title: Software development: Involving Tangata Whenua and incorporating Tikanga Māori

authors: Taia, Ivy

subjects: software engineering

abstract: Over the past fifty years, software development (SD) has been dominated by Western approaches, which is widely accepted as the standard way of doing things (Diaz Andrade et al., 2021). Consequently, many software applications for specific Indigenous cultures, especially health interventions and educational software (Dobson, Whittaker, Bartley, Connor, Chen, Ross & McCool, 2017; Fleer, 1989), were developed using traditional software engineering (SE) methodologies. Although these methodologies provide the workflows and methods for developing software, they do not provide guidelines for developing Indigenous software. While there have been numerous studies on diversity, such as gender and ethnicity in the field of Information Systems, there is very little research on the practices of involving Indigenous people and incorporating their traditional customs in the software development process. This thesis examines the participation of Indigenous people in software development. The research specifically focuses on Tangata Whenua (Māori people, the Indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand) and Tikanga Māori (Māori cultural methods). Our findings are useful to those attempting to enhance Indigenous representation in software development, especially those wanting to involve Māori people and their cultural methods in the development process and design of software.

text: Software development: Involving Tangata Whenua and incorporating Tikanga Māori Over the past fifty years, software development (SD) has been dominated by Western approaches, which is widely accepted as the standard way of doing things (Diaz Andrade et al., 2021). Consequently, many software applications for specific Indigenous cultures, especially health interventions and educational software (Dobson, Whittaker, Bartley, Connor, Chen, Ross & McCool, 2017; Fleer, 1989), were developed using traditional software engineering (SE) methodologies. Although these methodologies provide the workflows and methods for developing software, they do not provide guidelines for developing Indigenous software. While there have been numerous studies on diversity, such as gender and ethnicity in the field of Information Systems, there is very little research on the practices of involving Indigenous people and incorporating their traditional customs in the software development process. This thesis examines the participation of Indigenous people in software development. The research specifically focuses on Tangata Whenua (Māori people, the Indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand) and Tikanga Māori (Māori cultural methods). Our findings are useful to those attempting to enhance Indigenous representation in software development, especially those wanting to involve Māori people and their cultural methods in the development process and design of software.

year: 2025

title: Rangatahi and complex entanglements of sexuality, sexuality education and secondary school: A material-discursive exploration

authors: Chalmers, Jade

subjects: Rangatahi,sexuality,sexuality education,New materialisms,feminist poststructuralist,matter,discourse,ethico-onto-epistemology,secondary school,colonisation,diffraction,posthuman,postqualitative,entanglements,becoming,indigenous theorising

abstract: This research is an exploration with rangatahi (young Māori), of complex materially-discursive webs of sexuality education, sexuality, and secondary school education in Aotearoa. These research areas have commonly produced unfavourable outcomes, which include disparity statistics and other findings that position Māori as ‘cultural’ or ‘in need’ (Cooper, 2012; Green, 2011; Le Grice, 2014). To produce something different, in this work I engaged with concepts from the theoretical fields of Māori Indigenous Theories, Feminist Poststructuralisms, and New Feminist Materialisms to develop a framework for exploration.  Nine rangatahi participated in small hui (meetings) and individual interviews, focused on the areas of sexuality education, other sexuality topics, and experiences of secondary schooling. Transcripts from these meetings became part of the ‘data’. The approach to the analysis, termed Moving Through Entanglements, was informed by the whakaaro method (Mika & Southey, 2018) and diffractive approaches (Barad, 2007; Davies, 2014a, 2014b). The analysis explored a number of entanglements, using transcripts, theories, concepts, matter, experiences, colonisation, sensations, utterances and beyond (Davies, 2014c; Jackson & Mazzei, 2011). I did not attempt to produce ‘evidence’ or propose findings or truths about the ‘situation’ for rangatahi; instead I considered these well-worn research areas in different ways, honing in on ‘hot spots’ in entanglements (Taylor, 2013).
At the heart of this research are the lives of rangatahi. This research listened to and privileged their experiences in the materially-discursive webs of sexuality education, sexuality and secondary education, with the aim of contributing to further positive transformation in these areas (Allen, 2015b). The analysis suggested that confronting ‘gaps’ in what rangatahi learn in sexuality education and what they experience beyond the classroom remained. The contrast between the mundane topics or the “same old shit” (in the words of one participant) taught in sexuality education, which rangatahi recalled, and the complexities of two important and complex hot spots (Tayor, 2013) – ‘tap and gap’ and ‘relationship goals’ – demonstrated this gap. A need remains for sexuality education to be more connected with young people’s lives (Allen, 2001, 2005a, 2005b; Young, 2002). Other issues that became important included hickeys, hair and skin, the school stage, big bodies and health, boys’ breasts, and clothing. A material-discursive exploration of these topics was central to the analysis; this research has demonstrated their under-acknowledged importance in the daily existence of rangatahi, which should continue to be explored. Colonisation remained a lingering presence (Le Grice, 2018), and instances rangatahi shared highlighted not only this, but also their critical awareness of its functioning.
An innovative approach is the posthuman methodology experimented with in this research. As outlined above, this research was guided by a theoretical framework built with ideas borrowed from three philosophical fields. I applied a method of analysis that attempted to move beyond normative modes of qualitative analysis, unsettling dominant anthropocentric ways of doing research.  Taking this position, among other things, meant that the entanglements I worked through were materially-discursive. Thus, this research posits that non-human or more-than-human participants are active in the daily becomings of rangatahi, and their influence in shaping daily experiences for rangatahi and should not be overlooked in future research (Bennett, 2010). The ethical crises of the present mean that an ethical imperative to do things differently in every facet of our existence is needed now more than ever (St. Pierre, Mazzei & Jackson, 2016). Perhaps a change in the way research is conducted is one key approach to a fruitful and sustainable future for humans and non-humans alike.

text: Rangatahi and complex entanglements of sexuality, sexuality education and secondary school: A material-discursive exploration This research is an exploration with rangatahi (young Māori), of complex materially-discursive webs of sexuality education, sexuality, and secondary school education in Aotearoa. These research areas have commonly produced unfavourable outcomes, which include disparity statistics and other findings that position Māori as ‘cultural’ or ‘in need’ (Cooper, 2012; Green, 2011; Le Grice, 2014). To produce something different, in this work I engaged with concepts from the theoretical fields of Māori Indigenous Theories, Feminist Poststructuralisms, and New Feminist Materialisms to develop a framework for exploration.  Nine rangatahi participated in small hui (meetings) and individual interviews, focused on the areas of sexuality education, other sexuality topics, and experiences of secondary schooling. Transcripts from these meetings became part of the ‘data’. The approach to the analysis, termed Moving Through Entanglements, was informed by the whakaaro method (Mika & Southey, 2018) and diffractive approaches (Barad, 2007; Davies, 2014a, 2014b). The analysis explored a number of entanglements, using transcripts, theories, concepts, matter, experiences, colonisation, sensations, utterances and beyond (Davies, 2014c; Jackson & Mazzei, 2011). I did not attempt to produce ‘evidence’ or propose findings or truths about the ‘situation’ for rangatahi; instead I considered these well-worn research areas in different ways, honing in on ‘hot spots’ in entanglements (Taylor, 2013).
At the heart of this research are the lives of rangatahi. This research listened to and privileged their experiences in the materially-discursive webs of sexuality education, sexuality and secondary education, with the aim of contributing to further positive transformation in these areas (Allen, 2015b). The analysis suggested that confronting ‘gaps’ in what rangatahi learn in sexuality education and what they experience beyond the classroom remained. The contrast between the mundane topics or the “same old shit” (in the words of one participant) taught in sexuality education, which rangatahi recalled, and the complexities of two important and complex hot spots (Tayor, 2013) – ‘tap and gap’ and ‘relationship goals’ – demonstrated this gap. A need remains for sexuality education to be more connected with young people’s lives (Allen, 2001, 2005a, 2005b; Young, 2002). Other issues that became important included hickeys, hair and skin, the school stage, big bodies and health, boys’ breasts, and clothing. A material-discursive exploration of these topics was central to the analysis; this research has demonstrated their under-acknowledged importance in the daily existence of rangatahi, which should continue to be explored. Colonisation remained a lingering presence (Le Grice, 2018), and instances rangatahi shared highlighted not only this, but also their critical awareness of its functioning.
An innovative approach is the posthuman methodology experimented with in this research. As outlined above, this research was guided by a theoretical framework built with ideas borrowed from three philosophical fields. I applied a method of analysis that attempted to move beyond normative modes of qualitative analysis, unsettling dominant anthropocentric ways of doing research.  Taking this position, among other things, meant that the entanglements I worked through were materially-discursive. Thus, this research posits that non-human or more-than-human participants are active in the daily becomings of rangatahi, and their influence in shaping daily experiences for rangatahi and should not be overlooked in future research (Bennett, 2010). The ethical crises of the present mean that an ethical imperative to do things differently in every facet of our existence is needed now more than ever (St. Pierre, Mazzei & Jackson, 2016). Perhaps a change in the way research is conducted is one key approach to a fruitful and sustainable future for humans and non-humans alike.

year: 2019

title: A comparison of ruthenium-catalysed arene hydrogenation reactions in water and 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids

authors: Dyson, Paul J.

subjects: arenes

abstract: The hydrogenation of benzene and other arene substrates under biphasic conditions is evaluated using the catalyst precursor Ru(n₆-C₁₀H₁₄)(pta)Cl₂(pta=1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) immobilised in water and 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium
tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids. The effect that contamination of the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids with chloride has on the hydrogenation reaction has also been examined. Of the immobilisation solvents tested the optimum solvent was found to be chloride-free 1- butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate. Catalytic turnovers in this solvent are highest, and in general, turnovers for the hydrogenation reactions follow the trend: chloride-free 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate > water > chloridecontaminated 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate.

text: A comparison of ruthenium-catalysed arene hydrogenation reactions in water and 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids The hydrogenation of benzene and other arene substrates under biphasic conditions is evaluated using the catalyst precursor Ru(n₆-C₁₀H₁₄)(pta)Cl₂(pta=1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) immobilised in water and 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium
tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids. The effect that contamination of the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids with chloride has on the hydrogenation reaction has also been examined. Of the immobilisation solvents tested the optimum solvent was found to be chloride-free 1- butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate. Catalytic turnovers in this solvent are highest, and in general, turnovers for the hydrogenation reactions follow the trend: chloride-free 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate > water > chloridecontaminated 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate.

year: 2003