title: Governance and conflict in Pakistan: Developing a Conflict Prevention and Reduction (CPR) model to promote peace in Baluchistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA)

authors: Karim, Muhammad Arsalan

subjects: Conflict Prevention and Reduction

abstract: Pakistan is an unstable country, home to a single religious nation made up of four major regional ethnic sub-nations. The inability of the political leadership of Pakistan to successfully connect and merge the interests of the nation and sub-nations with the interests of the state has been a longstanding issue. This has weakened the central political institution and allowed the military and civil bureaucracies, feudal elites and oligarch families to dominate the central government, preventing it from delivering good governance to the nation and sub-nations. These key central stakeholders allow the tribal chiefs, and religious and ethnic elites to dominate the regional political institutions and to become key regional stakeholders, triggering religious and ethnic conflict. Out of the four major sub-nation regions in Pakistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Baluchistan are hotbeds of religious terrorism and ethnic insurgency, generating a conflict that affects the rest of the country.

Through a mix of secondary data and primary information (that includes field interviews and surveys) gathered from Baluchistan, FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), this thesis reveals the existence of sub-states that operate as discrete regional systems of socio-political governance. The study provides empirical evidence that the religious and ethnic conflicts in Pakistan are produced and sustained by these socio-political structures and their governance mechanisms. These conflicts exist in FATA and Baluchistan but not in KP – this difference between the regions offers an opportunity to consider why KP has been more successful than FATA and Baluchistan. This, in turn, provides an opportunity to consider why the governance structures and mechanisms in KP have been successful, and in the process to develop a new Conflict Prevention and Reduction (CPR) model focused on improving governance in FATA and Baluchistan. This could reduce violence and terrorism in Pakistan, while the model has potential relevance for fractured nations beyond Pakistan.

text: Governance and conflict in Pakistan: Developing a Conflict Prevention and Reduction (CPR) model to promote peace in Baluchistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) Pakistan is an unstable country, home to a single religious nation made up of four major regional ethnic sub-nations. The inability of the political leadership of Pakistan to successfully connect and merge the interests of the nation and sub-nations with the interests of the state has been a longstanding issue. This has weakened the central political institution and allowed the military and civil bureaucracies, feudal elites and oligarch families to dominate the central government, preventing it from delivering good governance to the nation and sub-nations. These key central stakeholders allow the tribal chiefs, and religious and ethnic elites to dominate the regional political institutions and to become key regional stakeholders, triggering religious and ethnic conflict. Out of the four major sub-nation regions in Pakistan, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Baluchistan are hotbeds of religious terrorism and ethnic insurgency, generating a conflict that affects the rest of the country.

Through a mix of secondary data and primary information (that includes field interviews and surveys) gathered from Baluchistan, FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), this thesis reveals the existence of sub-states that operate as discrete regional systems of socio-political governance. The study provides empirical evidence that the religious and ethnic conflicts in Pakistan are produced and sustained by these socio-political structures and their governance mechanisms. These conflicts exist in FATA and Baluchistan but not in KP – this difference between the regions offers an opportunity to consider why KP has been more successful than FATA and Baluchistan. This, in turn, provides an opportunity to consider why the governance structures and mechanisms in KP have been successful, and in the process to develop a new Conflict Prevention and Reduction (CPR) model focused on improving governance in FATA and Baluchistan. This could reduce violence and terrorism in Pakistan, while the model has potential relevance for fractured nations beyond Pakistan.

year: 2022

title: Genomic insights into the evolution of the parasitoid Microctonus aethiopoides

authors: Hussain, Meeran

abstract: Parasitoids are used as biocontrol agents in classical biological control programmes for controlling invasive pest populations. In Aotearoa New Zealand, there are two strains of Microctonus aethiopoides that have been used against two serious pest weevils of the Sitona group. However, there is limited understanding of M. aethiopoides adaptability, particularly in the area of reproductive mode and host associations. My thesis explores these gaps, using population and comparative genomic approaches to investigate the adaptability of M. aethiopoides.
Chapter 2 is a review that synthesises global research on parasitoid adaptation and identifies knowledge gaps across four key traits i.e., reproductive mode, olfaction, thermal tolerance, and microbiomes. Using the three Microctonus species in New Zealand as a focal example, this chapters explains why these traits matter for biocontrol and how genomic technologies reveal their underlying molecular mechanisms. 
Chapter 3 explores the adaptation of Irish asexual M. aethiopoides in New Zealand by analysing whole-genome resequencing data from 43 individuals representing historic (Ireland) and contemporary populations. The study reveals two distinct genetic clusters, most likely reflecting the genetic ancestry of introduced populations rather than post-introduction geographic isolation. All populations exhibit very low diversity and limited population expansion since release, consistent with their asexual nature and suggesting limited adaptation. Asexual M. aethiopoides show some heterozygosity across populations, supporting automictic thelytoky, likely via central fusion, as the primary reproductive mechanism. However, linkage disequilibrium patterns resemble those of sexual organisms, raising the possibility of facultative sex. This chapter sheds light on the adaptation, spread, and reproductive strategies of asexual M. aethiopoides in New Zealand.
Chapter 4 further examines parasitoid adaptation, with a focus on host-associated divergence. Using eight newly assembled genomes from M. aethiopoides strains collected from three different hosts (Hypera postica, Sitona discoideus, S. obsoletus) and geographically distinct regions, this study investigates how host use and geography shape genomic structure. Comparative genomics reveals a clear host-associated phylogenetic split, with the H. postica lineage distinct from Sitona-associated lineages. Heterozygosity patterns support this separation, showing highest diversity in the H. postica group. However, gene families are mostly conserved across strains, with transposable element-related genes showing rapid evolution, suggesting their active role in genome restructuring. Chemosensory genes are also largely conserved, with only modest variation in odourant receptors that may reflect host-associated differences, although fragmentation and annotation bias cannot be ruled out. Overall, host association appears to be a key driver of divergence in M. aethiopoides, largely shaped by genome-level variation rather than major shifts in host-specific gene families.
Finally, Chapter 5 assembles and characterises the first complete mitochondrial genome of M. aethiopoides, generated using a hybrid Oxford Nanopore-Illumina assembly. This study uncovers a long circular (33,173 bp) mitogenome with a unique gene arrangement, contributing a valuable genetic resource for future studies of mitochondrial evolution in parasitoids.
Overall, my thesis demonstrates how genomic technologies can be used to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary factors shaping a species’ genome and population structure. It provides a valuable genomic resource and sets a foundation of resources for continuing to build understanding of adaptation in the context of asexuality and host association in M. aethiopoides.

text: Genomic insights into the evolution of the parasitoid Microctonus aethiopoides Parasitoids are used as biocontrol agents in classical biological control programmes for controlling invasive pest populations. In Aotearoa New Zealand, there are two strains of Microctonus aethiopoides that have been used against two serious pest weevils of the Sitona group. However, there is limited understanding of M. aethiopoides adaptability, particularly in the area of reproductive mode and host associations. My thesis explores these gaps, using population and comparative genomic approaches to investigate the adaptability of M. aethiopoides.
Chapter 2 is a review that synthesises global research on parasitoid adaptation and identifies knowledge gaps across four key traits i.e., reproductive mode, olfaction, thermal tolerance, and microbiomes. Using the three Microctonus species in New Zealand as a focal example, this chapters explains why these traits matter for biocontrol and how genomic technologies reveal their underlying molecular mechanisms. 
Chapter 3 explores the adaptation of Irish asexual M. aethiopoides in New Zealand by analysing whole-genome resequencing data from 43 individuals representing historic (Ireland) and contemporary populations. The study reveals two distinct genetic clusters, most likely reflecting the genetic ancestry of introduced populations rather than post-introduction geographic isolation. All populations exhibit very low diversity and limited population expansion since release, consistent with their asexual nature and suggesting limited adaptation. Asexual M. aethiopoides show some heterozygosity across populations, supporting automictic thelytoky, likely via central fusion, as the primary reproductive mechanism. However, linkage disequilibrium patterns resemble those of sexual organisms, raising the possibility of facultative sex. This chapter sheds light on the adaptation, spread, and reproductive strategies of asexual M. aethiopoides in New Zealand.
Chapter 4 further examines parasitoid adaptation, with a focus on host-associated divergence. Using eight newly assembled genomes from M. aethiopoides strains collected from three different hosts (Hypera postica, Sitona discoideus, S. obsoletus) and geographically distinct regions, this study investigates how host use and geography shape genomic structure. Comparative genomics reveals a clear host-associated phylogenetic split, with the H. postica lineage distinct from Sitona-associated lineages. Heterozygosity patterns support this separation, showing highest diversity in the H. postica group. However, gene families are mostly conserved across strains, with transposable element-related genes showing rapid evolution, suggesting their active role in genome restructuring. Chemosensory genes are also largely conserved, with only modest variation in odourant receptors that may reflect host-associated differences, although fragmentation and annotation bias cannot be ruled out. Overall, host association appears to be a key driver of divergence in M. aethiopoides, largely shaped by genome-level variation rather than major shifts in host-specific gene families.
Finally, Chapter 5 assembles and characterises the first complete mitochondrial genome of M. aethiopoides, generated using a hybrid Oxford Nanopore-Illumina assembly. This study uncovers a long circular (33,173 bp) mitogenome with a unique gene arrangement, contributing a valuable genetic resource for future studies of mitochondrial evolution in parasitoids.
Overall, my thesis demonstrates how genomic technologies can be used to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary factors shaping a species’ genome and population structure. It provides a valuable genomic resource and sets a foundation of resources for continuing to build understanding of adaptation in the context of asexuality and host association in M. aethiopoides.

year: 2026

title: Bilingual behaviour checklists: initiating a student, teacher and parent partnership in behaviour management.

authors: Glynn, Ted

subjects: bilingual education

abstract: Three bilingual (Maori and English) behavioural checklists formed part of a project designed to facilitate student, teacher and whanau collaboration in overcoming behavioural difficulties experienced by Maori students, (Hei Awhina Matua). The checklists assessed rankings by 163 students, 21 teachers and 96 whanau members of (1) contexts in which problem behaviours occur, (2) specific problem behaviours and (3) specific most valued behaviours. Data were gathered in three schools: a mainstream intermediate school with a Māori medium syndicate of three classes, a rural Kura Kaupapa Maori (Maori-controlled total immersion school) and a bilingual contributing primary school. While the three schools differed markedly in location, size, and in the proportion of Maori students enrolled, the rankings of settings and behaviours by students, teachers and whanau in each school were highly similar. The paper discusses how these data contributed to the design and development of the Hei Awhina Matua video and training manual, and provided a first step towards a collaborative student teacher and parent partnership in the management of student behaviour.

text: Bilingual behaviour checklists: initiating a student, teacher and parent partnership in behaviour management. Three bilingual (Maori and English) behavioural checklists formed part of a project designed to facilitate student, teacher and whanau collaboration in overcoming behavioural difficulties experienced by Maori students, (Hei Awhina Matua). The checklists assessed rankings by 163 students, 21 teachers and 96 whanau members of (1) contexts in which problem behaviours occur, (2) specific problem behaviours and (3) specific most valued behaviours. Data were gathered in three schools: a mainstream intermediate school with a Māori medium syndicate of three classes, a rural Kura Kaupapa Maori (Maori-controlled total immersion school) and a bilingual contributing primary school. While the three schools differed markedly in location, size, and in the proportion of Maori students enrolled, the rankings of settings and behaviours by students, teachers and whanau in each school were highly similar. The paper discusses how these data contributed to the design and development of the Hei Awhina Matua video and training manual, and provided a first step towards a collaborative student teacher and parent partnership in the management of student behaviour.

year: 2001