Reflections on relationship-building between tangata whenua and local government: Notes from research and practice

In this paper, the author takes a reflective look at two areas: the preliminary discussions and fieldwork they undertook to set up a collaborative doctoral research project exploring relationship-building between tangata whenua and local government (regional and district councils); and their practice as a community psychologist within local government, advising on social research and community participation in a number of environmental management projects

Measuring the Upper End of the Initial Mass Function with Supernovae

Supernovae arise from progenitor stars occupying the upper end of the initial mass function. Their extreme brightness allows individual massive stars to be detected at cosmic distances, lending supernovae great potential as tracers of the upper end of the IMF and its evolution. Exploiting this potential requires progress in many areas of supernova science. These include understanding the progenitor masses that produce various types of supernovae and accurately characterizing the supernova outburst and the environment in which it was produced. I present some preliminary work identifying the environmental conditions that produce the most luminous supernovae, believed to arise from stars with masses greater than 100 M_sun. I illustrate that the presence of these extreme supernovae in small star-forming dwarfs can be used to test our understanding of the upper end of the IMF.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure; to appear in the proceedings of the conference `UP: Have Observations Revealed a Variable Upper End of the Initial Mass Function?', ASP Conference Serie

Hemidactylium scutatum

Number of Pages: 2Place of Publication: Bethesda, MarylandIntegrative BiologyGeological Science

Understanding the EU Policy Portfolio: Conceptualising a Dynamic Model of Integration

This paper suggests that EU‘s policy portfolio resembles the outcome of interstate bargaining predicted by federalist theory. We conclude that federalist theory, when combined with economic integration theory, is a robust tool for conceptualizing the EU policy portfolio. The result is a dynamic model, which we call 'federal integration‘

Signifier of Kiwi Identity

Contested myths of origin surround one of New Zealand’s best-loved cultural icons, or ‘kiwiana’: a pull-along children’s toy called the Buzzy Bee. This paper clarifies those domains by presenting new information gleaned from Betty Schlesinger, widow of the bee’s inventor. Clarification is important because the Buzzy Bee is, as kiwiana, a material item strongly associated with Kiwi identity. As a Māori word, ‘Kiwi’ is a common, often self-ascribed, term identifying people from Aotearoa New Zealand. In clarifying the Buzzy Bee’s history, this paper adds new information to the knowledge base of what it means to be Kiwi. That knowledge base is enhanced, because this paper notes that the Buzzy Bee was invented and first manufactured here in New Zealand by Betty Schlesinger’s husband Maurice Schlesinger. Betty Schlesinger’s account contrasts more popular and well-known origin myths that have served to cloud the Bee’s definitive history. In clarifying the Buzzy Bee’s genesis using Betty Schlesinger’s narrative, this paper also emphasises the important link between identity, materiality and national identity