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Science needs to address its colonial legacies. While the Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways envisioned reforms of the research, science and innovation system has lost momentum, individuals and organisations across Aotearoa recognise, and are reaffirming, that the country's future prospects lie in embracing Tiriti-led policies and practices. In 2021 Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research (a Crown research institute mandated to ensure that the life force and vitality of the land is strong) committed to weaving the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi into its fabric. As employees, we use social practice theory in this article to evaluate the changes our organisation is experiencing on its journey to being Tiriti-led, and assess the lessons, impacts, successes and failures. This case study highlights the values-action gaps currently evident across the science system and provides insights into the various elements required to enable transformative change and new social norms within knowledge production policies and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive animal species threaten global biodiversity. In New Zealand invasive species threaten iconic native species, and scientists are seeking approval to research new technologies that might be capable of eradicating these invasive species. The aim of this research was to understand what New Zealanders with an interest in pest control consider to be the main risks and benefits of introducing new technologies to manage invasive species. We invited key informants to participate in the focus groups, selecting people with knowledge and experience of pest control issues in New Zealand. Data were collected from seven focus groups held in three locations across New Zealand. A thematic analysis of the data was then conducted in which three key themes emerged: concern about the risk of unintended consequences, the benefits of landscape-scale technologies, and New Zealand being an early adopter of new technologies. The focus groups articulated a variety of benefits from introducing new technologies – such as replacing dangerous poisons with non-toxic alternatives – but it was the risks of the new technologies that dominated the discussions. Given these results, we recommend an education and communication strategy focussed on social learning, in conjunction with a codesigned decision-making process, to help establish social licence for the application of potentially controversial technologies. This paper examines attitudes on the risks and benefits of new technologies to manage invasive species in New Zealand. Three themes emerged from our research: the risks of unintended consequences, the benefits of landscape scale technologies, and the risks and benefits of being an early adopter of new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A novel iron containing alkali alkaline earth borosilicate glass has been developed that can vitrify up to 30 wt% (dry weight) of a Magnox sludge waste in a homogeneous wasteform at a melting temperature of 1200 °C. Ce was used as a simulant of the actinide content in the waste. The waste was spiked with 0.5wt% of Cs 2 O of which 90% was retained in the glass. 60% of the Cl was also retained. Mg content limited the waste loading as loadings in excess of 30wt% led to the formation of forsterite and in some cases CeO 2 and MgFe 2 O 4 based spinels. PCT leach testing of the glasses for periods up to 180 days indicated the formation of an amorphous magnesium (alumino-)silicate hydrated layer on the glass surface together with barium rich crystalline precipitates. No Ce was detected in the leachate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In New Zealand, as in other developed nations, community-led conservation groups work to maintain and restore ecosystems and conserve indigenous biodiversity. These groups receive support in the form of materials, technical advice and funding from central and local government and non-governmental organisations, who are required increasingly to demonstrate delivery of benefits or conservation returns on investments. However, there is little empirical evidence for the objective evaluation of the effectiveness of community-based programmes in achieving national conservation outcomes. In the absence of such evidence, we investigated whether information on community groups' desired outcomes, gleaned from a sample of applications to a major national fund, could indicate their likely contributions to the outcomes in the national New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy. We assessed groups' outcomes in terms of their alignment with those in the strategy and against SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) project evaluation criteria. Of 89 individual project proposals, 53% contained one or more identifiable outcomes that were aligned to the national strategy; the remainder contained no clear, identifiable outcome statement. Project outcomes, where present, tended to focus on increasing awareness of and participation in conservation, and making positive changes to terrestrial and freshwater habitats and to indigenous species. In our sample, none of the aligned project outcomes met all five SMART criteria, only seven were measurable and only three were time-bound. The absence of clear outcome statements in many, and of measurable outcomes in most, community group applications means that funders would struggle to conclude anything about conservation returns on investments from the information provided. Without clear and measurable outcomes, empirical evaluation of projects' effectiveness is impossible. We suggest that funding providers can facilitate project evaluation by presenting requirements and advice for specifying project outcomes in applications. Furthermore, they should provide technical and financial support for identifying what to monitor and how to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study which examines the development of marine fisheries in New Zealand. It explores the institutional arrangements and the role of society in the commercial management of fisheries and natural resources. It demonstrates that the concept of socio-ecological embeddedness can be applied to economic transactions, ecosystems, and the interest of state and society.

The aim of this article is to conduct an evidence-based analysis of stakeholder engagement in decision-making processes affecting multifunctional irrigation systems. The selection of case studies has allowed us to examine different tools that promote stakeholder engagement and good governance. The case studies show how stakeholder engagement in irrigation systems shapes hydrosocial territories: (1) by reducing tension between stakeholders, (2) by redirecting regional planning and strategy, (3) by highlighting water crises, (4) by decentralizing water responsibilities, and (5) by integrating values and beliefs from different stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]