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  • Publication
    Is there benefit in smoking cessation prior to cardiac surgery?
    (Journal Article, Oxford University Press (OUP), 2012) Sepehripour, AH; Lo, TT; McCormack, David J.; Shipolini, AR
    A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether smoking cessation prior to cardiac surgery would result in a greater freedom from postoperative complications. A total of 564 papers were found using the reported searches, of which five represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, date, journal, study type, population, main outcome measures and results are tabulated. Reported measures were operative mortality, pulmonary complications, infective complications, neurological complications, transfusion requirements, duration of ventilation, intensive care unit and hospital stay, intensive care unit re-admission, postoperative gas exchange parameters and postoperative pulmonary function. The largest of the best evidence studies demonstrated a significant reduction in pulmonary complications in non-smokers (P < 0.001); however, there was an increased requirement for transfusion in this cohort (P = 0.002). There were non-significant reductions in neurological complications, infective complications and re-admissions to intensive care. Another large cohort study demonstrated significant reductions in non-smokers in mortality (P < 0.0001), pulmonary complications (P = 0.0002), infection (P < 0.0007), intensive care unit re-admission (P = 0.0002), duration of mechanical ventilation (P = 0.026) and intensive care unit stay (P = 0.002). A larger cohort study again demonstrated significant reductions in non-smokers in pulmonary complications (P < 0.002), duration of mechanical ventilation (P < 0.012) and intensive care unit stay (P < 0.005). A smaller prospective cohort study reported significantly raised PaO2 (P = 0.0091) and reduced PaCO2 (P < 0.0001) levels in the non-smokers as well as improved FVC and FEV 1 (P < 0.0001). There were also reductions in duration of intubation (P < 0.0001), intensive care unit stay (P < 0.0001) and hospital stay (P < 0.0013). Another small cohort study reporting outcomes of heart transplantation demonstrated significant improvement in non-smokers in terms of survival (P = 0.031), duration of intubation (P = 0.05) and intensive care unit stay (P = 0.021). We conclude that there is strong evidence demonstrating superior outcomes in non-smokers following cardiac surgery and advocate the necessity of smoking cessation as soon as possible prior to cardiac surgery.
  • Publication
    Māori beekeepers: Reframing New Zealand’s apiculture narratives
    (Journal Article, https://www.usp.ac.fj/journal-of-pacific-studies/latest-issue/, 2024) Dimitrov, Dara
    New Zealand’s historical apiculture narratives are dominated by the colonial settlers' experiences of beekeeping, which marginalised Māori experiences. This has perpetuated the notion that historically, Maori had little to do with beekeeping. However, this article contests this notion and demonstrates that after the introduction of the western honeybee, Māori were active participants in the apiculture industry, both as traders and beekeepers. Moreover, this article explores the current contributions that Māori beekeepers make to New Zealand’s apiculture industry but continue to be ignored by the apiculture industry. Despite this, this article shows that Māori beekeepers are making important contributions in the apiculture research space, working with researchers and research institutions to explore climate change impacts, floral honey diversity in the native forests and aspects of honeybee colony health.
  • Publication
    Monitoring te mana o te wai: Intergrating an indigenous cultural health index with conventional biomonitoring tools for improved freshwater management
    (Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2024) Edgecombe, Shana Jade Te Iaa Tarere
    Globally, there are universal efforts to quantify and address human impacts on ecosystems. In particular, changes in land use and river regulation have led to drastic declines in stream and river ecosystem health. These human impacts are driving the global freshwater biodiversity crisis and degrade ecosystem services provided by aquatic habitats. In Aotearoa New Zealand there is widespread concern about the state of our Nation’s freshwater ecosystems. Coupled with a renaissance in Māori culture, there has been a drive to develop indicators that help articulate cultural values, assess ecosystem health from a cultural perspective, and provide greater agency for Māori in environmental monitoring and management. In my thesis, I sought to integrate an established cultural monitoring framework with conventional biomonitoring tools for improved freshwater management. I hypothesized that using a suite of monitoring approaches would help detect the impacts of human land use on stream ecosystem health, and that cultural indicators would be consistent with conventional measures in diagnosing land use impacts. I also hypothesized that there could be discrepancies between cultural monitoring and conventional approaches, as each represent different perspectives and ways of knowing streams and rivers. To test my hypotheses, I selected ten stream sites across the catchment of the Kuratau River, a major tributary of Lake Taupō. Based on River Environment Classification land cover types, I used a balanced study design with five sites draining indigenous forest, and five sites draining pastoral land. I measured key stream physicochemical properties and collected water samples for determination of nutrient concentration and faecal coliform counts. I also characterised instream and riparian habitat. I collected benthic macroinvertebrate samples and sampled water for environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess different facets of biodiversity. I measured decomposition using the Cotton Strip Assay and quantified periphyton biomass using a portable fluorometer. In combination with these approaches, I also used a Cultural Health Index, an established cultural monitoring framework that assesses three components: customary significance, taonga species/mahinga kai (food gathering), and the Cultural Stream Health Measure (CSHM) to assess identified attributes for stream health. I found that pastoral land uses lead to a decline in stream ecosystem health when compared to sites draining indigenous forest. Pastoral sites had higher specific conductivity and concentrations of total nitrogen and nitrate. Habitat variables changed, with increased sedimentation and more degraded riparian zones in pastoral streams. Decomposition rates as measured by the cotton strip assay increased in the pasture sites, which was likely a response to increased nutrient availability. There were shifts in macroinvertebrate composition, with key indicator taxa for Indigenous forest sites including pollution-sensitive mayflies and stoneflies. Total taxa, EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera), and aquatic insect richness all significantly declined in pastoral sites. Increases in primary production were less pronounced, but did increase alongside abundances of grazing caddisflies and snails in the sites draining pastoral catchments. The Cultural Health Index indicated that sites in the Kuratau River catchment had customary and mahinga kai values. CSHM responded negatively to pastoral land uses, and the effect size it described was congruent with other responses. The CSHM was strongly correlated with an indicator of riparian habitat condition (the Riparian Condition Index) and had weak negative correlations with sedimentation and stream temperatures. The CSHM was not correlated with macroinvertebrate indices, which may have been because of the relatively few sites sampled, the narrow impact gradient in the Kuratau catchment, and the lack of temporal replication. However, cultural monitoring approaches should be seen to complement conventional environmental monitoring methods for assessing freshwater and not be expected to duplicate them. The strength of the Cultural Health Index approach comes from establishing Māori agency to assess the environment through a Te Ao Māori lens, and to support and foster inclusion for tangata whenua epistemologies in environmental monitoring and resource management. Future research should consider greater hapū involvement and further explore the mechanisms driving changes in stream health and biodiversity.
  • Publication
    Access to primary music education in Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Thesis, The University of Waikato, 2024) Wrathall, Jade
    Music is a compulsory subject in the New Zealand Curriculum, intended for every child. Despite this, the literature illustrates inconsistent provision and enactment of music education in Aotearoa New Zealand, suggesting that some children are unable to access the full curriculum. While this situation has been attributed to a range of factors, there are significant gaps in the literature, making it difficult to determine how children’s access to music education is enabled and constrained by these factors. To understand the provision and enactment of music education, case studies were conducted in three different primary and intermediate schools in New Zealand. Informed by critical realism, a range of data collection methods were used, including semi-structured interviews, surveys, focus groups, observations, documents, and field notes. Participants were principals, members of senior leadership teams, generalist, specialist, and itinerant teachers, in addition to private contractors, children and their parents. Data were thematically analysed, revealing the intricacies of how the policy technologies of neoliberalism operate in schools. To understand generative mechanisms that impact children’s access to music education, a deeper layer of analysis was undertaken using Pierre Bourdieu’s (2018) theoretical concepts of capital and habitus. These analytical tools provided the opportunity to carefully examine the intersectionality of neoliberalism and social class. The findings of this study demonstrate how neoliberalism has reinforced a hierarchy of subjects in the curriculum, which positions music as an extracurricular activity that is either omitted, sidelined, or enacted for social objectives. Participation and success in music education are also informed by social class, with the subject being used as a tool by some parents to advantage their children and develop cultural capital. Nevertheless, this study also revealed that music education is not universally valued by the middle class, thus challenging widely held assumptions about the relationship between music and social class. These findings highlight the importance of context, in particular the role of school structure, teacher agency, and the pressures of managerialism and marketisation. This contributes to a broader understanding of policy enactment, and how the enactment of music education is influenced by the neoliberal policy regime. The study concludes that children are not given equal access to music education and that substantive change needs to occur. Implications are discussed at national and local levels, examining the role of policy alongside the roles of principals, teachers, and parents, all of whom have the agency to make change. Implications for international contexts are also considered, reinforcing the complexity of policy enactment and how children’s access to the full curriculum cannot be solved through policy alone.
  • Publication
    Journeys of Māori women in engineering and engineering trades: Navigating challenges and embracing identity
    (Conference Contribution, Australasian Association Engineering Education (AAEE), 2024) Moridnejad, Maryam; Fox-Turnbull, Wendy Helen
    CONTEXT This paper reports a study that explores the lived experiences of five Māori women in New Zealand who are engaged in engineering and engineering trades, aiming to inspire more Māori women to join these fields. Through in-depth interviews, three key phases of their lives are examined: upbringing, educational experiences, and professional encounters. The research identifies barriers and strategies these women employed, revealing themes such as identity development, stereotyping, cultural identity, determination, and support. PURPOSE OR GOAL Diversity remains a persistent concern within traditionally male-dominated fields such as engineering and trades. Literature underscores the invaluable contributions of a diverse workforce, including fresh perspectives, insights, and innovative problem-solving approaches. Efforts to enhance diversity in engineering education must address systemic barriers across all levels of education. The aim of this study is to give voice to Māori women in engineers and engineering trades. The study explores participants' career choices, childhood, schooling, tertiary education, and workplace experiences. APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODS The study is underpinned by a feminist poststructuralist conceptual framework, emphasizing that knowledge is constructed rather than discovered, and power relations are shaped within cultural and societal contexts. Data collection involved an initial short questionnaire and two semi-structured interviews. Qualitative inductive analysis was used. Early thematic coding occurred during the analysis of initial questionnaires to identify key themes for the interviews. Interview data were coded inductively by research assistants and cross-checked by the main researchers to find common themes. In a further analysis phase, interview transcripts were loaded into ChatGPT to identify key commonalities, which were compared with researchers’ codes to finalize the themes. These themes framed the discussion and provided a basis for understanding the lived experiences of Māori women in engineering and engineering trades. ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES The lives and experiences the five Māori women in this study illuminate the unique experiences and challenges faced by indigenous women pursuing careers in engineering and engineering trades. By amplifying their voices, this research highlights their perspectives, celebrates their agency and resilience, and showcases how they assert themselves, overcome challenges, and advocate for gender equality in their professions. Common themes such as identity development, others’ beliefs and attitudes, cultural identity, determination, and support and encouragement frame the discussion, assisting in demystifying societal realities and gaining insight into their social realities. This research aims to empower and make these women visible. The findings highlight the need for timely career guidance in schools, dismantling gender stereotypes early, and integrating Māori culture into workplaces to foster equity and inclusion. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY Collaborative efforts from educators, researchers, and policymakers are needed to address systemic barriers and create inclusive pathways for indigenous women and other underrepresented groups into engineering. Flexible support services tailored to the diverse needs are essential for facilitating success in these fields. The researchers suggest further research should focus on longitudinal studies tracking the career trajectories of minority groups, exploring how cultural and gender identities influence educational experiences, evaluating the effectiveness of existing support programmes, and examining the role of mentorship and support networks in empowering minority students to succeed in engineering and trades careers.

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