Exchange rate pass-through and the prices of selected New Zealand imports : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Economics at Massey University

Estimates of pass-through for a range of resource inputs integral to the economic function of New Zealand, are calculated for the period 1988(I) to 1997(III). Estimations explaining the relationship (the pass-through effect) are reported for the five largest imports into the New Zealand economy. Estimates are run on a bilateral and disaggregated basis for imports from Australia, Japan, UK, and USA. Bilateral investigation finds a partial first quarter response but does not find complete pass-through for all products, with coefficient values displaying unexpected correlations with the exchange rate. By comparison pass-through for the aggregated data is found to be complete and rapidly achieved. All small country assumptions are found to hold for New Zealand

Solar Furnace: Heliostat and Concentrator Design

In recent decades, solar energy has been shown as a viable, clean, and abundant alternative to fossil fuels. Many methods of solar energy collection are being researched, with solar thermal electrochemistry being one of the most promising. Solar thermal electrochemistry uses sunlight to heat a furnace to temperatures nearing 2000 K. At these temperatures, metallic oxides can be decomposed to metals and oxygen with minimal electrical work. Achieving these high temperatures requires a solar furnace that consists of a heliostat to track and reflect the sun’s rays into a concentrator, which then focuses the sunlight to a single point in a solar thermal chemical reactor. A system of louvers regulates the amount of sunlight entering the system. Our research focuses on the design and development of the solar furnace components; specifically, the design and construction of the heliostat structure, the heliostat control system, and the concentrator

Preserve or retreat? Willingness-to-pay for Coastline Protection in New South Wales

Coastal erosion is a global and pervasive phenomenon that predicates a need for a strategic approach to the future management of coastal values and assets (both built and natural), should we invest in protective structures like seawalls that aim to preserve specific coastal features, or allow natural coastline retreat to preserve sandy beaches and other coastal ecosystems. Determining the most suitable management approach in a specific context requires a better understanding of the full suite of economic values the populations holds for coastal assets, including non-market values. In this study, we characterise New South Wales residents willingness to pay to maintain sandy beaches (width and length). We use an innovative application of a Latent Class Binary Logit model to deal with Yea-sayers and Nay-sayers, as well as revealing the latent heterogeneity among sample members. We find that 65% of the population would be willing to pay some amount of levy, dependent on the policy setting. In most cases, there is no effect of degree of beach deterioration characterised as loss of width and length of sandy beaches of between 5% and 100% on respondents willingness to pay for a management levy. This suggests that respondents who agreed to pay a management levy were motivated to preserve sandy beaches in their current state irrespective of the severity of sand loss likely to occur as a result of coastal erosion. Willingness to pay also varies according to beach type (amongst Iconic, Main, Bay and Surf beaches) a finding that can assist with spatial prioritisation of coastal management. Not recognizing the presence of nay-sayers in the data or recognizing them but eliminating them from the estimation will result in biased WTP results and, consequently, biased policy propositions by coastal managers.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1902.0241

Peter Klatzow\u27s Six Concert Etudes for Marimba : a performer\u27s guide

Peter Klatzow has become one of the most prominent composers for keyboard percussion over the last thirty years. Several of his works have found their way into the standard repertoire for percussion. The primary purpose of this document is to serve as a performer’s guide to his Six Concert Etudes for Marimba. This document is intended to help percussionists become less intimidated by Klatzow’s music, and make it more approachable. By studying the technical and musical demands within the Concert Etudes, a percussionist will be better prepared to perform Klatzow’s other keyboard percussion compositions. Both technical and musical advice is provided for each etude. My research has included multiple performances of each etude, evaluation of techniques used, interviews with the composer, and an examination of his other works. A portion of my research has involved examining other documents that give a performer’s perspective on works for keyboard percussion. These documents include Robert Van Sice’s “The Marimba Music of Akira Miyoshi,” Eric Hollenbeck’s “Peter Klatzow’s Dances of Earth and Fire: An Analysis,” I-Jen Fang’s “The 1986 National Endowment of the Arts Commission: An Introspective Analysis of Two Marimba Works, Reflections on the Nature of Water by Jacob Druckman, and Velocities by Joseph Schwantner,” and Daniel Druckman’s “Marimba Master Class on Reflections on the Nature of Water.” In addition to the performer’s guide, this document includes information about the commission of the Six Concert Etudes for Marimba. For the musicians interested in biographical information about Peter Klatzow, a brief biography is also included. This document provides a detailed list of Klatzow’s entire works for percussion to date, including significant information about each work. The percussion catalog is separated into four categories: solo works, chamber, large ensemble works, and concertos

Ev\u27ry Little While

With Ukulele arrangement. Contains advertisements and/or short musical examples of pieces being sold by publisher.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/7073/thumbnail.jp