16168 research outputs found
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An examination of DHB climate change policy and implementation: Responsiveness to Māori health
No full textThe impacts of climate change have become increasingly evident throughout the world and in Aotearoa. Frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as flooding, coastal erosion, wildfires, and droughts are notably increasing. Climate-related disasters have devastating effects on human health, as is well documented in literature. These effects include cardiovascular disease, poorer mental health, food insecurity and water borne disease.
Due to pre-existing health disparities, Māori are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change. Further, Māori have unique relationships with whenua wherein destruction of the natural environment will have a negative impact on the health of Māori people and communities. The health sector has an obligation to respond to Māori health in a way that honours Māori relationships with the environment and prioritises equitable health outcomes for Māori in climate change policy.
Although Māori face potentially severe health impacts due to climate change, there is limited literature that considers health sector climate change policy and its responsiveness to Māori health. In an effort to address this gap in literature, this thesis aims to examine whether there is existing District Health Board (DHB) policy focused on implementing institutional responses to climate change. Further, this research seeks to understand the extent to which any identified DHB climate change policy responds to Māori health.
At the time of study, DHBs were responsible for providing and funding health services throughout Aotearoa. During the late stages of this research, the health sector underwent reform, and two health authorities have replaced DHBs. The implications of this research have important ramifications within the newly established health authorities. A dedicated Māori health authority will provide the health sector with the chance to advance health equity by acting on holistic understandings of health for Māori. These actions would establish health policy that recognises Māori health as fundamentally linked to the environment and therefore uniquely impacted by climate change.
To achieve the aims of this thesis, two research methods were implemented. Initially, an environmental scan of 17 DHB websites was completed to identify climate change and Māori health policies. This was followed by qualitative interviews with three DHB staff from diverse localities. Additionally, tāngata whenua interviews from the wider research project named Haumanu Hauora, were analysed to ensure Māori understandings of climate change were included in this research (Masters-Awatere et al., 2022).
Research findings provide insights that point to highly fragmented climate change policies across the health sector. There is a glaring lack of direction in the health sector's response to climate change throughout existing policy. Māori health policies were in place across all DHBs, however, lacked recognition of the interconnection between Māori health and the natural environment, and therefore the impacts of climate change.
Although policy was fragmented across regions, there is potential to enhance both climate change and Māori health policies by recognising the interconnected nature of Māori health and climate change. This will necessitate a significant change in the health systems policy response to climate change that prioritises mātauranga Māori and addresses the ongoing impacts of colonisation
Secondary school student' experiences of restorative practices
No full textRestorative practices in education have gained prominence as an alternative to traditional punitive disciplinary measures. This alternative aims to foster accountability, healing and relationships within the school community. Despite the increasing implementation, there is little attention or research given to voices and experiences of those most affected – the students themselves.
This study investigates the lived experiences of students and how students in Aotearoa New Zealand perceive and experience restorative practices. Using narrative inquiry and qualitative research methods, the study generates accounts of nine student’s experiences of restorative practices. These accounts include the
meanings they made of interactions with teachers, their peers and other aspects of the restorative processes that informed their experiences.
Drawing on individual semi-structured interviews with students, this research employed thematic analysis to identify five key themes. Particular discourses were identified that inform power relations in restorative practices, personal agency, communication and supportive relationships. The findings highlight participants’ preferences for trust-based connections with staff and peers, and contexts that foster open and honest communication that address fear and exclude punitive approaches and consequences. The complexity of discursive power relations and how they are exercised in relationships between students and teaching staff show that understanding discursive power and how to address its effects is important for schools to consider when engaging in restorative practices.
By focusing on the perspectives of students, this study contributes to an evolving social justice education discourse. Social justice in education fosters student agency, relational approaches to school disciplinary policies, and promotes educational, justice-based school communities. A social justice approach offers valuable insights for educators and policymakers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of restorative approaches within school communities. Working towards a more meaningful, equitable and impactful process for conflict resolution
A Meta-Analysis of interventions to reduce disruptive behaviour in classroom settings
No full textI conducted a meta-analysis of 48 single-case and small-group experimental design studies from 1997 to 2024 that investigated interventions to reduce disruptive behaviour in classroom settings. I extracted data from graphs displaying behavioural data resulting from interventions to reduce disruptive behaviour and then I calculated Tau-U effect sizes. A total of 180 effect sizes from the 48 studies produced a total mean effect size of -0.82 indicating that 82% of students experienced a reduction in their disruptive behaviour. Interventions designed for individual students produced a very large mean effect size (ES = -0.85, SD = 0.31) compared to class-wide strategies (ES = -0.76, SD = 0.30). The most prevalent intervention was group contingencies included in 13 studies. The most utilised intervention within this group was the Good Behaviour Game. All interventions provided in the studies included in this meta-analysis resulted in a reduction in disruptive behaviour, however not all interventions had a strong representation across the studies and therefore have limitations. A small number of experiments trialling an intervention may produce a large effect size, however, due to the need for replication to evoke confidence in the efficacy of an intervention, these results are tentative at best. There is also a strong theme for more training for teachers in classroom management skills as many teachers are reporting that they are not equipped for managing disruptive behaviour in the classroom
Integrating occupancy density into the environmental assessment of residential buildings: Towards embodied impact reduction at both building and urban level
No full textLife Cycle Assessments (LCA) of buildings typically use gross floor area (GFA)-centric functional units, while urban-scale assessments use occupancy-centric ones. This mismatch reflects the dual functions of buildings (providing space and shelter) and can lead to conflicting strategies, where reducing impacts per GFA at the building level may increase impacts per occupant at the urban level. This study compares these assessment approaches and introduces a dual-functional unit approach that evaluates buildings across both functions. Eight detached houses are assessed using LCA across four impact categories and ranked using a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method for each approach. Results show significant variation in rankings among the established approaches, with several buildings having completely opposite outcomes (e.g., ranked 1st in the GFA-centric assessment but 6th in the occupancy-centric assessment), while the proposed approach produces more consistent rankings, representing both functions. Moreover, a scenario-based analysis compares the three assessments to a control (no-assessment) scenario, considering all detached houses built in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past 5 years. The GFA-centric assessment resulted in increased total impacts (mean difference +0.20% across the four impact categories) by promoting larger and less dense buildings (+0.70 m² per occupant), while the occupancy-centric assessment led to mean impact reductions of -1.98%, while significantly reducing the space per occupant by 0.98m². The proposed approach achieved even greater impact reductions (-2.22%) while reducing space by only 0.31m² per occupant. Finally, a correlation with national climate goals was made, showing the approach could achieve 71.65% of the national carbon reduction target
The adoption of communication technologies by the Aotearoa New Zealand public relations industry: Social media and artificial intelligence
No full textPurpose of research
This research aims to explore the factors that challenge or enable the adoption of new communication technologies by Aotearoa New Zealand's public relations industry. More specifically, it investigates the adoption of social media and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, identifying associated ethical issues. The research will use past experiences of adopting social media to provide important lessons for today’s adoption of AI and highlight the importance of proactive learning, responsible experimentation, strong ethical frameworks and securing a place for public relations voices in technology policy discussions.
Design and methodology
Semi-structured interviews were conducted to detect senior professionals’ experiences and insights regarding the adoption of both social media and AI. Interviewees were selected based on their years of experience, allowing the researcher to ensure a comparison between the adoption of social media and the current adoption of AI. This meant participants had to have at least 14-15 years of experience. Based on the interviews’ content, the researcher created a questionnaire, which was distributed to 3,010 Aotearoa New Zealand public relations professionals through the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand’s newsletter. In addition, the researcher directly contacted 16 public relations professionals known to the researcher in Aotearoa New Zealand and posted the survey through the researcher’s LinkedIn page which reached 418 other LinkedIn members.
The survey questionnaire and interviews guideline were designed to gather data on public relations professionals’ initial understanding of social media, as well as their organisations’ initial attitude, how their social media policy was created and how they currently used social media in their work. It also sought to understand the current adoption trends of AI by gathering information and attitudinal perceptions from the respondents’ organisation, their opinions on AI, if their organisation had an AI policy, their involvement and if they had used AI in their work, as well as any future opportunities they see if adopting AI.
The major question the guide this study was:
What are the factors that challenge or enable the adoption of new communication technologies by the public relations industry?
Findings
Social media blurred the boundaries between personal and professional identities, creating new ethical and reputational considerations for public relations professionals. Social media expanded public relations responsibilities to include real-time engagement, content creation and analytics. AI has the power to enhance productivity, however the need for upskilling and training as AI becomes more prominent in communication workflows is crucial. There are explicit knowledge and skills gaps related to AI, particularly in areas such as ethical use, content verification and integration into strategic communication. Public relations pracitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand feel underprepared for AI’s rapid evolution, and there is limited access to formal training tailored specifically to public relations applications, due to organisational barriers, unclear policies and resistance to change.
Originality/value
This research is original in its dual focus on the adoption of both social media and AI in the public relations industry, using the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory as a unifying analytical framework. While previous studies have examined these technologies separately, this research is among the first to compare their adoption patterns side by side, offering a longitudinal perspective on how public relations professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand, respond to digital transformation over time. The study uniquely highlights the parallels between past and present adoption behaviours, revealing recurring organisational hesitations, generational divides and evolving role expectations. It also contributes new insight into current AI knowledge and skills gaps, which have yet to be comprehensively addressed in existing public relations scholarship. By drawing on real-world practitioner narratives, this research adds depth to theoretical understanding and offers practical implications for how the profession can better prepare for emerging technologies
Non-suicidal self-injury and outward-directed injury: An exploration into commonalities in engagement and function within an Aotearoa New Zealand youth sample
No full textThis research explores two detrimental issues confronting an increasing number of young people: non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and outward-directed injury (ODI). Researchers and service providers often approach these behaviours in vastly differently ways. NSSI is understood as the direct and deliberate destruction of one’s own skin tissue, unsanctioned socially or culturally, occurring in the absence of suicidal intent. This behaviour is often associated with depressed or highly distressed females. Self-directed injury (SDI) of this type often evokes sympathy from others and can result in increased care and support for those engaging in these behaviours. Outward-directed injury (ODI) is a novel term explored through this study and intended to capture harmful behaviours which are directed externally or outward, potentially causing injury to another or damage to an object, seemingly in an aggressive act, with the intent to injure oneself. Examples of ODI include: wall- / object-punching, fighting or other aggressive acts. Stereotypically, ODI behaviours are more often associated with males and tend to be viewed with derision and punitive responses. NSSI and ODI both appear to be predicated by strong emotions and may be used to regulate these. The current study uses an established survey containing two well-validated measures to explore NZ respondents' engagement in and perceptions of these behaviours. Survey data is analysed according to gender, emotional distress, and behaviour functionality. Gender was found to play a significant role in both classes of behaviours with females endorsing SDI more frequently than males and males endorsing ODI more than females. This study also found that people who hurt themselves through either SDI or ODI report more psychological distress than those who do not engage in any self-injurious behaviour. This study also found those who engage in ODI are significantly more distressed than those who engage in SDI, whilst those with dual engagement (employing both SDI and ODI) are most distressed of all. Study findings also showed emotion regulation to be a primary function for both SDI and ODI engagement
An investigation of wearable and IoT technology for health applications: a user centered approach
No full textThe convergence of wearable technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) has opened new possibilities for health monitoring and older adults care. However, existing systems remain fragmented, often lack interoperability, and tend to overlook the unique usability needs of older adults. This research investigates how a user-centered approach can inform the design and development of a Unified Wearable Device Framework (UWDF) to enhance integration, accessibility, and data visualization across heterogeneous IoT devices. Drawing on qualitative research involving older adults, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and technical personnel, the study identifies key design requirements and develops a working prototype of the UWDF platform. The framework emphasizes simplicity, modularity, and human-centered computing (HCC) principles. Usability testing demonstrates that the platform improves ease of interaction, supports personalized health monitoring, and facilitates caregiver engagement. The research contributes both a practical solution for managing diverse wearable health devices and a methodological reference for designing inclusive healthcare technologies that support aging-in-place
Automatic species identification from images for Aotearoa
No full textImage classification for species identification has applications in areas such as conservation and education. Given New Zealand's geographic isolation and the relatively small number of species present on its islands, there is an opportunity to apply machine learning to enable accurate automatic species identification for Aotearoa, even on mobile devices without Internet access. We present neural network-based image classification models trained to classify organisms present in New Zealand. The data for model development and evaluation, obtained from the crowd-sourcing website iNaturalist, comprises 14,991 species, including 6,216 Animalia, 6,173 Plantae, and 2,407 Fungi species, alongside a small set of observations of Bacteria, Chromista, Protozoa, and Viruses. It contains organisms observed in the natural environment as well as captive and cultivated organisms. The trained models achieve over 76% classification accuracy across all species and produce class probability estimates, calibrated using temperature scaling, that can be used to gauge confidence in their classifications. Input attribution methods can be used to interpret a model's inferences by highlighting its areas of focus on images. The models are available to the public as downloadable model files and as part of both web and mobile applications for species identification that are distributed as open-source software
Who seeks help in a crisis? Temporal analysis of anti-trafficking helpline contacts over the pandemic
No full textBackground
Human trafficking and extreme exploitation ("modern slavery") violate fundamental human rights and cause severe harm to individuals' well-being. Anti-trafficking helplines provide critical support for victims/survivors, yet little research has explored their usage patterns, particularly during crises. This study examines how the Covid-19 pandemic influenced reporting to the UK’s Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline, aiming to identify trends in help-seeking behaviour during this period of significant social disruption.
Methods
This study analysed 8,386 cases from the Helpline between October 2016 and December 2021. We took a descriptive approach, as assumptions for causal analyses could not be met. We used seasonal decomposition methods to separate underlying trends over the pandemic from seasonal effects, focusing on caller proximity and exploitation sub-types.
Results
Helpline contacts decreased following the introduction of Covid-19 restrictions, although case volume remained steady compared to pre-pandemic levels. Reporting patterns shifted: reports of criminal and sexual exploitation increased, while those of labour exploitation declined. Self-reports from victims/survivors rose notably during in-person work restrictions, particularly for labour exploitation in essential industries. Reports from the public about suspicious activity dropped and did not rebound post-lockdown, suggesting long-term changes in public reporting behaviour.
Conclusions
The study demonstrates how the Covid-19 pandemic affected reporting to a major anti-trafficking helpline, revealing increased self-reports from victim/survivors but a decline in community-based reporting. These findings highlight the importance of helplines as a public health intervention during crises and underscore the need for enhanced support infrastructure during periods of social and economic disruption. Future research should investigate the underlying causes of these shifts in reporting and explore ways to improve service access for victim/survivors of trafficking during emergencies
Unpacking media narratives: Racism and problematic reasonings
No full textIn this research brief, we present summaries of four case studies of racism in mainstream and social media in Aotearoa. Through a series of carefully selected datasets sourced from TV episodes (Police TEN 7), print media such as news articles (including Northland checkpoints), and tweets (Three Waters reform), we outline how Māori are represented across these mediums. With an expert in language modelling on our team, we analysed large datasets that give us sufficient statistical power to infer specific Māori discourses on respective platforms. Further, we examined key themes that characterise how Māori are represented in the media and signal the scale of anti-Māori attacks. For instance, we found that the predominant discussion on Three Waters reform on Twitter focused on ‘conflict’ (distrust towards government; 33%) and ‘capability’ (questioning the credibility of the reform; 23%) rather than its core intention of promoting water ‘safety’ (7%). The modelling analysis was supplemented by in-depth qualitative analysis that integrates anti-Māori themes (Moewaka-Barnes et al., 2012) and problematic reasoning tactics (Sturgill, 2021) to elucidate how false, deficit-based rhetoric about Māori is deployed to fuel racism and disinformation. In summary, our findings reinforce Kupu Taea’s call for new media sectors to integrate Te Tiriti o Waitangi into their practices to safeguard Māori and other minoritised groups who are likely to be at the fore of racist attacks