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This paper reports research that investigated how digital technologies were used to develop and maintain home–school connections and develop positive relationships when children transition to nursery schools and schools. School case studies, comprising four purposively selected schools with nursery provision in Northern Ireland and four primary schools in New Zealand, provided the context and evidence to enable a small-scale comparative study of how digital technologies enabled the development of relationships between homes and schools over time. In this paper, the findings were analysed using a conceptual model and framework derived from earlier studies in this field. However, given the contemporary social and technological context, it was found that the framework could be reviewed and elaborated, enabling the creation of a new conceptual framework that is offered here. Our findings reveal methods of employing digital technologies to positively support parental engagement when children transition to nurseries and schools. From the analysis of our findings using the framework developed, points to consider for future practice, policy, and research are highlighted, with an emphasis on understanding and integrating parents' aspirations into the transition process. Opportunities that use existing and emerging methods for home–school–community connections need to be made known to teachers and schools. While the digital technologies used must be capable of maintaining appropriate regular communication, additionally, supporting ways for involving parental voice in reviews of existing practices and exploring new opportunities should be shared with teachers and schools. Future research should explore how the use of digital technologies in developing wider and deeper engagement and participation of parents and carers with nurseries and schools might lead to a longer-term and positive engagement in later years beyond nursery schools and initial transition to school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To the detriment of liberal democracy, governments have struggled to prevent the exploitation of personal data for voter manipulation in the digital era. Laws pertaining to political microtargeting are often piecemeal and tend to derive from a combination of laws on electoral advertising and privacy. Evidence indicates that this approach is insufficient to curtail microtargeting. However, little is known about the regulation of microtargeting outside of the European and US contexts within which the bulk of anti‐microtargeting research has been undertaken. Accordingly, this paper aims to shed light on the preparedness of the law in Australia and New Zealand to mitigate the potential harms of political microtargeting. A comparative analysis of legislation pertaining to microtargeting is therefore undertaken using a blended approach of comparative law and content analysis. This paper: (1) identifies current legislation relevant to microtargeting in Australia and New Zealand; (2) assesses patterns of similarity and difference between each country's laws in relation to microtargeting; and (3) evaluates the preparedness of current legislation to curtail microtargeting in an evolving social media landscape. It finds that in both countries, legislation is sufficiently robust to mitigate microtargeting in some limited circumstances, but a cohesive regulatory approach is needed to constrain the most insidious microtargeting operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effectiveness of existing conceptions of digital citizenship education (DCE) to address the challenges and issues of postdigital societies. Current conceptions of DCE aim to develop learners who are capable of using digital technologies to their advantage or for the betterment of society. However, existing DCE approaches do not fully acknowledge the relational space between humans and digital technologies. Applying postdigital theory to DCE forefronts sociotechnical relations and the issues citizens face in postdigital societies. Using the Aotearoa New Zealand context as an example, digital citizenship policies and guidelines are unpacked to reveal the shortcomings of the guidance schools and teachers are offered. The analysis suggests ways to update current DCE approaches to reflect the realities of citizenship in continuously developing, complex postdigital societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Young people in physical isolation because of significant illness experience disconnection from social and educational contexts. A ground-breaking intervention in New Zealand aimed to foster social inclusion for young people who are hospital-or-home-bound due to cancer treatment. A formative assessment of five young people aged 13–18, their parents, and their teachers was undertaken to determine the efficacy of telepresence technology to connect young persons to a chosen educational environment. Results indicate that the use of this technology enabled young people to experience being there in familiar educational environments and provided early evidence of the effectiveness of this intervention in helping to disrupt isolation, increase connectedness, and lift participants' moods. This paper highlights the implications for teachers, social workers, and counsellors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emergence of the COVID‐19 and the resulting global pandemic has ushered in far‐reaching changes for countries across the world, not least of which are changes to their education systems. With traditional location‐based exams no longer possible at universities, the uptake of online proctored exams (OPE) has occurred at a pace not seen prior to the pandemic. Students' experiences of online proctored exams during the pandemic are reasonably well‐understood in terms of digital access and ease of use of the technology. However, less is known about students' perceptions of digital confidence and competence to complete an online exam, both of which are important digital equity considerations. Objectives: This study investigates students' digital confidence and competence to undertake online proctored exams to determine whether issues of equity exist for students. Methods: This study reports the results of a survey (N = 761) of one university's students' experiences of end‐of‐semester online proctored exams in New Zealand. Results: Most students were positive about online exams, felt reasonably confident to complete an exam, and had the necessary digital access (i.e., devices, internet) and competence to succeed. However, digital inequalities were found between students' perceptions of digital competence based on ethnicity. While more time learning online equated to increasing self‐reported digital competence for most ethnic groups, this was not the case for Pacific learners. Takeaways: Perceptions of low digital competence can contribute to digital inequalities. Educators can support learners to develop positive perceptions of digital competence by teaching digital literacy skills. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Online proctored exams (OPE) have replaced many traditional exams because of the pandemic.Research on the use of online proctored exams during the pandemic suggests some acceptance among students.Apart from access related issues, little is known about digital inequalities associated with online exams. What this paper adds: Most participants were positive about OPE and felt reasonably confident to successfully complete them.Confident students were more likely to report that the exam software was easy to use.Perceptions of digital competence differed based on ethnicity.Marginalized groups were more likely to experience digital inequalities than other groups. Implications for practice and/or policy: Digital inequality is about more than issues of digital access (i.e., devices, internet).Provide differentiated technical support for students who express low digital competence.Teaching online exam digital literacy skills might increase perceptions of digital competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Services offering on-demand delivery of unhealthy commodities, such as fast food, alcohol and smoking/vaping products have proliferated in recent years. It is well known that the built environment can be health promoting or harmful to health, but there has been less consideration of the digital environment. Increased availability and accessibility of these commodities may be associated with increased consumption, with harmful public health implications. Policy regulating the supply of these commodities was developed before the introduction of on-demand services and has not kept pace with the digital environment. This paper reports on semi-structured interviews with health policy experts on the health harms of the uptake in on-demand delivery of food, alcohol and smoking/vaping products, along with their views on policies that might mitigate these harms. We interviewed 14 policy experts from central and local government agencies and ministries, health authorities, non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and university research positions in Aotearoa New Zealand using a purposive sampling strategy. Participants concerns over the health harms from on-demand services encompassed three broad themes—the expansion of access to and availability of unhealthy commodities, the inadequacy of existing restrictions and regulations in the digital environment and the expansion of personalized marketing and promotional platforms for unhealthy commodities. Health policy experts' proposals to mitigate harms included: limiting access and availability, updating regulations and boosting enforcement and limiting promotion and marketing. Collectively, these findings and proposals can inform future research and public health policy decisions to address harms posed by on-demand delivery of unhealthy commodities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geoheritage value in the Thames District, North Island, New Zealand, is notable for its over 50 epithermal gold deposits associated with the Coromandel Volcanic Zone, significant to the region's geological, cultural, and mining heritage. This case study was conducted in collaboration with the Thames School of Mines and Mineralogical Museum to develop a series of web-based applications for public outreach and an accessible museum experience through the utilization of specimens from the mineralogical museum. This research applies a conceptual framework of ex situ geoheritage to explore links between local geology with cultural and mining heritage. Minerals and rock specimens collected for the Thames School of Mines Mineralogical Museum were used to create 3D virtual models demonstrating the epithermal mineralization in the Thames Goldfield. Outputs of this project consist of two digital products, including a digital mineral and rock repository and the dissemination of the geological collection through integrating the photogrammetric models into a user-friendly outreach, ArcGIS Storymaps, to depict the geoheritage relationship of the specimens to regional gold mining, and at the same time, to be developed to be implemented in geoscience education and communication. The results of this paper are intended to promote the use of digital tools for enhancing and raising awareness of the geoheritage values of the Thames Goldfield. This approach has relevance for Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands in raising awareness of geological, mineral, and mining heritage within widely distributed and often isolated communities across island archipelago nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent decades, psychological health interventions have assumed a more prominent role in the conduct and regulation of daily life. Conceptualised in the critical social sciences as psychological governance, this development entails shaping the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of individuals and populations to promote desired psychological states and conduct. In step with broader sociotechnical shifts, psychological governance is increasingly mobilised through digital technologies, such as smartphone apps. The COVID-19 pandemic marks a pivotal moment in the proliferation of digital mental wellbeing technologies. This paper examines the mental wellbeing app Mentemia, made available to the New Zealand public through government funding in the wake of COVID-19, exploring how Mentemia frames and addresses mental wellbeing in the context of the pandemic. Drawing from thematic analysis of within-app material and news media articles, we illustrate how Mentemia constructs mental wellbeing as a universal, everyday, and individual process and encourages users to engage with psychological intervention as a normalised component of daily life. We find that Mentemia's approach to framing and addressing mental wellbeing during COVID-19 aligns with prevailing discourses associated with the individualising and emancipatory values of contemporary neoliberalism which, in the context of psychological governance, presents as neuroliberalism. We highlight how Mentemia advances a particular understanding of psychological intervention to help remedy pandemic-related mental ill-health, illustrating the capacity for digital technologies to alter how mental wellbeing is experienced and acted on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports from a pilot study investigating the ways digital documentation platforms are changing educators' work in early childhood education. Digital documentation platforms are secure websites or application software, enabled by computer, smartphone, or tablet technologies, allowing educators to record observations of children's learning as text or in visual forms, to which interpretations or commentary from educators, family members, and children are added. This paper examines how these platforms orient the ways educators see and articulate young children's learning. Video stimulated recall interviews with educators (six in total) at four ECE sites across Australia and New Zealand were analysed. Key concepts are offered in relation to how digital platforms shape the learning that is seen by early childhood educators: tag-ability, trackability, completeness, and co-constitution. Each of these concepts is problematised in relation to contemporary ECE practices and the persuasiveness and ubiquity of the visual in discourses of documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online and digital learning is rapidly expanding and driving demand for digital innovation in social work education in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Internal and external accreditation standards are grappling with what this means for social work education. In addition, educators are experimenting with innovative online methods with promising results, including online skills education and placement preparation. This has called on social work educators to design and develop online and digital curricula pedagogies and innovations, which are responsive to internal and external drivers that are evidence-based, and which are underpinned by social justice principles of access and equity. Nevertheless, the digital divide may compromise important principles such as access and equity. This paper explores some of the current debates and tensions within social work online education in Australia and New Zealand and makes suggestions for the profession moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores what it takes to develop a common language and shared sense of purpose between Māori and the high-tech science sector. Robotics and automation, 3-D printing, sensors, and digital technologies are shaping New Zealand's economy in fundamental ways. If, as envisioned under New Zealand's Vision Mātauranga policy, Māori contribution to economic growth through distinctive Indigenous innovation is to be recognised and valued, then how this happens in these frontier science domains requires investigation. Findings are presented from the first phase of a longitudinal study of one National Science Challenge: Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) -- Kia Kotahi Mai, Te Ao Pūtaiao me te Ao Hangarau. Collecting a variety of data from science, business and Māori participants, the findings suggest that while there is enabling macro policy, organisational and science team human and relational capacities require recalibrating. The authors outline a model of how this can be done through a focus on mātauranga (knowledge), tikanga (practice) and kaupapa (focus areas) and how SfTI is reshaping its organisational practice to align to this model. The research also identifies the important role of the science intermediary as crucial to this alignment within teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Digital contact tracing (DCT) was a central component of the global response to containing COVID‐19. Research has raised concerns that DCT could exacerbate inequities, yet the experiences of diverse communities at greater risk from COVID‐19 are typically underrepresented. Methods: The present study aimed to understand the perceived barriers to the adoption of the app amongst Māori, Pasifika, and disabled people. Focus groups and interviews were undertaken with Māori, Pasifika, and disability sector stakeholders and community participants. Results: Participants (n = 34) generally expressed willingness to utilise DCT and support its adoption within the communities. Simultaneously, participants revealed how the app could marginalise community members who struggled with the usability and those distrusting of the government's COVID‐19 interventions. Conclusions: The findings highlight how addressing communication inequality can assist in the development of contact‐tracing responses that are both effective and equitable. The study provides insights about the role of information and communication technologies as health resources. Patient or Public Contribution: Consulting with members of the target communities was central throughout the present study, including recommendations for potential participants, participation in interviews and sharing early findings for feedback. This study reports on focus groups and interviews with individuals from Māori and disability sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing reliance on digital technologies for cross-border economic activity has sparked the quest for adequate rules. Preferential trade agreements have become the primary platform for digital trade rulemaking and the recently signed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and New Zealand is one of the latest additions to these far-reaching regulatory efforts. The EU–NZ FTA is a particularly instructive case study, as it brings together two important legal entrepreneurs in the area of digital trade law that, however, have different positions in the regulatory landscape and different domestic priorities. The article seeks to reveal the points of convergence and divergence between the two parties and also shows how these could be reconciled with the concluded EU–NZ deal. In the latter context, the article evaluates the normative value and the potential impact of the agreement as well as situates it in the broader and geopolitically complex landscape of digital trade rulemaking [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries today, digital technology and instant communication are embedded in children's everyday lives to the extent that their play frequently incorporates smartphones, the Internet and other technologies. In this paper, we explore the recent historical conditions within the New Zealand context that have increased the accessibility of these technologies and imbued them with particular meanings. We suggest that from a Foucauldian perspective, these technologies can be seen as a form of subtle disciplinary power using techniques of governmentality through which children's ways of thinking are shaped to benefit societal requirements of the current historical era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satirical news and its effects on outcomes such as appreciation and persuasion have gained considerable currency as a topic of research in mass communication studies. Through the framework of construal level theory, we investigated whether different levels of spatial distance influence these effects. In a between-subjects experiment, participants in the United Kingdom (UK; n = 282) and New Zealand (NZ; n = 370) read a satirical or non-satirical news text summarizing a study reporting on the negative impact of increased digital device screen time on young children. Depending on condition, the texts referred to entities and locations in either the participant's own country (spatially close) or a foreign country (spatially distant). Results showed significant main effects of satirical news on audience perceptions, emotions, and attitudes. While there were no significant interactions between article type (satirical vs. regular news) and spatial distance (close vs. distant), our results indicated that satirical news was associated with higher perceptions of spatial distance for both the UK and NZ participants as well as higher perceptions of social distance for the NZ participants. Exploratory indirect-effects analyses found several indirect effects of satirical news through increased perceptions of spatial and social psychological distance on audience emotions, text perceptions, and attitudes. We take these results as initial evidence suggesting spatial and social distance are potential variables to consider in future investigations of satirical news. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A socio-legal commentary, this article examines the emerging issue of digital harm in New Zealand's health settings. There are recent cases, and an increasing number of them, demonstrating the medico-legal response to various forms of digital harm. Of these, several representative cases are considered in order to identify features of digital harm within the health context. The article questions whether this is a new type of harm, enabled by the creation of new technologies, or simply a different manifestation of conventional unprofessional or unethical behaviour. The article considers whether the existing medico-legal framework can appropriately respond to this harm and whether new legal or policy tools are required. The cases suggest that the rights and disciplinary systems in place can adequately deal with digital harm within their existing scopes, particularly when individuals have been harmed. However, gaps in the legal framework are identified, with particular reference to the actions of unregistered providers and harm to professions. Further, a future challenge for the system may be the response to COVID-19 vaccine denial and misinformation. As the legal response to digital harm in the health context is a relatively unexamined area of research, this work may guide future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real estate is one of the industries that have been most affected by COVID-19. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that affect customer use of New Zealand's real estate digital platforms. Trade Me and realestate.co.nz are the two most popular real estate digital platforms with the most significant number of homebuyers in New Zealand. This study uses the reviews on the two platforms from 2018 to 2021. There are a total of 1349 customer reviews on the two platforms, which represent the total population. A sample of 113 reviews from the realestate.co.nz platform and 113 reviews from the Trade Me platform are used for analysis. The findings show that perceived ease of use and usefulness, and information and system quality are the four main factors that affect the willingness of customers to use real estate digital platforms. After the spread of the pandemic, the impact of these factors on customer adoption of the platforms has been reduced. Therefore, the results of this study will be helpful in formulating and developing a digital marketing strategy for the New Zealand real estate industry in the postpandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to understand how participants referred to a childhood obesity intervention programme prefer to receive health information, and secondly, to determine acceptability of digital technologies such as a social media platform or IT application for programme engagement. This study includes a subset of interviews (n = 64) of a wider study of the barriers and facilitators of engagement in a multidisciplinary healthy lifestyle programme for childhood obesity, based in Taranaki, Aotearoa/New Zealand. The topics of health information and social media and/or app use were covered in 53 and 30 interviews, respectively. Participants were parents and caregivers of children and adolescents referred to the programme, and interviews were mostly conducted in family homes. Findings showed that participants consulted a range of people, places and resources for information about their health, notably the internet, health professionals, and family and friends. Participants reported using the internet to complement or supplement information from health professionals. A strong relationship with health professionals built on trust was important. Use of digital technologies such as an IT application or social media platform for engagement with the programme was generally acceptable, with the caveat that this did not replace face‐to‐face communication with their primary care provider. In conclusion, the high usage of digital sources of health information requires accurate and reliable information. Digital technologies such as IT applications or social media platforms may have a role in terms of supplementing the patient journey; however, the importance of in‐person communication and an ongoing relationship with a health professional or practice remains paramount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promise of artificial intelligence has been originally to put technology at the service of people utilizing powerful information processors and 'smart' algorithms to quickly perform time-consuming data analysis. It soon though became apparent that the capacity of artificial intelligence to scrape and analyze big data would be particularly useful in surveillance policies. In the wider areas of migration and asylum management, increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence tools have been used to register and manage vulnerable populations without much concern about the potential misuses of the data collected and the overall ethical and legal underpinnings of these operations. This article examines three cases in point. The first case investigates the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' decision to deploy a biometric matching engine engaging artificial intelligence to make accessing identification documents easier for both refugees and asylum seekers and the states and organizations they interact with. The second case focuses on the New Zealand government's introduction of artificial intelligence to improve border security and streamline immigration. The third case looks at data scraping and biometric recognition tools implemented by the United States government to track (and eventually deport) undocumented migrants. The article first shows how states and international organizations are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence tools to support the implementation of their immigration policies and programs. Subsequently, the article also outlines how even despite well-intentioned efforts, the decision to use artificial intelligence tools to increase efficiency and support the implementation of migration or asylum management policies and programs often involves jeopardizing or altogether sacrificing individuals' human rights, including privacy and security, and raises concerns about vulnerability and transparency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Digital contact tracing (DCT) is a method of tracing contact relying on tracking systems using artificial intelligence (AI) as an epidemic prevention solution for the COVID-19 pandemic. This review compares the DCT systems such as Bluetooth, Quick Response (QR) code, Global Positioning System (GPS) or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies that are used in Malaysia, New Zealand and China during early COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A review was conducted based on the multiple data sources from existing electronic articles, newspapers, press releases, government documents, reports and web pages that are available online. Result: There are five mobile applications and one Bluetooth device in used by these countries; Malaysia uses MySejahtera app and MyTrace app, New Zealand uses NZ Covid Trace and Bluetooth COVIDCard and China uses a Health Code app that is available in WeChat and Alipay. All apps are available in Apple store, Google Play and App Gallery, except the NZ COVID tracer is not supported by the App Gallery. All 3 countries utilise the QR code as the main DCT with additional features in a centralised data architecture framework. Based on other available databases; MySejahtera has recorded around 74.9% users in Malaysia as at December 2020, NZ CovidTrace logged around 55.1% as at 19th April 2021, and Alipay tracked around 64.3% as at early 2021. . Conclusion: Effective human resources management with digitalisation is crucial in managing pandemics with multi-approach public health interventions which could enhance public health outcomes with less public rejection. Integration of DCT during pandemic is advantageous and valuable for successful disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More needs to be known about the benefits and risks to the development of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills in ubiquitous digital environments at school and at home. Nine to 12‐year‐old students (n = 186) in a 1:1 digital programme serving low SES and culturally diverse communities rated their self‐regulation and social skills for both non‐digital and digital contexts. Downward trends in self‐regulation and related personality dimensions were found. Social skills were more variable. Students had heightened awareness of needing to self‐regulate in digital contexts, rating their self‐regulation lower than in non‐digital contexts. High frequencies and durations of fun activities at home (e.g., posting photos or blogs, chatting, and games) were associated with lower ratings. But fun activities were associated with higher ratings of social skills in digital contexts. High levels of parental monitoring were related to higher ratings of self‐regulation. These patterns reflect school‐wide norms and practices (students are socialized as digital citizens) as well as more general features of socialization at home. We conclude that self‐regulation and social skills are sensitive to contexts over the primary school years. Digital tools may be particularly 'impulsogenic', and students need context‐specific self‐regulatory strategies, but the tools create opportunities to develop valued social skills under specific conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Global health education partnerships should be collaborative and reciprocal to ensure mutual benefit. Utilisation of digital technologies can overcome geographic boundaries and facilitate collaborative global health learning. Global Health Classroom (GHCR) is a collaborative global health learning model involving medical students from different countries learning about each other's health systems, cultures, and determinants of health via videoconference. Principles of reciprocity and interinstitutional partnership informed the development of the GHCR. This study explores learning outcomes and experiences in the GHCR between students from New Zealand and Samoa.Methods: This study used a mixed methods approach employing post-GHCR questionnaires and semi-structured face-to-face interviews to explore self-reported learning and experiences among medical students in the GHCR. The GHCR collaboration studied was between the medical schools at the University of Otago, New Zealand and the National University of Samoa, Samoa.Results: Questionnaire response rate was 85% (74/87). Nineteen interviews were conducted among New Zealand and Samoan students. Students reported acquiring the intended learning outcomes relating to patient care, health systems, culture, and determinants of health with regards to their partner country. Interview data was indicative of attitudinal changes in relation to cultural humility and curiosity. Some reported a vision for progress regarding their own health system. Students in the GHCR reported that learning with their international peers in the virtual classroom made learning about global health more real and tangible. The benefits to students from both countries indicated reciprocity.Conclusions: This study demonstrates GHCR to be a promising model for collaborative and reciprocal global health learning using a student-led format and employing digital technology to create a virtual classroom. The self-reported learning outcomes align favourably with those recommended in the literature. In view of our positive findings, we present GHCR as an adaptable model for equitable, collaborative global health learning between students in internationally partnered institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of media and digital technologies has been modifying how people think over and shape their physical activities and healthcare consumption. This growing trend has been reflected in school curriculum developments for Physical Education and Health. As educators and policy makers adjust local curricula to reflect these technological changes, there is alack of knowledge on how these developments have been undertaken in different national realities. This study employ Media-Education theory and use content analysis to examine how media and digital technologies have impacted on the official Physical Education and curriculum documents from Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand. The findings show that there is acommon assumption and emphasis that educators need to use technology to focus on thinking critically about media content. On the other hand, there was alower emphasis on understanding media and technology as alanguage for social interaction and communication. In that sense, the results show little investment in the production and consumption of media content. Such findings highlight the need to evolve Health and Physical Education as alearning area so that it can provide students with the means to make critical and informed decisions about their health and physical activity needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on transition to higher education and young people with disabilities has increased in recent years. However, there is still limited understanding of transition issues and how digital technologies, such as social media and mobile devices, are used by this group of students to manage these issues. This article presents the findings of an empirical study that addressed this matter based on young people's views and experiences. The qualitative study was conducted in the context of a group of students with vision impairments transitioning to a New Zealand university. The findings draw from observations, a researcher diary, focus groups, individual interviews, and data from social media. The study shows that, like their non-disabled peers, the students actively engaged with interactive and collaborative digital technologies to make sense, individually and collectively, of different transition issues before, during and after the first academic trimester of their university journey. This research shows that, from the perspective of students with vision impairments, key issues for transitioning to higher education include the academic system, social connections, disability support, family involvement and their own impairment(s). Transition issues in higher education, in the context of disability, are complex and interconnected. Students with vision impairments actively engage with and adapt digital technologies to manage transition issues. These findings expand the current understanding of transition as well as student retention in higher education in the context of disability and the role of digital technologies. This research recommends tertiary institutions use creatively collaborative and interactive digital technologies to complement transition services and activities for students with disabilities so their participation and inclusion in higher education can be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the reframing of the relationship between knowledge, skills and competencies in New Zealand education policy from the 1990s onwards. It argues that this reframing is the result of New Zealand's recontextualisation of global policy ideas about the kind of education thought to be needed in the twenty-first century, and in particular, for the development of a successful knowledge economy. The discussion focuses on two of the contemporary constituents of the cluster of ideas that constitute twenty-first century: ICT/digital technologies and the kind of knowledge needed for the twenty-first century. Both of these constituents of twenty-first century learning are strongly linked to ideas about the development of a successful knowledge economy. It is argued that each of these constituents, both separately, and when employed as part of a whole approach to teaching and learning, have contributed to the emergence of a different kind of relationship between knowledge, skills and competencies, in which skills and competencies are increasingly emphasised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Barriers to receiving optimal healthcare exist for Indigenous populations globally for a range of reasons. To overcome such barriers and enable greater access to basic and specialist care, developments in information and communication technologies are being applied. The focus of this scoping review is on web-based therapeutic interventions (WBTI) that aim to provide guidance, support and treatment for health problems. Objectives: This review identifies and describes international scientific evidence on WBTI used by Indigenous peoples in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA for managing and treating a broad range of health conditions. Eligibility criteria: Studies assessing WBTI designed for Indigenous peoples in Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand, that were published in English, in peer-reviewed literature, from 2006 to 2018 (inclusive), were considered for inclusion in the review. Studies were considered if more than 50% of participants were Indigenous, or if results were reported separately for Indigenous participants. Sources of evidence: Following a four-step search strategy in consultation with a research librarian, 12 databases were searched with a view to finding both published and unpublished studies. Charting methods: Data was extracted, synthesised and reported under four main conceptual categories: (1) types of WBTI used, (2) community uptake of WBTI, (3) factors that impact on uptake and (4) conclusions and recommendations for practice. Results: A total of 31 studies met the inclusion criteria. The WBTI used were interactive websites, screening and assessment tools, management and monitoring tools, gamified avatar-based psychological therapy and decision support tools. Other sources reported the use of mobile apps, multimedia messaging or a mixture of intervention tools. Most sources reported moderate uptake and improved health outcomes for Indigenous people. Suggestions to improve uptake included as follows: tailoring content and presentation formats to be culturally relevant and appropriate, customisable and easy to use. Conclusions: Culturally appropriate, evidence-based WBTI have the potential to improve health, overcome treatment barriers and reduce inequalities for Indigenous communities. Access to WBTI, alongside appropriate training, allows health care workers to better support their Indigenous clients. Developing WBTI in partnership with Indigenous communities ensures that these interventions are accepted and promoted by the communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017, a change to the national curriculum of New Zealand required primary teachers to implement a new component into the Technology area of The New Zealand Curriculum. This was to be fully implemented by the start of the 2020 school year. However, unless this was a personal area of ability, no primary teacher in New Zealand has been trained or prepared for this new addition. This study reports on how one school worked to implement this new requirement into their teaching practice. This study noted that for the participating teachers, teaching an unknown area of the curriculum required emotional work, political work, and pedagogical work. Over the course of the 2019 school year, these teachers in collaborative professional development (PD) sessions explored, experimented with, and enacted digital technology. Results from this study showed that students' learner was enhanced through teachers' meaningful and purposeful integration of digital technology in their programs of learning. This study offers insight into how primary teachers were able to work in authentic collaborative relationships to support each other in how to implement a new curriculum requirement that was not supported by any ministerial PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently revised New Zealand Curriculum in technology education [Ministry of Education (MoE) Digital technologies: Hangarau Matihiki, Wellington, 2017. https://education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Ministry/consultations/DT-consultation/DTCP1701-Digital-Technologies-Hangarau-Matihiko-ENG.pdf] presents opportunities for teachers to provide a future-focused approach to learning. Teacher perceptions about the nature of their subject and the discourse within their school however, influence how the curriculum is interpreted, for enactment. This article reports findings from Ph.D. research that explored the disparity between the intent of the technology curriculum and the practice of five technology teachers, in two secondary school settings. There is a focus on the ways that teachers might be supported to navigate challenges and enable change in their practice, if they are motivated to enact technology education in a future-focused way. Teachers' interpretation and enactment of the New Zealand curriculum are heavily influenced by others' understanding of their subject, and the organisational structures in their school. A threshold concept is presented as a strategy to transform teachers' thinking, when making meaning of the curriculum, and to develop their knowledge for practice. Recommendations are made regarding the necessary changes in thinking and practice in technology education in New Zealand, to address a further disparity between what school-based practitioners believe students need and what academic researchers assert is important in contemporary education. Initial Teacher Education Programmes are briefly discussed as a means of addressing this issue from another perspective, to ensure that student teachers are exposed to future-focused conceptions of the curriculum at University, to compensate when such practice is not observed during their school placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright law does not currently align with the legitimate activities of galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAMs). The GLAM sector plays a central role in collecting and promoting access to cultural works. Increasingly, GLAM institutions are employing innovative digital technologies to expand access to culture and foster greater levels of cultural participation. Despite the utility underlying digitisation, copyright limits the use of digital technologies within the GLAM sphere. This article examines current copyright limitations and demonstrates copyright's significant limiting effect. It argues that reform is necessary to strengthen the right to participate in cultural life and to remedy harms inflicted by the current copyright regime. Creating a fit-for-purpose safe harbour would empower institutions to employ digitisation within a framework of reasonable copyright constraints. Accordingly, this article constructs a potential safe harbor that permits non-commercial GLAM digitisation, while also protecting copyright holders and tikanga Māori. The Copyright Act 1994 is currently under review. New Zealand ought to seize the present reform opportunity to invigorate participation in cultural life and enrich the cultural fabric of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mismeasurement of productivity is one possible explanation for the global productivity slowdown in recent decades. This article discusses the challenges of measuring productivity in the digital age. The article covers some background about the productivity slowdown and about productivity measurement, the pressure that the growth in the digital economy is putting on productivity measurement, some estimates of mismeasurement from other countries, and the implications for New Zealand. The main conclusion is that, despite measurement issues, the productivity slowdown in New Zealand and elsewhere cannot simply be written off as measurement error. A further conclusion is that the digital economy has many benefits that fall outside conventional productivity measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In 2014, we investigated how socio‐demographic factors such as gender, teaching disciplines, teaching experience and academic seniority were related to the perception and use of digital mobile technologies in learning and teaching of a group of university teachers from one research‐intensive university in New Zealand. Three hundred and eight teachers from this university completed an online questionnaire and 30 of them participated in a follow‐up interview. Survey results showed that while there was a strong positive correlation between using mobile technologies for personal learning and their use in teaching, only a small number of participants utilised mobile technologies in their learning and the vast majority also did not use these technologies in their teaching, More female teachers and humanities teachers used mobile devices and applications more frequently than male teachers and teachers from other academic disciplines. Also, female teachers had a more positive perception in learning and using mobile technologies. Junior teachers also tended to be more positive in technology use. While the overwhelming majority of the interview participants also perceived positive benefits of incorporating mobile devices and applications into their teaching, it was found that female teachers paid greater attention to pedagogy when considering mobile technology use and the lack of professional development limited their use in teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Zealand has a legal 3D cadastre, and has done since the inception of its cadastral survey and tenure systems around 150 years ago. However, the digital representation of the cadastre is 2D with 3D situations handled via static plan, section and elevation images and supporting textual information. Work is currently underway to develop a 3D digital cadastre that will enable the 3D spatial extents of property rights, restrictions and responsibilities to be captured, validated, lodged, integrated with existing data, visualised, and made available for use in other systems. This article presents the approach that is being promoted by regulators of New Zealand's cadastral survey system in discussions with suppliers of land administration systems. Previous research concluded that the most appropriate way for New Zealand to develop a 3D digital cadastre is to build upon its existing system. The 2D digital cadastre would continue to be the default layer with 3D situations incorporated as and where necessary. To enable this requires a new approach to handling parcels defined in 3D. The representation of a 3D parcel as a spatial object is being proposed to allow parcels limited in height to be integrated into the digital cadastre and subsequently maintained. While the authors discuss how New Zealand's digital cadastre may be transitioned to 3D, it is suggested that the generic nature of spatial objects could be applied to other jurisdictions. For this reason, the international appeal of the approach is considered as other jurisdictions and providers of software applications may benefit from New Zealand's efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia enacted its multinational anti-avoidance law (MAAL) in December 2015 to prevent large multinationals using contrived selling arrangements implemented in order to avoid attributing business profits to Australia. Heavily influenced by Australia's MAAL, the New Zealand Government released its own discussion document in March 2017 proposing a permanent establishment avoidance rule (PEAR) targeting multinationals with more than €750m annual consolidated global turnover. It is unsurprising that NZ is likely to be the first country to follow Australia by introducing its own version of the MAAL. Tax policymakers of both countries experience the same challenges in relation to the digital economy, resulting from the fact that Australia and NZ are typically viewed as end-user market jurisdictions by multinational enterprises. This article provides a comprehensive comparison of the MAAL and the PEAR, including a summary of the key requirements and the main consequences of both measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of wood and timber products in the construction of buildings is repeatedly pointed towards as a mean for lowering the environmental footprint. With several countries preparing regulation for life cycle assessment of buildings, practitioners from industry will presumably look to the pool of data on wood products found in environmental product declarations (EPDs). However, the EPDs may vary broadly in terms of reporting and results. This study provides a comprehensive review of 81 third-party verified EN 15804 EPDs of cross laminated timber (CLT), glulam, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and timber. The 81 EPDs represent 86 different products and 152 different product scenarios. The EPDs mainly represent European production, but also North America and Australia/New Zealand productions are represented. Reported global warming potential (GWP) from the EPDs vary within each of the investigated product categories, due to density of the products and the end-of-life scenarios applied. Median results per kg of product, excluding the biogenic CO2, are found at 0.26, 0.24, and 0.17 kg CO2e for CLT, glulam, and timber, respectively. Results further showed that the correlation between GWP and other impact categories is limited. Analysis of the inherent data uncertainty showed to add up to ±41% to reported impacts when assessed with an uncertainty method from the literature. However, in some of the average EPDs, even larger uncertainties of up to 90% for GWP are reported. Life cycle assessment practitioners can use the median values from this study as generic data in their assessments of buildings. To make the EPDs easier to use for practitioners, a more detailed coordination between EPD programs and their product category rules is recommended, as well as digitalization of EPD data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term conditions (LTCs) are the biggest contributor to health loss in New Zealand. The economic cost and burden on the health system is substantial and growing. Self-management strategies offer a potential way to reduce the pressure on health services. This study evaluates a comprehensive self-management programme (the BetaMe programme) delivered by mobile and web-based technologies for people with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and pre-diabetes. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the BetaMe programme versus usual care among primary care populations in improving the control of T2DM and pre-diabetes, as measured by change in HbA1c and weight over 12 months.Methods: Participants will be recruited through two primary healthcare organisations and a Māori healthcare provider in New Zealand (n = 430). Eligible participants will be 18 to 75 years old, with T2DM or pre-diabetes, with an HbA1c of 41-70 mmol/mol up to 2 years prior to study commencement. Eligible participants who consent to participate will be individually randomised to the control arm (usual care) or intervention arm (usual care and BetaMe). The programme consists of a 16-week core followed by a maintenance period of 36 weeks. It incorporates (1) individualised health coaching, (2) goal setting and tracking, (3) peer support in an online forum and (4) educational resources and behaviour-change tools. The primary outcome measures are change in HbA1c and weight at 12 months. Secondary outcomes are changes in waist circumference, blood pressure, patient activation and diabetes-specific behaviours. All outcomes will be assessed at 4 and 12 months for the total study population and for Māori and Pacific participants specifically. All primary analyses will be based on intention-to-treat. Primary analysis will use linear mixed models comparing mean outcome levels adjusted for initial baseline characteristics at 12 months.Discussion: This is a randomised controlled trial of a comprehensive self-management intervention for people with diabetes and pre-diabetes. If effective, this programme would allow healthcare providers to deliver an intervention that is person-centred and supports the self-care of people with T2DM, pre-diabetes and potentially other LTCs.Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ID: ACTRN12617000549325 . Registered on 19 April 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]