title: Editorial for “Unmasking Racism and Oppression in Psychology” – Part II

authors: Tan, Kyle K. H.

abstract: Since publishing the first part of the “Unmasking Racism and Oppression in Psychology” special issue in March 2025, we have received immense aroha and gratitude from colleagues and students eager to learn about the perspectives of Indigenous and minoritised groups in psychology and how they can support the development of an anti-racist discipline. Rather than seeking to prove the existence of racism in the field (Crossing et al., 2024), this issue centres on validating our authors’ experiences of navigating oppression, challenging Eurocentric psychology, resisting assimilation, and remaining grounded in Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies while staying accountable to their communities. Racism in psychology has been called out by many colleagues in Aotearoa (to name a few; Levy & Waitoki, 2016; Love, 2008; Pomare et al., 2021), and this issue responds to their concerns by amplifying solutions for change in the teaching, practice, and research of psychology.

text: Editorial for “Unmasking Racism and Oppression in Psychology” – Part II Since publishing the first part of the “Unmasking Racism and Oppression in Psychology” special issue in March 2025, we have received immense aroha and gratitude from colleagues and students eager to learn about the perspectives of Indigenous and minoritised groups in psychology and how they can support the development of an anti-racist discipline. Rather than seeking to prove the existence of racism in the field (Crossing et al., 2024), this issue centres on validating our authors’ experiences of navigating oppression, challenging Eurocentric psychology, resisting assimilation, and remaining grounded in Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies while staying accountable to their communities. Racism in psychology has been called out by many colleagues in Aotearoa (to name a few; Levy & Waitoki, 2016; Love, 2008; Pomare et al., 2021), and this issue responds to their concerns by amplifying solutions for change in the teaching, practice, and research of psychology.

year: 2025

title: Mana Wahine reworking the power to name taonga

authors: Ringham, Sandra Lee

abstract: The capacity of Indigenous peoples to officially name taonga species (flora and fauna) within taxonomy signifies resilience and a reworking of western scientific processes and institutions. This article explores the ways in which Ngāti Kuri women contribute to environmental justice through the naming of taonga species. Ngāti Kuri were the first tribe in the world to install a tribal name into the co-authorship of a nomenclature. The article explores the ways in which Ngāti Kuri women, both past and present, rework environmental relationships and knowledge in both tribal and non-tribal spaces in Aotearoa's most northern region.

text: Mana Wahine reworking the power to name taonga The capacity of Indigenous peoples to officially name taonga species (flora and fauna) within taxonomy signifies resilience and a reworking of western scientific processes and institutions. This article explores the ways in which Ngāti Kuri women contribute to environmental justice through the naming of taonga species. Ngāti Kuri were the first tribe in the world to install a tribal name into the co-authorship of a nomenclature. The article explores the ways in which Ngāti Kuri women, both past and present, rework environmental relationships and knowledge in both tribal and non-tribal spaces in Aotearoa's most northern region.

year: 2023-01-01

title: Evaluating and using remote sensing data for studying economic activity and population change in China

authors: Zhang, Xiaoxuan

abstract: use of remote sensing data, especially night-time lights (NTL) data, has flourished
in recent decades as a proxy for measuring economic activity and the spatial distribution
of population. The availability of these data can make up for the absence of and possible
inaccuracy in traditional economic statistics, especially because NTL data are available
at fine scale and with high frequency. The growing use of these data raises the question
of how accurate is this night-time lights proxy, and for what purposes is it best suited
when studying economic development and population changes at sub-national levels.
In the first part of this thesis, a 20-year time-series of GDP at China’s third
sub-national level (counties, county-level cities and districts) and census population
counts at the same level from 2000, 2010 and 2020, are used as a benchmark to examine
the performance of multiple sources of NTL data as proxies for local economic activity
and inequality. I also test the accuracy of gridded population estimates, some of which
rely on NTL data, for estimating inter-census changes in local population.
Based on the comprehensive evaluation of different NTL sources at different levels of
spatial aggregation, the second part of the thesis uses NTL and other remote sensing
data, in conjunction with the traditional GDP and population statistics, to study a set of
economic issues that are pertinent to regional development in China. The impact of
administrative upgrading of county-level units (a type of regional policy practiced in
China) and of modern transport infrastructure is studied, using both GDP and NTL data
to measure economic impacts. These studies use spatial econometric models that allow
for spillovers. The changes in the city size distribution, in terms of land and people, is
also studied because of the possibility that China’s cities are physically expanding in
places other than where the population is moving.
Overall, the thesis contributes a nuanced understanding of how NTL data and
other remote sensing data can assist in studying complex social and economic problems,
as well as raising some caveats about the limits to the uses of such data.

text: Evaluating and using remote sensing data for studying economic activity and population change in China use of remote sensing data, especially night-time lights (NTL) data, has flourished
in recent decades as a proxy for measuring economic activity and the spatial distribution
of population. The availability of these data can make up for the absence of and possible
inaccuracy in traditional economic statistics, especially because NTL data are available
at fine scale and with high frequency. The growing use of these data raises the question
of how accurate is this night-time lights proxy, and for what purposes is it best suited
when studying economic development and population changes at sub-national levels.
In the first part of this thesis, a 20-year time-series of GDP at China’s third
sub-national level (counties, county-level cities and districts) and census population
counts at the same level from 2000, 2010 and 2020, are used as a benchmark to examine
the performance of multiple sources of NTL data as proxies for local economic activity
and inequality. I also test the accuracy of gridded population estimates, some of which
rely on NTL data, for estimating inter-census changes in local population.
Based on the comprehensive evaluation of different NTL sources at different levels of
spatial aggregation, the second part of the thesis uses NTL and other remote sensing
data, in conjunction with the traditional GDP and population statistics, to study a set of
economic issues that are pertinent to regional development in China. The impact of
administrative upgrading of county-level units (a type of regional policy practiced in
China) and of modern transport infrastructure is studied, using both GDP and NTL data
to measure economic impacts. These studies use spatial econometric models that allow
for spillovers. The changes in the city size distribution, in terms of land and people, is
also studied because of the possibility that China’s cities are physically expanding in
places other than where the population is moving.
Overall, the thesis contributes a nuanced understanding of how NTL data and
other remote sensing data can assist in studying complex social and economic problems,
as well as raising some caveats about the limits to the uses of such data.

year: 2024