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Charybdis japonica, a large invasive portunid, has been recorded in New Zealand since its detection in the Waitematā Harbour in 2000. In this study, the distribution, invasion history, abundance and population structure were investigated for C. japonica across the North Island of New Zealand. This was done using various distribution data available, trapping across several sites and interviews with commercial fishermen. Charybdis japonica was detected in the previously uninvaded Tauranga, Ohiwa, Hokianga, Manukau Harbours and Great Barrier Island. The rate of spread for C. japonica is continuous, with harbours or estuaries hundreds of kilometres apart having detections every two to three years. Population abundances reported by commercial fishermen constantly increased, with no signs of stabilisation or decrease. Catches were male-biased, with female abundance varying seasonally. Several possible pathways and vectors may be responsible for this spread, including shipping and aquaculture, on top of dispersal of larvae by currents across the North Island. Further research is required to determine population sources, with findings providing important information for invasive species monitoring and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the macroparasite and ectosymbiont fauna of the introduced portunid crab Charybdis japonica and its comparison with sympatric and allopatric populations of the native portunid, Ovalipes catharus in New Zealand. It discusses the collection of 468 crabs from six harbours of the country and presents the comparison on the identity, incidence and prevalence of ectosymbionts and parasites among the different populations.

Dedicated studies on aquatic disease in New Zealand began in 1974, inspired by a developing aquaculture industry. Since then, two main aquatic disease study areas have emerged: (1) aquatic disease ecology and (2) diseases of commercial species. Progress over the past 20-years has been made by only a small number of researchers and aquatic disease in New Zealand has not received much attention from the wider marine science community. In 2020, the aquaculture industry continues to grow, and disease remains a threat to the industry's viability. However, additional factors such as climate change, invasive species, and pollution, have emerged as future threats for aquatic disease in wild and farmed populations, which are currently understudied. Here, we provide a review of studies on aquatic disease ecology and commercial species carried out in New Zealand. We also present how climate change, pollution and invasive species could influence future aquatic disease dynamics and identify where future research effort is required to address knowledge gaps. The emergence of consequential aquatic diseases overseas highlights wider attention across marine science disciplines is needed to progress and diversify aquatic disease studies in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay proceeds in three parts. The first part introduces a Māori waiata (a ceremonial song, with movements) that occurred in the debating chamber of the New Zealand parliament in 2017 on the Third Reading of Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill. The resulting statute confers legal personality on the Whanganui River. The second part advances a way of approaching musical appreciation as a mental activity which, by joining sound to musical meaning not only makes musical sense of sound, but can also, in so doing, be said to participate in the process of making music. Crucial to the move from making sense of music to making music, is the notion that music is inherently a metaphorical way of thinking about sound; one in which the music metaphor operates by making sound humanly meaningful. The third part – proceeding from the idea that music operates as metaphor and, like all metaphor, produces meaning by translating abstractions into concrete conceptions – posits music as a bridge (a joint or articulation) between eras, cultures and social strata that might otherwise struggle to find meaningful points of connection and communication. The hope is that we might come to understand law making music in the sense both of 'law making' music and law 'making music'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hugely popular summer cruise tours of the West Coast Sounds in the South Island of New Zealand reveal a colonial history of leisured mobility and landscape appreciation common to New Zealand and Australia. Cruising the Sounds was a practice imbued with privilege, exclusivity, emotional upliftment and wonder, generating shared attachments to wilderness space. This culture of maritime tourism offers new insights into the mobile practices which shaped the Tasman World, and points to the centrality of ships and shipping routes as spaces of transcolonial history. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The assessment of biological samples is critical for measuring the ‘health’ of New Zealand aquatic environments. Analysis of these samples commonly requires species identification and enumeration, which usually involves microscopy or microbiological methods. These techniques can be time-consuming, laborious, and are dependent on taxonomic expertise. Recent advances in molecular methods provide promising tools for assessing environmental samples. A range of molecular techniques are now used in New Zealand including: fluorescent in situ hybridisation; automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; and, most recently, next-generation sequencing. The organisms (or targets) and environments monitored are equally diverse, ranging from cyanobacteria, rotifers and invasive fish in lakes, to macroinvertebrates, and biofilm communities in rivers, to bacteria, micro- and macro-algae and invertebrates in marine ecosystems. Despite research and validation demonstrating their potential, the application of these tools by monitoring agencies has been limited. Legislative requirements, costs, and a reluctance to change methodologies, are the most likely reasons for this. This review examines molecular tools that have been previously or are currently used for monitoring aquatic environments in New Zealand, and explores how these, and new techniques, may be applied in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Spiders and beetles provide important ecosystem services in agriculture; however, optimum strategies to promote their density and diversity on dairy farms have received little attention. This study aimed to quantify the effects of farming practice (conventional vs. organic), fencing (fenced vs. unfenced) and plant species origin (exotic vs. native) on the abundance and diversity of spiders and beetles within shelterbelts on eight conventional and six organic dairy farms in North Island, New Zealand. Invertebrates were collected from a total of 43 shelterbelts by vacuum suction and beating in January 2008 and 2009. Organic farms and fenced shelterbelts supported 40% and 67% higher densities of spiders than conventional farms and unfenced shelterbelts, respectively. Shelterbelts of native plant species supported higher species richness of native spiders and beetles than shelterbelts of exotic plants. A combination of converting to organic farming, fencing off shelterbelts and planting more native shelterbelts is likely to provide increased ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation on New Zealand dairy farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the finding of live specimens of Nassarius (Plicarcularia) burchardi, a common dog whelk found of Australia, in New Zealand. It is mentioned that around 21 specimen of various sizes were found at multiple site at Waitemata Harbour which indicates their accidental introduction and subsequent successful survival. It is speculated that if successfully established it will interactive with native species for food and habitat.