Dissertations / Theses: 'New Zealand. Ministry for the Environment'

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Thompson, Susan J. "A new theology of ministry : the ordained Methodist ministry in New Zealand, 1880-1980." Thesis, University of Canterbury. History, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8129.

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Between 1880 and 1980 the ordained ministry of the Methodist Church of New Zealand faced many changes. This study seeks to examine the way in which, during this period, the ministry lost much of its homogeneity to become instead a more diverse body, made up of and valuing a greater range of people with new and varied gifts, and prepared to explore and experiment with alternative ways of offering ministry. In doing so the thesis will concentrate on the ministry of the Wesleyans and, later, the united Methodist Church, although indicating in a general way some of the thinking and practices of the other Methodist traditions in New Zealand. The special position of the Maori ministry will be discussed in further chapters, but for the most part this study will focus on the Church's European ministry. In tracing the development of this change to the ordained ministry, two major themes have emerged, both of which have challenged traditional assumptions about the changing nature of such a ministry. The first has been the desire for rigid concepts of ministry and a narrowly defined presbyterate to be opened up and made more inclusive and more flexible. As the Church has re-examined its understanding of ministry, then, it has developed a whole new theology of ministry and laity. The second has been an increasing trend towards "professionalisation and specialisation” within ordained ministry. This is expressed in the desire that the Church and the presbyterate do things in a 'professional’ way, seeking 'professional' competence. These themes run throughout the chapters to follow. This study is divided into five chapters, each examining some aspect of the changing nature the Methodist presbyterate between 1880 and 1980. The first will look at how the ordained related to their lay colleagues in ministry, and in the way in which this gradually changed as the Church accepted a more equal view of ministry. The second will trace the growth in alternative forms of ordained ministry, reflecting the Church's new willingness to experiment with different ways of working. The third will show how restrictions upon those who could enter the presbyterate were removed, allowing women, married men and Maori to be admitted to ordained ministry with full status. The fourth will trace the changing history of the process by which the Church selected its candidates for ministry – a history revealing, among other things, the desire for a more professional expertise. Finally, the fifth will show how Methodist education for ministry has developed over the century, gradually becoming more individually flexible within the College and without. The research for this work is mainly based on written, Methodist sources. The most useful of these have been the minutes of the Methodist Annual Conference. These contain the annual reports of the Church's committees, departments and institutions, and the resolutions passed by the Conference. Certain statistical material may also be derived from various lists (like, for example, the stationing list) and from the questions of Conference. This material is sometimes problematical as the Church has often displayed a lack of consistency in the way these have been kept (by, for example, changing categories and including people in more than one list). Specific problems are noted with the appropriate tables. The Church's law books have proved to be another useful source. Produced more irregularly (in thirteen editions between 1880 and 1980), these contain the rules and regulations of the Church. A less official source than these is the Journal of Conference, which records the daily business of the Conference, and so reveals something of the process leading up to the final resolutions found in the minutes. It includes the unacceptable motions and reports that are not recorded in the minutes, and some of the debate - with the names of those included - surrounding an issue. The Church's newspaper the New Zealand Methodist Times, also contains more detailed reports on aspects of the Conference, together with all sorts of articles and letters to do with Church life.

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Howard-Williams, Rowan. "Representations of the Environment on New Zealand Television." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Social and Political Sciences, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2687.

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This study is an analysis of environmental content on New Zealand-produced television. As a society, we are facing unprecedented environmental challenges. Television is an important source of environmental knowledge (Shanahan, 1993). It is important, then, to investigate what television is saying about the environment to gain an understanding of how this might shape public attitudes and action. A content analysis was undertaken of 140 hours of television programming, across all genres, from four channels. A coding schedule was developed to identify environmental content on television. This gave information on the prevalence and common topics of environmental content, its relationship to other themes on television, and who is responsible for speaking about the environment. This was followed by a qualitative analysis of environmental content and its place within the narrative context of programmes. The study found that television's attention to the environment is relatively infrequent, with a diverse range of issues and perspectives. Most television narratives focused on a human-centred world, with the environment portrayed as something that was not of direct relevance to daily life. While these portrayals were almost always positive towards the environment, they were frequently linked to consumerist values and were generally supportive of the social and political status quo. An exception to this was the channel Māori TV, where environmental issues were linked to traditional cultural knowledge and the natural world was of more relevance to everyday life. Overall, the prevailing commercial paradigm of television works against the dissemination of important environmental knowledge.

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Banks, Paul Russell. "Characterisation of the radio noise environment in New Zealand." Click here to access this resource online, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/787.

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A methodology for the measurement of the radio frequency environment close to the radio noise floor is presented for urban, suburban and rural areas within New Zealand for the purposes of characterisation and trend monitoring by radio spectrum managers. Flux density measurements in bands within a range of frequencies from 80 MHz to 8 GHz have been made in urban, suburban and rural areas of New Zealand during 2007 and 2008. An analysis of the band occupancy is presented in summary form. These summaries are intended as a starting point for radio spectrum usage and can be used as a reference for any future measurements. A description of the computer directories and charts resulting from these measurements, using 20 MHz bandwidths have also been included. All the results for the work have been collated in a set of computer directories named “NZRFI Directories 2007 2008”, which are intended as a reference for use in the determination of local activity in particular frequency ranges. A disc with the full range measurement spectral density charts and channel occupancy charts accompanies this work. Also included on the disc are sets of 20 MHz band charts for some urban, suburban and rural location measurements.

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Kakwaya, Damian Saranga Muhongo. "Canadian/New Zealand genotype-environment interaction trial : comparison of growth traits of Canadian and New Zealand dairy cattle in Canada." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/29883.

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This study, being part of a larger project - "Canadian/New Zealand GxE Interaction Trial" - is comparing Canadian and New Zealand sired heifers for growth traits within Canada, since differences for growth traits were found in the Polish strain comparison (Jasiorowski et al., 1987) and due to selection programs in the two countries. Twenty Canadian Holstein and twenty New Zealand Friesian progeny tested, A.I. bulls were randomly mated to over 1,000 cows in 10 Canadian herds. 3,539 records of weight and wither height from 475 heifers (i.e. 241 Canadian and 234 New Zealand sired) were generated. Subsets of the data for different stages of heifer maturity were analyzed separately. Herd and strain effects least squares means were estimated using analysis of variance. Genetic and phenotypic and correlations and heritability for weight and wither height were estimated by a Derivative-Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (DFREML) algorithm and an animal model (AM). No differences were found between sire strains for weight except at 15 and 18 months where sib groups of Canadian (CN) sires were heavier than their New Zealand (NZ) contemporaries (393 vs 386 kg and 447 vs 445 kg, respectively). CN sired heifers were taller at all ages except at birth, 3 and 9 months of age. At 24 months CN heifers were 136 cm while NZ heifers were 133 cm. Heritability estimates for weight at birth was 0.62 for the CN strain and 0.59 for the NZ strain. CN estimates (3 to 6 months) and NZ estimates (3 to 9 months) were close to zero. Between 9 to 24 months CN strain estimates ranged from 0.44 to 0.69 while NZ estimates were 0.17 to 0.51. The joint estimates ranged from 0.10 to 0.66. Heritability estimates for wither height for CN strain at birth and between 9 to 21 months were between 0.34 to 0.66 and close to zero between 3 to 6 and at 24 months. The NZ estimates at birth, 18, 21 and 24 months were between 0.36 to 0.93 but close to zero between 3 to 15 months. The joint estimates ranged from 0.32 to 0.75 between 12 to 24 months. Genetic correlations between weight and wither height ranged from 0.62 to 1.0 for CN strain and from -0.04 to 0.91 for NZ strain between 4.5 to 21 months. At six months of age the genetic correlation for CN strain was -0.01 and NZ strain was 0.54. At birth, both sire groups had a genetic correlation of 1.0. At 24 months NZ strain had a genetic correlation of 0.84 while that of the CN strain was 0. Genetic correlations for the joint analysis ranged from 0.61 to 1.0 for all ages except at 6 months (0.18). Phenotypic correlations between weight and wither height were between 0.33 to 0.60 for CN group and 0.33 to 0.62 for NZ group. The joint estimates were 0.36 to 0.61. There were no differences in the phenotypic variances except at 9, 12 and 15 months. Genetic variances were different at all ages except at birth for weight.
Land and Food Systems, Faculty of
Graduate

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Beattie, James John, and james beattie@stonebow otago ac nz. "Environmental anxiety in New Zealand, 1850-1920 : settlers, climate, conservation, health, environment." University of Otago. School of Liberal Arts, 2004. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20051020.183413.

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Using a series of interlocking case-studies, this thesis investigates environmental anxieties in New Zealand�s settler society in the period 1830-1920. A central premise of this study is that the rapid environmental transformation of New Zealand stimulated widespread anxieties and reforms within settler society. These anxieties focussed as much on the changes already begun as on apprehensions of the results of these changes. Applying the concept of environmental anxiety to settler New Zealand expands understandings about colonial culture and its environmental history. It moves debate beyond simple narratives of colonial environmental destruction. Instead, this thesis highlights the ambiguities and complexities of colonial views of the natural world. This thesis points to the insecurities behind seeming Victorian confidence, even arrogance, in the ability of science and technology to bring constant material improvement. Europeans recognised that modern living brought material advantages but that the rapid environmental changes that underpinned these improvements also brought and threatened to bring unwanted outcomes. A diverse range of settlers worried about the effects of environmental changes. Individuals, institutions, committees, councils, doctors, scientists, artists, governments, engineers and politicians expressed environmental anxieties of one kind or another. Some farmers, politicians and scientists held that deforestation decreased rainfall but increased temperatures. Other scientists and politicians feared that it brought devastating floods and soil erosion. Some Maori, travellers, politicians and scientists held that it destabilised sand that would inundate fertile fields. Councillors, engineers and doctors constantly debated ways of improving the healthiness of towns and cities, areas seen as particularly dangerous places in which to live. Doctors� and settlers� anxieties focused on the effects of New Zealand�s climate on health and racial development. The impact of environmental change on the healthiness of certain areas, as well as the role played by humans in climate change, also provoked lively discussion. The effects of these anxieties are evident in some of the land policies, artworks, legislation, parliamentary and scientific debates, and writings of this period. Settlers believed curbing pollution, laying out parks, planting trees and restricting the construction of unhealthy properties improved living conditions in cities. Some scientists and politicians thought setting aside forest �climate reserves� in highland areas, tree-planting legislation and sustainable forestry practices prevented flooding and climate change. Individuals and authorities also established sanatoria and spas in particularly healthy spots, such as at the seaside and in high, dry places. In investigating these topics, this thesis expands the discipline of environmental history, bringing to light the importance of studying urban environments, aesthetics, climate change, desertification and health. It expands the largely �national� narratives of New Zealand�s environmental histories by acknowledging that local environments, events and attitudes as well as global environments, events and attitudes shaped anxieties and policies. Global ideas, often operating at a local level, played a role in reinforcing and providing solutions to New Zealand�s environmental anxieties. This thesis also acknowledges the on-going significance of Christianity in under-girding ideas about improvement and environmental protection. Most significantly, perhaps, this study underlines both that many settlers displayed an emotional attachment to the New Zealand environment and that most colonists wanted to ensure the long-term productivity of its lands.

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Ibáñez-Peral, Raquel. "Analysis of microbial diversity in an extreme environment: White Island, New Zealand." Australia : Macquarie University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/44764.

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"June, 2008".
Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Environmental & Life Sciences, Dept. of Chemistry & Biomolecular Sciences, 2009.
Bibliography: p. 227-259.
Literature review -- Materials and methods -- Sampling sites and sampling material -- Enrichment cultures and molecular analyses -- Optical and binding characterisation of the QDs -- Applications of the QDs -- Concluding remarks.
White island, the most active volcano in New Zealand, is a poorly studied environment that represents an ideal site for the investigation of acidophilic thermophiles. The microorganisms present on here are continually exposed to extreme environmental conditions as they are surrounded by steamy sulphurous fumaroles and acidic streams. The sediment temperature ranges from 38°C to 104°C whilst maintaining pH values below 3. A survey of the volcanic hydrothermal system of White Island was undertaken in order to gain insights onto the microbial diversity using culture-dependant techniques and molecular and phylogenetic analyses. A novel liquid medium based on "soil-extract" was designed which supported growth of bacterial and archaeal mixed cultures. Molecular analyses revealed that the dominant culturable bacterial species belong to the Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and α-Proteobacteria groups. Several previously uncultured archaeal species were also present in the mixed cultures. The knowledge gained from these studies was intended to help in the development of a novel microbial detection technique suitable for community analysis. -- Conventional molecular techniques used to study microbial biodiversity in environmental samples are both time-consuming and expensive. A novel bead-based assay employing Quantum dots (QDs) was considered to have many advantages over standard molecular techniques. These include high detection speeds, sensitivity, specificity, flexibility and the capability for multiplexed analysis. QDs are inorganic semiconductor nanoparticles made up of crystals about the size of proteins. It has been claimed that the physical and chemical properties of the QDs have significant advantages compared to organic dyes, including brighter fluorescence and resistance to photo-bleaching. Their optical properties facilitate the simultaneous imaging of multiple colours due to their flexible excitation and narrow band emission. Functionalised QDs are able to bind to different biological targets such as DNA, allowing high-throughput analysis for rapid detection and quantification of genes and cells. -- The optical and physical characteristics of the QDs as well their interaction with biomolecules are shown to be suitable for the development of a novel bead-based technique able to target the key microbial species and identify them by flow cytometric measurements (FCM). The broad absorption and narrow emission spectra of the QDs, as well as their fluorescence intensity and specify to target biomolecules, was compared to other organic fluorophores. The potential advantages and limitations of QDs as a fluorophores for biological applications are discussed. -- The data acquired during this study provides a broad overview of the microbial diversity and ecology of the volcanically-active hydrothermal systems of White Island and constitutes the baseline for the development of a novel bead-based technique based on QDs.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
xvii, 259 p. ill. (some col.)

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van, Bysterveldt Anne Katherine. "Speech, Phonological Awareness and Literacy in New Zealand Children with Down Syndrome." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Department of Communication Disorders, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2282.

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Children with Down syndrome (DS) are reported to experience difficulty with spoken and written language which can persist through the lifespan. However, little is known about the spoken and written language profiles of children with DS in the New Zealand social and education environment, and a thorough investigation of these profiles has yet to be conducted. The few controlled interventions to remediate language deficits in children with DS that are reported in the literature typically focus on remediation of a single language domain, with the effectiveness of interventions which integrate spoken and written language goals yet to be explored for this population. The experiments reported in this thesis aim to address these areas of need. The following questions are asked 1) What are the phonological awareness, speech, language and literacy skills of New Zealand children with DS? 2) What are the home and school literacy environments of New Zealand children with DS and how do they support written language development? and 3) What are the immediate and longer term effects of an integrated phonological awareness intervention on enhancing aspects of spoken and written language development in young children with DS? These questions will be addressed through the following chapters. The first experiment (presented in Chapter 2) was conducted in two parts. Part 1 consisted of the screening of the early developing phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and decoding skills of 77 primary school children with DS and revealed considerable variability between participants on all measures. Although some children were able to demonstrate mastery of the phoneme identity and letter knowledge skills, floor effects were also apparent. Data were analysed by age group (5 - 8 years and 9 -14 years) which revealed increased performance with maturation, with older children outperforming their younger peers on all measures. Approximately one quarter of all children were unable to decode any words, 6.6% demonstrated decoding skills at a level expected for 7 - 8 year old children and one child demonstrated decoding skills at an age equivalent level. Significant relationships between decoding skills and letter knowledge were found to exist. In Part 2 of the experiment, 27 children with DS who participated in the screening study took part in an in-depth investigation into their speech, phonological awareness, reading accuracy and comprehension and narrative language skills. Results of the speech assessments revealed the participants’ speech was qualitatively and quantitatively similar to the speech of younger children with typical development, but that elements of disorder were also evident. Results of the phonological awareness measures indicated participants were more successful with blending than with segmentation at both sentence and syllable level. Rhyme generation scores were particularly low. Reading accuracy scores were in advance of reading comprehension, with strong relationships demonstrated between reading accuracy and phonological awareness and letter knowledge. Those children who were better readers also had better language skills, producing longer sentences and using a greater number of different words in their narratives. The production of more advanced narrative structures was restricted to better readers. In the second experiment (presented in Chapter 3), the home literacy environment of 85 primary school aged children with DS was investigated. Parents of participants completed a questionnaire which explored the frequency and duration of literacy interactions, other ways parents support and facilitate literacy, parents’ priorities for their children at school, and the child’s literacy skills. Results revealed that the homes of participants were generally rich in literacy resources, and that parents and children read together regularly, although many children were reported to take a passive role duding joint story reading. Many parents also reported actively teaching their child letter names and sounds and encouraging literacy development in other ways such as language games, computer use, television viewing and library access. Writing at home was much less frequent than reading, and the allocation of written homework was much less common than reading homework. In the third experiment (presented in Chapter 4), the school literacy environment of 87 primary school aged children with DS (identified in the second experiment) was explored. In a parallel survey to the one described in Chapter 3, the teachers of participants completed a questionnaire which explored the frequency and duration of literacy interactions, the role of the child during literacy interactions, the child’s literacy skills, and other ways literacy is supported. The results of the questionnaire revealed nearly all children took part in regular reading instruction in the classroom although the amount of time reportedly dedicated to reading instruction was extremely variable amongst respondents. The average amount of time spent on reading instruction was consistent with that reported nationally and in advance of the international average for Year 5 children. Reading instruction was typically given in small groups or in a one on one setting and included both ‘top-down’ and bottom up’ strategies. Children were more likely to be assigned reading homework compared to written homework, with writing activities and instruction reported to be particularly challenging. In the fourth experiment (reported in Chapter 5), the effectiveness of an experimental integrated phonological awareness intervention was evaluated for ten children with DS, who ranged in age from 4;04 to 5;05 (M = 4;11, SD = 4.08 months). The study employed a multiple single-subject design to evaluate the effect of the intervention on participants’ trained and untrained speech measures, and examined the development of letter knowledge and phonological awareness skills. The 18 week intervention included the following three components; 1. parent implemented print referencing during joint story reading, 2. speech goals integrated with letter knowledge and phoneme awareness activities conducted by the speech-language therapist (SLT) in a play based format, and 3. letter knowledge and phoneme awareness activities conducted by the computer specialist (CS) adapted for presentation on a computer. The intervention was implemented by the SLT and CS at an early intervention centre during two 20 minute sessions per week, in two 6 week therapy blocks separated by a 6 week break (i.e. 8 hours total). The parents implemented the print referencing component in four 10 minute sessions per week across the 18 week intervention period (approximately 12 hours total). Results of the intervention revealed all ten children made statistically significant gains on their trained and untrained speech targets with some children demonstrating transfer to other phonemes in the same sound class. Six children demonstrated gains in letter knowledge and nine children achieved higher scores on phonological awareness measures at post-intervention, however all phonological awareness scores were below chance. The findings demonstrated that dedicating some intervention time to facilitating the participants’ letter knowledge and phonological awareness was not at the expense of speech gains. The fifth experiment (presented in Chapter 6) comprises a re-evaluation of the speech, phonological awareness, and letter knowledge, and an evaluation of the decoding and spelling development in children with DS who had previously participated in an integrated phonological awareness intervention (see Chapter 5), after they had subsequently received two terms (approximately 20 weeks) of formal schooling. Speech accuracy was higher at follow-up than at post-intervention on standardised speech measures and individual speech targets for the group as a whole, with eight of the ten participants demonstrating increased scores on their individual speech targets. Group scores on both letter knowledge measures were higher at follow-up than at post-intervention, with nine participants maintaining or improving on post-intervention performance. The majority of participants exhibited higher phonological awareness scores at follow-up on both the phoneme level assessments, with above chance scores achieved by five participants on one of the tasks, however, scores on the rhyme matching task demonstrated no evidence of growth. Some transfer of phonological awareness and letter knowledge was evident, with five children able to decode some words on the single word reading test and three children able to represent phonemes correctly in the experimental spelling task. The emergence of these early literacy skills highlighted the need for ongoing monitoring of children’s ability to transfer their improved phonological awareness and letter knowledge to decoding and spelling performance. In the sixth experiment (presented in Chapter 7) the long term effects of the integrated phonological awareness intervention was evaluated for one boy with DS aged 5;2 at the start of the intervention. The study monitored Ben’s speech and literacy development up to the age of 8;0 (34 months post pre-school intervention) which included two years of formal schooling. Ben demonstrated sustained growth on all measures with evidence of a growing ability to transfer letter-sound knowledge and phoneme-grapheme correspondences to the reading and spelling process. The results indicated an intervention which is provided early and which simultaneously targets speech, letter knowledge and phonological awareness goals provides a promising alternative to conventional therapy, and that integrating spoken and written therapy goals for children with DS can be effective in facilitating development in both domains. This thesis provides evidence that the spoken and written language abilities of New Zealand children with DS exhibit a pattern of delay and disorder that is largely consistent with those of children with DS from other countries reported in the literature. The home and school literacy environments of children in New Zealand with DS are rich in literacy resources and are, for the most part, supportive of their literacy development. The immediate and longer term results of the integrated phonological awareness intervention suggest that it is possible to achieve significant and sustained gains in speech, letter knowledge and phonological awareness which may contribute to the remediation of the persistent and compromised spoken and written language profile characteristic of individuals with DS.

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Kunze, Isabelle Miriam. "The Social Construction of Bottled Water Consumption in New Zealand." The University of Waikato, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2497.

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This thesis examines the ways in which bottled water consumption is socially constructed and associated with place, nature, gender and health. Consuming bottled water is related to ideas of both sustaining the environment and the body. I explore how performances of both the environment and consuming bodies constitute each other. Consumer performances in Hamilton and various visual and textual representations illustrate spatialities, socialities and subjectivities of bottled water consumption. Geographies of consumption and feminist geographies and methodologies provide the framework for my research. I conducted eleven semi-structured interviews on the Waikato University Campus in Hamilton with participants different in age, gender and ethnicity. Bottled water advertising in international and national lifestyle magazines and newspapers, as well as bottled water websites, are also examined through the lens of critical discourse analysis. The first part of this thesis focuses on bottled water consumption in regard to the environment and explores how the natural and pure image of bottled water is currently linked to notions of green and sustainable consumption. The second part examines the embodiment of the environment in regards to sustaining healthy, pregnant, sporty, sexed and 'green' bodies while looking at gender, health, and consumer performances and subjectivities. Linking bottled water consumption to the environment and the body not only enriches geographies of consumption but also emphasises the paradoxes associated with consuming bottled water.

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Macdonald, Anna Maria. "Green Normative Power? Relations between New Zealand and the European Union on Environment." Thesis, University of Canterbury. National Centre for Research on Europe, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/3161.

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The relationship between the European Union (EU) and New Zealand has expanded considerably since the protracted trade negotiations of the 1970s and now includes dialogue and cooperation on a range of policy issues. In recent years, environment has become an increasingly high priority matter and is increasingly referenced as playing an important part in EU-New Zealand relations. At the same time, the EU has been praised for its leadership role in climate change negotiations, and some scholars have described it as a “green” normative power with the ability to influence other actors internationally on environmental policy. Taking the EU-New Zealand relationship on environment as its case study, this thesis attempts to address a gap in the academic literature concerning relations between New Zealand and the EU on environmental issues. It compares and contrasts the concept of EU normative power with that of policy transfer, arguing that both address the spread of ideas, but finding that what might appear to be normative power and the diffusion of norms, can in fact be best explained as policy transfer and the diffusion of policy or knowledge.

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McDonald, Timothy Myles. "Making sense of genotype x environment interaction of Pinus radiata in New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Forestry, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/3222.

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In New Zealand, a formal tree improvement and breeding programme for Pinus radiata (D.Don) commenced in 1952. A countrywide series of progeny trials was progressively established on over seventy sites, and is managed by the Radiata Pine Breeding Company (RPBC). Diameter at breast height data from the series were used to investigate genotype x environment interaction with a view to establishing the need for partitioning breeding and deployment efforts for P. radiata. Nearly 300,000 measurements made this study one of the largest for genotype x environment interaction ever done. Bivariate analyses were conducted between all pairs of sites to determine genetic correlations between sites. Genetic correlations were used to construct a proximity matrix by subtracting each correlation from unity. The process of constructing the matrix highlighted issues of low connectivity between sites; whereby meaningful correlations between sites were established with just 5 % of the pairs. However, nearly two-thirds of these genetic correlations were between -1.0 and 0.6, indicating the presence of strong genotype x environment interactions. A technique known as multiple regression on resemblance matrices was carried out by regressing a number of environmental correlation matrices on the diameter at breast height correlation matrix. Genotype x environment interactions were found to be driven by extreme maximum temperatures (t-statistic of 2.03 against critical t-value of 1.96 at 95 % confidence level). When tested on its own, altitude was significant with genetic correlations between sites at the 90 % confidence level (t-statistic of 1.92 against critical t-value of 1.645). In addition, a method from Graph Theory using proximity thresholds was utilised as a form of clustering. However, this study highlighted the existence of high internal cohesion within trial series, and high external isolation between trial series. That is, grouping of sites (in terms of diameter) was observed to be a reflection of the series of trials for which each site was established. This characteristic is particularly unhelpful for partitioning sites into regions of similar propensity to genotype x environment interaction, as the genotype x environment effect is effectively over-ridden by the genotype effect. Better cohesion between past, present and future trial series, and more accurate bioclimatic data should allow more useful groupings of sites to be extracted from the data. Given this, however, it is clear that there are a large number of interactive families contained in the RPBC dataset. It is concluded that partitioning of New Zealand’s P. radiata breeding programme cannot be ruled out as an advantageous option.

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Li, Qi. "CEO Membership of New Zealand Boards: Determinants and Firm Performance." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Economics and Finance, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8685.

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This study primarily investigates the determinants of CEO membership of New Zealand (NZ) boards, and the effect of CEO board membership on firm performance, for publicly-listed NZ firms between 1997 to 2008. The project is conducted using a unique hand-collected panel dataset containing information about CEO participation on the board, firm characteristics, firm performance, ownership, and firm governance. The sample covers the twelve-year period. The sample statistics of CEO board membership reveal that on average, approximately 30% of NZ CEOs do not sit on their company board. In addition, the number (percentage) of incidences of CEOs off their company board has been increasing. Specifically, the percentage of CEOs off the board was approximately 20% in 1997 but 42% in 2008. Models examining the determinants of CEO board participation indicate that the probability of CEO board membership is significantly related to the opacity of firms' information environment and the strength of firms' governance environment. Specifically, the probability of CEO board membership is significantly affected by firm size, firm age, percentage of independent directors, board ownership, and multiple directorships in independent companies. In particular, firm size and percentage of independent directors on the board possess economic significance. The negative association between the probability of CEO board membership and the strength of firms' governance environment is consistent with CEO utility maximization. I also find that although CEO board membership is positively related to ROA, ROE and Jensen's alpha in basic regression models, the positive effect observed in accounting performance models disappears after controlling for self-selection. In other words, firms with better accounting firm performance tend to appoint their CEOs on the board. This may attribute to the possibility that CEO board membership is optimally determined by shareholders. The evidence from a market-based model also reflects shareholder interests after controlling for the negative self-selection behavior. As an additional analysis, I examine the determinants of different degrees of CEO board involvement where CEOs on the board are categorized into CEO-director and CEO duality (the CEO also holds the position of the chairman of the board). This analysis shows that a number of explanatory variables have a non-linear relationship with the degree of CEO board involvement. For example, CEO board involvement is negatively related to firm age and multiple directorships in independent companies but positively related to their squared terms. To the contrary, CEO board involvement is positively related to Tobin's Q ratio and percentage of independent directors but negatively related to their squared terms. Moreover, basic regression results examining the effect of the extent of CEO board involvement on firm performance reveal that dual firms and CEO-off-the-board firms are associated with lower accounting firm performance than CEO-director firms, but dual firms are associated with better Jensen's alpha and CEO-off-the-board firms are associated with lower Jensen's alpha. The robustness analysis finds that the negative effect of CEO duality on operating performance is significantly mitigated by self-selection and the effect of CEOs off the board on operating performance is intensified by self-selection. In other words, after taking into account the self-selection bias, CEO duality status provides strong evidence for CEO utility maximization whereas CEOs off the board are optimally chosen given the underlying characteristics. However, the results from the market-based models show the exact opposite story after controlling for the self-selection bias: CEO duality is optimally chosen whereas the costs of CEOs off the board are greater than their benefits in firms with CEOs off the board, providing evidence for CEO utility maximization.

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Jones, Susan Margaret, and n/a. "Governing for theologia : governance of Presbyterian ministry formation in the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand 1961-1997." University of Otago. Department of Theology and Religious Studies, 2006. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070208.104312.

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This study of the governance of theological education examines significant policy and management decisions within Presbyterian ministry training in New Zealand between 1961 and 1997 in the light of Edward Farley�s integrated goal for theological education, theologia. Edward Farley�s argument that theologia, integration of theology (scientia) and theology (habitus), was fragmented from the first use of modern research university education as professional education for ordained ministry in the 1880s, provides a theoretical framework for analysing the influence of governance on theologia, through its effect on institutional organisation, structure and curricula. International unease about theological education is reflected in New Zealand Presbyterian ministry formation, though little sustained critical analysis is yet published in New Zealand. The period under study begins in 1961 when the Special Committee on Theological Training called for a Chair in Pastoral Theology to 1997 when the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand opened its Centre for Advanced Ministry Studies, later renamed the School of Ministry. Criteria signifying recovery and/or fragmentation of theologia drawn from Farley�s arguments are searched for in the beginning of University theology at Berlin and the beginning of ministry formation in Dunedin, New Zealand. The intervening time till 1960 is similarly analysed. Governance decisions about Pastoral Theology in the first case study and governance decisions about University, church and theology in the second, are then assessed. Constant rearranging of pastoral theology programmes symptomises increasing fragmentation of theologia as does the creation of a Pastoral Chair. Pastoral theology is left with the integrative responsibility, rendering other disciplines more scientific as feared by some Theological Hall teachers. Outside the University from 1876-1946, New Zealand Presbyterian ministry formation was still influenced by University expectations from Scotland and Berlin. After 1946, teaching within the University of Otago Faculty of Theology, Presbyterian teachers enjoyed considerable opportunities for integrated teaching. Fragmentation of theologia was therefore delayed and to some extent retarded. Increased University influence from 1992 meant these opportunities were lost. Finally, around the 1996 withdrawal of direct University engagement with Presbyterian ministry formation, formational goals were set for the Church�s new Centre of Advanced Ministry Studies. These aimed to integrate theology (scientia) and theology (habitus) retrospectively for ordinands after foundational theological education elsewhere. Earlier 1990s governance decisions affected achievement of these goals. This work argues that between 1961 and 1997 most governance decisions in New Zealand Presbyterian ministry formation exacerbated existing structural fragmentation of theologia. Differing arrangements to alleviate this were attempted, and integration of (scientia) and (habitus) occurred for some students and at different periods. Structurally, however, the University-approved four-fold programme continued, making pastoral theology�s role remained ambiguous and theologia�s fragmentation inevitable. While the New Zealand Presbyterian Church set its own ministry formation goals from 1961-1997, finance, prestige and educational philosophy prevented development of its own programme. Time and money were put into supporting University theology instead, and the University used to produce an educated ministry. It is now inevitable that the Church has to integrate theology (scientia) and theology (habitus) retrospectively for its students after theological education elsewhere.

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Douglas, John Charles. "Design for the development of the Academy of Biblical Knowledge & Ministry faculty." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 2005. http://www.tren.com.

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Noller, Crystal. "The Influence of Social Environment on Plasma Oxytocin Levels in New Zealand White Rabbits." Scholarly Repository, 2011. http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/283.

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Previous research attests to the relationship between social support and positive health outcomes while linking social isolation or aggression/hostility with negative health outcomes. Several studies examining atherosclerosis with either genetic or behavioral origins, have reported decreased disease severity in socially supportive environments. In order to identify and understand the mechanism responsible for decreased disease, the current study examined physiological differences in New Zealand White rabbits within unstable, stable, and isolated social environments and observed whether functional hormonal changes were apparent over time and as a response to behavior characteristic of these environments. Results indicated that animals within the unstable condition displayed increased agonistic behavior, increased cortisol and epinephrine, decreased body weight, epididymal fat, and retroperitoneal fat, as well as larger spleens. Cortisol values positively correlated with measures of agonistic behavior for all animals, while the reverse relationship was found for affiliative behavior. The novel finding of an increase in oxytocin in animals in the unstable condition within the first ten minutes of pairing that was noticeably distinct from the other two groups suggests that plasma oxytocin levels are related to acute stress. Limitations and interpretations of these findings are discussed. Future work is still needed to help further explain the physiological response to social stress and affiliation and to elucidate the mechanism by which a supportive social environment appears to protect against progression and severity of heart disease.

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Tedestedt, Ronny. "An Occupational Health and Safety Conversation : The Swedish and New Zealand Perspective." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för pedagogik, didaktik och utbildningsstudier, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-216211.

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ABSTRACT There has been a change in the nature of work over recent decades with an increase in the use of non-standard forms of work. Non-standard work includes for example the use of contractors and sub-contractors. These forms of employment lead to a greater vulnerability of the workforce. These workers are missing out on union representation, training opportunities and basic employment protection. This directly impacts the safety of the workers due to the confusing legislation over duty of care. It is often unclear who is responsible for providing occupational health and safety (OHS) training for these workers. It is for this reason the following report will attempt to gain a better understanding of the policies and regulations surrounding OHS in two countries. Sweden and New Zealand have been chosen as a focus for this research because they represent two different governing systems. The aim of this research was to describe what structures and policies regulate occupational health and safety matters in Sweden and New Zealand comparatively. It was also the aim of this research to seek insight into the policy conversation around OHS training in both Sweden and New Zealand. Three research questions have been used throughout the report to guide the researcher when selecting relevant documents collating the main themes and overall ensuring that the research stays on track. The questions are as follows: What structures and policies regulate occupational health and safety matters in Sweden and New Zealand? What characterises both the Swedish and the New Zealand work environment? What is the policy conversation around OHS training in Sweden and New Zealand? The methodology choosen for this research was a qualitative approach because greater in-depth understanding for OHS matters were sought after. The research was focused around policy documents from both Sweden and New Zealand. The documents from each country were chosen because of their current and topical relevance to each country. The main findings from this research were grouped into five themes based on key termes identified in both countries documents. The five themes are as follows: Work Environment and Regulation OHS Training and Attitudes Worker Participation OHS Research Longer Working Life Conclusions were made based on these themes. OHS regulation was found to be adequate in Sweden in contrast to New Zealand. In New Zealand there is a call for major reforms to be made to the OHS legislation because due to its lack of adequate coverage for the current workforce. The term work environment is used in Sweden and includes a more holistic view, compared to the term occupational health and safety which is used in New Zealand and focuses more on safety and the prevention of work-related harm. Inadequate training for safety representatives were found to be an issue both in Sweden and New Zealand. In Sweden safety representatives are entitled to sufficient paid leave to fulfill their duties including training, in contrast to New Zealand where the safety representatives are entitled to only two days paid leave annualy. OHS training was suggested to be a necessary component in many tertiary education programs both in Sweden and New Zealand. The suggestion was made to better prepare prospective managers who will have OHS responsibilities. Worker participation was found to be a necessary component of a well functioning OHS scheme in both the countries. It was not adequately regulated in New Zealand until the implementation of the Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Act 2002. In both Sweden and New Zealand new OHS research functions were suggested to be established. The changing nature of work is highlighted as a concern in both countries, because legislation does not adequately cover the new forms of work and is not conducive to OHS.

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Emnet, Philipp Johannes. "Presence, Fate, and Behaviour of Emerging Micropollutants in the New Zealand and Antarctic Coastal Environment." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Chemistry, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8535.

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Many chemicals used in everyday personal care products are today amongst the most commonly detected compounds in surface waters throughout the world. Collectively referred to as micropollutants, they include paraben preservatives, organic UV filters, alkylphenols, triclosan, and bisphenol-A. Micropollutants enter the aquatic environment predominantly via wastewater discharges. To date there has been only limited assessments on their presence and impacts in coastal environments. The wastewater treatment plants in Lyttelton, Governors Bay, and Diamond Harbour were found to discharge micropollutants into Whakaraupo Harbour. Similarly, the sewage effluents of the Antarctic research stations Scott Base and McMurdo Station were found to discharge micropollutants into Erebus Bay. Strong seasonal changes in the Whakaraupo effluent concentrations were observed, with concentrations higher in winter than in summer. Concentrations fluctuated greatly in Scott Base, reaching concentrations higher than have been previously reported internationally. The nine most commonly detected analytes were octylphenol, 4-MBC, BP-3, BP-1, triclosan, methyl triclosan, bisphenol-A, estrone, and coprostanol. The marine environments in Whakaraupo Harbour and Erebus Bay were found to be similarly impacted. The most commonly detected micropollutants in seawater in Whakaraupo Harbour were mParaben, 4-MBC, BP-3, OMC, bisphenol-A, and estrone. The marine sediments in Whakaraupo Harbour accumulated mParaben, octylphenol, 4-MBC, BP-3, BP-1, bisphenol-A, OMC, estrone, and coprostanol, while mussels bioaccumulated mParaben, octylphenol, and BP-3. The same range of micropollutants were detected in seawater throughout Erebus Bay, including the reference sites. Marine biota (clams, urchins, and fish), including those from the reference site, were shown to readily bioaccumulate mParaben, pParaben, octylphenol, BP-3, E2, EE2, and coprostanol. A much larger coastal area of Antarctica and New Zealand is therefore impacted than was previously thought. Photodegradation was identified as an important environmental degradation pathway for micropollutants. mParaben, BPA, EE2, and BP-3 are highly photo-stable, while triclosan and OP readily photodegrade. The low temperature and irradiance conditions in Antarctica were modelled to investigate their potential environmental persistence. Field measurements suggest the model may underestimate the photodegradation potential of some micropollutants.

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Steele, Aaron. "Perceptions of the cloud assessment learning environment: a case study at a New Zealand Polytechnic." Thesis, Curtin University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/381.

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This multi-method study in a New Zealand polytechnic investigated student perceptions of a cloud assessment learning environment. Factors examined included teacher-student interpersonal behaviour, conceptual change, student achievement, attitude and computing confidence. This unique study provides a clear insight into student perceptions of the cloud assessment learning environment. Educators will be able to utilise data from this study to better prepare students, manage expectations, and emphasise positive aspects of the environment.

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Lilley, Rebbecca Catherine, and n/a. "The development of an occupational health and safety surveillance tool for New Zealand workers." University of Otago. Dunedin School of Medicine, 2007. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20071011.112802.

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World-wide, working life is undergoing major changes. Established market economies are increasingly characterised by demands for vastly greater market flexibility. New Zealand (NZ) has been no different with rapid changes occurring over the last 2 decades in the organisation of labour, of work and of the work environment. Recent international research suggests that work change significantly impacts upon worker health and safety. Many OECD nations undertake routine cross-sectional surveys to monitor changes in working conditions and environments, assessing the health and safety impact of these changes. Similar monitoring is not undertaken in NZ, with the impact of the work environment on health and injury outcomes poorly understood. This lack of knowledge (monitoring) is considered to be a significant impediment to the progression of health and safety initiatives in NZ. The aim of this thesis was to develop a tool (questionnaire) and methodology suitable for use in the surveillance of working conditions, work environments and health and injury outcomes using workers� surveys. The survey development was undertaken in 3 phases: i) development of tool through critical review; ii) empirical methodological testing and iii) an empirical validation study. Questionnaire development was a stepwise process of content selection. Firstly key dimensional themes were identified via critical review of literature and existing international surveys leading to the establishment of a dimensional framework. Secondly a critical review of questions to measure key dimensions based upon selection criteria occurred. Finally the selected questions and design were pre-tested before piloting. A similar development process was undertaken for the development of a calendar collecting occupational histories. A methodological study was undertaken piloting the questionnaire. Two methods of data collection were evaluated: face-to-face and telephone interviews, and two methods of occupational history collection: calendar and question set. Telephone interviewing was found to be the more efficient and effective data collection method while occupational history collection was found to be less time consuming by question set. Focus groups indicated questions were acceptable and suitable to NZ workers. A validation study was undertaken with a cross-sectional study in distinctly different occupational groups: cleaners and clerical workers. Comparisons were made between the groups with cleaners expected to be identified as employed under more hazardous working conditions and be exposed to more hazards of a physical nature, while clerical workers were expected to be exposed to more psychological hazards of a psychological nature. Results indicated the questionnaire provides data capable of making valid comparisons, identifying work patterns of high risk and provides good predictive validity. The final survey has the potential to generate population data on a wide range of work-related exposure and health variables relevant to contemporary working life. The survey results will contribute to understanding the range of working conditions and work environments NZ workers are currently exposed to and to assessing the health and safety impact of these exposures. Therefore it is recommended this tool initially be used in a national workforce survey to establish baseline surveillance data of working conditions, work environments and health and safety outcomes in NZ.

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Redfern, Farran Mack. "Heavy Metal Contamination from Landfills in Coastal Marine Sediments: Kiribati and New Zealand." The University of Waikato, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2323.

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Landfill leachates are a concern in the Pacific Region where they may contribute contaminants to the coastal marine environment. Poor waste management and pollution of coastal waters are amongst the major environmental problems in Kiribati, particularly in South Tarawa. An investigation of areas adjacent to coastal landfill sites; Betio, Kiribati and Auckland, New Zealand was undertaken. The Kiribati case study investigated metal contamination in marine sediments at an operational landfill while the New Zealand study was adjacent to a coastal landfill decommissioned in the 1970s. Surficial sediments (top 15 cm) were collected along transects. At both the New Zealand and Kiribati sites, 3 transects adjacent to the landfill and 1 control transect were sampled. The sediments were analyzed for particle size distribution, organic matter content, and Cd, As, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni and Zn concentrations. The pH was also measured. The Kiribati study site had a groundwater pH of 7.14 - 8.85, and sediment materials were dominated by sand with a low organic matter content (1.60 - 2.21 %). At the Kiribati sites Cd, As, and Ni were below the detection limits. The Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations were lower at the Kiribati control transect than the landfill transects. Cr level decreased away from the landfill indicating the landfill as a possible source. However, Cu and Zn did not show any distribution pattern suggesting other potential sources (port and shipwrecks) may have contributed to the elevated levels. At the Kiribati landfill and control transects the Cr, As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn concentration were below the Effects Range-Low (ERL) and the threshold Effects levels (TEL) of the Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQCs) of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, indicating no potential adverse ecological effects on the biota. At the Kiribati control site the Cr, As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn concentrations were within the background ranges published for clean reef sediment but the concentration at the landfill transects exceeded the background ranges. The concentration of mercury at both the control and landfill transects in Kiribati exceeded the Effects Range-Median (ERM) and the Probable Effects Level (PEL) of the SQGs indicating potential adverse ecological effects on the local benthic communities. The New Zealand study site sediments had a pH of 6.22 - 7.24, and comprised up to 90 % clay/silt, with an organic matter content of 5 - 22 %. At the New Zealand landfill transects Arsenic concentrations decreased away from the landfill indicating the landfill as a possible source. Other metals such as Cr did not show a pattern of distribution along the transects, or with depth, suggesting that the landfill was not the only source of these metals. There was a weak correlation between organic matter content, particle size distribution, and metal enrichment. At the New Zealand site, there were no marked differences in metal concentrations between the landfill and control transects suggesting the landfill was not the only source of metals and that the wider urban or industrial run-off may have contributed. All the metal concentrations, except Hg and Zn, exceeded the ERL and the TEL values indicating the potential for adverse ecological effects of metals on the benthic communities. At the New Zealand site the Hg and Zn concentrations exceeded both the ERM and PEL of the SQGs and are considered highly contaminated.

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Nik, Hasan Nik Norma. "The Representation of Environmental News: A Comparative Study of the Malaysian and New Zealand Press." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Political Science and Communication, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1904.

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This comparative study examines trends in the representation of the environment in Malaysian and New Zealand newspapers over an eight year period. By comparing the two media contexts, it explored the role of journalism’s occupational norms, of the relationship between journalists and sources and of media ownership in determining the quality of news coverage of the environment. The sample was made up of eight mainstream newspapers which were selected based on biggest circulation figures, sampled in 1996, 2000 and 2004. The four Malaysian newspapers, all nationally distributed, were the English-language papers The New Straits Times and The Star, and the Malay-language papers Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia. The four New Zealand newspapers, all regionally distributed, were The Press, The Dominion Post, The New Zealand Herald and The Otago Daily Times. The study employed content analysis as the prime method to observe trends in environmental news; while in-depth interviews with 40 respondents were used to verify from subjects’ experiences the various forces that might cause the trends. Major content analysis findings were that environmental news is underrepresented in both countries and that the news patterns in the two countries are quite similar. The study raised questions about the quality of the news, with much of the coverage being conflict-framed, one-source event stories, with high dependency on government officials. These problems were less acute in New Zealand. Trends were largely stable across the three years. The most significant change in Malaysian coverage was an increase in the use of the public and scientists as sources over time. Interviews revealed some differences between New Zealand and Malaysia in journalists’ awareness of organizational determinants of news, editorial policies towards the environment, sources criticisms of journalists’ laziness, but also many common problems, including journalists’ lack of knowledge about environmental issues and science. In Malaysia, government control of the news and editors’ self-censorship of sensitive news was identified as a problem. The study concludes that newspapers in both countries do not operate as information providers or educators, but most of the time are reactive towards environmental issues.

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Zhu, Dan. "Managerial sex role stereotyping among Chinese students in New Zealand." Diss., Lincoln University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/822.

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The management literature in gender issues argues that in spite of the progress made in the last few decades, women still face difficulties in being accepted and recognised as managers because the manager’s role has been perceived as masculine. Gender stereotypes, hence, continue to become a barrier to women’s access to top management position. This study examines the perceptions of the relationship between sex role stereotypes and the perceived characteristics necessary for managerial success among Chinese students in New Zealand. The study sample consisted of 94 male Chinese students and 119 female Chinese students studying in New Zealand. In order to allow for cross-cultural comparisons, this study used a direct replication the Schein Descriptive Index (SDI) from previous study (Schein & Mueller, 1992). The male and female perceptions on the relationship between sex role stereotypes and characteristics were analysed separately. The results revealed that both male and female Chinese students in New Zealand perceive that successful middle managers possess characteristics, attitudes and temperaments more commonly ascribed to men than to women in general. In addition, the results were compared with previous studies conducted in China and Japan, New Zealand, America, Britain, Canada, and Germany. Our findings conclude that Asian people are worse than Western people in respect to managerial sex role stereotyping, particularly, Chinese males who show a very strong degree of managerial gender stereotyping. Multiple discriminant analysis was used to discriminate the relationship between men, women and middle managers on 92 items from the survey questionnaire. The analysis resulted in two separate canonical functions which distinguished between three groups women, men and managers).

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Bowring, Jacky. "Institutionalising the picturesque: the discourse of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects." Lincoln University, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/667.

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Despite its origins in England two hundred years ago, the picturesque continues to influence landscape architectural practice in late twentieth-century New Zealand. The evidence for this is derived from a close reading of the published discourse of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects, particularly the now defunct professional journal, The Landscape. Through conceptualising the picturesque as a language, a model is developed which provides a framework for recording the survey results. The way in which the picturesque persists as naturalised conventions in the discourse is expressed as four landscape myths. Through extending the metaphor of language, pidgins and creoles provide an analogy for the introduction and development of the picturesque in New Zealand. Some implications for theory, practice and education follow.

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Hamidian, Amir Hossein, and n/a. "Cadmium in the marine environment." University of Otago. Department of Chemistry, 2008. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20090728.100026.

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Cadmium in the ocean has a nutrient-like cycling pattern: with biological uptake at the surface, subsequent sinking in particulate form and then regeneration as dissolved species in deeper waters. Many measurements have been made over time of the ratio of the concentrations of dissolved Cd to those of PO₄ (Cd/PO₄) in the world ocean and this has become one of the best relationships documented between a trace metal and a nutrient. Combined with the measurements of the Cd/Ca ratio in foraminifera, the Cd/PO₄ ratio has been used to reconstruct the oceanographic circulation patterns that existed during past glacial periods and hence provides information on past climate changes. In the present study Cd/PO₄ ratios of the Southern Indian Ocean in surface and deep waters were investigated. The slopes of the relationships between Cd and PO₄ concentrations in waters of this region are high compared to the global correlations, and lie between those reported for other parts of the Southern Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. In surface waters of the Southern Indian Ocean, Cd/PO₄ ratios decrease from regions exhibiting high nutrient-low chlorophyll (HNLC) characteristic in the south to oligotrophic waters further north. It is also found that particulate Cd plays an important role in regulating the high Cd/PO₄ ratios reported in waters south of the Polar Front. Very low Cd/PO₄ ratios were measured in waters associated with the Subtropical Front southeast of New Zealand compared to other Southern Ocean and global oceanic waters. Seasonal variations in the Cd/PO₄ ratios measured for these waters strongly suggest they are associated with a significant biological uptake of dissolved Cd particularly during the phytoplankton growth season in summer. Dissolved Fe concentrations in the Southern Indian Ocean and seasonal variations of Fe in waters off the Otago Coast (southeast of New Zealand) suggest that Fe may stimulate phytoplankton growth and this might result in lower Cd/PO₄ ratios in surface waters through enhanced Cd uptake relative to PO₄ by the phytoplankton. However there is no distinct relationship between dissolved Fe concentrations and the dissolved Cd/PO₄ ratios measured in these surface waters. This finding is in disagreement with the recent 2006 hypothesis put forward by J.T. Cullen, which proposed that waters exhibiting low dissolved Cd/PO₄ ratios were associated with the HNLC regions. From a consideration of the potential Zn concentrations calculated from Si concentration measurements reported for these waters, it would appear that Zn may play a more important role than Fe in regulating Cd/PO₄ ratios in these waters. Measurements of dissolved and total Cd concentrations relative to those of PO₄ were also undertaken in the Otago Harbour and immediate surrounding coastal waters. These exhibited higher Cd concentrations and higher Cd/PO₄ ratios than open ocean waters further off the Otago Coast. The particulate Cd concentrations showed a negative correlation with Cd concentrations measured in cockle species (Austrovenus stuchburyi) collected in the harbour, suggesting that particulate Cd is not the source of Cd measured in the tissue of this species. The concentrations of Cd and other trace metals were also measured in samples of green mussel (Perna canaliculus), ribbed mussel (Aulacomya atra maoriana) and oyster (Saccostrea cucullata) collected from Otago Harbour and possible correlations explored between these concentrations and other parameters such as the shellfish condition indices and environmental gradients in the harbour. In summary, measurements of dissolved and particulate Cd concentrations in the water column can provide unique information on a number of processes occurring in the global marine environment.

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Abbari, Julie Ann. "Defending Starlight as a Cultural Resource: the use of environmental legislation in Aotearoa/New Zealand." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Geography, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8713.

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In 2012, a large area within the Mackenzie District of Te Waipounamu/South Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand was designated as the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve (AMIDSR). While lighting restrictions within the AMIDSR promise to protect starlight visibility in that location for the foreseeable future, this thesis considers instruments provided by the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) that could be applied in protection of starlight as a natural resource of cultural significance to Māori. The celestial realm is a vital element of Māori cosmology. Tātai aroraki/Māori astronomy was responsible for the Polynesian discovery and settlement of this nation. Traditionally the moon and stars also played a role in mahika kai/food gathering and other cultural practices. Tātai aroraki is a body of knowledge that was developed through continued observation and use of the natural resource of starlight, and both the knowledge and the natural resource itself are embedded within the whole mahika kai resource chain. Interviews with local kaumātua/elders and a Māori astrophysicist were conducted to determine whether tātai aroraki is still practiced and important to contemporary Kāi Tahu, an iwi/tribe with close ties to the Mackenzie District. Results confirmed that despite the eroding effects that colonisation, urbanisation and new technologies have had on traditional environmental knowledge in general, remnants of tātai arorangi remain and are still used by a few Kāi Tahu individuals and families. For many Māori, their cultural identity is closely linked to traditional knowledge and practices, a form of cultural capital. A strong cultural identity is an important element of cultural wellbeing. Applying the RMA to the protection of starlight from light pollution would protect a resource important for mahika kai and therefore indirectly enhance the potential for Kāi Tahu to provide for their cultural wellbeing. As the RMA is a national statute this has implications for iwi in other regions of Aotearoa who have similar astronomical traditions. This thesis extends previous research on the AMIDSR within a growing body of scholarship on starlight protection. It also makes a contribution to RMA scholarship and Actor-Network Theory literature on the natural environment by including the celestial realm within resource networks.

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Rout, Matthew William. "To Define & Control: The Utility of Military Ethics in the New Zealand Army's Contemporary Operational Environment." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Social and Political Sciences, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/3048.

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Military ethics serve as a normative code of behaviour for the armed forces of a state, acting as a mechanism of definition and control within the force, between the force and its client, and between the force, its adversaries and the wider public. They have two, intrinsically linked, functions: a preventative function, which defines the moral and legal parameters of conduct, and a constructive function, which creates and maintains an effective and controllable force. Preceded by the code of chivalry, they were largely a creation of the era of conventional interstate warfare that was waged across the European continent from the Treaty of Westphalia through to the desolate end of the Second World War; yet, the operations upon which armed forces, and in particular, the New Zealand Army are deployed have changed, dramatically. Wars no longer, current operations are generally justified on moral principles and involve a multinational, joint and interagency deployment sent to intervene in an irregular, intrastate conflict occurring in an underdeveloped region and conducted under the intense glare of the media. This disjuncture between the changing nature of operations and the context in which military ethics were formulated provides the fundamental question for the thesis: if the milieu in which military ethics developed has changed significantly, what is their current utility? Using the New Zealand Army as the frame of reference, first the contemporary operational environment and then the specific operational environment in Timor-Leste were examined to assess the current utility of military ethics. It was found that the preventative function has an increasing utility because it ensures conduct is within expected norms in an era where the perception of the adversary, the local populace and the domestic and international audience is key to operational success. Despite the reduction in conflict intensity, the constructive function has a remaining utility through its mediation and amelioration of the stressors engendered by the growing complexity of the operational environment. The retention of utility for the constructive function appears to have been facilitated by an adaptation of the warrior ethos, from a narrow traditional outlook to a broad and comprehensive modern interpretation.

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Kinnison, M. T. "Life history divergence and population structure of New Zealand chinook salmon : a study of contemporary microevolution /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/5316.

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Cowan, Jacqueline Lisa. "Teachers' and Students' Understandings of how Self Worth is Influenced in the Learning Environment: a New Zealand Context." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Sciences and Physical Education, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4933.

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The aim of this qualitative case study is to identify how teachers and students perceive students’ self worth to be influenced in the learning environment and examine the similarities and differences in the way teachers and students described these influences. Implications for classroom practice are identified. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from four teachers and four focus groups of students aged 12-13 years from two different schools. Data was analysed using a thematic approach that allowed for identification of similarities and differences in teachers’ and students’ responses and provided a structure for discussion. On analysis of the findings it is evident that aspects of the learning environment and interactions students have within the learning environment have the potential to influence students’ self worth. Findings indicate that students who appear to have good self worth seem to find the learning environment a positive place to be. Good self worth is characterised by strong perceptions of ability, achievement related behaviour and positive social interactions. Poor self worth appears to be influenced by what students perceive to be under achievement with, in some instances, a relationship to negative prior experiences related to under achievement. Under achievement seems to impact on the students’ conscious decision to employ a variety of avoidance-related behaviours in an attempt to limit incidences of failure in front of peers. Findings suggest that there are four main areas of influence on students’ self worth that relate to: achievement, teacher qualities, teacher strategies and connections made with significant other people such as parents/guardians and coaches. Positive self worth appears to be strongly connected to academic achievement in a reciprocal manner where each influences the other. The socio-cultural influences such as positive teacher and peer relationships and support of significant others, teacher strategies including pedagogical approach and supportive learning environments /communities that promote a sense of safety and belonging are described as fundamental to the development of self worth. This study discusses the need for schools to provide opportunities for holistic development where students can grow through social, emotional, ethical and academic learning experiences in a socially emotionally and physically safe learning environment. Learner-centred or self-directed pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning appear to provide a basis on which to meet the holistic needs of students. It is clear however that the effect of more empowering pedagogical approaches is influenced heavily by the teachers’ personal and professional approaches to meeting the needs of their students. This study shows that self worth is more likely to be enhanced when students feel empowered and involved in the learning process and understand their responsibility within the learning process. Teacher practice and students’ response to the learning environment can be greatly enhanced through the use of critical reflective strategies that allow teachers and students to become more knowledgeable about each other and the influences of the learning environment. Finally, evidence suggests that self worth is enhanced by a humanistic philosophy. This philosophy seems to underpin positive relationships and other socio-cultural characteristics of the classroom learning environment that enhance self worth. This is consistent with the philosophical framework of the New Zealand Curriculum(2007). Findings suggest that, if implemented authentically and with understanding this curriculum can provide a strong basis for enhancing students’ self worth and achievement, and meet the all round needs of students as people, through an ethic of care.

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Tyacke, Vicki-Lee. "The preparedness of New Zealand secondary school students for first year undergraduate studies in a digital learning environment." Thesis, Curtin University, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88381.

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Today’s secondary school students need to be both prepared and confident as they progress into the undergraduate digital learning environment. This research examined the perceived level of preparedness and confidence of final school year students for the digital learning expectations of the Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) tertiary sector. The new knowledge gained from this study will contribute to a better understanding in the secondary and tertiary sectors by providing them with insight into how students view their preparation for the undergraduate digital learning environment.

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29

Read, Marion. "The 'construction' of landscape : a case study of the Otago Peninsula, Aotearoa / New Zealand." Lincoln University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/1604.

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This project has sought to answer the question 'How is landscape made?’ by examining the landscape of the Otago Peninsula on the east coast of the South Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand. By taking a social constructionist approach, an in depth case study has been completed using ethnographic methods combined with discourse analysis. The theoretical framework adopted led to the research question being refined and divided into two parts. The first seeks to determine the discourses that construct the landscape of the Otago Peninsula. Those identified include discourses of Mana Whenua, agriculture, environmentalism, gardening, heritage, neo-liberalism and the picturesque. These discourses interact and resist one another through networks of power. Thus the second part of the research question seeks to understand these networks and the distributions of power through them. The agricultural discourse is the most powerful, albeit under strong challenge from the environmental discourse and from the impacts of neo-liberalism. Mana Whenua discourses have gained significant power in recent decades, but their influence is tenuous. The picturesque discourse has significant power and has been utilised as a key tool in District planning in the area. Thus, the landscape is seen to be made by the dynamic interactions of discourses. This has two consequences, the first, an emphasising of the dynamism of the landscape - it is a process which is under constant flux as a consequence of both the human interactions with and within it, and the biophysical processes which continue outside of human ken. The second consequence is to stress that the landscape is not a unitary object and that this needs to be recognised in the formulation of policy and landscape management.

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30

Burge, Philip Ian. "A Record of Environmental and Climatic Change from the West Coast, South Island, New Zealand, using Beetle Fossils." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Geological Sciences, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1381.

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Fossil beetle based palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions are presented from the Westport region, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand for the last glacial cycle. They include the longest continuous fossil beetle record from New Zealand, covering 16,000 years over the OIS 3/OIS 2 transition. Early last glacial (OIS 4) and mid- Holocene (OIS 1) reconstructions are also presented. The assumptions underlying fossil beetle research in New Zealand are tested indicating beetles are suitable proxies for reconstructing palaeotemperature and palaeoprecipitation. This thesis provides the first quantitative estimates of temperature and precipitation from the Westport region for the last glacial. Reconstructed temperatures indicate stadial cooling was seasonal. Maximum cooling was ca. 5℃ in winter and ca. 2-3℃ in summer. Winter cooling is consistent with previous quantitative estimates from New Zealand. Mean annual precipitation decreased a maximum 35-40% during stadials. Temperatures and precipitation varied during OIS 3/2 indicating multiple possible drivers for glaciation. A glacial advance ca. 34-28ka BP correlates with ca. 5℃ winter cooling and ca. 40% less precipitation, which supports temperature driven glaciation whereas a glacial advance ca. 24-22ka BP correlates with ca. 3℃ winter cooling and precipitation similar to present, which supports precipitation forced glaciation. Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of stadial vegetation from the Westport region indicate lowland Nothofagus fusca-type forest during OIS 4 and a forest-grassland mosaic during OIS 3/2. These records contrast with pollen-based reconstructions of a treeless landscape in Westport during stadials but are consistent with quantitative estimates of stadial cooling. A shift of reproductive strategy in arboreal vegetation may explain the lack of tree pollen in stadial pollen records. This is significant for our understanding of glacial palaeoecology and palaeoclimatology as pollen records may not accurately represent stadial vegetation.

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31

Chellew, Brittany. "How Effectively does New Zealand Export to the European Union? A Multidisciplinary Approach." Thesis, University of Canterbury. National Centre for Research on Europe, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2679.

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For a small state such as New Zealand, trade and economic partnerships are extremely important for economic survival. However, the tyranny of distance complicates this somewhat. Historically, New Zealand has always been dependent on exporting agricultural products. There are examples in New Zealand’s history of innovative ideas being utilised to New Zealand’s economic advantage, such as the advent of refrigerated shipping to the United Kingdom. An important economic partner for New Zealand is the European Union. The European Union is the world’s largest trade power, a formidable partner for a small state, such as New Zealand, to contend with in trade related matters. The agricultural protectionist policies of the European Union are an issue for New Zealand to work around. However, the European Union is also a welcoming market for high quality products that New Zealand should supply. New Zealand’s small size means that the country has to focus on producing high quality products rather than mass production. This thesis proposes to make recommendations for the types of products New Zealand should export to the European Union, in what quantities, and by which methods. This is important for New Zealand producers and exporters to take into account if New Zealand is to expand its exports to the European Union.

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32

Hoeberechts, Veronica Anne. "Oil Spills in New Zealand's Territorial Waters: Fence at the Top of the Cliff?" The University of Waikato, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2406.

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Over the last four decades, there have been many catastrophic oil spills in the marine environment and these larger oil spills have often caused environmental devastation especially if they occurred in the coastal marine area. Serious ecological damage can also be caused from operational discharges, ballast and bilge water, from ships within territorial waters. Until now New Zealand has only had relatively minor oil spillages in its coastal waters, primarily from ships' discharge or accidental leaks in port. The possibility however of a major oil spill occurring within our coastal area is considerably higher today than 20 years ago as there has been a significant increase of all types of oil tankers/bulk carriers/container ships to New Zealand. New Zealand is an island nation that relies heavily on the marine environment for commercial operations such as fisheries and tourism and many New Zealanders enjoy recreational, aesthetic and spiritual ties to the coastal marine area. The sustainability of our territorial sea is therefore of paramount importance. A major oil spill could cause widespread ecological damage, cripple or destroy marine/tourism operations and ensure that the human values associated with the coast are lost, possibly for many years. The research reported here addresses the issue of oil spill preparedness and response in New Zealand's waters. A combination of a review of New Zealand's international commitments and domestic legislation and two case studies of high profile oil spills: the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve and the Jody F Millennium are used. The research identifies whether the present environmental legislation, that promotes sustainable management, is proactive in the prevention of a major oil spill and concludes that the New Zealand approach reflects a relatively strong Sustainable Imperative position rather than one of Sustainable Development. In implementation it relies heavily on co-management integrated at the regional council level.

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Finnis, Kristen Kay, and n/a. "Resilience and vulnerability in communities around Mt Taranaki." University of Otago. Department of Geology, 2007. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070503.100402.

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The aim of this thesis is to examine the resilience and vulnerability of Taranaki communities to volcanic hazards, and to propose a strategy to ensure the safety and longevity of Taranaki residents in the event of an eruption. Mt Taranaki is a dormant volcano that is surrounded by a ring plain populated by over 100,000 people. The volcano has had an average eruptive cycle of 330 years, with the last eruption dated at ~1755 AD. Hazards include ash fall, lahars, debris avalanches and pyroclastic density currents. Inglewood, Stratford and Opunake are the largest population centres located in moderate to high hazard zones, and for this reason were chosen as the study communities. Resilience is defined as the capacity to respond to a hazard event by physically and psychologically recovering, adapting to, or changing to similar or better conditions than those experienced before the event. Vulnerability is defined to be people�s incapacity to cope with a hazardous event as a result of their personal characteristics. A person�s vulnerability and resilience is influenced by demographic variables, socio-cognitive variables and preparedness. Inglewood, Stratford and Opunake adults have good self-efficacy and action-coping use, fair risk perceptions, outcome expectancy and response efficacy, but poor understanding of event timing relative to eruption probability, critical awareness, preparedness and information-seeking intentions and preparedness levels. Preparedness is found to be influenced by residents� intentions to prepare, which in turn are influenced by critical awareness, action-coping and outcome expectancy. Taranaki students have a fair awareness of hazard and knowledge of correct response behaviours to various hazards. Preparedness, in terms of preparedness measures undertaken, emergency plans made and emergency practices in place, is low. Students who have participated in hazard-education programmes have a better knowledge of response behaviours, lower levels of hazard-related fear, and reported higher level of preparedness. Spatial analyses, carried out to determine the geographic distribution of at-risk groups within the study communities, showed that the areas most at-risk tend to be those with the highest population densities. The spatial analysis was not as beneficial as expected, due to small data sets, but did provide some results to be considered as a basis for further research. Effective public education can be achieved when delivered to a set of guidelines, such as providing information regularly through multiple media and sources, ensuring consistent messages, targeting information to at-risk groups and monitoring programme effectiveness. Community capacity building projects decrease aspects of vulnerability and build resilience by working at a local scale and targeting at-risk groups. Psychological preparedness education helps citizens to mentally prepare for an event and should be a component of all projects. The proposed strategy calls for (a) forming partnerships with relevant stakeholders to assist with public education, research, and funding, (b) further research into the characteristics of Taranaki communities and effective public education campaigns, (c) the development and implementation of a public education schedule and projects that build community capacity, and d) long-term planning, periodic revision of programmes and consistent public engagement.

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34

Ross, Peter, and n/a. "Organisational and Workforce Restructuring in a Deregulated Environment: A Comparative Study of The Telecom Corporation of New Zealand (TCNZ) and Telstra." Griffith University. Graduate School of Management, 2003. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20030930.155125.

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In the late 1980s, governments in New Zealand and Australia began to deregulate their telecommunications markets. This process included the corporatisation and privatisation of former state owned telecommunications monopolies and the introduction of competition. The Telecom Corporation of New Zealand (TCNZ) was corporatised in 1987 and privatised in 1990. Its Australian counterpart, Telstra, was corporatised in 1989 and partially privatised in 1997. This thesis examines and compares TCNZ and Telstra's changing organisational and workforce restructuring strategies, as they responded to these changes. It further examines how these strategies influenced the firms' employment relations (ER) policies. Strategic human resource management (SHRM) and transaction costs economics (TCE) theories assist in this analyse. TCE links organisational restructuring to the make/buy decisions of firms and the asset-specificity of their employees. It suggests that firms will retain workers that have developed a high degree of firm-specific skills, and outsource more generic and semi-skilled work. Firm strategies are also influenced by national, contextual, factors. From a TCE perspective, these external factors alter relative transaction costs. Hence, different ownership structures, ER legislation and union power help to explain differences in TCNZ and Telstra's organisational restructuring and ER strategies. During the decade from 1990 to 2000, TCNZ and Telstra cut labour costs through large-scale downsizing programs. Job cuts were supported by outsourcing, work intensification and the introduction of new technologies. These initial downsizing programs were carried out through voluntary redundancies, across most sections of the firms. In many instances workers simply self-selected themselves for redundancies. TCNZ and Telstra's downsizing strategies then became more strategic, as they targeted generic and semi-skilled work for outsourcing. These strategies accorded with a TCE analysis. But TCNZ and Telstra engaged in other practices that did not accord with a TCE analysis. For example, both firms outsourced higher skilled technical work. TCNZ and Telstra's continued market domination and the emphasis that modern markets place on short term profits, provided possible reasons for these latter strategies. This thesis suggests, therefore, that while TCE may help to predict broad trends in 'rational organisations', it may be less effective in predicting the behaviour of more politically and ideologically driven organisations aiming for short term profit maximisation. Some TCNZ and Telstra workers were shifted to subsidiaries and strategic alliances, which now assumed responsibility for work that had previously been performed in-house. Many of these external firms re-employed these workers under more 'flexible' employment conditions. TCNZ and Telstra shifted to more unitarist ER strategies with their core workers and reduced union influence in the workplace. Unions at Telstra were relatively more successful in retaining members than their counterparts at TCNZ. By 2002, TCNZ and Telstra had changed from stand-alone public sector organisations, into 'leaner' commercially driven firms, linked to subsidiaries, subcontractors and strategic alliances.

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35

Speedy, Karin Elizabeth. "Cross-cultural communication in a postmodern business environment: the role of French language and culture in New Zealand-French business relations." Thesis, University of Auckland, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/409.

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In international business, notions of homogeneity and standardisation are promoted as necessary parts of the globalisation process. “One world” is equated with “one language” and English, portrayed as the global lingua franca, is seen as the only language needed to operate successfully in world markets. Using Jean Baudrillard’s theory of the cyclic superposition of the singular, universal and global as a framework and applying it to the business communications between New Zealand exporters and their French buyers, this thesis questions the beliefs underpinning Anglophone reliance on English, and the value of this reliance, in a postmodern business environment. It first examines historical shifts in attitudes to and use of both dominant “universal” languages and individual “singular” languages and finds that tensions tend to arise when dominant powers try to impose, in an imperialistic fashion, their language on the “Other”. It argues that the universal ideals of unity and openness popularly associated with globalisation are myths expounded by Anglophone big business, which, as the advocate of English as the language of international commerce, fails to recognise the hegemonic implications of its discourse. Through both qualitative and quantitative field research, it reaches the conclusion that, aside from a lack of attention paid to foreign languages in business, international business writers offer outdated and often erroneous cross-cultural advice for doing business in France. This cultural guidance is tainted by both the universalist/structuralist frameworks employed by the writers as well as their own inherent cultural assumptions, and is found to be of little use to New Zealand business people. By reviewing previous research, the thesis determines that New Zealand business has demonstrated a slight shift in attitude toward foreign language use in recent years. The results of my survey, designed to gauge the present attitudes to and use of French among New Zealand exporters, show that while some firms have embraced the idea of using French in business, most are still reliant on English for day-to-day business communications with their French customers. In the view of the latter, however, this behaviour does not foster efficient and equitable business relations. For the French, a New Zealand exporter prepared to use French in the French market would have a competitive advantage. Set in the context of Baudrillard’s paradigm, the thesis demonstrates that within the New Zealand-French business relationship the perpetual struggle between local and dominant languages continues to be a critical issue that requires urgent redress.

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36

Fox, Stephen Patrick. "The growth of cultured Perna canaliculus in Pelorus Sound, New Zealand : the importance of spat origin, environment and time of harvest." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Zoology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/5958.

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Factors affecting the growth and condition (flesh weight/total weight) of the greenshell® mussel, Perna canaliculus, were investigated in Pelorus Sound, on the northern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The relative importance of time of harvest, location (two mussel farms in each of three areas), and the geographic origin of mussels (three stocks: Golden Bay, Kaitaia, and the Marlborough Sounds) were measured in four growth trials between August 1997 and October 1999. Particular attention was paid to the condition cycles of mussels because poor condition during winter often results in a severe reduction in yields and/or the cessation of commercial harvesting. If certain mussel stocks, or mussels grown in particular areas of Pelorus Sound, remain in better condition during winter, the selective harvesting of these mussels would potentially increase yields. The condition of mussels declined sharply in mid-winter. This coincided with a rapid decline in the number of mussels with mature gonads and an increase in the number of mussels with immature gonads. This indicates spawning causes the poor condition of farmed mussels in winter. Following winter spawning in both 1998 and 1999 the condition index of mussels at all six study sites declined to very low levels (< c. 30%) regardless of pre-spawning condition. Outside the winter spawning period mussels with high condition indices (c. 40-50%) were nearly always available. Stock had a significant, although small, effect on the condition cycle of mussels. Immediately following winter spawning the condition index of the stock originating from Golden Bay was c. 2-3% higher than the stock from Kaitaia. The period of time that the Golden Bay stock remained in better condition did, however, vary between one and four months in the four growth trials. Because the differences in condition cycles between stocks were small and the length of time that the Golden Bay stock was in better condition varied, it would be difficult to increase the yields from farmed mussels by selectively harvesting stocks at different times of the year. There was also no evidence that growing particular mussel stocks in specific areas of Pelorus Sound could enhance yields. The shell growth rate of Golden Bay stock was c. 25% greater than Marlborough Sounds and Kaitaia stock in the first of the four growth trials. This did not occur in subsequent trials. The difference in growth in the first trial was attributed to the stocks being grown at different locations in Pelorus Sound prior to the trial. If this is the case, it may be feasible to enhance the growth of farmed mussels by manipulating the environment (e.g. location) that spat are exposed to early in life. Because previous studies did not expose mussel stocks to the same environments prior to the experiments or attempt to repeat trials, the stock-related traits they identified may not be predictable or consistent features of the stocks. Spatial and temporal factors (the location and timing of sampling) were the key determinants of mussel condition. The largest range in condition index between sites at a single time was 23% (August 1998), and the largest range between times within a site (Hallam Cove) was 22%. This is in contrast to the largest difference in condition between stocks, of 7% (between Golden Bay and Kaitaia stocks in June 1999). The range in condition (and commercial yields) of mussels between study sites and times was therefore highly variable. Between August 1998 and March 1999 mussels in the middle area of the Sound declined in condition from c. 50% to 30%. This change in condition was not related to any clear annual cycle and suggests the amount of mussels that the Sound (or parts thereof) can sustain may change through time. This is an important point for fisheries managers to consider, as a 300% increase in mussel production has been proposed for Pelorus Sounds region. The rate at which mussels recovered from winter spawning varied between the inner, middle, and outer areas of Pelorus Sound and also between years. Following spawning in 1998, the condition of mussels in the middle area of Pelorus Sound recovered quickly and the commercial harvest rapidly returned to pre-spawning levels. Although the rate at which mussels recovered also varied between areas in 1999, condition recovered more slowly and harvests following winter spawning were lower than in 1998. The conclusion of this study is that although stock has a statistically significant (but small) influence on the condition cycle of farmed P. canaliculus, location and time of harvest are the key determinants of condition and commercial yield. Mussel farmers are therefore advised to locate farms across a broad range of areas in Pelorus Sound. This will allow them to exploit the high degree of spatial variability in mussel condition, to minimise the impact of winter spawning events, and therefore maximise yields throughout the year.

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37

Ross, Peter. "Organisational and Workforce Restructuring in a Deregulated Environment: A Comparative Study of The Telecom Corporation of New Zealand (TCNZ) and Telstra." Thesis, Griffith University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367438.

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In the late 1980s, governments in New Zealand and Australia began to deregulate their telecommunications markets. This process included the corporatisation and privatisation of former state owned telecommunications monopolies and the introduction of competition. The Telecom Corporation of New Zealand (TCNZ) was corporatised in 1987 and privatised in 1990. Its Australian counterpart, Telstra, was corporatised in 1989 and partially privatised in 1997. This thesis examines and compares TCNZ and Telstra's changing organisational and workforce restructuring strategies, as they responded to these changes. It further examines how these strategies influenced the firms' employment relations (ER) policies. Strategic human resource management (SHRM) and transaction costs economics (TCE) theories assist in this analyse. TCE links organisational restructuring to the make/buy decisions of firms and the asset-specificity of their employees. It suggests that firms will retain workers that have developed a high degree of firm-specific skills, and outsource more generic and semi-skilled work. Firm strategies are also influenced by national, contextual, factors. From a TCE perspective, these external factors alter relative transaction costs. Hence, different ownership structures, ER legislation and union power help to explain differences in TCNZ and Telstra's organisational restructuring and ER strategies. During the decade from 1990 to 2000, TCNZ and Telstra cut labour costs through large-scale downsizing programs. Job cuts were supported by outsourcing, work intensification and the introduction of new technologies. These initial downsizing programs were carried out through voluntary redundancies, across most sections of the firms. In many instances workers simply self-selected themselves for redundancies. TCNZ and Telstra's downsizing strategies then became more strategic, as they targeted generic and semi-skilled work for outsourcing. These strategies accorded with a TCE analysis. But TCNZ and Telstra engaged in other practices that did not accord with a TCE analysis. For example, both firms outsourced higher skilled technical work. TCNZ and Telstra's continued market domination and the emphasis that modern markets place on short term profits, provided possible reasons for these latter strategies. This thesis suggests, therefore, that while TCE may help to predict broad trends in 'rational organisations', it may be less effective in predicting the behaviour of more politically and ideologically driven organisations aiming for short term profit maximisation. Some TCNZ and Telstra workers were shifted to subsidiaries and strategic alliances, which now assumed responsibility for work that had previously been performed in-house. Many of these external firms re-employed these workers under more 'flexible' employment conditions. TCNZ and Telstra shifted to more unitarist ER strategies with their core workers and reduced union influence in the workplace. Unions at Telstra were relatively more successful in retaining members than their counterparts at TCNZ. By 2002, TCNZ and Telstra had changed from stand-alone public sector organisations, into 'leaner' commercially driven firms, linked to subsidiaries, subcontractors and strategic alliances.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Graduate School of Management
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38

Willems, Nancy. "Forest structure and regeneration dynamics of podocarp/hardwood forest fragments, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand." Lincoln University, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/1301.

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Although species maintenance in small forest fragments relies on successful regeneration and recruitment, few studies have examined the effects of fragmentation on regeneration processes. New Zealand's podocarp species rely on large disturbance openings operating across a vegetated landscape to stimulate regeneration. Clearance of vegetation that results in small fragments of forest removes regeneration opportunities for podocarps by destroying the intact vegetation mosaic, and as a result may exclude disturbances of the scale necessary for podocarp regeneration. Fragmentation alters the disturbance regime of the landscape, with important implications for the regeneration of podocarps on Banks Peninsula. The four remaining lowland podocarp-hardwood fragments on Banks Peninsula were sampled to determine the structure and regeneration patterns of podocarps and to assess their long term viability. Density, basal area, and size and age class distributions were used to examine current composition, and in conjunction with spatial analysis, to identify past regeneration patterns and infer likely future changes in composition and population structure. Podocarp size and age class structures for three of the four fragments were characteristically even-sized and relatively even-aged (eg; Prumnopitys taxifolia c. 350 to 600 years), with little or no regeneration for approximately the last 200 years (old-growth fragments). Regeneration of the current podocarp canopy in the old-growth fragments may have been stimulated by flooding. The fourth younger fragment showed much more recent regeneration with Prumnopitys taxifolia, Podocarpus totara and Dacrycarpus dacrydioides mostly 80-160 years old, and substantial populations of seedlings and saplings, probably as a result of anthropogenic fire. In the absence of major disturbance the podocarp component in forest fragments on Banks Peninsula is likely to decline with composition shifting towards dominance by hardwood species. There is some evidence to suggest that canopy collapse will stimulate some podocarp regeneration within the fragments, however it appears to be unlikely that podocarps will persist on Banks Peninsula indefinitely within the fragments studied. There is an urgent need for more quantitative research in New Zealand fragmentation literature, and a need for more emphasis on processes. Banks Peninsula offers potential for a more landscape scale approach in forest management, and the maintenance of regenerating scrub in pockets about the Peninsula may offer the regeneration opportunities for podocarps that are lacking within protected fragments. My study took a quantitative approach in examining the effects of forest fragmentation on the demographics of podocarps and compositional change in forest fragments on Banks Peninsula.

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39

Jay, Grace Mairi M. "Symbolic order and material agency: A cultural ecology of native forest remnants on Waikato dairy farms." The University of Waikato, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2603.

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Loss of native biological diversity is a world-wide problem of growing international concern. One of the main causes of native biodiversity loss is destruction and degradation of native habitat through land development for agriculture. The Waikato region is an example of the destruction and degradation of native habitat in association with the development and intensification of farming, including dairy farming. This thesis explores cultural reasons for the loss of native forest in the Waikato region, and reasons why fragments of native forest remain. The research involves a participant observation study of 'typical' dairy farm families for 9 months of the dairy year, in-depth interviews of dairy farmers who have protected a significant proportion of their land for conservation of native habitat, a questionnaire of dairy farmers, and an examination of dairy farm magazines and other literature to identify the values and attitudes that motivate dairy farmers in relation to land management and protection of native habitat. The title of the thesis suggests two elements that are important for understanding the loss and persistence of native forest in Waikato's farmed landscapes. Symbolic reason refers to the values, attitudes and perceptions of farmers that derive from socio-political and economic forces which encourage productivist practises that leave little opportunity for native forest to survive. Material agency refers to the local circumstances of particular farms and individual people which enable native forest to persist. The thesis argues that persistence of native forest depends on the idiosyncrasies of material circumstance in the face of relentless pressure to transform the production landscape for economic purposes. The thesis concludes with a suggestion that policies to assist survival of native habitat in farmed landscapes need to include ones that encourage the odds in favour of fortuitous circumstance. In the face of globalised economic pressures, policies for conservation of native biodiversity need to involve a 'portfolio' of measures that apply to individual landowners and the wider rural community by recognising, assisting and rewarding management for non-production values.

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40

Huang, Chunying. "The classroom as a learning community? voices from postgraduate students at a New Zealand university : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education, AUT University, 2008 /." Click here to access this resource online, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/394.

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41

Chakraborty, Manas. "Spatial pattern in macroinvertebrate communities in headwater streams of New Zealand and a multivariate river classification system : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ecology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand." Massey University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/1067.

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Macroinvertebrate data collected from 120 headwater streams in New Zealand were used to test the ability of the Freshwater Environments of New Zealand River Classification (FWENZ) to explain spatial variation in unimpacted stream invertebrate communities. FWENZ is a GIS based multivariate river environment classification of the sections of national river network. The classification performance of the FWENZ was examined to determine the optimum classification level which could be used for the purpose of conservation and biomonitoring of New Zealand rivers and streams. The classification performance of the FWENZ was also compared to those of two other river classification systems, the ecoregions and the River Environment Classification (REC). Results of the analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) test showed that discrimination of the study sites based on interclass differences in macroinvertebrate community composition was optimal at FWENZ 100 class level which classifies the New Zealand rivers and streams into 100 different groups. The FWENZ 100 class level distinguished the biological variation of the study sites at a finer spatial scale than the REC Geology level. Although performance of the ecoregions classification was stronger than both the river environmental classifications, the REC and the FWENZ, but it was unable to explain the variation in local assemblage structures. Multivariate analyses of the macroinvertebrate abundance data and the associated environmental variables at three different spatial scales (upstream catchment, segment, and reach) were used to identify environmental predictors of assemblage patterns. Catchmentscale measures of climatic, topographic and landcover factors were more strongly correlated with macroinvertebrate community structures than segment scale measures, whereas reachscale measures of instream physicochemical factors and riparian characteristics had the least association with assemblage patterns. Despite the strong influences of cathment-scale factors on macroinvertebrate communities, local factors like water temperature, stream velocity, reach elevation, percent canopy cover and percent moss cover were also involved in explaining the within-region variation in assemblage patterns, which indicates the importance of considering regional as well as local factors as surrogates of stream invertebrate communities to provide a base for stream bioassessment programmes at multiple scales.

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Laws, Rebecca, and n/a. "The causes of nest failure and effects of inbreeding depression in a historically small population of New Zealand Stewart Island robins." University of Otago. Department of Zoology, 2009. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20090813.114240.

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Inbreeding depression is one of the factors that can increase the risk of extinction of small populations, and therefore understanding its effects is currently an important issue in conservation biology. Until recently, few studies on inbreeding depression were carried out in wild populations. These recent studies have highlighted the variability in detecting inbreeding depression among natural populations and the multitude of factors that can influence its expression. Many of the factors affecting inbreeding depression in wild populations remain largely unexplored and most of the recent studies in this area have tended to focus on incidents of inbreeding in populations with a history of large population size. The aim of this study is to investigate the relative importance inbreeding depression has had on individual fitness parameters in a population of New Zealand's Stewart Island robins Petroica australis rakiura introduced to Ulva Island. This island population has historically gone through several population bottlenecks. Four main factors that potentially influence the rate of inbreeding and the extent of inbreeding depression, were investigated: environmental variability, life history stage, genetic load and dispersal. Generalized Linear Mixed Modelling was first used to determine how weather affected nest survival. Weather effects were then incorporated into models containing demographic factors to control for environmental variability, and finally parental, maternal and paternal inbreeding co-efficients (=f) were added to models to determine the relative importance of inbreeding depression. Interactions between inbreeding depression and environmental factors were explored. Three different life history stages were compared to determine the differences in inbreeding depression at each stage as well as cumulative effects over time. The genetic load of the population was estimated using lethal equivalents allowing for standardised comparison of inbreeding depression with other species. The likelihood of inbreeding in the population was also explored by investigating the factors affecting dispersal patterns and evaluating evidence for inbreeding avoidance. Inbreeding depression was found to be mild in the robin population. Weather did not have strong effects on nest survival or interactions with inbreeding. Female age was the only factor interacting with inbreeding, with younger inbred females experiencing significantly reduced offspring juvenile survival. Parental and paternal f did not significantly affect brood survival at any life history stage, however, maternal f showed significant effects on nest juvenile survival with the strongest effect occurring when survival was examined cumulatively over all life history stages. The Stewart Island robin had a relatively low lethal equivalent value compared to the closely related North Island robin and other avian species. This difference was associated with the Stewart Island robin having a low genetic load, most likely due to historical genetic purging during periods of population bottleneck. The Ulva Island robin population did not appear to be avoiding inbreeding through dispersal. Dispersal distance was most strongly influenced by the location of the natal nest of the dispersing offspring. In conclusion, the genetic history of the population was likely to have had the strongest impact on the severity of inbreeding depression in the Ulva Island robin population. The results of the thesis highlight the need to examine a number of factors to be able to explain variability in inbreeding depression among populations.

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Qunby, Rohan G. H. "Time, space, city and resistance : situating Negri's multitude in the contemporary metropolis : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Public Policy at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand." Massey University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/923.

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Cities are not merely inanimate objects. They are complex living environments, built over time by cultures and civilisations. This thesis argues that cities have a central place in human history and civilisation because they are imbued with meaning and meaningful activity. Thus, cities are inherently political spaces, and it may be reasonably expected that they will be important sites of social transformation in the postmodern era. In order to understand the relationship between urban space and political consciousness, this thesis traces several different interpretive paths within the marxist tradition. First, we examine the work of Henri Lefebvre, who argues for an understanding of urban space as socially produced. Next, the thesis looks at the contributions of Guy Debord, particularly at his understanding of the relation between time and the city. Both writers struggle to understand the urban in the context of the shift to what we now call postmodernity. Despite their many strengths, Debord and Lefebvre ultimately fail to theorise a social subject capable of resisting capitalist domination of the city. As a result, the thesis turns to a consideration of the work of Antonio Negri. Negri’s analysis of the fate of contemporary subjectivity has reinvigorated marxist critique with a return to the question of political change. His figure of the multitude takes leave of traditional marxism in challenging and productive ways, and helps us better understand the nature of subjectivity and resistance in a world of immaterial labour and virtuality. Nevertheless, this thesis argues that there is still work to be done before Negri’s work can be mapped out onto the contemporary metropolis.

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Burasová, Beáta. "Rozvoj cestovního ruchu Nového Zélandu v kontrastu s ochranou životního prostředí." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2008. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-10392.

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This thesis describes the approach of New Zealand to the sustainable tourism focusing on the environmental pillar.The first chapter deals with the development of tourism, its positive and negative impacts and defines the conception of sustainable tourism in detail.Next chapter provides a short characterization of New Zealand as a developed country and favourite tourist destination.The third chapter consequently analyses the issue of the development of tourism in New Zealand and its impact on the environment.

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Abbott, Mick. "Designing wilderness as a phenomenological landscape: design-directed research within the context of the New Zealand conservation estate." Lincoln University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/1026.

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This research operates at both the meeting of wilderness and landscape, and also landscape architecture and design-directed research. It applies a phenomenological understanding of landscape to the New Zealand conservation estate as a means to reconsider wilderness’ prevalent framing as an untouched ‘other’. It does this through enlisting the designerly imperative found within landscape architecture as the means by which to direct this research, and through landscopic investigations located in the artefacts of cooking, haptic qualities of walking, cartographies of wilderness and a phenomenological diagramming of landscape experience. The results of this layered programme of research are four-fold. First, it finds that a landscopic interpretation of wilderness, and its tangible manifestation in New Zealand’s conservation estate, has the potential to suggest a greater depth of dialogue in which both ecological and cultural diversity might productively flourish. Second, it finds that landscape architecture has significant potential to broaden both its relevance and types of productive outputs beyond its current intent to shape specific sites. It identifies that artefacts and representations – such as cookers, track markers and maps – can be creatively manipulated to design alternative formulations of landscape. Third, through self-critique the potency of a programme of design-directed inquiry is demonstrated. In this dissertation new knowledge is revealed that extends the formal, diagrammatic and conceptual dimensions of wilderness, New Zealand’s conservation estate, and a phenomenological expression of landscape. This research illustrates the potential for design-directed research methods to be more widely adopted in ways that extend landscape architecture’s value to multi-disciplinary research. Finally, it finds a pressing future direction for landscape architecture research is to further identify and develop techniques that diagram landscopic practice and performance with the same richness and detail that spatially derived descriptions currently offer. It is the considerable distance between the spoken and written poetics of phenomenology and the visual and diagrammatic articulation of these qualities that is identified as a problematic and also productive site for ongoing creative research.

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Rangiaho, Melina. "Senior management's influence on the contextual components of an organisation that affect creativity : a case study of a New Zealand manufacturing company." Diss., Lincoln University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/351.

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Organisations are under enormous pressure to become more innovative in all areas of their operations if they are going to continue to compete successfully (Leavy, 2003). The first stage of successful innovation is ensuring that creativity, the generation of novel ideas, is achieved (McFadzean, et al., 2004). With regards to an organisation's creative environment, theory has suggested that the basic orientation of a company's support for creativity comes directly from the behaviours of the highest levels of management (Amabile, 1996). Despite this proposed relationship, little empirical research has been conducted that examines the role that senior management of an organisation play in influencing a work environment that stimulates creativity. A research model has been developed that illustrates the possible relationships between the functions of senior managers and the creative work environment of an organisation. Essentially this model is be utilised as a framework to examine how do the management functions create the stimulants and impediments of an organisation's environment that affect creativity? The method used to investigate this research question is a qualitative investigation of two manufacturing plants that operate in a larger New Zealand food processing company. This entailed gathering information through semi-structured interviews with employees from the senior management to lower level employees. In addition, direct observations at the plants and archival data in the form of company reports, articles and prior studies were used to gather further information. From this research, three key findings were established. (1) Amabile, et al's., (1996) theory that a number of variables stimulate creativity, while others impede it, was supported. (2) Trust was found to be the key intervening variable, the foundation, upon which a creative context can be built. (3) The Senior Manager, in the case of this research the Operations Manager and Production Centre Manager, played a crucial role in providing the contextual variables that facilitate creativity. As this research suggests, organisational creativity is complicated by the fact that it is affected by the social dynamics operating between key parties within an organisation. Consequently, it is characterised by informal relationships, freedom and resource allocation that ultimately requires that a level of trust exists between key parties. It is senior management's responsibility to ensure that such a work environment is created. These managers are only able to build trust within their organisations by acting with benevolence, integrity and demonstrating that they are committed to employee creativity.

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Cronin, Michael Joseph. "The Stable Isotopic and Anionic Composition of the Avon and Heathcote River Systems, Christchurch, New Zealand: a study of lowland spring-fed rivers in a seismically active environment." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Geological Sciences, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/7662.

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The Avon and Heathcote Rivers, located in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, are lowland spring-fed rivers linked with the Christchurch Groundwater System. At present, the flow paths and recharge sources to the Christchurch Groundwater System are not fully understood. Study of both the Avon and Heathcote Rivers can provide greater insight into this system. In addition, during the period 2010-2012, Christchurch has experienced large amounts of seismic activity, including a devastating Mw 6.2 aftershock on February 22nd, 2011, which caused widespread damage and loss of life. Associated with these earthquakes was the release of large amounts of water through liquefaction and temporary springs throughout the city. This provided a unique opportunity to study groundwater surface water interactions following a large scale seismic event. Presented herein is the first major geochemical study on the Avon and Heathcote Rivers and the hydrological impact of the February 22, 2011 Christchurch Earthquake. The Avon, Heathcote, and Waimakariri Rivers were sampled in quarterly periods starting in July 2011 and analyzed for stable Isotopes δ¹⁸O, δD, and δ¹³C and major anion composition. In addition, post -earthquake samples were collected over the days immediately following the February 22, 2011 earthquake and analyzed for stable isotopes δ¹⁸O and δD and major anion composition. A variety of analytical methods were used identify the source of the waters in the Avon-Heathcote System and evaluate the effectiveness of stable isotopes as geochemical tracers in the Christchurch Groundwater System. The results of this thesis found that the waters from the Avon and Heathcote Rivers are geochemically the same, originating from groundwater, and exhibit a strong tidal influence within 5km of the Avon-Heathcote Estuary. The surface waters released following the February 22nd, 2011 earthquake were indistinguishable from quarterly samples taken from the Avon and Heathcote Rivers when comparing stable isotopic composition. The anion data suggests the waters released following the February 22nd, 2011 Christchurch Earthquake were sourced primarily from shallow groundwater, and also suggests a presence of urban sewage at some sites. Attempts to estimate recharge sources for the Avon-Heathcote Rivers using published models for the Christchurch Groundwater System yielded results that were not consistent between models. In evaluating the use of geochemical constituents as tracers in the Christchurch Groundwater System, no one isotope could provide a clear resolution, but when used in conjunction, δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, and DIC, seem to be the most effective tracers. Sample sizes for δ¹³C were too small for a robust evaluation. Variability on the Waimakariri River appears to be greater than previously estimated, which could have significant impacts on geochemical models for the Christchurch Groundwater System. This research demonstrates the value of using multiple geochemical constituents to enrich our understanding of the groundwater surfaces-water interactions and the Christchurch Groundwater System as a whole.

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Dann, Christine R. "From earth's last islands: The global origins of Green politics." Lincoln University, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/1905.

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Since World War Two the world has undergone a profound economic and political transformation, from an international economy and internationalist politics to a global economy and globalist politics. The Bretton Woods international financial institutions have 'structurally adjusted' Third World countries, and similar structural reforms have occurred in First World countries. The environmental consequences of globalising economic activity have been severe and also global; the social consequences of the structural reform process are equally severe. National sovereignty has been radically compromised by globalisation, and previous nationally-based initiatives to manage the activities of capital in order to mitigate its negative impacts on society and the environment, such as social democrat/labour politics, have ceded their authority to globalism. Green parties have arisen to contest the negative environmental and social consequences of the global expansion of capital, and are replacing socialist parties as a global antisystemic political force. Green politics had its origins in the world-wide 'new politics' of the New Left and the new social movements of the 1960s, and the world's first two Green parties were formed in Australia and New Zealand in 1972. A general history of the global forces which gave rise to Green politics, and a specific history of the first two Green parties, demonstrate the interplay of global and local political forces and themes, and provide an opportunity to redefine the core elements of Green politics.

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Clayton, Leanne. "Patterns and motifs in the Va: a Samoan concept of a space between." Click here to access this resource online, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/366.

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This project is an exploration of the endless negotiation of the va, the relationships that consistently define and redefine themselves in the space between two cultures. The va consists of relationships between people and things, unspoken expectations and obligations: the inherent and changeable patterns, of obligations and expectations between people and their environment. The va space can be viewed as the stage upon which all patterns and motifs carry meaning. How the patterns and motifs change meanings are subject to other elements in the va. Meaning in my work will evoke the interweaving connections of past and present through oral history, genealogy, and fagogo¹ (story telling) memory and artist sentiment. As participant, the artist reflects through the remembrance of sifting through images, person, family, events, time, and space. An emphasis will be placed on the exploration of pattern and motif as a signifier of events and sign of respect, with a focus on notions of the va. The project explores notions of visual patterns and motifs to be utilized as a vehicle to signify in that all patterns and motifs carry meaning in that they signify an event, person, time, and space. Written from a Samorians² perspective of one who lives in the space between. ¹ See Sean Mallon (2002) for an explanation on fagogo in Samoan Art and Artists O Measina a Samoa p. 163). ² The term ‘Samorians’ refers to a play on words of Samoans and an American treat called ‘samores’ containing a marshmallow that is cooked in the microwave or roasted in the fire and then placed in between two chocolate biscuits. It can also refer to an afakasi (half-caste).

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Tomková, Markéta. "Podnikatelské prostředí Nového Zélandu." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2012. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-196958.

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The thesis examines business environment of New Zealand. The aim of the thesis is to conduct a situational analysis of the business environment through PESTLE analysis, which is necessary for successful market penetration and elimination of the related business risks. Another goal is to verify the hypothesis, that New Zealand business environment is perspective for Czech economic subjects. Possibilities of Czech subjects to be economically active on the local market will be analysed in the last chapter. The thesis should serve as a complex source of information for Czech businessmen, exporters and investors, who are or intend to be economically active in New Zealand.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'New Zealand. Ministry for the Environment'

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