13553 research outputs found
Sort by
The importance of government prioritising, funding and regulating ECE as a public good - building a strong community-based sector in order to deliver social and cultural justice
No full textInvited presentation to Kindergartens Aotearoa, Wellington, Feb 13, 202
Conservative and Radical Progressive Compositional Styles in the Music of Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, and Franz Liszt
No full textThe objective of this study is to examine the piano music of Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, and Franz Liszt to demonstrate conservative and radical progressive compositional techniques that these composers use. I examine their approaches through the lens of each composers’ treatment with several elements of composition: -Virtuosity and Technique -Sonata Form in the Piano Sonata -Tonality -Harmonic Structure This body of work evolved from my performance preparation of selected piano works by these composers for the recital portion of my degree. Prominent composers from the early to middle part of the Romantic era are often placed into two categories as composers: Conservative or Radical Progressive. In the case of Schumann and Mendelssohn, they are often labelled as conservatives, whereas Liszt is regarded as a radical progressive. The principal argument of this thesis concludes that Schumann must not be labelled as a conservative, but a progressive. Although he shared conservative idealisms in his public writings, his compositional approach in these four aspects does not reflect this. For example, Schumann employed a similar technique to Liszt using unconventional transitions between distantly related harmonies; a technique I characterise as functional enharmonic equivalents. This thesis shows that Schumann’s approach is original and unique, moving past the barrier of conservativism. Thus, his grouping with the conservatives should be reevaluated.</p
Collaborating at Work: A Multimodal Analysis of Hybrid Meetings in New Zealand
No full textCollaboration is a defining feature of group interaction. A prime site for this collaboration is meetings (Allen & Lehmann-Willenbrock 2022; Angouri & Bargiela-Chiappini 2011). In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rapid increase in the adoption of hybrid meetings i.e., attendees are both remote and co-located. The presence of multiple interactional spaces in this setting (Oittinen 2018; Wasson 2006) creates a “fractured ecology” (Luff et al. 2003) in which there is asymmetrical access to interactional resources (Büyükgüzel & Balaman 2023; Oittinen 2018). While some have suggested that workers avoid hybrid meetings (Reed & Allen 2022), this study recognises that hybrid meetings are the “new reality” (Ancona, Bresman, & Mortensen 2021). Examining interaction in this setting has the potential to offer greater understanding of how social actors draw on a variety of embodied resources to negotiate this asymmetry and achieve transactional and relational goals within a workplace team. The study brings together the traditions of Workplace Discourse Analysis (WDA) and Multimodal Interaction Analysis (MIA; Norris 2011a, 2020) to investigate collaboration in hybrid meetings. This combined approach allows for systematic examination of the multimodal resources that social actors draw on to collaborate, while also including the theoretical advancements of WDA, particularly in the areas of identity construction and context. Each analysis chapter explores a different aspect of collaboration that emerged as salient in the data and which matches the priorities described in workplace discourse literature (see e.g., Holmes et al. 2011). The first focuses on participants’ transactional goals realised via attention to how they make decisions; the second chapter addresses the participants’ accomplishment of relational goals through the concept of Relational Practice (Fletcher 1999; Holmes & Marra 2004); and the final analysis chapter brings these areas together to explore how my participants enact leadership to guide collaboration within the team. The dataset consists of audio-video recordings of six, fortnightly meetings of the Senior Leadership Team of a large, education-focused, New Zealand organisation with aspirations to become bicultural (i.e., orienting to Pākehā and Māori ways of doing things). These recordings are supplemented with ethnographic observations and post-hoc interviews, in line with the procedures developed by the Language in the Workplace Project team and accepted best practice in MIA (Holmes & Stubbe 2003[2015]; Norris 2019). This methodology provides access to both the multimodal negotiation of practices in the hybrid setting and the emic, community perspective that supports my analytical interpretations (Marra & Lazzaro-Salazar 2018). The findings of this thesis highlight the relevance of the contextual environment in which this collaboration takes place. The social realist stance I adopt encourages examination of the ways in which overarching layers of social structures intersect and overlap with local, interactional contexts, facilitating analysis of how collaboration is impacted by these contextual constraints (Holmes et al. 2011; Holmes & Marra 2023; Dawson 2019). At the local, micro-interactional level, the ‘multiple built environments’ (Jones 2004, 2005) of the hybrid setting trouble assumptions of co-presence in workplace meetings. This is evidenced in asymmetrical access to interactional resources between remote and co-located participants, impacting how practices like turn taking and constructing humour are enacted. Findings also point to how social and institutional norms play a role in how my participants collaborate. The analysis of leadership in particular draws attention to how the chair’s enactment of meeting opening practices indexes the Community of Practice’s ‘joint enterprise’ and reflect wider social Discourses of biculturalism in New Zealand (Vine et al. 2022). Based on these findings, I argue that collaboration is an interactional process that takes place at a site of engagement (Jones 2004, 2005; Norris 2011a; Norris & Jones 2005; Scollon 1997, 1998[2014]), a concept that addresses this complex contextual relationship by grounding the analysis at the locus of meaning making, the mediated action, while also attending to the intersection of practices and social Discourses that impact collaboration. This research has furthered the dialogue between MIA and WDA that was first opened by Kuśmierczyk (2013) by combining theoretical and analytical tools and concepts from each field. As a result of the data-driven analysis, I have developed a definition of collaboration that addresses both the different levels of abstraction at which collaboration takes place (collaboration1) and how normative ways of collaborating emerge from social actors’ repeated actions (collaboration2). Overall, this research advances our theoretic and analytic understanding of collaboration in contemporary workplaces.</p
Representations of Space in Hades’ Underworld
No full textThis thesis explores the world of Hades (Supergiant 2020) and analyses the inspirations for its environments through a comparison to ancient sources. After establishing Hades’ context and history as an incredibly popular videogame, I examined the various landscapes and their ancient counterparts. I did not, however, attempt to make a topographical map of any of the Underworlds I investigated, as this is impossible with the sheer range of features, themes and ideas that each author has for their vision of the Underworld. There are clear references to Hesiod, Virgil, Homer and Aristophanes in the world building of Hades, and I identified clear changes or inclusions to Supergiant’s Underworld. The exploration of Hades would not be as effective without the use of specific theories in videogame design. I link Hades’ linear structure to the theme of katabasis performed by the main character, which defines him as a reimagined Greek hero. The presence of residents in specific regions immerses the player further as they travel through the Underworld. The inclusion of recognisable beings such as Cerberus and Sisyphus both reassures the player as they move through unknown territory and creates a richer landscape. However, their stories have been altered to suit a contemporary audience, supporting Supergiant’s reinterpretation of Hades for a modern world.</p
Importing Delights or Dangers?: Films, Television, Toys, and the Creation of Children’s Consumer Culture in New Zealand, 1935-2024
No full textThe thesis traces the development of children’s consumer culture in New Zealand from the 1930s to the present. It begins with the merchandising efforts of local entrepreneurs to appeal to boys’ desires for cars, and girls for Hollywood glamour as Shirley Temple and Walt Disney became the inspiration for toys and related merchandise. Initially playing with replicas of foreign-made toys in the 1930s, New Zealand children became increasingly attracted to imported toys due to the arrival of television in the 1960s. By the late 1970s when Star Wars arrived, they were immersed in a global children’s consumer culture that often involved different forms of media with associated toys created by Disney, Mattel, and other global enterprises. In the 1990s programme-length commercials like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) filled up television schedules and added must-have items to toy boxes, while New Zealand productions and products found it difficult to compete for audiences and consumers.The explosive popularity of the heavily marketed and hyped Barbie indicates that the relationship between trans-media and merchandise is more powerful than ever. Today it encompasses nostalgic adults reliving their childhood amusements as evidenced by The Super Mario Bros. Movie which was only $83,000,000 behind Barbie in the global box office. Super Mario competed against a slew of male-oriented blockbusters, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, while Barbie’s main competition was Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid. The merchandising machine of Mattel with its dolls, housewares, beauty items, and bags encouraging customers to channel their inner Barbie was also adept at extracting profits from its Disney rival with a Little Mermaid doll collection. Toys, Hollywood films, and streaming services like Netflix continued to associate playing with profits and the promise of enjoyment for New Zealand children and adult consumers.The emergence of children’s consumer culture is examined through an analysis of influential films, television, toys, and advertising from the 1930s to the present concentrated on trans-media entertainment and associated merchandise. A survey of contemporary New Zealanders enquires into their relationship with globally influenced children’s consumer culture, and the extent of their continued attachment to childhood thrills derived from imported products and trans-media offerings. The thesis reveals that parental and children’s consumption patterns in New Zealand demonstrate the impact of global children’s consumer culture transmitted by Hollywood films, imported television, and the marketing of toys that associate enjoyment and status with the purchase of cultural and commodity imports.</p
Tūrangawaewae: An ode to Tangowahine
No full textThis body of work is concerned with the multifaceted aspects and significance of a person’s connection to their tūrangawaewae. As a direct translation, tūrangawaewae means ‘place to stand’. Despite the simplistic nature of this translation, tūrangawaewae is a rather profound Māori concept. Tūrangawaewae can refer to a person’s place that emboldens their identity, makes them feel most at home, a place they bear ancestral rights to, or feel an obligation to serve. Tūrangawaewae can refer to any or all of these definitions and is entirely subjective to each person or whānau. An undeniable truth of tūrangawaewae however, is that it refers to places of tūhononga (connection) to people, place, ancestors, or the self. Historically, a whānau’s marae or the surrounding environment was often considered their tūrangawaewae. Today, just half of Māori in New Zealand still consider this to be the case. However, the significance of tūrangawaewae in identity formation and subsequent wellbeing effects, remain. In the wake of modern economic, geographic, and cultural reality, some Māori have formed contemporary tūrangawaewae connections. This has been the case for my whānau. Today, we bear little connection to the whenua our ancestors would have considered their tūrangawaewae. Despite this, we have formed a physical and spiritual connection over four generations to a place called Tangowahine in Te Tai Tokerau. Tangowahine has become our tūrangawaewae. This connection has formed somewhat unconsciously, and I only found the words to describe this place within the last year. This personal discovery came at a time when my whānau were preparing to grapple with the idea of losing our connection to Tangowahine, for various familial reasons. As this pressing reality became more foreseeable, I began to think more and more about how important Tangowahine is to me, and how strongly I desired to retain this connection. Thus spawns the question this research aims to answer: How can the integration of objective realities and subjective experiences of connection to tūrangawaewae inform the design and imagination of future architectural spaces that embody its significance?The subsequent aims (letters) and objectives (Roman numerals) of this thesis are to: (a)Understand and articulate the theoretical significance of tūhononga to tūrangawaewae.i.Explore existing tūrangawaewae literature in relation to notions of home, identity, and wellbeing.(b)Understand and articulate the subjective experience and aspirations of tūhononga to tūrangawaewae.i.Interview whānau to establish a sense of their collective consciousness toward their tūrangawaewae.ii.Interview whānau to understand their future aspirations toward their tūrangawaewae.(c)Speculate future tūhononga to tūrangawaewae for my whānau.i.Derive conceptual architectural interventions from interviews with whānau.ii.Imagine the architecture of an idealistic, future tūrangawaewae within Tangowahine.This research follows a kaupapa Māori auto-ethnographical research paradigm, which considers core kaupapa Māori research principles and the act of self-reflection – with a focus on the whānau collective, rather than the sole individual. During the first half of this thesis, a research-led design methodology is employed, where I consider relevant literature, investigate site, interview my whānau and analyse this data. The second half of the thesis employs a design-led research methodology, where I create architectural concepts based in the collective whānau interview data and use symbology to visualise written themes. The concepts and symbols inform an iterative design process which results in a cohesive architectural outcome.Upon investigating the relevant literature, I found tūrangawaewae to be a deeply significant concept that is intrinsically tied to notions of home and sense of identity for Māori. Tūrangawaewae can act as the conduit between individuals, their whānau, their whenua, and their ancestors. The positive reinforcement and formation of identity clarity has also been linked to positive wellbeing outcomes for both Māori and people of other cultures alike. The data collected from semi-structured one-on-one interviews with members of my whānau reinforced these ideas and reaffirmed Tangowahine as our place of tūrangawaewae. Interviews with whānau also revealed some opportunities for architectural responses that are directly formed by the collective whānau conscious. These took three forms: (1) a Whānau Pātaka, to store important family history and artifacts to reduce the burden on whānau to retain knowledge and the likelihood of losing information between generations; (2) a Tūpuna Pathway, where a kōwhai tree is planted for each whānau member who is born – to allow future generations to walk within the whenua and alongside their ancestors who came before them; and (3) an identity base where whānau are able to stay and gather to connect with each other, the whenua, their ancestors, and themselves. The outcome of this research is an idealistic, utopian vision for how my whānau may be able to continually inhabit our last-standing piece of whenua in Tangowahine for generations to come. Admittedly, the nature of this architectural proposal isn’t conventionally detailed, or perhaps even pragmatically feasible. Rather, the architecture is simply a product of a much more significant, meaningful, and I would suggest urgent pursuit. A pursuit toward establishing a collective understanding of the role Tangowahine has played in many of my whānau’s lives. I believe if my whānau and I direct our attention toward the significance of this place, we will be more likely to ensure we retain this connection. A connection with Tangowahine, each other, our ancestors, and ourselves. Tūrangawaewae, an ode to Tangowahine.</p
Meat reduction as a climate action in Aotearoa New Zealand: A media frame analysis and discourse analysis of enablers and barriers to meat reduction for men living in Aotearoa New Zealand.
No full textAddressing climate change requires urgent and impactful action. This includes reducing consumption of red meat for people living in high-income countries. Underpinned by critical realism and critical ecofeminism, this work aimed to expose how power manifests in the climate-meat association in two connected studies. The thesis explores media frames of meat reduction and the rhetorical arguments deployed in 58 news articles from 2019-2022 in Stuff Ltd. Media adopted a ‘risk’ and a ‘responsibility’ frame. A ‘risk’ frame was adopted for both pro-reduction and anti-reduction positions. Arguments favouring reduction considered the risks of meat consumption to both human health and ecological systems. Arguments against reduction focused on risks to humans, particularly for the ‘vulnerable’ and risks related to meat production systems. Positions for and against reduction emphasised individual action and responsibility, presenting dietary ‘choice’ as the foremost way to manage risk. Responsibility was mainly framed in terms of ‘individual responsibility’ and aggregated individual choices were given power to influence political action. A ‘collective responsibility’ frame and ‘political responsibility’ were also present but to a lesser extent. While engaging a single country focus and investigating one media outlet limits understanding, the implications of the research findings are important. Media shape how people think, feel, and act towards climate change. These findings highlight an over-emphasis on individual responsibility and this reduces media attention on mobilising collective action and holding powerful actors to account. In the second study, ten men participated in qualitative research that drew on Foucauldian-inspired discourse analysis augmented with an analysis of extra-discursive elements (embodiment, materiality and structures). A discourse of ‘green responsibility’ was constructed, and meat reduction was also produced as ‘easy and flexible’. Media influence was discernible in the way men took up the subject positions of ‘(rational) climate-activist’ and ‘citizen-consumer’. Other subject positions included ‘good and green’ and ‘social-omnivore’. For these men, socioeconomic status appeared to have no negative bearing on meat reduction. Discourses of the ‘normality of meat’ were re(produced) by the participants, hindering meat reduction in some social situations, and a ‘conformist-flexitarian’ subject position deflected unwanted scrutiny of dietary choice. This study provided rich insight into the way masculine identity was re(negotiated) and (re)constructed. Meat reduction was produced as a rational response to climate change that had no negative health impact. Hegemonic forms of meat-eating and hunting animals for sport were rejected as outdated and made suspect. Care for the environment and multiple justice orientations, alongside an increased compassion for animals made visible traces of more ecological forms of masculinity. Climate advocacy could focus on the inclusion of plant-based protein in social situations to further disrupt the meat-masculinity association. While this research increases knowledge regarding the psychology of meat reduction as climate action, gaps remain. Future research could investigate larger media data sets and compare how different news outlets frame the meat-climate association, and a deeper exploration into the experiences of meat reduction as climate action in non-Western cultures is warranted.</p
Exploring how People with Head and Neck Cancer Experience Psychosocial Support in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textThis thesis explores the psychological and social support experiences of people with head and neck cancer (HNC) in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). Treatment for this type of cancer can result in significant functional challenges, resulting in people needing a range of psychological and social support; yet awareness about and understandings of HNC remain limited. This study is grounded in social constructionism as the theoretical framework, using “conditional compassion” as a guiding theoretical concept (Gibson et al., 2017), to explore how people with HNC experience psychosocial support from those around them. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants diagnosed with HNC within the last 10 years, residing in Aotearoa NZ, and aged 18 or older at the time of diagnosis. Recruitment was supported by the Cancer Service at Wellington Hospital, the Cancer Society, and an HNC Facebook support group. Ultimately, 11 participants (10 people with cancer, 1 carer) took part in the study, ranging in age from 18 to 79. The majority were Pākehā/NZ European, with seven female and four male participants. They lived in a mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas across Aotearoa NZ. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and a reflexive thematic analysis was employed to examine how people with HNC construct and navigate their illness experiences in light of the psychosocial support they receive. Two overarching themes were identified from the analysis. The first theme, ‘Challenges and Roadblocks in Healthcare Access,’ highlights the delays in diagnosis that can occur, largely owing to limited awareness of HNC symptoms among both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and the public. The second theme, ‘Networks of Care – Understanding Support System Dynamics,’ underscores the collective nature of the HNC journey, with whānau/family playing a crucial support role, often leading to shifts in family responsibilities. The findings of this study illustrate how access to care and support might be shaped by geographical disparities, gendered expectations, and the dynamics of professional-patient relationships. Furthermore, they emphasise the need for greater awareness of HNC in Aotearoa NZ and the development of more comprehensive psychosocial support systems that recognise the social and cultural factors shaping people’s experiences. Addressing these challenges also requires a shift toward more patient-centred, holistic models of care that acknowledge the complex realities of living with HNC.</p
A Pilot Evaluation of WELLfed, a Community-Based Adult Education Intervention
No full textIntroduction: WELLfed is a community-based adult education programme focused on improving food literacy, with a stated aim to “nourish communities through food and connections”, in a low-income community in Aotearoa New Zealand. Adult learners are taught food preparation and cooking skills in weekly interactive sessions. Here, we describe two pilot phases of a three-phase evaluation. Methods: Our overall aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the WELLfed programme. Phase 1, in keeping with the co-design approach of WELLfed, co-designed outcome measures through five focus groups (n = 20) involving a wide range of stakeholders. Phase 2 developed and refined a survey based on these co-designed measures. The survey was administered to WELLfed learners at baseline (n = 15) and again towards the end of their programme (follow-up n = 12). Wilcoxon rank sum tests of significance were performed, restricted to participants with both baseline and follow-up data. Results: Five domains of importance identified in Phase 1 were as follows: (i) engagement support, (ii) food knowledge and skills, (iii) personal development, (iv) relationship transformation, and (v) community flourishing. Phase 2 findings include increased comfort level at engagement (p = 0.063). Food knowledge and preparation skills improved on a range of factors. All metrics of self-confidence and self-efficacy increased, with the greatest change being the ability to find support in times of crisis. Self-reported excellent or very good health increased (p = 0.050). Fewer people reported food running out due to a lack of money (p = 0.016) or eating less because of a lack of money (p = 0.008). Conclusions: The pilot study shows the effectiveness of the WELLfed programme for improving food knowledge and skills, reducing food insecurity, and improving health outcomes. Further research with a larger sample size is required to confirm these pilot results
Adapting to Change: Effects of Rising Temperatures on Bacterial Community Dynamics in New Zealand’s Alpine Lakes
No full textClimate change is currently one of the greatest threats to ecosystem functionality and biodiversity, particularly for alpine lake ecosystems. Rising temperatures are anticipated to induce shifts in bacterial community composition and richness, potentially favouring taxa that can negatively affect the ecosystem, such as cyanobacteria. Despite this, bacterial communities are rarely studied in alpine lakes located away from nutrient sources, limiting our understanding of the direct effects of temperature. Lake Greaney and Lake Harris are two alpine lakes in southern New Zealand, distal from nutrient sources, and provide a significant opportunity to explore the effects of temperature on bacteria. However, temperature change in New Zealand’s alpine regions is rarely recorded. Therefore, this thesis uses a combination of traditional (chironomid larvae) and molecular (metabarcoding and droplet digital Polymerase Chain Reactions) paleolimnological techniques to reconstruct temperature and bacterial community responses to anthropogenic warming from lakes Greaney and Harris.Chironomids (Insecta:Diptera) were used to reconstruct temperature change over the last 1,000 years in two alpine lakes from southern New Zealand, testing their ability to detect modern warming. The temperature reconstructions revealed cool periods between ~900 – 1250 CE and ~1650 – 1850 CE, and warming intervals at ~1250 – 1650 CE and from ~1850 CE onwards. These climatic trends were observed across all models in both lakes, providing some confidence in our reconstructions. However, absolute summer mean temperature values were not accurately modelled and did not align with the instrumental record when compared to Queenstown’s meteorological station. Based on this, chironomids show some ability to quantify anthropogenic warming, but their inability to capture absolute values means caution is necessary when interpreting these records.Using the chironomid-inferred temperature reconstuctions, the potential influence of global warming on bacterial and cyanobacterial community composition and richness was explored. Here I found tentative evidence for temperature-associated shifts in bacterial community composition and richness in both lakes Greaney and Harris. The most notable changes coincided with anthropogenic warming after 1850 CE, as suggested by the chironomid reconstructions and the Queenstown meteorological station. Despite this, changes could not be confidently attributed to warming temperatures, as results may have been confounded by the potential for bacteria to be actively living in the sediment core, limited taxonomic knowledge, and the potential influence from environmental variables not explored in this study.Cyanobacterial communities also displayed potential temperature-driven shifts in composition, richness, and biomass peaks, all coinciding with anthropogenic warming. Toxic bloom forming cyanobacteria were also observed in Lake Harris around 1950 CE (1884 – 2019 CE) for one of the first times in New Zealand’s alpine lakes. However, cyanobacterial DNA counts were very low, indicating both lakes are likely still oligotrophic and unproductive. Although changes in cyanobacterial community dynamics may be explained by temperature, indirect evidence suggests atmospheric nutrient deposition could influence our results, thus its impacts cannot be ruled out. Despite this, bacterial community dynamics are changing, with the findings from this thesis acting as an early warning of the trajectory New Zealand’s alpine lakes may follow under a business-as-usual climate scenario.</p
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Victoria University of Wellington? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!