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We examined the abundance, nesting ecology, and colony survival of two invasive species of paper wasp, Polistes dominula Christ (Hymenoptera:Vespidae) and Polistes chinensis Pérez (Hymenoptera:Vespidae), within their invaded range in New Zealand. The more recent invader, P. dominula, exhibited a strong habitat preference, reaching the highest abundances within suburban areas with an average of 87.4 wasps per 1,000 m2. Coastal habitats were also found to be suitable environments for P. dominula, although wasp abundance in these areas was comparatively lower than suburban sites at 26.5 wasps per 1,000 m2. Although P. chinensis were observed to build more nests in coastal habitats, this was not reflected in the abundance of adult wasps in these areas. Nests of P. dominula were larger and more productive, likely a result of the multiple founding and earlier emergence of workers compared to P. chinensis. Both species exhibited significant differences in nest survival, with P. dominula observed to have a higher colony survival rate, particularly in suburban habitats where this species utilized man-made substrates as nesting sites. Neither species nested within forest sites and translocated nests of P. dominula failed to thrive within forest habitats. Findings of this research suggest that P. dominula will not pose a threat to species inhabiting forested areas. Instead, biodiversity managers should focus their efforts on suburban and coastal environments as native species in these areas will require the greatest protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a gap in research regarding the design of the main elevations of the Gordon Wilson Memorial Flats (GWF). The GWF is the only surviving post-war example of high-rise multi-unit state housing in New Zealand. Its identification as a heritage building has been controversial, but this status was recently confirmed in New Zealand's Environment Court. This paper examines the GWF elevations in the context of the building's precedent, the London County Council-designed Alton West housing blocks. It concludes that the GWF façade designs are compellingly New Brutalist because they directly express conditions of living, including the structure, construction, and maisonette planning of the building, while negotiating the aesthetic dilemmas of mid-twentieth century flat block design, positioning the building as an important development in modernist residential high-rise blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the author's views on the International Association of Refugee Law Judges' (IARLJ) Advanced Refugee Law Workshop held in New Zealand in late 2002. The author believes that the workshops paved the way for deepening the learning process for judges and academics. One of the insights cited by the author is the governance of the development of case law by a principle of convergence. The author also cites the four background papers presented during the workshop which he describes as stimulating and deserve publication. He presents critical examinations of the papers discussed in the workshops.

Stable, healthy families are the loto or heart of strong Pacific communities. This paper addresses the problem of a decline in the strength of Pacific families. It introduces and discusses the Tongan concept of O'ofaki , as the way in which shared, core relational commitments can bring Pasifika peoples together to support one another for health and community development. This process is based on a reciprocal sharing of social capital to promote cultural solidarity and social justice. We describe two studies by the lead author, through which the concept of O'ofaki emerged. The first study utilized an action research model while the second study focused on two Pasifika-centric research approaches: talanga , which is a Tongan word for interactive talking for a purpose, and the kakala (Tongan garland) research approach. The latter approach is incorporated within a general inductive methodology as well as luva— the dissemination of the results. Finally, the paper focuses on the components of O'ofaki and its application to Pasifika communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As well as serving as a critic and conscience for societies, universities are elite sites of privilege which, at a surface level, are unlikely locations for health promotion interventions. This paper provides a critical review of the existing health promoting universities (HPU) approaches which is informed by health promotion values. It explores the silence in the global literature around issues of structural discrimination such as the sexism, homophobia and institutional racism that can thrive within university settings. The existing literature also reveals a very limited engagement about positive mental health or indigeneity. In response, this paper brings together these three factors—structural discrimination, mental health, and indigeneity—all of which the authors consider are criterial to health and its promotion. The authors introduce the New Zealand university landscape, in which there are eight Western universities and three whare wānanga (Māori universities), and, drawing on a survey of their Charters and other official statements, offer a moemoeā (vision or dream) of an HPU that addresses structural discrimination, is based on holistic conceptions of health, and is centred on indigenous worldviews and concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the experiences of middle class Indian migrants to New Zealand. Using qualitative data from interviews with this under-researched group the paper analyses their migratory strategies, labour market experiences and reasons for choosing New Zealand over other potential destinations. In the New Zealand labour market they experience an under valuation of their Indian qualifications, and interviewees reported taking low level service employment, and only sometimes progressing to middle class forms of employment. In addition, data from the interviews suggests that there is evidence of a 'brain drain' from India to New Zealand rather than a circulation of talent that has been the focus of recent theories. Unlike other studies of migration of highly qualified Indian labour this study finds that they are attracted by the environment and family friendly lifestyle of New Zealand as marketed by the New Zealand government to potential immigrants. Contrary to many previous studies, the findings suggest that migration is a family rather than an individual strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the software engineering community, deciding how to collect, store and use personal data has become about more than just understanding our users. This paper considers ethical data use that includes cultural considerations and data ownership rights. We discuss indigenous data sovereignty as a concept and how it potentially impacts technological solutions that gather personal data from users. We propose an extension to typical user-centred design processes, which we call participatory data design. This incorporates the use of frameworks and tools that specifically focus on managing data within the cultural context it is gathered from. We also present a specific example of how we have used this approach in the context of a data collection project from Māori workers in New Zealand forestry. We conclude with a discussion of the wider implications of this approach. [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]

To the best of our knowledge, this paper reports the first set of nationally representative results on the importance of 'absorptive capacity' (generally defined as a firm's ability to internalise external knowledge) for firms. Using data principally from the Business Operations Survey 2005–15, we measure absorptive capacity in New Zealand (NZ) firms across a 10-year period and investigate if it remains stable in the long term. This is followed by considering how firms' characteristics vary across levels of absorptive capacity and most importantly whether such capacity determines firms' productivity performance across the primary, manufacturing and service sectors. Our results show that relative to other influences, absorptive capacity as measured here—net of the impact of, for example, foreign-ownership and human capital—has a substantial influence on exporting, innovation and undertaking R&D, and thus consequently firm-level productivity. Set against relatively poor productivity performance, the paper concludes with a discussion of how government should consider helping firms to boost their levels of absorptive capacity in NZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing data from a representative population survey conducted in New Zealand in 2016, this paper examines factors that influence, or are at least associated with, public trust in the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). The large number of specifically designed questions allows the study of the relationship between six groups of variables and RBNZ trust: (i) economic situation, (ii) monetary policy knowledge, (iii) non-specific trust, (iv) interest and information search, (v) politicians and government, and (vi) socio-demographic indicators. Using ordered logit models, we find that respondents who put more trust in RBNZ are financially satisfied, have more objective and subjective knowledge about the RBNZ, have higher trust in government institutions, are interested in the RBNZ, are older, and are self-employed. The reverse impact is found for those who do not acquire information about the RBNZ and believe that politicians foster the long-term well-being of their country. Institutional trust has the greatest economic impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sample designs are typically developed to estimate summary statistics such as means, proportions and prevalences. Analytical outputs may also be a priority but there are fewer methods and results on how to efficiently design samples for the fitting and estimation of statistical models. This paper develops a general approach for determining efficient sampling designs for probability‐weighted maximum likelihood estimators and considers application to generalized linear models. We allow for non‐ignorable sampling, including outcome‐dependent sampling. The new designs have probabilities of selection closely related to influence statistics such as dfbeta and Cook's distance. The new approach is shown to perform well in a simulation based on data from the New Zealand Health Survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the importance of understanding and incorporating cultural context within Aotearoa/New Zealand when engaging in clinical research and practice. This paper reports on the qualitative findings of a mixed methods study aimed at determining what effect a cardiac risk reduction exercise and lifestyle management programme, embedded within a kaupapa Māori methodological approach, had on Māori participants. This methodology saw participants able to redevelop a western model cardiac risk reduction programme by introducing a Māori worldview. Our study revealed how the kaupapa Māori approach empowered participants to examine and evaluate not only their own health and lifestyle choices, but those of family and the wider community. Combining biomedical and kaupapa Māori components into the programme was found to benefit participants' mental, physical, spiritual and family well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, social workers across the world responded to the global COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent strict lockdown procedures over several months. In many countries, including Australia and New Zealand, this virtual shutdown period necessitated a reframing of social work practice to incorporate factors including delivery of services via virtual means and more limited access for vulnerable clients. This article draws on the integration of two methods designed to address the research question: 'How has social work practice in Australia and New Zealand been affected by COVID-19?' These include (i) a narrative review of papers published during 2020 on social work practice and the COVID-19 pandemic and (ii) an online survey, undertaken from October to December 2020, of Australian and New Zealand social workers. The questionnaire data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and thematic analysis. The findings of this article details include the significant impacts of COVID-19 on practice, the increased needs of clients, including a rise in health issues, violence, homelessness and financial concerns, and the resulting critical changes to social work workloads. Social workers also reported greater use of technologies to deliver services and fears for their families and themselves if exposed to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public health problems are often complex and 'wicked' in nature. Wicked problems have multi-factorial causation, are dynamic and often understood and acted upon differently by different actors. Multi-sectoral collaboration is increasingly emphasized for tackling wicked problems through developing a strategic multi-sectoral plan and then taking collective action. Critical systems thinking can support the development of a shared perspective of the problem, strengthen participation in collective action and foster reflective practices to continuously improve both problem understanding and action. In this paper, we present a critical collaboration model, drawing together two complementary theoretical frameworks, as well as insights from three case studies from New Zealand, to offer a systematic approach to adopting a critical systems perspective in public health collaboration. The model provides six questions to make explicit individuals' understandings or assumptions about how others perceive an issue, problem or evidence, and the process of identifying answers strengthens the dialogical and reflective aspects of the collaboration. We indicate some potential areas for the application of the model to integrate critical systems thinking in collaborative practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes how the risk of experiencing heart attacks varies across gender and ethnicity in New Zealand. We estimate dynamic hazard models using administrative data. We deal with left‐censored data using recently developed maximum simulated likelihood methods. The models allow risk to vary with age, previous heart attack history and unobserved individual heterogeneity. We find that the risk of subsequent events is far higher than the risk of the first event, particularly high within 1 year after an event, and that unobserved heterogeneity is important. Generally, male Maoris have the highest risk, followed by female Maoris, then ethnically European males, while ethnically European females have the lowest risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

British forestry is threatened by numerous pests and diseases. This study investigated the potential for re-introduction of aerial pesticide applications for landscape-scale disease management. In North Scotland in 2013 and 2015, copper oxychloride was applied to Pinus sylvestris L. stands infected with Dothistroma septosporum (Dorogin) Morelet. Helicopters distributed ultra-low-volume (ULV) applications of product via Micronair rotary atomisers, following methods used against D. septosporum in P. radiata D. Don stands in New Zealand. Product deposition was quantified on paper catchers and in foliage, soil and water. Catchers 100 m beyond the plot boundaries intercepted 0.5 per cent of within-plot mean deposition. Foliar analysis revealed slightly elevated copper concentrations (+0.07 μg g−1 dw) 250 m outside plot boundaries. Copper in foliage and needle litter remained above background levels for 109 and 157 weeks after application, respectively, longer than recorded during New Zealand operations. Concentrations in the soil increased over 3 years' monitoring, whilst deposition into water traps resulted in copper concentrations well within limits set by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. No deleterious impacts on vascular and non-vascular ground and canopy flora were recorded. Copper fungicide applications significantly reduced foliar infection at both sites but did not affect needle retention. Further ground-based trials will investigate the efficacy of other actives. In Britain, such aerial operations have not occurred for two decades: this study demonstrated aerial and ground teams have the necessary expertise for their re-introduction, whilst highlighting areas needing further optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robots are increasingly appearing as a potential answer to the 'care crisis' facing a number of countries. Although it is anticipated that many positives will flow from the application of these technologies, they are also likely to generate unexpected consequences and risks. This paper explores the use of robots within disability and aged care settings in the Australian and New Zealand contexts. Informed by thirty-five semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders, the paper explores why this area is so difficult to govern examining areas identified as generating tensions around the use of robots in care settings. In each of these areas some respondents saw the introduction of robots to be relatively straightforward applications that do not require extensive structures of governance. Others, however, viewed these applications as having potentially greater implications and the need to govern for these over the longer term. The three areas of tension that we explore in this paper relate to independence and surveillance, the re-shaping of human interaction and who can care. These tensions illustrate some of the problems involved in governing robots in a care service context and some of the potentially difficult issues that governments will need to resolve if these technologies are to be effective. We conclude the paper arguing what is needed is a responsive regulation approach to help resolve some of the complexities and tensions in overseeing these technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider estimation of dynamic models of recurrent events (event histories) in continuous time using censored data. We develop maximum simulated likelihood estimators where missing data are integrated out using Monte Carlo and importance sampling methods. We allow for random effects and integrate out this unobserved heterogeneity using a quadrature rule. In Monte Carlo experiments, we find that maximum simulated likelihood estimation is practically feasible and performs better than both listwise deletion and auxiliary modelling of initial conditions. In an empirical application, we study ischaemic heart disease events for male Maoris in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wu, Howlett, and Ramesh's understanding of policy capacity has been used to identify generalizable strengths and weaknesses of specific jurisdictions and policy sectors such as health. In an extension of this work, Howlett and Ramesh have argued that the mode of governance of a policy sector accentuates the importance of specific elements of policy capacity. In this paper we focus on the implementation of the System Level Measures Framework (SLMF) in New Zealand that has been specifically focused on health systems improvement and which aimed to do so by fostering network governance at the local level. However, this policy is introduced in a context in which there has been significant contestation regarding which mode of governance--network or hierarchy--is dominant in New Zealand health policy. By exploring three divergent local cases of implementation of the SLMF we develop three arguments that contribute to the literature on policy capacity and health. Firstly, local histories of interorganizational play a crucial role in shaping health policy capacity. Secondly, it is crucially important to understand the dynamics and feedback loops between operational, political, and analytical policy capacity. Network and hierarchical governance are characterized by distinct and contrasting understandings of the content of policy capacity elements and of the way in which they are dynamically related. Thirdly, the key challenge in developing policy capacity compatible with network governance is how to facilitate this capacity when connections between operational, political, and analytical policy capacity fail to fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tobacco control (TC) research capacity and productivity are critical for developing evidence-informed interventions that will reduce the harmful effects of smoking. The aim of this paper was to investigate New Zealand's (NZ) TC research capacity along with the quantity and quality of publications, following two government initiatives aimed, in part, at improving the quantity and quality of NZ TC research. Method: Scopus was searched for articles with at least one NZ author and where the topic was of primary relevance to TC. Publications were organized into two time periods, following the government initiatives, 1993–2003 and 2004–2009. We analyzed the number of publications, publication journals, type of publications, impact (using the impact factor), and authorship. Results: There has been an increase in number and impact of publications and number of authors. The number of publications has increased from an average of 14 (1994–2003) to 38 per year (2004–2009). The number of journals published increased from 64 to 86. The impact during 2004–2009 was almost threefold than in 1993–2003. The number of authors increased from 212 to 345, and the number of authors who had at least one first-authored publication increased from 80 to 124. Conclusions: These results show an encouraging trend in NZ TC research, with an increase in research productivity, quality, and in research capacity. It is possible that government-initiated and -funded infrastructural support contributed to increasing needed TC research, which supports the worth of such initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer trust in the modern food system is essential given its complexity. Contexts vary across countries with regard to food incidents, regulation and systems. It is therefore of interest to compare how key actors in different countries might approach (re)building consumer trust in the food system; and particularly relevant to understanding how food systems in different regions might learn from one another. The purpose of this paper is to explore differences between strategies for (re)building trust in food systems, as identified in two separate empirical studies, one conducted in Australia, New Zealand and the UK (Study 1) and another on the Island of Ireland (Study 2). Interviews were conducted with media, food industry and food regulatory actors across the two studies (n  = 105 Study 1; n  = 50 Study 2). Data were coded into strategy statements, strategies describing actions to (re)build consumer trust. Strategy statements were compared between Studies 1 and 2 and similarities and differences were noted. The strategy statements identified in Study 1 to (re)build consumer trust in the food system were shown to be applicable in Study 2, however, there were notable differences in the contextual factors that shaped the means by which strategies were implemented. As such, the transfer of such approaches across regions is not an appropriate means to addressing breaches in consumer trust. Notwithstanding, our data suggest that there is still capacity to learn between countries when considering strategies for (re)building trust in the food system but caution must be exercised in the transfer of approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a conceptual framework in music therapy with adults with severe and profound levels of intellectual disability. Drawing from Carl Rogers' person-centered work and his notion of the good life as a direction, the author presents four core relational experiences (curiosity, invitation, celebration, and recognition) that underpin the therapeutic process with this client population. Case vignettes from the author's clinical work illustrate how core experiences are presented through improvisational musical experiences. Considerations are given to the clinical significance of good-life-oriented experiences on the emotional health of individuals with severe and profound intellectual disability, and to its implications beyond the music therapy space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In traditional tight integration of high-rate GNSS and strong motion sensors, an appropriate process variance is crucial for obtaining accurate broad-band coseismic deformations. In this paper, instead of using a subjectively empirical value, we present an approach for determining the process variance adaptively based on the adaptive Kalman filter for real-time use. The performance of the approach was validated by the colocated stations collected during the 2010 M w 7.2 earthquake in El-Mayor, 2016 M w 7.8 earthquake in New Zealand and 2016 M w 6.5 earthquake in central Italy. The results show that this method complements the advantages of GNSS and strong motion accelerometers and can provide more accurate coseismic waveforms especially during the strong shaking period, due to the ability of the method to adjust the process variance in real time according to the actual status of the station. In addition, this method is also free from the influence of the baseline shift. Testing of the new method for the integration of strong motion and multi-GNSS indicates that multi-GNSS has an obvious improvement in the precision while single GPS has a poor observation condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Treaty of Waitangi is widely recognized as the founding document of New Zealand. While the Treaty has constitutional and legal status, its meaning and application in contemporary New Zealand society is the source of great debate. This paper unmasks the increasingly dominant and problem-saturated narrative of Treaty Fatigue circulating in public discourses in New Zealand and proposes an alternate inspiring narrative of Treaty Hope. In so doing, the paper examines the application and relevance of narrative ideas and practices in forging a preference for Treaty Hope and in fostering Treaty-based policies and practices in the work of government, and considers how community development practitioners in post-colonial settings may engage with New Zealand's experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a paper which adopts a knowledge systems framework incorporating networking dimensions to explore problems of supply-chain reorganization. How this framework is being applied in New Zealand agri-industries.

While the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were inclusive in their design, the reliance on official measurement infrastructures has upheld narrow definitions of both the terms of sustainability and development. Indigenous and non-Indigenous "governance beyond the state" approaches call these definitions into question. They highlight that disaggregated official data are unable to fully reflect alternative grounds and aspirations of living sustainably with the environment and non-human world. Relational Indigenous epistemologies and practices contribute to alternative epistemic infrastructures. In this paper, three examples from the Andean-Pacific region provide an alternative lens through which to reconceptualize and remake the SDG landscape. Together this suite of cases highlights the importance of bottom-up articulation processes, knowledge inclusion, and alternative epistemic harmonization for operationalizing the SDGs. In particular, we highlight the urgent need to renegotiate the relationship between Indigenous communities and the global measurement infrastructure in order to pursue and realize sustainability globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Physical inactivity rates have remained high worldwide since 2001. Public policies are an essential upstream lever to target individual physical activity (PA) behaviour. However, implementers have different strategies and face implementation challenges that are poorly understood. The present study analyzes the implementation processes of public policies to promote PA in terms of: (i) the policies covered and their legal quality, (ii) the actors and stakeholders involved in the implementation process and (iii) the used implementation strategies (vertical, horizontal or a mix). Methods A scoping review was systematically conducted (registered Open Science Framework: osf.io/7w84q/), searching 10 databases and grey literature until March 2022. Of the 7741 titles and abstracts identified initially, 10 studies were included. Results The current evidence includes high-income countries (USA, n  = 7; UK, New Zealand and Oman, n  = 1 each). Policy areas covered are education (school sector) and PA promotion in general (national PA plans or city-wide approaches). The legal classification ranges from laws (school sector) to coordination and budgeting to non-legally binding recommendations. The jurisdictions covered were federal (n  = 4), state (n  = 1), county (n  = 1), school district (n  = 1) and city (n  = 3). Implementation strategies for city-wide approaches are characterized by a coordinated approach with vertical and horizontal integration; federal PA policies by a mix of implementation strategies; and the school sector by a strict horizontal top-down integration without the involvement of other actors. Conclusion Implementation strategies differ by policy field. Therefore, continuous evaluation of the implementation process is necessary to align policy implementation with policy goals to promote individual PA behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of belonging in post-disaster environments remains an under-theorised concept, particularly regarding refugee populations. This paper presents a qualitative study with 101 refugee-background participants from varying communities living in Christchurch, New Zealand, about their perspectives and responses to the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-11. Participants spoke of how a sense of belonging as individuals and as a wider community was important in the recovery effort, and highlighted the multiple ways in which they understood this concept. Their comments demonstrate how belonging can have contextual, chronological and gendered dimensions that can help inform effective and resonant disaster responses with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. This analysis also illustrates how the participants' perspectives of belonging shifted over time, and discusses the corresponding role of social work in supporting post-disaster recovery through the concepts of civic, ethno and ethnic-based belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focus of Presentation Cohort study recruitment can be complex, often requiring extensive pre-screening to recruit sufficient numbers of exposed and unexposed participants. We discuss a prospective study of the impact of racism on adult health in New Zealand (NZ), with emphasis on propensity-score based sampling and recruitment methods accessing participants from a national survey (NZ Health Survey 2017/18, n = 12,530 eligible adults). Discussion will cover sampling design, response rate, and confounder balance in the final sample. Key empirical results will be summarised. Findings The NZHS provided a sampling frame with complete baseline exposure and covariate data, giving n = 2,099 exposed individuals (reported racial discrimination on NZHS). A propensity-score model (stratified by ethnicity) allowed invitation of unexposed individuals balanced on key sociodemographic confounders. Recruitment used postal invitations with telephone follow-up: individuals could respond by paper survey, online questionnaire or telephone interview. Response rate was 54%, with comparable rates in exposed/unexposed individuals, with key sociodemographic factors well-balanced by exposure status. Conclusions/Implications Racism is an important determinant of health inequity, with limited prospective research in New Zealand. Our approach enabled appropriate recruitment from a sampling frame with baseline exposure status (NZHS), including allowance for exposure variability by ethnicity. Propensity-score matching on baseline covariates allowed for balance on key confounders at invitation, with balance maintained in the final sample. Key messages Secondary sampling from large national surveys can provide efficient recruitment for prospective studies. We achieved a highly satisfactory response rate, and propensity-score based sampling substantially balanced confounders between exposed and unexposed groups, enhancing study validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuropsychological tests are routinely used to assess Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, yet very few investigations of the psychometric properties of these tests with this population have been conducted. This paper focuses on factors that may impact performance of Māori adults on neuropsychological testing. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) was administered to a sample of 284 Māori stratified for age (between 16 years and 90 years) and gender in order to establish a Māori normative data set. The sample who primarily spoke English as their first language were recruited from a range of urban, regional and rural areas in New Zealand to obtain representation of the main Māori Iwi (tribes). Analysis of test results suggests acculturation, education, income, and, "a culturally positive experience" may have accounted for some of the variance in test performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding tree stability under self-weight and applied loads from wind and snow is important when developing management strategies to reduce the risk of damage from these abiotic agents. In this paper, linear buckling analysis was conducted using the finite element method to identify the instability modes of a tree structure under a specified set of loads. A non-prismatic elastic circular column of height H was analysed, taking self-weight into account. Various scenarios were considered: column taper, base rigidity, radial and longitudinal stiffness, ellipticity and crown weight. The effect on the critical buckling height was assessed in each case. Validation against closed form solutions of benchmark problems was conducted satisfactorily. The results indicate that column taper, base rigidity and the stiffness/density ratio are particularly important for this problem. Further comparison was made using data from a 15-year old Pinus radiata stand in New Zealand, which contained both buckled and non-buckled trees. While the model predicted factors of safety against buckling that were close to unity, it was unable to differentiate between buckled and non-buckled trees. Further investigation is needed to examine the reasons why this occurred. Despite this, the current study provides an in-depth numerical investigation, which has aided our understanding of the effects that material properties, geometric properties and boundary conditions have on buckling phenomenon in trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable cameras have been used to study health behaviours, but their utility in assessing third-party behaviours and the built environment is uncertain. This paper reports on the feasibility of using wearable cameras for this purpose in a study of sun-protective behaviours and shade availability during school lunch-breaks. The Kids'Cam study provided 168 children (aged 11–13 years), recruited from 16 randomly selected schools in the Wellington region of New Zealand, with wearable cameras. The devices automatically captured images every 7 s from the child's perspective. Images captured during school lunch-breaks by a random sample of 15 children who took part during terms 4 and 1 (October 2014–April 2015) were selected and assessed for usability. The feasibility of studying third-party sun-protective behaviours and school shade availability was assessed for a subset of 320 images. Of the 3492 eligible lunch-break images, 96.4% were useable; the remainders were excluded due to obstruction, blurriness or unsuitable camera position. Overall, 1278 children and 108 shade structures were observed in the sample images. The use of shade, hats, sleeves, collars and sunglasses could be determined for 97.0%, 77.2%, 74.4%, 47.6% and 54.9% of children, respectively. All shade structures could be classified according to type, and canopy composition could be assessed for 95.4% of structures. Wearable cameras are a feasible tool for assessing sun-safety, particularly shade availability, hat wearing and shade use. This methodology could be used to objectively study other third-party health-related behaviours, and other features of the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rangatahi Tū Rangatira (R2R) is a national health promotion programme in Aotearoa New Zealand which aims to promote cultural and physical wellbeing for rangatahi (young people) and their whānau (family). Grounded in tikanga Māori, the programme focuses on total wellbeing, leadership and cultural awareness providing rangatahi opportunities to increase their participation in physical activity and cultural knowledge through ngā taonga tākaro (Māori ancestral games). This paper focuses on an evaluation of this innovative health promotion programme focussing on the delivery of R2R by a local iwi provider in a rural area. Kanohi ki te kanohi (face-to-face) interviews and focus groups were used to collect data from a range of stakeholders including rangatahi, whānau, programme developers, and collaborating community organizations. A whānau ora (holistic) framework incorporating five core outcomes and key indicators specific to the programme was developed to assess the impact of delivery. Results demonstrated that rangatahi and their whānau were living healthier lifestyles through being more physically active; had gained an increased desire to succeed in their education and extra curriculum activities; and felt more connected to their community and te ao Māori. This demonstrates the importance of incorporating cultural elements to support improved lifestyle changes for rangatahi and their whānau and the connection between enhanced cultural identity and good health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-emptive kidney transplantation is the recommended strategy for patients with end-stage renal failure in all guidelines [Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO), The Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplantation Registry (ANZDATA), European Renal Best Practice Guideline (ERBP), British Transplant Society (BTS)]. This recommendation is intuitive and based on few older studies with considerable limitations. In addition, there is conflicting evidence as to whether the duration of dialysis vintage impacts on graft and patient survival after transplantation. The objective of this structured review was to critically review the published evidence on dialysis vintage and outcomes by including the most recent papers on that topic. We searched Medline using keywords for kidney transplantation, pre-emptive, dialysis vintage and relevant outcomes, and found 14 eligible cohort studies. The best evidence was found for pre-emptive transplantation, which was found to be associated with a lower risk of actual graft loss (including death as event) compared with non-pre-emptive transplantation. When only patients were considered that have been registered pre-emptively but then received or did not receive a pre-emptive transplant, the association with functional graft survival (excluding death as event) was only marginal. Dialysis vintage had a graded association with patient survival in most of the studies, but an unclear estimate with functional graft survival. Older studies also found an association of dialysis vintage with death-censored graft survival, but this association is likely confounded by selection and the competing risk of death and was no longer observed in recent eras, i.e. in transplants performed in the last decade. In summary, the recommendation for pre-emptive kidney transplantation for optimal patient and graft survival remains valid even in recent periods but the association of dialysis vintage after dialysis initiation with death-censored graft survival is less clear. The association of dialysis vintage with mortality after transplantation depends on the median duration of dialysis of the wait-listed population as well as acceptance rates for transplantation, and may thus be country specific. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to advocate pre-emptive kidney transplantation in all age groups. What remains unsolved is the selection issues since the reasons for longer waiting time on dialysis are difficult to capture in retrospective observational studies, and lead time as well as immortal time bias may have confounded the mortality data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst social services have traditionally operated from a humanist informed practice perspective, social service interventions are increasingly including non-human animals as a key part of rehabilitation, therapy and assistance activities. While there is extensive literature documenting the human–animal bond and the benefit to social service clients of such animal-assisted interventions, there is an increasing call in the literature for the development of an ethical framework to guide such activities. At present, there are fragmented and ad-hoc ethical guidelines that consider the welfare of the service and assistance animals. This lack of an ethical code/s of conduct for practitioners working with non-human animals can lead to the possibility of harm occurring to service and assistance animals in social service activities. This paper reports on interviews with practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand who use non-human animals to assist them in their practice to contribute to a discussion to develop a more informed framework for ethical conduct with service and assistance animals that considers the realities of practitioners situations as well as the needs of non-human animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research identified that a review of the current industry New Zealand lamb survival trait was necessary as its recording accuracy was reliant on farmers notifying their Sheep Improvement Limited bureau of lamb deaths. This paper reports the decision rules and genetic parameters for a new lamb survival trait for the New Zealand sheep industry. These rules define the new lamb survival trait (NEWSUR) using lamb birth fate (BFATE) codes and the presence/absence of lamb weight measurements. Six univariate animal models were tested and used to estimate variance or covariance components and the resulting direct and maternal heritabilities for NEWSUR. The models differed in the way they adjust for the effect of day of birth, the exclusion or inclusion of a litter (dam/year of birth) random effect, and the application or not of a logit transformation of the phenotypes. For both the linear and logistic methods, models including the random effect of litter provided the best fit for NEWSUR according to log-likelihood values. Log-likelihoods for the linear and logistic models cannot be compared; therefore, a cross-validation method was used to assess whether the logit transformation was appropriate by analyzing the predictive ability of the models. The mean square errors were slightly lower for the linear compared with the logistic model, and therefore, the linear model was recommended for industry use. The heritability attributed to direct effects ranged from 2 to 5.5%. A direct heritability of 5.5% resulted from a linear model without litter effect and omitting the effect of day of birth on survival, whereas a direct heritability of 2% resulted from the logistic model fitting a random litter effect. The heritability attributed to maternal genetic effects ranged from 1.9 to 7.7%. A maternal genetic heritability of 7.7% resulted from the logistic model omitting the litter effect, whereas a maternal genetic heritability of 1.9% resulted from the linear model fitting a random litter effect. The addition of the litter random effect substantially decreased the maternal heritabilities in all cases and was recommended for industry use to avoid overestimation of the maternal genetic variance. Sheep Improvement Limited has implemented NEWSUR and the associated genetic evaluation model based on information described in this paper. Industry-wide implementation will enable sheep breeders to produce more accurate genetic evaluations to their commercial clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper questions the proposition that creativity-led cultural industries can prosper in peripheral locations. To that end, it examines the apparent success of New Zealand's designer fashion industry in the first years of the twenty-first century. The paper critiques the conclusion that New Zealand's fashion success was the outcome of national industry policies that nurtured and promoted place-based creative talent. It also critiques the micro-scale, network-based research methodologies that produce such a conclusion. The paper deploys novel quantitative methods to show how retail market structures and trade regulations shaped competition in the isolated and newly integrated Australasian fashion market. New Zealand's creative success is shown to have relied on advantageous cost relativities and favourable macro institutional arrangements. The paper concludes that convincing explanations of creative industry success must consider the effects of higher order processes and structures that are not revealed by micro-scale, actor-based methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

New Zealand’s academic research assessment scheme, the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF), was launched in 2002 with the stated objective of increasing average research quality in the nation’s universities. Evaluation rounds were conducted in 2003, 2006 and 2012. In this article, we use 22 different journal weighting schemes to generate output estimates of refereed journal article and page production for three 6-year periods (1994–9; 2000–5 and 2006–11). These periods reflect a pre-PBRF environment, a mixed assessment period, and a pure PBRF research environment, respectively. Our findings indicate that, on average, research productivity, defined in either article or page terms, has increased since the introduction of the PBRF. However, this outcome is due to a major increase in the quantity of articles and pages produced per capita that has more than off-set a decline in the quality of published outputs since the introduction of the PBRF. In other words, our findings suggest that the PBRF has failed to achieve its stated goal of increasing average research quality, but it has resulted in substantial gains in productivity achieved via large increases in the quantity of refereed journal articles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Music therapy school consultation, according to Rickson (2010), is a process in which a music therapist aims to empower team members to use music in an on-going way with students who have special education needs. However, while consultation is primarily an indirect activity, direct interaction between therapist and student continues to be important for modelling strategies and techniques, and highlighting students' strengths. This paper describes student responses to the direct interaction that took place between the music therapist and students as part of a music therapy school consultation in a mainstream city school in New Zealand. The music therapist, who is also the first author, worked with four students and their respective teams over the period of one week. Each team included a teachers' aide, parent and classroom teacher. Follow-up interviews undertaken by an independent researcher, who is the second author, suggest the adults involved were unsure of what to expect of the consultation, and some had reservations about how the students might respond. However, in all cases students engaged relatively easily with the music therapist and, according to team members, each demonstrated higher than usual levels of participation during music therapy activities. Team members therefore developed an increased awareness of the potential benefits of music therapist and student interaction, as well as musical ideas that they might use in their on-going daily interactions with students to help further educational outcomes. In this paper, four contrasting case vignettes describe the complexity of student needs and goals, and demonstrate how the music therapist, in her direct interactions with students, was able to draw on a variety of therapeutic strategies and techniques to illicit the positive responses of the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: New Zealand has implemented a series of seven annual increases in tobacco tax since 2010. All tax increases, except for the first in the series, were preannounced. It is unusual for governments to introduce small, persistent, and predictable increases in tobacco tax, and little is known about the impact of such a strategy. This paper evaluates the impact of the fifth and sixth annual increases.Methods: Smokers' behaviors were self-reported during the 3-month period before, and the 3-month period after, the two annual increases. Responses to the two increases were analyzed separately, and generalized estimating equations models were used to control for sociodemographic variables, recent quit attempts, and the research design.Results: Findings were consistent across years. The proportion of participants who made a smoking-related (54%-56% before and after each tax increase) or product-related change (fifth tax increase: 17%-19%; sixth tax increase: 21%-22%) did not significantly alter from before to after each tax increase. However, it should be noted that the proportion of participants making smoking-related changes was generally high, even prior to each increase. For example, before the 2015 tax increase, 1% reported quitting completely, 21% trying to quit, and 53% cutting down.Conclusions: In New Zealand, with its series of annual tobacco tax increases since 2010, there were no significant changes in smoking- or product-related behavior associated with the fifth and sixth increases. Nevertheless, overall cessation-related activity was high, with a majority of participants reporting either quitting and/or cutting down recently.Implications: Little is known about the impact of small, persistent, predictable tobacco tax increases on smoking behavior. This study evaluated the impact of the fifth (in 2014) and sixth (2015) tax increases in an annual series implemented in New Zealand. Although there were no detectable changes in smoking behaviors from before to after each tax increase, self-reported cessation-related activity was high overall (i.e., even prior to each increase). Given that there are multiple possible interpretations for these findings, more in-depth time-series analyses are needed to understand how such a tax strategy influences smoking behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gain new insights into ground-motion phenomena in New Zealand (NZ), we apply the non-parametric generalized inversion technique (GIT) in the Fourier domain to isolate the systematic source, path, and site effects from 20 813 seismograms, recorded by 693 sensors at 439 unique locations, from 1200 shallow crustal events (M w > 3) during the period 2000–2021. From the inverted source spectra, we derive Brune's stress parameter, ∆σ , which is found to follow a lognormal distribution with a log10 standard deviation of 0.36 or equivalently 0.83 in natural log unit. ∆σ slightly increases with focal depth and is practically independent of earthquake size (i.e. self-similar), but displays a statistically significant spatial clustering. Based on the inverted attenuation, a trilinear geometric-spreading function, and a distance-dependent quality-factor Q (f) model are found to well describe the attenuation in NZ; though a single |$Q(f)$| model is also obtained for the whole distance range: |$Q(f) = 149.1{f}^{0.62}$|⁠. Using the site response decomposed from GIT, we find that the soil classification scheme specified in NZ seismic code, NZS1170.5, has a limited capability in discerning the site-specific frequency-dependent amplification functions in comparison to a non-parametric clustering with the same number of discrete classes. The potential use of the spatial variation in source parameters from this GIT analysis in region-specific physics-based simulations is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercialisation of Research, Science and Technology (RS&T) in New Zealand and elsewhere tends to be based on models of technology transfer which are more appropriate for existing economic sectors than for new ones. Scientific entrepreneurship offers another approach to innovation, but research on this phenomenon faces a number of difficulties. Alternative approaches are required. This paper uses a methodology based on the precepts of critical realism, retroductive enquiry and grounded theory to develop a metacompetency model which has the potential to increase the incidence of scientific entrepreneurship. Whether or not this increase actually happens will depend on a number of challenges being overcome, and the paper ends with a discussion of implications for innovation policy and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health law reform in recent decades has drawn on the international human rights movement. The entering into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on May 3 2008 has been hailed by some as signalling a new era in relation to how domestic mental health laws should be reformed. Both Australia and New Zealand have ratified the CRPD and Australia has acceded to its Optional Protocol. New Zealand and the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria have statutory bills of rights which have an interpretive effect, but are unable to render other statutes invalid. Drawing on the results of interviews conducted with fifty-two representatives of consumer and carer organisations, lawyers, and mental health professionals across Australia and New Zealand, this paper examines the current thinking on human rights and mental health laws in these countries and outlines what changes, if any, may be brought to domestic legislation in light of the Convention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In New Zealand, the burden of nutrition-related disease is greatest among vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including Maori and Pacific peoples. However, little research is currently available on effective ways to improve nutrition in these communities. This paper describes the development of six paper-based nutrition education resources for multi-ethnic participants in a large supermarket intervention trial. Six focus groups involving 15 Maori, 13 Pacific and 16 non-Maori, non-Pacific participants were held. A general inductive approach was applied to identify common themes around participants' understanding and thoughts on relevance and usefulness of the draft resources. Feedback from focus groups was used to modify resources accordingly. Five themes emerged across all focus groups and guided modification of the resources: (i) perceived higher cost of healthy food, (ii) difficulty in changing food-purchasing habits, (iii) lack of knowledge, understanding and information about healthy food, (iv) desire for personally relevant information that uses ethnically appropriate language and (v) other barriers to healthy eating, including limited availability of healthy food. Many issues affect the likelihood of purchase and consumption of healthy food. These issues should be taken into account when developing nutritional materials for New Zealanders and possibly other multi-ethnic populations worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, scholars have utilised patient case-books to unearth the social experience of the lunatic asylum, particularly with reference to gendered dimensions and the role of the family. Where migration is considered, the focus is on whether or not mobility led to higher rates of committal. In other studies where place of birth is included as a category of analysis, no cross-referencing exists with other elements such as gender, marital status or religious affiliation. Instead, class and gender, rather than ethnicity, are the defining categories. This paper is a preliminary attempt to rectify this manifest neglect. It is based on information relating to 389 foreign-born migrants committed to the Auckland asylum between 1903 and 1910. The paper has two main objectives. First, it attempts to ascertain the key demographic features of the asylum's migrant population. What were their origins, gender and religion? How long had they been in New Zealand and what can we glean about their migration strategies and networks? Second, the analysis focuses on a number of issues pertaining to ethnicity. What do the case-books reveal about ties to place of origin, language and inter-ethnic relations? A broad conclusion addresses the complicated issue of analysing subjective versus objective perceptions and representations of migration and ethnicity, and establishes the benefit and significance of adopting a comparative approach to the study of migration and ethnic identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between community development and working within bicultural contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand. It identifies a number of key themes that have been found by the authors to have significance for working with bicultural contexts. It provides definitions that are used within Aotearoa New Zealand and identifies how lessons learned in this country have relevance for an international context. While the paper examines the tensions and struggles in working within a bicultural framework, it also articulates possibilities for sustained change that has positive outcomes for diverse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current Labour Government in Aotearoa1 New Zealand has overseen a revival of interest in devolved community decision-making and a burgeoning of locality-based community action and community development projects. This paper reports on a meta-analysis of ten community action projects. The activation, consolidation and transition or completion stages of the projects were examined to identify commonalities in structures and processes that either enhanced or impeded the projects meeting their objectives for social change. The importance of processes for critical reflection, the analysis of power dynamics between stakeholders, and recognition of the social, cultural and historical context of a project's genesis will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the perspectives of secondary school students and staff about the extent to which young people's health rights are catered for at school. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the concept of Health-Promoting Schools encourage the provision of healthy school environments. A postal survey of secondary schools in New Zealand elicited responses from 821 Year 11(15-16 year olds) students and 438 staff in 107 schools. Most students and staff reported that sources of health advice were available at their schools, but only a minority of students saw these sources as accessible or trustworthy. In every area of health promotion, students saw information and advice as less accessible than staff did. Most staff and students identified mental health problems such as depression as a source of concern in schools, but only a quarter of students (compared to half of stall) thought that this topic was covered during classtime. Students in lower-income schools reported the school environment as slightly less healthy than did students in high-income schools. The paper concludes that schools and policy makers should seek the voices and opinions of young people in order to improve effectiveness in catering for health rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrating on New Zealand's welfare-to-work policy, this paper draws on interview data to explore the impact of `outsourcing' on tutors who work with young, unemployed people. Contracting independent organizations to provide services, or outsourcing, as it is euphemistically known, has become standard practice in business and is assuming a central role in social policy in many Western nations. It is argued that outsourcing is used to control the practices of those who work with unemployed people in New Zealand. The data show that outsourcing achieves this control by creating uncertainty over the tutors' own employment situation. In this respect, out-sourcing helps create a regulatory framework in which the tutors seek to secure their own employment by improving their tutees' employability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a paper presented at the International Association of Refugee Law Judges' Advanced Refugee Law Workshop held in Auckland, New Zealand in October 2002. It discusses the circumstances that a claimant be legally required to exercise restraint to avoid the risk of being persecuted. The paper focused on three factual contexts including practice of non-majoritarian religion, oppositional political activism, and living an openly homosexual life. The authors also discuss issues that relate to human rights analysis of claims based on voluntary but protected actions.