Category: universities

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Other nations are applying sanctions and going to court over Gaza – should NZ join them?

Source: University of Waikato

Despite the carnage, United Nations resolutions and international court rulings, the war in Gaza has the potential to get much worse. Unless Hamas frees all Israeli hostages by March 10, Israel may launch an all-out offensive in Rafah, a city of 1.5 million people, cornered against the border with Egypt.

The US has continued to block UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire. But President Joe Biden has cautioned Israel against a Rafah ground assault without a credible plan to protect civilians.

More direct calls for restraint have come from the UN secretary-general and the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. To its credit, New Zealand, along with Australia and Canada, added its voice in a joint statement on February 15:

A military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic […] We urge the Israeli government not to go down this path […] Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas.

New Zealand also reiterated its commitment to a political settlement and a two-state solution. Given how hard some other countries are pushing for a ceasefire and peace, however, it is fair to ask whether the National-led coalition government could be doing more.

NZ absent from a crucial case

So far, New Zealand’s most obvious contribution has been to deploy a six-member defence force team to the region to deter Houthi rebel attacks on commercial and naval shipping in the Red Sea.

This collaboration with 13 other countries is on the right side of international law. But the timing suggests it is more about preventing the Israel-Gaza situation from spreading and destabilising the region than about protecting international waterways per se.

Furthermore, there is a risk of New Zealand’s response appearing one-sided, considering its relative silence on other fronts.

For example, following the interim ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the application of the Genocide Convention to Israel’s devastation of Gaza, a second opinion is being sought from the court over the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki told the court his people were suffering “colonialism and apartheid” under Israeli occupation. It is the latest round in a monumental debate central to any lasting peace process.

More than 50 countries are presenting arguments at the ICJ, the most to engage with any single case since the court was established in 1945. But New Zealand is not present in the oral proceedings.

This absence matches New Zealand’s abstention at the United Nations General Assembly vote that referred the case to the ICJ. A country that prides itself on an independent foreign policy seems to have lost its voice.

An even-handed foreign policy

New Zealand does call for the observance of international humanitarian law in Gaza. It has been less vocal, though, about calling for accountability for war crimes, no matter which side commits them.

The International Criminal Court, New Zealand’s permanent representative to the UN has said, is “a central pillar in the international rules-based order and the international criminal justice system”.

Directly supporting that sentiment would mean calling for independent investigations of all alleged crimes in the current Israel-Gaza conflict.

Given countries it considers friends and allies do more to register their disapproval of the situation, New Zealand needs to consider whether its own current sanctions system is adequate.

The White House has begun to sanction individual Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories,  accusing them of undermining peace, security and stability. Britain has also placed sanctions on a small number of “extremist” settlers. France has recently identified and sanctioned 28 such individuals.

So far, however, New Zealand has remained silent. This prompts an obvious question: if sanctions can be applied to both Russia and Iran for their actions, should New Zealand now follow the lead of its allies and take active measures to express its disapproval of what is happening in Gaza and the occupied territories?

Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Ongoing commitment to reduce health inequities for Māori supported with more HRC funding

Source: University of Waikato

University of Waikato health researchers have scored additional funding to advance their commitment to reducing inequities in the treatment and care of Māori with Type-2 diabetes (T2D).

The Health Research Council have awarded $1.4 million to the project Technology and Kaiāwhina-Based Support to Optimise Diabetes Management for Māori. The project will commence in October 2024.

Academic lead and Associate Professor of Health, Dr Lynne Chepulis, says healthcare inequity between Māori and non-Māori is significant.

“We need system-level changes to improve outcomes for Māori and Pacific peoples, including for T2D where health outcomes are consistently worse for Māori,” she says.

University researchers will work in partnership with kaupapa Māori provider Te Puna Hauora Matua O Hauraki, Primary Healthcare Organisation.

The study is working to develop a primary care-led model of care that can be implemented into practice to support ongoing T2D management for Māori.

“Addressing these barriers to achieve equity for those with the highest risk glucose levels requires a multi-faceted approach that is holistic in nature.”

“The work will provide valuable evidence regarding which primary care systems are most associated with equity and optimising T2D care, as well as suggestions for change based on local consultation,” says Dr Chepulis.

The work will use a Randomised Control Trial to evaluate two separate interventions: kaiāwhina (non-regulated healthcare workers) and optimised clinical input with, and without, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology.

The researchers anticipate that the use of a wrap-around programme encompassing CGM, alongside clinical and kaiāwhina-based support, will empower whānau living with T2D, and significantly improve health outcomes for those with poor glycaemic control.

University of Waikato Endocrinologist Dr Ryan Paul (Ngāti Maru, Hauraki) is part of the team providing clinical and academic oversight.

“It is also imperative that we develop a model of care that can be implemented long-term into primary care that can sustainably engage with Māori with T2D and their whānau.”

The Health Research Council acknowledged the study underscores the need for innovative models of care, especially tailored to regional rural settings.

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New research puts Pacific climate crisis on the agenda for tangata whenua

Source: University of Waikato

New research by the University of Waikato has started important conversations with tangata whenua around the Pacific climate crisis and the readiness of Aotearoa to host and protect the rights of Pacific people impacted by worsening climate change.

The research, commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), includes kōrero with six esteemed Māori leaders to explore their thinking on the future of Pacific climate change mobility and Aotearoa.

Professor of Māori and Indigenous Studies, Sandy Morrison (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Rārua), says the six kōrero collectively represent a unique start to a critical conversation.

“We know that Pacific peoples will be increasingly impacted by climate change, which may lead to higher levels of mobility. As Māori, we have many connections with our Pacific whānau, including shared whakapapa and trade partnerships. How can we respond to this important issue?

Due to proximity and the presence of family members already here, if climate change makes living in the Pacific too hard or too dangerous, Aotearoa will be a natural destination for many, particularly those coming from close nations like Tonga and Samoa. How can we better prepare our people, infrastructure, and services for this possible future? Importantly, what opportunities could we explore that could benefit all?”

Leaders within the study agreed that this was a crucial conversation, and further discussion and planning is needed, particularly between Māori, the Crown and Pacific peoples.

“Māori are well-positioned to support people in the Pacific, and the Crown cannot simply come to Māori with proposals on actions in this space. Māori should also work directly with Pacific leaders and people to identify their aspirations,” adds Professor Morrison.

Land rights activist, treaty negotiator and Director at Wakatū Inc, Rore Stafford, ONZM offered a values-based approach to the topic, and empathised with the pain Pacific peoples will likely face in future following dislocation from their lands.

“We don’t have a treaty with Pacific peoples, but we have whakapapa together and shared values. How do we manaaki people when they have had to move from their whenua, when they are suffering. We must be open to listening to what they need – they have their own mana. We must go back to all our values and our tikanga”.

One leader raised concerns about Pacific peoples vacating the Pacific and who may take their place, also highlighting risks to Pacific sovereignty and cultural and historical loss for those that may resettle in Aotearoa, noting that New Zealand has not been good at creating space for different cultures.

A number of the leaders saw their role as advocates for Pacific peoples, including providing practical support for housing, employment and business ownership. Iwi leader, Ngāhiwi Tomoana spoke on the need for a dramatic shift in Aotearoa New Zealand’s approach to the Pacific.

“The focus needs to shift from aid to supporting economic development so that when people eventually come to Aotearoa, they can develop their own economy, have their own developments, their own training and their own reason for being.”

The University of Waikato research team, including Professor Sandy Morrison, Dr Timote Vaioleti and Lora Vaioleti, are leading research and engagement in Tonga and Samoa, with several research outputs already completed and more to be released in the coming months.

The wider study also includes researchers from the University of Auckland and Mana Pacific Consulting and seeks to understand future climate change mobility in the Pacific.

Read the research here.

About

A small team at the University of Waikato are leading a ground-breaking two-year project on the future of climate change mobility in the Pacific. This project has been commissioned by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and is enabled by New Zealand’s climate finance through the International Development Cooperation (IDC) Programme.

The project sits within an overall programme of work that commenced in late 2022 and covers nine Pacific nations (and their populations), and is being delivered by the University of Waikato, University of Auckland, and Mana Pacific Consulting. The team at the University of Waikato hold the contract for both Tonga (and Tongan people) and Samoa (and Samoan people) and Professor Sandy Morrison has also undertaken the Pou Māori role for the programme as a whole.

The University of Waikato research team includes Professor Sandy Morrison, Dr Timote Vaioleti and Lora Vaioleti.

This product, titled Six Kōrero, included conversations with six Māori leaders. These include:

Rore Stafford, ONZM, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Tama, Director at Wakatū Inc; Managing Director of Rore Lands.

Linda Tuhiwai Te Rina Smith, CNZM, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou, Distinguished Professor at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.

Te Poa Karoro (Paul) Morgan, CNZM, QSO, Ngāti Rārua, Te Mahurehure, Ngā Puhi. Entrepreneur, trustee at the New Zealand China Council, former Chair at Wakatū Inc., former Chief Executive of the Federation of Māori Authorities.

Ngahiwi Tomoana, Ngāti Kahungunu (Ngāti Hawea, Ngāti Hori). Chair Ngāti Kahungunu.

Aimee Kaio: Ngāi Tahu, Te Arawa, Ngā Puhi, Research and Innovation Director, Ngāi Tahu.

Jason Mika, Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Kahungunu, Professor at Te Raupapa

Waikato Management School and Te Kotahi Research Institute, University of Waikato

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NZ is bound by international mental health agreements – statistics for Māori show we’re failing to uphold them

Source: University of Waikato

Aotearoa New Zealand ranks among the highest in youth suicide rates among OECD countries – and it is Māori youth at the forefront of this national crisis.

Recent statistics show the number of suspected self-inflicted deaths for Māori males is nearly double the rate for non-Māori males. The rate for Māori females is around 1.8 times higher than the rate for non-Māori females.

The alarming discrepancy is most notable in the 15-24 age group, where the rate for Māori is about 2.6 times higher than for non-Māori.

Despite these concerning figures, there is no express right to health in New Zealand law, creating a gap in accountability. And by failing to ensure the health and wellbeing of young Māori, Aotearoa New Zealand is falling short of its international obligations.

Progress and retreat

Over the past five years, the government has taken some steps to tackle the country’s mental health crisis. But the priorities of the new government could threaten this already limited progress.

In 2019, NZ$2 billion was injected into the mental health system by the then Labour government. And the Mental Health Commission was established in 2021 with the aim of contributing to better and equitable mental health and wellbeing outcomes for all people.

Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority, was established under the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022. But while the new coalition government has announced the country’s first ever minister for mental health, it has also announced plans to scrap the authority.

The Under One Umbrella report, published by the cross-party Mental Health and Addiction Wellbeing Group, presents a comprehensive, integrated approach to mental health, alcohol and addiction for young people. Significantly, it advocates for a holistic “all-of-government” approach.

Submissions from a recent review of the Mental Health Act show strong support for the new legislation to uphold rights in alignment with international conventions, with more focus on tangata whaiora (someone seeking health) and whānau (extended family).

Although these initiatives and pending legislative reform represent a step in the right direction, the statistics related to youth mental health are still cause for concern.

International responsibilities to ensure health

One strategy to address the national mental health crisis for Māori youth would be to embed the human right to health in local policy and law. This would also bring Aotearoa New Zealand’s legislation into line with its international obligations.

In 1946, the World Health Organization adopted a broad definition of health:

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, cultural and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Over the course of the next two decades, health was conceived as a human right (in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and later in the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights).

The International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination also obliged countries to eliminate race discrimination in public health and medical care.

For children, the right to health is further recognised in the Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989. And, specifically for Indigenous communities, in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007.

It is well established within international law that the right to health for Indigenous children and youth is linked to their distinct cultural, social and customary practices.

And various UN groups have repeatedly emphasised that Indigenous people have the right to receive culturally appropriate healthcare services that respect their traditional practices and medicines.

These groups have also urged countries to provide Indigenous communities with the necessary resources to design, deliver and control their own healthcare services.

The need for a legal framework

Aotearoa New Zealand is bound by these international agreements, and the rights and obligations that flow from them. Yet the right to health does not appear in our laws, which leaves a void in accountability and enforcement.

This hinders the implementation of effective health policies for tamariki and rangatahi Māori (children and young people), particularly as it limits the legal avenues available for recourse when the system fails.

The disparities in mental health outcomes point to an immediate national challenge facing Aotearoa New Zealand, which is to formulate an effective mental healthcare framework.

The most appropriate starting point is to include the right to health in national policy and legislation. This would align New Zealand’s national policies and laws with international norms.

It would also mandate the government to take active steps to ensure that the highest attainable standards of mental health and wellbeing for tamariki and rangtahi Māori are met.

Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato; Robert Joseph, Associate Professor of Law, University of Waikato, and Thilini Karunaratne, PhD candidate/ Lawyer, University of Waikato

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Waikato celebrates 2024 academic promotions

Source: University of Waikato

The University of Waikato has announced its latest round of academic promotions.

Three academics have been promoted to Professor and 10 to Associate Professor.

Academic promotions recognise outstanding contributions to research, teaching, student supervision and leadership within the University as well as the achievement of an international reputation in each academic’s area of specialisation.

Promotion to Professor

Professor Daya-Winterbottom’s teaching and research focuses on environmental law and public law. He is a New Zealand member of the International Law Association (ILA) Committee on Protection of People at Sea and was the first New Zealand-based academic to be the Deputy Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Academy of Environmental Law.

Professor Masters-Awatere (Te Rarawa, Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa, Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Ngai te Rangi) focuses on research which critiques the systems and structures that either facilitate or have an impact on Māori flourishing and psychological sense of wellbeing. This includes consideration of a collective experience that engages multiple voices in the context of individual descriptions of experiences. She is a Fellow of the New Zealand Psychological Society and member of the Accreditation Commitee of the New Zealand Psychologists Board.

Professor Mika (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Kahungunu) is a kaupapa Māori business scholar whose research and teaching centres on Māori and Indigenous business, inspired by Māori and Indigenous entrepreneurs and small business owners. He searches for distinctive approaches to business and economics that combine ancestral knowledge and practice with the challenges and opportunities of modern day economies.

L-R: Dr Patrick Barrett, Dr Andreea Calude and Dr Juliet Chevalier-Watts.

Promotion to Associate Professor

Dr Patrick Barrett, Te Kura Aronui School of Social Sciences

Dr Barrett researches public policy in relation to a wide range of issues. He studies drivers of policy change, how evidence is used in policy decisions, and how to improve public participation in planning and policymaking. In teaching, he focuses on what drives and blocks policy change and how to improve the use of evidence and inclusivity in policy decisions.

Dr Andreea Calude, Te Kura Toi School of Arts

Dr Calude is a data linguist, with a keen interest in New Zealand English, a special focus on the use of words borrowed from te reo Māori, and a secondary and growing interest in the language used on social media. Most recently, she published Linguistics of Social Media: An Introduction and successfully obtained her second Marsden grant.

Dr Juliet Chevalier-Watts, Te Piringa Faculty of Law

Dr Chevalier-Watts is a specialist in charity law, equity and trusts, and religious law. She lectures and publishes nationally and internationally, and her contributions to literature include monographs, co-authored books, book chapters, consultancies, commissioned reports, journal articles, and interviews.

L-R: Catherine Chidgey, Dr Tim Edwards, Dr Kim Hébert-Losier and Dr Jacob Heerikhuisen.

Catherine Chidgey, Te Kura Toi School of Arts

Ms Chidgey’s novels include The Wish Child, Remote Sympathy, The Axeman’s Carnival and Pet, and she has won the fiction prize at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards twice. She enjoys the contact with new writers teaching brings, as students’ ideas and willingness to take creative risks feeds her own writing. She is currently completing her ninth novel.

Dr Tim Edwards, Te Kura Whatu Oho Mauri School of Psychology

Dr Edwards teaches and conducts research on learning and behaviour, with a particular focus on how dogs can learn to provide information to humans about what they smell. In one of his current applied research projects, he is evaluating dogs’ ability to detect lung cancer. In a series of basic research projects, he is evaluating dogs’ learning and perceptual capabilities related to odour identification.

Dr Kim Hébert-Losier, Te Huataki Waiora School of Health

Dr Hébert-Losier’s research centres on objective quantification and understanding of lower-extremity mechanics in health and sport. Her work has global impact and recognition in three key areas: screening to prevent sport injuries, running mechanics and footwear, and calf muscle function and testing. She teaches functional anatomy, sports biomechanics, and research methods underpinned by a teaching philosophy revolving around building strong foundations, teaching with identity, and being student-centric.

Dr Jacob Heerikhuisen, Au Reikura (Te Kura Rorohiko me ngā Pūtaiao Pāngarau) School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences

Dr Heerikhuisen’s research centres around the heliosphere, a large structure formed around the solar system by the interaction of the Sun with the galaxy. He develops and runs numerical simulations that are constrained by and complement data obtained by NASA space missions such as Voyager and IBEX.

L-R: Dr Ēnoka Murphy, Dr Armon Tamatea and Dr Haki Tuaupiki.

Dr Ēnoka Murphy, Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies

Dr Murphy (Ngāti Manawa, Ngāi Tuhoe, Ngāti Ruapani, Ngāti Kahungunu) teaches te reo and tikanga Māori and completed his PhD in 19th century warfare in Aotearoa. His research passions are in the areas of Indigenous history and tikanga. Dr Murphy was the Prime Minister’s Educator of the Year and received a Kaupapa Māori Award at the 2023 Te Whatu Kairangi – Aotearoa Tertiary Education Awards.

Dr Armon Tamatea, Te Kura Whatu Oho Mauri School of Psychology

Dr Tamatea (Rongowhakāta, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki) has worked extensively with violent and sexual offenders in the criminal justice arena for more than 20 years. He is the lead researcher for Nga Tūmanakotanga, a multi-year MBIE-funded research programme that aims to understand and reduce prison violence in New Zealand. His other research interests include psychopathy, gang communities, and culturally-informed approaches to offender management.

Dr Haki Tuaupiki, Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies

Dr Tuaupiki (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Waikato) has a strong research focus on Māori voyaging knowledge and traditional navigation in te reo Māori, which sees him drawing on ancestral knowledge in areas such as astronomy, science and maritime studies. He is a practitioner and dedicated advocate for the preservation, regeneration and revitalisation of te reo Māori, a Fulbright Scholar and a Marsden Fund recipient.

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Waikato Medical School moves a step closer

Source: University of Waikato

The University of Waikato has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a third New Zealand medical school in the Waikato region.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley says the MoU, signed with the Ministry of Health, is a significant step towards addressing health workforce needs and reducing New Zealand’s heavy reliance on importing doctors from overseas.

“The University of Waikato has long advocated that an investment in a third medical school is part of the solution to our current and future health workforce needs. It will provide a new model of medical education in New Zealand, with new entry pathways attracting a more diverse range of students. It will be new approach to matching medical education with our actual workforce needs, and a new approach to integrating provincial and rural communities into the medical education programme.”

Professor Quigley says the University will now work with the Government to provide the business case for the medical school.

“We are committed to the medical school and to working with partners in other parts of New Zealand, as well as to building a full range of allied health programmes.”

He says the current situation is not going to materially improve if nothing changes. “We need to train more doctors, we need to select students from a wider range of backgrounds who are committed to long-term careers in primary care outside the main centres and we need to place these students in the regions where they are needed.”

Professor Quigley says the University of Waikato plans to have an intake of up to 120 medical students each year chosen from students who have already completed an undergraduate degree. The students would receive four years of intensive, practical medical education. This graduate-entry model is used by many of the world’s highest ranked medical schools and is the dominant model of medical education in Australia.

The University of Waikato has been building its capability in health and is proud of the success of its newly-established nursing programme, with the student intake increasing from 40 in 2021 to more than 210 in 2023, in response to severe staff shortages in both the region’s and the nation’s health workforce.

The University is also developing programmes for other health professions in direct response to stakeholder needs within the region and the country.

Professor Quigley says the University of Waikato is well placed to deliver a new medical school and it has widespread stakeholder support to do so.

“We look forward to working with the Government on the processes required to facilitate the medical school.”

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Economics Forum to push boundaries on NZ’s big issues

Source: University of Waikato

The New Zealand Economics Forum 2024 provides a critical opportunity to discuss some of New Zealand’s most pressing socio-economic challenges and opportunities, amidst a significant shift in our country’s political landscape.

Proudly hosted by the University of Waikato on 15-16 February 2024, the annual Forum will bring together some of New Zealand’s top thinkers and leaders to discuss and debate the economic challenges and opportunities ahead for the country.

Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Waikato Management School, Matt Bolger, says: “The global economy remains hugely volatile. While inflation shows signs of slowing, countries around the world continue to face enormous cost-of-living challenges. There are also political and economic impacts from the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and a demanding regulatory landscape as countries grapple to achieve net-zero goals.

“The Forum is a chance for policy makers and business leaders, academics and community advocates to come together. The debate and insight support informed decisions that will help to build a strong and thriving economy and society.”

Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Waikato Management School, Matt Bolger.

Setting the scene for the days ahead, the Forum will be opened with a keynote from Finance Minister Nicola Willis. As the Government nears the end of its first 100-days, she will explore the steps ahead and how the new Government plans to support a strong economy for all New Zealanders and their families.

The discussion will continue with a ‘health check’ of New Zealand’s own health system, and a look at how our growing and ageing population will shape our country in the years ahead. Panel sessions include a discussion on the disruptors that face our agriculture sector, as well as a session on global trade in a divided world and an in-depth look at New Zealand’s monetary policy.

Day two will open with a keynote by Adrian Orr, Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua. This will be followed by an update from Treasury on the state of the country’s books, with a talk from Caralee McLiesh, Chief Executive and Secretary, New Zealand Treasury.

Other topics include infrastructure and how we unclog the arteries for growth; whether a social investment approach may change policy and outcomes; and what will happen to our climate and weather – and how we’ll have to adapt – if emissions aren’t curbed.

“We are glad to once again bring together an exceptional range of speakers and experts. The Forum will be two days of debate, discussion and insight. It serves not just as a briefing to the incoming government, but to anyone interested with the key issues facing our country,” says Matt Bolger.

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‘People, Cities, Nature,’ leads the charge in restoring nature in cities

Source: University of Waikato

University of Waikato researchers are changing the way we co-exist with nature through a funded research programme with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Led by the University’s Professor Bruce Clarkson and supported by Programme Manager Dr Rachel Nepia, the People, Cities, Nature initiative focuses on restoring Indigenous flora and fauna in urban environments while fostering a reconnection between people and the environment.

Urban areas are home to 87% of New Zealand’s population and are key in solving the global diversity crisis and improving human wellbeing.

“We’re exploring how we can reintegrate trees, plants and animals into New Zealand cities and towns to enhance the quality of life, health and economic wellbeing,” says Dr Nepia.

The programme has four key focus areas: residential design for biodiversity; restoring urban wildlife; urban soil biodiversity and health; and mātauranga-led restoration.

With nearly two decades of delivering world-class research on urban nature restoration, People, Cities, Nature now engages 25 researchers across New Zealand and Australia, including participation from University of Waikato postgraduate students.

The programme collaborates with local and regional councils, businesses and iwi to facilitate meaningful change.

“We face a lot of barriers when trying to reintroduce nature into cities and buildings, such as population density and budget constraints. We must continue collaborating with these groups and supplying research, so we can enact positive change,” says Dr Nepia.

A series of wānanga were held with iwi in Hamilton in 2023, exploring traditional knowledge relating to the nature and history of cities. A final wānanga is scheduled for February 2024, and an upcoming conference involving regional and city councils will also aim to disseminate research findings and their implications.

People, Cities, Nature played a role in advocating for 10% native vegetation cover in New Zealand cities, which has since been adopted in the new National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity policy, enacted in August 2023. In 2007 a survey of 20 New Zealand cities showed an average of only 2% native landcover.

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New evidence changes key ideas about Earth’s climate history

Source: University of Waikato

A new study published in Science resolves a long-standing scientific debate, and it stands to completely change the way we think about Earth’s climate evolution.

The research debunks the idea that Earth’s surface (across land and sea) has experienced really hot temperatures over the last two billion years. Instead, it shows that Earth has had a relatively stable and mild climate.

Temperature is an important control over chemical reactions that govern life and our environment. This ground-breaking work will have significant implications for scientists working on climate models or questions surrounding biological and climate evolution.

“Knowledge of temperatures in the past can help us understand how the Earth’s climate system works and provide insight into the conditions that allowed for the origin and evolution of life,” says University of Waikato geochemist and lead author, Dr Terry Isson.

Understanding past temperatures and the evolution of life is not an exercise in history or pure intellectual curiosity but is vital for understanding future climate. The work underpins the modelling of present-day climate.

“We can’t use our planet as a large-scale lab to understand how the Earth works. Looking to the past provides a way to understand the processes that regulate the Earth’s climate.”

In the work Dr Isson and PhD student Sofia Rauzi adopted novel methods to illuminate a history of Earth’s surface temperature.

They utilised five unique data records derived from various rock types including shale, iron oxide, carbonate, silica, and phosphate. Collectively, these ‘geochemical’ records comprise over thirty thousand data points that span Earth’s multi-billion-year history.

To date, the study is the most comprehensive collation and interpretation of one of the oldest geochemical records – oxygen isotopes. Oxygen isotopes are different forms of the element oxygen. It is also the first study to use all five existing records to chart a consistent ‘map’ of temperature across an enormous portion of geological time.

“By pairing oxygen isotope records from different minerals, we have been able to reconcile a unified history of temperature on Earth that is consistent across all five records, and the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater,” says Dr Isson.

The study disproves ideas that early oceans were hot with temperatures greater than 60°C prior to approximately half a billion years ago, before the rise of animals and land plants. The data indicates relatively stable and temperate early-ocean and temperatures of around 10°C which upends current thinking about the environment that complex life evolved in.

“It also tells us there are naturally occurring processes that tightly regulate temperatures on Earth.”

The work produces the first ever record of the evolution of terrestrial (land-based) and marine clay abundance throughout Earth history. This is the first direct evidence for an intimate link between the evolution of plants, marine creatures that make skeletons and shells out of silica (siliceous life forms), clay formation, and global climate.

“The results suggest that marine clay formation may have played a key role in regulating climate on early Earth and sustaining the temperate conditions that allowed for the evolution and proliferation of life on Earth,” says Dr Isson.

Overall the work provides new evidence of the Earth’s climate and geochemical history that needs to be better understood to inform and update current ideas and research around climate and evolution.

Dr Isson concludes, “The results provide us with an impetus to deepen our understanding of how life both responds to, and shapes climate on Earth.”

Dr Isson’s research has been funded from a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship and a Marsden Fast Start Grant.

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New leader for Waikato Management School in Tauranga

Source: University of Waikato

The University of Waikato has appointed Dr Leon Fourie as the new Associate Dean for the Waikato Management School at its Tauranga campus.

Dr Fourie has more than 30 years of leadership experience in tertiary education, including as Chief Executive of Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology for the past seven years, and more recently as Wintec and Toi Ohomai Transitional Executive Lead for Te Pūkenga.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science and Management, Honours in Public Management, and Master of Performance Management from Stellenbosch University, and a PhD from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He is also a Woolf-Fisher scholar and completed the Senior Executive Educational Leadership programme at Harvard University.

Leon is a PBRF-rated researcher and serves on multiple national and international boards and associations. He is recognised as a values-based and energetic leader who is focused on building strong relationships and partnerships to achieve great results.

Waikato Management School Pro Vice-Chancellor Matt Bolger says Dr Fourie will play a pivotal role in the School’s strategy to grow student enrolments at the Tauranga campus and deepen connections with business and wider stakeholders in the community.

“We’re passionate about empowering people to grow thriving businesses, that are part of a thriving society and natural world. Being able to connect more students from across the Bay of Plenty into our excellent programmes really helps us achieve this.

“We’re delighted to have someone with Leon’s experience and relationships coming on board to help drive this work,” says Matt.

Dr Fourie offers a unique perspective on the key economic development priorities for the Bay of Plenty, drawing from experience collaborating with various corporate sectors and industry leaders, and has extensive networks across industry, government, community and iwi stakeholders.

“Deepening our connection and understanding of the needs of our stakeholders, iwi, partners, community and future learners across the Bay of Plenty will enable us to authentically respond with innovative, tailored products and delivery options that enable growth, opportunity and success for the region.

Dr Fourie will also contribute to teaching for the Master in Business Management, as well as engaging and supporting research across the Division.

Dr Fourie joined the University on 30 January and is based at the Tauranga campus.