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The influence of organisational environmental sustainability on employee outcomes
(The University of Waikato, 2026-02) Sheeran, Zane; Sutton, Anna; Cooper-Thomas, Helena
As two global challenges - climate change and mental health crises - intensify, organisations are increasingly being called to address both environmental sustainability and human well-being. In this thesis, we investigate whether environmental sustainability within organisations can simultaneously support the natural environment and enhance positive human outcomes, specifically, well-being and performance. Grounded in the theories of Person-Organisation fit and Self Determination, we address the overarching question: Can sustainability in organisations enhance the well-being and performance of employees? This thesis consists of four interconnected studies, that each explored key parts of this question using diverse populations and research methods. Study One (N = 292 ) used a cross-sectional design to examine whether university students who perceive their institutions as more environmentally sustainable report higher levels of well-being, and whether this relationship is moderated by their environmental attitudes. Study Two (N = 199) focused on an employee population and assessed how perceived organisational sustainability relates to both employee well-being and job performance using a cross-sectional design. It also tested whether sustainability mediates the relationship between well-being and performance, offering novel insights into the mechanisms linking sustainability and human outcomes. Study Three (N = 628 [T1], 493 [T2]) used network analysis to examine the interconnectedness of sustainability with work-related and employee variables over time. Finally, Study Four (N =72) used a mixed methods intervention-based design with a waitlist control to investigate potential causality, testing whether increasing employees’ perceptions of their workplaces’ sustainability could influence their well-being and performance. The findings indicate that environmental sustainability within organisations is positively related to both well-being and performance. Study One showed students who perceived their institution as more environmentally sustainable reported higher well-being, independent of their personal environmental attitudes. Study Two showed that sustainability and well-being independently predicted job performance, with sustainability adding explanatory value beyond well-being and partially mediating the well-being–performance relationship. Study Three demonstrated stable interconnections between sustainability, well-being, performance, and person–organisation fit over time. Finally, Study Four provided initial evidence for potential causal effects. Combined, these findings have important implications for organisations and their leadership. By authentically embedding sustainability into core workplace strategy and culture, organisations can not only address pressing environmental challenges and reap the related benefits such as increased public image, but also cultivate healthier and higher-performing employees.
Effects of lake trophic state and seasonal cycling on production and bioaccumulation of methylmercury in Te Arawa Lakes
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Chong, Grace-Lynn; Ling, Nicholas
There are natural sources of Mercury in New Zealand, primarily derived from volcanic activity and geothermal vents. Mercury (Hg) and its organic derivative, methylmercury (MeHg), are highly toxic to both the environment and human health. Of particular concern is the ability of MeHg to bioaccumulate in aquatic food webs, leading to increased toxicity in higher trophic organisms. Given that fish constitute a significant component of the local diet, comprehensive monitoring of Hg and MeHg concentrations is essential for developing effective mitigation strategies. Such efforts are critical to controlling Hg contamination in the environment and aquatic biota, as well as informing the public about lakes with elevated mercury levels. Previous Hg studies in New Zealand have been limited in scope, with monitoring efforts focused on only a few lakes rather than a comprehensive assessment across multiple ecosystems. Additionally, most existing research has primarily examined elemental Hg, with limited investigation into the distribution and bioavailability of MeHg. This study aims to comprehensively assess Hg and MeHg concentrations in 11 lakes of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The study assessed Hg and MeHg concentrations in lake water and aquatic biota, including trout, crayfish (koura), and mussels (kakahi). To achieve this, Hg and MeHg in the water were measured using diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) samplers, while tissue analyses determined Hg, MeHg and additional trace elements in the selected species. The findings of this study are expected to clarify the distribution and bioaccumulation of Hg and MeHg within lake ecosystems and to elucidate their transfer through the aquatic food web. These results will provide a scientific basis for assessing ecological and human health risks associated with mercury exposure, particularly for culturally and recreationally important species. The outcomes will inform lake management and monitoring strategies by identifying key pathways of mercury uptake and potential bioindicator species, and may guide the development of targeted mitigation measures, such as catchment management or advisories on species consumption. Collectively, this research will support evidence-based decision-making for freshwater ecosystem protection and long-term contaminant management. The results of this study revealed that total mercury (THg) and MeHg concentrations in trout, koura, and kakahi from Lakes Rotorua, Rotoiti, and Rotomahana exceeded WHO recommended safety thresholds. This study also found that a substantial proportion of THg was comprised of MeHg, which was predominantly accumulated in muscle tissue, whereas THg was primarily concentrated in the liver. The findings further indicated that eutrophication, lake stratification and hypolimnetic anoxia contribute to the enhanced production and bioaccumulation of Hg and MeHg within these aquatic systems. Additionally, selenium (Se) demonstrated a potential protective effect against MeHg toxicity in aquatic organisms.
Whakatautika: Generating balance in the business and activity of fishing at Moana New Zealand - A case study on Indigenising the blue economy in Aotearoa
(Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge, 2024) Mika, Jason; MacDonald, Tui
This report sets out the results of a case study on Moana New Zealand, an iwi (tribal) owned fishing company formed out of the Treaty of Waitangi fisheries settlement and a whānau (family) owned inshore fishing enterprise known as The Rawlinson Group (TRG). The research is part of an Indigenising the blue economy project funded by Ngā Moana Whakauka Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge. This case study draws on the knowledge and experience of Moana New Zealand and TRG to understand relationships between iwi and whānau scale enterprises in the Māori marine economy (MME). TRG is a Māori-owned family inshore fishing business which has been operating for 30 years. As first-generation fishers, the Rawlinson whānau have prioritised both strategic and family decisions that have established their business and assured their role in Aotearoa New Zealand’s commercial fishing industry. The case study sought to learn how Māori marine-based enterprises apply mātauranga Māori to achieve multidimensional wellbeing, human potential, and relational balance with Tangaroa.
Beyond ‘what works’: why systematisation matters and what more it can do for the criminal justice evidence base
(Informa UK Limited, 2026-01-09) Tompson, Lisa
That a convenience sample cannot safely be generalised from is a trite truism in research. Yet in the criminal justice field, unrepresentative samples of studies routinely inform policy, practice, and theory. Novel or familiar findings often carry disproportionate weight, and selective reading can generate unwarranted certainty about what we think we know. Systematic reviews offer a solution to this problem. By requiring transparent and reproducible methods, they constrain overinterpretation of partial evidence and can promote sound reasoning. Despite their centrality to evidence-based criminal justice, systematic reviews are often narrowly understood as tools for answering ‘what works’ questions. This paper argues that the same logic of systematisation can support a much broader range of knowledge needs, including theory development, mechanism and context synthesis, measurement refinement, and futures-oriented evidence mapping. Thus, systematic reviews are not simply a tool for judging intervention effectiveness, but a family of methods for building cumulative, policy-relevant knowledge.
An overview of mining in the Te Aroha mining district in the 1890s
(Historical Research Unit, University of Waikato, 2016) Hart, Philip
For most of the decade, only a small amount of mining was undertaken, despite the efforts of some prospectors and miners (who were always handicapped by lack of capital). The only mine to produce a steady profit for its small syndicate was the Loyalty Palace. Prospecting, either by individuals or by specially organized parties, continued throughout most of the decade, with little success, despite investigating new areas such as the Mangakino Valley. The mining boom of 1895 prompted those owning apparently promising ground to attempt to sell it to overseas investors; all potentially auriferous ground was pegged out, but most of the new claims were not worked or, if worked, few produced much gold. Exaggerated hopes were even more exaggerated during the brief boom, but the introduction of some (but never sufficient) foreign capital raised hopes for some permanent benefits being produced. The problem of how to treat the complex ore had not been solved, although late in the decade Joseph Campbell would promote his new system. Edwin Hardy, who arrived in the district in 1899, would subsequently develop part of the field more methodically. As always, both local and central governments were asked to provide financial assistance, resulting in some prospectors being subsidized and some prospecting tracks constructed. And at the very end of the decade, a new proposal for large-scale mining was floated.