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Interview with Ian Shirley
No full textThis interview with Ian Shirley, carried out in 2013, is the third in a series of interviews by David Haigh with practitioners who have made significant contributions to the field of community development in Aotearoa New Zealand
Visualising our fragile future: A fusion of architecture and technology
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
How will Augmented Reality benefit the architectural design and help further understand the architecture’s physical result?
ABSTRACT
One of the greatest challenges impacting the world now is climate change, influenced by the significant environmental impact of urbanisation. This calls for an immediate need for action.
This project is called Visualising Our Fragile Future, and it reflects the current state of our climate. This project aims to use Augmented Reality (AR) technology to produce visually jarring simulations of the effects of climate change. This project seeks to rethink climate change awareness by combining innovative technology with effective architectural designs to raise awareness about this pressing matter and help motivate people to work together to effect positive environmental change. By using AR, there is the potential to activate a global movement for a more resilient and sustainable future.
Various literature reviews are required to understand climate change and AR in-depth. These provide invaluable guidance for what is needed when creating a compelling AR display and effectively demonstrating the impacts of climate change, helping raise awareness. Traditional methods of raising awareness of climate change often struggle to fully engage society when conveying the complexity and seriousness of the issue. Therefore, this requiring thorough research into examples of practical applications of AR and sustainable design concepts evolve through precedents.
This project aims to address the research question by demonstrating the potential of AR in architectural design to raise awareness of climate change. This project provides the foundations for AR to be integrated with the architectural design to provide an immersive, thought-provoking, and dynamic environment. Furthermore, this project goes beyond visualising the consequences of climate change using the architectural senses, hearing, touch, and smelling, highlighting the impacts of climate change in the form of designs based on extreme weather events, flooding, increases in temperature, and deforestation
Disruption in the classroom: When hands on becomes hands off
No full textNew Zealand’s lockdown response during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the vocational education sector. Teachers were required to make a rapid transition from familiar, face-to-face teaching and learning to online, remote delivery. Later defined as a unique subtype of online learning, emergency transition to remote teaching (ERT) was the most extraordinary, unplanned change ever seen in vocational education. The purpose of this paper is to present selected results from a descriptive survey of teachers across five disciplines following New Zealand’s first lockdown in 2020 (n = 56). As part of the study, teachers were asked to share their view of the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and benefits of ERT and the future of vocational education. Qualitative analysis of free-text responses was made using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) general inductive approach. Four themes emerged: accessibility, sustainability, flexibility and capability. In this presentation, the teacher responses will be set within the themes identified and used to tell the story of disruption and how teacher innovation and creativity forged adaptations necessary to accommodate the emergency. This ‘once in a career’ opportunity provided prolonged exposure to ERT delivery and with it, vocational education sector teachers made use of the opportunity to explore ideas which could be used to shape and inform more permanent formats in future course delivery. From these teacher observations, recommendations for education and service providers, facilities and policy makers will be made
Multidisciplined student projects: A systems case study, leading to a regenerative implementation strategy
No full textThis thesis is a systems level evaluation of the multi-disciplined project (the electric vehicle design and build by students). The study looked at the immediate systems surrounding the build project, and identified some key systems: Capital (values), Knowledge, Core competence, Promotion, Student development. This led to the identification of a key weakness in the build project, student numbers. With the Covid 19 disruption in 2020, a further systems review looking at global issues, led to some solutions based around regenerative thinking principles. The most appealing ongoing approach to multidisciplined projects is to have them based on: Staff centered research in areas where research is already taking place and have high student numbers; Develop projects that require wider input from multiple disciplines; Utilize postgraduate and undergraduate students in appropriate level sub-project research.
Looking at the surrounding systems and influences, leads to a deeper understanding of the problem, and to the issues resulting from a possible solution. The initial study looked from the inside out, mostly revealing the immediate environment of the build project. The second study started much wider, looking from outside in. This revealed trends that are happening globally, the issues they cause, and how better decisions can be made for local problems understanding global issues. The solution coming from the second study has a far better understanding of the problem from a systems perspective and has led to a far more considered solution. This systems approach is transferable to any project and is likely to enable better decisions based on better understandings of immediate and global issues. Using a systems level evaluation of the build project has led to a proposed solution that considers both immediate and global issues, leading to a solution that: Is centered in departments already rich in research; Potentially produces great staff and student outcomes; Expands the research activity in the polytechnic; Is truly multidisciplinary; Is ongoing; A systems level approach leads to better understandings of problems, which leads to better decision making. Framing what a good solution would be can only come from a well-informed educated background, and the principles of regenerative thinking provide this. Addressing future issues using a system based regenerative framework should lead to better solutions for people and the planet in future
Prebiotic effects of yacon extract residual saccharides on gut microbiota: A preliminary study
No full textImprovement of gut microbiota
Yacon
Aim of the study
Proposed studies
Hypothesis
In vitro fermentation
Anaerobic conditions
Colony counting methods
Expecting results
Further studie
Talanoa: Pushing boundaries to promote Pacific ways of being in Aotearoa New Zealand tertiary education
No full textThe survival of Pacific societies is partly attributed to the ability of Pacific ancestors to transmit stories from generation to generation through myths and legends, stories of creation, songs, oratory, art and natural environments. This paper explores the importance of the practice of Talanoa as a concept and a research tool in promoting Pacific knowledge systems and practices in tertiary education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Talanoa was utilised as the primary research method to gather narratives about how Talanoa is incorporated, from Pacific staff in various roles in tertiary education in a culturally safe and relevant way, both face to face and online. The author also conducted an online survey to gather information about how or whether Talanoa is used widely by Pacific staff in an Aotearoa New Zealand tertiary institution, Unitec New Zealand Limited, before it transitioned fully into the national institute, Te Pūkenga. The research analysed existing literature to ensure that it adds value to this repertoire of knowledge and research. The significance of recognising and acknowledging Pacific oral traditions will add value to and enhance Pacific ways of knowing and engagement in any context. The outcome of this study supports the inclusion of Talanoa as a tool that can be used successfully in tertiary education
The factory, the bath house and the whare kaitiaki: Resilience in architectural learning
No full textPROJECTS
This paper records three Design Studio projects performed in the Architecture programme at Unitec Institute of Technology during 2021. The first two were mainstream studio projects in the MARCP programme. The third, Māori Studio, was a vertical studio in Semester TWO. These three projects were selected for examination because they were all located at Ihumātao and sought in their various ways to engage with issues pertinent to that place. The discussion that follows is intended to expose and critique the usefulness of these various approaches as part of a trajectory towards decolonization and decarbonization of the Architecture programme at Unitec
Lessons in density: Approaches to teaching housing design for higher densities
No full textIn cities affected by high growth rates the public debates generated by intensification policies are vigorous, dividing opinion along established political lines: higher densities are generally acceptable to the left, and suburban densities are defended on the right. Auckland, New Zealand is not an exception. In architecture, such opinions and the divisions between them can become the source of argument, sometimes exhilarating, in the generally pragmatic routine of housing design. Students in Architecture Schools, many themselves the products of the suburbs also have political opinions, some tending to individualist conservative positions, others open to concepts of social community as a function of housing. Media debates inform and influence our work in design teaching. One side of the debate advocates for the continuation of low-density suburbs, regarded as our rightful inheritance, our true culture of housing, and the most secure route to high and stable property values. Thirty years after Thatcher’s infamous statement, “social engineering” continues to be debated, even as architects in practice acknowledge that some manifestation of community is a probable consequence of higher densities. Recognising higher density housing as an issue in urban design and in professional practice, our Design Studios include at least one “housing” project in each of the second and third year project lists. These project briefs define housing design as the development of generic models and typologies for the unknown client. Two Elective courses in the Unitec School Programme expand on history, construction detail, sustainability parameters, and prime exemplars of the genre. This Paper describes the Electives and identifies issues that emerge most frequently from the Studio process and from studies conducted in the Electives: density, as the “first variable” in housing, used as a design tool (how to measure it, and how to define its effects); the qualitative issues of privacy and identity; and the readiness of most students to engage with ethical responsibilities relating to user anonymity (concepts of duty). Its conclusions suggest that students of this generation are capable of understanding and using the technical rules of housing design and also to competently express ideas dealing with social dimensions at levels of considerable subtlety
Study of real-time electricity pricing pattern in NZ
No full textReal-time pricing
Flat Rate v/s RTP/Dynamic Pricing
Why real-time pricing?
Real-time pricing in New Zealand
Impact of real-time pricing in New Zealand
Literature review
Methodology
Data collection and sorting
Data analysis using tableau
Analysis of data: Grid (GXP) in New Zealand
Analysis of data: RTP price North and South Island
Analysis of data: RTP price per region
Analysis of data: RTP price pattern
Analysis of data: RTP price pattern (All Grids)
Conclusions
Benefits and challenges
Future wor
Confidence and mastery in mothering occupations
No full textRESEARCH QUESTION
Which mothering occupations are mothers of infants participating in when they notice feelings of confidence and mastery in their mothering abilities?
ABSTRACT
AIMS
This study aimed to explore everyday mothering occupations that evoke feelings of confidence and mastery, with mothers positioned as experts of their experience. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between occupation and positive wellbeing in mothers with infants. Long-term health and wellbeing begin with infancy, childhood, and childbearing years of the mother. Mothers’ feelings of success at their mothering role contributes to overall maternal wellbeing. Occupational therapy client centred practice requires therapists to understand the nature, performance and function of occupations in relation to the person and environment in which it is performed. Using an occupational therapy perspective, this study explored mothering occupations that engendered a sense of confidence and mastery in motherhood.
METHOD
A Delphi survey was used. This group facilitation technique elicits expert opinions by reaching consensus. The list of occupations was not intended to be comprehensive and all-encompassing for mothering. It was informed by mothering literature, compiled by the researcher, then added to by participants. Fifteen mothers with infants 12 to 18 months old were recruited, 8 added items to the mothering occupations list, and a total of 7 participants ranked the items in both Delphi surveys. Between survey rounds, participants were shown the overall collective group responses. They were asked to reflect on the knowledge of the group, and re-rank the list.
RESULTS
A high degree of consensus was reached between two survey ranking rounds to the extent that the top nine of 47 items did not change their ranked positions. Because consensus was increased between Delphi rounds, a list of the top mothering occupations for evoking feelings of confidence and mastery in mothering, as ranked by a panel of mothers, was developed.
A notable finding from this study was that mothers ranked co-occupations and shared experiences with their infants more highly overall than occupations alone or involving others. Mothering occupations were found to be innumerable and subjective, with the mothers of the study identifying with a wide range of occupations. The most highly ranked mothering occupation for maternal confidence and mastery was ‘watching’ their baby. It was found that mothers value connecting with nature, and also that some mothering occupations may stay relevant across the life course.
CONCLUSIONS
The study was limited by a small sample size, however consensus increased between survey rounds for the top 15 mothering occupations that mothers felt evoked feelings of confidence and mastery in their mothering. The findings from this study could inform primary health professionals to facilitate conversations around wellbeing in motherhood. The knowledge of how occupation influences maternal confidence and mastery has implications for health and societal policy around how mothers can be supported to engage in co-occupations with their infants. Occupational therapists are uniquely positioned to promote such conversations and research because of the underlying client-centred values involved and the understanding of the positive impact occupation can have on health and role transition