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Measuring the bidirectional spillover between study and family in non-parent and parent students.
No full textThere are an increasing number of students attending university that have dependents, but little is understood of their experiences and struggles that are inherent with child rearing and attending university at the same time. Using the conservation of resource theory model as a framework, this study focused on measuring both positive and negative spillover between family and study in both non-parent and parent audiology students. The parent group was further split into single parents and non-single parents. There were four spillover categories being assessed: Positive study to family spillover, positive family to study spillover, negative study to family spillover, and negative family to study spillover. Using a survey inspired by previous studies measuring negative and positive spillover, audiology students from programmes across the world were invited to participate. Participants who filled out the survey came from the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Results from student parents (n=52) and non-parent students (n=52) were analysed using ANOVAs to determine any significant differences between the two groups. Results showed that student parents experience more spillover in all four categories compared to the non-parent student group. There were no significant differences in experienced spillover between the single parent and non-single parent cohorts. In conclusion, audiology student parents experience more negative and positive study-family spillover in both directions than non-parent students. This indicates the need to better understand the variables relating to spillover between study and family and how to better support student parents in their university study
Where are the Christchurch Penguins? Report prepared part of the GEOG309 Research for Resilient Communities and Environments course, University of Canterbury, 2025.
No full text• Despite their ecological importance, little penguins (Eudyptula minor) remain largely understudied, particularly in Christchurch, New Zealand• In New Zealand, little penguin populations are declining, and they are classified as an “At risk” species by the Department of Conservation• This project aimed to answer several interconnected research questions:o Where are little penguins located in New Brighton?o What is threatening little penguins in New Brighton?o What conservation measures could be implemented to protect little penguins in New Brighton?• Field surveys were undertaken at New Brighton Beach to identify signs of little penguin presence, which involved listening for vocalisations and looking for visual evidence such as footprints• No evidence of a little penguin population was found in New Brighton, but multiple threats, including human and dog presence, were observed• Given the presence of threats in the area, implementing conservation measures such as signage and fencing would help support a little penguin population in New Brighton• Future research should involve a long-term monitoring program, and should utilise equipment such as a trail camera or audio recorder to allow for more robust data collectio
The presentation of self in everyday consumption : a comparative study of Muslim women.
No full textThis thesis investigates the presentation of self in everyday consumption, exploring how individuals construct and negotiate performances through routine practices. To explore this relationship, the research focuses on Muslim women and their consumption across three interconnected domains: fashion and beauty, food and beverage, and media and social media. Through a comparative qualitative study of 50 Muslim women, 26 in Kuwait (a Muslim-majority context) and 24 in New Zealand (a Muslim-minority context), the findings reveal that the presentation of self and consumption are not separate processes but deeply intertwined practices that continuously shape one another.
The study is informed by Goffman's (1959) dramaturgical framework, which conceptualizes social interaction as performance and highlights impression management as central to everyday life. Building on debates around symbolic interactionism, self-concept, and identity theory, it positions consumption as a key resource in impression formation and belonging. In particular, the literature on women’s presentation of self and Muslim consumption highlights the layered influences of religion, culture, and community that structure everyday performances. Responding to these gaps, the research employs a comparative qualitative design underpinned by an interpretivist philosophy. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Muslim women in both Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority contexts ensured that participants’ voices remained central to the inquiry and enabled nuanced exploration of how self-presentation is negotiated through everyday consumption.
Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) and the Gioia method (Gioia et al., 2013) guide the analysis, enabling systematic movement between participants’ accounts, emergent terms, and conceptual themes. This iterative process ensures transparency and depth while supporting the articulation of aggregate dimensions that show how the presentation of self manifests in everyday consumption. The findings highlight two key orientations: esteemed belonging and religious commitment, which affect how participants negotiate consistency and adaptability in everyday life.
This thesis contributes to knowledge theoretically, empirically, and methodologically. Theoretically, the core contribution is the concept of “presentational consumption”, defined as the reciprocal relationship between the presentation of self and consumption, wherein each continually shapes the other to manage social expectations and position the self in everyday life. It also demonstrates that media and social media act as a meta-domain of both consumption and a structuring influence, translating religious, cultural, and communal expectations into online performances while diffusing global trends. In addition, the thesis extends Goffman's (1959) dramaturgy by conceptualizing the presentation of self not as a binary of frontstage and backstage, but as a continuum that unfolds both offline and online, informed by audience, context, and medium. Empirically, the study provides cross-cultural insights into Muslim women’s everyday consumption practices and presentation of self, highlighting how these dimensions interact and are negotiated across Muslim-majority and minority contexts. Methodologically, it underscores the importance of incorporating intra-religious diversity when studying the influence of religion on consumers. These contributions advance understanding of consumer behaviour by showing how the presentation of self and consumption are reciprocally and continuously constituted in contemporary society
Tree Canopy Cover in Stratford 2023
No full textThis report was prepared by Professor Justin Morgenroth and Dr. Ning Ye at the School of
Forestry, University of Canterbury. The aim of this report is to provide local authorities in New
Zealand with a basic understanding of the urban tree canopy cover within their cities and towns
Ki uta ki tai/From land to sea : Māori forms of organising and responding to the Waitaha/Canterbury earthquake sequences.
No full textWhen researchers seek to understand community resilience, it often
centres on individual agents and actors. They look at the traits individuals
have in order to help recover from adverse events, as well as the decisionmaking
processes required to plan and adapt. In Aotearoa New Zealand,
Māori forms of organising can challenge these. This research was about
uncovering Māori forms organising and practices in the context of resilience.
The methodology I used was He Awa Whiria/Braided Rivers and storytelling
analysis in kanohi ki te kanohi/semi-structured interviews to understand how
Māori communities responded to and recovered from the 2010 Darfield
(Canterbury), 2011 Ōtautahi/Christchurch, and 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes.
Five themes emerged from the project: (i) the importance of marae as a
powerful physical location, (ii) the value in building strong reciprocal
connections and cultural relationships, (iii) the stronghold that kai/food has
in helping to heal communities, (iv) the exchange and trading of resources,
and (v) being practical when move forward after a disaster event.
As a non-Māori researcher, I have been an outsider to te Ao Māori and to
Aotearoa. In using this blended methodology, it became apparent that there
are many socio-cultural and historical contentions from the effects of
colonisation, assimilation, to grappling with Western norms. Notably, the
findings pointed to more similarities than differences, such as taking care of
family and communities, being community-driven, and ways of coping with
adverse events. This revealed that there are similar ways of doing things
regardless of having different customs.
This research makes several contributions. It contributes to the field of
management studies by addressing gaps in how the concept of resilience
is viewed from a practical Māori perspective. The research presents
emergency management professionals with similar blended and practical
strategies to co-design approaches for collaborative readiness, response,
and recovery plans and programmes. The study further demonstrates the
localised and tangible benefits that can be gained from utilising a blended
methodology and storying method. Ultimately, the purpose of the thesis was
to start bridging the gap between agencies and communities, to shift to more
Indigenous-led approaches, integrating local Indigenous practices and
knowledges that lead to more prepared communities in managing,
responding to, and recovering from earthquake hazard events
Taxonomy and conservation genomics of threatened limestone populations of Senecio aff. matatini (Asteraceae).
No full textSenecio matatini is a recently delineated New Zealand endemic of the Astereceae family with four recognised subspecies. However, the existence of several morphologically deviating populations in limestone environments prompts the question of whether the limestone populations should be recognised as one or more subspecies of S. matatini or if they should be recognised as another one or more distinct species. These taxonomically ambiguous calcicolous plants are only known from small and isolated populations, which are considered to be declining. This further necessitates taxonomic research, as well as obtaining a better understanding of their patterns of genetic connectivity and diversity.
We used genomic data obtained through Genotyping by Sequencing to determine the amount of genetic diversity in populations and the extent of connectivity among populations of six limestone forms of S. matatini - S. aff. matatini “Cape Campbell” , S. aff. matatini “Castle Hill”, S. aff. matatini “Mt Cass” (de Lange et al., 2018; Ornduff, 1960; Rogers et al., 2018), S. aff. matatini “North Dean”, “South Marlborough Limestone” and S. aff. matatini “Tablelands”. We also included representatives of the four currently recognised subspecies of S. matatini in my analyses - S. matatini subsp. basinudus (Ornduff) Courtney, de Lange & Pelser, S. matatini subsp. discoideus (Cheeseman) Courtney, de Lange & Pelser, S. matatini subsp. matatini and S. matatini subsp. toa (C.J.Webb) Courtney, de Lange & Pelser. We used landmark analysis on a subset of this species complex to help resolve some of the patterns of genetic structure. This was to determine how genetically distinct they are to the limestone forms. We aimed of identify limestone populations and forms that have unique genetic variation or are genetically isolated from other populations and forms. We also aimed to determine which and how many taxa to recognize within this taxonomically complex group. We found patterns of genetic structure within the species complex which showed the most support for five distinct genetic clusters with little admixture between the groups. The individual limestone entities hold unique variation further indicative of their genetic isolation. The limestone entities were not all distinct from the subspecies. The population genetic analyses found the limestone entities to hold high levels of genetic variation, however, metrics for some entities were influenced by low sample sizes. Taxonomic recognition for two new subspecies representing limestone entities is recommended. One limestone entity, thought to be unique clustered tightly with one of the subspecies. Other entities largely can be accommodated in the current taxonomic classification of S. matatini, however these may need further study. The results of this study will help inform the formal classification of the S. matatini complex, contribute to an accurate assessment of its conservation status, and facilitate effective conservation management
Sustainable point-of-use treatment of rainwater in Tonga using biosand filtration
No full textIn Tonga, over 90% of the population relies on rainwater harvesting systems as their primary source of drinking water. However, this rainwater is often untreated, with E. coli counts reported as high as 100–300 CFU/100 mL. In contrast, the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards specify a maximum allowable limit of 1 CFU/100 mL. This highlights a critical need for water treatment systems to remove contaminants and improve drinking water quality in Tonga.
A literature review focused on the local context identified biosand filter (BSF) technology as highly suitable to meet this need. The BSF is a modified slow sand filter that removes contaminants through physical, chemical, and biological processes as water flows through layers of sand and gravel. This research hypothesises that coral sand is a suitable BSF medium for improving rainwater quality for drinking water provision in the Tongan context. Eight coral sand samples were collected from Tongatapu, Tonga, while silica sand from New Brighton, Christchurch (New Zealand), was used as a reference filter media.
The first research objective was to perform a physical and chemical characterisation of Tongan coral sand and New Brighton sand. Physiochemical characterisation included assessments of particle size distribution (PSD), hydraulic conductivity, retention rate, density, porosity, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and sand deposition. with selected sand samples The PSD experiment classified the Tongan sand as coarse—approximately 70% of each sample consisted of coarse particles. Hydraulic conductivity values for the Tongan sand ranged from 3.45 × 10⁻³ to 6.48 × 10⁻³ m/s. The characterisation tests confirmed key differences between the Tongan coral sand (identified as 97% calcium carbonate) and the New Brighton sand (79% silica, composed of silicon and oxygen). Sand from Vakaloa Beach, Tonga, was selected for column experiments due to its effective grain size (0.35 mm), which was closest to the recommended range of 0.15–0.20 mm, and the sand’s highest observed retention rate (62%).
The second objective was to design and construct operational lab-scale BSF prototypes capable of undergoing controlled daily dosing experiments. Laboratory-scale BSF experiments were conducted using four modified plastic columns. Filters were dosed twice daily with approximately 550 mL/day of influent water sourced from the Okeover Stream and a duck pond to ensure the presence of E. coli. Over six months, various water quality parameters were monitored for both influent and effluent: pH, turbidity, salinity, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total organic carbon (TOC), total alkalinity, and total and dissolved metals. Microbiological indicators (E. coli and total coliforms) were also measured. This was to fulfil objective three, monitor water quality parameters in the influent and effluent of the BSFs during both the developmental and operational phases.
Calcium carbonate dissolution led to increased values in several parameters post-filtration—turbidity rose by 63%, electrical conductivity by 69%, and TDS by 73%. E. coli levels were reduced by 98%, and total coliforms by 97%. However, natural variation in influent quality limited confidence in these results. No biofilm developed during the study period. Further research is recommended to assess the filter's performance once a biofilm is established.
The BSF reduces the risk of waterborne diseases from drinking untreated rainwater and shows potential for full-scale application to meet the water needs of communities in Tonga
Tree Canopy Cover in Napier 2018
No full textThe aim of this report is to provide local authorities in New Zealand with a basic understanding of the urban tree canopy cover within their cities and towns
Mental Health and Criminal Justice: A New Zealand Guide
No full textMental health is an urgent and growing concern within the criminal justice system. The high prevalence of mental health concerns among those interacting with the criminal justice system highlights the importance of developing and implementing evidence-based, informed and culturally competent mental health-related policy.
This is the first book in Aotearoa New Zealand that focuses on mental health policy and law at different stages of the criminal justice process. Bridging academic insight and practical application, the book takes a critical, rights-based and multidisciplinary approach, engaging with law, criminology, psychology and political science to explore the realities of how mental health intersects with justice in policy, practice and lived experience.
Chapters 1 to 5 frame the topic of mental health in criminal justice by contextualising mental health and criminal justice in New Zealand in light of its history of mental health care, and discussing Māori understandings of mental health and criminal justice, the role of criminological theories of crime, the philosophy of punishment and human rights considerations. Chapters 6 to 10 discuss mental health as it relates to discrete aspects of the criminal justice system – namely police, the criminal trial process, criminal law, expert evidence and prisons. Chapter 11 covers the mental health of victims, while Chapter 12 focuses on the mental health of criminal justice professionals. Lastly, Chapter 13 discusses current developments and future directions in mental health and criminal justice in New Zealand.
The book is aimed at third year and postgraduate students and will appeal to students of criminal justice, law, sociology, criminology, psychology and psychiatry. It will also be a valuable resource for people working in the mental health and criminal justice space, including lawyers, policy makers, forensic experts, corrections, police, victim advocacy services, citizens advice, mental health services and other related parties or organisations – as well as anyone navigating the criminal justice system