Search

Aotearoa New Zealand's dairy industry is grappling with significant socio-ecological challenges due to increased intensification of production and global demand for its high-quality milk powder. Mounting social, environmental, political, and economic pressures, along with the urgency of addressing climate change impacts, bring attention to the need for policymakers to plan for just and sustainable transitions. This paper draws on the concept of transition pathways from the sustainability transitions literature and concepts of non-human, ecological and cosmopolitan justice from the just food transitions literature, to explore possible futures for the sector. The findings are informed by 60 interviews with key stakeholders across Aotearoa's dairy ecosystem as well as field walks on dairy farms. Three transition pathways were identified: de-intensification, diversification and the development of dairy alternatives (plant-based and precision fermentation). Each is accompanied by a range of justice issues that we discuss in depth. While the applicability of these pathways will vary across contexts, they nonetheless establish a foundational framework for pursuing just and sustainable transitions within Aotearoa's dairy sector. • Aotearoa New Zealand's dairy sector faces an uncertain future due to ongoing intensification of production. • Just food transitions should include justice considerations for humans, non-humans and environments. • Three proposed transition pathways are de-intensification, diversification and development of dairy alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realising resilience requires long-term, strategic transformation. However, this is often forestalled by immediate, often reactive, post-disaster needs. Here, we use Natural Language Processing to compare media coverage of Cyclone Gabrielle, a significant storm affecting Aotearoa New Zealand (A-NZ) from February 12–16, 2023, with A-NZ based research on the subject. The aim is to gain new insight into the ways in which disasters are framed post-event, and over longer time scales to compare immediate and consolidated concerns and insights. Results reveal contrasting frames: local and international media frames cyclone response in relation to tasks assigned to central and local governments, global climate change dynamics, emissions reductions, infrastructure, and overall economic development. Research frames resilience in terms of community and regional adaptation, classification, measurement, and assessment. Post-disaster media coverage tends to frame resilience around readiness and response rather than emphasizing pathways to future reduction and recovery, which are present in research but lack a focus on government, governance, and pathways. Both media and research portray community effects in positive terms. With changing frequency and severity of climate related extremes, reframing coverage and proactively shifting the discourse towards enabling transformations for climate-adapted futures may be necessary to better leverage the post-disaster period for change. • Governmental themes are a significant focus in media coverage post-disaster, but less relevant in journal publications, revealing an evidence gap in journal publications concerning governance, policy, and management options. • Positive framing of community reactions is found in both our media and research corpus. Narratives around community-level responses can inform recovery processes and influence policy design. • Media reports close to the disaster underreport scientific information, practices, and pathways. However, aligning news with the effects of scientific insights and incorporating positive narratives around practices and pathways to improve resilience and outline adaptation options can influence behaviour and policy design. • Insights underscore the need for dynamic and inclusive policies that prioritise local community involvement, effective communication, and a long-term perspective in disaster risk reduction and resilience building efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water supply systems provide an essential service for society and are highly vulnerable to damage and disruption during volcanic eruptions. Impacts sustained by water supply systems during volcanic eruptions have resulted in prolonged and repeated supply outages. Previous approaches to assessing volcanic impacts to water supply systems have been relatively simplistic, based on hazard intensity thresholds, and only considering direct damage. There is a need for water supply risk assessment approaches informed by vulnerability models that consider the pivotal role of system design and indirect impacts; such as supply and demand fluctuations, personnel shortages, and disruptions to interdependent infrastructure networks. We present a whole-of-system volcanic vulnerability model and impact assessment framework for water supply systems that can be used to estimate system-wide impacts during future volcanic eruptions. This model is developed in collaboration with volcanic risk researchers and water supply engineers in Aotearoa New Zealand and applied to a case study in the Taranaki region for a long-duration and multi-hazard eruption scenario from the active stratovolcano Taranaki Mounga. The model provides an assessment of the functionality of water supply systems affected directly and indirectly by the scenario eruption, interdependent critical infrastructure services, and associated emergency management actions (e.g., evacuations). This scenario, and its modelled impacts, allows practitioners to explore potential mitigation and emergency response options. This framework can be applied in other volcanic contexts to assess impacts on water supplies from future eruptions, highlight key systemic vulnerabilities, and provide a basis for the prioritisation and implementation of risk management strategies. • Water supply systems are vulnerable to damage and outages due to volcanic hazards. • We propose a whole-of-system volcanic vulnerability model for water supply systems. • This framework can be applied in other volcanic contexts to assess impacts. • It can also highlight systemic vulnerabilities to help prioritise risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuarine systems often have degraded ecology and functioning due to the multiple interacting stressors that they face. While conventional management might address such a situation with narrow focus, ecosystem based management provides a more holistic and adaptive option allowing for multiple objectives and values. Such an approach has some commonality with that of the Indigenous Māori of New Zealand, who have holistic, interconnected and intergenerational aspirations. In this study we utilised Te-Rerenga-Parāoa, Whangārei Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand as a case study to explore how ecological and Māori knowledge systems and approaches may align to address complex multi-stressor and multi-value scenarios common to estuarine systems. To achieve this we co-developed a Bayesian network heuristic modelling tool which provided a probabilistic framework to consider the relationship between stressors and the outcome states for ecological function and cultural values. The process of model development itself was a rewarding exercise of joint learning. For example, this process illustrated that while western ecological values can focus on endpoints such as abundance, cultural values were more diverse, experiential in nature, with value often centred on a cultural practise being enabled, not just the ecological component the value was connected to. Once the model was developed we considered three specific scenarios relating to harbour dredging, environmental degradation from land use changes, and fishery extraction. Model predictions for these scenarios generally matched expectations, but were generic in nature and could therefore benefit from more specificity relating to aspects such as spatial scale and context around cultural interpretation. Overall, the model demonstrated generic utility as an interactive educational tool for resource managers considering the broader impacts (on ecology and cultural values) of major societal challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising rates of labour and birth interventions are causing concern, having the potential to cause harm if used inappropriately. International evidence demonstrates that place itself influences birth outcomes, but evidence is limited as to how. In New Zealand there are differences in the rates of spontaneous vaginal births by place, along with differences when benchmarking uncomplicated primiparae birthing in hospital maternity facilities throughout the country. To develop understanding of how place influenced midwives' and obstetricians' practice in relation to supporting physiological birth. For this Hermeneutic Phenomenological study participants were purposively selected and consisted of nine midwives (employed and self-employed) and three obstetricians, all practising in midwifery led units or hospital maternity facilities. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. The method of analysis involved writing and rewriting to surface interpretive insights, drawing on philosophical notions from Heidegger and Gadamer. The findings revealed that place influences what practitioners are attuned to, what is easier for them to achieve, and their ability to provide woman-centred care. Competing tensions and pressures within place can blur the perceived relationship between normality and risk, influencing what is considered to be safe. Place is not neutral; it influences how midwives and obstetricians practise and shapes how they support physiological labour and birth. The findings of this research contribute to a deeper understanding of the barriers and enablers to supporting physiological birth within place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • New methods were used to assess state and trends in lake ecosystem indicators. • Trophic state analyses indicated that most monitored lakes were eutrophic. • Monitored glacial lakes were exceptions, as most of these lakes were oligotrophic. • In most lakes used for 10-year trend analyses, water clarity and DRP increased. • In most lakes used for 20-year trend analyses, TN increased and TP decreased. Assessments of lake ecosystem health, based on indicators of physical–chemical water quality, ecological conditions, and human health risks, are needed to apprise the public and facilitate lake management. While unrefereed lake water quality reports exist, this is the first peer-reviewed study to report data processing and analysis methods and results for current state and recent trends in multiple environmental indicators in monitored lakes across Aotearoa New Zealand. Lake grading based on national criteria indicated that many lakes are failing to achieve statutory bottom lines for phytoplankton chlorophyll a , total nitrogen, and total phosphorus concentrations. In contrast, most monitored lakes had high grades for two human health risk indicators, E. coli and cyanobacteria concentrations, and for potential toxicity of ammonia for biological communities. We included 166 lakes and considered indicator state and trends for two lake classifications based on geomorphology and land cover. Elevated scores for an indicator of trophic state (the trophic level index; TLI) in most shoreline, riverine, peat, landslide, dam, and aeolian lakes indicated eutrophic conditions or worse. Lower TLI scores were indicative of oligotrophic conditions in most glacial lakes. Nutrient, E. coli and suspended sediment concentrations and TLI scores were positively correlated, and Secchi depths negatively correlated, with high-intensity agricultural land cover. Ten-year trend analyses indicated that lakes with increasing Secchi disk depth, chlorophyll a , dissolved reactive phosphorus, E. coli , ammoniacal nitrogen, TLI, total nitrogen, and total suspended solids trends outnumbered those with decreasing trends. Twenty-year trend analyses indicated that the numbers of lakes with increasing and decreasing trends in most of the indicators we assessed were comparable, but lakes with increasing 20-year trends in total nitrogen outnumbered those with decreasing trends, and lakes with decreasing 20-year trends in ammoniacal nitrogen, dissolved reactive phosphorus, total phosphorus, and nitrate nitrogen outnumbered those with increasing trends. This study presents clear data processing steps and trend analysis methods as applied to a nationwide dataset for Aotearoa New Zealand, while acknowledging data limitations. For example, the choice of trend periods is challenging and can greatly affect conclusions. The results of this empirical study and the collective results of preceding studies of lake ecosystem health indicate that eutrophication poses a threat to the ecological health of many if not most lakes in Aotearoa New Zealand. Recommendations include monitoring network expansion especially for the indicators bottom dissolved oxygen and cyanobacteria (toxic and total cyanobacteria biovolumes) and judicious selection of trend periods in lake-specific trend analyses to determine causes for increasing or decreasing trends in environmental indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, 'regenerative tourism' has emerged as a promising alternative to the unsustainable growth paradigm underpinning traditional tourism practices. While this topic is increasingly explored in conceptual terms, what this approach means conceptually and in practice for a range of destination management stakeholders remains unclear. The present study analysed the meanings, conceptualisations and practices associated with regenerative tourism for destination planners in Aotearoa New Zealand. Eighteen interviews were conducted with a diverse range of destination planners at regional and national levels. The findings indicate that regenerative tourism involves improving places, which comprises giving back to communities economically, socially and culturally, and enhancing local environments; as well as fostering a connection with place for both visitors and local residents, and focusing on how tourism can improve quality of life (human and nonhuman) for future generations. Other prominent themes include the holistic and interconnected nature of regenerative tourism practices; and the importance of shifting mindsets and tourism practices from mechanistic and siloed, to those aligned with living systems approaches. Another key finding was destination planners' ambivalence towards the regenerative tourism concept, which ranged from a sense of uncertainty and vagueness about this approach to strong sentiments of resistance. Further studies, particularly those that integrate indigenous worldviews, are needed to consolidate our understanding of regenerative tourism approaches in practice. • Discusses how destination planners in Aotearoa New Zealand conceptualise regenerative tourism. • Regenerative tourism viewed as improvement, not maintenance, of people and places. • Lack of clarity elicits uncertainty and resistance to 'regenerative tourism' for destination planners. • Indigenous worldviews and values should be integrated into regenerative tourism conceptualisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gifts are a powerful way to acknowledge and strengthen interpersonal relationships. As with any relational space, gifting plays various roles in forming and maintaining relationships in political contexts, but its contribution to relationship-building has attracted little attention. This paper examines how politicians in Aotearoa New Zealand both engage with gifting and how they navigate the perceptions of others. Four current members of parliament (MPs) and six retired MPs participated in semi-structured interviews with questions on common practices and common understandings about political gifting. Their responses indicate their use of four different processes: formal processes are the guidelines provided by the government on gifting, but when these are insufficient, contextual processes regarding perceptions of the media, constituents or colleagues are used, or, alternatively, MPs rely on personal values or view gifting in terms of transactional processes with both parties receiving benefits. The paper explores perceptions and complexities of a sequence of gifts during events (event gifting). The authors recommend an improved awareness and understanding of the contribution of gifting practices to political relationship building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Historical cyanobacteria abundance and composition studies in two contrasting lakes. • Picocyanobacteria dominant prior to European settlement (∼1840 CE). • Bloom forming cyanobacteria appeared first in smaller shallower lake. • Bloom forming cyanobacteria now abundant in both lakes. • Nutrients are the most likely cause of the onset and intensification of the blooms. Cyanobacterial blooms are one of the most significant threats to global water security and freshwater biodiversity. Interactions among multiple stressors, including habitat degradation, species invasions, increased nutrient runoff, and climate change, are key drivers. However, assessing the role of anthropogenic activity on the onset of cyanobacterial blooms and exploring response variation amongst lakes of varying size and depth is usually limited by lack of historical records. In the present study we applied molecular, paleolimnological (trace metal, Itrax-µ-XRF and hyperspectral scanning, chronology), paleobotanical (pollen) and historical data to reconstruct cyanobacterial abundance and community composition and anthropogenic impacts in two dune lakes over a period of up to 1200 years. Metabarcoding and droplet digital PCR results showed very low levels of picocyanobacteria present in the lakes prior to about CE 1854 (1839–1870 CE) in the smaller shallow Lake Alice and CE 1970 (1963–1875 CE) in the larger deeper Lake Wiritoa. Hereafter bloom-forming cyanobacteria were detected and increased notably in abundance post CE 1984 (1982–1985 CE) in Lake Alice and CE 1997 (1990–2007 CE) in Lake Wiritoa. Currently, the magnitude of blooms is more pronounced in Lake Wiritoa, potentially attributable to hypoxia-induced release of phosphorus from sediment, introducing an additional source of nutrients. Generalized linear modelling was used to investigate the contribution of nutrients (proxy = bacterial functions), temperature, redox conditions (Mn:Fe), and erosion (Ti:Inc) in driving the abundance of cyanobacteria (ddPCR). In Lake Alice nutrients and erosion had a statistically significant effect, while in Lake Wiritoa nutrients and redox conditions were significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a relationship between animal welfare and farmer wellbeing is reasonably well documented, there is a lack of clarity about the various ways animal diseases affect this relationship and whether common disease (i.e. recurrent or seasonal) or novel outbreaks have different impacts. Facial eczema (FE) is an animal disease that affects ruminants and camelids and can lead to loss of productivity, illness and death of the animal. FE has elements of both common and novel outbreaks and, based on semi-structured interviews with 14 farmers and rural advisors, we have identified three ways FE affects farmers. The first is anticipatory anxiety often talked about by farmers in areas where FE is almost inevitable. Second, helplessness was experienced by farmers who experienced FE as a novel, unexpected outbreak and who lacked resources and skills to mitigate its effects. Third, farmers whose experience with FE was sporadic spoke of mis-managing a preventable disease, leading to guilt and self-doubt. We conclude that because animal welfare and farmer wellbeing are related, addressing both common and novel animal disease is an essential part of agricultural support. Support can also be improved by recognising recurrent and novel outbreaks may have different impacts, each of which may require distinctly different measures. • Animal welfare can affect farmer wellbeing. • Facial eczema (FE) is an animal disease that can lead to loss of productivity, illness, and death of the animal. • Impacts varied but could incluce anticipatory anxiety, helplessness or guilt/self doubt • Recognising common and novel outbreaks have different impacts should inform support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Baseline list of benthic/epiphytic dinoflagellates from Rangitāhua Kermadec Islands and subtropical Aotearoa New Zealand, including results from expeditions in 2021. • Benthic/epiphytic microalgae detected by high throughput sequencing metabarcoding. • PLTX-like compounds analysed with an intact LC-MS/MS method. Temperatures and temperature anomalies have been increasing in the sub-tropical regions of Aotearoa New Zealand and these changes may impact on harmful algal bloom (HAB) events. Benthic and epiphytic dinoflagellates, particularly the toxin producers, are the focus of this study as it is predicted that under future climate conditions they may produce more toxins or marine animals may become more susceptible to them. The results of past expeditions to Rangitāhua Kermadec Islands and sampling trips to Northland, Aotearoa New Zealand, are summarised and the results of the most recent trips to both regions are presented. The macroalgal habitats of the dinoflagellates are also characterised. Dinoflagellate species not previously identified in Rangitāhua include Coolia canariensis, C. palmyrensis, and C. tropicalis, all identified by DNA sequencing of the large subunit ribosomal RNA region. Gambierdiscus polynesiensis was again isolated and produced 44-methylgambierone and gambierone, and one isolate produced ciguatoxins, the cause of Ciguatera Poisoning. An Ostreopsis tairoto isolate, as analysed by the oxidative cleavage method, produced a palytoxin (PLTX)-like amine oxidation fragment, but when analysed for PLTX-like analogues using a new intact method none were detected indicating an 'unknown' PLTX-like compound is produced by this isolate. Isolates of O. cf. siamensis (Ostreopsis sp. 9), collected in Northland, were also analysed using the oxidative cleavage method, with the common PLTX-like amine fragment and the amide fragment corresponding to bishomoPLTX detected in all isolates. Again, the intact method indicated no detections in the isolates, again suggesting an unknown compound was being produced by these isolates. Prorocentrum hoffmannianum isolates produced okadaic acid (OA) and isoDTX-1 and P. lima isolates produced OA, DTX-1, and isoDTX-1. It is expected that new species of potentially harmful, benthic dinoflagellates will continue to be recorded in Aotearoa New Zealand and the results from Rangitāhua provide a guide to the HAB species to expect in sub-tropical Northland as the oceans continue to warm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consistent with discussions about public art and creative place-making in processes of rural settlement regeneration, this paper reports an enquiry into the recent appearance of large outdoor murals in several rural towns in the South and Mid Canterbury regions of Te Waipounamu the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. The enquiry is part of a larger study of rural settlement regeneration in which a variety of social, cultural, environmental, and economic revitalisation initiatives designed by local people are being interpreted. With that focus, our purpose in this paper is to describe and interpret the form and content of the murals under study and the ways they are used to distinguish places and their residents. Reflecting on the existing literature, which emphasises public art as a marker of place identity that is influenced by processes of commodification, we interpret the rural mural phenomenon as a key interlinked cultural and economic element in rural regeneration. Adding a policy dimension, we also examine the possibility of linking murals into wider networks of public art across Te Waipounamu the South Island. • Public art is an element of creative place-making in rural areas internationally. • Creative place-making has strong links to rural cultural and economic regeneration. • Outdoor murals are an example of a flourishing form of rural public art. • Murals emphasise place identity using elements of natural and cultural heritage. • Murals differentiate rural places from others and can attract tourists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the factors that contribute to the replication or reduction of automobility amongst young adults. Semi-structured interviews conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, with 51 drivers and non-drivers, aged 18–35 years old, form the empirical material. The findings build upon previous research and extend understandings of how seven explanatory factors; perceptual, value and preference, social, built environment, economic, legal/policy and technological, work both to continue the current automobility paradigm, and to challenge it by adopting alternative mobilities. We use the Energy Cultures Framework as an analytical tool to explore the ways through which materialites, norms, practices, and external context can replicate or reduce participation in the hegemonic mobility paradigm. This approach offers useful insights into the interactions between what the research participants think, have and do, and how this is resulting in a reduction in automobility norms amongst some younger people. It also identifies and highlights potential opportunities to leverage upon current change trends to assist a systemic transition away from automobility towards a culture of multi-mobilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse the impact of land loss, through colonisation, on contemporary cultural wellbeing and health outcomes of Māori, the Indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand. In 1840, Māori legally owned all land in the country; by 2017, Māori owned just 5% of land. Ties to the land (whenua) have been identified as being critical to spirituality (wairua) and health (hauora). All tribes (iwi) experienced major land loss, but the timing, extent and nature of land loss differed across iwi. In some cases, land was confiscated following the New Zealand wars of the nineteenth century. We draw on recently derived data for historical landholdings of 70 (North Island) iwi to link the extent of historical landholdings, and whether land was confiscated, to contemporary outcomes for five cultural wellbeing and health outcomes for each iwi: te reo Māori (Māori language) proficiency, importance of involvement in Māori culture, visiting an ancestral marae (meeting place), difficulty in finding support for Māori cultural practices, and rates of regular smoking. We find that higher land retention within an iwi's rohe at the end of the nineteenth century is supportive of contemporary cultural wellbeing outcomes, while confiscation is linked to higher contemporary rates of smoking. The evidence is consistent with historical trauma having significant effects on the cultural wellbeing and health outcomes of Aotearoa New Zealand's Indigenous population over a century later. • Māori, the indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand, own just 5% of the land. • Ties to the land underpin Māori spirituality and health. • Tribes (iwi) experienced different degrees and types of land loss via colonisation. • Current cultural wellbeing and health outcomes reflect iwi land loss experience. • This evidence is consistent with historic trauma influencing contemporary outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood reconstruction is essential for establishing magnitude-frequency relationships and assessments of contemporary geohazards and risks. Traditionally, flood reconstructions rely upon the analysis of evidence acquired from a single discipline. This lack of integration limits the insights into a flood's source, pathway, and receptors (i.e. impacts). Here, our aim is to test the integration of qualitative historical documentary material with quantitative geomorphological and sedimentological evidence to reconstruct glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in 1913 at Kea Point, Mount Cook National Park, Aotearoa New Zealand. Written documentary records show that, following heavy rainfall, GLOF events occurred in January and March, after the temporary impoundment of water between the glacier surface and lateral moraine. Peak flood discharge was estimated from slope-area and exposed boulder measurements as 316–1077 m3s−1 and 496–1622 m3s−1 respectively. Sedimentological information, combined with geomorphic mapping, a DEM derived from Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry, and satellite imagery was used to describe the overall physical impact of the GLOF. Information from written documentary records, however, enabled a more detailed reconstruction of the timeline of the two floods and their impacts proximate to the original 'Hermitage Hotel', which was subsequently relocated. Our integrated approach exemplifies the informative level of multi-faceted detail that can be retrieved for historical flood events. We propose a framework for future studies that seek to reconstruct flood events and their source, pathway and receptors through combining evidence from historical documents/artefacts, sedimentological/geomorphological data, and integration with environmental monitoring/modelling outputs. [Display omitted] • Glacial lake outburst floods occurred in January and March 1913. • Floods eroded lateral moraines and roads to the original Hermitage Hotel. • Written documentary records provide detail on flood source, pathway & receptors. • Integrated approach enables cross-validation of insight from individual resources. • A generic reconstruction framework shows the utility of different resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing health inequities among the increasingly diverse population in Aotearoa New Zealand have prompted responses in the healthcare system. Diversity-related policies and programmes have been developed in some District Health Boards (DHB) to address the issues. The translation of such policy into practice is, however, convoluted by subjective interests and power differentials and thus the outcomes of policies may deviate from their original objectives. In this paper we examine how staff in one DHB translate and implement health equity and diversity initiatives in their everyday practices in hospital settings. In high-level institutional thinking, Māori health equity policy is dictated by the Treaty of Waitangi which sets it apart from the cultural competence focus of programmes for other ethnic groups. Drawing on interviews with clinical staff in the DHB, we reveal how intersecting subject positions, including personal histories and institutional roles, influence the interpretation and enactment of these policies and programmes in ways that blur their distinct agendas. As a result, the paper demonstrates how the politics that underpin agendas that distinctly address equity and diversity, as well as the potential for change in these areas, can be compromised in everyday practice on the hospital floor. • Health equity policy programmes distinct for Māori and culturally diverse groups. • Distinct agendas are blurred as clinical staff translate them into practice. • Intersection of personal subjectivities and positionalities influence translations. • Blurring of agendas in everyday practice compromise potential for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responding to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Climate commitments are urgent priorities facing many governments. Meeting these commitments will require new industry management architectures that align measures of progress (economic, environmental, human and social) with government structures, datasets, and reporting. Comprehensive emissions quantification and reduction targets for tourism must be a part of this new architecture. In this paper we propose a comprehensive Tourism Carbon Information System (TCIS), comprising four essential information components: national tourism carbon footprint, the carbon-economic linkage, drivers and decarbonization progress, and benchmarking. The TCIS is then tested and applied to Aotearoa New Zealand (2007–2013) to track tourism carbon performance and its decarbonization speed, compared to the national average across sectors. This critical information sheds light on future growth in tourism relative to the national greenhouse gas inventory and establishes the required mitigation trajectory for destinations to move onto a sustainable emissions pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal nations and islands have featured a participatory turn this century directed to resolving conflicts in multi-use/user marine spaces. Yet, few conceptual and empirical studies focus on participation as an institutional form to engage with the pressures of diverse and contesting uses and user interests in marine environments. These spaces are volatile arenas of power and politics, challenging available regulatory, governance and managerial models. The paper first reviews understandings of the nature of the relational field of diversity-contestation-participation in the international literature and second draws on empirical findings from five case studies of marine participatory process configurations in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand. The nation is a unique ecological, political, social, cultural and economic setting. Maori (the indigenous people) have developed holistic intergenerational resource nurturing principles and practices (Vision Matauranga (VM)) that are actively shaping marine futures. This momentum has markedly altered the nature and terms of engagement of participation in Aotearoa New Zealand's shallow marine regulatory context. The country is thus an ideal setting to examine the rise of quasi-independent Participatory initiatives, contextualise and examine their diversity, contestation, participation interactions, confront relational and co-production aspects of agency that are an integral part of real-time participatory processes, and to reflect on van Kerkhoff and Lebel's (2015) contention that different possible futures hang on people asking new questions and being brave enough to experiment with process, collaboration, and their own conceptualisations and knowledges'. • Explores the contention that diversity initiatives enable new questions to be asked. • Conceptualises multi-use/user marine spaces as an object of study. • Discusses the researchers' commitment to Treaty Partnership research and outlines the generative influences of Vision Matauranga on participation thinking. • Reports on pioneering research into diversity initiatives in Participatory Processes. • Reflects on the power and politics of implementation prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]