General Papers

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/6879

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

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 97

Motivation factors for students using Generative AI
(2025-09-05) Sheridan, Brendan Daniel
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has caused a shift in approaches to assessment and academic integrity in tertiary institutions. Recent research internationally and within Australasia underscores the need for responsible GenAI conduct and preparation for a future where work and education are shaped by GenAI technologies. However, ethical considerations often need to be made based on the impact on human research, intellectual property rights, and AI literacy in higher education. Academic integrity and ethical considerations should be used to balance hasty approaches to GenAI to ensure tertiary institutions provide inclusive learning opportunities. All of these impact on the need to understand what motivates student use of GenAI. Using the framework proposed by Bouteraa et al. (2024) as a model, this presentation applies data and results from recent literature to explore the factors which motivate use of Generative AI in a tertiary education context. These factors consist of Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Technological Self-Efficacy, Educational Self-Efficacy, Integrity, and Personal Anxiety. The presentation highlights what factors make students likely to use Generative AI, what factors demotivate use, and how motivation and demotivation do not always produce a desired outcome.
Three-dimensional numerical simulation of mixing patterns at open channel confluences
(Elsevier, 2025) Aghazadegan, Ali; Shokri, Ali
Open channel confluences, where two streams or rivers converge, play a crucial role in hydraulic engineering and river dynamics. These confluences are characterized by complex hydrodynamics influenced by the discharge ratios of merging water bodies. This study investigated the mixing structure at open channel confluences using three-dimensional numerical modeling. A comprehensive three-dimensional numerical model was developed and validated against a dataset obtained from controlled laboratory experiments. This dataset incorporated three-dimensional time-averaged velocity measurements. The skew-induced and stress-induced equation systems were adopted as the core governing equations, providing a framework for simulating various scenarios. A total of ten different cases were analyzed. The results highlighted the effect of discharge ratios on turbulence, lateral and vertical vorticities, and the distribution of mixing, which intensified with higher magnitudes of discharge ratios. The mixing structure, driven by velocity gradients and vorticity, revealed the significant role of lateral and vertical vorticities in determining hydrodynamic behaviors and mixing distributions at confluences. Specifically, the momentum ratio of incoming flows governed the spatial evolution of mixing processes. This study revealed that the distribution of mixing served as a key indicator for identifying the formation of mid-channel scours. High normalized velocities induced toward the left bank led to the superelevation of the water surface, enhancing the potential for bed material and the formation of significant scour holes beneath the elevated water surface. This novel approach provides a deeper understanding of the mixing patterns at confluences, particularly in scenarios with equilibrated discharge ratios but in different magnitudes.
Urban beekeepers and local councils in Aotearoa, New Zealand: Honeybees are valuable allies in achieving the sustainable development goals
(Cogitatio, 2025) Dimitrov, Dara
Beekeeping is a popular hobby, and urban beekeepers make up the largest number of beekeepers in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The ease of purchasing beehives, together with New Zealander’s positive attitude toward honeybees has meant that hobbyist beekeeper numbers have steadily increased since 2012. The impact of the increasing numbers of urban beehives has meant Aotearoa, New Zealand’s local councils, have been forced to deal with honeybees and, ultimately, with urban beekeepers. This has, in some instances, led to nonsensical bylaws that the urban beekeepers have largely ignored. However, this article will demonstrate that local councils and, by inference, urban planners should take an alternative approach to urban beekeeping only because urban beekeeping leads to better sustainability outcomes. This article will show how urban beehives and beekeeping link well to the Sustainable Development Goals and provide local councils and urban planners with justifications to engage with urban beekeepers. Finally, this article states that local councils should stop treating honeybees as farm livestock and instead treat them as valuable pollinators and the indicator species that they are.
The institutional role of charity regulators in bringing charities to account: An international comparative study of charity regulators in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and England and Wales
(Walter de Gruyter GmbH) Dimitrov, Dara
Accountability in the charity sector continues to be important, especially since charity numbers continue to grow regardless of the economic cycle. Charity regulators play a critical role in managing the charity sector as its primary task is ensuring compliance with the regulatory framework. However, it is also important to evaluate whether the practices and procedures of charity regulators are effective within the broader context of charity accountability. This paper aims to explore charity accountability from the perspective of charity regulators. In common law countries, the charity regulator has oversight over the charity sector and, therefore, has the opportunity to enhance charity accountability. Through the lens of institutional theory, this paper provides an international comparative study of New Zealand, Australia, Canada and England and Wales, all of which share a common law heritage. This study demonstrates how the state regulators in each country have applied different mechanisms of charity accountability by institutionalising the norms and standards required from charities. By identifying and comparing the countries, this paper reveals whether some institutional practices by some regulators have been more effective than others in bringing charities to account.
Oligocene-Miocene sedimentary record, eastern Taranki Basin margin
(2012) Nelson, Campbell S.; Kamp, Peter J.J.
A 2-day field trip departing 8am Thursday 29 November 2012 from Hamilton south to Te Kuiti-Piopio-Awakino-Tongaporutu affords a fine north to south transect through examples of the Mesozoic to Quaternary succession in the Waikato-King Country region bordering the eastern margin of Taranaki Basin. The trip will view some of the onshore Oliocene and Miocene sedimentary record in the Waikato and King Country basins and comment on how this links into the offshore parts of eastern Taranaki Basin. Primarily under both local and more distant tectonic control, we will track the various carbonate and terrigenous (locally volcaniclastic)-dominated facies associated with marginal marine, shoreline, shelf and slope-to-basin depositional settings, and consider their stratigraphic architecture and wider sequence stratigraphic context. Visits are planned along the way to basement greywacke, serpentinite and limestone quarries.
Stemming the colonial environmental tide – Ecosystem-based management and shared Crown-Māori co-governance for sustaining our marine coastal estate in Aotearoa New Zealand – Summary report
(e Mata Hautū Taketake – the Māori and Indigenous Governance Centre, University of Waikato, 2023-12) Joseph, Robert
This summary report was prepared by Dr Robert Joseph from Te Mata Hautū Taketake – the Māori and Indigenous Governance Centre, Te Piringa Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato for the National Science Challenge Sustainable Seas Ko Ngā Moana Whakauka Project.
E hoki mai nei ki te ūkaipō | Return to your place of nourishment [Te Kōputu a te Whanga a Toi | Whakatāne Art Gallery]
(Whakatāne Art Gallery, 2025-04-17) Apiata, Ammon Hāwea; Tawhiao, Hollie; Ratana, Aimee; Timutimu, Maraea; Roberts, Aisha
E Hoki Mai Nei ki te Ūkaipō | Return to Your Place of Nourishment brings together works by four wāhine Māori artists, Aimee Ratana, Aisha Roberts, Hollie Tawhiao and Maraea Timutimu, which explore narratives of pakanga (conflict) through toi (art). In this show, the four artists weave together their unique practices and stories to present a cohesive yet diverse examination of conflicts, with a particular focus on the artists’ own whānau, hapū, and iwi narratives. Curated by Hāwea Apiata.
Geothermal energy, decarbonisation and the just transition: developments in governance and regulation
(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.
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
(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
(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
(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.
Exploring the impact of rainfall intensity on the attenuation-rainfall relationship
(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
(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.
Māori beekeepers: Reframing New Zealand’s apiculture narratives
(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
(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
(2024-09-26) Apiata, Ammon Hāwea; Anderson-O'Connor, Aimee-Jane; Hinton, Liam
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
(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
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2024) Joshanloo, Mohsen; Weijers, Dan M.
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
(Springer, 2024) Adu, Peter; Popoola, Tosin; Bartholomew, Emerson J. ; 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
(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.

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