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Staying with our trouble: Disease and dis-ease in sick-lit & eco-fiction from Aotearoa New Zealand
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Rogers, Heidi Lee; Chidgey, Catherine; Long, Maebh; Slaughter, Tracey
In this thesis, I compare depictions of disease by Māori and Pākehā/European authors of young adult fiction, demonstrating that while Pākehā illness narratives tend to employ the microscope, and individualise disease through a form of narrative containment and compartmentalisation reflective of a Western world view, Māori illness narratives tend to employ the macroscope, and collectivise disease, moving the focus from the individual to broader human and other-than-human environments. However, I argue the containment observed in pre-COVID Pākehā illness narratives appears to be disintegrating, as post-pandemic publications move into closer alignment with Māori-authored narratives, which combine elements of sick-lit and eco-fiction genres. Further, I argue that within these Pākehā texts, te ao Māori (the Māori world) offers healing for Pākehā characters, yet the fundamental concerns driving Māori-authored fiction—namely, the dis-eases rooted in colonial capitalism, such as, for example, intergenerational grief, trauma, and inequity—are left largely unearthed. Though disease appears to be ubiquitous in Māori fiction, I found Māori characters are often absent from Pākehā-authored hospital-based sick-lit, and relegated to the margins in Pākehā-authored eco-fiction, where they appear healthy, and content to support the goals of dis-eased Pākehā. In contrast to their fallible Pākehā counterparts, I argue these Māori side-characters are limited by “goodness”, and are at risk of being reduced to a kind of “herbal supplement”, as Pākehā authors fail to address the conflicts and disparities between Māori and Pākehā worlds: a vital aspect of our local ecology that I propose cannot, in good faith, be divorced from realist Aotearoa New Zealand eco-fiction, given the significance of Land Back and decolonisation movements to the health and wellbeing of our Treaty partners, and arguably, to all New Zealanders. Despite disparities in representation, I argue Māori and Pākehā authors of young adult eco-fiction essentially identify the same “poison” and “medicine”—respectively: toxic masculinity, and reconnection with the other. In conclusion, this thesis presents my original young adult novel, which incorporates aspects of human and environmental disease and dis-ease I argue are underrepresented in local young adult fiction by Pākehā authors. Tāne and the Invisibles follows a queer Pākehā protagonist and her Māori and Tauiwi friends as they navigate eco-anxiety, anticipatory grief, and the uncertainties surrounding their increasingly complex relationships with Self, each other, and the human and other-than-human Other.
Understanding dis/ableism in sport coaching
(Edward Elgar Publishing, 2026-05-07) Townsend, Robert C.; Randrup, Kelsey; Clare, Olivia; Roberts, William M.
This chapter provides an overview of the rapidly evolving field of coaching in disability and para sport. In adopting a critical position, we argue that coaching in disability sport is more than adapting practice—it requires a critical understanding of the social and cultural factors shaping disabled athletes’ experiences in sport and the role coaching plays in either resisting or reinforcing dominant narratives of disability. We provide readers with the theoretical language to interrogate the intersections of disability, sport, and coaching, drawing from Critical Disability Studies (CDS) to introduce the concepts of disablism and ableism, and how these are implicated in coaching discourse, practice, and coach education. In providing researchers and practitioners with a sensitising framework drawn from critical disability studies, we argue for more participatory and inclusive approaches to coaching research—ensuring that the field collectively moves beyond accommodation and towards transformation.
Simple lambda lifting: Formalisation in Lean and a new efficient algorithm
(ACM, 2026) Levy, Tom; Reeves, Steve
Lambda lifting is a technique used in compilers to convert nested function definitions to top-level function definitions. A series of papers has led to an 𝑂(𝑛2) algorithm, however it is complex. We present a simple 𝑂(𝑛2) algorithm for lambda lifting and prove its correctness. We also formalise a lambda lifting specification from the literature in Lean 4, and use that to prove some of the properties and test our algorithm on generated test cases. One of our contributions is to formalise the notion of a “complete” and “minimal” lifting, addressing a small issue with the handling of unused functions that to our knowledge affects all previous algorithms.
Tracing taonga trajectories: A methodological framework for indigenous heritage mapping
(Royal Society Te Apārangi, 2026-02-01) Ferrari de Aquino Klemm, Marina; Milne, Charlotte; Brown, Isaac; Ringham, Sandi; Nelson, Wendy A.
Rangitāhua is a tupuna to Ngāti Kuri and represents the iwi's geographic and ancestral connection to the Pacific. Despite this millennium-long ancestral tie, Ngāti Kuri's access to Rangitāhua has been severed for two centuries. Meanwhile, many European expeditions visited the islands, extracting and distributing natural history taonga across institutions, mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. In this context of disconnection, Ngāti Kuri engaged partners to reclaim research leadership over Rangitāhua, leading to the Indigenous-led Te Mana o Rangitāhua program, embedding Māori values and tikanga within the environmental wellbeing research project. This study is part of the program and documents our collaborative approach to identifying expeditions to Rangitāhua, mapping where their taonga and data are held worldwide, and examining institutional responses to our data requests. We identified 127 expeditions that distributed 1.73 million objects across 88 institutions. Our provenance mapping successfully cross-linked specimens to the expeditions that collected them and the institutions that house them today. However, our research also revealed ongoing institutional barriers to data access, emphasizing colonial gatekeeping practices embedded in contemporary museology systems. We stress the urgent need for accessible and reciprocal data request systems if museum practitioners hope to advance the ultimate goal of Indigenous data sovereignty.
Improving glycaemic control in primary care for Tongan adults with type 2 diabetes through the use of continuous glucose monitoring and holistic support: a pilot study
(CSIRO Publishing, 2026-04-27) Galewski-Tangataevaha, Janina’ofa; Crocket, Hamish; Aporosa, S Apo’; Vaka, Sione; Yoon, Seong Hoon; Chepulis, Lynne; Stokes, Tim
Introduction In Aotearoa New Zealand, Pacific peoples, including Tongans, experience disproportionately higher rates of type 2 diabetes and related complications. There is an urgent need for innovative, culturally appropriate interventions to improve outcomes. Aim This study aimed to determine the impact of continuous glucose monitoring devices with cultural wrap-around support on medium-term glycaemic control and other type 2 diabetes biomarkers in Tongan adults with high-risk type 2 diabetes. Methods Twenty-two Tongan adults with HbA1c 60 mmol/mol were invited to participate in a 6-month pilot intervention study involving 4 weeks of continuous glucose monitoring wear at baseline and 2 weeks at 3-months, alongside wrap-around care delivered by a Tongan kaiāwhina (support health worker). The primary endpoint was 3-month HbA1c. Clinical (glycated haemoglobin, lipids, estimated glomerular filtration rate, urinary albumin to creatinine ratio) and psychosocial (Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire, measured at baseline and 3 months) outcomes were measured at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Results Nineteen participants completed the study through to 6 months. Mean HbA1c significantly decreased from 80.2 ± 19.4 mmol/mol at baseline to 68.6 ± 14.2 mmol/mol at 3 months, with reductions maintained at 6 months. No significant changes in lipids or renal function were observed. Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire scores increased from 4.9 ± 0.8 to 6.0 ± 1.0 (P < 0.001). Discussion Culturally tailored continuous glucose monitoring-based interventions have the potential to support Tongan adults with understanding, optimising, and managing type 2 diabetes.