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The city of Ōtautahi Christchurch in Aotearoa New Zealand has experienced a succession of disasters over the last decade. Two groups which have worked with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities before, during and after these disasters are the Community Languages Information Network Group (CLING) and Interpreting New Zealand. This paper sets out these groups' key learnings in regards to the complex issue of interpreting experiences of trauma and disaster. In particular, the paper highlights the risks of not engaging professional interpreters in such situations, and underscores the importance of providing interpreters with training that emphasises wellbeing and self-care alongside language skills and ethical considerations (Crezee et al. 2015:77; O'Brien et al. 2018:630; Jaeger et al. 2019:9; Labaf et al. 2019:4; Lai & Costello 2020:70-85;). The paper discusses implications from these learnings, both for language service providers (LSPs) and for agencies that engage their interpreters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city and is the main international entry point to New Zealand, with most of the nation's Managed Isolation and Quarantine Facilities. Consequently, it is the place most likely for a COVID-19 outbreak to occur and, accordingly, has been the focus of efforts to monitor SARS-CoV-2 via wastewater-based epidemiology. Historically, wastewater-based epidemiology has mainly been applied at the catchment or sewershed scale, with samples collected at wastewater treatment plants. COVID-19 has necessitated a re-evaluation of this broad-scale approach to wastewaterbased epidemiology in New Zealand, where there is a need for more detailed information to better target the public health response. Using Auckland as a case study, this paper assesses the spatial and temporal extent of the city's wastewater network to inform the selection of strategic neighbourhoodscale sampling sites for wastewater-based epidemiology. Sample site selection criteria included topology and connectivity of the sewer network, the capacity to record sewer flow, limited rain infiltration, resident population, and accessibility. Six sites were identified that provide an immediate opportunity for neighbourhood-scale monitoring. Reflecting on the analysis required for selecting appropriate monitoring locations, the paper moves to critically discuss the key unknowns and research needs associated with conducting neighbourhoodscale wastewater-based epidemiology. Population mobility poses challenges for estimating population size and for capturing a positive SARS-CoV-2 signal in wastewater at this scale. There is a need to determine the full spectrum of residence times within the sewer network to design representative sampling and the implications of disregarding residence times in the current sampling regimes are poorly understood. Hydraulic models require refinement to accurately account for variable residence times and topological features in the network (e.g., holding tanks and pumping stations). Addressing these challenges is urgent and ongoing to realise the benefits of neighbourhood-scale wastewater-based epidemiology in response to COVID-19 and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how communication strategies and the use of numbers can ensure the buy-in and cooperation of stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on legitimacy theory, this study analysis documents regarding the communication strategies of New Zealand (NZ)'s Prime Minster, Jacinda Ardern, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to extract lessons for organizations. The authors contrast Ardern's communications with those of Donald Trump, the President of the United States (US), as evidence that leaders do not necessarily follow these strategies. Findings: The findings show that clear, consistent and credible communications, backed up by open access to the numerical data that underlie the decisions, ensure that these decisions are seen as legitimate, ensure that citizens/stakeholders feel leaders are accountable and believe in the necessity of measures taken and that they conform to the guidelines and rules. By contrast, the strategy of attempting to withhold information, blaming others, refusing to acknowledge that there are problems and refusing to address problems lead to non-conformance by citizens/stakeholders. Business leaders could apply these lessons to the management of crises in their organizations to ensure buy-in from employees and other stakeholders. Leaders and organizations that follow these communication strategies can emerge in a stronger position than before the crisis. Research limitations/implications: This paper develops a theoretical framework of strategies aimed at maintaining and disrupting legitimacy among key audiences, which can be used in future research. Practical implications: This paper highlighting how organizations and organizational leaders can best communicate with stakeholders using accounting, thus coming across as being accountable during crisis times. Social implications: The legitimacy maintenance strategies outlined in this paper ensures that stakeholders feel leaders and the organizations they represent hold themselves accountable. Originality/value: This paper outlines the lessons that an organization can learn from communication strategies adopted by governments during the COVID-19 crisis. The paper extends legitimacy theory by explicitly acknowledging the ability to disrupt the legitimacy of others and including this in the authors' theoretical framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indigenous children living in high income countries have a consistently high prevalence of mental health problems. We aimed to identify psychosocial risk and protective factors for mental health in this setting. Methods: A systematic review of studies published between 1996 and 2016 that quantitatively evaluated the association between psychosocial variables and mental health among Indigenous children living in high income countries was conducted. Psychosocial variables were grouped into commonly occurring domains. Individual studies were judged to provide evidence for an association between a domain and either good mental health, poor mental health, or a negligible or inconsistent association. The overall quality of evidence across all studies for each domain was assessed using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines. Results: Forty-seven papers were eligible (mainland US 30 [64%], Canada 8 [17%], Australia 7 [15%], Hawaii 4 [9%]), including 58,218 participants aged 4-20 years. Most papers were cross-sectional (39, 83%) and measured negative mental health outcomes (41, 87%). Children's negative cohesion with their families and the presence of adverse events appeared the most reliable predictors of increased negative mental health outcomes. Children's substance use, experiences of discrimination, comorbid internalising symptoms, and negative parental behaviour also provided evidence of associations with negative mental health outcomes. Positive family and peer relationships, high self-esteem and optimism were associated with increased positive mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Quantitative research investigating Indigenous children's mental health is largely cross-sectional and focused upon negative outcomes. Indigenous children living in high income countries share many of the same risk and protective factors associated with mental health. The evidence linking children's familial environment, psychological traits, substance use and experiences of discrimination with mental health outcomes highlights key targets for more concerted efforts to develop initiatives to improve the mental health of Indigenous children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health, illness, and the body are conceptualized within the cultural context of a society. The values and belief systems of a society, including media portrayals, shape how health and illness present. Traditionally, Western portrayals of eating disorders have been prioritized over and above Indigenous realities. This paper explores the lived experiences of Māori with eating disorders and their whānau (family/support system) to identify the enablers and barriers to accessing specialist services for eating disorders in New Zealand. Method: Kaupapa Māori research methodology was used to ensure the research supported Māori health advancement. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were completed with Māori participants including; those with an eating disorder diagnosis (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder), and/or their whānau. Structural, descriptive, and pattern coding was undertaken within the thematic analysis. Low's spatializing culture framework was used to interpret the findings. Results: Two overarching themes identified systemic and social barriers to accessing treatment for Māori with eating disorders. The first theme, was space, that described the material culture within eating disorder settings. This theme critiqued eating disorder services, including idiosyncratic use of assessment methods, inaccessible service locations, and the limited number of beds available in specialist mental health services. The second theme, place, referred to the meaning given to social interactions created within space. Participants critiqued the privileging of non-Māori experiences, and how this makes a place and space of exclusion for Māori and their whānau in eating disorder services in New Zealand. Other barriers included shame and stigma, while enablers included family support and self-advocacy. Conclusion: More education is needed for those working in the space of primary health settings about the diversity of those with eating disorders to enable them to look beyond the stereotype of what an eating disorder looks like, and to take seriously the concerns of whaiora and whānau who present with disordered eating concerns. There is also a need for thorough assessment and early referral for eating disorder treatment to ensure the benefits of early intervention are enabled for Māori. Attention given to these findings will ensure a place for Māori in specialist eating disorder services in New Zealand. Plain English summary: Eating disorders are at least as common in Māori (Indigenous people of New Zealand) when compared to their non-Māori counterparts, however, a recent study investigating specialist service use data identified lower-than-expected service use for Māori. This paper explores the lived experiences of Māori with eating disorders and their whānau (family/support network) to understand the barriers and enablers to accessing treatment. Participants in this study identified both systemic and social barriers to accessing treatment for eating disorders; Systemic barriers included the idiosyncratic use of assessment methods by health practitioners, and inaccessible service locations, including the number of available inpatient beds. While social barriers included the stereotype of what an eating disorder looks like, shame, stigma, and discrimination; support networks were described as both an enabler and barrier to accessing specialist treatment for eating disorders. The findings from this study suggest thorough assessment and early referrals are needed for Māori presenting with disordered eating concerns. Moreover, more education is needed for those working in primary healthcare settings about the diversity of eating disorders to ensure they move beyond the stereotype of what an eating disorder looks like. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary healthcare services have principal responsibility for providing child and youth wellbeing and mental health services, but have lacked appropriate measurement instruments to assess the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth or to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and services designed to meet their needs. This review assesses the availability and characteristics of measurement instruments that have been applied in primary healthcare services in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States (CANZUS countries) to assess the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth. Methods: Fifteen databases and 12 websites were searched in December 2017 and again in October 2021. Pre-defined search terms pertained to Indigenous children and youth, CANZUS country names, and wellbeing or mental health measures. PRISMA guidelines were followed, with eligibility criteria guiding screening of titles and abstracts, and selected full-text papers. Results are presented based on the characteristics of documented measurement instruments assessed according to five desirability criteria: development for Indigenous youth populations, adherence to relational strength-based constructs, administration by child and or youth self-report, reliability and validity, and usefulness for identifying wellbeing or risk levels. Results: Twenty-one publications were found that described the development and or use by primary healthcare services of 14 measurement instruments, employed across 30 applications. Four of the 14 measurement instruments were developed specifically for Indigenous youth populations, four focused solely on strength-based wellbeing concepts but none included all Indigenous wellbeing domains. Conclusion: There is a diversity of measurement instruments available, but few fit our desirability criteria. Although it is possible that we missed relevant papers and reports, this review clearly supports the need for further research to develop, refine or adapt instruments cross-culturally to measure the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 is a powerful piece of legislation. It provides the Commissioner of Police with the ability to strip individuals of their wealth and assets by proving, on the balance of probabilities, that some unlawful benefit was obtained from significant criminal activity. The Commissioner of Police has successfully implemented this legislation in the context of organised crime and sophisticated organised criminal groups. Recently, the Commissioner has sought to apply this legislation to regulatory offences committed by businesses. This represents a significant expansion of the original scope of this legislation and presents New Zealand business with the risk of having their assets and profits seized, restrained, and forfeited by the State. This paper addresses the framework of the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 and how the Commissioner has sought to expand the application of this framework to regulatory offending. This paper shall address the jeopardy such an expansion represents and what can be done to mitigate such a draconian application of the Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to share insights gained from the discovery, design, and delivery phases of creating a three-tiered model of non-academic learning support in open, distance, and flexible learning (ODFL): "Learner Engagement and Success Services (LESS)", at Open Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga, New Zealand. Presented as a case study, this paper discusses the early vision of the model, examines current understanding relating to learner support and engagement, and describes the successes and challenges faced in bringing this vision to reality. It outlines challenges relating to the emergent use of learning analytics (LA) in identifying "exception" learners, the contestability of ethical use and choices of data, and the rapid evolution and devolution of commercially available communication tools. The tiered model is described as a scalable blend of human and technology-enabled interventions and services, underpinned by the values of agency and equity. The components of this model could be replicated, and its success is measurable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated that racism is a social determinant of health (SDOH), particularly for racialized minority newcomers residing in developed nations such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and European countries. This paper will focus on racism as a SDOH for racialized newcomers in these countries. Racism is defined as "an organized system of privilege and bias that systematically disadvantages a group of people perceived to belong to a specific race". Racism can be cultural, institutional, or individual. Berry's model of acculturation describes ways in which racialized newcomers respond to their post-migration experiences, resulting in one of several modes of acculturation; these are integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization. After examining the definition and description of racism, we argue that racism impacts newcomers at the site of acculturation; specifically, the paths they choose, or are forced to take in response to their settlement experiences. We posit that these acculturation pathways are in part, strategies that refugees use to cope with post-displacement stress and trauma. To support acculturation, which is primarily dependent on reducing the effects of cultural, institutional, and individual racism, health policymakers and practitioners are urged to acknowledge racism as a SDOH and to work to reduce its impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper undertakes a census of how the New Zealand university economics profession changed over a decade. It shows that this small academics economics community has become more professionalised. It also explores whether the profession has become more internationalised in the new millennium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classics may be considered by some New Zealanders to be a product of 'high culture', but it is relevant along with the rest of the Humanities to the contemporary world and part of the mix that makes up the cultural scene and educational practice of New Zealand Aotearoa. Classics has made contributions to New Zealand Aotearoa society in a number of cultural areas and has a role to play in an increasingly multicultural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the brilliant Czech logician and philosopher of language Pavel Tichý (1936-1994) who, after emigrating to New Zealand in 1970 and spending half his life there as a political refugee, committed suicide shortly before returning to his alma mater, Charles University in Prague, as Chair of the Department of Logic in the Faculty of Arts. After tracing a biographical profile of the Czech logician, the paper explains some of the central ideas of Tichý's highly original theory, called Transparent Intensional Logic, while locating it in the wider context of the analytic philosophy of language. The paper concludes by highlighting the role played by Tichý's intensional theory in advancing various disciplines, including artificial intelligence, with the aim of shedding light on the significant contributions of the Czech logician, who has yet to gain due recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of productive soils and food-producing landscapes on the edges of cities is an increasing issue facing Aotearoa New Zealand. Like many countries globally, New Zealand's largest cities are facing rapid expansion because of increasing urbanisation, with high levels of low-density residential sprawl into the productive peri-urban hinterlands and increasing rates of 'reverse sensitivity'. Food production, as a result, is being pushed further away, disconnected from the communities it serves, and often onto less productive soil. This paper explores the perceptions and attitudes of both peri-urban residents and food producers living and working within the peri-urban zone of Ōtautahi Christchurch. Conducting two surveys, one with residents and another with producers, respondents' perceptions of food growing within this peri-urban landscape are explored to better understand the enablers and barriers of growing food close to cities. Overall, the results indicated that peri-urban residents appreciate food being produced close to where they live, with over 90% of residential respondents feeling either 'mostly positive' or 'extremely positive' towards food being grown close to their homes. Of greatest concern for peri-urban residents were issues relating to negative impacts on the environment and human health, with particular concern for water quality. The lack of accessibility to locally produced food was also identified as an area of concern to residents. Food producers felt less positive towards operating their food-production enterprises within the peri-urban zone, identifying a range of issues impacting their experience. The information rendered from these surveys provides a base for future land-use planning consideration within the peri-urban zone, where both food production and housing can co-exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Body image dissatisfaction and its associated challenges have been related to poorer health outcomes among adolescents worldwide, including disordered eating behaviour, depression, and anxiety. However, current prevalence estimates of these issues in Aotearoa New Zealand or, relatedly, the estimates of positive attitudes and behaviours, such as intuitive eating and body appreciation are dated. Aim. The primary aim of this paper was to provide updated estimates for a variety of constructs related to eating behaviours and body image, sourced from a diverse range of early adolescent participants. Methods. For this report, a brief online survey was advertised to adolescents throughout Aotearoa New Zealand (n = 893) via school and community noticeboards. Results. Approximately one-in-three male participants and one-intwo female participants reported body image dissatisfaction. One in four participants reported clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety. Discussion. Given such issues, there is clearly still much progress to be made in advancing positive health among early adolescents. Identifying potentially protective constructs such as intuitive eating and body appreciation may offer guidance into the best targets for prevention and early intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In higher education (HE), collaborative activities that revolve around a core idea, practice, or knowledge base, such as learning circles, communities of practice or inquiry, peer observation, and peer-assisted teaching, are known to support professional learning. This paper explores the experiences of eight HE scholars from Australia and New Zealand, across four years, as they recognized a new means of collaborative professional development that transcends known approaches and extends beyond an immediate focal point. The group originally formed to support the development of HE fellowship applications, but evolved to what they now consider a community for practice (CfP), where the purpose of collaboration has changed to meet the unique learning needs of each member. During their four years of collaboration, meeting discussions were recorded, and individual and community narrative reflections about participation in the group were created. A thematic analysis of these collective data sources revealed the group's evolution, and the authors draw on their experiences to tell their story with an aim to enhance professional learning in HE. The study highlights that individuals' distinct and varied needs can be developed and supported through scholarly, collegial engagements such as a CfP, which does not necessarily require an immediate point of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater age or residence time is important for identifying flow and contaminant pathways through groundwater systems. Typically, groundwater age and age distributions are inferred via lumped parameter models based on measured age tracer concentrations. However, due to cost and time constraints, age tracers are usually only sampled at a small percentage of the wells in a catchment. This paper describes and compares two methods to increase the number of groundwater age data points and assist with validating age distributions inferred from lumped parameter models. Two machine learning techniques with different strengths were applied to develop two independent metamodels that each aim to establish relationships between the hydrochemical parameters and the modelled groundwater age distributions in one test catchment. Ensemble medians from the best model realisations per age distribution percentile were used for comparison with the results from traditional lumped parameter models based on age tracers. Results show that both metamodelling techniques predict age distributions from hydrochemistry with good correspondence to traditional lumped parameter model (LPM)-derived age distributions. Therefore, these techniques can be used to assist with the interpretation of lumped parameter models where age tracers have been sampled, and they can also be applied to predict groundwater age distributions for wells in a similar hydrogeological regime that have hydrochemistry data available but no age tracer data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Antarctic environmental change is accelerating with significant regional and global consequences making it critically important for Antarctic research knowledge to inform relevant policymaking forums. A key challenge is maximising the utility of evidence in decision-making, to which scholars have responded by shifting away from linear science-policy arrangements towards co-production alternatives. As an Antarctic Treaty Consultative Party (ATCP), New Zealand (NZ) is responsible for facilitating knowledge exchange (KE) among Antarctic science and policy actors at national and international levels. However, at present, we have few metrics for assessing the success of science-policy dialogues. Furthermore, studies on the Antarctic science-policy interface have so far primarily focused on the international perspective. This paper is the first to examine domestic stakeholder perspectives regarding Antarctic KE using NZ as a case study. We report on the findings of two workshops involving over 60 NZ Antarctic stakeholders in 2021 that aimed to explore the various elements of NZ's Antarctic science-policy interface and identify barriers or drivers for success, including future opportunities. Our results indicate that there is a desire to shift away from the current linear approach towards a more collaborative model. To achieve this, stakeholders share an understanding that KE practices need to become more equitable, inclusive and diverse, and that the policy community needs to play a more proactive and leading role. Described as a 'fuzzy beast', the NZ Antarctic science-policy interface is complex. This study contributes to our understanding of Antarctic KE practices by offering new guidance on several key elements that should be considered in any attempts to understand or improve future KE practices in NZ or within the domestic settings of other ATCPs interested in fostering science-policy success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disparities in cardiovascular outcomes between Māori and non-Māori persist despite technological advances in the treatment of cardiovascular disease and improved service provision. Little is known about how social determinants of health, such as income [in]security affect Māori men's access, treatment, and recovery from cardiovascular disease. This paper explores the contexts within which cardiovascular disease is experienced and healthcare becomes embedded. Methods: This study utilized a case-comparative narrative approach to document and make sense of the patient experiences of four male Māori patients who, in the previous 6 months, had come through cardiac investigation and treatment at Waikato Hospital, a large tertiary cardiac center in New Zealand. Participant accounts were elicited using a culturally patterned narrative approach to case development, informed by Kaupapa Māori Research practices. It involved three repeat 1–3-hour interviews recorded with participants (12 interviews); the first interviews took place 5–16 weeks after surgery/discharge. Results: Each of the four case studies firstly details a serious cardiac event(s) before describing the varying levels of financial worry they experienced. Major financial disruptions to their lives were at the forefront of the concerns of those facing financial insecurity—as opposed to their medical problems. Financial hardship within the context of an unresponsive welfare system impacted the access to care and access to funding contributed to psychological distress for several participants. Economic security and reciprocal relationships between employers and employees facilitated positive treatment experiences and recovery. Conclusion: Findings suggest that although multiple factors influence participant experiences and treatment outcomes, financial [in]security, and personal income is a key determinant. The heterogeneity in participant narratives suggests that although general inequities in health may exist for Māori as a population group, these inequities do not appear to be uniform. We postulate diverse mechanisms, by which financial insecurity may adversely affect outcomes from treatment and demonstrate financial security as a significant determinant in allowing patients to respond to and recover from cardiovascular disease more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The aquaculture industry has been criticised for the excessive use of fish meal (FM) in feeds due to the utilisation of wild fish in the formulation and the exacerbation of overfishing marine resources. Land-based abalone aquaculture mainly uses commercial feeds (CFs) to promote faster growth, which include FM as a primary protein component. Alternative ingredients, such as insect meal (IM) and grape marc (GM) are potential candidates for FM replacement due to their suitable nutritional profile and sustainable production. This paper reports on a novel nutritional approach for the New Zealand farmed abalone, which replaces FM with IM by 10% and includes a waste by-product (GM) by 30% as a potential prebiotic source. The study was performed in two stages: (a) physico-chemical determination of diets delivered in an alginate matrix (experimental diets) and their stability in seawater compared to CF and (b) evaluation of growth and feed intake for the New Zealand black-foot abalone. There were significant differences between experimental diets and CF in terms of sinking rate, particle weight, and microscopic observations. Water stability of the experimental diets was increased by 50% in 24 and 48 hr compared to CF, producing less solid waste, and potentially reducing cleaning efforts in the farm. The inclusion of IM and GM did not compromise overall animal growth or their feed conversion ratio, however, further evaluation need to be explored in the future research. The findings revealed that the developed encapsulated feeds are a more stable food delivery method for Haliotis iris compared to the CF. Furthermore, both IM and GM can be included in feed formulations as a more sustainable strategy without compromising weight and shell gains in the abalone farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aotearoa New Zealand's emerging New Space economy provides an opportunity for key actors to focus on space and sustainability issues beyond space debris. The conflict between competing definitions and paradigms of sustainability highlights the importance of diverse values, assumptions, and drivers of change that shape the normative understanding of space sustainability issues. This paper recognises that Indigenous knowledges and practices are in parallel with systems-thinking and transdisciplinary approaches to space and sustainability. The aim of this paper is to describe how current actions can have long term impacts on using and accessing space commercially, scientifically, and culturally. • Space sustainability requires a transdisciplinary approach to explore the definitions and values at various scales. • Space sustainability in New Zealand involves addressing issues beyond space debris. • Space sustainability requires addressing businesses in New Zealand, where sustainability frameworks are poorly implemented. • Space sustainability requires policy interventions beyond compliance with environmental legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Zealand's space sector is at the early stages of growth but already attracts 1.5% of global private investment in space and contributes NZD 1.75 billion per year in revenue to the national economy. Growth has in part been due to the country's desirable location for space operations due to a combination of geographic advantages, with its clear seas and skies and access to a wide range of launch angles, a skilled workforce, and strong government financial incentives. There are however challenges to future space activities such as the risk to long-term access and use of Earth's orbital environment, specifically from space debris and a growing challenge to the whole-of-life of space operations, from the climate emergency and biodiversity crises. Consequently, there is increasing global motivation and urgency to quantify environmental consequences of space activities, which have historically been omitted from legislative and regulatory requirements. This paper provides a summary of the commercial development of New Zealand's space sector and where appropriate environmental regulation and legislation may have been overlooked, as well as outlining broader environmental concerns of space operations. New Zealand's emerging space industry offers a unique opportunity to integrate international best practices for environment and sustainability at a foundational level, for example, the European Space Agency's Clean Space Initiative and their Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Tool and Eco-design Framework. These types of tools provide valuable sources of information to support policy and business decisions. This paper provides a case study for an environmental LCA for a New Zealand designed and launched CubeSat which is the most launched satellite type from New Zealand. The case study indicates how the LCA can be used to identify environmental hotspots during the preliminary and detailed design phases as well as the launch event. Barriers and gaps in data collection have also been identified. As a result of this work, a set of recommendations have been made for further research requirements on the application of LCA to space activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the stock return risk associated with the various types of dividend decisions announced by New Zealand firms during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The sample includes a group of firms that initially announced cash dividends but a number of days later made announcements cancelling their payments. Using multinomial logistic regression analysis, we found that higher pre-pandemic payout policy significantly increased the likelihood of a cancellation, an omission or an increase decision. Higher growth and higher profitability reduced the probability of an omission and a reduction decision, respectively. Moreover, higher stock return volatility increased the likelihood of an omission, a reduction or an increase decision. Further event study analysis revealed that investors reacted more feverishly to the announcements of cancellation decisions than any other types of dividend decisions. Moreover, we report strong evidence of negative abnormal returns around the cancellation announcements followed by positive post-announcement price reversals, a pattern that is not observed for the omission announcements. This paper contributes to the literature by studying a cancellation sample and reveals, for the first time, significant shareholder risk associated with cancellation decisions, which was not observed for omission decisions. We alert managers to carefully weigh the costs and benefits of breaking a promise of dividend payout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: It is widely accepted that climate change is a rapidly increasing threat to the aquaculture industry, with the biggest issue being a slow but continuous rise in water temperature and an associated decrease in dissolved oxygen in some areas. In New Zealand fish farms, during the hottest period of the year (January/February), increased water temperatures have been shown to be detrimental to Chinook salmon performance and are associated with mortalities. We report on the responses of Chinook salmon to a chronic, long-term increase in temperature and decrease in oxygen over a three-month period. We also identified, characterised, and developed relevant biomarkers for Chinook salmon and applied them to monitor responses to changes in the fish's environment. This paper provides evidence on how the use of molecular tools, alongside general health and haematological parameters, have the potential to better inform the aquaculture industry of stock health status, thereby enhancing resilience, efficiency, and productivity. In New Zealand, during the hottest periods of the year, some salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds reach water temperatures above the optimal range for Chinook salmon. High levels of mortality are recorded during these periods, emphasising the importance of understanding thermal stress in this species. In this study, the responses of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) to chronic, long-term changes in temperature and dissolved oxygen were investigated. This is a unique investigation due to the duration of the stress events the fish were exposed to. Health and haematological parameters were analysed alongside gene expression results to determine the effects of thermal stress on Chinook salmon. Six copies of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) were discovered and characterised: HSP90AA1.1a, HSP90AA1.2a, HSP90AA1.1b, HSP90AA1.2b, HSP90AB1a and HSP90AB1b, as well as two copies of SOD1, named SOD1a and SOD1b. The amino acid sequences contained features similar to those found in other vertebrate HSP90 and SOD1 sequences, and the phylogenetic tree and synteny analysis provided conclusive evidence of their relationship to other vertebrate HSP90 and SOD1 genes. Primers were designed for qPCR to enable the expression of all copies of HSP90 and SOD1 to be analysed. The expression studies showed that HSP90 and SOD1 were downregulated in the liver and spleen in response to longer term exposure to high temperatures and lower dissolved oxygen. HSP90 was also downregulated in the gill; however, the results for SOD1 expression in the gill were not conclusive. This study provides important insights into the physiological and genetic responses of Chinook salmon to temperature and oxygen stress, which are critical for developing sustainable fish aquaculture in an era of changing global climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper produces aggregate and industry estimates of total factor productivity (TFP) for New Zealand. TFP is estimated based on constant elasticity of substitution (CES) production functions that permit varying assumptions about factor augmentation and that allow for industry‐specific values of the elasticity of substitution between inputs. The CES approach simultaneously explains changes in labour share and output over time, and provides estimates of the contribution of capital and labour to productivity in New Zealand. The results suggest that negative capital‐augmenting technical change in several industries has weighed on productivity in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers by way of a small sample of newly graduated early childhood teachers their opinions about their bicultural development, ability, knowledge, confidence, motivations and the relevance of bicultural training in terms of preparing them for the workplace. We also examine the students' thoughts in regards to their further development and the types of support they had encountered or which they believed would benefit them in their work in early childhood centres. We hope that the article is a provocation to teachers and leaders to consider how they support Māori children and their teachers in education. This paper, therefore, also examines significant documents that pertain to teachers' responsibility in response to education for Māori children, Māori language and the integration of Māori culture in Aotearoa/New Zealand early childhood centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper includes an eclectic mix of Rutherford as a statesman. He encouraged votes for women and women into science. His last paper was a report of heroic proportions which failed to detect any tritium in water, but later work showed it had a half-life of 12.3 years so it is now used for dating wines and the age of drinking water in underground reservoirs. Quick summaries are given of his death and burial. Ernest Rutherford's honours accumulated even well after his death. His name is on a surprising array of things, from racehorses, buildings, beer, and an asteroid. Thus it is surprising that he was treated badly by much of New Zealand for some five decades after his death, and some continue to this today. As the first and only person who extensively used original archives to uncover the true story of 'Earnest' Rutherford I have an interesting perspective. Few scientists hold these views because they seldom deal with 'normal' people. However, the public perception of Rutherford grows with time as an older generation of 'ordinary public' die off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although seafood is considered to be an important part of a balanced diet, many national food consumption surveys suggest that seafood is not consumed in sufficient amounts. As consumers are moving to diversify their diet from animal-based protein, it is important to understand the factors influencing consumption of marine foods. This review aims to assess the characteristics of seafood consumers as well as the influences on seafood consumption in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Systematic search strategies were used to identify relevant journal articles from three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Embase). Three searches were carried out and identified 4405 unique publications from which 121 met the criteria for the review process. The reviewed studies revealed that seafood consumers were more likely to be older, more affluent and more physically active and were less likely to smoke compared with non-seafood consumers. Sex and BMI did not appear to have a directional association with seafood consumption. The most commonly reported barriers to seafood consumption were cost, followed by sensory or physical barriers, health and nutritional beliefs, habits, availability and cooking skills. The most commonly reported influences were beliefs about the contribution of seafood to health, environmental influences and personal preferences. Based on the findings of this review, future intervention strategies to increase seafood consumption may need to consider affordability and education in terms of health, nutrition and cooking skills. More research is needed to explore the effectiveness of specific interventions at increasing the consumption of seafood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This paper introduces the typical wind patterns in New Zealand recording by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and evaluates the optimized sites among them with higher amount of power generation. A comprehensive simulation model has been set up, using several available commercial software packages to test the performance, capacity and efficiency of the results. Available wind records have been used from NASA to conduct simulation model runs of them. Global Wind Atlas is used for showing wind patterns and WRPLOT software plots wind class of sites. Homer Pro software used to propose a microgrid design for each site and calculate power. Generation of electricity from wind turbines depends on the wind speeds and cut-in speed of the wind turbines. In other words, to reach maximum efficiency from wind power, the first step is to analyse the wind speeds of the site where turbine will be located and then estimate the generated power from that turbine. To do it, it is necessary to find the range of wind speeds and the wind directions with demonstrating wind rose and the percentage of year a turbine is working in more than cut-in speed. Based on current wind patterns, Dunedin and Bluff sites found the areas with maximum power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain biking has increased in popularity in many countries over recent decades. Production forests provide not only an outstanding space for mountain bike riding, but also specific characteristics conducive to purpose-built track building. With recreational access to production forests, managers must balance commercial operations and industry environmental obligations with the interests and actions of riders. Production forests in New Zealand have accommodated mountain biking activities for decades. The trend from 1991 to 2022 showed overall increasing opportunities for mountain biking in production forests, particularly in smaller commercial peri-urban plantations and forest parks maintained as dedicated mountain bike parks. Over the same period, public mountain biking access to larger (>1500 ha) forests peaked in 2008. These recreational changes within forests, and the impact these changes have pressed onto forest managers, have not been well documented. This paper explores the rise in popularity of mountain biking in New Zealand's production plantation forests, and the response of forest owners and managers to increased mountain biking activities in their commercial forest estates. The paper discusses implications for forest planning to accommodate active recreational sports such as mountain biking in production forests, suggesting policies and procedures to help protect commercial interests and forest ecology, while allowing for a contemporary mix of recreational activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, considerable pressure has been placed on groundwater resources in New Zealand due to increasing groundwater abstraction. Effective management of groundwater resources requires information on a range of physical and chemical properties. Understanding the interaction between groundwater and surface water is an important component of water resources management. However, conventional methods used to obtain this information can be very time consuming and expensive. In this paper, conventional and novel techniques developed for identifying and quantifying groundwater–surface water interaction are outlined and discussed within the New Zealand hydrological context. The paper concludes with a summary of the advantages and limitations of each technique and examples of application in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of smart public governance (SPG) is gaining attention among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners around the world, especially in response to the modernisation of public administration through emerging technologies in both local (smart city) and national (smart government) levels. Spurred by the noticeable lack of understanding of the SPG concept, the paper aims to comprehensively examine the SPG research by considering the characteristic differences between the smart city and smart government concepts. Bibliometric analysis is based on the Scopus database, containing 775 documents published in the last two decades and facilitated by several established and innovative bibliometric approaches. The results reveal the growth of SPG research over time. Despite the smart city concept being the dominant focus in the SPG research, the smart government concept has been becoming more relevant in recent years, as indicated by some prominent documents published in reputable journals like Government Information Quarterly. Moreover, Anglo-Saxon countries are chiefly engaged in SPG research. However, New Zealand and South Korea are identified as countries with a stronger focus on the smart government concept. The results show the smart city concept is connected with several smart-related initiatives (e.g., smart transportation, smart living, smart energy, etc.), while the smart government concept is primarily associated with smart (de)regulation and smart grid. The findings may add to the understanding of the future development of SPG research, on both local and national levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research posits that there are tensions in addressing divergent sustainability issues which need to be managed and embraced by firms. However, if these tensions cannot be addressed adequately, it will not only have negative impacts on individuals' interests but also on the development of organisations and ultimately the prosperity of the society, ultimately resulting in unethical consequences. Hence, this paper empirically examines tensions in addressing divergent sustainability issues and how to manage them between Chinese and New Zealand firms in business partnerships. Guided by an interpretivist philosophy, this research adopts a qualitative and abductive approach as the preferred research method. In doing so, 33 in‐depth individual interviews alongside one informal group discussion were carried out at 16 relatively large Chinese and New Zealand firms known for their commitment to sustainability that are in business partnerships. Interestingly, we find that these companies are faced with complex and multiple sustainability tensions. In order to better manage these tensions, we found that these firms adopt integrative approaches with opening, surfacing, collaborative and synergistic strategies which can help these companies to enhance their organisational ambidexterity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A content analysis of editorial items about Māori issues and the Treaty of Waitangi in 14 Suburban Newspaper publications in Auckland and Northland found a low proportion of articles about these issues, despite high proportions of Māori resident in several areas served by these publications. Stories included a higher proportion of apparent news releases compared to a national sample of non-daily papers. Māori perspectives came largely from sources representing pan-Māori non-government organisations; Suburban Newspapers used a low proportion of iwi and hapu sources compared with other community papers. Use of te reo Māori was low, and there were no signs of attempts to support readers in learning or increasing their understanding of te reo Māori. This article concludes that Māori and non-Māori readers are poorly served by the poverty of Suburban Newspapers reporting of Treaty and Māori issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formal narratives of New Zealand science have largely focused on the development of science infrastructure in New Zealand since the appointment of James Hector to head the New Zealand Geological Survey in 1865. This short communication uses the discourses of the 2015 conference,Finding New Zealand’s Scientific Heritageto explore the impact of institutional history, and the high number of participants (for example, retired scientists), on New Zealand historiography of science. I suggest this approach has resulted in the absenting or camouflaging of the contribution of women. The short communication then explores approaches that might mitigate against these effects, suggesting ‘starting thought from women's lives’ (Harding S. 1991. Whose science? Whose knowledge? Thinking from women’s lives. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, p. 150) as a primary mode for novel revisions of history of science in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The premutation of the fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein 1 (FMR1) gene is characterized by an expansion of the CGG trinucleotide repeats (55 to 200 CGGs) in the 5' untranslated region and increased levels of FMR1 mRNA. Molecular mechanisms leading to fragile X-premutation-associated conditions (FXPAC) include cotranscriptional R-loop formations, FMR1 mRNA toxicity through both RNA gelation into nuclear foci and sequestration of various CGG-repeat-binding proteins, and the repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN)-initiated translation of potentially toxic proteins. Such molecular mechanisms contribute to subsequent consequences, including mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal death. Clinically, premutation carriers may exhibit a wide range of symptoms and phenotypes. Any of the problems associated with the premutation can appropriately be called FXPAC. Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI), and fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (FXAND) can fall under FXPAC. Understanding the molecular and clinical aspects of the premutation of the FMR1 gene is crucial for the accurate diagnosis, genetic counseling, and appropriate management of affected individuals and families. This paper summarizes all the known problems associated with the premutation and documents the presentations and discussions that occurred at the International Premutation Conference, which took place in New Zealand in 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Event-based rainfall-runoff models are practical tools commonly used to predict catchments' response to a rainfall event. However, one of the main concerns is that the characteristics of rain events are neglected in the model development. This paper develops a novel event-based rainfall-runoff equation to incorporate rainfall characteristics into account. The performance of the new equation is evaluated based on the root mean square error, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient, and per cent bias for 13,339 rainfall-runoff events between 2005 and 2020 over 23 catchments across New Zealand and Australia with oceanic, mediterranean, tropical, subtropical, and semiarid climates. Compared to the previous event-based models, the new equation shows an improvement in runoff estimation in almost all case studies. Furthermore, considering the new equation is simple, efficient, and takes the rain event duration into account, the new equation has the potential to become a robust alternative method to the conventional curve number method in hydrological engineering projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Medical Schools Outcomes Database and Longitudinal Tracking Project (MSOD) in New Zealand is one example of a national survey-based resource of medical student experiences and career outcomes. Longitudinal studies of medical students are valuable for evaluating the outcomes of medical programs against workforce objectives. As a prospective longitudinal multiple-cohort study, survey response rates at each collection point of MSOD vary. This paper assesses the effects of participant non-response rates on MSOD data. Methods: Demographic variables of MSOD respondents between 2012 and 2018 were compared to the distribution of the demographic variables in the population of all NZ medical graduates to ascertain whether respondent samples at multiple survey collection points were representative of the population. Analysis using logistic regression assessed the impact of participant non-response on variables at collection points throughout MSOD. Results: 2874 out of a total population of 2939 domestic medical students graduating between 2012 and 2018 responded to MSOD surveys. Entry and exit surveys achieved response rates around 80% and were broadly representative of the total population on demographic variables. Post-graduation survey response rates were around 50% of the total population of graduates and underrepresented graduates from the University of Auckland. Between the entry and exit and the exit and postgraduation year three samples, there was a significant impact of non-response on ascribed variables, including age at graduation, university, gender and ethnic identity. Between the exit and postgraduation year one sample, non-response significantly impacted ascribed and non-ascribed variables, including future practice intentions. Conclusion: Samples collected from MSOD at entry and exit are representative, and findings from cross-sectional studies using these datasets are likely generalisable to the wider population of NZ medical graduates. Samples collected one and three years post-graduation are less representative. Researchers should be aware of this bias when utilizing these data. When using MSOD data in a longitudinal manner, e.g. comparing the change in career intentions from one collection point to the next, researchers should appropriately control for bias due to non-response between collection points. This study highlights the value of longitudinal career-tracking studies for answering questions relevant to medical education and workforce development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Crofton weed toxicity, caused by Ageratina adenophora, has been recognized as a cause of fatal lung disease in horses for over a century. Despite its impact on horse health in many areas of the world, the toxic syndrome is poorly understood and understudied. This paper looks at the prior research on weed biology, the potential toxicology mechanisms, and the pathology in horses and other species, as well as the future directions to improve our understanding of this fatal toxic weed affecting horses. Crofton weed (Ageratina adenophora) is a global and highly invasive weed, with ingestion causing severe respiratory disease in horses, leading to irreversible and untreatable pulmonary fibrosis and oedema. While reports of equine pneumotoxicity remain common in Australia and New Zealand, equine pneumotoxicity may be underdiagnosed in other countries where Crofton weed is endemic but poorly differentiated. The pathogenesis of Crofton weed toxicity following ingestion has been well described in a number of different animal models, including rodents, rabbits, and goats. However, induced toxicity is organ-selective across different animal species, and these vastly differ from the pathogenesis described in horses, both clinically and after experimental exposure. Sources of variation may include species-specific susceptibility to different toxins present in the plant, different mechanistic processes of toxicity, and species differences in toxin biotransformation and bioactivation across different organs. Considering disease severity and Crofton weed's invasiveness globally, assessing published toxicological and exposure data is necessary to advance research, identify specific toxins for horses, and possible prophylactic and therapeutic strategies. This review presents an overview of the available literature on equine toxicity, parallels between toxicity in horses and other animal species, and important aspects to be included in the future research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the Al-K2ZrF6 reaction system was used to prepare in-situ Al3Zr/AA6082 particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composites by electromagnetic stirring melt reaction method, and the friction stir welding technology was used to weld the plate. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded joints were studied when the rotating speed was 14000 rpm and the welding speed was 30, 50 and 70 mm/min respectively. The results show that the weld forming quality and tensile properties of the FSW joints with welding parameters of 14000 rpm and 50 mm/min are the best, the tensile strength is 142(±0.5) MPa and the elongation is 8.2%. SEM analysis shows that the particle size of the reinforcing phase in the base metal is refined to about 5-10 µm, while that in the NZ is about 1-5 µm. The grain size in the HAZ is about 20-30 µm and in the NZ is about 5-10 µm. EBSD analysis shows that the proportion of low-angle grain boundary in the NZ is 59.7% and of recrystallized grain structure is 23.65%, while the proportion of small-angle grain boundary in the HAZ is 24.35% and of recrystallized grain structure is 37.18%. It provides theoretical and experimental basis for the forming and application of friction stir welding of the composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate building detection is a critical task in urban development and digital city mapping. However, current building detection models for high-resolution remote sensing images are still facing challenges due to complex object characteristics and similarities in appearance. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel algorithm for building detection based on in-depth feature extraction and classification of adaptive superpixel shredding. The proposed approach consists of four main steps: image segmentation into homogeneous superpixels using a modified Simple Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC), in-depth feature extraction using an variational auto-encoder (VAE) scale on the superpixels for training and testing data collection, identification of four classes (buildings, roads, trees, and shadows) using extracted feature data as input to an Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and extraction of building shapes through regional growth and morphological operations. The proposed approach offers more stability in identifying buildings with unclear boundaries, eliminating the requirement for extensive prior segmentation. It has been tested on two datasets of high-resolution aerial images from the New Zealand region, demonstrating superior accuracy compared to previous works with an average F1 score of 98.83%. The proposed approach shows potential for fast and accurate urban monitoring and city planning, particularly in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commentary: What skills should student journalists and then working journalists be taught? This paper is an analysis of two decades of reports by editors in the New Zealand media on what they wanted to see. The reports were part of the annual Commonwealth Press Union review of the year. They show a focus by editors on the practical, craft skills of journalism, even as academics and teachers were questioning what was best. The reports cover the years 1979-2002. Many of the same issues then are still being faced; how do you ensure training is up to standard, what do young journalists need to know, how to deliver training to journalists during their careers, and how to ensure that a diverse range of people enters the industry? These questions remain today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations on the cross-sectional behavior and compressive capacities of aluminum alloy channel section stub columns after exposure to fire. A testing program was performed, including heating tests, postfire material tests, geometric imperfection measurements, and 16 stub column tests. The testing program was followed by a numerical modeling program. Finite-element models were developed to simulate the test responses and conduct parametric studies to obtain additional numerical data. The obtained test and numerical data were analyzed and adopted to perform design analyses, in which the applicability of the relevant room-temperature design rules in the American, European, and Australian/New Zealand codes to the postfire design of aluminum alloy channel sections under compression were examined. The results of the design analyses reveal that all three examined design codes yield excessively conservative and scattered predictions of postfire strengths, owing to the neglect of significant postfire material strain hardening. Then, a new design approach was proposed by rationally considering the material strain hardening. The new proposal was found to offer greatly improved design accuracy and consistency compared to the American, European, and Australian/New Zealand codes, especially for aluminum alloy channel sections after exposure to elevated temperatures above 400°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over an 18-month period four New Zealand educational institutions--a university, a private tertiary enterprise, a wānanga, and an institute of technology/polytechnic--have engaged in a process of change influenced by technology. Their e-learning capability was benchmarked using the E-Learning Maturity Model, and this information was used to stimulate change activities. The resulting case studies, discussed in this paper, illustrate the issues that face tertiary organisations and leaders engaging with the opportunities and challenges of e-learning. Five factors have been identified as significant influences on the ability of organisations to change in response to technology in the current political and educational landscape of the New Zealand tertiary sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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