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The reverse mortgage market in New Zealand: Key drivers of loan determination
No full textThis paper examines the drivers of loan principals in the reverse mortgage and equity release market in New Zealand using a hedonic price model (HPM) approach. Our analysis using reverse mortgages data between 2004–2021, sourced from one major reverse mortgage bank, provides four key findings. First, the term of payment for repaid reverse mortgages is positively associated with loan principals, implying that longer repayment terms allow applicants who were able to repay mortgages to borrow more. Second, there is partial evidence to suggest the presence of a positive linear impact of the value of the current property on its loan principal, in line with previous house price modelling studies. Third, older applicants (age 75+) borrow less than younger applicants, which may be due to their repaying ability. Fourth, we confirm a positive effect of interest rates on reverse mortgage amounts but reject the positive association between wider loan-to-value policy restrictions and equity release lending amounts. The results broadly highlight that the house price is more relevant than any individual characteristic of a property in determining loan principals, and that all drivers are relevant in the early stage of the development of the reverse mortgages market in New Zealand
Urban Seascaping – a multispecies marine landscape approach to rethink the current boundary between the city and the sea
No full textImagine a future where coastal cities evolve with marine ecologies as the sea level rises. “Urban Seascaping” is a design vision that turns the tide on traditional coastal development by asking: “How can coastal cities better integrate marine ecologies to redefine unsustainable urban growth in the face of climate change?” This visionary approach explores untapped possibilities for reimagining urban shorelines, placing the ocean’s living systems at the core of coastal life. It is about embracing and inviting the sea by spatially re-envisioning the dynamic interface between city and sea to ignite a deeper and more intuitive understanding of our neighbou
US sectoral stock market volatility and geopolitical risk categories
No full textThis study examines the impact of geopolitical risk categories on US sectoral stock market volatility using an autoregressive model with exogenous inputs from May 1995 to November 2024. We find that the impact of geopolitical risk categories is significant and highly sector-specific. Sectors react more strongly to terror threats than to terror acts. Further, escalations of war and military build-ups exhibit a stronger impact than war threats and beginnings of war. Finally, although global peace and nuclear threats have remained low in recent decades, they contribute to volatility in certain industries. The results are important for policymakers and investors alik
Haploblocks contribute to parallel climate adaptation following global invasion of a cosmopolitan plant
No full textThe role of rapid adaptation during species invasions has historically been minimized with the assumption that introductions consist of few colonists and limited genetic diversity. While overwhelming evidence suggests that rapid adaptation is more prevalent than originally assumed, the demographic and adaptive processes underlying successful invasions remain unresolved. Here we leverage a large whole-genome sequence dataset to investigate the relative roles of colonization history and adaptation during the worldwide invasion of the forage crop, Trifolium repens (Fabaceae). We show that introduced populations encompass high levels of genetic variation with little evidence of bottlenecks. Independent colonization histories on different continents are evident from genome-wide population structure. Five haploblocks—large haplotypes with limited recombination—on three chromosomes exist as standing genetic variation within the native and introduced ranges and exhibit strong signatures of parallel climate-associated adaptation across continents. Field experiments in the native and introduced ranges demonstrate that three of the haploblocks strongly affect fitness and exhibit patterns of selection consistent with local adaptation across each range. Our results provide strong evidence that large-effect structural variants contribute substantially to rapid and parallel adaptation of an introduced species throughout the worl
Role of gender in determining energy poverty, clean energy access, and energy expenditure: Insights from Rural China : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Commerce and Management at Lincoln University
No full textGender is crucial in shaping individuals’ access to resources and economic performance. It is a key determinant in addressing rural energy poverty and facilitating energy transitions, which are central to rural development. Despite its importance, the influence of gender on rural energy poverty and the process of energy transition remains insufficiently examined in the existing literature. This thesis explores gender differences in energy poverty, clean energy access, and energy expenditure in rural Chinese households. We employ the multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI) to capture household energy poverty comprehensively. An exogenous switching treatment regression model is applied to analyze survey data of 1,485 rural households from eastern, central, and western China (Jiangsu, Hubei, and Yunnan provinces, respectively). The results show that rural households with female heads have a higher level of MEPI than those with male heads. Relative to rural households with female heads, those with male heads are more likely to access clean energy for cooking and heating and spend more on energy for heating than those with female heads. The disaggregated analyses reveal that large-sized households, regardless of male or female household heads, tend to have a lower MEPI and higher probability of accessing clean energy for cooking and heating than medium- and small-sized households. Our findings highlight that gender is not neutral when determining rural energy poverty and use patterns. There is a great need to empower rural women (especially those in small-sized households) by offering them skills training, financial support, and energy consumption subsidies. By doing so, rural females can be equally involved in household decisions regarding energy use activities, which would eventually help reduce energy poverty and promote clean energy use
NZ’s gene technology reform carries benefits and risks – a truly independent regulator will be vital
No full textGenetic modification is back on the political agenda in New Zealand. The issue may not be as hotly contentious as it once was, but big questions remain about the way forward
Claiming the right to the city: The politics of urban reform coalitions in Lagos
No full textThis paper examines how grassroots coalitions mobilize for the right to the city, the politics they encounter and the extent to which their actions result in urban reforms benefiting marginalized communities. The paper invokes a discourse on the right to the city as the mobilizing frame for grassroots social movement encounters against exclusionary development and displacement. Drawing on interviews and documents, we situate this discourse within two case studies of forced eviction in Lagos, Nigeria. To ground the investigation and highlight the tactics and politics of coalitions, the paper applies the conceptual framework of the invited–invented space of encounter. Our findings reveal that state-led neoliberal urban restructuring and spatial displacement in Lagos have triggered grassroots movements and the formation of coalitions, which, depending on the politics encountered, have both enhanced and constrained the struggle for transformative urban reforms that enable the right to the city for marginalized communities
Can a fungal volatile organic compound mitigate abiotic and biotic stress impacts in perennial ryegrass grown for seed production?
No full textTrichoderma fungi produce the volatile organic compound 6-pentyl-alpha-pyrone (6-PP) which can prime plant defences against abiotic and biotic stress. Coating seeds with 6-PP is one delivery option, and this method was used to assess the ability of 6-PP to mitigate abiotic (heat) and biotic (Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn) stress in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). For seeds of cv. Base coated with 6-PP at rates of 75 and 114 mM germination was 90% which did not differ from the untreated control, but germination for the 228 and 350 mM rates was 81% and 85%. 6-PP seed coating did not affect the seed to seedling transmission of six Epichloë endophytes but for two of the six seed to seed transmission was reduced by around 20%. 6-PP seed coating (75 and 114 mM) was then assessed as a primary strategy against the soil-borne pathogen R. solani in a glasshouse experiment. 6-PP significantly increased seedling emergence and reduced the disease impact caused by the pathogen, with the higher rate increasing root length by 77% and root volume by 131% over that of the pathogen control. 6-PP seed coating (75 mM) was finally used to assess the ability of the seed crop of cv. Base produced to withstand heat stress (180℃h) at flowering or during seed development (70% seed moisture content). Plants grown from 6-PP coated seed had a 25% greater seed yield and 15% higher thousand seed weight than the control when the heat stress was applied at flowering, and the seeds produced had a germination of 82% cf. 45% for the control. When heat stress was applied during seed development the germination of seeds produced from the plants grown from 6-PP coated seed was 78% and that of the control was 48%. 6-PP applied as a seed coating enhanced stress resilience in perennial ryegrass and may offer a strategy for mitigating the negative impacts of climate change on seed yield and qualit
Land consolidation and interhousehold land-use conflicts: Insights from China
Get PDFThis study develops a theoretical framework to examine how land consolidation affects interhousehold land-use conflicts (LUCs). It shows that land consolidation mitigates disamenity spatial externalities from fragmented land use rights, reducing conflicts over economic land rights. Using survey data of rice farmers from China and a conditional mixed process model, we empirically confirm that land consolidation significantly lowers the likelihood of interhousehold LUCs. The effect is stronger with cooperative institutions but weaker where alternative mechanisms—like risk-sharing or clan-based governance—exist. The study’s findings underscore the importance of integrating institutional support with land consolidation to reduce rural LUCs effectively
Four propositions to narrow the gap between science and policy for climate change adaptation: Insights and evidence from Aotearoa New Zealand
Get PDFThe scale and complexity of global challenges and the growing pressure on researchers to demonstrate ‘impact’, has prompted considerable investigation into the relationship between science, policy and decision-making. This is especially evident in the field of climate change adaptation, which is characterised by policy relevance, deep uncertainty, and diverse stakeholders, contributing to a highly complex policy and planning landscape. This paper seeks to contribute to the science to policy interface literature by presenting results from case study analysis in Aotearoa New Zealand. In-depth, semi-structured interviews (n = 23) with policy practitioners and individuals in related roles and organisations, were used to elicit information about barriers and enablers to research uptake and implementation. Thematic analysis yielded four foundational propositions: Strong relationships enable research to inform policy and decision-making; Interpretations of uncertainty hamper policy-making for adaptation; Competing timeframes and priorities hinder research uptake; and Funding priorities affect research uptake and policy outcomes. Collectively, these propositions highlight the need to strengthen collaboration between researchers and policymakers by building trust, fostering mutual understanding, and establishing feedback loops between individuals in their respective domains, supported by knowledge translators. The findings have international relevance and utility and can inform the design and evaluation of mission-led science that addresses the complex challenge of climate change adaptation, with an emphasis on enhancing transparency and trust between policymakers and researcher