Using evidence to improve Psychological Therapies Services

Psychological therapy services offer help to clients with many different sorts of mental health problems using a variety of therapies provided by a range of different professional groups and are supported by a large amount of research evidence. However, applying evidence-based practice in routine clinical settings presents particular challenges. This paper outlines some of the difficulties applying research findings to routine settings and argues for a more inclusive approach to linking evidence with practice. It describes a systematic approach to service evaluation and practice based evidence within a large psychological therapies service. This approach is integrated into the service delivery. It enables clinicians to become engaged in the process of reflecting on evidence in a non-threatening way and allows innovative ways of enhancing reflective practice by linking evidence with practice in routine settings

New Zealand's agri-food opportunities in China

China has become New Zealand’s most important destination for food and fibre exports. In the year ending 30 June 2012, total exports from New Zealand to China were worth $6.1 billion, of which food and fibre exports were worth$4.9 billion. This was a three-fold increase in only five years. A main feature of these exports is that they have been mainly commodity-based. Although it is possible to find New Zealand branded food products in some supermarkets, the overall effect at the consumer level remains low. Despite its obvious importance, China remains a country which is poorly understood in New Zealand. This is particularly the case in relation to agri-food opportunities. In this article we set out what we consider to be the major forces which will shape the future opportunities

Doing agribusiness in China

There is a widespread belief that partner arrangements between New Zealand and Chinese businesses have a high risk of failure as a result of different ways of doing business. This article presents perspectives on these cross-cultural problems, developed from interviews with nine informants from the food and agribusiness sector, including four New Zealand entrepreneurs who currently work and live in China. Also interviewed were five Chinese who are either entrepreneurs themselves, or middle to senior management working closely with New Zealanders. The information presented here is the first stage of a research project investigating cross-cultural business relationships between New Zealanders and Chinese in New Zealand agribusinesses operating in China

Sheep meat in China and the opportunities for New Zealand

In 2012, China replaced the United Kingdom as the most important destination by volume for New Zealand sheep meat. In this article we explain the reasons behind the increased demand, and look at what the future might bring. Main issues relate to degradation of the Chinese grasslands, the high opportunity cost of raising sheep on arable land, increased consumer demand for sheep meat, and the challenge of moving from commodity sales to consumer-ready products

Controlled Clinical Trial of a Self-Help for Anxiety Intervention for Patients Waiting for Psychological Therapy

This study was a controlled clinical trial in which patients were offered a brief low cost, low intensity self-help intervention while waiting for psychological therapy. A CBT based self-help pack was given to patients with significant anxiety problems and no attempt was made to exclude patients on the basis of severity or co-morbidity. The treatment group received the intervention immediately following assessment and the control group after a delay of 8 weeks so comparisons between the two groups were made over 8 weeks. Although there was some support for the effectiveness of the self help intervention, with a significant time x group interaction for CORE-OM scores, this was not significant with the intention to treat analysis, nor for HADS anxiety and depression scores and the effect size was low. A follow up evaluation suggested some patients attributed significant goal attainment to the intervention. The findings suggest the routine use of self-help interventions in psychological therapies services should be considered although further more adequately powered research is required to identify the type of patients and problems that most benefit, possible adverse effects and the effect on subsequent uptake of and engagement in therapy

New Zealand's horticultural opportunities in China

New Zealand’s horticultural products do have a presence in China, such as kiwifruit and apples, but there are more opportunities for New Zealand within China’s horticulture sector. However this will not be in the commodity sector where the local cost of production is much lower than in New Zealand. The Chinese horticulture advantage comes from relatively low labour costs combined with modern technologies. This creates a different situation from dairy and meat where New Zealand’s competitive advantage does extend into commodity products and markets. In contrast, a competitive advantage for New Zealand’s horticultural products in China requires a branding focus aimed at top-end markets, with an associated clean green story which translates as meaning safe food. Phytosanitary challenges for some crops still need to be sorted out at a government level. As well as fresh produce, the opportunities can include fruit juices and dried fruit. There may also be opportunities, under strict licensing and quality control, of patented and trade-marked New Zealand-bred varieties