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Comparing diving behaviour among three Procellaria petrels and implications for bycatch mitigation
No full textA major threat to seabirds globally is incidental capture in fisheries. Of threats to seabirds, incidental capture (hereafter bycatch) has the largest scope and severity, impacting 30% of seabird species. When foraging, many seabirds dive to utilise marine resources, allowing them to access baited hooks deployed by longline fishing vessels. Developing bycatch mitigation methods requires an understanding of seabird foraging behaviour. However, foraging behaviour is highly variable within and among species and may be influenced by an array of biotic and abiotic factors. Thus, we must foremost understand foraging behaviour in its ecological context. In my first chapter, I explore the diving behaviour of three Procellaria petrels, all of which are vulnerable to bycatch in longline fisheries. I deployed time-depth recorders (TDR) and geolocation sensor (GLS) loggers on Westland (Procellaria westlandica), White-chinned (P. aequinoctialis) and Black Petrels (P. parkinsoni). With this data I examine changes in diving behaviour across the breeding period, identify diurnal and nocturnal habits, and investigate sex-specific behaviours. My findings reveal significant differences in diving behaviour among and within species. Black Petrels dived deeper on average (5.93 m) than Westland (2.26 m) and White-chinned Petrels (2.63 m), and performed the deepest dive recorded for the Procellaria genus (38.5 m). Westland Petrels were the faster divers, with a mean dive descent rate of 1 m/s. Westland and Black Petrels exerted greater diving effort when rearing chicks than when incubating eggs. Westland Petrels dived throughout day and night, with a preference for nocturnal diving, while Black Petrels dived almost exclusively during the day. These insights enable me to make specific bycatch mitigation recommendations for the three species, which align with recent recommendations by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), thus promoting efforts for trans-boundary changes in fishing practices. In my second chapter I develop a method to diving behaviour associated with fisheries activities with deployments of TDR and Global Positioning System (GPS) loggers. A key limitation of diving behaviour studies attempting to inform mitigation measures is that seabirds may exhibit different diving behaviours when around fishing vessels. The ability to distinguish between natural and fishing-associated foraging opens doors for future studies to look at fine-scale changes in diving behaviour around fishing vessels. This will enable us to further fine-tune bycatch mitigation measures. Overall, this thesis provides invaluable insights into the foraging ecology of Procellaria petrels, with significant implications for their conservation.</p
from Landfill, to Landscape
No full textCleanfill landfills represent a growing challenge in landscape architecture, serving as both environmental liabilities and opportunities for transformation. These landscapes, often overlooked as static and inert, hold the potential to reconnect fragmented ecological, cultural, and material narratives. This thesis explores the re-imagining of such sites as dynamic regenerative spaces, bridging the divide between waste and renewal.Focusing on the T&T Cleanfill in Ōwhiro Bay, Wellington, this research investigates the landfill within the broader ecological and cultural context of its catchment. As a site shaped by material flows and human activity, it exemplifies the challenges of ecological degradation and disconnection whilst offering unique opportunities to integrate waste reclamation, ecological restoration, and through storytelling influenced design into a cohesive landscape vision.The research employs a multi-method approach, combining precedent analysis, site investigation, and iterative design to explore the site’s potential. Materials and processes typically associated with waste are reimagined as tools for creating adaptive topographies, biodiversity corridors, and spaces which contextualise culture through storytelling. Strategies draw from global precedents and are tailored to the specific ecological, cultural, and material context of Ōwhiro Bay. The findings propose a layered and evolving design, where terraces and domes shaped by landfill processes support ecological restoration, education, and community engagement. By redefining waste as a resource and a narrative, this thesis demonstrates how neglected sites can transition into places of resilience and connection, where scars of the past form the foundation for renewal.</p
Closed-Form Solution for CFAR Detection Threshold in <i>G</i><sub>0</sub> Distributed SAR Clutter
No full textNo description supplied</p
Recursive estimation in nonlinear Bayesian smoothing
No full textIn this presentation, a novel recursive estimation in nonlinear Bayesian smoothing is introduced. </p
Health and Safety Reform – back to the future?
No full textThe workplace health and safety reforms proposed by New Zealand’s current government face criticism for undermining protections for workers while prioritising business interests over safety. Although the government's stated goals are to ‘streamline health and safety regulations’ to improve productivity and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, the proposed reforms risk creating a framework that shifts focus away from worker safety and toward cost-saving measures for businesses.
Nine years on from the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA), it is an appropriate time to ascertain what is working and what is not. Nonetheless, this review come at a time when New Zealand continues to suffer from an unacceptably high workplace fatality rate. Despite adopting safety legislation modelled on Australian legislation, New Zealand’s record continues to lag that of comparable countries. Many stakeholders argue that rather than simplifying the system, reforms should focus on stricter enforcement and better regulatory oversight to improve worker protection. Instead, the proposed changes seem to suggest that excessive rules, rather than poor enforcement or underfunding of regulatory bodies like WorkSafe, are the main issue. By focusing on deregulation, the government risks downplaying the fundamental need for robust safety measures and eroding protective mechanisms.
Moreover, the ACT-led reform agenda places a heavy emphasis on the supposed burden that current safety regulations place on businesses, portraying compliance with health and safety laws as costly and inefficient. This framing, however, obscures the fact that the aim of these regulations is to prevent workplace injuries and fatalities, not merely to balance financial costs. By attempting to reduce regulatory "red tape" and simplify compliance, the government may inadvertently signal to businesses that health and safety are negotiable concerns, rather than non-negotiable priorities.
Further, the consultation process that the government initiated as part of its reform plans has raised concerns. The ongoing absence of dialogue with unions ignores the voices of the most vulnerable workers, especially those in high-risk sectors where safety improvements are most needed. There is, therefore, a very real risk that the consultation will primarily reflect the interests of employers seeking to reduce costs, rather than those of workers who rely on stringent safety measures to protect them.
Moreover, the language used by the government in justifying these reforms—such as complaints about the overuse of traffic cones or overly cautious risk management procedures—appears to trivialise the importance of workplace safety. This rhetoric minimises the gravity of workplace risks and questions whether certain safety requirements are “proportionate” to the risks involved. With this approach the government risks eroding the culture of prevention that has been developing since HSWA 2015. In addition, the reform motivation has an ideological basis and is not rooted in concrete evidence of the legislation not being for purpose.
Another aspect of concern is the potential weakening of WorkSafe’s role, which has already been subject to funding cuts. The proposed reforms, which include reassessing the responsibilities of regulatory bodies, could lead to a diminished enforcement capacity. The risk of underfunding or deprioritising regulatory enforcement is particularly alarming given that WorkSafe already faces challenges in effectively overseeing compliance across multiple industries. If the government reduces WorkSafe’s regulatory power or resources in the name of “efficiency,” the agency’s ability to ensure businesses adherence to safety standards is likely to be weakened.
Worker engagement and participation in health and safety decision-making could also be undermined by the reforms. The proposed changes seem to prioritize giving businesses more autonomy to make decisions without necessarily consulting their employees. By weakening the mechanisms for worker participation, the reforms could reduce the effectiveness of extant safety measures and increase the likelihood of accidents and injuries.
Finally, there is concern that the government's approach to health and safety reform is overly focused on reducing costs and “red tape” for businesses at the expense of worker protection. The prioritising of simplifying the legal framework may ignore the complexities and risks involved in various industries, particularly those where safety hazards are more pronounced. By focusing on reducing costs and simplifying compliance, the government may be downplaying the very real dangers that workers face and weakening the systems designed to protect them
Kia Kārohirohi Te Wairua: Exploring how rangatahi Māori understand, experience, nurture, and practise wairuatanga
No full textWairua is a way of understanding, experiencing, and interacting with the world that is embedded within all aspects of Māori life. Wairua is a foundational principle of Māori health and wellbeing and features heavily in literature pertaining to hauora Māori [Māori health]. Wairua is perceived and experienced as a way of communicating and connecting with the whakapapa network (i.e., atua [cosmological ancestors], tīpuna [human ancestors], whānau [family], tāngata [people] and whenua [land]) and underpins all Māori healing knowledge and methodologies. However, since the onslaught of colonisation which has had continued negative impacts on Māori holistic wellbeing, knowledge pertaining to wairuatanga [being in a state of wairua] has declined. Similarly, practitioners of mahi wairua [spiritual work] and rongoā Māori [Māori healing systems and practises] have also declined through policies and processes of suppression. This has resulted in many Māori no longer valuing or understanding the depth of knowledge that is wairuatanga and rongoā Māori. Despite the harms of colonisation, the revitalisation of Māori ways of understanding, experiencing, and interacting with the world have had positive effects on Māori wellbeing, cultural engagement and identity development. From within this movement of cultural resurgence, my research explored how rangatahi Māori [Māori young people] understand, experience, nurture and practise wairuatanga within their everyday lives. The research questions included: How do rangatahi Māori understand and describe wairua?; What is the role of wairua in relation to rangatahi understandings and experiences of their identities as Māori?; What are some of the factors that disrupt the flow of mātauranga wairua [spiritual knowledge]? What are the perceived benefits and aspirations of rangatahi Māori in understanding and reclaiming wairuatanga?; and How do rangatahi Māori understand and practise tikanga wairua [spiritual practises] to care for their wairua and hauora? This research was conducted using Kaupapa Māori theory and research methodologies, particularly, mātauranga ā-wairua [knowledge obtained through wairua], to guide my research. 18 rangatahi Māori between the ages of 20 and 29 were interviewed using semi-structured interviewing. These rangatahi were students or alumni of Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. Of the 18 rangatahi, half identified as wāhine and half as tāne, with similar numbers identifying as kākano (i.e., term used to identify those rangatahi who had less of a conscious understanding of wairuatanga) and puāwai (i.e., term used to identify those rangatahi who had more of a conscious understanding of wairuatanga). In combination with Kaupapa Māori theory and research methodologies, rangatahi kōrero [rangatahi interviews] were interpreted using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. My research found that rangatahi understood, experienced, nurtured, and practised wairuatanga in a variety of ways. Rangatahi described wairua as the source of all creation, as necessary to the continuation of whakapapa [genealogical descent], and as constant connection with whakapapa. They emphasised that wairuatanga is a fundamental part of who they are as Māori; that wairua is central to their experiences of the world; and that it is intertwined with whakapapa and connections to ngā atua, te taiao, whenua, tīpuna, and whānau. Rangatahi illuminated the impacts of colonisation on mātauranga and tikanga wairua [knowledge and practises pertaining to wairuatanga], namely the marginalisation of knowledge, practises, and practitioners, perceived cultural disconnect, and colonial re-interpretations of wairua. Finally, rangatahi utilised tikanga wairua to support their hauora, namely, connecting to te taiao [the natural world], performing karakia [incantations], receiving mirimiri and romiromi [traditional body work], and engaging in kōrero rongoā [healing conversations] with whānau, friends, and self. However, barriers prevented some rangatahi from engaging in these tikanga, for example, limited access to knowledge and practitioners of rongoā, environmental degradation, climate change, and competing life-demands. Research findings and recommendations were incorporated into a conceptual model called Kia Kārohirohi Te Wairua. The model provides insights into the interconnection of whakapapa and wairuatanga, along with factors that facilitate and create barriers to rangatahi developing their wairuatanga and nurturing their hauora. Thus, wairuatanga is an important component within the lives of rangatahi Māori. Concentrated efforts must be implemented to revitalise mātauranga and tikanga wairua to support the wellbeing of rangatahi, their whānau, hapū, iwi, and beyond.</p
Redefining the Social Contract in New Zealand: An Investment-based Social Policy Paradigm
No full textSocial policy occupies a unique and essential role within political discourse. Unlike most policy domains, it is directly concerned with ensuring the prosperity and wellbeing of humans and improving the quality of their lives. As such, social policy in many ways reflects the strength of a nation’s democratic processes. If a democracy is not functioning coherently, the quality of social support provided is likely to follow this trend. While it is important to acknowledge the difficulty in effectively developing and delivering policy of any kind, social policy involves unparalleled complexity and requires the development of innovative solutions that have the potential to solve issues most consider to be intractable. When effectively formulated and executed, social policy serves as a potent tool through which governments can improve the lives of citizens. However, it is more often the case that social policies do not achieve their desired objectives. In New Zealand, social policy has failed to effect change or deliver tangible improvements for many decades and the post-World War II welfare-state social policy paradigm is no longer fit for purpose. This thesis accordingly advocates for a paradigm shift in how social policy issues are approached, proposing an investment-based social policy framework inspired by social investment principles and Social Contract Theory.</p
Women’s Performative Writing and Identity Construction in the Japanese Empire, by Satoko Kakihara
No full textNo description supplie
Synthesis of Nucleoside Analogues and Elucidation of their Antiviral Mechanisms
No full textViral infections continue to challenge global healthcare systems, necessitating the development of effective antiviral therapies. This thesis attempts to address this need through the exploration of nucleoside analogues as potential antiviral drugs, presented in three chapters.Following viral infection, the enzyme viperin catalyses the formation of 3ʹ-deoxy-3ʹ,4ʹdidehydrocytidine triphosphate (ddhCTP) as part of the innate immune response. Incorporation of ddhCTP by viral polymerases into nascent RNA has been shown to inhibit the replication of several viruses through an obligate chain termination mechanism. However, as a triphosphate species, exogenously synthesised ddhCTP has limited cellular permeability. As a result, ddhCTP is non-viable as a therapeutic intervention. The non-phosphorylated analogue, ddhC, has been shown to traverse cell membranes, where subsequent phosphorylation by host kinases resulted in elevated levels of intracellular ddhCTP. Chapter one of this thesis sought to improve the cellular uptake of ddhC through prodrug strategies. Following intracellular localisation, enzymatic cleavage of the prodrug moiety of the nucleoside analogue and metabolism to their respective triphosphate forms was envisioned to attenuate viral replication. In this research, the 5ʹ position was derivatised with ester groups and a phosphoramidite (ProTide) moiety. In addition, the enantiomeric form and a 5-fluoro analogue of ddhC (as their prodrug forms) were also synthesised to investigate the effects of these nucleoside modifications.While some 5ʹ ester derivatives showed improved antiviral activity against Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) compared to native ddhC, the inhibition remained moderate, and some modifications led to reduced activity. An EBV polymerase inhibition assay was conducted with collaborators to determine whether the antiviral activities of ddhC and its analogues were linked to EBV polymerase inhibition by ddhCTP. The assay results revealed that although not as efficient as the tenofovir diphosphate control, there was evidence of inhibition by ddhCTP, implying higher intracellular concentrations of ddhCTP could inhibit EBV polymerase.Chapter two investigated the synthesis of 5ʹ prodrugs of cyclopropanated nucleosides featuring a 2-oxabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane scaffold. These compounds were envisioned to be isosteric analogues of ddhC, where the 3ʹ,4ʹ-double bond was appended with a cyclopropane group. In addition, the presence of the cyclopropane ring results in conformational restriction which may confer altered biological activity. Although the synthesis of this class of compounds has been reported, their prodrug forms have not been evaluated in antiviral assays. Anticipating intracellular uptake issues like ddhC, the prodrug strategy was envisioned to improve their activity as antiviral compounds. To this end, cyclopropanated ddhC and ddhA analogues were prepared using literature methodology, which were then functionalised to their corresponding 5ʹ prodrug forms. Simultaneously, a novel methodology was developed to access this class of compounds by direct cyclopropanation of a ddh-type scaffold. Preliminary results are promising; however, this methodology requires further development. Antiviral testing of the cyclopropanated nucleosides revealed limited antiviral activity of the cyclopropanated cytidine analogues. On the other hand, cyclopropanated adenosine analogues displayed high cytotoxicity profiles, suggesting off-target effects.Finally, chapter three details the design and synthesis of a Galidesivir phosphoramidite which will be used towards the synthesis of modified RNA sequences. Galidesivir is an imino-C-nucleoside that demonstrates broad-spectrum antiviral activity against viruses of different families. Initially reported as a delayed chain terminator, recent research suggests this is not the case and that an alternative mechanism of viral inhibition exists. The preparation of a Galidesivir phosphoramidite would enable synthesis of modified oligonucleotides whose analysis by biophysical methods would help elucidate Galidesivir’s antiviral mechanism. In this chapter, various protecting group strategies were investigated, culminating in the successful preparation of Galidesivir phosphoramidite. The protecting group strategy developed in this chapter should be adaptable towards the synthesis of other types of imino-C-nucleoside phosphoramidites for future oligonucleotide synthesis endeavours</p
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