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Marine inequality, borderization, and the radical potential of kinship
(American Anthropological Association, 2025) McCormack, Fiona
This article utilizes scholarship on borders to interpret the persistence of inequality in Indigenous seascapes, irrespective of moves to redress colonial wrongs or the growing anthropocenic recognition of human-nature interconnectedness. I examine border politics in the context of Māori claims for marine title and rights and the post-settlement development of aquaculture. Drawing on Harsha Walia’s concept of “border imperialism” and Achille Mbembe’s thesis on “borderization,” the article highlights the endurance of colonial forms alongside their neoliberal transformation into the enclosures and entrapments arising in the context of accelerated marine industrialization. By holding in tension the interconnection between marine environments and kinship, on one hand, and scholarship on borders, on the other, the article suggests that Indigenous Māori kinship, expanding through multiple layers of difference, constitutes a site of resistance that has the potential to refute the logic of borderization.
An argument for school-funded counselling for children in Years 1-8
(Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education, The University of Waikato, 2025-11-11) Flanagan, Paul G.
Overview – we know that children can benefit from counselling in schools; Why not provide counselling more freely in Years 1-8? This presentation gives evidence of the need for mental health and wellbeing support services for children in Years 1-8 in Aotearoa New Zealand It also presents evidence of the benefits to children (and families and schools) from counselling, including to their mental health and school learning and attendance outcomes. Lasty, it proposes an argument for school-funded counselling for children in Years 1-8 (as is the case for young people in Years 9-13)
Strengthening mechanisms of Ti via Al addition
(Elsevier, 2020) Bolzoni, Leandro; Raynova, Stiliana (Stella) Rousseva; Yang, Fei
Pure Ti is characterised by an interesting combination of performance from an engineering point of view. The addition of Al to Ti can be used to reduce the intrinsic cost of the material, decrease the density of the alloy, and increase the mechanical performance. This study is focused on evaluating the physical properties, microstructural evolution and mechanical behaviour of Ti-xAl alloys (where x = 1–6 wt%) in order to scientifically understand the strengthening mechanisms of the addition of Al to pure Ti manufactured via the conventional powder metallurgy route of cold uniaxial pressing plus solid state sintering. The addition of Al to Ti does not affect the compressibility of the alloy but changes the consolidation and densification of the alloy. The incremental addition of Al results in the progressive strengthening of Ti via the simultaneous contribution from substitutional solid solution and grain refinement strengthening which outdo the negative effect of the residual porosity.
Where are all the parents? An analysis of visibility, representation, and information for parents on university websites
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2025) McChesney, Katrina; Mason, Shannon; Miyashiro, Maryann; Jones, Emma; Rhodes, Kate
Student parents, staff/faculty who are also parents, and parents of prospective or current students all form part of university communities, yet these groups have each received relatively little attention. Underpinned by the visible cue theory of representation, this study considers the extent to which parents are represented, made visible, and provided with information via higher education institution websites. Using web searches and manifest content analysis, we examined the text and images on 45 Australian and New Zealand public university websites. 592 webpages were identified that represented or targeted parents or parenting within the university community. All 45 universities had some parent/ing-related website content, but this content was largely restricted to dedicated parent-facing pages. Moreover, representations of parents were intersectionally thin, reproducing normative depictions of parents as able-bodied, non-Indigenous, and women. Websites are not politically neutral texts, but represent institutions’ deliberate self-curated depictions of their idealised identities and target communities. On the websites we examined, parents were there but not there: nodded to through some information and representation, yet restricted to particular corners of the website space. Universities must recognise parents as equal members of their communities and ensure better representation, visibility, and support for parents to facilitate equitable participation.
How do societal pressures influence the nutrition choices of adolescent boys in a New Zealand single-sex school context, and what are the implications for New Zealand educators?
(The University of Waikato, 2025) Grinter, Amy; Petrie, Kirsten
Understanding how nutrition choices of adolescent boys are influenced by social pressures in a New Zealand single-sex boys’ school is critical in informing science educators on how to design and deliver nutrition education. While there is a body of literature on social influences such as family (Berge et al., 2016), peers (Ragelienė & Grønhøj, 2020) and social media influence (Derenne & Beresin, 2006) on adolescents and children, much of the research had a focus on young females and overlooked the niche influences that shape the nutrition choices of adolescents’ at a single sex boys school. Adolescence marks a significant change period, including the shift in value of opinion from their parents to their peers (Mazzeo et al., 2024). Additionally, compulsory subjects at school are coming to an end. Therefore, there is a great responsibility on educators to highlight the importance of the nuanced factors that affect nutrition consumption throughout their lives and equip adolescents with a more realistic approach to nutrition that extends beyond calories and macronutrients. With this in mind, and to gather some initial data this study sought out to explore: How do societal pressures influence the nutrition choices of adolescent boys in a New Zealand single-sex school context, and what are the implications for New Zealand educators? Given the scope of the study, a mixed-methods survey was conducted with Year 11 students (16 years and older) combining quantitative questions with a small number of open-ended questions to capture nuanced perspectives associated with nutrition. This study not only considers the formal teaching of nutrition but also the informal culture of the school environment and how these factors play their part in influencing the choices adolescents make about their food habits. Year 11 students are at a key developmental stage of transitioning from childhood to adolescence. The findings from this study raise several implications for educators. A clear takeaway is the need to address the existing narrow scope adolescents have when it comes to nutrition. For many boys, nutrition has been reduced to a narrow mindset focusing on protein consumption, macronutrient balancing and body image. This mindset, reflected in many of the survey responses, prioritises physical measurements such as physique or athletic performance, rather than their overall health or well-being. Social media was raised as a contributor to this mindset with most participants reporting daily exposure to social media and fitness influencers who promote this hyper fixation on macronutrients. This culture of misinformation is corroborated by school sporting environments, where coachers try to deliver simplified nutrition advice, reinforcing this narrow, macronutrient tracking mindset. Compounding this issue is the segmented approach to nutrition education within the school curriculum, as well as the school culture and canteen options, which fail to cultivate healthy eating messages. These findings suggest the need for an educational reform. A more integrated approach that can suitably portray the nuanced and multifaceted factors that influence nutrition choices is required. Finally, this survey’s results indicated education is not sufficient alone to harbour healthy eating, but the school environment must also reflect and promote healthy eating. Therefore, nutrition should not be segmented to individual topics, but taught across departments in science, physical education (P.E.) and health, social studies and be displayed in everyday school practices. Additionally, providing education to sports coaches and trainers will enable them to offer more well-rounded, holistic nutrition advice to their students. Without considering an education reform, schools run the risk of continuing to instil this narrow-sighted ideology about nutrition.