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Quality of Life in South Asian Children Diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in New Zealand: A Qualitative Study
No full textBackground: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is becoming increasingly common in paediatric populations and can cause psychological, physical and emotional distress, and can reduce quality of life. South Asian children in New Zealand with IBD have lower quality of life than children of other ethnicities, although the cause of this is unknown. The study aimed to investigate factors contributing to low quality of life in South Asian children diagnosed with IBD in New Zealand.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out in-person and via Zoom with twelve South Asian children diagnosed with IBD and their parents in New Zealand. The framework method (a type of thematic analysis) was utilised to code and analyse the data.
Findings: Four key themes were identified which highlights the struggles faced by participants with IBD before and after diagnosis, and its impact on their families and quality of life. The themes included: (1) Medicine as Trauma: Traumatic experiences during diagnosis and treatment, leading to mistrust in healthcare, (2) It's Quite Life Altering: Missing out on childhood experiences and facing physical challenges, (3) Keeping Quiet: Reluctance to disclose their condition due to fear of judgment, and lastly (4) Making Peace: Coming to terms with living with a long-term condition.
Conclusion: The qualitative findings reflected numerous challenges within New Zealand's medical system which may have contributed to lower quality of life in this population, including prolonged diagnostic delays, misidentification and dismissal of symptoms, insufficient support from primary care providers, and the ongoing invasive procedures associated with living with IBD. Additionally, the results reflected how young children must navigate their youth while adapting to a lifelong illness, further exacerbating their quality of life. The current study offers several recommendations to enhance the quality of life for South Asian children with IBD, emphasizing that the key to improvement lies within the healthcare sector
Social relations and subjective well-being for non-Māori New Zealanders of advanced age
No full textThere is a lack of research regarding people of advanced age (80+), an increasing and important group given the demographic ageing of New Zealand society.
The primary aim was to identify social relations that are associated with subjective well-being (Life Satisfaction, and Physical and Mental HRQoL) in advanced age. Objectives included finding the contributions of individual-based, community-based, and informal-social-support-related domains of social relations to outcomes, and, within these domains, the contributions of quantity and quality. The secondary aim was to determine the enablers of and barriers to identified potentially beneficial and modifiable social relations.
A framework was conceptualised, showing a directed sequence of domains ranging from socio-cultural/environmental context and individual risk factors to social relations, and thence to subjective well-being. Data were from the non-Māori component of LiLACS NZ (2010-2015), with baseline information on 214 women and 190 men aged 85+ living in Bay of Plenty and Lakes District Health Board areas of New Zealand. Firstly, mixed effects regression was used in a block-wise series of models, culminating in the addition of social relations, to predict subjective well-being. Secondly, a similar process was used to predict social relations found to be important for subjective well-being and deemed modifiable.
Overall, both individual- and community-based social relations, and both their quantity and quality, were associated with subjective well-being. Providing care/assistance to others, satisfaction with relationships, attending group meetings, cultural participation, connection to community, and sufficiency of informal support were linked to subjective well-being. Perceived respect from others, gender, rurality, deprivation, socio-economic status, health factors, and life-course factors were predictors of these social relations. Distance to other relatives, engagement with relatives, being understood, and attendance at religious meetings (though deemed non-modifiable) were also related to subjective well-being. Differences were found in comparison to findings from prior studies on ‘older age in general’.
Findings contribute to psychosocial theories of ageing, corroborating the central importance of social ties, and pointing to the importance of respectful, reciprocal, and meaningful social relations. Implications for policy and practice suggest potential interventions that promote better social relations, and that, ultimately, improve well-being for people of advanced age
A descriptive observational study of B12 testing during pregnancy and infancy in New Zealand and suggested guidance for testing and treatment.
No full textAIMS: Severe B12 deficiency is harmful to infants. This study describes the recent detection and treatment rates of antenatal and infant B12 deficiency in the Auckland-Northland region. METHOD: Regional laboratory data on serum B12 levels were analysed. B12 deficient infants and pregnant women were identified and paired with their corresponding mother or infant, followed by a review of electronic health records. RESULTS: Testing incidence was low in infants (5 per 1,000 infants per year). Among 529 infants tested over 5 years, 6% exhibited B12 deficiency (<148pmol/L). Antenatal B12 deficiency was found in 16% of 6,365 pregnant women tested over 1 year, with high-risk deficiency (<100pmol/L) found in 2%. Both infants and mothers with B12 deficiency had suboptimal rates of adequate treatment. Among infants of high-risk B12 deficient pregnancies, only 1% had serum B12 tested despite being at high risk of infant B12 deficiency. CONCLUSION: Current guidelines and testing practices in Auckland-Northland inadequately detect and treat B12 deficiency in pregnancy and infancy. A risk-based screening approach is best suited to detect infants at risk of severe deficiency. Antenatal and postnatal recommendations for B12 testing and treatment of mothers and infants are made, along with nutritional advice in pregnancy and infancy
Undead ecologies: Reconceptualising zombiism in videogames
No full textIn this presentation I make a case for an emerging figuration of the zombie as an undead ecology rather than an embodied figure. This view rests on the observation that the necrotisation of the planet Earth, a process accelerated by the ecological relations associated with late-stage capitalism (McBrien 2016), is intricately connected to this new form of ludic zombiism. I examine two games that sit outside the conventions of traditional zombie texts—Timberborn (Mechanistry 2021) and Elden Ring (FromSoftware 2022)—to reveal that, just as the shambling corpses of earlier zombies destabilised biological and ontological meaning, virtual landscapes and ecologies in contemporary games now ply the margins of life, subjectivity and meaning
The Sense of Belonging in 13-year-olds Living in Aotearoa New Zealand: Contexts and Influencing Factors
No full textThis study investigated 13-year-olds’ sense of belonging in Aotearoa New Zealand. Qualitative data were collected using the ‘Our Voices’ Tō Mātou Rerenga – Our Journey app, designed for the use of the cohort participating in the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study. The research focused on the contexts in which adolescent connections formed, and what individual and group interactions promoted belonging. A descriptive quantitative approach was used to establish the contexts in which young people felt they belonged, and then a qualitative, interpretivist perspective was utilised to explore the data to identify factors that promoted belonging.
Reflexive thematic analysis of the data revealed that doing things together regularly, through similar interests and personalities promoted belonging with friends and peers. Shared history and traditions involving friends, family, and cultural groups were further contributing factors, as was engaging emotionally through having fun together and being supported emotionally. The exchange of complementary strengths within relationships and groups was another important contributor, with communication being the catalyst for bonding within all types of relationships.
Belonging took place in friendships and groups where young people did regular meaningful activities together and had fun together. From the findings it is recommended that young people be supported in belonging to extra-curricular groups, and that clubs and groups within schools be supported and valued. Group leaders are encouraged to provide a sense of meaning and to make activities for young people fun. Instilling a culture of belonging is also recommended within families
Risk factors associated with retirement village residents’ transition into long-term care in Auckland, New Zealand: insights from a cohort study
No full textAim:
Around 16% of older people over the age 75 live in a retirement village (RV). Many older people are turning to this sector in anticipation of future care needs. However, little is known about their health needs and their risk for entering long-term care (LTC). This study aims to understand what risk factors are associated with RV residents’ transition into LTC in Auckland, New Zealand.
Methods:
Baseline data was collected from RV managers (n = 33) and RV residents (n = 574) as part of the Older People in Retirement Village study (‘the RV study’). Eligible residents were followed for up to 6.50 years to determine how many residents entered LTC. Longitudinal analysis was completed to explore what risk factors were associated with LTC entry in the RV cohort using data from the RV study and routinely collected information.
Findings:
27% of residents (n = 155) entered LTC over a mean follow-up of 4.75 years (SD 1.42). Risk factors for LTC entry include older age (p = 0.0003), being male (HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.22–2.74, p = 0.0038) and acute hospitalisation in the last year (HR 3.35, 95% CI 2.26–4.96, p <0.0001). Functional impairment emerged as a risk factor following sensitivity analysis (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.03–3.45, p = 0.0386).
Influenza vaccination in the last year (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37–0.91, p = 0.0178), years living in a RV (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89–0.97, p = 0.0009), 3–4 hours of physical activity over a three day period (HR 0.32 95% CI 0.16–0.64, p = 0.0205), private RV ownership (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.38–0.88, p = 0.0108) and acceptable pain levels (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.40–0.89, p = 0.0226) at baseline reduced the risk for LTC entry.
Conclusion:
This thesis has exposed risk factors not previously investigated using a relatively comprehensive longterm cohort study in NZ. The results suggest that RV residents carry multiple modifiable risk factors which underscores the need for further intervention within the RV community
Sensible Engagement
No full textLate‑stage capitalism narrows architectural agency, yet the built environment remains a charged site where meaning, identity, and power circulate. Treating the city as a mutable network of signs, Sensible Engagement explores how design can construct alternate realities that expose and contest the logics of neoliberal spectacle. It centres on set design for reality television, showing how space choreographs the body politic and commodifies identity, turning lived experience into continuous production.
Building on the critique of a post‑Colomina mediated society—one in which technology stands for direct vision—the research traces a lineage of insurgent tactics from the historical avant-garde through Surrealism and the Situationist International. Practices such as dérive, détournement, and allegory are adapted to contemporary conditions to fracture the seamless surfaces of the spectacle.
The project culminates in an installation modelled on familiar reality‑television tropes: the omnipresent gaze, alongside cycles of desire, confession, and conflict. Conceived as a perpetual stage, this environment foregrounds surveillance, self‑curation and the erosion of privacy. Here, architecture operates as an allegorical machine that renders the forces shaping subjectivity legible, inviting viewers and participants alike to question their roles within the production.
Through drawing, physical modelling, and digital set fabrication, the thesis outlines an architectural method that leverages media culture against itself, seeking moments where design can redirect attention, rewrite scripts, and open space for new modes of being within the Anthropocene
Towards the Detection of Speech Deepfakes for Scam Prevention
No full textSpeech deepfakes are voices generated through artificial intelligence and deep learning, designed to imitate an individual. Malicious use of deepfakes can cause serious invasions of privacy, and in more extreme cases, pose a threat to businesses, banks and even nations. The ongoing development of artificial intelligence and increases in computing power indicate that the quality and accessibility of deepfakes is only going to increase, showing a need for the development of robust deepfake detection systems. Most proposed methods are centred around machine learning methods, which rely on complex architectures for recognising patterns in large databases. While many have been reported to be successful, the use of data-driven methods tends to obfuscate the nature of the artifacts in the speech signal used for detection. The result is a system that works - but it is not clear why it does. In this thesis, an exploratory analysis is performed into the differences between natural and synthetic speech, using signal processing methods.
First, a review of the relevant background information is provided, including a description of speech production in humans and machines and an overview of previously proposed detection methods. Next, a variety of speech analysis techniques are discussed, including Fourier analysis, the source-filter model and bispectral analysis. This theory is applied in the development of two synthetic speech detection approaches. The first uses a simple machine learning algorithm to classify bispectrum-based features extracted from the speech signal. This system was evaluated using three databases of natural and synthetic speech, with two consisting of speech from a New Zealand English speaker and one with speech from an American English speaker. The synthetic speech in these databases was obtained using FastSpeech 2, a state-of-the-art text-to-speech system. Accuracies of around 94\% across three datasets were obtained, when evaluated with a single-speaker. The second method considers the phase response of the system that generated the speech samples, using a New Zealand English dataset. Differences were observed in the high frequencies (above around 5 kHz), with the synthetic speech showing less variation than the natural speech, with peaks in the variance occurring at the formant frequencies
Development of a Holistic Wellbeing Framework and Conceptual Model for Infrastructure Investment: A Comprehensive Approach to Performance Monitoring for Intergenerational Wellbeing Outcomes in New Zealand
No full textInvestment decisions and our infrastructure’s performance are under increasing pressure to provide transformative solutions to
address social injustice, environmental impacts, and poverty and improve intergenerational wellbeing. This paper discusses a meso-level
infrastructure wellbeing performance framework and conceptual model that has been developed for the New Zealand context, including
New Zealand indigenous knowledge (M¯atauranga M¯aori), and tests the viability using three waters (drinking water, sewage, stormwater)
data derived from New Zealand sources. An infrastructure investment and a performance monitoring framework that embeds wellbeing
analysis will help decision makers better understand the performance of their infrastructure in delivering on a community’s wellbeing. Current
performance and decision-making frameworks and assessment tools like multicriteria analysis and cost-benefit decision-making models, rely
heavily on economic analysis and technical asset variables. Decision-making frameworks that use sustainable and wellbeing variables tend to
be limited in scope and primarily focus on macro policy decision making and micro infrastructure asset-level performance outcomes. A meso
(local/regional) level framework that considers wellbeing is required to better understand the performance of infrastructure on intergenerational wellbeing. The development of this novel framework and conceptual model considers the New Zealand Treasury Living Standards
Framework 2021 (NZ LSF), which has significant influence from He Ara Waiora (a framework considering m¯atauranga M¯aori principles of
wellbeing) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG). The novel wellbeing framework and conceptual model
provide a comprehensive performance monitoring tool for three waters infrastructure at a meso (local/regional) level. The framework
and model will help decision makers make holistic decisions for their infrastructure investment, looking at intergenerational wellbein
Role of Bystanders on Women’s Perception of Personal Security When Using Public Transport
No full textWomen frequently face gender-based harassment when using public transport and adjust their travel behavior as a result. The present study focuses on how the presence of bystanders influences women’s sense of security and self-efficacy while using public transport. The study assesses the impact community support and social norms, perceived responsibilities of authority, and environmental factors have on women’s perception of security in the context of harassment. We conducted an online survey in Auckland, New Zealand ( n = 524). We analyzed results for differences in responses by gender and intersectional identities such as ethnicity and LGBTQ+. We used common factor analysis to uncover hypothesized latent variables that affect women’s perceptions of security and expectations of bystanders. The analysis produced a four-factor model for women+. The strongest factor in the women+ model was Community, followed by Authority, Confidence, then Vigilance. The women+ model suggests bystander and community support is an important expectation for women using public transport, affecting their perception of security and self-efficacy. For comparison and to gain insight into the role men may have as bystanders, we performed factor analysis on responses from men. The resulting three-factor model included factors for Confidence, Authority, and Vigilance. The strength of the Confidence factor for men suggests there is space for calling men in as bystanders who are informed and willing to act. Overall, study findings indicate that anti-harassment strategies can be strengthened by building an active bystander community, bolstering support for vulnerable riders, and helping establish harassment as an unacceptable form of passenger behavior