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This paper examines the relocation experiences of sixteen women and men who moved with their children to Aotearoa New Zealand when their partners took up career positions in that country. It analyses the relative weight they gave to their careers and their relationships with their partners as they responded to the challenges posed by these transitions. Attention to the interests of children is also identified as significant in their career decisions. Interviews with similar numbers of women and men whose partners were globally mobile employees enables analysis of the diverse ways in which gender shapes career pathways during a period of transition. The findings contribute to a complex analysis of the situation of those previously referred as a 'trailing' or 'accompanying' spouse when a dual career couple engages in international relocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-designed health initiatives are gaining popularity in Aotearoa (New Zealand). However, emerging research identifies potential pitfalls for Indigenous populations, particularly Māori (Indigenous Peoples of Aotearoa), when Kaupapa Māori principles are ignored. Using the Indigenous He Pikinga Waiora Implementation (HPW) framework as a guide, this paper provides an autoethnographic reflective account of the co-design process that led to the development and implementation of the Whirihia holistic assessment tool for the Kaupapa Māori antenatal wānanga (workshop) Whirihia Te Korowai Aroha. The co-design process resulted in a culturally appropriate and responsive holistic assessment tool that provided a quality health needs assessment pathway for māmā hapū (pregnant women) and their whānau (family). This reflective account provides examples of key considerations that align to the HPW framework in the hope that it will afford some guidance for fellow emerging researchers who wish to undertake ethical co-designed health research with Māori (and non-Māori) communities and organisations. Glossary of Māori words: Aotearoa: New Zealand; hapū: sub-tribes; hapūtanga: pregnancy; hui: meeting; ipu: clay pot; iwi: tribe; Kaupapa Māori: Māori ideology incorporating the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values of Māori society; māmā: mothers; māmā hapū: pregnant women; Māori: Indigenous people of Aotearoa; Pākehā: non-Māori (most often New Zealand European); pēpi: infant; pono: true, valid, honest, genuine; pōwhiri: welcome ceremony; te ao Māori: Māori world view; te reo Māori: Māori language; tika: correct, accurate, appropriate; tikanga: values and beliefs; wahakura: woven flax basket that can be used in the parental bed; waiata: song; wānanga: workshop; whakawhānau: birth; whakawhanaungatanga: relationship/connections; whānau family; whenua: afterbirth; land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private renters in New Zealand during the 1970s paid high rents relative to their incomes and endured poor quality and insecure housing. Protest groups formed across the country in order to protect and promote tenant interests; a rare occurrence in New Zealand's history. The groups supported tenants through direct action and legal advice and lobbied for policy change. This paper draws on the archives of tenant groups to investigate why these groups arose at this time, what they achieved, and what challenges they experienced. The groups assisted many tenants, contributed to clarifying tenancy law, and, in some cases, evolved into service providers. However, they were challenged by the systemic policy bias toward homeownership and ultimately failed to create a more equitable housing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large body of academic research documents harmful media coverage of indigenous populations across the globe. New Zealand is no exception. Aotearoa's indigenous people, Māori, share similar damaging experiences, leading one major NZ media company to publish an apology for their historically poor depiction of tangata whenua. This paper adds to that wealth of evidence using the automated methods of machine learning to examine coverage of Māori in NZ print media. Across roughly 800,000 sentences – spanning over two decades of coverage – this research investigates print media discourses involving Māori at a mass scale while demonstrating the applicability of such tools for further research. The results replicate a collection of existing findings at large-N scale, further documenting problematic discussions of violence, political representation, and culture, among several other concerns. The novel approach also hints at complex, obscure relationships embedded within problematic language in Aotearoa's print media, identifying notions of division - both implied and otherwise - along with notable instances of resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence systems require large amounts of data to allow them to learn and achieve high performance. That data is increasingly collected in extractive and exploitative ways, which transfer value and power from individuals to AI system owners. Our research focuses on data that is collected from users of digital platforms, through direct and indirect interaction with those platforms, in ways that are not communicated to users, without consent or compensation. This paper presents our findings from a series of interviews and workshops in the Aotearoa New Zealand context to identify common themes and concerns from a variety of perspectives. Reframing this type of interaction as work or labour brings into view an otherwise unrecognised harm of using this data for training AI systems, and illustrates a new class of exploitative data practices that have become normalised in the digital age. We found that participants particularly emphasised moral or ethical justifications for intervention over financial or economic reasons to act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medication-related problems (MRPs) contribute significantly to preventable patient harm and global healthcare expenditure. Vulnerable populations, including Indigenous Australians (please note that the use of the term 'Indigenous' in this paper includes all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and acknowledges their rich traditions and heterogenous cultures.) and people living with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), may be at increased risk of MRPs. Pharmacist-led medication reviews can identify MRPs for targeted action. Objective: To characterize MRPs identified and recommendations made by community pharmacists during medication reviews conducted with Indigenous Australians and people living with SPMI. Methods: Participants were recruited through two Australian trials testing the feasibility and/or effectiveness of novel community pharmacist-led interventions, the Indigenous Medication Review Service (IMeRSe) feasibility study (June 2018–July 2019) and Bridging the Gap between Physical and Mental Illness in Community Pharmacy (PharMIbridge) randomized controlled trial (September 2020–December 2021). Trained community pharmacists conducted medication reviews responsive to the cultural and health needs of participants. MRPs, MRP severity and pharmacist recommendations were documented and classified using an established classification system (DOCUMENT). MRP severity was assessed by pharmacists and an independent assessor. Data were analysed descriptively, and paired t-tests were used to compare severity ratings. Results: Pharmacists identified 795 MRPs with 411 participants across both trials (n = 255 IMeRSe, n = 156 PharMIbridge). Non-adherence to medication was the most common (n = 157, 25.1%) and second-most common (n = 25, 14.7%) MRP in IMeRSe and PharMIbridge, respectively. Undertreatment was the second-most common MRP in the sample of Indigenous Australians (n = 139, 22.2%), and reports of toxicity/adverse reactions were most common in people living with SPMI (n = 41, 24.1%). A change in pharmacotherapy was the most frequent recommendation made by pharmacists (40.2% and 55.0% in IMeRSe and PharMIbridge, respectively). Severity ratings varied, with the majority being 'Mild' or 'Moderate' in both groups. Significant differences were found in the severity rating assigned by trial pharmacists and the independent assessor. Conclusions: Community pharmacists identified a range of MRPs experienced by two at-risk populations, most commonly non-adherence and toxicity or adverse reactions, when conducting medication reviews and proposed diverse strategies to manage these, frequently recommending a change in pharmacotherapy. These findings highlight the opportunity for more targeted approaches to identifying and managing MRPs in primary care and tailored community pharmacist-led interventions may be of value in this space. Trail Registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry records (IMeRSe ACTRN12618000188235 registered 06/02/2018 & PharMIbridge ACTRN12620000577910 registered 18/05/2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aotearoa, New Zealand's (NZ) initial pandemic response has been held up internationally as a model of social cohesion and compassion, made salient by the 'team of five million' messaging promoted by the New Zealand government. This paper considers whether the first New Zealand COVID-19 lockdown was viewed and experienced as socially cohesive from the perspective of diverse older New Zealanders. This study presents a deductive analysis based on 44 individual or group interviews with Māori, Pacific, Chinese, Korean and New Zealand European (NZE) people aged 60 and over. This paper presents a critical, intersectional discussion around social cohesion experienced by older New Zealanders during lockdown, by considering their views and experiences of belongingness, legitimacy, recognition, inclusion and participation. We suggest that New Zealand European participants benefited most from national appeals for solidarity and reported enhanced feelings of belongingness and inclusion. Māori, Chinese, Korean and Pacific experienced belongingness and inclusion primarily on a community level owing to the culturally-specific support they received. We conclude that future pandemic planning should aim to strengthen targeted culturally-specific community initiatives already in action whilst improving aspects of inclusion and participation for all older New Zealanders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the impact of climate change, the use of both energy and resources that lock in future energy use is receiving heightened attention. New Zealand has lagged behind many similar countries in not requiring an explicit energy certification for dwellings. This paper reviews the form of energy certification used by similar countries and discusses the potential impact of applying the various forms to New Zealand dwellings. Specifically, it compares how different forms of comparison, or normalisation, value the features of a home and implicitly rate which dwellings are considered 'like' each other. Of the 85 buildings compared none received consistent rankings across all the normalisation methods and only one was in the 'better' half of the data under all nine of the normalisation methods used. Some of the forms of normalisation systematically advantaged large dwellings, and others small dwellings. Since normalisation methods can be chosen to value certain aspects of dwelling design, there needs to be a discussion about what we value in dwellings in order to determine which method(/s) would be appropriate for New Zealand. The main purpose of this paper is to alert social scientists of the need to have this value-based discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past decade, collaboration has been the preferred method of devising land and water policy in Aotearoa New Zealand to achieve agreed outcomes. However, the use of collaboration in policymaking is at a crossroads, as some argue it is unrealistic to expect stakeholders and tangata whenua with competing interests to work in partnership on contentious policy issues. To help clarify the future direction of collaboration, this paper provides authorising agencies (those with responsibility for the policy problems) with prompts to reflect ex ante on the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing collaboration. Based on a retrospective review of collaborations in New Zealand's land and water policymaking, and a two-day symposium with collaboration practitioners, we identify situations that are potentially less suited to collaboration owing to factors that are challenging to overcome through process design. Four issues that affect the success of collaborations are identified: the nature of the policy problem, the personal and collective qualities of those involved, power relationships, and the collaborative process. Finally, we draw together practical lessons from history, the symposium, and the literature to develop a list of questions for authorising agencies to use to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the age of misinformation, trust and trustworthiness – core values of journalism – have become more important as news companies reeling from the pandemic seek emergency funding for their operations from the public and funders look for trusted brands to support. Earlier studies indicated people are more willing to pay for trusted news brands, and recently, the public funding of news has been directed to institutions that are regarded as trustworthy news outlets, and provide information that is in the public interest. While the concept of trust is complicated and measuring it is challenging, trust has rapidly become a key inquiry in academia. However, New Zealand lacks in this research, and this study aims to start to fill that gap. The paper is based on our survey of 1204 New Zealanders, and comparable data from 38 countries surveyed in the Reuters Digital News Report 2019. The paper finds that trust in news in New Zealand is high when compared internationally, but a large proportion (47%) of citizens don't trust the news. It also finds New Zealanders are more concerned about misinformation and disinformation than respondents in other Western societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observers have noted that New Zealanders are less inequality averse and less in favour of redistribution than one would expect given actual levels of income and wealth inequality in the country. Attempted explanations have been unsatisfying, partly because of a lack of an explicit comparative focus. This paper uses four waves of the World Value Survey (2000–2020) and compares New Zealand views with those of respondents in 18 other high-income OECD states. New Zealanders across the board are indeed outliers, but this is explained by the extensive experience of intergenerational educational mobility of successive NZ cohorts. New Zealanders also believe that their society is characterised by a large degree of equality of opportunity and this overrides any concern that they might have about inequality of outcomes. While there may also be other ideational and institutional factors to consider, a series of hierarchical binomial logit regressions confirm that experiences and perceptions of upward mobility must be part of any explanation of New Zealand idiosyncrasies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, the New Zealand (NZ) Parliament voted to decriminalise abortion. Although NZ's abortion law formally opposes sex selective abortions, there is considerable complexity in the gender politics of 'choice' and 'agency' in multi-ethnic societies, and interpretations of reproductive rights for ethnic minority women and for the girl child, respectively. This paper explores these complexities through the perspectives of reproductive and maternity care practitioners who are situated at the interface of legal systems, health service provision, and delivery of culturally sensitive care. Thirteen practitioners were interviewed as part of this study. The analysis highlights strains in framings of 'reproductive choice' (underpinned by western liberal notions of rights) and 'gender equality' (abortion rights that acknowledge the complexity of cultural son-preference) for ethnic minority women. These tensions are played out in three aspects of the post-reform landscape: (a) everyday practice and accountability; (b) consumerism and choice; (c) custodianship and gender rights. The findings point to the limitations in operationalising choices for ethnic women in health systems wherein trust deficit prevails, and cultural dynamics render complex responses to abortion. They also highlight reconfigurations of client-expert relationships that may have implications for practitioners' abilities to advocate for ethnic women's rights against cultural influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments around the world have responded to the COVID-19 outbreak with a mix of policies. The strictest responses of the New Zealand government are notable, given their abilities to contain and limit the spread of the virus. However, their impacts on stock returns remain unclear. This paper investigates the impact of three policies, namely lockdown, the stimulus package, and the travel ban, on the returns of 14 New Zealand industry stock indices. Using daily data from 1 January 2019 to 25 August 2020, evidence points to a heightened level of integration among the various industry stock indices during the early stages of the pandemic. Only lockdown has had a positive impact on aggregate stock returns, suggesting its ability to raise investors' confidence in the overall stock market. At the industry level, the impact of the three response policies is generally positive but heterogeneous across industry stock indices. Notably, none of the three adopted policies significantly impact technology, healthcare, and real estate returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we address the lack of a unified approach to understanding engineering practice by developing and presenting a taxonomy of common engineering activities. The taxonomy consists of 86 common engineering activities linked to 17 engineering competencies and the 11 International Engineering Alliance graduate attributes. The list of activities was developed using a six-step process, including multiple systematic literature searches and surveying engineers. The taxonomy provides a critical foundation for better understanding what engineers do, particularly in the Australian and New Zealand context. The taxonomy has potential utility in both engineering practice research and engineering education curriculum reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a framing derived from refugee and child rights conventions to analyse the positioning of young refugee children and their families in Aotearoa New Zealand's resettlement policies, early childhood curriculum and early childhood education (ECE) funding policies. It also analyses data from interviews with participants from ECE settings who are working with refugee children and families, to discuss how policy is experienced in ECE practice, and makes recommendations about future policy directions. Main findings are that the Refugee Resettlement Strategy has critically important goals for refugee resettlement, but outcomes are narrowly defined and future-focused. While the ECE curriculum, Te Whariki, offers a strong basis for refugee families and children to come to belong and participate in Aotearoa New Zealand, and to have their own culture upheld, the rights of the young refugee child have no visibility within resettlement and ECE funding policies. We argue that a rights-based framework, focused on the young refugee child within their wider family, offers a productive lens through which to analyse refugee resettlement and ECE policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explored the influence of sources of motivation on young women's career choice in secondary schools in New Zealand and their interest in construction-related careers. We employed internal sources of motivation – Maslow's hierarchy of needs; and external sources of motivations – individual in close association with young women and social media to achieve this aim. These factors were supported by past research in career choice and the construction industry. A questionnaire survey was carried out on young women in a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand and statistical analysis using ANOVA and Pearson's correlation was used to ascertain correlations and their level of significance. We found that mothers and self-actualization needs were the most important external and internal sources of motivation for young women to make a career choice. Concerning the construction-related careers investigated, we found that the perception of their friends, information circulated on social media and being safe (Security needs) influenced the young women's interest in pursuing a quantity surveying career. On the other hand, the desire to be socially accepted (Social needs) deterred young women from choosing construction management as a future career. The result of this study showed that young women's perception of construction-related careers depends on the career itself. It suggests that there may be careers that will be perceived positively by young women and therefore, should be explored. The results of this study are essential as they provide insights into a current issue for the construction industry. Recruitment programmes targetted on these sources of motivation are recommended to increase the interest of young women on construction-related careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Understanding the nature of wellbeing as multidimensional and complex provides a policy window to generate a strengths-based policy orientation to promote wellbeing in education settings. The purpose of this exploratory paper is to map how wellbeing is interpreted across public education policy documents in Aotearoa New Zealand. Method: To explore the narrative that this group of documents weave, we draw on models of holistic wellbeing, ecological systems and appreciative inquiry. Policy documents were analysed using text mining software to track notions of wellbeing; their occurrence and co-occurrence with related concepts. Results: Key findings include the predominance of wellbeing, the interrelatedness of wellbeing with relationships, and the predominance of student wellbeing over the wellbeing of other stakeholders, highlighting that current education policy does not interpret wellbeing as relational, complex or contextual. Conclusion: We argue that interpreting such documents through a wellbeing lens demonstrates the complexity and disparity of the conceptualization and contextualization. We assert that it is critical to explore possibilities for deliberate and ecological wellbeing connections within educational policy and practice for the good of all stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young female offenders comprise approximately one fifth of the New Zealand youth offender population; however, they remain an understudied population of offenders. This paper aims to provide a current overview of the key characteristics of this population and recommendations for how the youth justice system could better cater to this population. These recommendations include more training of professionals (specifically judges, youth advocates and justice coordinators) and practitioners (specifically social workers, psychologists and youth workers) in the youth-justice system in matters specific to young female offenders. A gender-responsive and trauma-informed approach to addressing offending behaviour is also necessary. There is a need for new empirical research in the New Zealand context on young female offenders and the best way to address offending by this group. Finally, a focus on the diversity of young female offenders is a priority, given the over-representation of indigenous and ethnic-minority communities in justice jurisdictions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

News media have an important social role during times of disruption including national emergencies. This paper bears witness to the 21 New Zealanders who died during the first lockdown due to COVID-19 by critically examining the nature of their portrayal in mainstream newspapers. We searched Knowledgebasket for newspapers published between 28 February 2020 and 13 May 2020 relating to COVID-19 deaths. Of the 147 included articles, 50 were selected for in-depth thematic analysis. Our key finding is that COVID-19 made the death of ordinary older New Zealanders newsworthy, albeit in a way that distinguished individuals by residential status. This is reflected in the themes identified: (1) Unexpected community deaths; (2) Inevitable aged residential care deaths; (3) Justification for lockdown measures. We conclude that New Zealand journalists played an important advocacy role in justifying New Zealand's 'go hard go early' approach through the largely compassionate coverage of older people's deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Vision Mātauranga policy has created a clear message for researchers in Aotearoa/New Zealand – that research conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand should recognise and support the 'unlocking of the innovative potential of Māori for the benefit of all New Zealand' and be designed with a clear engagement pathway. However, there is still confusion amongst many researchers on where to begin when considering the Vision Mātauranga component of their research. Iwi and hapū management plans are a valuable resource for researchers to use as a starting point when planning projects, particularly with regard to Vision Mātauranga opportunities. Many of these plans outline the issues, challenges and resource priorities that an iwi or hapū may have, as well providing historical context for their knowledge and experiences. Despite their usefulness, our research found that only 22% of natural hazard researchers surveyed used them in their research process. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of the value of these plans for researchers, particularly when developing a research project; and to provide a starting point for engagement opportunities and activities with Māori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of the perspectives of Māori healthcare providers to the emergence of new health technologies is essential for developing technologies that respond to patient need. In Aotearoa New Zealand, inequities in health outcomes fall unevenly on Māori, who experience worse health outcomes than other New Zealanders. This includes access to technologies that might mitigate some of the worst health outcomes. While health technology is a broad field, this study aims to explore the experiences of health technologies of predominantly Māori health providers across the region of Te Tai Tokerau, a region characterised by its high Māori population. Eight healthcare professionals participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Three themes were generated: 1. empowering whānau with greater control over their own health outcomes; 2. community networks will play a key role in the delivery of technologies and 3. challenges to the uptake of technologies. Health providers have the willingness to trial new technologies, motivated by the potential of new technologies to empower whānau in the care and treatment of illness. However, understanding the patient perspective of how they wish to receive care remains an imperative if health disparities are to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the findings of two studies of the Aotearoa coronial service that sought to understand how coronial processes engage with whānau who have lost a rangatahi to suicide. The aim of the combined study was to understand the extent to which coronial investigations met the needs of Māori bereaved by suicide. We conducted interviews with coroners to understand how they investigate suicide (Study One) and examined coronial files of rangatahi who had died by suicide, including communications between the coroner's office and the bereaved whānau (Study Two). We found that coroners relied heavily on documentation and only rarely engaged with whānau to gather evidence from those who knew the person who died by suspected suicide. Moreover, forms of communication between the coronial service and whānau were couched in legalese and did not engage with whānau in ways that would add value to the coronial investigation and lead to closure for bereaved whānau. Current efforts to embed Te Tiriti o Waitangi in government policy provide an ideal opportunity to adopt a Tiriti-based approach to coronial investigations so that they align with the needs of whānau in ways that contribute to culturally appropriate suicide investigation, suicide prevention and postvention initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aotearoa New Zealand provides differential settlement support to forced migrants, primarily determined by how they receive protection status – as asylum seekers, refugees, or through other visa pathways. Despite these differences, there is limited quantitative evidence of their settlement outcomes related to work, social welfare, education and housing. In response, this study presents administrative data of adults from refugee backgrounds composed of four distinct subgroups (quota refugee, convention refugee, family reunification, and asylum seeker) to explore their access to these main services post-settlement and ascertain longitudinal income trajectories. Using the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), we identified 24,894 working-age adults from refugee backgrounds who first received refugee recognition, an asylum-seeker visa or a family reunification visa between 1997 and 2020. We describe these cohorts' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and access to services by drawing from a range of government and census datasets. We then present a mixed model regression to illustrate the association of longitudinal income with years from arrival and other settlement indicators: controlling for age, gender, and refugee subgroups. Findings show outcome disparities between refugee groups and highlight the policy implications for supporting positive settlement outcomes, particularly emphasising the first five years of settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on Aotearoa New Zealand's research, science, and innovation (RSI) system suggest the sector could improve its social responsibility and create more social value. However, researchers and innovators within the sector find this challenging. Through qualitative interviews and a national survey of RSI system participants, this study explores the current perceptions, practices enacted, and support given around responsible research and innovation practices. Findings indicate that researchers and innovators have diverse understandings of what responsible research and innovation entails, viewing anticipation and reflexivity-aligned practices as the most important aspects of responsible research and innovation. Participants feel most supported by research organisations and funding bodies to enact such aspects of responsible practice. However, they perceive a discrepancy, across all dimensions explored, between what researchers and innovators should do, and what they actually do in terms of enacting responsible practices. Thus, significant room for improvement is identified, particularly regarding practices that align with researchers' and innovators' obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and requirements under Vision Mātauranga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the effects of preoperative autologous whole blood donation and autologous pure red blood cell (RBC) donation on hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), clarify the effects of transfusion by different blood components on HSC, and improve the treatment effect of autotransfusion. Forty healthy male New Zealand rabbits were divided into five groups (n = 8) at random: control (Group A), surgery alone (Group B), surgery + blood sampling (Group C), surgery + preoperative autologous whole blood autotransfusion (Group D), and surgery + preoperative autologous pure RBC autotransfusion (Group E). The rabbits' bone marrow was collected before surgery (T1), 6 h after surgery (T2), and 24 h after surgery (T3) to detect the CD34+ cell count, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentration, the ratio of senescent cells, and the expression of HSC-related proteins (p53 and p21). Compared with groups A and B, the percentage of CD34+ cells in groups D and E at each time point was significantly increased, while the proportion of senescent cells, ROS, p53 and p21 were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Compared with Group C, the percentage of CD34+ cells at T2 and T3 rose significantly, while the ratio of senescent cells, the ROS concentration, and the content of p53 and p21 declined significantly in Groups D and E (P < 0.05). Compared with Group D, the ratio of senescent cells at T2 declined significantly, the percentage of CD34+ cells at T3 rose significantly, and the ROS concentration at T2 and T3 declined significantly in Group E (P < 0.05). From the perspective of HSC, collection and transfusion of pure RBC is more beneficial to postoperative recovery of patients than whole blood transfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Psychotraumatology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Australian criminal law presumes that defendants are fit to stand trial until proven otherwise on the balance of probabilities. Forensic mental health experts often provide opinions to the court about defendants' fitness, which requires them to understand the legal context within which the court decides the defendant's fitness status. This article outlines important case law considerations to the assessment of fitness in Australia, including the notions that fitness must be evaluated when there is a 'real and substantial question',1 assessments should be 'reasonable and common sense' and accommodations should be considered when impairments in capacity are evident. The essentially negligible impact of delusions, an unhelpful defence, unmanageable behaviour and poor defendant-lawyer relationship are also considered. Finally, precedent is reviewed for the use of the Presser standards in New Zealand and other pacific jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work proposes a mathematical model of the process of COVID-19 epidemic as it evolved in New Zealand. The model uses a system of differential equations which emanate from natural assumptions on some probability measure and evolution of this measure on evolving family of simplexes. The authors tried to create the model which, at one hand, is simple and easy to follow. and, at the other hand, reflects the observed epidemic process correctly. The practical aim was to come to justifiable estimations of important parameters like the rate of infection as function of time, thus quantifying effectiveness of the Government measures. Another parameters estimated were the probability distribution of detection times and recovery times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In New Zealand, also known by its Indigenous Māori name Aotearoa, voters of Māori descent have the choice between the Māori roll and the General roll. The boundaries of the seven dedicated Māori electoral districts are superimposed over those of the 65 General districts. Every five years, after the census, persons who have reported Māori descent have the option to change between electoral rolls. Choice of the Māori roll indicates a strong sense of Māori identity and a belief that it is important that the Māori seats remain to guarantee Parliamentary representation by Māori MPs, elected only by Māori. Using a unique dataset sampled from the electoral rolls, plus entire electoral rolls, we investigate roll locations and roll shifts of persons claiming Māori descent across age, gender, spatial location and other factors, merging in census local area census data to estimate linguistic contextual effects. We test hypotheses related to generational socialisation, speaking the Māori language, occupational mobility, household context, and the timing of enrolments. We confirm that identity as Māori, expressed most strongly through language context, has strong effects on Māori roll enrolment, but also find that other factors offset its impact on the number of Māori electorates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sociology has come late to the practice of publishing during PhD enrolment. This contrasts to fields such as science disciplines (STEM) and psychology where publishing during PhD is part of the disciplinary culture. In New Zealand sociology, over the last decade, the traditional PhD monograph continues to be the main format. Closer measurement of academic research outputs by the New Zealand Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) creates new pressures in the oversupplied academic-research labour market. This study has three main findings. First, within the decade since the PBRF was introduced, the publishing patterns of sociology PhDs have changed very little on the surface. It should be noted, however, that more than half of these students successfully published at least one refereed output, suggesting a possible disciplinary shift in students attempting to produce publications during candidacy. Second, overall in this time period, men and women published during their PhD at equal rates. This, however, masks variation by the institution. Women outperformed men at all institutions except at the largest sociology programme, Auckland University, where they published at the same rate as men. Third, gender differences by quality, sociology versus non-sociology publications and by Australasian versus international publications showed no significant differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To make coherent and just choices about introduced species management in postcolonial contexts such as Aotearoa, a nuanced understanding of human relationships to introduced species is needed. Inspired by relational values thinking, we interviewed 13 knowledge holders to explore diverse meanings and experiences with introduced trout and their management. Trout have impacted ecosystems and communities in profoundly different ways, ranging from ecological enhancement and cultural empowerment for some communities to devastation and loss for others. Some people consider trout potentially compatible with a 'healthy' ecosystem, while others consider them incompatible. Despite the existence of deep and legitimate reasons for differences in perspectives on trout, we found convergence among interviewees on three principles that could provide a foundation for future trout management: shared decision-making within a Treaty framework, management of the negative impacts of trout, and coordination across government agencies to set and achieve holistic fish management objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual health includes the state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being related to sexuality. Masturbation is an important sexual activity with many potential benefits which has gained considerable interest in sexuality research in the past twenty years; however, this research is the first of its kind within the Aotearoa/New Zealand context. In this in-depth investigation, we examined frequencies of, reasons for, and activities during masturbation as well as the relationship between masturbation and other factors. Participants were 698 New Zealand women at least 18 years of age participating in a 42-item anonymous online survey collecting comprehensive information about sexual practices and related factors. The results indicated that female masturbation has high prevalence in the New Zealand population. The pattern of results enabled us to identify the positive effects of masturbation, masturbation practices commonly used by New Zealand women and the differences between New Zealand women who masturbate frequently and less frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 16 March 2020 the District Court in Auckland, New Zealand, had its first sitting as a court dedicated exclusively to cases where issues of fitness to stand trial or insanity had been raised. The impetus for these court sittings, called 'the CPMIP Court' [after the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act 2003], was to reduce delays for mentally impaired defendants, and improve the coverage and efficiency of mental health advice to the Court from both Court Liaison Nurses and Health Assessors (Psychiatrists and Psychologists). This article looks at the model in operation and reflects on some early outcome data, as the possibility of further expansion of this model is contemplated in other regions. We also consider broader challenges currently facing mentally impaired defendants in New Zealand's criminal justice system, and argue that other innovative judicial approaches such as the establishment of problem-solving mental health courts should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether coverage of family violence that resulted in a death event in New Zealand mainstream media is biased across a range of key factors – namely the gender, ethnicity and age of victims, as well as the victim's relationship to the primary aggressor. Our results are derived from a cohort of 946 articles published online by New Zealand media outlets. Analysing the number of media articles relating to victims from each group (exposure), the polarity of language used within the articles (sentiment) and their online presence (prominence), we find that although media coverage is generally quite equitable, certain groups of victims are severely under-represented in terms of the media coverage afforded to them. In addition, there are significant differences in the sentiment of articles written about victims from different groups. This study, therefore, identifies an opportunity for raising accurate community understanding of family violence in New Zealand and for supporting victims through objective media coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Zealand's Sexual Violence Courts Pilot was established in late 2016, intended in part, to reduce the stress experienced by complainants. Young witnesses who testified in the specialist courts and their caregivers were interviewed about their experiences of court involvement. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis and the following themes were identified: The period between reporting an alleged offence and the trial is far too long and stressful; moving forward with life is difficult until the trial has concluded; cross-examination is distressing; feeling comfortable and supported when at court is important; safety and distance from the defendant when at court is important; separation of young witnesses from their caregivers at court is difficult; information is lacking throughout the process; and parenting young witnesses through the court process is challenging. Young witnesses typically experienced court involvement as very stressful and distressing, and further innovation within the courts is therefore needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand young people's expectations of, and experience with sexual healthcare in New Zealand. Online survey of 15–24 year olds in a region with high socioeconomic deprivation, with selected outcomes compared for Māori and Europeans. Of 500 respondents, 60% had received sexual healthcare (74.3% in general practice) and 81% were happy with care received. Fewer Māori and people not in education, employment, or training reported positive experiences of sexual healthcare on arrival and in the consultation. Findings highlight the need for equitable delivery of youth-friendly, culturally safe, sexual and reproductive healthcare in general practice settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether the use of housing charges is an innovative or traditional instrument in financing bulk infrastructure. It develops a conceptual framework to demonstrate how housing charges are perceived as an innovative model of financing and funding bulk infrastructure. Research focuses on a case study policy pilot infrastructure project in New Zealand, with primary evidence gathered from informed professional stakeholder interviews. The findings highlight that revenue streams are the most common concern when applying the infrastructure funding and financing (IFF) model to deal with bulk infrastructure. Further, as housing charges are a new instrument generating cash flows to finance bulk infrastructure, it is found that financing infrastructure development is only innovative in terms of its mechanics, legislation and policy setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease that impacts significantly on quality of life for those who have it. There is a paucity of literature exploring the perspectives of children and young people. The aim of this study was to examine the day-to-day life experience of a group of young people with bronchiectasis. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews explored fifteen young people's perspectives of life with bronchiectasis. Key themes were identified using an inductive iterative approach through constant comparative analysis guided by Thorne's interpretive description. Life with bronchiectasis was conceptualized by participants as "Pretty Normal". This consisted of two co-existing life views which represented how young people balanced the ups and downs of adolescence while learning to accommodate the demands of living with bronchiectasis. Three key thematic elements "sore and tired", 'life interrupted and "looking after self", influenced and challenged these two views of life. Young people with bronchiectasis portray life as being the same as their peers. Despite this, they recognized that the symptoms, interruptions, and self-management responsibilities led them to find ways of coping and integrating their experience into a new and modified view of normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous literature has applied system-focused structures to understand the success of First Nations Peoples' nutrition and exercise group programmes. Existing system-focused measures have included biomedical outcomes, access and service utilization. By broadening the focus of programme success beyond the system, we can evaluate programmes from a First Nations Peoples' lifeworld perspective. Critical hermeneutics and yarning using a lens of Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action to the literature has the potential to transform understandings of "success" in First Nations Peoples' nutrition and exercise group programmes. In this literature interpretation, we explored the critical success factors from a lifeworld perspective, giving scope to go beyond a system perspective to include a cultural, social or personal perspective. Our yarning led us to understand that there is a communicative relationship between explicit system structures and implicit lifeworld concepts that are critical success factors for First Nations nutrition and exercise group programmes. We have developed a set of reflective questions to guide others in considering a lifeworld perspective. Our findings represent a shift away from success measured by the dominant power structure to respect the lifeworld culture, knowledges and values of First Nations Peoples towards shared understanding and mutual decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of sexual homicide research is relatively recent, with many existing studies limited by small sample sizes and sampling bias. In Australia and New Zealand specifically, only one study to date addresses this phenomenon but there is a lack of comprehensive descriptive data. This study aims to fill this research gap using a representative sample gathered from public legal databases. A total of 118 cases of sexual homicide offenders are described to create a portrait of this type of offender, their victims and their offence behaviour. Findings are similar to those found in other large samples from the UK, Canada and Germany. Because this crime is rare and practitioners tend to have limited experience of them, the findings of this research have the potential to inform investigative, criminal justice and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fungal species Metarhizium novozealandicum, that occurs only in New Zealand and Australia has been poorly studied. In this work, a new strain of M. novozealandicum isolated from a larva of Wiseana sp. is described based on morphology, genomic multilocus (ITS, EF-1α and β-tubulin) phylogeny, growth in different culture media and insecticidal activity. The isolate AgR-F177 was clustered in the same clade with M. novozealandicum. AgR-F177 colonies developed faster on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) than on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) when incubated at 25°C, with no growth observed at 30°C on either media. Conidia yield on an oat-based medium in semisolid fermentation was 7.41 x 108conidia/g of substrate and a higher yield of 1.68 x 109conidia/g of substrate was obtained using solid fermentation on cooked rice. AgR-F177 formed microsclerotia (MS) in liquid fermentation after 7 days reaching the maximum yield of 3.3 × 103 MS/mL after 10 days. AgR-F177 caused mortality in Wiseana copularis, Costelytra giveni and Plutella xylostella larvae with efficacies up to 100%, 69.2%, and 45.7%, respectively. The ease of production of AgR-F177 with different fermentation systems and its pathogenicity against different insect pests reveal its potential as a new biopesticide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to describe patterns of use and attitudes towards a broad variety of substances for improving academic performance at a New Zealand university. 685 students (from 1800 invited) completed an online questionnaire (38% response rate). They were asked about their lifetime and current substance use for improving academic performance, as well as their reasons for use, attitudes and perceptions of: caffeine, alcohol, dietary supplements, prescription stimulants, other prescription substances, and illicit substances. 80% (95% CI: 76.3, 82.5) reported ever using any substance to help improve academic performance, mainly to stay awake and improve concentration. Caffeine (70%, 95% CI: 66.3, 73.3) and dietary supplements (32%, 95% CI: 28.3, 35.5) were most commonly used. 4% (95% CI: 2.7, 5.9) reported use of prescription stimulants, mostly methylphenidate, and another 4% (95% CI: 2.7, 5.9) reported using illicit substances for improving academic performance. Users of prescription stimulants were more likely than non-users to believe that they were safe, morally acceptable, and that they should be available legally for enhancing academic performance. We close with discussions on broadening the focus of substances for improving academic performance in public health debates. Further qualitative research from small countries is also needed to move towards a place-based approach for clarifying ethical implications, inform policy in universities, and understand how injustices are created through the use of and ability to purchase different substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic differences in haematologic malignancies remain poorly elucidated, hence research in this area is important. This was a retrospective study into potential ethnic disparity in the presentation and outcomes of acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) between New Zealand (NZ) Polynesian and European patients. Data were analysed for patients treated at Auckland City Hospital (ACH; n = 55) and recorded in the New Zealand Cancer Registry (NZCR; n = 173), both for the period 2000–2017. We found that Polynesian patients treated at ACH presented at a younger age than European (P = 0.005), showed higher blast counts (P = 0.033), and a marginally higher prothrombin ratio (P = 0.02). Treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) was started faster in Polynesian patients than European (P = 0.021), suggesting Polynesians were sicker at presentation but were managed accordingly. There were no differences in bleeding events, transfusion requirements and early deaths during the first month of treatment. Long-term survival was also similar. Data extracted from the NZCR confirmed NZ Polynesian patients with APL were younger than European (P < 0.001), but long-term survival was similar (P = 0.920). In summary, this study indicates a discrepancy in the presentation and severity of APL between NZ Polynesian and European patients but treatment initiation was rapid with no difference in outcomes. The distinctive features of APL in NZ Polynesians raise the possibility of a predisposing genetic factor or a different risk factor profile, elucidation of which is important for all patients with APL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological impacts of climate change are prompting water resource and flood hazard management to adapt to non-stationary conditions. Among the factors influencing these policy decisions is the question of timing: when are we likely to see climate change effects? Using a national climate-hydrology model cascade over the 21st century, times and extents of emergence of six hydrological metrics are evaluated across New Zealand rivers. While the stringency of the emergence criteria has a significant effect on timing and extent, emergence for all metrics generally occurs after mid-century, if at all, and in the country's South Island. Looking at the first emerging metrics, in contrast, allows us to sidestep the high uncertainties of the time of emergence, revealing mean winter flows to be the most extensive sentinel of climate change in New Zealand rivers among the metrics considered. This has implications for hydrological monitoring to inform timely climate change adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A growing body of transgender health research reports that transgender people often feel pressure to conform to a dominant narrative during gender-affirming readiness assessments. In New Zealand, however, no study to date has specifically examined transgender people’s experiences of readiness assessments for gender-affirming healthcare. Aims: This study aimed to explore the experiences of transgender young adults (aged 16-30) during gender-affirming readiness assessments in New Zealand. We also sought participants’ views on improving transgender healthcare provision. Methods: Thirteen transgender young adults took part in individual interviews or focus groups. Participants were asked to describe how they felt about the questions asked during readiness assessments and how the readiness assessment process could be improved. We used thematic analysis to identify patterns of meaning across the dataset. Results: We identified two themes. Firstly, proving gender explores participants’ views of readiness assessments as designed to establish whether they were “trans enough” or “truly” transgender, and why readiness assessments are conducted in this manner. Secondly, the trans narrative describes the pressure participants felt to adhere to a dominant transgender narrative in order to gain access to the healthcare they needed. Discussion: Our findings call attention to the importance of a trans-affirmative approach and the need to clarify the purpose of gender-affirming healthcare readiness assessments in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]