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“Ka korero mai ki au i whea ahau”: a biography of Katerina Nikorima, Ngāti Pou.
Full text linkDespite appearing in three Charles F. Goldie paintings, very little is known about Katerina Nikorima, Ngāti Pou. Drawing on various publicly accessible sources, this article explores Katerina, her life, and her ambiguous position in society to reconstruct her story in the context of nineteenth and early twentieth-century New Zealand. Born to Māori parents, Katerina was orphaned at a young age and informally adopted by Sir William and Lady Mary Ann Martin who arranged for her to receive a European education. After completing her education, Katerina used her training in language and singing to work with Māori, especially in the Hauraki and Auckland, to promote Māori needs. In later life, Katerina withdrew from the Pākehā society of her upbringing before she eventually disappeared from contemporary records.
 
In Open Seas: How the New Zealand Labour Government Went Wrong: 2017-2023.
Full text linkBrian Easton’s new book charts a similar yet distinct new future-focussed direction in navigating the recent and more distant past, always with an economic lens at the core, but also encompassing a broad analysis of multiple influences reflecting his depth of perspective
Introduction to the Issue
Full text link This paper is an introduction to the special issue in honour of Ross T. Brady
Geological Net Zero and the Role of Carbon Capture and Storage new insights from science for global climate change policy
Full text linkInternational cooperation on climate change mitigation has been insufficient to put the world on track to meet the Paris Agreement’stemperature goal, and some interpretations of ‘net zero’ do not help because they do not achieve what net zero was intended to achieve: climate stabilisation. Nature’s capacity to offset warming is less than is often assumed, so reliance on policies such as tree planting could make the temperature goal even more distant; other approaches, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, risk compromising food production. The recently developed concept of ‘geological net zero’ enables a better alignment of policy and temperature outcomes. In this context, judicious use of carbon capture and storage as a backstop technology would avoid over-taxing natural sinks and, given appropriate regulatory design, could become an essential tool in achieving temperature targets
Home, House and Violence: A "Ghastly Domestic Tragedy," Invercargill, 1908
Full text linkFor New Zealanders, the first decade of the twentieth century was a reckoning with late nineteenth century national mythologies of a "farmer backbone" society where social health was promised by an abundant agricultural economy (Belich Paradise Reforged p 153). But despite claims that a shift to cities would produce an inferior breed of New Zealander, in 1911 we official became an urban society (of which Ben Schrader drolly observed that fears of catastrophic national decline failed to materialise (Schrader "City Images" np.)). The corollary of urbanisation was the consolidation, through the 1900s, of the New Zealand suburb. Colloquially, this eventually becomes the cultural foundation of the "dream" of Pākehā culture, where Kiwis live in their own homes, insulated from the world in what would become a folk tale paradise of quarter acres, half-gallons, and Pavlova pie (Mitchell The Half-gallon Quarter-acre Pavlova Paradise). But in Invercargill, in 1908, the fallacy of suburban paradise was confronted even as it was being forged. In the early hours of April 8th, in an action of inexplicable and horrifying violence, James Reid Baxter killed his wife, his five children, and then himself in an act of familicide ("Tragedy in Invercargill" p 9). This heartbreak has been largely forgotten, and the human cost of the Invercargill Tragedy might have been best kept respectfully distanced from academic research were it not for the unusually explicit domestic descriptions of the suburban crime scene that were published at the time. Preceding the mores of modern journalism, and taking place prior to the widespread availability of photographic reproduction in newspapers, these accounts provide a unique, if uncomfortable account of domesticity at this time. This features full descriptions of the domestic interior, but, in a context where the perpetrator's motives remained elusive, the accounts go further and offer insight into the social norms and patterns of the 1900s home. In this paper I unpick the architectural story of the domestic functioning of the Baxter family, as described at the time. In this procedure I am not seeking to sensationalise the violence, nor "solve" the crime. What I will do is explore the representational narratives of 1900s domesticity this case provides. In my argument the vivid descriptions of the Invercargill Tragedy spoke to a genuine desire at the time to understand the unthinkable, and it may be that the reason such domestic violence slipped so quickly from public consciousness was a realisation that actions cannot be simply blamed on houses, however suburban
Indirect costs: the perverse consequences of Aotearoa New Zealand’s research overheads system
Full text linkAotearoa New Zealand prides itself on achieving remarkable outcomes with limited resources and embraces a national identity rooted in innovation, resilience, and efficiency. But even number-8 wire can snap. As newly appointed academics navigating the country's research landscape, we have encountered a funding system stretched beyond its limits - one that threatens the integrity and sustainability of the research it is meant to support. Here, we argue that a central issue in the current system is Aotearoa's heavy reliance on indirect cost recovery - or "overheads" - to fund core institutional functions. We explore how this internationally anomalous system undermines research excellence by incentivizing budget-driven project design, fragmenting researchers' time, obstructing career development for early career researchers, and destabilizing institutional budgets through volatile, grant-dependent income. At a time when colleagues in Public Research Organizations - formerly Crown Research Institutes - face job insecurity and uncertainty, we feel obligated to speak out, in line with our role as the "critic and conscience of society" (Education and Training Act, 2022). As the nation restructures its public research system, we argue that core institutional funding must be decoupled from competitive research grants, which should be dedicated to supporting the direct costs of research
Influence, demands, bullying and job satisfaction: a large-scale New Zealand study
Full text linkThis paper explores a number of factors influencing job satisfaction in the workplace. While our study aligns with existing literature on workplace influence and job demands, it specifically examines how exposure to workplace bullying affected employees' perceived job satisfaction. Using data from a large-scale national study covering 3,612 workers in New Zealand, we analysed data from across all industries to investigate the impact of influence at work, quantitative demands and exposure to bullying on job satisfaction. Data was collected using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire III. We conducted a series of regression models to test the relationship among study variables.
The results showed that job satisfaction is influenced by all these factors. We found that those who experienced bullying had higher levels of quantitative demands and lower job satisfaction. In addition, the findings from regression analysis show that influence at work buffers the negative impact of high quantitative demands on job satisfaction
Quad Bikes - a continuing issue in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textQuad bike accidents remain a cause for concern with 697 serious harm incidents and 79 fatalities reported from 2006 to 2023. This rapid review aimed to collate research on injury mechanisms, environmental factors and harm reduction initiatives. A total of 32 papers were included in the review and identified that there are some common factors involved in accidents including rollover events, the presence of a slope, males are more likely to have an accident and younger and older riders are more at risk. In terms of prevention, rollover protection devices have shown a reduction in fatalities where the use of such devices is supported by both enforcement activity and education. While legislation is difficult to enforce, standards have been found to be successful in reducing fatalities in Australia. Training courses have been found to increase the self-report of the intention to change behaviours including wearing helmets. This has not been evaluated through actual behaviour change. There is still limited information around other intervention strategies including attitude and risk perception but understanding these factors is essential in any plan for change. The review proposes not just workplace hierarchy of controls but also societal level interventions
Assessing the impact of solar PV on vegetation growth through ground sunlight distribution at a solar farm in Aotearoa New Zealand
Full text linkThe global shift toward renewable energy has positioned solar photovoltaics (PV) as central to sustainable development. However, the land demands of ground-mounted PV systems raise concerns about competition with agriculture, particularly in regions with limited or productive farmland. Agrivoltaics, which integrates solar energy generation with agricultural use, offers a potential solution. While agrivoltaics has been extensively studied in arid and semi-arid climates, little is known about its feasibility and impacts in temperate environments such as Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly the effects of PV-induced shading on ground-level light availability and vegetation. This study modelled the spatial and seasonal distribution of ground-level irradiation and Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) beneath fixed-tilt PV arrays at Tauhei Solar Farm in the Waikato region. Using 2018 hourly SolarGIS data and a Python-based simulation, the research accounts for solar geometry, panel shading, and irradiance decomposition. It quantifies and maps PPFD to evaluate light conditions and its implications for vegetation growth. Results reveal significant spatial and temporal variation in PPFD. In summer, midday inter-row areas exceeded 450 μmol/m²/s, while winter under-panel zones often fell below 100 μmol/m²/s—near the light compensation point for many shade-sensitive plants. This variation supports a precision agrivoltaic strategy that zones land based on irradiance levels. By aligning crop types and planting schedules with seasonal light profiles, land productivity and ecological value can be improved. Spring and summer favour high-light crops, while winter is more suitable for shade-tolerant species or grazing. These findings are highly applicable in Aotearoa New Zealand’s pasture-based systems and show that effective light management is critical for agrivoltaic success in temperate climates
Techno-economic analysis of hybrid wave energy and floating photovoltaic systems in remote islands: A case study in Indonesia
Full text linkRemote islands in Indonesia continue to face significant challenges in achieving reliable and sustainable electricity access, with diesel-based systems dominating energy supply despite high operational costs, limited availability, and environmental drawbacks. This research investigated the techno-economic feasibility of two renewable energy configurations for achieving 24-hour electrification on remote islands, using Pulau Enggano as a representative case. Scenario 1 combines a floating photovoltaic (FPV) system, a wave energy converter (WEC), and battery storage, while Scenario 2 relies solely on FPV and battery systems. Using the System Advisor Model (SAM) of NREL for performance simulation and an annuitizing method for Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) analysis, both systems were designed to meet hourly and annual energy demands. Scenario 1 achieved an LCOE of USD 306/MWh, offering a more stable supply profile with reduced battery cycling. Scenario 2, though technically sufficient, resulted in a higher LCOE of USD 382/MWh due to larger storage requirements. Both scenarios were compared against the adjusted diesel generation cost of USD 246/MWh. Sensitivity analysis revealed that WACC and CAPEX are the most influential factors on economic performance, particularly for Scenario 2. Battery cost uncertainty also significantly impacted the LCOE of the battery-dependent system. This study concludes that hybrid renewable energy systems leveraging both solar and marine resources can deliver continuous power more economically and reliably than solar-only alternatives, especially when supported by appropriate financing mechanisms. The research highlights the need for targeted policy support—such as subsidy reforms and capital incentives—to enhance the competitiveness of clean energy in Indonesia's remote regions. Future research is recommended to assess the role of bioenergy alternatives like palm oil biodiesel and to expand real-world resource validation using long-term time series data
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