space for the development of emotional and cultural literacies—as well as other forms such as digital, media, visual, financial, and health literacies—alongside the conventional version of literacy that has a monopoly in the present system.

year: 2023-09-28

title: Understanding how ableism impacts inclusion of autistic children in ECE in New Zealand

authors: Sharma, Silky

subjects: ECE

abstract: Research shows that, despite the promise of inclusive early childhood education (ECE) in national and international legislation, disabled children and their families are still marginalised in ECE (Lyons, 2021; Macartney, 2011, 2019; Purdue, 2009). Recent work in Critical Disability Studies (CDS) and Disability Studies in Education (DSE) has connected this ongoing marginalisation of disabled children to the bias associated with ableism. Ableism is influenced by the ideology of normalcy, which produces the notion of a ‘normal’ child, and simultaneously conceptualises a disabled child as ‘other’ in relation to their rights and participation. However, ableism and its impact on excluding disabled children and their families in ECE have been given little acknowledgement (Love & Beneke, 2021; Macartney, 2019). To address this gap, this study investigates whether and how ableism operates in an ECE setting in New Zealand, in order to understand its impact on the inclusion of autistic children and their families. Additionally, this study explores how disability awareness and critical reflection on their practices can help teachers support inclusive practices for autistic children. The study also analyses key policy documents in early childhood education and special education. 
 
 This study adopted the theoretical frameworks of Disability Studies in Education (DSE) and ableism. DSE challenges ableist ideologies and practices that dehumanise disabled children and focuses on the role of educational settings and broader society in supporting inclusion (Baglieri & Bacon, 2020). The research uses two data sets i) two policy documents, Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education (MoE), 2017) and Success for All (MoE, 2010), and ii) a case study within an ECE setting. The methods used to collect case study data included individual interviews with staff as well as a parent of an autistic child; video recordings and observations of interactions with autistic children in the ECE setting; a teachers’ focus group discussion; and analysis of documents written and used in the ECE setting. The analytical tools of thematic analysis and Fairclough’s (1995, 2003) approach of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) were used to identify the discourses of ableism within both data sets. The thesis examines how these discourses as social practices disrupted the inclusion of autistic children.  
 
The findings indicate evidence of ableism operating in ECE policies and interactions in the ECE setting via the dominant discourses of developmental psychology, the medical model of disability, special education, and neoliberalism, and indicate that these discourses inform disablist practices that negatively impact the inclusion of autistic children. The findings also highlight that disability awareness and providing space, time and collaborative support to teachers for critically reflecting on their practices can positively change their thinking towards autistic children and empower them to affect changes in their teaching. A key argument is that the theoretical understanding developed in this study draws attention to the importance of the DSE framework in recognising and challenging ableism and reorienting thinking around inclusion in ECE policy and practice. Accordingly, the study offers theoretical ideas that can be used to work against ableism and promote inclusive practice for autistic and other disabled children.

text: Understanding how ableism impacts inclusion of autistic children in ECE in New Zealand Research shows that, despite the promise of inclusive early childhood education (ECE) in national and international legislation, disabled children and their families are still marginalised in ECE (Lyons, 2021; Macartney, 2011, 2019; Purdue, 2009). Recent work in Critical Disability Studies (CDS) and Disability Studies in Education (DSE) has connected this ongoing marginalisation of disabled children to the bias associated with ableism. Ableism is influenced by the ideology of normalcy, which produces the notion of a ‘normal’ child, and simultaneously conceptualises a disabled child as ‘other’ in relation to their rights and participation. However, ableism and its impact on excluding disabled children and their families in ECE have been given little acknowledgement (Love & Beneke, 2021; Macartney, 2019). To address this gap, this study investigates whether and how ableism operates in an ECE setting in New Zealand, in order to understand its impact on the inclusion of autistic children and their families. Additionally, this study explores how disability awareness and critical reflection on their practices can help teachers support inclusive practices for autistic children. The study also analyses key policy documents in early childhood education and special education. 
 
 This study adopted the theoretical frameworks of Disability Studies in Education (DSE) and ableism. DSE challenges ableist ideologies and practices that dehumanise disabled children and focuses on the role of educational settings and broader society in supporting inclusion (Baglieri & Bacon, 2020). The research uses two data sets i) two policy documents, Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education (MoE), 2017) and Success for All (MoE, 2010), and ii) a case study within an ECE setting. The methods used to collect case study data included individual interviews with staff as well as a parent of an autistic child; video recordings and observations of interactions with autistic children in the ECE setting; a teachers’ focus group discussion; and analysis of documents written and used in the ECE setting. The analytical tools of thematic analysis and Fairclough’s (1995, 2003) approach of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) were used to identify the discourses of ableism within both data sets. The thesis examines how these discourses as social practices disrupted the inclusion of autistic children.  
 
The findings indicate evidence of ableism operating in ECE policies and interactions in the ECE setting via the dominant discourses of developmental psychology, the medical model of disability, special education, and neoliberalism, and indicate that these discourses inform disablist practices that negatively impact the inclusion of autistic children. The findings also highlight that disability awareness and providing space, time and collaborative support to teachers for critically reflecting on their practices can positively change their thinking towards autistic children and empower them to affect changes in their teaching. A key argument is that the theoretical understanding developed in this study draws attention to the importance of the DSE framework in recognising and challenging ableism and reorienting thinking around inclusion in ECE policy and practice. Accordingly, the study offers theoretical ideas that can be used to work against ableism and promote inclusive practice for autistic and other disabled children.

year: 2023