Higher Degree Theses

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/2223

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CSR practices in luxury hotels of China: Perception, cultural and generation differences
(The University of Waikato, 2026-01-23) George, LIU; Ryan, Chris; Mohsin, Asad
This study investigates how corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices are perceived in Chinese luxury hotels, focusing on cultural influences, generational cohorts, and organisational roles. Grounded in Hofstede’s national cultural dimensions, self-determination theory (SDT), and the Confucian concept of self-cultivation, the research addresses a gap in understanding how cultural values and intergenerational differences shape staff CSR perceptions in the luxury hospitality context. Adopting a pragmatic research philosophy, an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, 37 semi-structured interviews with hotel staff (including senior managers, middle managers, and line employees) revealed key themes by the use of narrative interpretation: (a) deep-rooted cultural norms (collectivism, harmony, respect for hierarchy) that reinforce CSR as a collective obligation led by top management, (b) generational value differences in CSR engagement, and (c) variations in perceived CSR benefits across job positions. Building on these insights, the quantitative phase surveyed staff across luxury hotels in China (N = 533). Structural equation modelling results confirmed and extended the qualitative patterns. For example, 72% of managers affirmed that CSR initiatives strengthened brand reputation, whereas only 48% of line staff shared this view, reflecting positional gaps in perceived strategic value. Generational contrasts were also evident: nearly two-thirds of Millennial and Gen Z staff reported strong personal commitment to CSR activities, compared to about half of older staff. Statistical analysis using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) confirmed significant employee-level differences in perceptions of CSR practices within luxury hotels in China. Notably, perceived CSR was particularly pronounced among senior-level staff, reflecting hierarchical variations in CSR prioritisation and implementation. This research has provided a pioneering examination of CSR practices in China’s luxury hotel sector, demonstrating how cultural context and generational dynamics jointly shape staff perceptions of CSR. The study involved a nuanced synthesis of qualitative depth and quantitative rigour, yielding empirical evidence to describe similarities and differences between the perceptions and generations. These differences, rooted in China’s cultural heritage and the evolving values of its workforce, have significant implications for both theory and practice. The findings extend the CSR literature by confirming that why and how staff engage with CSR is contingent on a confluence of individual values, leadership influence, and socio-cultural background, aligning with global evidence of CSR’s positive impact while also highlighting unique intra-cultural variations. Theoretically, this thesis extends CSR and organisational behaviour literature by integrating Western motivational theories with Chinese cultural frameworks, demonstrating how national culture and generational identity jointly shape CSR perceptions and engagement. Methodologically, the study validates the efficacy of a pragmatic, sequential mixed-methods approach, effectively capturing the nuanced, multi-dimensional CSR perceptions within a complex cultural setting. Practically, the findings offer actionable insights for human resource management (HRM), recommending differentiated CSR strategies and communication tailored to generational characteristics and cultural values, thus enhancing CSR integration, employee motivation, and organisational alignment. Consequently, the main contributions of this thesis are: providing empirical evidence on how cultural and generational factors together influence perceptions of CSR in China’s luxury hospitality sector; demonstrating the effectiveness of a mixed-method approach to exploring complex cultural and organisational phenomena; and offering practical, culturally informed guidelines for improving CSR engagement among diverse staff groups in luxury hotels of China, highlighting the potential impact of staff perception on corporate ethical behaviour. This study discusses its limitations, provides recommendations, and explores potential opportunities for future research.
Furthering deep learning in near-infrared spectroscopy for fruit quality assessment
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Wohlers, Mark; Holmes, Geoffrey; Frank, Eibe; McGlone, Andrew
Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is widely used to assess fruit quality in the horticulture industry. It enables non-destructive estimation of key fruit quality measures from spectra, including dry matter content (associated with taste) and soluble solids content (associated with ripeness). Traditionally, partial least squares regression (PLSR) has been the dominant modelling method. However, more recently, deep learning (DL) has shown promise due to its ability to learn features automatically and model non-linear patterns. However, there are several challenges DL faces when applied to NIR. Labelled datasets are complicated, expensive, and time-consuming to obtain at the size required to fit these models. Deciding on the appropriate architecture and hyperparameters can also be challenging when validation data is sparse. Additionally, a problem of great practical importance in NIR spectroscopy is the difficulty of generalising across different devices of the same model or under different conditions, such as temperature. This thesis addresses these challenges through three complementary methods. The first uses a data augmentation technique that samples from a multivariate normal distribution with a covariance matrix designed to simulate spectral differences observed across devices. The experiments investigate whether the augmentation improves generalisability and training with small sample sizes. The second method is a metric based on model stability to diffeomorphic transformations relative to uncorrelated perturbations of similar magnitude. The experiment evaluates the appropriateness of this method for model selection tasks and compares its performance with standard validation methods. The third method adapts the Barlow Twins contrastive learning method to enable semi-supervised learning in the NIR setting. The Barlow Twins loss function allows unlabelled data to compensate when labelled data is scarce. This method also improves generalisability by encouraging multiple measurements on the same fruit to be similar in the encoded latent space. Evaluation of these methods is conducted on two datasets: a new dataset containing 5418 kiwifruit sampled across five devices and three seasons, and a previously published dataset of 4675 mangoes measured across four seasons. The results show that the methods improve predictive performance, especially for small labelled datasets and calibration transfer problems. This allows for the easier application of deep learning to NIR spectroscopy by reducing the requirements for labelled data, improving model generalisability across devices, and enabling model selection under data constraints.
Elucidating the molecular basis of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) production in Leptospermum nectar
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Grierson, Ella; Clearwater, Michael J.; Chagné, David; Schwinn, Kathy; Davies, Kevin
Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) nectar contains variable amounts of dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a triose sugar that is the precursor to methylglyoxal (MGO), the antimicrobial compound underpinning the high value of mānuka honey and forming the basis of the Aotearoa-New Zealand honey industry. This trait is unique to some species within the Myrtaceae. The molecular basis of this high-value trait is unknown and identifying it would allow development of gene-based tools to identify high value germplasm to inform replanting and breeding programmes. Despite the fundamental importance of nectar to crop pollination and honey industries, the genetic control of nectary function is poorly understood, especially in non-model species. This thesis aims to elucidate the molecular basis of DHA production in Leptospermum nectar, through identifying associated genes and genomic regions, followed by further exploration of gene regulation and enzyme characterisation in vitro and in vivo. RNAseq analysis identified nectary-associated genes differentially expressed between high and low nectar-DHA genotypes of L. scoparium, and a mānuka high-density linkage map and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping population revealed genetic regions associated with nectar DHA content. Expression and QTL analyses both pointed to the involvement of a phosphatase gene, LsSgpp2, as its expression correlated with nectar DHA accumulation and it co-located with a QTL on chromosome 4. To investigate Sgpp2 and its complex locus further, we produced high-quality genomes and hypanthium transcriptomes for two further Leptospermeae species with contrasting DHA phenotypes – Leptospermum morrisonii and Gaudium laevigatum. Expression patterns of Sgpp2 again correlated with nectar DHA in these species, and comparative analyses of Sgpp sequences within the Myrtaceae indicated that high Sgpp2 expression was likely ancestral in DHA producing taxa, followed by repeated loss of the trait. Comparison within and between Sgpp genes with differing expression profiles identified regions unique to the highly expressed Sgpp2 genes, which contained two C-box motifs, and a bZIP11 transcription factor predicted to bind to these motifs was identified as significantly differentially expressed in the RNAseq dataset. The bZIP11 gene was subsequently found to co-locate with another of the QTLs identified, further supporting its involvement. The L. morrisonii promoter drove strong nectary-specific expression in transgenic lines of Petunia and Nicotiana, showing elements essential for Sgpp2 expression are within that region. However, the promoter in 13 DHA producing L. scoparium genotypes was found to be similar, indicating variation in nectar DHA amounts may be conferred by further complex transcriptional regulation fine tuning Sgpp2 expression from beyond the promoter region analysed here. Functional analyses demonstrated that LmSGPP2 can dephosphorylate dihydroxyacetone-phosphate (DHAP) to produce DHA and phosphate in vitro. Transgenic Petunia and Nicotiana lines were created to characterise LmSGPP2 activity in vivo, but results were inconclusive due to low and mis-located expression of the transgene. Together our results suggest Sgpp2 may contribute to maintaining phosphate homeostasis in a photosynthesising nectary, potentially evolving due to low phosphate availability – which is common in Australia where this tribe originates. This work advances our understanding of nectar biology and reports some of the first QTLs and genes linked to a low abundance nectar compound. The genes and genomic regions identified here provide a foundation for developing tools to identify high-value germplasm – ensuring biodiversity can be maintained while increasing high-value honey production.
Activating belonging: Towards a critcial ensemble pedagogy
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Brown, Gaenor; Moffat , Kirstine; Haughey, Laura; Manning, Declan
Contemporary research shows school belonging as a key determinant of learner health and wellbeing. Teachers, and teaching practices, are pivotal in developing safe, supportive communities in which students can learn and thrive, where they can belong. In this thesis the high school drama education ensemble in Aotearoa New Zealand is presented as a site for the exploration and activation of belonging. Framed through a self-study of teacher education practice, using (S-STEP) methodology, the research reimagines ensemble pedagogy for dramatic inquiry process through a lens of critical belonging. The research opens with a contextual review of contemporary scholarship and evolving theories about school belonging and ensemble pedagogy, mapping how both fields are relationally, spatially and temporally situated. The contextual review highlights the importance of drama education and school belonging practices and pedagogies in the generation of transdisciplinary knowledge. Six principles of practice for drama educators have been developed to support the activation of belonging, relating to Identity, Process, Provocation, Space and Place, Performativity and Reflexivity. These principles are informed by semi-structured interviews with participants experienced in ensemble-based teaching and learning, and by autoethnographic reflective responses prompted by interview dialogues. In this research autoethnography is identified as a form of wayfinding, a traditional Pacific concept, drawing on the mātauranga Māori concepts and values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga, to weave affective, political and socio-ecological belonging into a critical perspective of ensemble practice. The six principles of practice have been trialled in dramatic inquiry workshops, with pre- service drama educators, in a design incorporating process drama, image theatre and forum theatre. Drama conventions as boundary objects, bridging the fields of drama education and belonging, provide structure to the workshops, further informing development of the principles of practice. Through an ongoing dialogic cycle of workshop enactment, participant feedback and drama educator reflection, the principles are reassessed, redefined and refined. This research argues for a critical ensemble pedagogy that makes space for the ensemble as both site and practice. The study advocates for a pedagogy which honours indigenous ways of knowing in drama education, catalyses creative expression and activates critical belonging.
Spiritual beliefs, practices, and shadows of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Fiji
(The University of Waikato, 2026-01) Berndorff, Valentýna; Dr Isaacs, Bronwyn; Dr Pratt, Douglas
This doctoral thesis examines the self-perceptions and lived experiences of Fijian Ahmadis - members of a transnational religious minority who self-identify as Muslims under the spiritual leadership of the Khalifa based in London, UK. The global Ahmadiyya Jama’at positions its adherents as divinely appointed bearers of the truest form of Islam, uniquely entrusted with leading others “from darkness to light”. At its core, this thesis poses a central question: how do Fijian Ahmadis pursue and sustain their religious identity and practices in a remote Pacific context, within a pluralistic yet predominantly Christian society? Drawing on six months of ethnographic fieldwork in Fiji, complemented by additional research among Ahmadis in New Zealand, this study explores how Fijian Ahmadis conform to doctrinal orthodoxy, navigate communal authority, articulate theological claims and interact both internally and with other Fijians. In this thesis, I critically examine the tensions Fijian Ahmadis face in balancing their local religious life with the global aspirations of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at - addressing certain contradictions while allowing others to remain obscured in the shadows of rigorous daily practice. A strong sense of communal exclusivity is shown to be sustained through the movement’s bureaucratic apparatus, which promotes submission to its centralised hierarchy, religious discipline, and personal sacrifice. I contend that by prioritising religious identity and communal purity, this framework reorients Fijian Ahmadis away from their immediate social environment towards alignment with the global Ahmadiyya Jama’at, thereby limiting their deeper engagement with broader Fijian society. Further, this thesis addresses gendered expressions of religiosity and modesty, illustrating how the practice of purdah among Fijian Ahmadis both embodies and reinforces traditional gender roles. Finally, while the community publicly promotes values of tolerance and humanism, these ideals often remain bounded by religious and moral distinctiveness. The tension between rhetorical inclusivity and lived exclusivity becomes especially evident in the Ahmadiyya leadership’s controversial response to the ongoing conflict and genocide in Gaza.
Creative practices as research: Exploring the sensory world of visually impaired artists in China
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Ma, Yuan; Delmotte , Isabelle A.; Frawley, Patsie
This research focuses on non-visual artistic collaborative practice between artists with visual impairment in China and a sighted researcher, encompassing multi-sensory creative practices, including non-visual photography, improvised music, dance, and installation art. A mixed-methods approach integrating qualitative methods (collaborative art practices, semi-structured interviews) and quantitative analysis of audience survey data was employed to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the research phenomena. The resulting data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA), and Descriptive Statistical Analysis (DSA) to systematically examine the role of embodied perception and spatial awareness in artistic expression. Further attention was given to how artists constructed meaning and created a sense of place through sensory interaction. The researcher engaged in the collaborative process through multiple roles – academic, practitioner, and curator – undertaking sustained reflexive inquiry to analyse the mechanisms of multi-sensory creation and cognitive transformation. Through collaborative art practices and exhibitions carried out in both China and New Zealand, the study illuminated the dynamic function of embodied difference in multi-sensory collaborative practice, critically challenging visual-centric aesthetic norms and dominant assumptions about creative practices. Critical Disability Studies (CDS) and Crip theory provide robust theoretical foundations for understanding disability experiences. CDS focuses on critiques of social structures, while Crip theory emphasises the deconstruction of marginalised bodies. Despite their complementary insights, these two frameworks are frequently used separately in existing research. Dialogue and intertextual engagement between CDS and Crip theory show certain limitations and remain somewhat underdeveloped. Meanwhile, most current studies concentrate on theoretical development. In contrast, their practical application, especially in artistic creation, embodied creative practices, and cross-cultural collaborative art, remains underexplored. This research integrates both CDS and Crip theory to examine how multi-sensory artistic practices can challenge normative assumptions about perception, disability, and authorship. These frameworks are applied to analyse collaborative processes, audience responses, and curatorial strategies, highlighting how disability is both culturally constructed and generatively embodied. At the theoretical level, the study employed a phenomenological perspective to emphasise how individuals construct unique perceptual pathways through sustained embodied interaction with their environment. This orientation resonated strongly with traditional Chinese Daoist philosophy, particularly the principles of natural spontaneity and Wu-Wei (Hansen, 2024), which emphasise harmony between body and world. Daoist thought values the fluidity of bodily interaction with nature, immediate perception, and holistic awareness, paralleling phenomenology’s concern with embodied experience and the lifeworld. A convergence of these two philosophical traditions was articulated in the research, offering an intercultural theoretical foundation for understanding how artists with visual impairment create art through non-visual sensory modes. This fusion of Eastern and Western thought expanded phenomenology’s applicability in sensory studies and opened a critically grounded, locally situated space for disability arts research. The findings revealed a diversity of perceptual strategies and creative capacities among the Chinese artists with visual impairment. Across the four art forms, distinct sensory pathways were activated through non-visual means. In non-visual photography, artists constructed spatial understanding by combining auditory cues, tactile exploration, and imaginative perception. Improvised dance revealed how bodily movement attuned to environmental affordances could open alternative channels of sensation. In musical improvisation, layered sound and embodied rhythm emerged through muscle memory and somatic responsiveness. Installation art, meanwhile, engaged audiences through the tactile qualities of materials, inviting sensory exploration beyond sight. These practices underscored the centrality of non-visual senses in creative work and redefined the boundaries of artistic expression, contributing to a theoretically grounded and socially relevant framework for non-visual art research.
Iwasawa theory for tensor products of Hilbert modular forms
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Corpuz, Raiza; Delbourgo, Daniel; Lei, Antonio; Stokes, Tim
The main conjecture of Iwasawa theory bridges two seemingly disjoint areas of mathematics: arithmetic and analysis. In particular, it provides a deep connection between the p-adic L-function which interpolates critical values of the complex L-series, and the Selmer group which is an important object used to control the growth of arithmetic data. In this thesis, we explore some questions that arise organically from the Iwasawa Main Conjecture, applied to Hilbert modular forms and their tensor products. Greenberg and Vatsal developed an approach to study the main conjecture for a large class of elliptic curves simultaneously. They showed that if a given pair of elliptic curves share the same residual Galois representation, then the main conjecture holds for one if and only if it does for the other. The first part of this thesis investigates whether the ideas of Greenberg and Vatsal work for elliptic curves twisted by a CM-Hecke character. The second part of this thesis then extends the method to treat non-ordinary classical modular forms (without any twist). The former permits one to study rational elliptic curves base-changed to an arbitrary number field, whilst the latter requires techniques crafted by Pollack and Kobayashi in the early 2000s. Finally, the third part of this thesis concerns Euler systems and their applications to the arithmetic of motives arising from modular forms—these objects are indispensable tools which can be used to prove half of the Iwasawa main conjecture. However they often give rise to additional “junk” error terms, as well as causing the p-adic L-function to be stripped away of certain bad Euler factors. For modular forms and their tensor products we devise a method to dispose of the error terms and to replenish the missing factors, allowing one to genuinely obtain half of the main conjecture free from any discrepancies.
Refugee resettlement and socio-economic participation through entrepreneurship: The case of New Zealand
(The University of Waikato, 2025-09-02) Fatokun, Kolawole Ishola; Sinha, Paresha N.; Scott, Jonathan M.
Entrepreneurship is often viewed as a feasible pathway for refugee resettlement. It is regarded as a means for refugees to find employment and participate in socio-economic activities. Previous studies have suggested refugee entrepreneurship as a pathway for refugee integration. However, it is not enough to assert that entrepreneurship is a pathway for refugees to integrate and resettle in a host community; we need to understand how entrepreneurship contributes to their resettlement. The current knowledge needs to be expanded within the context of resettlement by exploring why refugees start businesses, how refugee entrepreneurship aids resettlement, the types of businesses refugees engage in, and the reasons behind these choices. How does refugee entrepreneurship influence resettlement? Focusing on spatiality, this study addresses the gap caused by the lack of a context-specific study examining refugee entrepreneurship and resettlement in a host country. A synthesised conceptual framework that provides a structured overview of key ideas, concepts, theories, and relationships drawn from existing research and literature on (refugee) entrepreneurship and resettlement has been neglected. Exploring the phenomenon of refugee entrepreneurship and its connection to resettlement necessitates the development of a synthesised conceptual framework. In conducting this study, the framework is based on a synthesis of: (1) the mechanisms (a broad theoretical discussion) driving the motivation of (refugee) entrepreneurs; (2) social capital theory; and (3) mixed embeddedness theory. Focusing on New Zealand as a refugee-receiving country, the developed novel context-aware conceptual framework is applied to improve understanding of the linkage between refugee entrepreneurship and resettlement. How the “enabling” factors of refugee entrepreneurship transform misfortune into positive outcomes for refugees is revealed. The term “enabling” describes how refugees overcome difficulties and turn challenges into elements that drive positive outcomes for them. This study provides answers to why refugees engage in business activities. This improves our understanding of the motives of refugee entrepreneurs beyond the traditional push and pull dichotomy of necessity and opportunity recognition. Although motivated to start businesses, refugees encounter significant barriers to entrepreneurship and need to actively participate in socio-economic activities to support their resettlement through entrepreneurship. Refugee resettlement through entrepreneurship is a transformative process shaped by their experiences from their home country, culture, transition, and pre-entrepreneurial activities in the host country. Applying the interpretive approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 refugee entrepreneurs, using a semi-structured interview guide. Qualitative methods that uniquely enable the explanation of the participants’ agentic lived experiences, capturing individuals’ meanings and interpretations of their behaviours, events, and contexts, were employed. Abductive reasoning was used to identify themes, codes, and categories. Raw data were organised through the first-order coding or open coding process, where sets of data were closely reviewed and integrated with other data to develop broader themes and theoretical dimensions. NVivo software was utilised to support and enhance the rigour of data analysis. This study finds that refugees must transition from informal to formal entrepreneurs to resettle through entrepreneurship. This change requires support from drivers of mixed embeddedness (DME) and government intervention through policy change, especially for refugees who arrive as adults.
Transfer and persistence of spiritual values as institutional logics in post-founding social ventures
(The University of Waikato, 2025-12-17) Abeywardana, Thanuksha; Pavlovich, Kathryn; Sinha, Paresha N.; Markman, Gideon
It is well understood that personal values can profoundly influence the purpose and direction of a new venture. This is even more so when the spiritual values of the founder are involved. Even though spirituality empowers oneself with energy, passion, direction, and meaning in both personal and occupational life, the process through which spiritual values are transferred from the founder to the organisation and how they persist within the venture remains unclear. This leads to the research question of the study: How do spiritual values of the founder transfer and persist within the venture to become an institutional logic? Interpretivism serves as the paradigm for my study. The research follows a qualitative approach, employing case studies for an in-depth exploration of the data. A sample of sixty participants, comprising founders and employees, from Sri Lankan MSM social enterprises, was interviewed. The interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. Firstly, the research reveals that recognising the founder’s spiritual values begins with comprising founders and employees from the founder embodying selfless qualities such as gratitude, generosity, empathy, detachment, principled conduct, and a sense of justice through self-aware thoughts and actions. This study focuses on an in-depth understanding of how the spiritual values of the founder have been transferred into the ventures and how they persist. Therefore, secondly, the study uncovers that the transferring of the founder’s spiritual values occurs through three processes: Practising, fostering and nurturing. The transfer of spiritual values involves routine actions that align thoughts and behaviours with the inner well-being of both oneself and others. This process is nurtured through intentional, compassionate understanding and encouragement, fostering inner calmness to bring comfort to others. Thirdly, my study signifies three processes of persistence of spiritual values within the venture: Contemplating, continuous engagement and inculcating. The persistence of spiritual values as institutional logics begins with self-reflection, grounded in self-awareness and consistent, often unintentional interactions that promote a commitment-driven life in service to others. The discussion and conclusion evaluate and reflect, respectively, on the journey of institutional logic. The transition from spiritual values to spiritual institutional logic is characterised by alignment, sense-making, and re-coupling. Alignment involves both inner resonance and collective resonance, extending beyond collective transcendence to encompass global transcendence. Sense-making indicates that founders and employees work collectively to ensure a meaningful purpose oriented toward the well-being of others, while also drawing on the inner, self-developed humanistic nature of spiritual values. In the process of recoupling, a complementary, yet evolving dimension of spiritual institutional logic emerges through the co-extraction and recombination of multiple elements derived from compatible spiritual values, resulting in a spiritual form of institutional logic. Finally, this study extends the moral and intellectual stance of institutional logic to include the spiritual dimension. The transition from spiritual values to institutional logics is observed through the characteristics and inherent nature of those values. Secondly, the value transfer process explored in this study offers a theoretical bridge between spirituality and management theory. It contributes to the value transmission process by integrating self-awareness and empathy into practice. Thirdly, this study provides evidence for the persistence of spiritual values within the domains of spirituality and institutional logic by highlighting the interplay between core and peripheral elements of spiritual institutional logics.
Open-Source tools for practical heat integration and utility system evaluation
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Hall, Keegan; Walmsley, Timothy Gordon; Walmsley, Michael; Udugama, Isuru A.
Industrial energy use is one of the most significant contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most effective strategies for reducing heat demand is optimising the design of heat exchanger networks (HENs). While automated synthesis methods like mathematical programming have long promised optimal designs, their industrial adoption remains limited. Key barriers include expensive software licenses, complexity of models and a disconnect between proposed thermal savings and real-world cost savings, especially for non-continuous processes. This thesis addresses these challenges by developing two complementary open-source tools that bridge the gap between advanced process integration methods and practical industrial implementation. The novel contributions in this thesis are delivered across two primary streams: (1) the development of OpenHENS, an entirely open-source tool for synthesising cost-optimal HENs using a robust multi-stage solution strategy, and (2) a machine learning-based surrogate modelling approach for predicting utility system performance under new heat recovery or plant configurations. Together these contributions allow engineers to investigate multiple heat recovery options and accurately evaluate the operational cost savings. OpenHENS combines a novel three step strategy to systematically reduce model complexity and generate a broad set of structurally diverse near-optimal heat HENs. Engineers then apply their judgement in selecting a design that aligns with real-world constraints such as spatial layout, capital budgets, and controllability, factors often too complex to model directly. OpenHENS is publicly available as a Python-based open-source tool and is designed to be accessible to engineers without prior experience in mathematical programming or coding. When validated on thirteen common benchmark problems, OpenHENS consistently returned solutions within 8% of the lowest known total annualised costs reported in the literature using commercial optimisation software. To support credible evaluation of energy efficiency projects, this thesis also develops a surrogate modelling framework tailored for large, non-continuous industrial sites where utility system behaviour is influenced by variable production, operator decisions, and equipment constraints. Trained on high-resolution plant data, the model captures non-linear, time-dependent system behaviour and is used to predict fuel consumption, cogeneration, boiler steam generation, and equipment-level steam demand across full-year operational periods. The approach is demonstrated through the evaluation of a hot water network retrofit at a pulp and paper mill, where standard costing methods were found to overestimate annual savings by NZD $9.8 million. The surrogate model also enables fair cost allocation prior to the design phases by quantifying the marginal steam cost (MSC) at each plant. Results showed that the hot water network retrofit had a MSC of -$10 per tonne, whereas the pulp dryer and paper machine had the highest MSCs around $20 per tonne. Beyond HEN evaluation, the surrogate model supports strategic scenario analysis for energy decision-making. The model was used to assess the implications of shutting down paper production on steam balances, asset utilisation, and site-wide fuel costs. The results revealed unintended consequences, including increased natural gas usage and instability due to low boiler turndown. Because the model reflects actual operational patterns embedded in historical data, these insights underscore the need for improved utility system operation. Additional ‘what-if’ scenarios demonstrated the potential for significant cost reductions by integrating new power generation technologies that recover surplus steam from biomass combustion.
Locating Moana through children’s eyes: “Seeing with others” in cultural identity and global media in Aotearoa New Zealand
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Spieker, Annelore; Johnston, Lynda; Schott, Gareth R.; Hill, Rodrigo
This thesis investigates how children aged 5 to 12 in Aotearoa New Zealand interpret cultural representations in global animated media, with particular attention to Disney’s Moana (2016). Through a child-centred, transnational lens, the research examines how young audiences make sense of ethnicity, culture, and identity in mediated stories, and how these interpretations are shaped by their personal, familial, and educational experiences. The study draws on Jesús Martín-Barbero’s (1987, 2006) theory of cultural mediations, along with theories of globalisation and transnationalism, to understand how meaning-making occurs across local and global cultural flows. It also engages with children’s geographies to attend to questions of spatial belonging, migration, and place-based identity. The study is based on qualitative data gathered from 94 research participants through face-to-face and online data collection with a diverse group of 54 children representing over 30 ethnic backgrounds, including a large subset of participants from 10 Brazilian-background families living in Aotearoa New Zealand. Children were invited to interpret a range of 24 characters drawn from 16 Disney and Pixar media texts (15 animated films and one television series), with a particular emphasis on Moana. In addition, perspectives from 36 parents, as well as three primary school teachers and one principal, were collected to examine how families and educators use media for cultural learning and identity negotiation. Findings reveal that children actively interpret cultural cues through visual, emotional, and relational frameworks. Characters such as Moana and Maui were often identified as being “from here”, drawing on landscape, school-based learning, and everyday cultural knowledge. Brazilian families used global media texts to support cultural transmission, while children articulated desires for characters who resembled them not only in ethnicity, but also in language, values, and personality. Across the thesis, tensions emerged between cultural recognition and confusion, reflecting the complex dynamics of growing up in a legally bicultural and yet multicultural society, such as Aotearoa. This study contributes to scholarship on children’s media reception, transnational identity, and cultural representation by highlighting the voices of young viewers and the interpretive environments in which global media are made meaningful. By bringing together children’s perspectives with those of their families, and situating these within the cultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand, the thesis underscores how global animated films like Moana are not passively consumed but actively negotiated. It offers new insights into how identity, belonging, and cultural knowledge are shaped through everyday interactions with media, particularly for children growing up in transnational and multilingual households.
Hawaiki ora: Waka ama, it's a kind of magic
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Nuku, Michael; Tuaupiki, Haki; Hiha, Anne
Waka ama is a heterotopic social space deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori and is navigating transformative currents as it balances cultural integrity and the pursuit of performance excellence. This study investigated the magic of waka ama, namely the magnetic phenomenon that captivated participants, the lifestyle changes resulting from engagement and participants’ environmental perceptions. Magic is understood as the recognition of the enchanted amid modern pressures. A critical gap identified in the literature is the lack of recognition of the key elements that underpin positive participation in waka ama. By articulating and validating these key elements, this thesis lays a foundation for protecting and sustaining these cultural dimensions as waka ama grows in prominence and recognition as a high-performance sport. The study also raises concerns that increasing formalisation may risk eroding traditional values, underscoring the need for culturally responsive strategies to preserve the essence of waka ama for future generations. This Kaupapa Māori Research is rooted in Te Ao Māori, with Kaupapa Māori Theory maintaining a Māori lens for interpretation and positionality. It utilised the Waka Ama Rangahau conceptual framework, creating stability and rigour for this journey of discovery. It employed an in-depth review of literature and semi-structured interviews with 15 established kaihoe (paddlers) from across Aotearoa to gather data. It also included perspectives of a group of kaihoe that experienced waka ama from an unexplored viewpoint to add depth and breadth to the findings. Thematic analysis and the Whakaaro method were employed to analyse the data. The findings were then presented using Thematic Synthesis. The knowledge and experiences shared by kaihoe contributed towards answering the three research questions and establishing the Waka AMA (Āhuru Mōwai Aroha) Model for supportive environments that characterised the concept of āhuru mōwai. This study conceptualised the āhuru mōwai, Hawaiki Ora, inspired by historical discourse and interpretations of Hawaiki Nui. The spatio-temporal environment of waka ama cultivated Hawaiki Ora in ways that align with Te Ao Māori time and space, and are reinforced by Foucault’s concept of heterotopia and Lefebvre’s theory of social space, offering a unique, transformative space for identity, performance, connection, and care. Within this environment, kaihoe collectively negotiate and uphold their ideals, forging unity and compromise over time. These findings underscore the necessity of preserving waka ama’s whānau-centric ethos to safeguard its cultural and spiritual essence against the encroachment of Eurocentric marginalisation commonly framed as modernity. The Waka AMA Model provides an environmental social construction plan to ensure a supportive and genuinely caring environment is available throughout challenging times and spaces. Crucially, this support must be ongoing and never taken for granted. Waka AMA supports Hawaiki Ora from the experiences, aspirations and rangatiratanga of kaihoe.
Developing new multiscale models for the numerical simulation of Pultruded GFRP Structural Elements
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Abbaszadeh, Hadi; Mochida, Yusuke
Pultruded Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) are innovative structural elements gaining popularity for various structural applications due to their unique properties, such as magnetic transparency and an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. These materials have been extensively studied through experimental and numerical methods to assess their performance as structural components. Accurately describing the micro- and macro-scale mechanical features of FRP elements necessitates complex computational models to predict their strength and investigate design parameters through numerical simulations. This research initially reviews the state-of-the-art in numerical modelling of structural fibre-reinforced polymeric elements, particularly pultruded Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymers (GFRP). It highlights their use as load-bearing structural elements and evaluates various numerical methods, including Finite Element Method (FEM), eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM), Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT), Cohesive Zone Modelling (CZM), Multiscale Reduced Order Modelling (ROM), and Random Lattice Modelling (RLM). Each method's distinctive features, challenges, and capabilities are discussed in detail. The aim is to assess the reliability of these numerical models for simulating FRP structural elements and provide recommendations for future research by discussing 160 references from the literature. In the next step, the experimental characterization of Pultruded GFRP materials evaluated. These composites exhibit remarkable strength, comparable or even superior to steel, and resistance to environmental effects. However, their strongly orthotropic behaviour and spatial variability in mechanical properties present challenges. Fibre orientation and distribution significantly affect the ultimate strength and stiffness of these materials. This work includes an experimental campaign on GFRP specimens in uniaxial tension and three-point bending, testing coupon specimens with fibre orientations of 0, 15, 45, and 90 degrees to characterize ultimate strength and failure modes. Detailed statistical measures of the strength values are presented, aiming to understand the variability in mechanical properties of commercially available profiles. In addition, the stiffness parameter was considered to investigate by analytical study comparing experimental results. Despite the promising properties of pultruded GFRP, their relatively low stiffness and strength in the direction orthogonal to the fibres limit their widespread adoption in civil engineering applications. This work investigates the mechanical behaviour of pultruded GFRP beams using analytical methods, presenting experimental results from a small-scale campaign conducted by the researcher. These results validate the analytical model and compare the elastic stiffness concerning fibre orientation, providing insights into the potential and limitations of pultruded GFRP elements in structural applications. Finally, the last step of study demonstrates the inherent limitations of traditional lattice models and propose a new model to simulate the orthotropic materials` behaviours in different conditions. This section presents an innovative approach by using irregular lattice networks to simulate the elastic behaviour of orthotropic GFRP structural elements by Voronoi Cell Lattice Modelling (VCLM), focusing on different fibre-to-matrix elasticity ratios and fibre to load orientations. The proposed method first estimates the elastic properties for various fibre orientations and verifies the model against standard deformation cases and experimental data. Additionally, it compares numerical predictions to established theories like the Tsai-Hill criterion. Through sensitivity analysis, it explores how fibre-to-matrix ratios and Young’s modulus affect macroscopic Poisson’s ratio, offering new insights into stiffness effects on anisotropic material simulations.
The development of community orchestras in the Waikato
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Fletcher, Olivia; Moffat, Kirstine; Lodge, Martin
Orchestral music in the Waikato has a long and rich history, although to date there has been little exploration of this. Indeed, research about musical growth and development in New Zealand is sparse and fragmented in terms of both time and geography. By focusing on a particular region that has yet to receive any attention, the thesis aims to redress this gap and also make a wider contribution to understandings of the transportation to and development of western music in New Zealand. In tracing the growth of an orchestral tradition in this region the thesis places this musical evolution within the context of a developing settler society that valued community music making as both a form of community cohesion and a valuable means of local fund raising and entertainment. In considering the development of orchestral music in the Waikato, the thesis is divided into two main parts, treating each as a case study but also drawing on the methodologies of ethnomusicology, history from below, microhistory, and oral history. Part One is devoted to the years 1864-1914 and in analysing this foundational period of musical development considers a large geographical area enclosed by Huntly, Raglan, Te Awamutu and Te Aroha. Part Two provides a detailed examination of one specific orchestra and community, the Te Aroha-Morrinsville Community Orchestra (TAMCO) which began as an idea in 1974 and continued for thirty years. Each part of the thesis draws on a range of archival materials. Part One relies on extensive use of Papers Past (1), as well as resources from local museums and Archives New Zealand. In contrast, the case study of TAMCO has myriad sources, including interviews with key figures, photographs, recordings, and minute books, and is used to test the hypotheses generated in the first half. While each part of the thesis is distinct, there are also similarities and connections, with the case study of TAMCO confirming many of the findings of Part One. My findings all lead to the conclusion that in order for an orchestra to develop and flourish over several years it requires a locally respected charismatic person as leader, generally but not always the conductor, supported by a team of volunteers convinced of the importance and value of the enterprise. Beyond this the orchestra needs to be relevant to its community, who then support it. This could be relevance in terms of fundraising for a specific cause, or from programming music that is accessible and relevant to that local audience. In this way the orchestra becomes an integral part of the community. By focusing on one region through the lens of two case studies, a nuanced and layered understanding of the development of orchestral music in the Waikato is revealed, an understanding that has parallels with other community musical groups in New Zealand and other settler societies. (1) Papers Past is a resource from digitised newspapers and magazines published in New Zealand from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
An investigation of wellness retreat tourism experiences: a mixed-methods study from perceived value perspective
(The University of Waikato, 2025-12-01) Mai, Xuan Tai; Ryan, Chris; Cheryl, Cockburn-Wootten
In recent years, wellness tourism has developed into a rapidly growing segment of the global tourism industry, particularly driven by increasing public interest in achieving and maintaining physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Despite this growth, wellness retreats—a distinctive and transformative subsector of wellness tourism—remain underexplored in academic literature. Grounded in the increasing urgency of mental health as a global development priority (United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being), this study investigates how wellness retreat experiences foster tourists' holistic wellbeing and their loyalty to the destination through the lens of customer perceived value. Drawing on Sheth, Newman, and Gross (1991)’s theory of consumption values and supported by the concept of Transformation Economy (Pine & Gilmore, 2011), and multidimensional wellness frameworks, this study aims to (1) explore the dimensions of perceived value in wellness retreat experiences, (2) develop and validate a multidimensional measurement scale of perceived value of wellness retreat experiences, (3) investigate the association between tourists’ perceived value and destination loyalty, and (4) identify combinations of value dimensions that foster high levels of destination loyalty. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating qualitative thematic analysis of 936 qualified reviews of wellness retreat visitors on TripAdvisor and Google Maps Reviews, followed by quantitative surveys of 159 wellness retreat attendees at the Resolution Retreats, New Zealand. To analyse the collected quantitative data, this study employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) as a symmetrical analysis method and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) as an asymmetrical technique. This integration served to strengthen the findings and construct a composite picture of customer perceived value dimensions on the destination loyalty of wellness retreat attendees. The findings of the Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed five dimensions of perceived value: Nutritional, Functional, Emotional, Social and Educational, and Ecological Healing. PLS-SEM results confirmed that perceived value significantly drives destination loyalty, while customer-employee interaction negatively moderates this relationship, challenging prior assumptions about the role of interpersonal engagement in tourism and hospitality contexts. Moreover, fsQCA identified five distinct configurations of value dimensions that are sufficient for high loyalty, demonstrating that different combinations can lead to similar positive desired outcomes, depending on visitor experiences and value propositions. Theoretically, this research advances the wellness tourism literature by differentiating wellness retreats as a distinct niche, thereby deepening the conceptualisation of eudaimonic value within tourism experiences. Furthermore, it applies the consumer perceived perspective to enhance the prediction of tourists’ decision-making processes. This study also addresses the existing methodological gaps by demonstrating the transformative potential of mixed-methods approaches within the tourism and hospitality discipline. By integrating PLS-SEM and fsQCA to capture both linear and non-linear patterns in visitor behaviour, this study underscores how methodological advancements can improve our understanding of complex research phenomena. Practically, the research provides a robust measurement instrument for assessing wellness retreat experiences and offers strategic guidance to wellness managers, tourism developers, and policymakers on designing and promoting transformative tourism products. It also emphasises the need for wellness-focused governance frameworks, workforce protection, and community engagement to ensure equitable and sustainable development in wellness tourism.
Shifting the learning culture of a secondary school in Aotearoa New Zealand: An analysis of enacting a shared vision
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Greenhill, Deborah; Wright, Noeline; Cook, Sheralyn F.
Educational leadership frameworks and organisational literature have extensively documented successful leadership approaches, practices, change processes, and reform models. However, the literature lacks a nuanced understanding of how individual leaders, particularly middle leaders, make sense of and respond to implementing school-wide change. This study centres on how curriculum (middle) leaders in a traditional secondary school in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ), interpret and translate a school vision into practice to shift their school's learning culture. This interpretive study uses one school as a case study and six participants, five of whom are middle (curriculum) leaders and one senior leader participant. The findings are drawn from their transcripts from semi-structured interviews and associated documents they submitted for analysis. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate authentic insights into their lived experiences. Key findings revealed that vision enactment involves a complex interplay between contextual realities and professional agency. While inclusive vision development fostered collective ownership, curriculum leaders were crucial intermediaries, having to translate aspirational language into concrete, student-centred strategies. Their agency was enabled through structured frameworks but constrained by contextual factors, including external performativity pressures and internal entrenched traditions. The study identified specific enablers (collaborative structures, embedded professional development, external expertise) and inhibitors (inadequate change management support, limited cross-faculty collaboration) affecting vision enactment. These findings demonstrate that meaningful educational change requires not only distributing leadership but also providing robust support systems that recognise the pivotal role of curriculum leaders as bridges between vision and sustainable learning culture change. The study contributes to the field by offering insights into how curriculum leaders interpret a school vision and exercise professional agency to translate aspirational statements into classroom practices while navigating the complex contextual factors that enable and constrain their efforts.
Emancipating critical thinking through aesthetics
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Yazici, Furkan; Kingsbury, Justine; Ulatowski, Joseph W.
This thesis examines how critical thinking can be enriched by incorporating imagination, emotions, and aesthetic sensibilities alongside logical reasoning. Traditional models of critical thinking have often excluded these dimensions, limiting their ability to address complex and dynamic contexts. Beginning with an analysis of critical thinking textbooks, the thesis identifies two central gaps: (1) the absence of any role for imagination in critical thinking and (2) a reductive and largely negative view of emotions. It then engages with alternative frameworks, such as Michael Gilbert’s multi-modal argumentation framework, which attempt to move beyond traditional approaches. I argue that although these are a step in the right direction, there is still work to be done to fill these gaps. Drawing on the distinction between propositional and non propositional representations, the thesis proposes a hybrid framework that integrates logical analysis with aesthetic experience. Through an investigation of aesthetic experience and its connection to emotions, imagination and critical thinking, the thesis shows how critical thinking can become a more comprehensive intellectual practice. The application of this enriched model to philosophical inquiry, with a particular focus on the concept of beauty as it applies to philosophy, provides an illustration of the application of the model. Finally, the thesis introduces improvisation as a synthesis of reason, emotion, and imagination. This provides a practical example of the integrated critical thinking approach developed throughout the work.
Towards identification of floc compounds in water using multi-frequency fluorescence lifetime analysis
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Dissanayake, S.A.D. Asanka Nilakshi; Cree, Michael J.; Lay, Mark C.; Streeter, Lee; Glasgow, Graeme D.E.
UV disinfection is commonly used in water treatment to inactivate pathogens such as Cryptosporidium and viruses to prevent diseases such as cryptosporidiosis and norovirus in communities. Disinfection typically follows water treatment steps, such as coagulation, flocculation, clarification, and filtration. However, particles in water, for example, flocs 0.1 to 100 μm in diameter, made from humic and inorganic substances present in the water, surrounding a Cryptosporidium oocyst or virus, can protect the pathogens from UV exposure. Although water treatment steps prior to disinfection remove 99% of the particulates, particles can still be present in the 1000s to 10,000’s per litre after filtration. While the chances of a floc particle carrying a virus or oocyst are typically low, in some regions, particularly during calving in the dairy industry, oocyst concentrations in the water might be high due to cryptosporidiosis in calves. Therefore, it is useful to test the properties of the floc compound for UV penetration to determine whether the disinfection method is appropriate. In this thesis, a technique that uses multi-frequency analysis to measure the fluorescence lifetime of a fluorophore to provide information on particle composition is presented. Frequency-domain fluorescence fluorometry was used to determine the fluorescence lifetime. This was achieved using an experimental setup that used a laser diode operating at 100 mW and modulated at 10–60 MHz to excite the fluorophores, optical elements to focus and filter the light, and detectors to collect the fluorescence emission signal via a storage oscilloscope. The signals were then processed using a MATLAB program to determine the fluorescence lifetime. Fluorescence lifetime measurements were challenged by the chemical and physical behaviour of the fluorophore and the adsorption of the fluorophore to the floc particles. Therefore, standard measurements such as turbidity, pH, particle size, and fluorescence were used to understand the absorption/adsorption of fluorescein to flocs. Fluorescence was observed at the 260–490 nm excitation wavelengths, with fluorescence emissions at approximately 510 nm. The particle size and turbidity measurements showed that fluorescein acted as a flocculant, with the particle size increasing with increasing fluorescein concentration. Fluorescence intensity measurements from a standard fluorescence spectrophotometer were used to calculate fluorescein adsorption on humic acid and kaolin to generate adsorption isotherms. Fluorescein was bonded to kaolin 10 times more than to humic acid. Adequate flocculation required a pH of 6.5 to produce reasonably flocculated particles in the sample. Surface charge analysis showed that the use of buffer to control pH required more alum to neutralise the surface charge of humic acid and kaolin. Multi frequency measurements and subsequent analysis showed that the fluorescence lifetime and contamination ratio were 4.2 ± 0.3 ns and 0.09 ± 0.05 for fluorescein. The fluorescence lifetime of fluorescein was compatible with the results of previous studies using different techniques. The samples with floc particles had a larger excitation light contamination ratio than those without particles; therefore, the contamination ratio could be used as a measure of particle contamination in the samples. The fluorescence lifetime of fluorescein did not change when fluorescein was attached to humic acid particles, but increased by 0.6 ns for kaolin floc particles.
The embodied and lived experiences of welfare and care for highly impaired, high performance para-sport athletes in Aotearoa New Zealand
(The University of Waikato, 2025-10) Lowry, Amanda; Townsend, Robert C.; Johnston, Lynda; Petrie, Kirsten Culhane
Aligning with calls in critical disability studies to bring the body and impairment into disability sport, this thesis examines the welfare and care experiences of highly impaired athletes in high-performance sport. While a focus on athlete welfare has gained some international prominence, and a duty of care is increasingly invoked as an organisational and coaching responsibility, these developments remain largely disconnected from disability. The research is centred around two main objectives. First, to amplify the lived and embodied experiences of highly impaired, high performance disabled athletes as they prepare for, train, and compete in sport, and those who support them. Second, to understand how sporting institutions and regulations (within the broader context of government funding and national health care provision) influence welfare and care practices for high performance disabled athletes. Crip methodologies and Indigenous Māori storytelling methodologies such as pūrākau centres lived experience as a site of resistance and knowledge production. Using a reflexive, qualitative approach, including semi-structured interviews, autoethnographic vignettes, and visual ethnography, I expose how impairment effects are managed in ableist sporting environments that valorise normative athlete ideals. I interviewed 11 high-performance paraathletes, seven organisational representatives and two support workers. The research highlights the material, emotional, and temporal labour of care in highperformance sport. Findings are organised around three core themes: the embodied labour of care, impairment effects and interdependence; the tension between crip time, care time, and performance time; the intersecting structural, institutional, and ableist barriers that shape and constrain highly impaired athletes’ participation in disability sport. The first theme shows how high-performance sport privileges autonomous, efficient, and normative bodies, while marginalising those whose messy, gritty embodied impairment effects demand more time, support, and interdependence. The findings bring to the fore biosocial, psycho-emotional costs of navigating care and its impact on athlete welfare. The second theme uncovers how the rhythms of highly impaired bodies disrupt the linear, clockbound time of high-performance sport, revealing the incompatibility between care time and high performance cultures. It highlights the vital yet invisible labour of support workers, ii unacknowledged in contemporary sporting discourse. The third theme addresses the barriers that highly impaired athletes face when navigating ableist institutional and organisational structures. It exposes the complexity of the ableist disability sporting landscape and the gap between duty of care rhetoric and practice. Ultimately, this thesis calls for a radical reimagining of disability sport, one that centres interdependence, affirms bodily difference, and addresses the structural failures that marginalise highly impaired athletes.
Mai i te kore, ki te pō, ki te ao mārama: He kohinga pūrākau hauora o ngā kaumātua Māori, Māori Elders health and wellbeing stories in life transitions
(The University of Waikato, 2025-11-04) Shelford, Pita; Oetzel, John G.; Simpson, Mary Louisa; Spiller, Chellie; Hokowhitu, Brendan
Introduction New Zealand’s general population is ageing. Kaumātua (Māori elders) only make up approximately 3.1 percent of the total population and yet, they are disproportionately overrepresented in poor health, wellbeing and ageing statistics. However, this is a one-sided story and the focus of a deficit approach. There is a strong need for a strength-based approach where kaumātua voices of problem-solving and resilience related to ageing and the changes it presents, are heard. The purpose of this study is to identify and share those voices and to respond to the call from Māori academics to apply pūrākau as an alternative to Western narrative approaches. Through a pūrākau approach, this thesis sought to answer three key research questions: 1)What are the cultural and communication features of the kaumātua teina narratives? 2) What are the cultural and communication characteristics of the kaumātua tuakana conversational styles? and 3) What is the nature of the kaumātua journeys in how the stories unfold, and relationships develop? Methods This study analyses pūrākau from the Kaumātua Mana Motuhake (KMM) collaboration project between the University of Waikato and the Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand. The KMM project sought to enhance kaumātua wellbeing during life changes such as losses of licence, independence or spouse, health changes and retirement through a peer-support tuakana-teina programme. The KMM team implemented a tuakana-teina peer support programme where kaumātua (n= 121) engaged in up to three conversations as kaumātua tuakana-teina pairs. The conversations involved exploring the life changes the teina chose with the tuakana guiding the conversations and sharing potential services to help with the changes. This thesis analysed 30 kaumātua conversations in 10 tuakana-teina pairs to tell a strengths-based story of health and wellbeing. Taking a Kaupapa Māori approach, the research prioritised, privileged and foregrounded Māori and Indigenous epistemology, ontology, and axiology. A pūrākau-grounded analysis approach was developed and applied to the conversations. Findings Related to the first research question, the analysis revealed kaumātua narratives that spoke to stories about adversity, turning points, independence and resilience. Regarding the second research question, the study identified key cultural and communicational characteristics kaumātua tuakana used, speaking with words of kinship and reciprocation, words of ignition and guidance, and words of empathy and affirmation. Pertaining to the third research question, the analysis illustrated conversational and relational journey types kaumātua pairs travelled, consisting of conversations that went direct to topics, detours that became defining moments, small tiki tours that came back to the topic, stories that were revisited, and hospitality becoming defining moments. Conclusions The findings compiled weave a collective tapestry of kaumātua teina pūrākau, kaumātua tuakana communication styles, and kaumātua conversational and relational journeys. Kaumātua teina have voiced a pūrākau for us to understand inter-generational trauma and how cultural connection liberated their wellbeing. Kaumātua tuakana have composed a script of communication protocols emphasising connection and relationship development essential to upholding tikanga (practices, principles, communications). The paired kaumātua journeys have drawn a signposted road map that highlighted journey types, emphasising reciprocity in conversing, learning, guiding, connecting, developing, strengthening and enhancing communications, relationships, and wellbeing Implications Via kaumātua conversations, invaluable understandings into Māori and Indigenous wellbeing, ageing and development scholarship are offered, strengthening transformation, leadership and resilience theories. Pūrākau and whanaungatanga (relationships) methodologies are advocated for and culturally responsive research is promoted. Health, wellbeing and ageing programme development, policy and service delivery can be practically informed, accentuating mentorship, intergenerational initiatives, and culturally appropriate kaumātua support. Together, the findings can cultivate community wellbeing and nurture cultural continuity.

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