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Critical geographies of discretion in the environmental bureaucracy
No full textBureaucrats exercise discretion over many matters in environmental governance. From writing legislation and designing consultation processes to budget administration and regulatory enforcement, bureaucrats apply judgment about what situational elements to take into account, which obligations are present, and how these obligations should be met. While the discretionary nature of bureaucratic work is getting increasing attention in policy studies, geographers could benefit from engaging more with the complexity and vital political substance of discretion. In this paper we bring together recent empirical studies of bureaucratic discretion with the political and theoretical concerns of critical geography to consider how analysis of discretion can help with reworking the environmental state. Reviewing examples of discretion within environmental bureaucracies in the U.S., China, Brazil, and Aotearoa New Zealand, we canvas (i) the variety and contexts of discretionary bureaucratic actions, (ii) the different sources of legitimacy mobilized to justify these discretionary actions, and (iii) the political ends served, intentionally or unintentionally, by these actions. We argue that engaging with discretion in the environmental bureaucracy would strengthen geographers’ scholarship and political interventions
Teaching Case: The Crimson Ridge Wine Scandal
No full textIn 2024, the Crimson Ridge Wines trial captured national attention and exposed one of the most significant cases of wine fraud in New Zealand’s history. At the centre of the case was a respected Canterbury winery accused of deliberately mislabelling wines and falsifying records, undermining consumer trust and damaging the country’s global reputation for quality and authenticity. Investigated by New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the case highlighted the strengths of the country’s regulatory frameworks while also revealing the vulnerabilities within industry oversight. Reporter Julia Harding, covering the trial from Christchurch, documented the unfolding scandal and its consequences, including multi-million dollar fines and criminal convictions for the winery’s leadership. This case not only sparked regulatory reform but also ignited an industry-wide reckoning, serving as a stark reminder of the risks unethical practices pose to the integrity of New Zealand’s food and fibre sectors
Whole genome sequencing of Penicillium and Burkholderia strains antagonistic to the causal agent of kauri dieback disease (Phytophthora agathidicida) reveals biosynthetic gene clusters related to antimicrobial secondary metabolites
No full textPhytophthora agathidicida is a virulent soil pathogen of Aotearoa New Zealand's iconic kauri tree species (Agathis australis (D. Don) Lindl.) and the primary causal agent of kauri dieback disease. To date, only a few control options are available to treat infected kauri that are expressing symptoms of dieback disease. Previous research has identified strains of Penicillium and Burkholderia that inhibited the mycelial growth of P. agathidicida in vitro. However, the mechanisms of inhibition remain unknown. By performing whole genome sequencing, we screened the genomes of four Penicillium and five Burkholderia strains to identify secondary metabolite encoding biosynthetic gene clusters (SM-BGCs) that may be implicated in the production of antimicrobial compounds. We identified various types of SM-BGCs in the genome of each strain, including polyketide synthases (PKSs), non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), and terpenes. Across all four of the Penicillium strains, five SM-BGCs were detected that encoded the biosynthesis of napthopyrone, clavaric acid, pyranonigrin E, dimethyl coprogen and asperlactone. Across all five of the Burkholderia strains, three SM-BGCs were detected that encoded the biosynthesis of ornibactin, pyochelin and pyrrolnitin. Our analysis detected numerous SM-BGCs which could not be characterised. Further efforts should be made to identify the compounds encoded by these SM-BGCs so that we can explore their antimicrobial potential. The potential inhibitory effects of the compounds encoded by the SM-BGCs identified in this study may be worthy of further investigation for their effect on the growth and virulence of P. agathidicida
Review: A vade-mecum for ruminant grazing and health
No full textPlant phytochemicals are a diverse group of compounds with a range of bioactive functions in pastoral ecosystems. A vast collection of literature examining the pharmaceutical benefits of plant phytochemicals in human health exists and research has identified several benefits in grazing ruminants. However, there has not been a comprehensive evaluation of the phytochemical composition of forage species commonly used in pastoral grazing systems and their wider heterotrophic implications. This research presents a comprehensive review of the phytochemical composition of common pasture species, with each plant species evaluated independently and data manually extracted and compiled into a single database, a vade mecum (a handbook or guide that is kept constantly at hand for consultation). Twenty-seven plant species were selected including a range of forages including grasses, forbs, legumes, and brassicas and 488 different compounds including phenolic, terpenoid, glucosinolates, alkaloid and other organic compounds were identified. In livestock, phytochemicals were found to play a wide range of growth-promoting, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, antibiotic, rumen microbial altering and anti-methanogenic functions, although there were many knowledge gaps identified. The literature describing the key compounds selected and human metabolism was more diverse than livestock, and most compounds were found to have been studied for pharmaceutical properties. For example, flavonoids were identified as a key group of phytochemicals as they relate to livestock and human welfare. The purpose of this research is to provide a vade mecum for the ongoing investigation of additional plant species and quantification of their bioactive components and their ability to transform foodscapes into healthscape
A match made in heaven? Do religious and general appeals instill hope for reduction of food waste
No full textGlobally, approximately 30% of food is wasted, leading to severe social, environmental, and financial consequences. Household interventions are crucial, given that most waste occurs at this level. Despite various message trials for waste reduction, the impact of incorporating religious appeals into general messages and their relation to hope remains underexplored due to the complexities of the food waste context. This research fills this void by conducting four experiments to investigate the impact of religious (vs. general) and communal (vs. agentic) appeals on consumers’ intention to reduce food waste. Participants were randomly exposed to various appeals to assess how the appeals should be matched to increase intention to reduce food waste. Results show that religious appeals are less effective than general appeals in increasing behavioral intention, and that in order for food waste to be reduced, general appeals should be paired with communal (vs. agentic) appeals. The study also shows that state hope is the underlying mechanism of this effect. This research contributes to the literature on religious appeals, communal (vs. agentic) appeals, and hope theory
Online or not online: The impact of business owner’s risk preference on the adoption of e-business
Full text linkThe significant growth of internet users has driven businesses to develop their capacity in e-commerce and meet the increasing demand for e-consumption, e-services, and e-business. To gain the benefits of e-business, firms may choose to extend or transit their offline-operated businesses to online or hybrid modes. Opportunities are accompanied by risks in this process. Therefore, it is important to understand how business owners’ financial risk preferences affect their choice of business operation models, namely, online and offline operations. Using data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) in 2017 and 2019, this study examined the impacts of business owners’ risk preferences on e-business adoption, considering social insurance as a moderator on the relationship between risk effect and online business operation. In addition, we used heterogeneity examination to test for regional differences between rural and urban areas. Our results show that, compared to high-risk takers, low-risk takers are less likely to choose online or hybrid businesses; and having social insurance reduces the effect of risk preference on adopting e-business. This finding indicates social insurance may provide financial security to business owners with low-risk preferences and makes them more likely to adopt online business, whilst it may distort adoption incentives for high- and medium-risk groups. Results of the heterogeneity examination suggest a discrepancy in the risk preference effect on the adoption of e-business between the rural and urban areas: the impact of risk preference is found to be significantly higher on businesses in the rural area than those in the urban area
The importance of Special Olympics in Great Britain
No full textThe aim of this research is to understand how (and why) Special Olympics Great Britain sports programmes are important for athletes and their wider network of family, support people, coaches, club administrators and other volunteers
Anti-nutritional factors: Nutrient interactions, processing interventions, and health aspects
Full text linkPlant-based foods are valuable sources of essential minerals and macronutrients. However, their bioavailability is significantly affected by anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), which can reduce nutrient intake, hinder digestion, and decrease metabolic utilization of feed. Hence, this review aims to provide comprehensive insight into various aspects of ANFs in food, including their background and interaction mechanisms with nutrients (mineral chelation, enzyme inhibition, and intestinal barrier disruption). The effectiveness of different conventional and novel technologies for reducing ANFs has been thoroughly discussed, and their limitations have been highlighted. For example, soaking typically reduces phytic acid content by 20–40 %, whereas germination and fermentation can achieve 40–80 % reduction. Extrusion and cold plasma have been reported to lower the contents of tannins and trypsin inhibitors by more than 80 % under optimized conditions. This study also explores the impact of ANFs on nutrient bioavailability and highlights dietary strategies and biological activities after the consumption of ANF-rich foods
The growing financial cost of hotel employee turnover
No full textFor decades, high employee turnover has been accepted as inevitable in the hotel industry. However, this passive acceptance must be challenged from a human capital perspective and a financial standpoint. While hotel executives focus on the operational aspects of employee turnover, the financial costs associated with attrition remain critically underexplored. These costs extend beyond recruitment and onboarding, encompassing off-boarding procedures, productivity loss, administrative overheads, disruptions in team dynamics, reduced service quality, and potential revenue losses. Overlooking the financial impact of turnover is no longer tenable. This conceptual paper advances the argument for a more rigorous and analytical approach to understanding turnover costs in the hotel sector, highlighting the need for validated costing models and encouraging the development of frameworks that can guide data-informed decision-making. Doing so lays the groundwork for future research directions that support a shift toward strategic, cost-conscious human capital management in the hospitality industry
Nitrous oxide emissions from dairy cattle urine in a mixed temperate forest - pasture system : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science at Lincoln University
Full text linkAgriculture is the largest anthropogenic global emitter of nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent and long-lived greenhouse gas. The single largest source of N₂O emissions in New Zealand are dairy cattle urine patches. The integration of trees into pastures (agroforestry), has been suggested as a strategy to reduce the climate impact of agriculture by increasing carbon storage. However, the impact of integrating trees into pastures on N₂O emissions from cattle urine patches remains poorly understood, with even less known about urine induced emissions at the forest edge, where distinct microclimatic and biogeochemical conditions may influence nitrogen (N) cycling. This study investigated the effect of integrating small forest patches (<1 ha) into dairy pastures on N₂O emissions from cattle urine using the static chamber method. Following the application of a synthetic urine patch (599 kg N ha⁻¹) N₂O fluxes were measured at five points along a 56 m transect extending from the interior of a deciduous forest patch into an adjacent conventional dairy pasture in Canterbury, New Zealand. Unexpectedly, total urine-induced N₂O emissions were highest from the forest edge soil (249.9 ± 76.7 mg N2O-N m⁻²), exceeding those from the pasture soil (29.4 ± 19.9 mg N2O-N m⁻²) by a factor of 7.5. A distinct difference in the timing of N₂O emissions after urine application was also observed, with a 50-day delay in emissions at the edge, compared to the pasture, where emissions rose after 24 hours. Soil temperature and nitrate (NO₃⁻) concentrations were positively correlated with N₂O fluxes, whereas there was no association between soil moisture or ammonium levels and N2O fluxes. The NO₃⁻ to N₂O ratio at the edge was more than 12 times lower than the pasture. These findings provide evidence that forest edges can act as hotspots for N₂O emissions in response to cattle urine and highlight the need for further research into how forest edges influence N cycling and N₂O emissions in agroforestry systems