title: Cricket bowling: A two-segment Lagrangian model

authors: Ferdinands, R. E. D.

subjects: cricket

abstract: In this study, a Lagrangian forward solution of the bowling arm in cricket is made using a two-segment rigid body model, coupled with projectile equations for the free flight of the ball. For given initial arm positions and constant joint torques, the equations are solved numerically to determine the ball speed and arm angle at release so that the ball can land on a predetermined position on the pitch. The model was driven with kinematic data from video obtained from an elite bowler. The model can be analysed in order to study the biomechanics of the bowling arm as well as to quantify the effects of changing input parameters on the trajectory and speed of the ball.

text: Cricket bowling: A two-segment Lagrangian model In this study, a Lagrangian forward solution of the bowling arm in cricket is made using a two-segment rigid body model, coupled with projectile equations for the free flight of the ball. For given initial arm positions and constant joint torques, the equations are solved numerically to determine the ball speed and arm angle at release so that the ball can land on a predetermined position on the pitch. The model was driven with kinematic data from video obtained from an elite bowler. The model can be analysed in order to study the biomechanics of the bowling arm as well as to quantify the effects of changing input parameters on the trajectory and speed of the ball.

year: 2000

title: Assessing habitat suitability for karure | kakaruia | Chatham Island black robin (Petroica traversi): Integrating invertebrate surveys, DNA metabarcoding, and foraging ecology

authors: Teague, Caleb

subjects: Chatham Islands

abstract: The karure | kakaruia | Chatham Island black robin (Petroica traversi) is one of New Zealand's most remarkable conservation achievements, recovering from a mere five birds in 1980 to around 330 today. However, the species remains Nationally Critical and restricted to two small islands, making establishment of additional populations essential for long-term prosperity. A previous translocation attempt to Rangiauria | Rangiaotea |Pitt Island failed, with inadequate food resources hypothesised as a contributing factor, yet black robin dietary requirements and prey availability at potential translocation sites remain poorly understood. This study integrated invertebrate community surveys, DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples, and behavioural observations to characterise black robin diet, foraging behaviour and food availability, aiming to assess habitat suitability across the Chatham Islands. 
In Chapter Two I examined invertebrate communities across four forested sites across the Chatham Island archipelago; the currently inhabited Woolshed Bush and Top Bush on Hokorereoro | Rangatira | Southeast Island, previously failed translocation site Elizabeth Ellen Preece Conservation Covenant | Caravan Bush on Rangiauria | Rangiaotea | Pitt Island, and potential future translocation site Chudleigh Conservation Area on Rēkohu | Wharekauri | Chatham Island. Analyses revealed that predator free sites (Woolshed Bush and Top Bush) supported significantly higher ground-active invertebrate biomass. This difference was driven by large-bodied cave wētā and ground beetles, which were abundant on Rangatira Island but absent from Caravan Bush and Chudleigh Conservation Area. Surprisingly, Woolshed Bush and Top Bush showed similar invertebrate communities despite different black robin densities, indicating that prey availability alone does not determine habitat quality.
DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples in Chapter Three revealed that black robin are generalist insectivores, with Coleoptera, Diptera, and Orthoptera comprising the majority of their diet. Dietary composition showed no significant differences between sites, indicating consistent resource use across Woolshed Bush and Top Bush. Foraging observations confirmed strong ground-level preferences, with 82.2% of foraging events occurring at ground level, emphasising the importance of intact forest floor environments for future translocation sites.
This research demonstrates that black robin persistence depends on multiple interacting factors. Future translocation sites should include abundant large-bodied prey, intact forest floors with deep leaf litter supporting ground foraging, effective predator control or predator-free status, and mature forest structure. DNA metabarcoding proved essential for revealing dietary composition that would be impossible to detect through observation alone by characterising consumption of cryptic prey taxa. While food availability is necessary for translocation success, it is not a sole determining factor; other habitat features such as nest site availability and predator presence must also be considered. The methods I have established here provide a repeatable framework for evidence-based translocation planning.

text: Assessing habitat suitability for karure | kakaruia | Chatham Island black robin (Petroica traversi): Integrating invertebrate surveys, DNA metabarcoding, and foraging ecology The karure | kakaruia | Chatham Island black robin (Petroica traversi) is one of New Zealand's most remarkable conservation achievements, recovering from a mere five birds in 1980 to around 330 today. However, the species remains Nationally Critical and restricted to two small islands, making establishment of additional populations essential for long-term prosperity. A previous translocation attempt to Rangiauria | Rangiaotea |Pitt Island failed, with inadequate food resources hypothesised as a contributing factor, yet black robin dietary requirements and prey availability at potential translocation sites remain poorly understood. This study integrated invertebrate community surveys, DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples, and behavioural observations to characterise black robin diet, foraging behaviour and food availability, aiming to assess habitat suitability across the Chatham Islands. 
In Chapter Two I examined invertebrate communities across four forested sites across the Chatham Island archipelago; the currently inhabited Woolshed Bush and Top Bush on Hokorereoro | Rangatira | Southeast Island, previously failed translocation site Elizabeth Ellen Preece Conservation Covenant | Caravan Bush on Rangiauria | Rangiaotea | Pitt Island, and potential future translocation site Chudleigh Conservation Area on Rēkohu | Wharekauri | Chatham Island. Analyses revealed that predator free sites (Woolshed Bush and Top Bush) supported significantly higher ground-active invertebrate biomass. This difference was driven by large-bodied cave wētā and ground beetles, which were abundant on Rangatira Island but absent from Caravan Bush and Chudleigh Conservation Area. Surprisingly, Woolshed Bush and Top Bush showed similar invertebrate communities despite different black robin densities, indicating that prey availability alone does not determine habitat quality.
DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples in Chapter Three revealed that black robin are generalist insectivores, with Coleoptera, Diptera, and Orthoptera comprising the majority of their diet. Dietary composition showed no significant differences between sites, indicating consistent resource use across Woolshed Bush and Top Bush. Foraging observations confirmed strong ground-level preferences, with 82.2% of foraging events occurring at ground level, emphasising the importance of intact forest floor environments for future translocation sites.
This research demonstrates that black robin persistence depends on multiple interacting factors. Future translocation sites should include abundant large-bodied prey, intact forest floors with deep leaf litter supporting ground foraging, effective predator control or predator-free status, and mature forest structure. DNA metabarcoding proved essential for revealing dietary composition that would be impossible to detect through observation alone by characterising consumption of cryptic prey taxa. While food availability is necessary for translocation success, it is not a sole determining factor; other habitat features such as nest site availability and predator presence must also be considered. The methods I have established here provide a repeatable framework for evidence-based translocation planning.

year: 2026

title: Ethics in Maori research: Working paper

authors: Cram, Fiona

subjects: Maori

abstract: When we think about what we are doing as researchers, one of our main tasks is to acquire knowledge. For some researchers their task begins and ends there. Knowledge is viewed as cumulative, that by adding to some knowledge pool we will one day be able to put the component parts together and discover universal laws. Many researchers also assume that the knowledge they have collected is objective, value-free and apolitical. This is part of psychologists’ ‘physics envy’. A Maori view of knowledge is very different from this. For Maori the purpose of knowledge is to uphold the interests and the mana of the group; it serves the community. Researchers are not building up their own status; they are fighting for the betterment of their iwi and for Maori people in general.

text: Ethics in Maori research: Working paper When we think about what we are doing as researchers, one of our main tasks is to acquire knowledge. For some researchers their task begins and ends there. Knowledge is viewed as cumulative, that by adding to some knowledge pool we will one day be able to put the component parts together and discover universal laws. Many researchers also assume that the knowledge they have collected is objective, value-free and apolitical. This is part of psychologists’ ‘physics envy’. A Maori view of knowledge is very different from this. For Maori the purpose of knowledge is to uphold the interests and the mana of the group; it serves the community. Researchers are not building up their own status; they are fighting for the betterment of their iwi and for Maori people in general.

year: 1993