Ngā mahi: Kaupapa Māori outcomes and indicators kete

As part of the Planning Under Cooperative Mandates research (PUCM) we developed a kaupapa Māori outcomes and indicators framework. This framework reflects tikanga Māori and Māori values. It also considers issues (including environmental issues) according to those tikanga that particular issues invoke. For example, tikanga brought into play in relation to council treatment and disposal of sewerage include tapu (sacred), and might also impact on the mauri (life-force) of water if treated effluent were to enter waterways. The intention of our research has been to clarify and define key Māori environmental concepts so that stakeholders (including council staff) will have a terms of reference against which they can compare desired environmental outcomes from different perspectives and be better placed to integrate Māori environmental outcomes into planning processes. The end-point is this Nga Mahi kete report containing tikanga-based worksheets and the guidelines for using them

Environmental performance outcomes and indicators for indigenous peoples: Review of literature

The literature review in this report was the starting point for developing a Māori research strand (2003-2009) within the Planning Under Co-operative Mandates (PUCM) research programme (1995-2009). An early task of the PUCM Māori team was to review the international literature on environmental outcomes and indicators for indigenous peoples. This was in order to gain an understanding of what had been written on the subject and to become familiar with approaches taken by others that might provide lessons for the development of our proposed kaupapa Māori outcomes and indicators framework and methodology, which was aimed at local government performance in Aotearoa/New Zealand. This current report is not intended to provide an exhaustive catalogue of writings on environmental performance outcomes and indicators for indigenous peoples, including Māori. Rather, some of the more obvious and important writings are noted as a ready reference for others interested in this topic. Before detailing the approach we took in carrying out the review, the key terms, outcomes and indicators, are defined

Kaupapa Māori framework and literature review of key prinicples

The literature review in this report was the starting point for the development of a Māori research strand within the Planning Under Co-operative Mandates (PUCM) research programme. The original purpose of this report Kaupapa Māori Framework and Literature Review of Key Principles was to establish definitions of environmentally significant concepts of kaupapa and tikanga Māori. In addition, the review sought to identify and briefly describe significant variations between understandings of the key concepts without attempting to reconcile these. As the purpose of the review in 2005 was to inform the development of a kaupapa Māori methodology for the identification and development of Māori environmental outcomes and indicators, we paid particular regard to Māori perceptions of the environment and the relevance of each concept in environmental terms

A report to iwi on the kaupapa Māori environmental outcomes and indicators kete

Tangata whenua in Aotearoa have been largely excluded from participation in local government planning since colonisation, but tikanga and Māori values have for the past two decades been acknowledged in resource management and local government legislation, especially the Resource Management Act, 1991 (RMA) and Local Government Act, 2002 (LGA). For example, the RMA has provisions in over 30 sections for councils to give effect to Māori interests. In practice, however, there is widespread concern that despite these provisions, Māori are largely excluded from local government resource management processes and their values subordinated to those of the wider community, particularly western scientific values. This report describes research that resulted in a kaupapa Māori outcomes and indicators framework, and associated methods, that can be used by iwi to assess the quality of statutory plans and the environmental performance of councils in their rohe

Māori outcome evaluation: A kaupapa Māori, outcomes and indictors, framework and methodology

Territorial local authorities (i.e. regional and district councils) are by law required to provide for Māori values and interests, and to undertake plan evaluation and environmental monitoring, to ensure that the provisions they have in place for these purposes are effective. Councils have not, however, had methods available that would enable them to meet these statutory obligations. This gap is filled by the framework and methods that we have developed and trialled over the past 5 years. The development and use of our Kaupapa Māori Environmental Outcomes and Indicators Framework and Methodology is the focus of this report

Māori provisions in plans: Mana whenua, mauri of water, and wahi tapu

The intention of this document is to allow those using Ngā Mahi: Kaupapa Māori Outcomes an Indicators Kete (Jefferies and Kennedy, 2009, PUCM Māori Report 2) to view a range of examples of Māori provisions within statutory planning documents against plans being evaluated. The extracts in this Report 3 on Māori Provisions in Plans relate to the three tikanga in the Ngā Mahi report: Mana Whenua, Mauri (relating to water), and Wähi Tapu. It is intended that as we develop new kete (containing worksheets and user guides) and thereby expand Ngā Mahi, this current report will be revised to include plan provisions relating to additional tikanga

Modulation of human corticospinal excitability by paired associative stimulation

Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS) has come to prominence as a potential therapeutic intervention for the treatment of brain injury/disease, and as an experimental method with which to investigate Hebbian principles of neural plasticity in humans. Prototypically, a single electrical stimulus is directed to a peripheral nerve in advance of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) delivered to the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1). Repeated pairing of the stimuli (i.e., association) over an extended period may increase or decrease the excitability of corticospinal projections from M1, in manner that depends on the interstimulus interval (ISI). It has been suggested that these effects represent a form of associative long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD) that bears resemblance to spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) as it has been elaborated in animal models. With a large body of empirical evidence having emerged since the cardinal features of PAS were first described, and in light of the variations from the original protocols that have been implemented, it is opportune to consider whether the phenomenology of PAS remains consistent with the characteristic features that were initially disclosed. This assessment necessarily has bearing upon interpretation of the effects of PAS in relation to the specific cellular pathways that are putatively engaged, including those that adhere to the rules of STDP. The balance of evidence suggests that the mechanisms that contribute to the LTP- and LTD-type responses to PAS differ depending on the precise nature of the induction protocol that is used. In addition to emphasizing the requirement for additional explanatory models, in the present analysis we highlight the key features of the PAS phenomenology that require interpretation

Pulse of inflammatory proteins in the pregnant uterus of European polecats (Mustela putorius) leading to the time of implantation

Uterine secretory proteins protect the uterus and conceptuses against infection, facilitate implantation, control cellular damage resulting from implantation, and supply pre-implantation embryos with nutrients. Unlike in humans, the early conceptus of the European polecat (Mustela putorius; ferret) grows and develops free in the uterus until implanting at about 12 days after mating. We found that the proteins appearing in polecat uteri changed dramatically with time leading to implantation. Several of these proteins have also been found in pregnant uteri of other eutherian mammals. However, we found a combination of two increasingly abundant proteins that have not been recorded before in pre-placentation uteri. First, the broad-spectrum proteinase inhibitor α2-macroglobulin rose to dominate the protein profile by the time of implantation. Its functions may be to limit damage caused by the release of proteinases during implantation or infection, and to control other processes around sites of implantation. Second, lipocalin-1 (also known as tear lipocalin) also increased substantially in concentration. This protein has not previously been recorded as a uterine secretion in pregnancy in any species. If polecat lipocalin-1 has similar biological properties to that of humans, then it may have a combined function in antimicrobial protection and transporting or scavenging lipids. The changes in the uterine secretory protein repertoire of European polecats is therefore unusual, and may be representative of pre-placentation supportive uterine secretions in mustelids (otters, weasels, badgers, mink, wolverines) in general

A Systematic Review of the Health Impacts of Mass Earth Movements (Landslides)

Background. Mass ground movements (commonly referred to as ‘landslides’) are common natural hazards that can have significant economic, social and health impacts. They occur as single events, or as clusters, and are often part of ‘disaster’ chains, occurring secondary to, or acting as the precursor of other disaster events. Whilst there is a large body of literature on the engineering and geological aspects of landslides, the mortality and morbidity caused by landslides is less well documented. As far as we are aware, this is the first systematic review to examine the health impacts of landslides. Methods. The MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS databases and the Cochrane library were systematically searched to identify articles which considered the health impacts of landslides. Case studies, case series, primary research and systematic reviews were included. News reports, editorials and non-systematic reviews were excluded. Only articles in English were considered. The references of retrieved papers were searched to identify additional articles. Findings. 913 abstracts were reviewed and 143 full text articles selected for review. A total of 27 papers reporting research studies were included in the review (25 from initial search, 1 from review of references and 1 from personal correspondence). We found a limited number of studies on the physical health consequences of landslides. Only one study provided detail of the causes of mortality and morbidity in relation a landslide event. Landslides cause significant mental health impacts, in particular the prevalence of PTSD may be higher after landslides than other types of disaster, though these studies tend to be older with only 3 papers published in the last 5 years, with 2 being published 20 years ago, and diagnostic criteria have changed since they were produced. Discussion. We were disappointed at the small number of relevant studies, and the generally poor documentation of the health impacts of landslides. Mental health impacts were better documented, though some of the studies are now quite old. Further research on the health impacts of landslides needs to be undertaken to support those responding to landslide disasters and to aid disaster risk mitigation advocacy

Private Equity Goes Retail

[Excerpt] The past few years have brought record-setting merger and acquisition activity in just about every industry across the board. Private equity firms, known for their pioneering efforts in creating exceptional returns, have been the most active investors in this frenzy. Due to increased competition with hedge funds and institutional investors, private equity shops have been pushed to search high and low in order to meet investor expectations. So while creativity with respect to deal structuring and sourcing has become essential for survival in the private equity business, there has also been a natural progression towards more complicated and risky transactions. The retail sector, an industry segment originally seen as risky territory, has increasingly come under the spotlight during this phenomenon. Ripe with a number of struggling public companies—most of which have significant real estate holdings—it is no surprise that private equity has shown a greater interest in this sector