General Papers

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This Research Commons Collection contains research from General Staff at the University of Waikato.

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Geothermal energy, decarbonisation and the just transition: developments in governance and regulation
(Journal Article, Informa UK Limited, 2025) Parson, Phoebe; Luketina, Katherine; Barton, Barry
This review article pursues this special issue’s theme of renewable energy and just transition into the field of geothermal energy, an energy source which has a special role in Aotearoa New Zealand, and which raises clear questions of justice in the energy transition. It evaluates the track record, and examines the legal, regulatory and institutional challenges and opportunities for a just transition for geothermal in New Zealand. It particularly considers the role of Māori, and the challenges presented by emerging technological change. It considers the problems of renewability and sustainability that are special to geothermal resources. It evaluates the just transition issues that have particularly affected Māori landowners and holders of mana whenua. It finds that what constitutes a just transition must be seen against a longer historical time frame than many observers might assume. It shows that the distinctive regulatory framework for geothermal has been considerably affected by addressing these problems but may need to adapt further in the future. It considers the technical features that have shaped geothermal regulation and are likely to shape it in the future as new technological options emerge.
Bathymetry and bottom sediments of Lake Vanda, Antarctica
(Journal Article, 1972) Nelson, Campbell S; Wilson, AT
To assist in locating the best site for the Lake Vanda drill hole, the nature of the bottom surface sediments was studied for the purpose of constructing a general bathymetric map of the lake. A maximum depth of 68.6 m is recorded near the center of the western lobe of the lake. Lake bottom sediments sampled at 25 drill holes show two contrasting bottom sediment facies. Shallower than 60 m the environment is aerobic, consisting mainly of pale fawn and quartzofeldspathic sands, overlain by a layer of biological detritus containing algae, diatoms, fungal mycelia, bacteria, and terrigenous sand. Below 60 m the environment is anaerobic, the sediments consisting of sandy muds and muddy sands rich in finely disseminated organic matter. The bathymetric map is shown
The ever-changing landscape of New Zealand vocational education and training: The Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) and the current and planned changes sought by the current coalition government
(Conference Contribution, 2025) Piercy-Cameron, Gemma
A market model to industry training was introduced in 1992 since then vocational education and training has been in a state of constant change. My presentation will: - Assess the capacity of the current VET system to deliver long-term improvement to vocational training, - Explain RoVE reforms, - Outline current changes, - Offer views on likely impacts, on-going issues.
A relational approach to youth healthcare: Examining young people's, parents' and clinicians' experiences in the context of variations in sex characteristics
(Journal Article, Elsevier, B.V., 2024) Roen, K; Lundberg, T; Joy, E
According to popular understandings, children grow from a state of dependence to eventually become independent adults. Interdependence helps to disrupt the in/dependence binary and is a useful concept for making sense of the experiences young people with variations in sex characteristics in relation to healthcare. This study used semi-structured interviews with 32 health professionals, 33 caregivers and 12 young people recruited in the UK and Sweden. The analysis is guided by the questions: (1) how do young people, carers and health professionals position themselves in the adult/young person relationship in the context of healthcare? (2) how is the (in/ter)dependence of young people imagined when young people, carers and health professionals talk about healthcare? Our analysis shows how carers and health professionals might support dominant understandings about young people growing towards independence while providing little opportunity for young people's agency and voice. Interviews with young people gave clear examples of their negotiating relational ways of being, seeking agency in the context of healthcare and not simply becoming independent of adults. This analysis also draws attention to the ways young people might be silenced within healthcare contexts. The present paper is based on secondary analysis of data from the SENS. It works with concepts of relationality and interdependence to draw out the possibilities of voice and agency for young people with variations in sex characteristics in healthcare contexts.
Jonathan Sumption's conceptual gaps and misconceptions on historical apologies and judicial diversity
(Journal Article, 2024) Alvarez-Jimenez, Alberto
Which historical wrongs necessitate an apology? What is the value of judicial diversity, and what is the best way to achieve this? Writing for 𝘊𝘑𝘓𝘗𝘈, University of Waikato senior lecturer Alberto Alvarez-Jimenez tackles the treatment of these topics in Jonathan Sumption's recent book 𝘓𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴, suggesting that the work is characterized by misconceptions and conceptual gaps.
Investigation of the potential of repurposing medium-density fiberboard waste as an adsorbent for heavy metal ion removal
(Journal Article, MDPI, 2024) Ranaweera, KH; Grainger, MNC; French, A; Sirimuthu, N; Mucalo, M
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) waste generation has increased steadily over the past decades, and therefore, the investigation of novel methods to recycle this waste is very important. The potential of repurposing MDF waste as an adsorbent for the treatment of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) ions in water was investigated using MDF offcuts. The highest adsorption potential in single-metal ion solution systems was observed for Pb(II) ions. The experimental data of Pb(II) ions fit well with the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Complexation and electrostatic interactions were identified as the adsorption mechanisms. The adsorption behavior of multi-metal ion adsorption systems was investigated by introducing Cd(II) ions as a competitive metal ion. The presence of the Cd(II) ions reduced the adsorption potential of Pb(II) ions, yet the preference for the Pb(II) ions remained. Regeneration studies were performed by using 0.1 M HCl as a regeneration agent for both systems. Even though a significant amount of adsorbed metal ions were recovered, the adsorption potential of the MDF was reduced in the subsequent adsorption cycles. Based on these results, MDF fines have the potential to be used as an economical adsorbent for remediation of wastewater containing heavy metal ions.
Exploring the impact of rainfall intensity on the attenuation-rainfall relationship
(Journal Article, Elsevier BV, 2025) Nia, Saeid Esmaeil; Shokri, Ali
The attenuation of electromagnetic waves due to rainfall is a critical factor in radar and telecommunication systems, particularly in frequency bands above 10 GHz, which is increasingly utilised for data transfer. This study addresses the gaps in understanding how these attenuation effects vary across different rainfall intensities and Drop Size Distributions (DSD). By analytically investigating the irregularities in the cross-sections of raindrops within the 1 to 30 GHz frequency range, the study mentions significant peaks in attenuation at frequencies below 10 GHz, which are more pronounced as DSD changes with rainfall intensity. Using the extinction and efficiency cross-sections of raindrops in 1–30 GHz microwave transmission, the coefficients of rainfall-attenuation correlation were derived for each sector of rainfall intensity of 1–300 mm/hr. Building on these findings, we propose an enhanced rainfall-attenuation relationship, incorporating dynamic coefficients, varying with both factors, DSD and rainfall intensity. Unlike previous models that only suggest calibration of the attenuation-rainfall relationship with DSD, our results indicate that the coefficients should also dynamically adjust based on rainfall intensity. We further demonstrate how these varying coefficients differ from the ITU's recommendations, providing detailed graphical comparisons. This advancement allows for more accurate calculations of rainfall intensity, improving the precision of telecommunication and radar systems in diverse weather conditions.
Evaluating riverine flood policy: Land use planning trends in Aotearoa New Zealand
(Journal Article, Elsevier, B.V., 2025) Hanna, Christina; Wallace, Pip; Serrao-Neumann, Silvia
Globally, the responsibility to develop flood risk policy is often devolved to local government. However, local governments can lack the capacity to keep up with increasing and changing flood risk and information provision without external guidance and support. Central and state governments can deliver policy support and consistency by providing policy direction or standards based on best practice. Due to diverse localised modelling, plans and policies, there is often limited understanding of the nature of flood policy, the degree of variation between localities, and how authorities are improving practice and responding to increasing and changing risk. In this study, we develop and apply an evaluation tool for riverine flood planning that captures the modelling parameters, policies, and information used by regional authorities, distinguishing between traditional and emerging approaches. We examine three primary categories of regional flood policy: modelling parameters and associated planning regulations, risk-based policy approaches, and information provision processes. Our findings reveal evolving practices, policy variances, and aspects of contention, demonstrating where central and state governments can provide greater direction for policy development. Our evaluation tool therefore provides a basis to guide complex policy transitions, from static hazard-based planning towards a more comprehensive, risk-based approach.
Microplastics in freshwaters: Comparing effects of particle properties and an invertebrate consumer on microbial communities and ecosystem functions
(Journal Article, Elsevier B.V., 2025) Kong, ZH; Liu, T; Burdon, Francis J; Truchy, A; Futter, M; Bundschuh, M; Hurley, R; Bertilsson, S; Mckie, BG
The effects of microplastic (MP) accumulation in freshwaters on organisms and ecosystem functions are poorly understood, as are the roles of MP particle properties in regulating these effects. In freshwater microcosms, we quantified variation in microbial communities and ecosystem functions and compared effects of MP concentration (0, 1000, 50000 particles/kgsediment), shape (sphere, fragment, fibre), and polymer (polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polystyrene) with those of a model invertebrate consumer (Chironomus riparius). We detected multiple effects of specific MP properties, especially associated with MP fragments and fibres, and the polymer polypropylene. These effects included increases in microbial abundance, consumer biomass and ecosystem respiration, as well as decreases in microbial enzyme activity and water chlorophyll-a. MP presence was also associated with increased relative abundance of microbial taxa reported to degrade plastics. However, consumer presence mostly had stronger effects (effect sizes ranging from ± 11 −313 %) than MP exposure (effect sizes ranging from ± 1–89 %) on microbial communities and ecosystem functions. Furthermore, several MP effects were only detected when chironomid consumers were absent. Overall, our findings suggest that MP effects on microbes and ecosystem functions are often relatively small and variable, depending on particle properties and consumer presence. Nevertheless, the number of MP effects detected highlights the need for further investigations of interactions between MPs and other environmental drivers, to more thoroughly assess the risks of MP pollution for freshwater ecosystems.
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.
Post-disaster building functionality: Preliminary findings of a systematic review
(Conference Contribution, New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE), 2023) Boston, Megan; Mayer, Bethany
During a natural hazard event, buildings are likely to experience some sort of damage, thus limiting their ability to function as intended. The severity of the ensuing consequences for various stakeholders and the community depends on the function of the building and the severity of the damage that occurred. A systematic literature review was performed to investigate post-disaster functionality of various building types after a range of natural hazards. Forty-nine documents were deemed to be eligible for inclusion, with most documents discussing healthcare services and businesses due to the vital role they play in short- and long-term community recovery. The functionality of both facility types was found to be dependent on a complex range of structural and non-structural components, as well as social systems, such as staff and the community. The findings of this paper have been used to inform future research directions to apply post-disaster functionality concepts in the New Zealand context.
Puna
(Composition, 2024-09-26) Apiata, Ammon Hāwea
Bilingual poem for issue 11 of Mayhem Literary Journal.
Dealing with uncertainty in flood risk management and land use planning decisions: Insights from Aotearoa New Zealand
(Journal Article, Elsevier BV, 2024) Afsari Bajestani, Sepideh; Serrao-Neumann, Silvia; Hanna, Christina; Fu, Xinyu
Flooding with increasing intensity and frequency is presenting significant challenges for risk management and land use planning in urban areas. This is further exacerbated by uncertainties regarding how flood patterns are changing because of climate change. However, how such uncertainties are considered to inform flood risk management and land use planning decisions can vary largely from place to place and remain unclear in the literature. This paper contributes to this by examining how uncertainty is dealt with in flood risk management and land use planning in Aotearoa New Zealand. Drawing on empirical data at the local level, findings indicate that Aotearoa New Zealand’s decision-makers face challenges in considering and communicating uncertainty due to the prevalence of outdated approaches and regulatory constraints, fragmented risk governance, and lack of appropriate understanding of different perceptions and assumptions regarding flood risk between different stakeholders. Based on findings, the paper discusses the critical role of a national-level adaptive flood risk governance in helping to ensure consistency and coherency across different jurisdictions and levels of government, regarding the incorporation of uncertainty into flood risk management and land use planning. This includes the provision of national directives for incorporating uncertainty in decision-making whilst leaving room for innovation and targeted variability at the local level.
Ideal personhood through the ages: Tracing the genealogy of the modern concepts of wellbeing
(Journal Article, Frontiers Media S.A., 2024) Joshanloo, Mohsen; Weijers, Daniel
This inquiry traces the recent history of modern conceptualizations of personhood and wellbeing. It explores a general transition from traditional frameworks emphasizing social embeddedness, external obligations, and cosmic meaning to modern views privileging self-determination, authenticity, and self-expression. The inquiry shows that contemporary conceptions of wellbeing have emerged in Western cultures through the gradual accumulation of influences, including the Enlightenment ethos, liberal ideals, romanticism, existentialism, countercultural movements, and modern psychology. The important role of ‘authenticity’ is examined as a central value in contemporary wellbeing discourse, aligning with the modern conception of personhood. It is argued that contemporary perspectives tend to position the ideal of authentic self-fulfillment as an overarching paradigm that integrates self-determination, self-discovery, willful self-authoring, and creative identity expression. It is also argued that the widespread public support of the authentic self-actualization model in the contemporary era is partly due to the success of humanistic and positive psychology. This model’s prevalence is particularly notable in regions where the modern concepts of personhood prevail, i.e., in Western cultures and, to a somewhat lesser extent, within affluent non-Western cultures. By shedding light on the Western origins of modern concepts of wellbeing, this inquiry challenges their assumed universality.
Enhancing the precision of the Self-Compassion Scale Short Form (SCS-SF) with Rasch methodology
(Journal Article, Springer, 2024) Adu, Peter; Popoola, Tosin; Bartholomew, Emerson; Iqbal, Naved; Roemer, Anja; Jurcik, Tomas; Collings, Sunny; Aspin, Clive; Medvedev, Oleg N; Simpson, Colin R
Objectives: Precise measurement of self-compassion is essential for informing well-being–related policies. Traditional assessment methods have led to inconsistencies in the factor structure of self-compassion scales. We used Rasch methodology to enhance measurement precision and assess the psychometric properties of the Self-Compassion Scale Short Form (SCS-SF), including its invariance across Ghana, Germany, India, and New Zealand. Method: We employed the Partial Credit Rasch model to analyse responses obtained from 1000 individuals randomly selected (i.e. 250 from each country) from a total convenience sample of 1822 recruited from the general populations of Germany, Ghana, India, and New Zealand. Results: The initial identification of local dependency among certain items led to a significant misfitting of the SCS-SF to the Rasch model (χ2 (108) = 260.26, p < 0.001). We addressed this issue by merging locally dependent items, using testlets. The solution with three testlets resulted in optimal fit of the SCS-SF to the Rasch model (χ2 (27) = 23.84, p = 0.64), showing evidence of unidimensionality, strong sample targeting (M = 0.20; SD = 0.72), and good reliability (Person Separation Index = 0.71), including invariance across sociodemographic factors. We then developed ordinal-to-interval conversion tables based on the Rasch model’s person estimates. The SCS-SF showed positive correlations with measures of compassion towards others, optimism, and positive affect, alongside negative associations with psychological distress and negative affect. Conclusions: The current study supports the reliability, as well as the structural, convergent, and external validity of the SCS-SF. By employing the ordinal-to-interval conversion tables published here, the precision of the measure is significantly enhanced, offering a robust tool for investigating self-compassion across different cultures.
Bones | Iwi
(Other, Hagley Writers' Institute, 2024-03-08) Apiata, Ammon Hāwea
Poetry written at Kāwhia featured in issue 6 of The Quick Brown Dog Journal published by Hagley Writers' Institute, Christchurch, NZ.
Giving effect to freedom of religion through the advancement of religion? A New Zealand charity law perspective
(Journal Article, Brill Academic Publishers, 2024-10-01) Chevalier-Watts, Juliet
Identifying and classifying broader scale of disaster impacts to better inform disaster management policies and practice
(Journal Article, Springer, 2024) Tennakoon, Kishani Priyangi; Serrao-Neumann, Silvia; Cretney, Raven
Disasters are often assessed by factors such as their magnitude, severity and impact on affected communities. Typically, disaster management policies are largely informed by learnings from large-scale disasters. Many studies, however, have shown that cumulative smaller scale disaster impacts have similar outcomes comparable to larger scale disasters. This indirectly contributes to a lack of consistency in and paucity of data related to both smaller-scale disasters and their associated cumulative impacts. This paper argues that greater attention needs to be paid to collecting disaster impact data on a range of disaster-scale events along with their cumulative impacts to better inform disaster management policies and practice. The paper aims to test the hypothesis that a better understanding of a wide range of disaster scale types and their impacts on communities, including small-scale disasters, enables the development of more just, consistent and equitable disaster management policies and practice. Analysing economic costs, evacuation and rainfall data from past flood events that affected Aotearoa-New Zealand over the last three decades, the paper found discrepancies and lack of coherence in disaster data collection and reporting, along with a predominant reliance on rainfall intensity data for disaster risk reduction and planning. The findings also confirmed the importance of identifying economic damages for a range of disaster scales, including those from small-scale disasters. This highlights the need for developing a spectrum to better classify and identify disaster impacts based on various spatial and temporal contexts. The paper concludes by affirming that such database would provide much needed evidence for developing a methodology that enables the identification of the level of disaster impacts; thereby guiding the implementation of more just, consistent and equitable disaster management policies and practice.
A generalisability theory approach to quantifying changes in psychopathology among ultra-high-risk individuals for psychosis
(Journal Article, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024) Doborjeh, Zohreh; N. Medvedev, Oleg; Doborjeh, Maryam; Singh, Balkaran; Sumich, Alexander; Budhraja, Sugam; Goh, Wilson Wen Bin; Lee, Jimmy; Williams, Margaret; M-K Lai, Edmund; Kasabov, Nikola
Distinguishing stable and fluctuating psychopathological features in young individuals at Ultra High Risk (UHR) for psychosis is challenging, but critical for building robust, accurate, early clinical detection and prevention capabilities. Over a 24-month period, 159 UHR individuals were assessed using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). Generalisability Theory was used to validate the PANSS with this population and to investigate stable and fluctuating features, by estimating the reliability and generalisability of three factor (Positive, Negative, and General) and five factor (Positive, Negative, Cognitive, Depression, and Hostility) symptom models. Acceptable reliability and generalisability of scores across occasions and sample population were demonstrated by the total PANSS scale (Gr = 0.85). Fluctuating symptoms (delusions, hallucinatory behaviour, lack of spontaneity, flow in conversation, emotional withdrawal, and somatic concern) showed high variability over time, with 50–68% of the variance explained by individual transient states. In contrast, more stable symptoms included excitement, poor rapport, anxiety, guilt feeling, uncooperativeness, and poor impulse control. The 3-factor model of PANSS and its subscales showed robust reliability and generalisability of their assessment scores across the UHR population and evaluation periods (G = 0.77–0.93), offering a suitable means to assess psychosis risk. Certain subscales within the 5-factor PANSS model showed comparatively lower reliability and generalisability (G = 0.33–0.66). The identified and investigated fluctuating symptoms in UHR individuals are more amendable by means of intervention, which could have significant implications for preventing and addressing psychosis. Prioritising the treatment of fluctuating symptoms could enhance intervention efficacy, offering a sharper focus in clinical trials. At the same time, using more reliable total scale and 3 subscales can contribute to more accurate assessment of enduring psychosis patterns in clinical and experimental settings.
Key fuel poverty indicators and variables: A systematic literature review
(Journal Article, International Association for Energy Economics, 2024) Brabo-Catala, Luiza; Collins, Eva Marie; Barton, Barry
Fuel poverty is a condition associated with the inability to afford sufficient energy services in a home, especially heating. There is no single standardised process for defining or measuring fuel poverty. Each different method used in research or policy presents biases, resulting in different numbers of affected households with implications for interventions. This systematic literature review aims to summarise the patterns and trends in the indicators and variables of fuel poverty found in relevant publications, as well as the prevalence of associated issues. This study analysed the strengths and weaknesses of the key indicators and variables, showing their biases and opportunities for improvement. The eighty-four publications analysed were selected according to the most relevant results found on Google Scholar searching for definitions and indicators of fuel poverty/energy poverty/energy hardship. The prevalence of relevant themes was identified using NVivo. Understanding the background and the strengths and weaknesses of common indicators and variables of fuel poverty can help develop efficient and effective policies and interventions.

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