title: Comparison between selective and non-selective kiwifruit harvesters for economic viability

authors: Ting, Chia-nan

subjects: kiwifruit

abstract: Robotic harvesting of kiwifruit can help solve the labour shortage of the growing New Zealand kiwifruit industry. The objective of this thesis was to compare the performance of the improved state-of-the-art selective kiwifruit harvester and a new non-selective harvester in terms of economic viability. The harvesters were tested on commercial kiwifruit orchards. Both kiwifruit harvesters were not economically viable at the current state. The greatest barrier to economic viability was the high breakeven performance requirement of at least 95% success-picked-detached for green fruit and 97% for gold fruit. The high-performance requirement was forced by the high fruit value ratio of 16 for green fruit and 30 for gold fruit. Despite the high harvesting rate potential of a non-selective harvester, fruit handling and stemless detachment were the main barriers. The state-of-the-art kiwifruit harvester had high performance relative to other harvesters but required more development on fruit loss reduction and the robotic configuration for better workload sharing. To achieve economic viability, the primary focus for all kiwifruit harvesters should be on raising the success-detached ratio. The secondary focus should be on improving the performance-to-cost ratio. With further development, the selective harvester could reach economically viable performance.

text: Comparison between selective and non-selective kiwifruit harvesters for economic viability Robotic harvesting of kiwifruit can help solve the labour shortage of the growing New Zealand kiwifruit industry. The objective of this thesis was to compare the performance of the improved state-of-the-art selective kiwifruit harvester and a new non-selective harvester in terms of economic viability. The harvesters were tested on commercial kiwifruit orchards. Both kiwifruit harvesters were not economically viable at the current state. The greatest barrier to economic viability was the high breakeven performance requirement of at least 95% success-picked-detached for green fruit and 97% for gold fruit. The high-performance requirement was forced by the high fruit value ratio of 16 for green fruit and 30 for gold fruit. Despite the high harvesting rate potential of a non-selective harvester, fruit handling and stemless detachment were the main barriers. The state-of-the-art kiwifruit harvester had high performance relative to other harvesters but required more development on fruit loss reduction and the robotic configuration for better workload sharing. To achieve economic viability, the primary focus for all kiwifruit harvesters should be on raising the success-detached ratio. The secondary focus should be on improving the performance-to-cost ratio. With further development, the selective harvester could reach economically viable performance.

year: 2018

title: Pleasure, profit and pain: Alcohol in New Zealand and the contemporary culture of intoxication

authors: McEwan, Brett James

subjects: Alcohol

abstract: This book details the rich, complex and often contested role of alcohol in New Zealand society. It explores the three fundamental alcohol rights that continue to fight for dominance of the national drinking culture: the rights of individual drinkers to enjoy the pleasures of alcohol, the rights of society to protect itself from the harms of alcohol, and the rights of the alcohol industry to profit from the sale of a legal commodity. Historically, most of our intoxicated drinkers were adult males and drinking was typically separated from family, food and entertainment. With the sweeping social changes of the 1960s and 1970s, women and later young people, increasingly engaged with alcohol. A growing proportion of these groups have since joined men in a culture of intoxication, or binge drinking culture as it is often termed. New Zealand is not alone however, in having a culture of intoxication, with similar alcohol consumption patterns evident in many other developed nations. This book identifies the local and the global influences that have affected New Zealand society (and much of the rest of the world) since the late 1900s and details how these influences have sustained the contemporary culture of intoxication. Finally, this book will propose that to implement effective change to our national drinking culture, the rights of the alcohol industry and of individual drinkers will need to be pulled back from the liberal excesses that the 1980s and 1990s provided. A re-balancing is required in order to strengthen and sustain society’s right to protect itself from alcohol-related harm.

text: Pleasure, profit and pain: Alcohol in New Zealand and the contemporary culture of intoxication This book details the rich, complex and often contested role of alcohol in New Zealand society. It explores the three fundamental alcohol rights that continue to fight for dominance of the national drinking culture: the rights of individual drinkers to enjoy the pleasures of alcohol, the rights of society to protect itself from the harms of alcohol, and the rights of the alcohol industry to profit from the sale of a legal commodity. Historically, most of our intoxicated drinkers were adult males and drinking was typically separated from family, food and entertainment. With the sweeping social changes of the 1960s and 1970s, women and later young people, increasingly engaged with alcohol. A growing proportion of these groups have since joined men in a culture of intoxication, or binge drinking culture as it is often termed. New Zealand is not alone however, in having a culture of intoxication, with similar alcohol consumption patterns evident in many other developed nations. This book identifies the local and the global influences that have affected New Zealand society (and much of the rest of the world) since the late 1900s and details how these influences have sustained the contemporary culture of intoxication. Finally, this book will propose that to implement effective change to our national drinking culture, the rights of the alcohol industry and of individual drinkers will need to be pulled back from the liberal excesses that the 1980s and 1990s provided. A re-balancing is required in order to strengthen and sustain society’s right to protect itself from alcohol-related harm.

year: 2013

title: Prototype theory and the concept of taonga: Implications for Treaty-related issues such as the display and conservation of taonga Māori

authors: Hedley, Rangiiria

subjects: Taonga Māori

abstract: This paper examines, in the context of prototype theory, issues and problems associated with the concept of taonga, the specific aim being to provide an approach that could assist those who are concerned with the interpretation of Article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi and Treaty-related issues such as the appropriate display and conservation of taonga Māori.

text: Prototype theory and the concept of taonga: Implications for Treaty-related issues such as the display and conservation of taonga Māori This paper examines, in the context of prototype theory, issues and problems associated with the concept of taonga, the specific aim being to provide an approach that could assist those who are concerned with the interpretation of Article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi and Treaty-related issues such as the appropriate display and conservation of taonga Māori.

year: 2004-02