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Trails and tribulations : a journey through mountains
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION:
How can architecture be used to reinterpret the backcountry hut as a contemporary response to its localised conditions and its historical and cultural significance?
ABSTRACT:
New Zealand’s backcountry is wild, rough and unforgiving; harsh, but beautiful. It can mean the end of human life, or it fosters emotions of wonder, joy and excitement. Shelters in the form of backcountry huts are beacons of hope for the weary and tired. Historically they are also a reference to the vernacular architecture of the time, the local materials and the people that built them.
In a time where humans have realised the need to value the wilderness and the joy it brings people, there is an opportunity to use architecture as an educator, a destination and a tool for tourism. A journey of great importance to locals, bridging the extremes of New Zealand’s wilderness, from West to East, would allow for a cultural awareness of the trials and tribulations of Ngāi Tahu and their quest for pounamu.
Construction methods can be developed that touch lightly on their environments and be respectful of the way they interact with nature; contemporary society is capable of looking after the land much more then we have been for the last thousand years. This project seeks to find new solutions, educate and give the respect the natural environment deserves.
Place is an element made up of three parts, natural structure, historical and cultural context and the way we use that ‘site. Architecture can be wholly driven by place and reflect everything, from the stories to the climate: a place of the place.
Māori did not use maps on paper like Europeans did, they used their aural language to describe places, something colonisers have all but destroyed. The maps and stories were told through walking and through experiencing the place. They make sense when you think about their translations. Through tramping we, as a nation have an opportunity to celebrate our image, our story and our diversity. Mahi kotahitanga means to work together, and tramping, giving yourself to nature in all her moods, is doing just that. The great leveller for all diverse nationalities that call this place home.
The designs that are the result of this research project, attempt to do just that. To embody the place that reflects all of our history in a way that respects and takes care of our land, our people and our tales. We may be a small nation, but we have big stories to tell.
Site: Nōti Raureka (Browning Pass) (Southern Alps, N.Z.
Exploring the roles and facilitation strategies of online peer moderators
No full textWhilst peer facilitation is deemed to be a beneficial alterative strategy in an asynchronous online discussion, a review of the literature indicates that previous studies have primarily focused on the instructor as the facilitator. Inquiries into the roles that student facilitators perform and strategies they deploy to promote meaningful dialogues and participation in a student-led online discussion board have not been widely explored. Using posted messages of seven student facilitators in a peer-moderated online discussion forum, this study aimed to address the gap in the literature. Content analysis of the data revealed that the student moderators played four major roles during the discussions: 1) a knowledge constructor who actively engaged in a collective inquiry and contributed to a deeper understanding of a subject matter; 2) a team builder who expended considerable efforts to create group cohesion to achieve their learning objectives as a team; 3) a motivator who encouraged and inspired team members to engage in and contribute to the discussion; 4) an organiser who managed and monitored each phase of the discussion and orchestrated the subsequent group oral presentation. The findings suggest that assigning students to lead online discussions is an effective strategy to foster learner autonomy and nurture student leaders. The paper concludes with pedagogical implications and directions for future research
Westgate Shopping Centre : an opportunity to give an obsolute development a new purpose
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION:
How can a transit orientated design strategy be used to reprogram an existing development to serve a new purpose?
ABSTRACT:
Due to the economic foundation and focused use of private transportation, Auckland has become a prime example of urban sprawl over the course of the city’s development and urbanization.
The Auckland 2050 plan is a 30 year initiative to move Auckland towards being a multi-nodal city. Auckland’s city centre will continue to be the focal point of the city but will not be the only point of commerce, cultural and entertainment. Albany, Westgate and Manukau have been identified as the future urban centres. This project will address how the transport hub within the future metropolitan centre in Westgate could be designed. Over the next few years, Westgate will be transformed into a key transport interchange, due to the development of the north-western rapid transit corridor. This hub will serve the surrounding area, support residential intensification in and around the centre.
The current Westgate shopping complex has been outshined by the new North-West development across the street, comprising of a lot the same functions (and more) as Westgate. As the stores are Westgate vacate, what can be done on the Westgate site?
This project’s focus on the focal point of this future urban centre, the transport interchange. The project will aim to cater for the planned development in the area across the next 30 years.
... The aim of this research project is to investigate how transit-orientated design strategy can be used to reprogram an existing development to serve a new purpose. Additionally, how can the same ideology be used to improve the pedestrian connectivity. The station typology this project is trying to develop is one that can minimise the use of the private car, by occupying the large ground level in the planned urban zones which are adjacent to a mall or other large retail/commercial centres. The space that is currently occupied by malls can be later expanded or replaced by larger developments which can blend more cultural, and business/commercial uses. [Page 65
Beyond the built: Exploring architecture’s role as a modality for contemplation and personal restoration
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION:
How can architecture embody space, nature and contemplation within the urban environment?
As our surroundings and way of life become increasingly urbanised, how can architecture contribute as a modality for personal restoration and contemplation for the city’s inhabitants?
ABSTRACT:
The presence of a moment or a small gesture of space and simultaneously, the flow of time, can trigger the awareness of one’s own existence. In this project, “Beyond the Built,” this existential space is understood not merely as a void but a gap, which transcends human experience beyond the built.
Humans have long sought this transcendence, spiritually and emotionally, through their environment. Much like architecture’s ability to go beyond a utilitarian function, nature has provided a place for this transcendental exchange to take place, offering a place for personal restoration. Author Emma Marris suggests that the nature of nature is changing with the times. The 19th century theorist August Schmarsow was one of the first to discuss the concept ‘Raumgefühl,’ the feeling for space. A concept that also resonated with philosopher Martin Heidegger, to whom space is of an entire inner and outer experiential nature. This is a notion that is more relevant today than ever before. As a result of the ever-increasing urbanisation of the modern-day culture and landscape, the built environment does not frequently offer this intrinsic condition for respite.
Architectural theorist Juhani Pallasmaa acknowledges this modern-day cultural disconnection between people and their environment, and therefore themselves. Pallasmaa argues this to be the result of a mass-dulling of the senses. Even earlier than Pallasmaa, c.1970's, architectural historian Bruno Zevi approached this lack of cultural engagement with the built environment, a result of urbanisation's dilution of meaningful architecture. This project therefore aims to generate this connection through investigations into existential spatial moments, and through architecture which embodies the essence of nature’s restorative qualities to provide a place for contemplative restoration within the urban realm.
Connecting with one’s intrapersonal state is contemplative and restorative and is not a new concept. Contemplation is still present through typologies that foster solitude such as museums, art galleries, as well as through devotional practice. Yet, their programme can appear non-inclusive to some. Julio Bermudez acknowledges the movement away from the exclusive adherence of devotional practice, suggesting that it requires a contemporary adaptation which is secular and without symbolic gestures. Since long before religion, contemplation has provided a modality for introspection, respite, reflection and presence within and of oneself. The interest in spiritual outlets and modalities for contemplation has declined in the urban context, particularly in modern society, therefore this project is an experiential response to this cultural and personal disconnection.
Through a non-exclusive programme, this project aims to provide a contemporary opportunity for contemplation within the cityscape. Nature has likewise suffered the effect of becoming a modern-day construct. As a result, it is less accessable as a respite and thus requires a new lens with which urban nature can be seen. Space, contemplation and nature are embodied through architecture to provide Auckland city’s inhabitants with a modality for contemplative restoration
Student acceptance of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Invercargill
No full textRESEARCH QUESTIONS
The objectives of the study will be achieved through the research questions mentioned below: The research has three research questions.
RQ1: What is the student attitude, satisfaction, and intention towards accepting online learning technology in the Southland region of Invercargill?
RQ2: What were the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the student acceptance of online learning technology in the Southland region of Invercargill?
RQ3: Is there a need for customised online learning to make the learning experience better?
ABSTRACT
The current study aims to investigate the student acceptance of online learning, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The acceptance is examined based on student's intentions to continue using the online learning systems. The intention is studied based on student's attitude towards online learning and their satisfaction from online learning. The research uses the technology acceptance model to conduct the study. A theoretical model was proposed to study the effect of the perceived usability, perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment to analyse the attitude and satisfaction of the students towards online learning. The online survey was conducted on 68 tertiary education students, most of whom were forced to shift to online learning due to the Covid-19 induced lockdowns put by the government of New Zealand. The results were generated using PLS-SEM modelling along with descriptive analysis. The study results showed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment are significant determinants of attitude towards online learning as well as satisfaction from online learning. Also, attitude towards online learning is an indicator of behavioural intention to continue using online systems. However, the research did not support that satisfaction is an indicator of behavioural intention to continue using online systems.
Furthermore, the study also investigated the challenges faced by students in adopting online learning and the issues faced during online learning. It also compared the benefits and advantages of online learning as reflected through students’ responses. Finally, the research also investigates the need for personality-based online learning systems for enhanced user satisfaction
Te Mātārere o te reo : a foresight report on the future state of Te Reo Māori in the Waikato-Tainui Rohe to 2038. Report to Te Mātāwai.
No full textKōrero whakataki = Introduction -- Research methodology = Ngā tukunga rangahau -- Taupori o te reo Māori = Demographic impacts on te reo Māori in the Waikato-Tainui rohe -- Te aukaha o te iwi = Waikato-Tainui tribal manoeuvres -- Te reo whakaako = Māori language education -- Whakahihiko i te reo = Technological innovations -- Te pārekereketanga o te reo = Māori-rich community organisations -- Kōrero whakakapi = Conclusio
Ko au ko Ngāpuhi, ko Ngāpuhi ko au : I am Ngāpuhi, Ngāpuhi is me
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION:
How can architecture assist with the preservation and restoration of Ngāpuhi identity?
ABSTRACT:
Identity has continually been subject to change through history and circumstances. As time has progressed Ngāpuhi identity within progenies has become eroded from the impacts of urbanisation and colonisation. These foreign concepts have consciously subverted Ngāpuhi history, spirituality, land, lore and laws; elements critical to the formation and continuation of identity within Ngāpuhi iwi and its descendants, resulting in a loss of Ngāpuhitanga intergenerationally. In essence, this design research project asks, how can architecture assist with the preservation and restoration of Ngāpuhi? As architecture is a manifestation and expression of identity and culture, for this research project, a whare taonga as the architectural response will endeavour to respond to the design research projects inquiry. Accordingly, this research project seeks to capture the diverse knowledge of architecture and identity through literature and precedent investigations. These sources of knowledge will provide supportive information that will contribute to responding to the project’s underlying issue.
Site: Pouērua, Pakaraka, Northland
Gender mainstreaming in Tuvalu
No full textWhat is gender?
Gender mainstreaming since 1990’s
Gender mainstreaming in Tuvalu
Gender mainstreaming processes
Key constraints to gender mainstreaming in the Pacific
Strengths of a Tuvalu girl/woman
Proposing a bottom up approach
Methodologie
Strategies to establish Social Policy Units (SPUs) within community-based organisations
No full textCommunity organisations hold huge knowledge about the needs as well as the dynamics of different communities. However, they often struggle to provide input and contribute this knowledge into the policy decision making process. This study was a collaborative effort to bring community organisations together to brainstorm about strategies to establish Social Policy Units (SPUs) within local community organisations. Findings suggested that the SPU would be a great way to enhance their policy capability, making policies more relevant and equitable for different communities. However, the main challenge remained funding and this required greater collaboration
among community organisations as well as change in the way funding was allocated to community organisations
First-year student achievement, attendance, and demography at NorthTec’s Bachelor of Applied Social Work Programme : a quantitative inquiry
Get PDFThis paper reports on a quantitative inquiry into student achievement, attendance and demography and their correlations in the first year of an undergraduate social work degree at NorthTec, Whangārei, New Zealand. Data on student achievement, attendance and demography across year one papers from 2016 to 2019 were used for trend and correlation analysis to address the research aim. The study found correlations between attendance and achievement are significant and consistent while correlations between demographic factors and achievement are not. The research supports existing literature documenting the relationship between attendance and achievement. It calls for changes in programme delivery, particularly attendance requirements and student support, at NorthTec to engage students better in the programme