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Investigation of how body image focused social media posts and comments affect viewers’ thoughts, feelings and responses - A behavioural perspective: A qualitative study
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Chandrasekara Mudiyanselage , Ayodhya Udeshini Chandrasekara Panadare; Roen, Katrina
Previous research has focused on body image as an important research topic. This could be due to the fact that body image is linked with psychological outcomes such as body satisfaction that could affect one's emotions and quality of life, as well as acting as a protective factor by improving self-esteem, maintaining social connections and affecting lifestyle choices. (Merino et al., 2024). On the other hand, a negative body image can also affect physical well-being through practising unhealthy dietary habits and reduced physical activity (Jiménez-Morcillo et al., 2024). Due to these factors, researchers have utilised both qualitative and quantitative research methods to study the impact of body image on an individual’s wellbeing. However, qualitative research employing visual stimuli to explore the effect on individual body image remains limited, particularly within the context of Aotearoa. To address this research gap, I conducted a study utilising a simulated Instagram frame featuring an artificially generated image accompanied by comments as the stimulus material, presented to young women aged 18 to 28 years at the University of Waikato. A semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant to get an understanding of their perspective on social media and body image. The findings indicated that participants' thoughts, feelings and actions related to their body image were affected more positively by viewing the body post and comments. This study also aims to frame the research outcomes in a behaviour analytic perspective, to provide implications for future body image research in Aotearoa.
Mai uta ki tai: Cyclone-driven suspended sediment effects on early benthic juvenile kōura (Jasus edwardsii), Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Aotearoa
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Karaha-Paki, Vijuan; Duggan, Ian C.; MacDiarmid, Alison
Kōura (Jasus edwardsii) are ecologically, culturally, and economically significant taonga species central to mahinga kai systems throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. In Te Tairāwhiti, particularly Te Ākau o Tokomaru, Cyclone Gabrielle (February 2023) resulted in unprecedented sediment loads being delivered to coastal waters, smothering inshore rocky reefs that serve as critical nursery habitats for settling puerulus and juvenile kōura. This research investigated how repeated suspended sediment exposure affects the body condition, survival, and physiological condition of early benthic juvenile kōura, integrating Western scientific methods with mātauranga Māori perspectives to support kaitiakitanga and ecosystem recovery. A 52-day pulse-based laboratory experiment exposed 81 early benthic juvenile kōura to three treatment levels: Control (0 mg/L), Tobserved (1,000 mg/L), and Tmaximised (5,000 mg/L) suspended sediment concentrations, alternating between exposure phases and recovery periods to simulate natural post-storm sedimentation dynamics. Sediment was sourced from the Mangahauini River mouth to reflect local conditions. Kōura were initially housed communally (Days 1-19), and then separated into individual tāruke following observed cannibalism. Across the experiment, body weight to carapace length (BW:CL) ratios, survival, blood refractive index, gill condition, and moult stage were assessed. All treatment groups began with statistically equivalent body condition (p = 0.135), but cumulative effects emerged over time. During communal housing, mortality was highest in the Tobserved treatment (51.9%) compared with Control and Tmaximised treatments (both 18.5%). After separation, Tmaximised individuals showed the greatest losses (45.5%), mostly during the recovery rather than exposure phases. Overall mortality reached 45.7%, with sediment-exposed treatments experiencing 55% (Tmaximised) to 59% (Tobserved) losses compared with 22.2% in the Controls (p = 0.001). By Day 52, sediment exposure significantly reduced body condition (p = 0.016), with the Controls maintaining higher BW:CL ratios than Tmaximised (p = 0.013). Gill assessments indicated universal and severe damage in sediment-exposed kōura (100%) but none in the Controls (0%). Quantitative image analysis confirmed strong sediment concentration- dependent effects across all damage metrics – particle lodgement, filament integrity, surface discolouration, and composite scores (all p < 0.001) – with structural deformities in 66.7% of Tobserved and 100% of Tmaximised individuals. Blood refractive index showed no treatment differences, and 84.1% of kōura remained in intermoult stage at Day 52, with no significant difference in moult stage distribution between treatments (p = 0.328). However, moult frequency during the individual phase was lower in sediment-exposed groups compared to the Controls (Control: n = 11, Tobserved: n = 4, Tmaximised: n = 5). These findings show that suspended sediment exposure poses population-level threats to kōura recruitment through irreversible gill damage and delayed mortality. Elevated cannibalism during communal holding, particularly observed in the Tobserved treatment, likely resulted from temporal clustering of moult events rather than sediment-induced behaviour. For Te Ākau o Tokomaru and the wider CRA 3 fishery, this highlights the need for integrated catchment-to- coast management addressing land-derived sediment inputs and protecting coastal nursery habitats. From a Te Ao Māori perspective, sedimentation represents a disruption to whakapapa relationships with Tangaroa and a weakening of mauri in coastal ecosystems. Restoring these connections requires co-governance frameworks that embed mātauranga Māori, empower kaitiaki-led monitoring and rāhui, and address the cumulative impacts of land-use intensification and repeated cyclone events on ecosystem resilience in Te Tairāwhiti.
A retrospective case study of Kiribati identity through language camp participation
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Packham, Emma; Daly, Nicola; McMillan, Hoana
This retrospective study examined the Ueen Kiribati Language Camps, which was funded by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples in 2022 and 2023, as part of a broader context of Pacific language and cultural revitalisation in Aotearoa, New Zealand. I-Kiribati methodology and thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, combined with Maroro (dialogue, reminiscing, or storytelling), were used to examine the experiences and perspectives of five participants from various age groups. This study examined how I-Kiribati participants in two Ueen Kiribati Language Camps describe their cultural identity and the effects they reported from participation in the language camps that reinforce their sense of cultural identity and contribute to their cultural confidence. The immersive experience included both theoretical and practical workshops, facilitated by elders and older members. The findings challenged the assumptions that a sense of belonging depends on speaking the language fluently, having a single I-Kiribati identity, and living in Kiribati. The camps offered a supportive environment where dual, multiple, and diasporic I-Kiribati could gather and share experiences, and reconnect with each other, their language and culture. This research contributes to the ongoing discussions around language and cultural revitalisation, emphasising the need for community-led initiatives to sustain Pacific languages. The findings also have the potential to inform educational strategies and funding policy decision making and support other Pacific communities delivering similar programmes.
He Puna Kōrero (Vol. 2, Issue 1)
(Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, 2001-02)
He Puna Kōrero: Journal of Māori and Pacific Development, Volume 2, Issue 1.
Tuururu: Owl poem
(Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, 2001-02) August, Tipene
Poem composed by Tipene August.