New Zealanders discuss the economic and social issues of state-funded income support in retirement : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The New Zealand government provides a universal pension to citizens over the age of sixty-five years. The basis for this is widely understood as a ‘social contract’ between generations in which tax-payers fund income support for the older generation of the day. As demographics shift markedly towards an older population, concerns about the future cost of pensions are apparent in New Zealand politics, media and everyday conversations. Data for this project was collected from two newspaper articles that discussed the future cost of pensions, and from 233 online public responses to these articles. Rhetorical analyses of both the articles and the public responses were undertaken. The results consisted of three main findings. Firstly, accounts that emphasised intergenerational inequity generated antagonism and widened divisions between generational groups. Secondly, New Zealanders prominently constructed the state-funded pension as a return for a lifetime of economic contributions. Lastly the discussions of New Zealanders reflected a shift in understandings about the responsibility for the funding of income in retirement, with expectations that individuals should prepare financially for their own retirement apparent. These understandings around income support for older people appear incongruent with the current universal pension, and raise questions about its status. The focus on intergenerational issues may overlook other kinds of inequity in retirement. The invocation of economic contributions as the basis for pension deservingness has implications for those without a steady history of paid work

INFORMATION NEEDS OF ORGANIC FARMERS

Information is a key input into all conventional and organic farming systems. Organic production systems are low-input and intensive, requiring a thorough and detailed knowledge of the farming system and of organic production methods. This paper compares the processes involved in information flow into organic and conventional farming systems and argues that the adoption-diffusion model of technology transfer is even less appropriate for organic producers than conventional. Models of a participatory or interdependent nature are likely to be more useful. It is argued that the viability of the industry is likely to depend on the development of methods of information flow which are appropriate for both producers and their systems

Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background The effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease who are at risk for disease progression are not well understood. The EMPA-KIDNEY trial was designed to assess the effects of treatment with empagliflozin in a broad range of such patients. Methods We enrolled patients with chronic kidney disease who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 20 but less than 45 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) of body-surface area, or who had an eGFR of at least 45 but less than 90 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of at least 200. Patients were randomly assigned to receive empagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or matching placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of progression of kidney disease (defined as end-stage kidney disease, a sustained decrease in eGFR to < 10 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2), a sustained decrease in eGFR of & GE;40% from baseline, or death from renal causes) or death from cardiovascular causes. Results A total of 6609 patients underwent randomization. During a median of 2.0 years of follow-up, progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes occurred in 432 of 3304 patients (13.1%) in the empagliflozin group and in 558 of 3305 patients (16.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.82; P < 0.001). Results were consistent among patients with or without diabetes and across subgroups defined according to eGFR ranges. The rate of hospitalization from any cause was lower in the empagliflozin group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.95; P=0.003), but there were no significant between-group differences with respect to the composite outcome of hospitalization for heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes (which occurred in 4.0% in the empagliflozin group and 4.6% in the placebo group) or death from any cause (in 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively). The rates of serious adverse events were similar in the two groups. Conclusions Among a wide range of patients with chronic kidney disease who were at risk for disease progression, empagliflozin therapy led to a lower risk of progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes than placebo