title: Interspecific competitive interactions between Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus

authors: Foster, Stacey Patricia

subjects: Rattus rattus

abstract: Interspecific competition is observed when one species experiences reduced survivorship or fecundity, due to another controlling access to resources either through being superior at harvesting a shared resource (exploitation competition), or physically preventing the other species from accessing the resource, either through territory defence, or aggressive behaviour (interference competition).
The aim of this project was to investigate the idea that a balance of exploitation competition and interference competition working together contributes to governing the current distribution of ship rats and Norway rats in New Zealand.
The ship rat is the most abundant species, being widespread in native forest, while the Norway rat is largely restricted to farm buildings, rubbish tips, riparian sites and wharves.
Chapter Two aimed to test the null hypothesis that there are no differences in the ability of the two species to harvest resources above the ground in native forest. An artificial forest was created with stands of various heights, representing small trees; with inter connecting ropes of various widths to represent branches rats might encounter in the forest. Individual rats were placed in the artificial forest and their activity recorded during the night. As expected, ship rats were significantly faster climbing up and down all the stands, as well as being faster traversing the various ropes. They also utilised the artificial forest much more than Norway rats. This ability of the ship rat to utilise this habitat may give them advantages in exploitation competition.
Chapter Three aimed to test which species is superior at inference competition, when they meet on the ground. This was done using two methods: (1) inter- and intra- specific staged encounters in a small box, with a rat at each end, separated by a partition, with the rats behaviour remotely recorded, and (2) placement of the scent of the opposite species or the actual animal in a self contained cage somewhere within the artificial forest, which was used in the previous chapter. Ship rats appeared to be disturbed by the presence of Norway rats in the artificial forest, but they ignored displays of aggressive behaviour exhibited by the Norway rats during the staged encounters.
Chapter Four describes an attempt to validate the results found in Chapters Two and Three in the wild, under natural conditions. A 480 metre long trap line, with 17 trap stations, 30 metres apart was placed on Rahui Island, Lake Waikareiti. Each station consisted of two Victor snap traps with covers, one on the ground and one 2.0 metres above the ground on a platform, with seven trapping nights. Ship rats were trapped on the forest floor and 2.0 metres above the ground, while only one Norway rat was trapped, on the forest floor.
Chapter Five summarises the results from the previous chapters and also outlines possible avenues for future research in this area. The results described in this thesis are consistent with the prediction that the distribution of both species in New Zealand is governed by shifting advantages of exploitation competition and interference competition, mediated by habitat.

text: Interspecific competitive interactions between Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus Interspecific competition is observed when one species experiences reduced survivorship or fecundity, due to another controlling access to resources either through being superior at harvesting a shared resource (exploitation competition), or physically preventing the other species from accessing the resource, either through territory defence, or aggressive behaviour (interference competition).
The aim of this project was to investigate the idea that a balance of exploitation competition and interference competition working together contributes to governing the current distribution of ship rats and Norway rats in New Zealand.
The ship rat is the most abundant species, being widespread in native forest, while the Norway rat is largely restricted to farm buildings, rubbish tips, riparian sites and wharves.
Chapter Two aimed to test the null hypothesis that there are no differences in the ability of the two species to harvest resources above the ground in native forest. An artificial forest was created with stands of various heights, representing small trees; with inter connecting ropes of various widths to represent branches rats might encounter in the forest. Individual rats were placed in the artificial forest and their activity recorded during the night. As expected, ship rats were significantly faster climbing up and down all the stands, as well as being faster traversing the various ropes. They also utilised the artificial forest much more than Norway rats. This ability of the ship rat to utilise this habitat may give them advantages in exploitation competition.
Chapter Three aimed to test which species is superior at inference competition, when they meet on the ground. This was done using two methods: (1) inter- and intra- specific staged encounters in a small box, with a rat at each end, separated by a partition, with the rats behaviour remotely recorded, and (2) placement of the scent of the opposite species or the actual animal in a self contained cage somewhere within the artificial forest, which was used in the previous chapter. Ship rats appeared to be disturbed by the presence of Norway rats in the artificial forest, but they ignored displays of aggressive behaviour exhibited by the Norway rats during the staged encounters.
Chapter Four describes an attempt to validate the results found in Chapters Two and Three in the wild, under natural conditions. A 480 metre long trap line, with 17 trap stations, 30 metres apart was placed on Rahui Island, Lake Waikareiti. Each station consisted of two Victor snap traps with covers, one on the ground and one 2.0 metres above the ground on a platform, with seven trapping nights. Ship rats were trapped on the forest floor and 2.0 metres above the ground, while only one Norway rat was trapped, on the forest floor.
Chapter Five summarises the results from the previous chapters and also outlines possible avenues for future research in this area. The results described in this thesis are consistent with the prediction that the distribution of both species in New Zealand is governed by shifting advantages of exploitation competition and interference competition, mediated by habitat.

year: 2010

title: A mixed digital / physical snapshot of early internet / web usage in New Zealand

authors: Cunningham, Sally Jo

subjects: computer science

abstract: We are in the early stages of developing a unique physical and digital record of New Zealand's early experience of the Internet.

text: A mixed digital / physical snapshot of early internet / web usage in New Zealand We are in the early stages of developing a unique physical and digital record of New Zealand's early experience of the Internet.

year: 2009

title: Understanding Māori rights and interests in intellectual property arising from research and innovation

authors: Sterling, Rogena

abstract: In the era of big data, the significance of data as a raw material for production and a source of societal and economic value has grown immensely. Advances in data mining, analytics, computing power, and storage capacity have facilitated broader access and utilization of big data for corporate and governmental purposes. This surge aligns with the knowledge economy, emphasizing knowledge-intensive activities to drive economic growth, a focus underscored in the latest Government Strategy.

However, as the knowledge economy expands, concerns arise about equity, Treaty partnerships, and the need to address issues of Māori data sovereignty and Indigenous data sovereignty. Discussions around Māori data sovereignty emphasize the importance of Māori control over various forms of Māori data, such as Mātauranga Māori, taonga species, and administrative data. Organizations like Te Mana Raraunga have been instrumental in developing principles and audit tools to support Māori data sovereignty.

Amidst these developments, questions have surfaced about the protection of Māori intellectual property (IP) within Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly outlined in the WAI262 report. This report, funded by Genomics Aotearoa and the National Science Challenge Science for Technological Innovation, aims to address these concerns. The project includes a literature review examining national legislation and international agreements constituting New Zealand's Intellectual Property Rights regime. This review explores how these frameworks safeguard Māori IP rights concerning Māori data, genomic data, and Mātauranga Māori. The second component involves a survey targeting research institutions to assess the presence of IP policies protecting Māori data in research and innovation processes.

The report provides a concise summary of the literature review and survey findings, with the overarching goal of assisting institutions in developing policies that safeguard Māori rights over their knowledge and data. The objective is to ensure equitable benefit-sharing throughout the innovation processes and address the evolving landscape of data sovereignty.

text: Understanding Māori rights and interests in intellectual property arising from research and innovation In the era of big data, the significance of data as a raw material for production and a source of societal and economic value has grown immensely. Advances in data mining, analytics, computing power, and storage capacity have facilitated broader access and utilization of big data for corporate and governmental purposes. This surge aligns with the knowledge economy, emphasizing knowledge-intensive activities to drive economic growth, a focus underscored in the latest Government Strategy.

However, as the knowledge economy expands, concerns arise about equity, Treaty partnerships, and the need to address issues of Māori data sovereignty and Indigenous data sovereignty. Discussions around Māori data sovereignty emphasize the importance of Māori control over various forms of Māori data, such as Mātauranga Māori, taonga species, and administrative data. Organizations like Te Mana Raraunga have been instrumental in developing principles and audit tools to support Māori data sovereignty.

Amidst these developments, questions have surfaced about the protection of Māori intellectual property (IP) within Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly outlined in the WAI262 report. This report, funded by Genomics Aotearoa and the National Science Challenge Science for Technological Innovation, aims to address these concerns. The project includes a literature review examining national legislation and international agreements constituting New Zealand's Intellectual Property Rights regime. This review explores how these frameworks safeguard Māori IP rights concerning Māori data, genomic data, and Mātauranga Māori. The second component involves a survey targeting research institutions to assess the presence of IP policies protecting Māori data in research and innovation processes.

The report provides a concise summary of the literature review and survey findings, with the overarching goal of assisting institutions in developing policies that safeguard Māori rights over their knowledge and data. The objective is to ensure equitable benefit-sharing throughout the innovation processes and address the evolving landscape of data sovereignty.

year: 2021-05