Community boards, control of community or control by community : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Resource and Environmental Planning, Massey University

Over the last two decades, there as has been an emergence in western local government systems of small statutory bodies, Parish Councils and Community Councils in Great Britain, Kommeslrands in Sweden, Community Councils in Canada and Community Boards in New Zealand. It is argued, utilising the work of Coser (1956) and Dahrendorf (1959), that these structures appeared due to attempts to mute the growing conflict over the deficiencies of local government systems. Case studies looking at the western local government system and the situation in Great Britain and New Zealand will outline more particularly what these factors were and how small statutory bodies emerged in response to their existence. It is argued that because the small statutory bodies were intended to be placatory mechanisms rather than true decision making authorities, their roles and responsibilities were left deliberately vague. It was left to each local parent authority to decide what emphasis to place on the boards' roles and responsibilities, what attention to pay to them, or what status to accord them. It is argued, that this structure led to conflict between the small statutory bodies who felt that they had been given control over their areas, and their parent authorities who took the approach that the bodies were largely advisory bodies and that control still rested with the local authority itself. Thus, because there was not agreement over the rules of the game as Dahrendorf argued was necessary between the groups involved in the bodies' operation, conflict ensued. From case studies of the operation of small statutory bodies in Great Britain and New Zealand it is confirmed that problems have arisen due to conflict about roles and responsibilities (external factors) but it is noted that conflict has also arisen from unrelated factors such as party politics, demands for efficiency and cost effectiveness etc (internal factors). It will be argued however that, community boards are a useful part of the New Zealand local government, and that the conflicts that exist can be remedied. The closing chapter outlines some suggestions as to how this can be achieved

High resolution modelling of flexible submerged vegetation in rivers

Vegetation is a common feature within natural river channels and exerts a profound influence on the functioning of the fluvial system. In particular, the interaction between vegetation and flow causes a reduction in conveyance, an alteration to the velocity profile and the generation of coherent turbulent structures which differ to those found in un-vegetated channels. Recognition of the influence of vegetation on open channel flow has led to an increased awareness of the importance of accurately representing the effects of vegetation within numerical models, across a range of spatial scales. This thesis introduces two novel biomechanical models, capable of simulating the complex interaction between flow and vegetation at high spatial and temporal resolution. The development and validation of these models permits investigation of flow-vegetation interactions across a range of plant types and flow conditions. These models are applied to a range of scenarios providing new insight into the interaction mechanisms between the vegetation and the flow. In particular, this thesis focuses on the role of turbulent structures in driving flow-vegetation interaction. The results presented in this thesis support existing theories for simple canopy flows, whilst also proposing additional interactions in the case of more complex canopies. In addition, key findings relating to the role of drag in controlling flow-vegetation interactions are explored. Finally, through the development of a third, lower resolution, vegetation model, this thesis begins to explore how the process understanding gained from application of the high resolution models may be upscaled to the reach scale models which are central to river management

Newswork

Author's version of special issue introductory/overview essay on newswork.no abstrac

Temporal variability and within‐plant heterogeneity in blade biomechanics regulate flow‐seagrass interactions of Zostera marina

Seagrasses are marine flowering plants that have important roles in the ecological and physical processes of many coastal areas. Seagrass modeling to date has mostly assumed that seagrasses have uniform biomechanical traits in space and time. In this study we compare the biomechanical traits of Zostera marina blades collected in late summer and spring from a lagoon in southern Denmark. Then, we describe how biomechanics vary depending on (i) seasonality, (ii) storage in laboratory conditions with high nutrient levels, (iii) blade rank and (iv) position along blades. The data collected with these direct measurements are fed into a numerical structural model that simulates seagrass response to an idealized flow and accounts for plant nonuniformity. The model is used to assess the effects of temporal variability and within-plant heterogeneity in blade biomechanics on flow-seagrass interactions. Results show that seagrass biomechanics are affected considerably by seasonality and laboratory storage. This biomechanical variability has a key role in defining flow-seagrass interactions, enhancing light availability in summer and reducing potential drag force in spring. Significant within-plant heterogeneity associated with both blade rank and along-blade position is reported. Compared to temporal variability, within-plant heterogeneity has a secondary role in determining flow-seagrass interactions; however, blade rank is associated with a consistent reduction in the drag force. The results presented improve the understanding of flow-seagrass interactions by clarifying the importance of variations in seagrass blade biomechanical traits and their origi

The hydraulic description of vegetated river channels: the weaknesses of existing formulations and emerging alternatives

Currently, many of the methods used to predict the effect of vegetation on river flow suffer from one or both of the following problems: (1) a strong dependence on parameters that have a poor physical basis and which are only readily determined using empirical means; and (2) a poor conceptual basis, in terms of the way they represent the effects of vegetation on the flow, especially in higher dimensionality numerical models. This limits their contribution to problems that extend beyond basic hydraulic prediction (e.g., of water levels) to ecosystem understanding. In this study, we show how use of coupled biomechanical–hydraulic models may lead to a much-improved representation of a range of open-channel flow processes. Preliminary experiments over hypothetical vegetation canopies are producing very encouraging results and may provide the means for an improved representation of vegetation in higher dimensionality numerical models that may result in a better justification and more reliable identification of the conveyance parameters needed for both flood identification and the characterization of habitat

Enhancing the undergraduate student expereince via fund raising partnerships. An action research project

This project was developed from practitioner action research and considers the impact of integrating fund-raising activities into the formal curriculum with a target group of undergraduate students. The main aim of this project was to evaluate the impact of developing fund-raising activities as an integral aspect at both module and programme level, grounded within practitioner action research. A core component of this aim was to develop value added structures into established modules to support the student experience and student identity. Furthermore the project sought to broaden, develop and strengthen links with the local wider community recognising the value such interactions can bring. Finally the project set out to develop integration opportunities between the students and organisations in order to develop the students’ awareness of workforce options as future professionals. This study is based within one post-1992 Higher Education Institution (HEI) and consisted of three inter-related but distinct phases. The project involved 60 students during phase one building to some 200 students by phase three. The findings suggest fund-raising activities built into the formal curriculum can be a useful medium for promoting student identity whilst providing a ‘value-added’ component to existing programmes of study

Transforming media markets: the cases of Malaysia and Singapore

This paper examines contemporary transformations in media markets in Malaysia and Singapore. In both countries, dominant models of ?old? media?government relations are being contested by the emergence of ?new? online and independent media. Our analysis is grounded in new institutional approaches towards the study of news media and political communication. We argue that while legislation and law, in particular defamation law, and informal and formal organisational relations influence the possibility of public debate through the media, internet-based media are emerging as a potentially critical new voice in journalism in both countries. At the same time, analyses of these potentials need to avoid technological determinism. Rather, there is a need to examine the social, political and economic contexts, and the media markets, in which the technologies are emerging