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Digital construction as a catalyst for sustainable transformation: Addressing COVID-19 challenges
No full textThis study examines how digital construction can tackle challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and its relationship with sustainability. The pandemic has severely impacted the construction industry, leading to labour shortages and business disruptions. While returning to pre-pandemic norms will take time, digitalization offers a pathway for both disruption and growth. Remote work has become crucial, and digital solutions are essential for managing the pandemic’s negative effects, ensuring work continuity, and adopting sustainable practices.
A systematic review of existing literature underscores the role of digital transformation in mitigating COVID-19 impacts on the construction sector. The findings indicate that digitalization can effectively overcome industry challenges. Furthermore, integrating sustainability principles into digital construction is crucial. By leveraging digital technologies, construction processes can be optimized, waste reduced, energy efficiency improved, and resource management enhanced. Aligning digitalization with sustainability can strengthen the industry’s long-term resilience and environmental impact.
In conclusion, the study illustrates that digital construction can address pandemic challenges. Through embracing digital transformation and sustainability, the construction sector can navigate these difficult times and secure a more sustainable future
The role of dairy farmers in driving supply chain 4.0 adoption: A case study from the New Zealand dairy supply chain : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Commerce and Management at Lincoln University
No full textThis study explores the crucial role of dairy farmers in driving the adoption of digital technologies within New Zealand’s dairy industry. As a cornerstone of the national economy, the dairy sector significantly contributes to GDP and global exports. With industries worldwide undergoing rapid digital transformation, integrating tools such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and blockchain has become essential for enhancing efficiency, improving product quality, and ensuring supply chain transparency. However, while large corporations and processing companies have embraced these innovations, the role of dairy farmers—who form the backbone of the industry—remains underexamined.
This research employs a qualitative case study approach, drawing on semi‐structured interviews with dairy farmers and processing company representatives. Additionally, it also integrates secondary sources such as industry reports, government publications, and academic journals to provide a broader analysis of the drivers, challenges, and benefits associated with Supply Chain 4.0 adoption. Findings reveal that dairy farmers, as primary producers, are central to the digital transformation process. Their proactive engagement with IoT devices and AI-powered farm management systems has enabled real‐time monitoring of livestock health, milk yield, and environmental conditions. Big data analytics have empowered these stakeholders to predict production trends, optimize resource allocation, and manage supply chain fluctuations effectively. Although blockchain technology remains in its early stages of deployment within the industry. It has the potential to ensure transparency and secure traceability as a significant future asset for enhancing consumer trust in the quality and origin of dairy products.
However, the study also highlights several barriers to adopting these digital technologies. High initial investment costs and the steep learning curves associated with complex digital tools limit the widespread implementation of digital technologies particularly for small to medium‐sized farms. In addition, concerns regarding data privacy and the integration of new systems with existing farm operations further complicate the adoption process. Multi-stakeholder collaboration is identified as a critical success factor for the digital transformation of the dairy supply chain. Dairy cooperatives and processing companies play an instrumental role by facilitating access to technical expertise and financial resources. Furthermore, technology providers are urged to design user-friendly, customizable solutions tailored to the specific operational needs of dairy farmers. Government agencies are also recommended to strengthen these initiatives by implementing appropriate solutions to digital transformation in agriculture.
The study concludes that while Supply Chain 4.0 technologies are already transforming New Zealand’s dairy industry, there is still significant room for improvement. This research adds to the growing discussion on digital transformation in agriculture by offering valuable insights and practical recommendations to guide future policies and industry practices
The use of rifampicin mutants and ERIC-PCR to track plant colonisation and in planta efficacy of bacterial biocontrol agents against Neonectria ditissima
No full textAims: Endophytic colonisation of apple shoots by bacterial endophytes with in vitro antagonism against Neonectria ditissima was evaluated. Their biocontrol activity against N. ditissima was assessed.
Methods and results: Spontaneous mutants resistant to 125 ppm rifampicin produced from three Pseudomonas sp. and three Bacillus sp. strains were used to assess endophytic colonisation of detached 'Royal Gala' apple shoots. Re-isolation on rifampicin amended agar followed by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR verified endophytic colonisation by three Pseudomonas sp. rifampicin mutants up to 4-5 cm above and below the inoculation point. Colonisation ability was not found for the three Bacillus rifampicin mutants. Recovery frequency and total length of detached shoots colonised by N. ditissima was not reduced. In attached shoots, length of shoot tissue colonised by Pseudomonas mutant strains did not differ between treatments at either assessment time. Pseudomonas sp. 1RIF inoculated 14 days before N. ditissima reduced length of shoot colonised by N. ditissima. The other treatments did not reduce length of shoot colonised by N. ditissima indicating no in planta biocontrol activity.
Conclusion: Combination of spontaneous rifampicin resistant bacterial mutants and ERIC-PCR reliably tracked bacteria in planta. Lack of in planta biocontrol activity was not due to absence of endophytic colonisation
Indigenous leisure events in times of turmoil: Resistance and resilience
No full textIn Aotearoa New Zealand, Matariki is a special time in the Māori world. The rising of the Matariki constellation (also known as Pleiades) is a time for remembering the dead, celebrating the present, and preparing the ground for the coming year. While its observation had all but ceased by 1940, it has experienced a resurgence since the 1990s (Whaanga et al., 2020).
In 2020, the Labour party promised to make Matariki a public holiday if they were elected to government. As the only public holiday recognising the country’s Indigenous culture, this was highly significant. It was opposed by the opposition parties, some who made comments that showed “contempt for Māori culture” (RNZ, 2022). The bill passed and the first Matariki holiday was observed in June 2022 with communities around the country holding events, generating increased positive media coverage. In 2023, the opposition parties were elected to power, immediately announcing plans to repeal or review policies designed to improve outcomes for Māori (Duff, 2022). This generated a backlash amongst Māori (and many non-Māori).
This qualitative study critically examines media accounts of leisure events celebrating Matariki over the period 2020-2024. We explore how, in this time of turmoil and increased hostility towards ‘things Māori’, media narratives frame events as sites of resistance and resilience. To foreground Māori voice in the findings, we use an Indigenous analytic framework drawing on four Māori principles: Te Ao Māori (the Māori world); tino rangatiratanga (selfdetermination,
governance and autonomy); whanaungatanga (relationships and connection) and te reo (Māori
language).
We find that the Aotearoa NZ media have begun to connect the issues facing contemporary Māori with
colonisation, and make them more visible. We conclude they are beginning to portray a more accurate ‘reality’ of the contemporary Māori lifeworld, using Matariki as a lens
Soil and herbage magnesium responses to long- term applications of mineral fertiliser and slurry
No full textMagnesium (Mg) is vital for plant growth processes. Furthermore, if plants develop a Mg deficiency, it can negatively impact the mineral intake of livestock. The aim of this study was to analyse long-term nutrient (including two types of slurry and mineral fertiliser) effects on the concentrations of Mg in soil and herbage, the Tetany Index, and the Mg balance. Data were examined from a long-term grassland experiment established in 1970 in Northern Ireland. Nutrient treatments had significant effects on the soil extractable Mg (SEMg) (using a 1 M ammonium acetate solution). The mineral fertiliser treatment had the lowest concentration of SEMg, and temporal trends indicated there was significant mining of Mg. The concentration of SEMg was high for all the rates of cow slurry applied, which were in excess of the optimal soil Mg status. The rate of applied slurry significantly increased the SEMg values; however, there was no slurry rate effect on the concentration of herbage Mg. Nutrient treatment responses were found for the Mg offtake and Tetany Index, and this included significant seasonal effects. The Tetany Index remained below the risk threshold value up until 1985; thereafter, in most years, the high cow slurry treatment often exceeded it. This indicates a low risk of hypomagnesaemia for low rates of cow slurry, pig slurry (all rates) and the mineral fertiliser (NPK) treatment. A large positive Mg balance was determined for all the slurry treatments, while for the NPK treatment, there was a negative Mg balance, which corresponded to soil Mg deficienc
SpatialSolar-Net: A multi-site collaborative framework for solar power forecasting with adaptive spatial correlation assessment
No full textThe increasing penetration of solar power generation poses significant challenges for grid integration due to its inherent variability and intermittency. Existing forecasting approaches treat individual solar installations independently, failing to leverage spatial correlations between geographically proximate sites and lacking adaptive mechanisms for varying environmental conditions. This paper presents SpatialSolar-Net, a novel multi-site collaborative solar power generation forecasting framework that addresses these limitations through adaptive spatial correlation evaluation and dynamic knowledge integration mechanisms. The proposed architecture combines a dual-branch design integrating convolutional neural network-based spatial feature extraction with attention mechanism-based temporal modeling, enhanced by graph neural networks for spatial dependency modeling and an adaptive fusion mechanism that intelligently balances local and spatial information based on real-time correlation strength. This framework significantly enhances renewable energy integration by enabling accurate solar power predictions that support grid stability and optimal resource allocation. Extensive experimental validation demonstrates that SpatialSolar-Net achieves superior performance with Mean Absolute Error of 9.98 kW and Root Mean Square Error of 14.79 kW, representing 12.6% and 10.8% improvements over state-of-the-art methods. Most notably, the framework exhibits exceptional robustness during extreme weather events, achieving a remarkable 64% error reduction during dust storm conditions compared to baseline approaches. The adaptive nature enables efficient deployment across diverse geographical regions while maintaining computational efficiency suitable for practical renewable energy integration
Taking stock of Age-Friendly Cities in Aotearoa New Zealand: Progress, pitfalls and pathways towards healthy ageing
No full textCities across Aotearoa New Zealand are undergoing rapid demographic transitions towards super-aged communities. Such changes necessitate innovations to support healthy ageing that incorporate social and environmental developments in addition to health service improvements. The World Health Organization (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities (AFC) framework and global network provide guidance and pathways to enhance livability and well-being for ageing societies. New Zealand's engagement with the WHO AFC network has been both recent and inconsistent, with only seven municipalities formally participating since 2018, and limited uptake among larger population centres. Drawing on published action plans and evaluation reports at city and district level, demographic trend data at national and sub-national scale, and government and WHO policy and procedural documents, this paper critically examines the progress and challenges associated with AFC initiatives in New Zealand since 2018. While there is evidence of gradual increases in AFC commitment at both national and local level in New Zealand, including growth of a local proxy network, significant gaps and limitations remain with engagement and implementation. Five key challenges are identified, including the lack of operationalisation and measurement of indicators of AFC development and success, overreliance on implementation partners, a lack of sustainable funding commitments, limited support for community advocates and volunteers, and challenges engaging cities and districts in the context of competing urban design frameworks. Actionable recommendations are proposed to strengthen AFC development, including improved integration of AFC principles in urban planning, formalised key performance indicators, and enhanced support for community champions
Identifying emotions in earthquake tweets
No full textChristchurch, New Zealand experienced devastating earthquakes on September 4, 2010, and February 22, 2011, resulting in extensive infrastructural damage and leaving lasting psychological scars of fear, depression, shock, and anger among the local population. Even after thirteen years, the aftermath of these earthquakes continues to deeply affect these individuals, as they grapple with enduring emotional challenges. Social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter), has emerged as a prominent platform for individuals to express their emotions, and during earthquake occurrences, people turn to Twitter to share their feelings in real-time. This study focuses on examining the emotional patterns exhibited in “earthquake tweets” posted by individuals affected by the Christchurch earthquakes between 2010 and 2019. We utilise machine learning techniques to classify these tweets into six classes of emotions of anger, fear, grateful, humour, sympathy and worry. The analysis shows a progressive increase in the percentage of tweets expressing fear and worry over the years. This finding indicates that the community continues to experience a heightened sense of fear and worry whenever earthquakes occu
Policy uncertainty and bank stability: Investigation from supply-side effect
No full textThe paper uses the most up-to-date data from US banks to investigate the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on bank stability. The results reveal that elevated uncertainty makes banks more fragile and prone to crash events through profitability erosion, capital buffer, and exacerbating return volatility. This negative impact of EPU is more pronounced for highly risky and large-size banks. The risk-increasing-effect of policy uncertainty was amplified during the global financial crisis. We provide insights into the uncertainty-bank fragility nexus under different circumstances related to the option-to-wait strategy, the pressure of the markets, and the dividend policy. The paper also highlights the bright side of diversification and transparency during the time of high policy turbulence. The study has implications for policy makers, regulators, and investor
Experiential learning in the field: Assessing the impact of a soil judging competition on participants knowledge, skills and attitudes
No full textSoil judging competitions (SJC) provide an experiential, pedagogically aligned approach to teaching. The SJC is designed to upskill participants in the ability to accurately describe soil profiles and make land use interpretation decisions, compared to an expert description/ interpretation. These competitions have been run in Australia since 2012 and in New Zealand since 2016. In 2024, the Moana Oceania Soil Judging Competition (MOSJC) was hosted in NZ, as part of the joint conference of the New Zealand Society of Soil Science and Soil Science Australia. This SJC involved over 200 participants and 35 teams from 9 countries in the South Pacific region: including 80 students and 70 working professionals. This study aimed to determine the impact of the MOSJC on participants’ learning of soil-related knowledge and skills and on their attitudes towards soil science. Participants were asked to complete voluntary pre- and post-competition surveys covering demographic information and self-reported understand and ability. Ninety-eight participants completed the pre-contest survey and 56 completed the post-contest survey. Results showed an increase in participants’ self-reported skill and knowledge of understanding soil judging characteristics (eg. soil morphology and site interpretation). Most participants had positive attitudes towards soil science and soil judging, with no significant change due to the competition. An intended outcome of this study is how we can inform the future development of soil judging competitions in NZ and Australia and aid the development of such educational initiatives in the South Pacific. The wider contribution of soil judging to society is built around increasing how we connect to the soil. If we can support people to have relevant soil knowledge and a deep understanding of the soil within the planet ecosystem, we can strive for soil security and a sustainable future. To achieve this, education is key to building enduring connections to soil