title: Socio-economic drivers of freshwater fish declines in a changing climate: a New Zealand perspective

authors: Ling, Nicholas

subjects: biodiversity

abstract: New Zealand has a freshwater fish fauna characterized by high levels of national and local endemism and which is threatened by anthropogenic stressors including habitat destruction or deterioration, commercial harvest, pollution and interactions with invasive exotic species. Significant expansion of New Zealand's dairy production has recently created further deterioration of lowland water quality and greater pressure for water allocation in drier eastern regions of the South Island. New Zealand has large freshwater resources and its climate is predicted to experience less dramatic changes in mean annual temperature and precipitation than many other regions of the world as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Predicted changes in regional climate and further expansion of the dairy industry, however, will impose similar pressures on freshwater resources in northern New Zealand to those already acting to threaten freshwater biodiversity in the eastern South Island.

text: Socio-economic drivers of freshwater fish declines in a changing climate: a New Zealand perspective New Zealand has a freshwater fish fauna characterized by high levels of national and local endemism and which is threatened by anthropogenic stressors including habitat destruction or deterioration, commercial harvest, pollution and interactions with invasive exotic species. Significant expansion of New Zealand's dairy production has recently created further deterioration of lowland water quality and greater pressure for water allocation in drier eastern regions of the South Island. New Zealand has large freshwater resources and its climate is predicted to experience less dramatic changes in mean annual temperature and precipitation than many other regions of the world as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Predicted changes in regional climate and further expansion of the dairy industry, however, will impose similar pressures on freshwater resources in northern New Zealand to those already acting to threaten freshwater biodiversity in the eastern South Island.

year: 2010

title: Beyond Hypericum: Perceptions of Treatments by Herbalists for Depression

authors: Bell Hunter, Kirsty Ann

subjects: complementary alternative medicines

abstract: Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) includes a diverse range of traditional and natural treatments practiced beyond orthodox medical practices. CAM therapies are used globally by consumers and rates of use are increasing. Medical herbalists are a group of CAM therapists who are trained in the practice of holistic healing to restore homeostasis via a number of modalities including herbal medicines, diet and nutrition and various mind and body techniques. 

Six women who had consulted medical herbalists for symptoms of low mood/depression were interviewed. Questions focused on: why the participants chose to visit a herbalist; contextual factors surrounding the participants at the time; what their treatment programs entailed; their perceptions of symptom relief, efficacy and the therapeutic relationship; perceived barriers to accessing these types of services and the long term implications the treatments had for the women.  

Overall, the women felt that the holistic treatments they received had been effective for low mood/depression. It also was evident that the quality of the therapeutic relationship contributed significantly to perceptions of efficacy. Furthermore, practitioners' holistic explanations about illness fostered participants' understanding of health issues, thereby encouraging patient autonomy over personal health care. The participants continue to utilize CAM therapies and medical pluralism for themselves or their children. As well, two participants engaged in CAM studies for professional or personal use. 

On the other hand, the cost of treatment was a strong disincentive, almost making treatments inaccessible for some. An additional barrier to accessing CAM was the widely held negative stereotyped attitudes about herbalists. It was thought that if CAM treatments were more widely accepted and subsidized, they would be a more realistic choice for health consumers.

text: Beyond Hypericum: Perceptions of Treatments by Herbalists for Depression Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) includes a diverse range of traditional and natural treatments practiced beyond orthodox medical practices. CAM therapies are used globally by consumers and rates of use are increasing. Medical herbalists are a group of CAM therapists who are trained in the practice of holistic healing to restore homeostasis via a number of modalities including herbal medicines, diet and nutrition and various mind and body techniques. 

Six women who had consulted medical herbalists for symptoms of low mood/depression were interviewed. Questions focused on: why the participants chose to visit a herbalist; contextual factors surrounding the participants at the time; what their treatment programs entailed; their perceptions of symptom relief, efficacy and the therapeutic relationship; perceived barriers to accessing these types of services and the long term implications the treatments had for the women.  

Overall, the women felt that the holistic treatments they received had been effective for low mood/depression. It also was evident that the quality of the therapeutic relationship contributed significantly to perceptions of efficacy. Furthermore, practitioners' holistic explanations about illness fostered participants' understanding of health issues, thereby encouraging patient autonomy over personal health care. The participants continue to utilize CAM therapies and medical pluralism for themselves or their children. As well, two participants engaged in CAM studies for professional or personal use. 

On the other hand, the cost of treatment was a strong disincentive, almost making treatments inaccessible for some. An additional barrier to accessing CAM was the widely held negative stereotyped attitudes about herbalists. It was thought that if CAM treatments were more widely accepted and subsidized, they would be a more realistic choice for health consumers.

year: 2007

title: Cultural identity and academic achievement among Māori undergraduate university students

authors: Bennett, Simon T.

subjects: Maori

abstract: Cultural identity and academic achievement were investigated among a nonrandom
sample of 72 undergraduate Māori university students studying at Massey
University. Student problems were examined to identify the types of difficulties
most prevalent among this population. The degree to which cultural identity
moderates the relationship between student problems and academic achievement
was then examined. Major findings were that (a) there is a consistent negative
relationship between student problems and academic achievement; and (b) cultural
identity moderates the effect of student problems on academic achievement, in that:
a high degree of problems were associated with decreases in grade point average
among respondents with low cultural identity; while among respondents with high
cultural identity, high levels of student problems had little negative effect on grade
point average. Despite the study having limitations, the findings have important
implications for Māori students, deliverers of tertiary education, tertiary education
providers, and those involved in the development and implementation of tertiary
education policy.

text: Cultural identity and academic achievement among Māori undergraduate university students Cultural identity and academic achievement were investigated among a nonrandom
sample of 72 undergraduate Māori university students studying at Massey
University. Student problems were examined to identify the types of difficulties
most prevalent among this population. The degree to which cultural identity
moderates the relationship between student problems and academic achievement
was then examined. Major findings were that (a) there is a consistent negative
relationship between student problems and academic achievement; and (b) cultural
identity moderates the effect of student problems on academic achievement, in that:
a high degree of problems were associated with decreases in grade point average
among respondents with low cultural identity; while among respondents with high
cultural identity, high levels of student problems had little negative effect on grade
point average. Despite the study having limitations, the findings have important
implications for Māori students, deliverers of tertiary education, tertiary education
providers, and those involved in the development and implementation of tertiary
education policy.

year: 2003