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Beyond The Back garden: Centralising the community connection to third spaces within Eastern Auckland’s suburban landscapes
No full textSuburban development across Auckland focuses on increasing the number of dwellings on a single section. This is creating a loss in outdoor space for suburban residents which defeats the main attraction of suburban living. The idea of the quarter acre section within a reasonable distance to the CBD is long past, nowadays you would be lucky to even own a lawn with your newly built subdivided townhouse. Creating space for suburban recreation and increasing the potential for neighbourliness through third spaces within the suburban landscapes, is a direct response to this increase in townhouse builds around the outer suburbs of Auckland.This research explores how suburban landscape can be the connection point between private residential space and public recreational space, and how looking beyond your private back garden for recreational use can lead to informal interaction with neighbours, thus creating a stronger connection to your wider community. Throughout this research the ideas of neighbourliness, suburban development, communal space and community connection are unpacked through literature reviews and then developed into a final design strategy.The first phase of this research used focus groups to unpack the issues within the community, from there an initial design was developed and then shared back to the same group of participants for feedback. This led into the second phase of research, which focused on using the participants preference to develop the design strategy and ultimately the final developed design. Using the visual preference focus group as way to reflect on the different stages of design helped push this design lead research into a final design that not only showcased the solutions to the problems highlighted by the community but also responds to the rapid increase in suburban development within the area of Howick.Key words: Suburban development, Third spaces, Neighbourliness, Suburban Auckland, Community connection, Sense of place, Suburban landscapes, Communal landscapes, Focus groups.</p
Understanding the magmatic systems beneath the central Taupō Volcanic Zone, New Zealand: insights from plutonic lithics
No full textThe central Taupō Volcanic Zone (cTVZ) (North Island, New Zealand) has seen abundant Quaternary silicic magmatism since ∼1.9 Ma. In regions of such young magmatism, where uplift and exhumation have not occurred, plutonic lithics in volcanic deposits represent the only means by which the plutonic roots of the magmatic systems can be investigated. This thesis presents textural, geochemical, and fluid inclusion results on three suites of cTVZ plutonic lithics ranging from olivine-bearing mafic plutonic lithics through to hydrothermally altered, alkali feldspar-bearing granites, plus a fourth suite of strongly hydrothermally altered rhyolite clasts.The first suite is mafic to felsic plutonic lithics, studied alongside the host scoria, from the K-Trig monogenetic scoria cone, NE of Lake Taupō. The plutonic lithics range from olivine-pyroxene-melt-bearing mafic plutonics (44–47 wt.% SiO2) to alkali feldspar-bearing granites. The mafic plutonics are categorised into three textural groups: groundmass-poor, porphyritic and glass-rich, where, based on major and trace element abundances, the groundmass-poor have experienced crystal accumulation, and the glass-rich have experienced more crystal fractionation. Trace element modelling indicates the K-Trig scoria has undergone large amounts (∼40-60 %) of fractional crystallisation from a primitive basalt as a network of connected mafic magma chambers, similar to other cTVZ high-alumina basalts. The K-Trig mafic suite (mafic plutonics and scoria) has a narrow range in 87Sr/86Sr isotopic compositions for the gabbros, 0.704853 – 0.70488, indicating source homogeneity. Sr-Pb isotope modelling of cTVZ basalts indicates The second suite is intermediate-felsic plutonic lithics recovered from cTVZ deposits ranging in age from ∼1 Ma to 1314 CE (clasts from the ∼54 ka Rotoiti sequence are considered separately). The cTVZ-hosted plutonic lithics are split into diorites and granitoids (granodiorite-granite), where the diorites typically contain pyroxene, amphibole, and plagioclase ± glass and magnetite, and the granitoids contain quartz and plagioclase ± biotite, alkali feldspar, zircon, and allanite/monazite. The textures within the granitoids are highly variable, ranging from coarse-grain equigranular to granophyric textures. The cTVZ-hosted granitoids follow similar major element liquid lines of descent (LLDs), indicating similar silicic magmatic evolution trends across the cTVZ. The granitoids have highly variable Rb/Sr (∼0.4–4), La/Yb(N) (∼4-16), and ΣREE(N) (∼250–600) values. This range in values is suggested to be controlled by fractional crystallisation processes, where the higher values reflect granites formed from cooled, crystallised melt that has been extracted from a crystal mush. Despite this, no definitive evidence of crystal accumulation was found within the cTVZ plutonic suite. Depth estimates for cTVZ diorites are ∼7–12 km, and granitoids are ∼2.5–5.5 km depth. However, none of the diorites or granitoids are definitively co-magmatic with their host eruptives; however, the majority of these can be proven to be xenolithic to their host eruption. This suggests the presence of multiple magmatic bodies, partially molten and/or sub-solidus, that were present within the crust during various cTVZ eruptions.The third suite is granitoids (sensu lato) recovered from proximal lithic breccias in the ∼54 ka Rotoiti ignimbrite (Ōkataina volcano). These granitoids (∼68–81 wt.% SiO2) display a wide range in textures (coarse-grained equigranular to abundant granophyric textures) and trace element values: Rb/Sr (∼0.4–14), La/Yb(N) (∼4-16), and ΣREE(N) (∼250–1600) values. At least one granite is identified as having formed from fractional crystallisation, having accumulated plagioclase, biotite, and zircon ± monazite/allanite. The granitoids have been classified into three groups using Sr and CaO, which relate to the degree of fractionation experienced by the granitoid. Multiple, isolated magmatic bodies (partially molten and sub-solidus) present beneath the Ōkataina Volcanic Centre at the time of the Rotoiti eruption explain the abundance and diversity of plutonic lithics within a single deposit.The fourth sample suite of lithics is the Rotoiti-hosted hydrothermally altered rhyolite lithics studied in conjunction with hydrothermally altered cTVZ and Rotoiti-hosted granitoid lithics. The mineral assemblages in these rhyolites include sericite, chlorite, adularia, orthoclase, rutile, and rare pyrite. The hydrothermal mineral assemblages in the granitoids include chlorite, albite, orthoclase, and epidote, indicative of propylitic alteration. Hydrothermal mineral assemblages indicate that the hydrothermal fluids were near-neutral pH chloride fluids (>260 °C), suggesting limited contribution from magmatic fluids, typical of present-day cTVZ geothermal waters. Microthermometry of quartz-hosted fluid inclusions in cTVZ plutonic lithics indicates interaction with Cl-rich fluids (∼6-13 wt.% NaClequiv), suggesting exsolution, but incomplete degassing, of magmatic volatiles within shallow-level plutonic bodies.This thesis considers the three plutonic lithic suites in terms of crustal assimilation, the volcanic-plutonic connection and thermal maturation of cTVZ crust over the last ∼2 Ma. The plutonic lithics (K-Trig, cTVZ and Rotoiti-hosted) all assimilated a Kaweka basement terrane, with most assimilation occurring in the lower crust. There is no change in geochemical characteristics in the cTVZ plutonic suite over time (i.e., within the Old, Young and Modern periods), suggesting thermal maturation of the crust does not apply to the cTVZ.</p
Decolonising <i>Sumak Kawsay</i> in Indigenous Film and Media: Translation and More-than-Human Archives in Eriberto Gualinga’s <i>The Return</i> (2021)
No full textSumak Kawsay, Buen Vivir or Good Living is a concept derived from Andean Indigenous cosmologies, understood as living in harmony with one another and with nature. In the 21st century, a more drastic shift occurred when Pink Tide governments employed the term to redact their own national development plans. This article proposes two decolonial approaches to analyze Sumak Kawsay in Indigenous film and media: ‘Film as translation’, where adapting ancestral knowledges to moving images can imply a loss of meaning to the detriment of Indigenous communities; and ‘The Living Forest as archive’ where the non-human landscape of these territories represents a living repository of memory, in constant need of defending. These approaches are used to analyze Eriberto Gualinga’s film
The Return
(2021), with the Kichwa community of Sarayaku as its main case study.
Sumak Kawsay, Buen Vivir o Good Living es un concepto derivado de las cosmologías indígenas andinas, entendido como la vida en armonía tanto entre los seres humanos como con la naturaleza. En el siglo XXI se produjo un viraje más drástico cuando los gobiernos de la Marea Rosada emplearon el término para redactar sus propios planes nacionales de desarrollo. Este artículo propone dos enfoques decoloniales para analizar el Sumak Kawsay en el cine y los medios indígenas: “el cine como traducción”, donde la adaptación de saberes ancestrales a las imágenes en movimiento puede implicar una pérdida de sentido en detrimento de las comunidades indígenas; y “la selva viviente como archivo”, en el cual el paisaje no humano de estos territorios constituye un repositorio viviente de la memoria, en constante necesidad de defensa. Estos enfoques se aplican al análisis de la película
The Return
(2021) de Eriberto Gualinga, teniendo como principal caso de estudio a la comunidad kichwa de Sarayaku
How Do Tertiary Lecturers and Multilingual Students Manage the Multiple Discourses within English Medium Instruction (EMI) Engineering Courses in Thailand?
No full textEnglish Medium Instruction (EMI) in tertiary education has been growing globally. It is seen as a way to enhance countries’ economic competitiveness. Studies have revealed challenges as well as benefits for students and lecturers. However, there is limited empirical research on EMI in remote areas of Thailand. This study investigated how multilingual lecturers and students prepared for, perceived, and adapted to EMI implementation in four engineering courses at a Thai university. Data were collected from interviews with four lecturers and 18 students, four classroom observations, and four sets of teaching-related documents. The data were analysed thematically and discussed using the ROAD-MAPPING theoretical framework (Dafouz & Smit, 2016, 2020) to examine the complex scenarios of English-Medium Education in multilingual university settings through its six components, with discourses as a central idea. The findings revealed influences on the teaching and learning practices of multilingual students and lecturers in these EMI classes. The four key themes were: Preparing for EMI Teaching and Learning, Using Languages to Facilitate Learning, Lecturers’ Teaching Strategies in Action, and Dealing with Challenges in EMI Classes. These themes illustrate how different discourses played out in these EMI classrooms, and revealed social practices that constructed and shaped the discourses of engineering. The participants’ practices included embracing diverse languages including English and developing teaching and learning strategies to manage challenges arising from their engagement in EMI. The lecturers and students valued interactions in classes. Lecturers valued interactions with students therefore, most lecturers designed activities in which students were required to collaborate. Students also valued interactions, so they used every feasible way to communicate with their classmates including using English as well as their home languages. The lecturers did not stop students from using home languages for class work. Therefore, English and home languages (Thai, Isan, Tagalog and Bisaya) supported each other rather than competing. The findings also suggested that forces like globalisation influenced the university and lecturers to prepare graduates to be competent both in content and language skills through the medium of EMI. The local context led to specific practices for engineering EMI. The synergies between global and local influences developed into contextualised EMI practices at University X. These findings from the unique context of University X together with the ROAD-MAPPING framework (Dafouz & Smit, 2016, 2020) evolved into a localised teaching and learning approach in this EMI context where increasing numbers of lecturers and learners did not share a first language. This is conceptualised as a Lotus model which represents components influencing the specific discourses of engineering, both the observable and unobservable. The lotus also reflects the relationships among these components. The Lotus model offers a glocalised roadmap for teaching and learning in other multilingual EMI contexts. This model may assist higher education institutions in other contexts in developing guidelines to ensure that EMI is transformative and sustainable.</p
Synthesis and Reactivity of Anionic Low Valent and Hydrido Main Group Complexes supported by the NON-ligand
No full textThe work detailed in this thesis describes the synthesis and reactivity of anionic low valent and hydrido main group complexes supported by the NON- and NNO-ligands ([NON]2- = [O(SiMe2NDipp)2]2-, Dipp = 2,6-iPr2-C6H3; [NNO]2- = [N(Dipp)SiMe2N(Dipp)SiMe2O]2-), with particular interest in systems featuring earth abundant and environmentally benign metal centres Al, Ga, Mg and Ca.Chapter one provides a comprehensive literature review on anionic low valent and hydrido main group complexes. Within the p-block domain, low valent aluminyl anions are a relatively new class of compound featuring a nucleophilic Al(I) centre and charge-balanced by an alkali metal cation. Several modes of reactivity have been identified, including salt metathesis, oxidative addition, cycloaddition, and oxidation reactions. A simultaneous resurgence in reports on the reactivity of analogous anionic gallyl species is also discussed. Comparisons are drawn to s-block systems featuring anionic low valent and hydrido Ae complexes, charge-balanced by an alkali metal cation.Chapter two investigates the reactivity of group 13 anions with a variety of ketones and aldehydes. A simple sequential addition protocol was developed for the selective synthesis of unsymmetrical (hetero-coupled) pinacol products by the potassium aluminyl. Isolation of an aluminium ketyl complex provides evidence for the accessibility of radical species. Product cleavage from the aluminium centre was achieved forming the disilylated 1,2-diol and a neutral aluminium iodide. Addition of acetophenone to the potassium gallyl afforded a potassium (alken-1-olate)(hydrido)gallate product which could react with a second equivalent of acetophenone to yield a 1,3-diphenylbutane-1,3-diolate ligand.Chapter three examines the functionalisation of ethene via an aluminacyclopropane. The ‘activated’ C-C bond in the AlC2 metallacycle reacts with unsaturated substrates to afford ring-expanded products. Thermally induced 1,3-silyl retro-Brook rearrangement of the NON-ligand afforded the [NNO]2− ligand ([NNO]2- = [N(Dipp)SiMe2N(Dipp)SiMe2O]2-). The mechanism of transformation was examined by density functional theory (DFT).Chapter four discusses the synthesis of neutral alkaline earth metal (Ae) (Ae = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) complexes supported by the NON-ligand backbone and the attempted reduction of these compounds to form the corresponding anionic low valent species. Reduction of [Mg(NON)]2 affords Mg(I) species containing NON- and NNO-ligands. Extraction with THF affords [K(THF)2]2[(NNO)Mg–Mg(NNO)] with a structurally characterised Mg–Mg bond. Reduction of [Ca(NON)]2 afforded a reduced dinitrogen species, albeit in low yield.Chapter five describes the synthesis, and structure of a series of anionic magnesium hydrides. A σ-bond metathesis reaction between the NNO-ligated alkali metal magnesiate precursor and phenylsilane yielded the corresponding hydride product. In contrast, the analogous reaction with NON-ligated alkali metal magnesiates did not yield the corresponding hydride product.Chapter six presents a concise summary of the experimental details pertinent to this thesis, both for synthetic manipulations of materials, and X-ray crystallographic processing and analysis of samples.</p
The Role of Host Genetics in Shaping the Tree Root Microbiome
No full textPlant microbiomes encompass the diverse community of microorganisms that live in and around their tissues. Conifers, with their long evolutionary history, provide an ideal system for testing whether parallel evolution between host species and their root microbiomes has produced host phylogenies that are reflected in microbiome community composition — a pattern known as phylosymbiosis. However, phylosymbiosis studies among tree species that cover a range of phylogenetic distances are limited. It is also largely unknown to what extent host genetics influences the assembly of the root microbiome for long-lived species such as conifers, especially beyond the seedling stage. In my thesis, I aimed to determine the role of host genetics in shaping the tree root microbiome. My three objectives were to 1) determine whether phylosymbiosis was present in conifers, 2) quantify how much variability in the root microbiome of Pinus radiata D.Don was attributable to host genetics, and 3) assess the range of microbial taxa that were heritable.My first objective (Chapter 2) was to investigate phylosymbiosis in conifers. I grew 196 individual plants from 23 conifer species from the Pinaceae and Cupressaceae families in a common soil for 52 weeks before measuring host traits, harvesting roots, and tag-amplicon sequencing the bacterial and fungal root microbiomes. Physicochemical soil data from each plant allowed for indirect host effects on the soil to be tested. I used two tests for phylosymbiosis that explored different aspects of the relationship among host species and similarity of their microbiomes. Both topological congruence testing and matrix correlations showed strong evidence for phylosymbiosis for both bacterial and fungal root microbiomes. There was also evidence of indirect host effects on the root microbiome composition through modification of the rhizosphere soil, particularly through variations in sulfate sulfur concentrations among hosts. The correlation of increasing genetic divergence among hosts with increasing divergence among root microbiomes may indicate coevolution among conifers and microbes.For my second objective — to quantify how much variability in the root microbiome of P. radiata can be attributed to host genetics — I sampled roots of 48 trees, comprising four clonal copies each of 11 different genotypes from an 8-year-old genetic trial in Kinleith Forest in the central North Island of New Zealand (Chapter 3). I found subtle but significant host genotype effects on the composition of the fungal but not the bacterial root microbiome. This demonstrated that host genetic effects on the fungal root microbiome of P. radiata persist beyond the seedling stage and remain detectable in a highly variable field-trial setting, not just in tightly controlled nursery and common-garden experiments.For my third objective, I assessed the heritability of the relative abundance of individual bacterial and fungal taxa within the root microbiome (Chapter 4). I sampled a total of 528 P. radiata trees from the same trial as Chapter 3, including four clonal copies each of 132 unique genotypes, from 28 full sibling families. In the core microbiome, i.e., taxa present in at least 80% of samples, I found that most microbial taxa were of negligible heritability. In other words, there was minimal host genetic variation associated with the abundance of these ubiquitous members of the P. radiata root microbiome. There were several non-core microbial taxa with moderate heritability, some of which have also been reported as heritable in other plant systems. Most variation in the relative abundances of heritable taxa was attributed to non-additive genetic effects, which include complex gene interactions such as dominance and epistasis. Similar to Chapter 3, I showed that host biological family influenced the fungal but not the bacterial microbiome. I found no influence of host ancestry, i.e., genetic similarity to native provenances of P. radiata, on composition of the root microbiome. My results showed evidence for broad host genetic influences on the establishment of a core root microbiome, alongside intraspecies host genetic differences that influenced the abundance of a variable non-core root microbiome. Together, these studies advance knowledge of how plant root microbiomes are influenced by host genetics in long-lived conifer species. I found evidence for phylosymbiosis within this ancient plant lineage where there has been extensive opportunity for genetic divergence, indicating potential coevolution of microbes and host. I have shown that host genetic effects for the root microbiome persist at the intraspecies level within P. radiata. Furthermore, these influences are not limited to seedlings but were evident on the roots of physiologically mature trees growing in a more natural, uncontrolled environment. I also determined heritability of individual taxa within the bacterial and fungal root microbiomes, helping to formalise the association between tree genetic influences on root microbiomes to the individual taxa present. Thus, not only are there broad genetic influences for a core microbiome in P. radiata which extend to the overall microbiome community for fungi, but potentially many interacting genes associated with maintaining specific taxa.</p
Victims of ignorance: Gaps in the protection of endemic lizards during land use activities in Aotearoa | New Zealand
No full textNo description supplie
Stroboscopic images of a levitating rotor released at 6000 rpm on 28 January 2025.
No full textVideo of images captured by a stroboscopic technique of a spinning levitating magnetic rotor released above a high-temperature superconductor at a speed of 6000 rpm. Overlaid are a tracking box and local coordinate axis determined by computer vision tracking of an ArUco attached to the side of the rotor.</p
Unburdening the Past through Theatre: How Harry Dansey’s Te Raukura: The Feathers of the Albatross Constructs and De-Constructs History
No full textSince the emergence of Māori theatre in Aotearoa in the 1970s, Te Raukura: the Feathers of the Albatross, a Narrative Play in Two Acts, and its author Harry Dansey have been largely overlooked for their place in the genre. This thesis studies Te Raukura, showing its multidisciplinary capacity to construct a historical narrative of the New Zealand Land Wars in Taranaki during the 1860s to 80s on stage. In doing so, Dansey, a Māori writer, speaks to other Māori people as an articulation and validation of identity, speaks back to the settler state and dominant Pākehā narratives of racial harmony and New Zealand identity, and speaks about colonization in an era when truthful and frank accounts about the pain of the “settlement” of Aotearoa were largely ignored. Through a hybridised New Historicist lens and autoethnographic positioning, the project reads Te Raukura through its cultural and historical contexts to learn more about the events being portrayed, as well as their connection to the present moment of protest and resistance in its representation of cyclical temporality through embodied history.</p
Novel Insights on Fundamental Photophysics of Non-Fullerene Acceptors used in Organic Photovoltaic Cells.
No full textOrganic photovoltaics (OPVs) have garnered significant attention as a next-generation solar technology, owing to their mechanical flexibility, synthetic versatility, and compatibility with low-cost fabrication techniques. While early research was predominantly centered on optimizing donor polymers, the advent of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs)—especially the high-performing Y-series—has dramatically advanced device efficiencies and broadened the scope of fundamental photophysical studies. With these advancements, critical questions have emerged regarding how molecular packing in the solid state governs excited-state dynamics, and how these processes ultimately influence device performance. In parallel, a new class of NFA molecules inspired by fullerene architectures is being developed, yet their excited-state behavior remains largely unexplored. This thesis addresses these gaps by first systematically linking nanoscale morphology to ultrafast photophysical behavior, and ultimately to photovoltaic operation, using a suite of time-resolved spectroscopic techniques and advanced data analysis methodologies.Chapter 3 focuses on the intrinsic photophysical properties of pristine Y6 thin films, with an emphasis on understanding how crystal packing governs the generation of charge-transfer (CT) states. By fabricating thin films with distinct morphologies—co-facial and end-on packing—we demonstrated that co-facial dimers facilitate ultrafast CT state formation, as evident from the sub-picosecond dynamics observed in transient absorption (TA) measurements. This behavior was absent in end-on packed films, which showed no CT signatures. The as-cast film, which contained a mixture of both packing motifs, exhibited intermediate behavior. Our findings strongly suggest that the ultrafast CT generation in Y6 arises specifically from its ability to form co-facial stacks, highlighting the importance of morphological control in optimizing CT dynamics.Chapter 4 builds on these insights by probing how subtle changes in microstructure, induced via solvent additives, influence electronic coupling in Y6 thin films. Using sub 50 fs TA spectroscopy, we extracted the transient electroabsorption (TEA) signal and demonstrated that films treated with CN additives exhibit faster TEA rise times and more pronounced second-derivative lineshapes, consistent with stronger intermolecular CT delocalisation. These features were suppressed in DIO-treated films, which showed slower TEA kinetics and first-derivative-like spectral shapes. The strong correlation between TEA characteristics and device performance in PM6:Y6 blends processed under identical conditions suggests that TEA is a powerful spectroscopic probe for evaluating and predicting device-relevant morphologies. This chapter establishes a direct connection between ultrafast measurements on pristine acceptor films and macroscopic charge generation efficiency in donor:acceptor blends.Chapter 5 extends the scope to integrated perovskite–organic solar cells (IPOSCs), where the organic subcell functions as a charge transport layer. Here, ternary donor:NFA:PCBM blends were explored, and their excited-state dynamics were investigated using TA spectroscopy with selective excitation of the NFA. The inclusion of selenium-substituted NFAs such as W-SeSe-Cl improved blend uniformity and accelerated hole transfer dynamics by nearly threefold. Furthermore, the donor polymer was found to suppress parasitic recombination at the NFA:PCBM interface. These results underscore the role of NFA design in efficiently mediating charge separation between the donor and PCBM in tandem device architectures, providing new strategies for optimizing charge transport layers in hybrid solar cells.Chapter 6 explores the excited-state dynamics of a new class of flattened C60 oligomers, which represent potential next-generation acceptors due to their broadband absorption properties. Transient grating photoluminescence (TGPL) spectroscopy revealed hot emission from the S1 state with a lifetime of approximately 300 fs, indicating the presence of rapid non-radiative decay pathways. To capture even faster processes, sub-3.5 fs TA spectroscopy was employed, uncovering an additional ultrafast component at 30 fs, followed by relaxation into a vibrationally hot ground state. Complementary computational studies attributed these dynamics to torsional motions that reduce the S1–S0 energy gap and enable an avoided crossing, thereby facilitating efficient internal conversion. To probe the impact of molecular rigidity, TGPL measurements were repeated in a polymer matrix, where constrained motion resulted in slower excited state relaxation. These results emphasize the critical role of conformational freedom in dictating decay dynamics and highlight the importance of structural rigidity for stabilizing long-lived excited states in fullerene-inspired acceptor design.Taken together, this thesis demonstrates cohesive strategies for decoding the interplay between molecular packing, excited-state behavior, and solar cell performance. From fundamental investigations on model systems to practical applications in device-relevant blends, the work underscores the power of ultrafast spectroscopy as both a diagnostic and predictive tool.</p
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