Immigrants and electoral enrolment: Do the numbers add up?

Abstract: The electoral enrolment of immigrants is important for effective democracy. Electoral rolls also provide useful administrative data on the age, regional distribution, and intercensal movements of the eligible voting population. An understanding of the enrolment patterns of recent immigrants provides information on the political integration of a section of the permanent resident population, and the electoral roll’s coverage of this group.This paper presents findings on the political participation of recent immigrants to New Zealand, with a focus on their level of electoral enrolment. It uses data from the Longitudinal Immigration Survey: New Zealand (LisNZ), which asked panel participants who remained at wave 3 whether they were on the electoral roll and had voted. The overall electoral enrolment rate of participants was compared with that of the total New Zealand population, and their profiles examined to identify those characteristics associated with enrolment. Survey regression analysis was used to identify variables that were significantly related to electoral enrolment. Recent immigrants were considerably less likely to be enrolled than members of the total population, with 11.6 percent not enrolled after three years of permanent residence. The factors most significant for enrolment were region of origin, New Zealand citizenship, and overall satisfaction. Also significant were application category, marital status, and home ownership.  With non-citizen permanent residents having full voting rights in New Zealand, and an annual target of some 45,000 new approvals, the under-enrolment of recent immigrants shows that the numbers do not add up and there needs to be further focus on increasing the political integration of recent immigrants to New Zealand

Predicting species abundance distributions by simultaneously using number and biomass as units of measurement

The universal observation that some species in an ecological community are common, but many more are rare, is neatly encapsulated in a species abundance distribution (SAD)1. However, the shape of the distribution can depend on the currency used to measure abundance 2. Here we show how the SADs for numerical abundance and biomass are related and how this relationship can be used to predict the form of the SAD. When plotted in log numerical abundance, log biomass space, species points lie within an approximately triangular area the limits of which are set by body size range, and the upper limit of abundance in both metrics. Under the simplifying, but reasonable, assumption that the observed scatter of species within this region is random, the shape of the SAD is immediately derived from simple geometrical considerations. For the SAD of numerical abundance this is a power curve. The biomass SAD can be either a power curve or, more frequently, a unimodal curve, which can approximate a log normal. This log triangular random placement model serves as a null hypothesis against which actual communities can be compared. Data from two intensively surveyed local communities indicate that it can give a good approximation, with species scattered within a triangle. Further, we can predict the consequences, for the SAD, of size-selective sampling protocols. We argue that mechanistic models of SADs must be able to account for the relative abundance of species in alternative currencies. Moreover, this approach will shed light on niche packing and may have application in environmental monitoring

'Health is the number one thing we go for': healthism, citizenship and food choice

This paper explores the centrality of pursuit of health to discourse around food purchasing and eating behaviours. Forty-seven participants from metropolitan and rural South Australia were interviewed about how they decided what to purchase and to eat. The majority (n=39) cite the desire to eat healthily as a consideration in food purchasing. Participants reflect upon a personal and moral responsibility to eat well and to feed their family healthily, a duty that is supported by models of governance which favour personal responsibility for health. While all participants reflect upon this responsibility, it is rejected by a group of males on limited incomes who choose food on the basis of cost, taste, convenience and lack of trust in the health care system. The existence of a moral discourse around food is viewed as an example of healthism in which health is central to all aspects of life and self discipline a means to achieving health

Southeast Asian refugees in New Zealand : language needs and provisions : a thesis completed in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Education at Massey University

The resettlement of a particular group of non-Western refugees in New Zealand is studied from a sociolinguistic perspective. The language needs of the group are assessed together with the provisions that have been made to meet these needs. A review of pressures associated with refugee status and resettlement is provided. In addition, the provision of English as a second language (ESL) and the broader linguistic issues of bilingualism including language shift and language maintenance are discussed. The resettlement of over 7000 Vietnamese, Cambodian and Lao refugees in New Zealand since 1979 under a special Southeast Asian refugee resettlement programme has challenged the resources of government and voluntary agencies alike. Consequent ad hoc provisions of ESL have now become more-or-less permanent, bureaucratised and extended to cater for the ESL needs of other refugee and migrant groups. Nevertheless, many of the language programmes remain officially tied to the Southeast Asian resettlement scheme and are thus provisional and restricted in nature. The nature and extent of government and voluntary language provisions are assessed through an analysis of Department of Labour and Department of Education programmes. School, technical institute and home tutor provisions are surveyed, and supplemented by interviews and by questionnaires undertaken in local schools which have Southeast Asian refugee children. This information is set against on-arrival and post-arrival follow-up data derived from a sample of 230 case studies involving 785 individual refugees. These data cover the demographic, occupational, educational and linguistic characteristics of the Southeast Asian refugee sample. The study raises questions about the relationship between perceived and real language needs and between the language provisions which have been provided to meet these needs and the short- and longer-term effects of these provisions

Under-researched and Underrepresented: Community Members’ Perceptions of International Volunteering and International Volunteers in Swaziland

This thesis consisted of two separate studies that explored the perceptions and opinions of local community members in Swaziland on international volunteering and international volunteers. The first study included 27 participants, 18 years and older, 14 of whom were males and 13 who were females, from various subgroups of the population. The subgroups were members of international volunteering organizations, students from Waterford Kamhlaba (a local international high school), members of the professional and working population and host community members who receive international volunteers. All participants answered 20 questions in a semi-structured interview. Qualitative analysis of the responses yielded five overarching themes; 1) international volunteering as an overwhelmingly positive phenomenon, 2) some help is better than none, 3) learning and cultural exchange as important components of/to international volunteering and international volunteers, 4) internalized White supremacy, and 5) children as the specific focus of international volunteering. The second study included 22 participants from two different orphanage sites in Swaziland. Participants ranged from ages 6 – 13 years-old and were comprised of 15 males and 7 females. All participants answered a short semi-structured interview and produced two drawings, one of international volunteers and another of an adult caregiver. Their responses and drawings revealed positive views of international volunteers, as shown through facial expressions and interview comments. Gender distinctions, size distinctions and race distinctions were also analyzed. Contextual differences between the orphanages were contributing factors to the perceptions of international volunteers. This thesis illustrated that while international volunteering is received in highly positive terms in Swaziland, there remain some underlying concerns that point to lingering dependency and internalized White supremacy tensions. International volunteers, while continuing to make contributions in their work, will need to be educated about and alert to these considerations

Western Burrowing Owl Predation in an Urban Setting in California: Do California Ground Squirrel Calls Reduce Risk?

Western burrowing owls are found in ground squirrel burrows throughout the urbanized landscape of the South San Francisco bay area, where they are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, prey limitation and predation. Previous research has characterized effects of habitat loss and prey-base limitations on owls, but the interplay between ground squirrels, owls and their predators has not yet been studied. The objective of this study was to assess the rate and types of predation interactions faced by Western burrowing owls and the extent to which California ground squirrels help burrowing owls reduce risk through alarm calling at Moffett Federal Airfield in northern Santa Clara County, California. From June through August 2012 and April through June 2013, over 100 hours of direct observations and 14,540 hours of camera trapping observations yielded seven owl takes by species including red-tailed hawk, red fox, striped skunk, common raven, and snake species. Although the ratio of squirrels to owls was 74:26, ground squirrels were observed responding to predator approaches before owls 58.8% of the time, while burrowing owls responded first 28.4% of the time. Burrowing owls reacted to 65.5% of squirrel alarm calls, while squirrels responded to only 25.8% of owl alarms. This research suggests healthy ground squirrel populations may provide important predator-avoidance services in burrowing owl habitat, and that predation should be of greater concern to burrowing owl conservation. And ground squirrels are needed to determine the extent of predation protection via alarm calls

Paramedic perceptions of their role, education, training and working relationships when attending cases of mental illness

Mentally ill patients comprise a growing proportion of the workload of paramedics. This descriptive and exploratory study identifies issues in relation to their perception of workload, education and training, organisational culture and their working relationships with other services. Further research is recommended to understand how these perceptions affect paramedic practice in this area

J. W. Henderson to Sarah A. M. Henderson (28 August 1862)

Henderson discusses Gen. Kirby-Smith (C.S.A.)\u27s capturing equipment & rumor that Gen. Buell (Union)\u27s troops possible capture; health of the troops;https://egrove.olemiss.edu/ciwar_corresp/1494/thumbnail.jp