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Horizons - University of Waikato
Horizons
THE MAGAZINE O F T HE UN I V E RSI TY OF WA I KATO   ISSUE 6: MARCH 2017

  SECURITY on
  the rise
  Addressing issues in the Cloud
  and on the ground

  A Top New
  Zealander
  An educator making a significant difference

  Sharing the
  power
  Designing medical interventions
  that work
Horizons - University of Waikato
Whether you want to fast-track your career,
change direction or enhance your
employability, a postgraduate qualification
from the University of Waikato will set you
up for where the world is going.
PhD student Jack Pronger is researching pasture types
and their resistance to drought. It’s research that will
be useful to New Zealand’s farmers. Join students like
Jack and play a part in the country’s future.

Choose from our range of postgraduate programmes
including honours and masters degrees, graduate
and postgraduate diplomas and certificates.

To find out more about postgraduate study at
Waikato, visit waikato.ac.nz/study/postgrad
Horizons - University of Waikato
FROM THE
                                                                    VICE-CHANCELLOR

 13                                                                 T
                                                                           his issue of Horizons has a strong focus on issues arising
                                                                           from the ubiquitous use of internet communication
                                                                           in modern society. Cybercrime is one of the most
                                                                    important threats arising from this reliance on the internet

What’s inside
                                                                    and it will be part of the focus for the University’s new
                                                                    Institute for Security and Crime Science. This Institute will in
                                                                    turn be closely engaged with the new Centre for Evidence-
                                                                    Based Policing in Wellington, a research centre established
Investing in Crime Science                                     3    by NZ Police with the University of Waikato as the primary
                                                                    partner assisting police in their work to prevent crime and
Unlocking our geological past                                  5
                                                                    protect the public. Reflecting this area of strength at the
A leader in education                                         6-7   University of Waikato, in April this year we will host more
                                                                    than 400 cyber security experts from around the world for the
New deans, new ideas                                           8    annual International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
Old bones overturn migration theory                            9    event responsible for cyber security international standards,
                                                                    such as the ISO/IEC 27000 series.
Sharing the power                                        10-11
                                                                    More and more, universities, other research institutes and
Getting the best honey                                        13
                                                                    organisations are collaborating on projects, bringing a cross-
Awards for education research                                 15    section of knowledge, skills and ideas to the research pool and
                                                                    securing outcomes that can have wide application. You can
PR in troubled times                                          19    read about some of these collaborations in this issue.

                                                                    Late last year the School of Māori and Pacific Development
GETTING IN TOUCH                                                    changed its name to the Faculty of Māori and Indigenous
If you are interested in working with the University of Waikato,    Studies to better reflect its teaching, research and outreach.
go to waikato.ac.nz/research, or email research@waikato.ac.nz       Staff from the Faculty, and from Management are working
                                                                    with the Waikato DHB and Māori health providers to develop
ISSN 2423-0545 (print)
                                                                    a workable framework to improve health outcomes for Māori
ISSN 2423-0553 (online)                                             in remote areas, while Associate Professor Maui Hudson has
                                                                    been leading a Health Research Council project to develop
Writing: Alison Robertson (editor), Ann Huston, Nicola Lee,         culturally informed guidelines to protect Māori interests in
Joanna Green.                                                       biobanking and genomic research.
Photography: Ann Huston, Craig Brown, Jeremy Tritt,                 It is always gratifying to see academic research applied in
Alison Robertson.
                                                                    communities and having an impact. A fine example of that
                                                                    is the work done by Associate Professor Mere Berryman to
SUSTAINABILITY                                                      raise the level of Māori achievement in schools. She was one
This publication has been printed with vegetable-based inks         of three finalists for Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year. Four
and environmentally responsible papers, supporting the growth       other academics in the field of Education were recipients of
of responsible forest management worldwide. This document           New Zealand Association for Research in Education awards.
is printed throughout on Impress Satin, which is FSC certified
and from responsible sources, manufactured under ISO14001           As Vice-Chancellor I am committed to the highest levels of
Environmental Management Systems. The University of Waikato         external engagement, and to quality research. I encourage you
is committed to reducing its environmental footprint.               to contact our Research Office at research@waikato.ac.nz if
                                                                    you are interested in working with the University of Waikato.
                                                                    We look forward to your support as we continue to build our
                                                                    profile as one of the great applied research universities.

                                                                    PROFESSOR NEIL QUIGLEY
Horizons - University of Waikato
Horizons – research with impact

    Dr Ryan Ko

2     University of Waikato
Horizons - University of Waikato
New Crime
                    Science Institute
   Crime science is an emerging field of study that aims to develop a fast, practical and
effective scientific approach to crime prevention using data analysis to identify patterns.

P
      olice services in the US and UK        interpretation, psychology, sociology,         its state-of-the-art research capability
      are partnering with universities to    economics, political science, engineering,     to complement and assist crime
      reduce crime by enabling the use       law, and cyber security.                       science research.
of evidence-based policing in real time.
Now New Zealand is following suit.           Big data is a crucial component in crime       Professor Holmes says it was logical to
                                             analysis and staff at the National Institute   introduce new qualifications at the same
At the University of Waikato’s Hamilton      for Demographic and Economic Analysis          time as launching the Security and
Campus the Institute for Security            (NIDEA) at Waikato will be feeding into        Crime Science Institute. With support
and Crime Science incorporates four          the new Institute as NIDEA has access          from NZ Police, the University has
interlinked components; theories of crime    to the Integrated Data Infrastructure          developed a Master of Security and Crime
science, modelling and analysis of data on   Suite that provides direct, secure access      Science (MSCS), the first qualification of
crime and security issues in New Zealand,    to Statistics New Zealand’s datasets.          its kind in New Zealand and targeted at
the use of computer science to assist        The FCMS’ Machine Learning Group               current and future law enforcement and
evidence-based police work, and research     and Centre for Open Source Innovation          security practitioners.
in psychology relevant to criminal           (COSI), which contains the world-leading
behaviour and police processes, such as                                                     The Institute will continue working with
                                             pattern analysis tools WEKA (open-source
taking evidence from witnesses.                                                             NZ Police and Environmental Science
                                             data mining software) and MOA (Massive
Professor Geoff Holmes, Dean of              Online Analysis), will also be feeding         and Research (ESR) to develop research
Waikato’s Faculty of Computing and           information to the Institute.                  programmes aligned with “Policing
Mathematical Sciences (FCMS) says the                                                       Excellence: The Future”, NZ Police’s new
                                             Waikato University is also home to the         strategy document.
Institute is a great opportunity for staff
                                             Traffic and Road Safety (TARS) Research
and students to do high impact, cross-
                                             Group, an independent provider of quality      The University has made three key
disciplinary research and teaching.
                                             research for NZ Police, Foundation for         appointments to the institute; Professors
Crime science is multi-disciplinary,         Science, Transfund, Road Safety Trust,         of Psychology Maryanne Garry and
covering topics as diverse as geographic     Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ), ACC,        Devon Polaschek, and Dr Joe Burton,
profiling, mathematical modelling            and local and regional road controlling        a Senior Lecturer in Political Science and
of patterns, hypothesis testing and          authorities. The Group will be using           Public Policy.

   CYBER SECURITY SKILLS TASKFORCE            professionals available to help defend        organisations to protect themselves
   Dr Ryan Ko, head of the cyber security     the country against cyber attacks,            from the increasing threat of cyber-
   programme at Waikato University, is        which cost the New Zealand economy            attacks. "New Zealand is competing
   one of eight people selected by the        $257 million last year.                       for talent in a global market and it’s
   government to be part of a Cyber                                                         important the Taskforce looks at ways
                                              A pathway will be established for
   Security Skills Taskforce to address                                                     in which New Zealand can grow its
                                              junior analysts, including a level 6
   the shortage of cyber professionals in                                                   own talent," Dr Ko says.
                                              qualification and industry-supported
   New Zealand.
                                              internships, to be developed this
                                                                                            The Taskforce will be led by Hewlett
   Dr Ko has extensive experience             year. With a growing global shortage
                                              of cyber security professionals, it’s         Packard Enterprises Chief Technology
   in cybersecurity skill and training
   development, including establishing the    estimated there will be a global              Officer David Eaton, and includes
   New Zealand Cyber Security Challenge.      workforce shortfall of between one            representatives from academia and
   The Taskforce will focus on practical      to two million positions by 2019.             industry to ensure training meets the
   actions to increase the number of cyber    This shortage is limiting the ability of      needs of industry.

                                                                                                                       Summer 2017       3
Horizons - University of Waikato
Horizons – research with impact

Major Security forum coming to nz
C
       yber security experts from around         member nations such as China. This is a         organisations in their countries with only
       the world will be gathering at the        great achievement for New Zealand cyber         one member per country. ISO standards are
       University of Waikato in April for        security on the global stage.”                  developed by groups of international experts
the annual International Organization for                                                        in response to requests from industry or
Standardization (ISO) event responsible          ISO standards provide global alignment
                                                                                                 other stakeholders such as consumer groups.
for cyber security international standards.      of definitions, industry best practices,
                                                 frameworks and technical guidelines             Dr Ko is also the principal investigator of
Event co-convenor and University of              derived from subject-matter experts and         the six-year $12.2 million MBIE-funded
Waikato Head of Cyber Security Lab Dr            member country standards bodies.                project STRATUS which aims to create
Ryan Ko says the event will bring about                                                          a suite of security tools, techniques and
400 cyber security experts together.             The cyber security ISO standards
                                                 influence the policy and governance of          capabilities that return control of data to
Hosted by USA-based Cloud Security               information systems and assets such as          Cloud computing users. Now in its second
Alliance (CSA) on behalf of Standards New        critical data.                                  year, STRATUS – Security Technologies
Zealand and supported by the University                                                          Returning Accountability, Trust and User-
of Waikato and Tourism New Zealand, the          “By aligning with the standards,                centric Services in the Cloud – is a team
28th ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 27 Plenary and             organisations can assess their current state,   of leading cloud security researchers and
Working Group Meetings will be held at the       identify gaps within their processes, and       practitioners from University of Waikato,
University of Waikato from 18-25 April 2017.     plan a roadmap to align to an international     University of Auckland, Unitec Institute of
                                                 security baseline,” says Dr Ko. “The ISO        Technology and Cloud Security Alliance.
“This cyber security event is one of two held    standards are important for exporters as
each year by the Swiss-based International       well. Products from organisations adhering       “Currently, when we store and process
Organization for Standardization (ISO), and      to the standards meet high criteria which       data in the cloud, we need to trust
helps shape how the industry moves and           ensures ongoing trade.”                         cloud computing company staff that
operates,” says Dr Ko.                                                                           they will not abuse their rights,” says
                                                 Dr Ko says the University of Waikato
“The SC 27 working groups create and                                                             Dr Ko. “STRATUS removes the need
                                                 aligns to the ISO/IEC 27001 standard,
manage prominent international security                                                          to rely on trust, but rather, empower
                                                 which allows it to plan a framework of
and privacy standards such as the ISO/                                                           users with actual control and visibility
                                                 preventative measures and security.
IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27018, which are                                                           over the changes in their data. Several
used to evaluate the best practices of           ISO is an independent, non-governmental         techniques to track the life cycle of data,
major organisations. With the support of         international organisation with a               and to process encrypted data have been
Tourism New Zealand, we were able to             membership of 163 national standards            developed and are now commercialised
win the hosting bid ahead of prominent           bodies, which are the foremost standards        with New Zealand partners.”

      NATO’S DURABILITY IN THE SPOTLIGHT
O
         ne of the new academics working         Amongst other results, the research found
         closely with the Institute for          that there is strong appetite in
         Security and Crime Science is Dr        New Zealand for an ongoing partnership
Joe Burton. He lectures in Cyber Security        with NATO, the world’s pre-eminent
and Cyber Warfare, and International             military organisation, and that maintaining
Security, Strategy and Technology. His           these linkages is seen as an important goal
PhD examined NATO’s durability in the            of New Zealand’s foreign and security
post-Cold War period, particularly how the       policy. As part of its engagement to date,
alliance has adapted to address emerging         New Zealand has already contributed to
                                                 the NATO anti-piracy maritime mission.
security challenges.
                                                                                                   Dr Joe Burton
                                                 Dr Burton says New Zealand interviewees
Recently, at NATO’s headquarters in
                                                 saw particular benefits in working with
Brussels, Dr Burton presented the results of     NATO on a variety of emerging security          Dr Burton’s current research interests relate
a multinational two-year research project        challenges, including cyber security and        to how regional security co-operation is
funded by NATO's Science for Peace               maritime security. “NATO has become             emerging on cyber security issues in both
Programme which examined how five of             one of the most advanced actors on cyber        the Euro Atlantic and Asia Pacific regions,
NATO’s Global Partners – New Zealand,            issues in world affairs and has implemented     and how new technologies, including
Australia, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia –     a collective cyber defence policy to deter      AI, drones, and cyber capabilities, are
perceive NATO’s role in international affairs.   cyber attacks against its members,” he says.    beginning to affect international security.

4   University of Waikato
Horizons - University of Waikato
Dr Adam Hartland

                           Unlocking our
                          geological past
A
      University of Waikato scientist         Wales. He was promoted to Senior               “Caves can be thought of as nature’s
      has been awarded a Rutherford           Lecturer in Geochemistry at Waikato            vaults,” says Dr Hartland.
      Discovery Fellowship – a first for      in 2014.
the University.                                                                              “They contain archives of Earth’s past
                                              His study addresses the need to find new       climate in deposits collectively termed
Ten Rutherford Discovery Fellowships,         ways of working out the exact range of         speleothems. Common examples are
which are administered by the Royal           past rainfall and air temperature variations   stalagmites and stalactites, but many
Society of New Zealand, are awarded on        over the recent geological past (up to the     other cave formations can provide
a competitive basis annually for research     last 10,000 years).                            valuable insights which can inform our
based in a New Zealand host institution.                                                     understanding of how our environment
The fellowships support the development       “The fellowship will enhance my ability        changes through time.
of future research leaders, and assist with   to drive my own research, giving me time
                                                                                             “Speleothems offer many advantages:
the retention and repatriation of             to focus on developing new insights while
                                                                                             they record information at high time
New Zealand’s talented early- to              providing flexible funding to follow these
                                                                                             resolution, from months to years, to
mid-career researchers.                       lines of enquiry,” says Dr Hartland.
                                                                                             decades, and can form continuously
                                              Using new approaches including trace           for many millennia. They can be dated
School of Science Senior Lecturer Dr Adam                                                    very precisely using radio-isotopes, and
Hartland has been granted $800,000 over       elements and magnetism, the project will
                                              develop new records of the past climate        they give us information from the major
five years for his project “Unlocking the                                                    landmasses where people live,”
karst record: quantitative proxies of past    of the region, focusing on the major
                                                                                             Dr Hartland says.
climates from speleothems.”                   climate mode of El Niño – Southern
                                              Oscillation (ENSO). Combining cave             Speleothems can provide information on
Dr Hartland came to the University of         monitoring, laboratory experiments and         climatic changes of greatest relevance to
Waikato in December 2012 as a Lecturer,       cutting-edge geochemical measurements,         human civilisations, and can inform the
having completed a Postdoctoral               the new records produced will alter the        changes our climate is likely to show in
Fellowship in groundwater geochemistry        existing understanding of cave science         the coming decades resulting from
at Australia’s University of New South        and the climate of this region.                human activities.”

                                                                                                                       Summer 2017       5
Horizons - University of Waikato
Horizons – research with impact

           Waikato academic leading
          system change in education
     Associate Professor Mere Berryman ONZM has been pushing for “equity and
excellence” in New Zealand classrooms for more than 20 years. This year her work was
 acknowledged nationwide when she was named one of three finalists in the Kiwibank
New Zealander of the Year Awards for her initiatives to lift Māori student achievement.

D
        r Berryman’s mission began         others started to cause me grave concern,”   teachers blamed the students, yet I could
        with a germ of an idea she had     she says. “Māori students weren’t doing      see, despite some of them coming from
        when working as a teacher at       as well, and nobody seemed to see it as      some harsh backgrounds, they were
Mount Maunganui Intermediate in the        a problem but me. It was patronising and     full of potential. But I felt like I was the
early 1990s.                               accepted; it was seen as normal."            ambulance at the bottom of the cliff,
                                                                                        so I made the decision to leave classroom
“The disparity between the participation   “Only the principal supported me when        teaching and become a researcher, in
and achievement of Māori students and      I tried to address the problem. Other        search of some answers.”

                                                                                        Those answers then became programmes,
                                                                                        picked up by schools throughout
                                                                                        New Zealand and used as a template
                                                                                        in other countries. First there was Te
                                                                                        Kotahitanga, then He Kākano, followed by
                                                                                        Kia Eke Panuku: Building on Success.

                                                                                        Starting out as a researcher didn’t come
                                                                                        easily for Dr Berryman. Initially, after a
                                                                                        round of door knocking, she found funding
                                                                                        from Ross Wilson, then CEO of Specialist
                                                                                        Education Services. Later, Professor Ted
                                                                                        Glynn was appointed chair in Education
                                                                                        at Waikato University, and later still,
                                                                                        Professor Russell Bishop took up a chair in
                                                                                        Māori Education. They worked together,
                                                                                        driven by similar aims. At the same time,
                                                                                        Dr Berryman was enrolled in the Faculty
                                                                                        of Education at Waikato, completing
                                                                                        masters and doctoral degrees, all the
                                                                                        while adding to her research portfolio.

                                                                                        Together with Māori elders and others,
                                                                                        Dr Berryman and Professor Glynn’s first
                                                                                        research contract was secured in 1995,
                                                                                        to research ways to help parents and
                                                                                        schools better manage learning and
                                                                                        behaviour in both settings. Once Professor
                                                                                        Bishop arrived at Waikato, they developed
                                                                                        Te Kotahitanga, which supported teachers
                                                                                        to improve Māori students’ learning and
                                                                                        achievement and to provide culturally
                                                                                        responsive contexts for learning.
                                                                                        “It’s widely regarded as the most
                                                                                        effective programme of professional
                                                                                        learning and development of its type,”
    Associate Professor Mere Berryman
                                                                                        Dr Berryman says.

6     University of Waikato
Horizons - University of Waikato
Students from William Colenso College, Napier

Te Kotahitanga is the only New Zealand           “Kia Eke Panuku has strong academic         Kia Eke Panuku and says Dr Berryman
programme to ever win a World                    theory behind it but has practical          has had important input into system
Innovation Summit for Education                  solutions. It has led our staff to          change. “She is a trusted advisor across
(WISE) Award.                                    constantly reflect and improve their        education agencies including the
                                                 teaching practice. Staff and student        Ministry, the Auditor General and ERO.
He Kākano focussed on culturally                 interaction has become more responsive      It’s also about teaching people to value
responsive leadership and Kia Eke
                                                 and reciprocal.”                            bicultural partnerships. It can’t be done
Panuku: Building on Success built on that.
                                                                                             by schools alone.”
The programmes were funded by the                Since 2010 student achievement has
Ministry of Education. Kia Eke Panuku is a       steadily improved at William Colenso        Dr Berryman is currently involved in
strategic change-management approach             College, and last year Māori student        the new Investing in Education Success
that requires all participants to self-          achievement at NCEA Level 3 surpassed       policy of professional development
review their evidence of Māori students’         all other students.                         the Ministry is running, working in an
participation and achievement. They                                                          expert advisor role with a number of
must be open to the views of others,             Mr Murfitt and Dr Berryman have
                                                                                             communities of learning. She is also a
and to make the necessary personal and           addressed international audiences,
                                                                                             member of the academic advisory group
professional changes to ensure Māori             in Qatar and Canada about culturally
                                                                                             working with the Education Council
students enjoy and achieve educational           responsive pedagogies; how programmes
                                                                                             Leadership Strategy. Alongside that she
success as Māori. Kia Eke Panuku was             such as Kia Eke Panuku and Te
                                                                                             continues to teach Masters-level papers,
led by the University of Waikato with            Kotahitanga can be implemented,
                                                                                             supervise higher degrees, publish, and
contributions from teams from the                and demonstrating their positive effects
                                                                                             seek out research funding.
University of Auckland and Te Whare              in schools and families when students
Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. It was adopted           can enter a system that acknowledges        This month Dr Berryman will be
by 94 secondary schools throughout               their culture.                              speaking at the University of Exeter
New Zealand.                                                                                 about ‘Decolonising Teacher Education’.
                                                 Dr Berryman has gained satisfaction from
William Colenso College in Napier has                                                        Next month she’ll be at the Education
                                                 knowing her work has had substantial
a role of 410 students, 65% of whom                                                          and Ethnic Studies Summit at Chapman
                                                 influence. “ERO, for example, is building
identify as Māori. Principal Daniel Murfitt                                                  University in California.
                                                 its evaluation principles based on our
first started working with Dr Berryman in        research. We know it’s not okay for Māori
2010 when, with support from his board,          to leave their culture at home any more.
they also introduced Te Kotahitanga.             Students should be able to enjoy learning
Two years ago they implemented Kia Eke                                                        Interested in working
                                                 and achieve success as Māori,” she says.
Panuku school-wide and Mr Murfitt says                                                        with Waikato?
the programme is now “business as usual”         Elizabeth Eley from the Ministry of
                                                                                              Email research@waikato.ac.nz
at the College.                                  Education worked with Dr Berryman on

                                                                                                                       Summer 2017       7
Horizons - University of Waikato
Horizons – research with impact

    Professor Tim Coltman and Professor Mark Dyer

                      NEW DEANS, NEW IDEAS
T
        wo new Deans at the University              earth and creativity, putting people at        and data management software and
        of Waikato come with plenty of              the centre. I think you’re likely to get       services with customers in 148 countries.
        industry experience. Professor Mark         change for the better if you work from the     He’s currently in discussions with SAS to
Dyer has joined the School of Engineering           bottom up rather than decreeing from the       develop a Business Analytics Masterclass
from Trinity College, Dublin, where for nine        top down,” he says.                            that they will market to industry in
years he led TrinityHaus, an interdisciplinary
research centre, to provide innovative              The support for multi-disciplinary study       Australia and New Zealand.
solutions for buildings, neighbourhoods and         and application is echoed by new Dean of
cities. Before this he spent many years in          Waikato Management School Professor            Professor Coltman has worked with
the construction sector.                            Tim Coltman.                                   Ports Australia investigating ways to use
                                                                                                   technology to guide ships into ports
The influence or impact engineering                 “I think business schools need to realise      from shore-based operations, rather
can have on improving or shaping                    it’s not so much about educating business      than having pilots go out to ships and
environments for the better is a big part           students but teaching students how to
of Professor Dyer’s work. As a consultant                                                          put themselves at risk. “It’s complex
                                                    do business in the 21st century, whether
he advised the UK Research Council and                                                             research, but it’s also fun. It’s not just
                                                    they’re from the arts, science, engineering
the UK’s Environment Agency on flood                or computing, even education,” Professor       about developing a technological solution.
risk, contamination and land remediation.                                                          It’s getting everyone in the ecosystem
                                                    Coltman says.
“As a consultant I was always looking                                                              on board – legislators, insurers, the
                                                    “The challenge moving forward is to find       pilots themselves, technology partners
at ways to see if we could do things
differently, maybe faster, with less risk, or       new ways to balance the pressure for           and owners, for example. My research
more cheaply, or looking for alternatives.          scholarly rigour with the business need for    is designed to assist port executives to
Returning to academia enabled me to                 research relevance.”
                                                                                                   decide when to move, and at what pace
explore new industrial technologies or                                                             to introduce new innovations.”
                                                    Professor Coltman’s research is primarily
design techniques to promote innovation
                                                    in the areas of technological innovation
which would never be possible in industry.                                                         It currently takes about a decade to
                                                    and the management of innovation. His
“At TrinityHaus we took a multi-                    latest publication is the result of a two-     get a major innovation idea to market,
disciplinary approach to engineering,               year project with SAS, a market-leading        Professor Coltman says. “I’d like to find a
including space (design), energy, air, water,       provider of analytics, business intelligence   way to shorten the process.”

8     University of Waikato
Katy Anderson and Dr Fiona Petchey

                        Old bones overturn
                         migration theory
P
      acific migration theory has been      To their great surprise – the ancient        “When it comes to obtaining accurate
      turned on its head with new           sailors carried no trace of ancestry from    dates, context is one of the most
      research findings that show           people who settled Papua New Guinea          important considerations, and directly
prehistoric Polynesians were East Asians    more than 40,000 years ago, which is         dating the human remains often gives us
who swept out into the Pacific, and it      in contrast to all present-day Pacific       the best context possible,” she says.
wasn’t until much later that Melanesians,   islanders who derive at least one-quarter
probably men, ventured out into Oceania     of their ancestry from Papuans. Instead,     “Disturbance is a common problem
and mixed with Polynesians.                 the women all shared their ancestry          in archaeological sites and by dating
                                            with the indigenous Atayal people in         the burials we could be sure that the
Dr Fiona Petchey from the University of     Taiwan and the Kankanaey people in           scientists were testing the first settlers.
Waikato’s Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory     the Philippines. This means that the
worked with academics from Harvard,         Remote Oceanian pioneers swept past          “What the individual ate can also impact
University College Dublin and the Max       the archipelago that surrounds New           on the age since 14C [radiocarbon] is not
Planck Institute for the Science of Human   Guinea without much sexual engagement        evenly distributed between the ocean
History in Germany to extract ancient       with local people.                           and terrestrial environments. Incorrect
DNA from the skeletons of four ancient
women from the islands of Vanuatu and       The results overturn the leading             interpretation of the dietary 14C input
Tonga, dated to 2300 to 3100 years ago,     genetic model for this last great            can shift the ages by hundreds of years –
including three directly associated with    movement of humans to unoccupied             this is where my research comes in,” says
what’s known as the Lapita culture.         but habitable lands.                         Dr Petchey. “In this case we were sent 36
                                                                                         bone samples and our job was to isolate
The research has been described as a        Dr Fiona Petchey has been investigating
                                                                                         the protein to determine the age.”
“game-changer”.                             the tricky problem of dating bone from
                                            these early Pacific colonists for the last   The C14 signal can tell us what people ate
The team sequenced the DNA at up to         10 years. Her research has included the
                                                                                         when they were alive. “In Pacific people’s
231,000 positions across the genomes        investigation of the age of 10 different
of each skeleton and compared the                                                        case it’s likely to be marine and earth-
                                            Lapita burial grounds, including the sites
sequences to those of nearly 800 present-   of Teouma (Vanuatu) and Talasiu (Tonga)      grown foods. The percentages allow us to
day people from 83 populations in East      which were studied as part of the ancient    work out a correct time period by refining
Asia and Oceania.                           genome research.                             and measuring the graphite.”

                                                                                                                      Summer 2017      9
Horizons – research with impact

Sharing the power

Diabetes research participant Wendy Easter from Te Kohao Health and Rewa Gilbert, community researcher at Te Kohao Health, and University of Waikato
researcher Moana Rarere.

10    University of Waikato
New Zealand’s public health system is far from perfect. Despite constant policy
revision and well-intentioned interventions, people still fall through the cracks.
 Often it’s the people in rural and remote areas, particularly Māori, who suffer
                   most through lack of access to health care.

A
        s part of the National Science        people with diabetes (mostly type 2) in      own programmes, “what’s best for them,
        Healthier Lives Challenge, a large    New Zealand; 38,500 of them are Māori.       using information that we can access.”
        cross-sector group has come                                                        The plan is to first implement the
together to work on improving access to       Moana Rarere from the National               framework across two health providers,
                                              Institute for Demographic and Economic
good health care. The project is called He                                                 and then take it wider to ultimately effect
                                              Analysis at the University of Waikato is
Pikinga Waiora and its focus is diabetes.                                                  change at policy level.
                                              project manager for He Pikinga Waiora,
Associate Professor Maui Hudson from          linking with stakeholders, maintaining       Professor Oetzel, a communications
                                              partnerships with community groups           specialist, has experience working with
the University of Waikato is leading the
                                              and providing research assistance. “I see    remote communities in the USA on
project with co-principal investigators
                                              this project as all about helping whānau,”   health projects. “We’re not looking for a
Professor John Oetzel from the University     she says. “I’m excited to be a part of
and Dr Nina Scott from the Waikato DHB.                                                    one-size fits all solution here. We want
                                              it, getting to work alongside community      communities to take ownership of this
They are working with representatives and     groups gathering meaningful data
community researchers from the Poutiri                                                     project – to work with us to design
                                              that will be used to shape good,
                                                                                           sustainable interventions, so we need
Trust and Te Kohao Health plus other          workable interventions.”
                                                                                           multiple stakeholders; that’s important.
researchers from the University, Wintec,
                                              The researchers have developed an            It’s a complex thing, but by bringing
and ESR (Environmental Science
                                              implementation framework that has            communities into the conversation to
and Research).
                                              indigenous self-determination at its         work on processes that are inclusive, the
The researchers are tasked with creating      core. It is made up for four elements, all   end result will be interventions that are
an intervention to address diabetes           of which have demonstrated evidence          more sustainable.”
                                              of positive outcomes. Those elements
among Māori. “To help people make                                                          Dr Nina Scott, a clinician who works for
                                              are cultural centeredness, community
life-style changes services need to engage                                                 the DHB in public health and policy and
                                              engagement, systems thinking, and
in a culturally meaningful manner,”           integrated knowledge translation.            research, says more than ownership, it’s
says Associate Professor Hudson. “There is                                                 about “sharing the power”.
evidence to say interventions do work,        The framework is intended as a planning
but those interventions aren’t being done.”   tool to guide the successful development     “The medical environment is a massive
                                              and implementation of interventions.         challenge, but with research we plan to
The Ministry of Health Virtual Diabetes       Associate Professor Hudson says they         find out what will make it work for the
Register estimates there are 260,458          want community groups to design their        people who need it,” she says.

   AGEING WELL CHALLENGE                       independence and, in particular,            holistic, and cultural approach to
   FOR KAUMĀTUA UNDERWAY                       significant life-transitions.               meet the social and health needs of
   Significant disparities exist between                                                   kaumātua and their whānau. “Instead
                                               The model comprises two stages:
   Māori and non-Māori around poor             training of kaumātua who will then          of thinking of the elderly as a burden,
   ageing and health outcomes, which in        serve as tuakana (peer educators) for       we need to re-comprehend older
   turn implicate individual, economic,        other kaumātua (teina/peers).               people as highly valuable assets to
   social and cultural costs. The Ageing                                                   Aotearoa New Zealand. So our research
   Well National Science Challenge             Principal Investigator on the project is    takes a strengths-based approach that
   ‘Kaumātua mana motuhake’ is seeking         Professor Brendan Hokowhitu, Dean           highlights the potential of kaumātua
   to find a solution to the disparity         of Waikato’s Faculty of Māori and
                                                                                           mana motuhake.
   through an inclusive style of research.     Indigenous studies (FMIS). Professor
                                               John Oetzel and Dr Mary Simpson             “We’ll be engaging with stakeholders
   The study, with MBIE funding of             from the University’s Management
   $915,000 for 2.5 years, was launched                                                    throughout the project with the aim
                                               Communication Department are also
   in Hamilton last month and is a                                                         of scaling-up the intervention to larger
                                               involved, having had a long association
   collaboration between the University of     with the Trust. They’ll be joined by        organisations if it demonstrates efficacy
   Waikato and the Rauawaawa Kaumātua          Māori researchers, kaumātua, and            and cost-effectiveness.”
   Charitable Trust. The research will         community health researchers.
   be based on a ‘tuakana-teina’ peer-                                                     Chair of the Trust Owen Purcell says the
   educator model looking at wellness,         Dr Simpson says they want the               study is an opportunity for kaumātua
   social connectedness, life enhancement,     outcome to be a strength-based,             voices to be heard.

                                                                                                                     Summer 2017       11
Horizons – research with impact

         Taking
        culture
          into
        account
                                                                       Associate Professor Maui Hudson

A
        s biomedical research practices       improve health outcomes. But where it           an international indigenous advisory
        become more sophisticated,            comes a bit unstuck is that in consenting       group. “Basically people who have an
        protecting the cultural and ethical   to donate tissue for what’s called ‘future      appreciation of the key issues Māori
interests of those who donate tissue or       unspecified research’, you are essentially      are facing in this area.”
take part in genomic research has become      consenting to be uninformed about how
more important than ever before.              your donations are being used.                  Sociologist Dr Barry Smith provided ethical
                                                                                              and analytical input to the project and
The University of Waikato’s Associate         “In the discussions we’ve been having           says it’s rare to have such specificity in a
Professor Maui Hudson led a Health            with Māori we were asking ‘what                 document that outlines ethical approaches
Research Council-funded national              would make you feel more comfortable            to a particular area of research. “So this
research project to develop culturally        about contributing to these kinds of            project is unique, and very rewarding in
informed guidelines for ethical research to   medical research practices, and how can         that respect, given that many guidelines are
protect Māori interests in biobanking and     these researchers maintain your trust           more generic in nature.”
genomic research.                             throughout the process?’”
                                                                                              Moe Milne, an independent consultant
                                              Part of the answer, Associate Professor         and Māori health advocate, facilitated
Te Mata Ira Genome and He Tangata
                                              Hudson says, is having robust guidelines        many of the conversations with Māori
Kei Tua Biobanking guidelines draw on
                                              that represent and protect Māori interests.     as the research team was gathering
the foundations of mātauranga (Māori
                                                                                              information. She says the more in-depth
knowledge) and tikanga (Māori protocols       “The resulting guidelines outline the           the explanations of genetic research are
and practices) to establish frameworks        cultural foundation and provide culturally      for Māori, the more likely they are to work
for researchers engaging with Māori for       grounded and ethical frameworks for             in partnership with researchers.
genomic research and biobanking.              biobanking and genomic research, along
                                              with guidance on engaging with Māori            “Māori want the opportunity to protect
Associate Professor Hudson says that          and appropriate methods for research and        their whakapapa, and genetic research can
with the increasing prevalence of genomic     the resulting analysis and reporting.”          provide an avenue for them to do that,
research, biobanks and the international                                                      but they want to understand it thoroughly
nature of research collaborations, it’s       Associate Professor Hudson and his              and come to a decision that encompasses
timely that Māori views on the practices      team of researchers, which included Dr          these learnings and their spiritual beliefs,”
are explored and, ultimately, protected.      Valmaine Toki from Waikato’s Te Piringa         says Ms Milne.
                                              Faculty of Law, consulted a wide range
“You have this altruistic factor where        of stakeholders to determine what was           “So what it comes down to is contributing
Māori genuinely want to help by               included in the guidelines, including iwi       to the wider good of genetic research, while
contributing to research that aims to         groups and scientists, with support from        maintaining those core values and beliefs.”

12   University of Waikato
Getting the best manuka honey
U
        niversity of Waikato Masters
        student Stevie Noe spends most
        days in a greenhouse collecting
and analysing nectar from Mānuka plants
in order to produce better honey.

“I’m measuring how much nectar is
produced in the flowers and how that
quality changes based on different
growing conditions such as temperature,
humidity and light,” he says.

Stevie tests the quality of the nectar
based on how much dihydroxyacetone                Stevie Noe
(DHA) is present. DHA converts to
methylglyoxal (MGO) which is the key            says. “Hopefully by the end of my study         two University of Waikato postgraduate
ingredient that gives Mānuka honey its          I’ll be able to tell growers how best to test   scholarships and Pre-Seed Accelerator
reputed health properties. The more DHA         their Mānuka plants to get top results out      Funding (PSAF) from the Ministry of
there is in the nectar, the more MGO            of their honey.”                                Science and Innovation.
there’ll be in the honey.
                                                Stevie won the University of Waikato’s
“Honey is a big deal at the moment.             Masters Three Minute Thesis (3MT)                Interested in working
The industry is trying to grow as there’s       competition where student researchers            with Waikato?
more demand than supply, and the                have to summarise their research in just
                                                                                                 Email research@waikato.ac.nz
government is backing this growth,” he          three minutes. He is also the recipient of

   HONEY BEES AND NATIVE FORESTS
   As part of a national science challenge
   to protect New Zealand’s biodiversity,
   improve biosecurity and enhance
   resilience to harmful organisms,
   Waikato University PhD student Rachel
   Nepia is researching the impact of
   the honey industry on indigenous
   biodiversity. She hopes this will lead to
   more effective management of apiaries
   on public conservation lands.

   The honey bee was introduced to New
   Zealand in 1839. Its population has
   doubled in the past five to 10 years.
   Rachel will look at the reach of honey
   bees in submontane forest (forest in the
   foothills or lower slopes of a mountain
   range) to see what native plant species        Rachel Nepia
   the honey bees are visiting and how
   that overlaps with native flower visitors.    “They have the potential to supplement         to plants, deterring other more effective
                                                 pollination of native plants, fill gaps        pollinators, and exacerbating invasive
   Honey bees have been seen to visit            created by extinct native pollinators,         weed issues. If honey bees are present
   about 180 native plants. Rachel aims to       and improve genetic diversity of               in large numbers they can deposit too
   find out if the bees contact all the right    fragmented plant populations. But              much pollen on the flowers they visit,
   parts of flowers to make pollination          introduced bees can also have negative         causing pollen crowding and lowering
   possible and how much pollen is taken.        impacts, including mechanical damage           reproductive success.”

                                                                                                                          Summer 2017       13
Horizons – research with impact

An App for Hamilton Gardens
T
      he million people who visit           enter a themed garden the app notifies
      Hamilton Gardens each year now        them that information on the garden
      have an app available to help         is available. Visitors can either read the
them get around the city’s number           information on their phones or listen to
one tourist destination.                    an audio version.
The University of Waikato has worked        Hamilton Gardens Business Development
with Hamilton Gardens staff to develop
                                            Manager Malcolm Hazelton says the app
the Android app that provides information
                                            tells the story of the history, meaning
about the history and design of the
themed gardens.                             and context of gardens throughout time.
                                            “Interpretation is such an important part
The app can be downloaded from the          of the gardens. I see the app being used by
Google Play store. It’s the work of staff   tourists and local visitors alike.”
from the Faculty of Computer Science,
led by Associate Professor Annika Hinze.    Mr Hazelton views the app as a starting
                                            point in a long-term collaboration with
“I’ve done a lot of work around location-   the University. “The potential for features
based app systems and it’s great to
                                            within the app to support our unique
develop one for something that’s so
                                            concept is unlimited. As new gardens are       Chinese Scholar’s Garden –
popular,” Dr Hinze says. She created the                                                   Hamilton Gardens
app based on a framework she’s been         opened we have the opportunity to tell
researching and developing for a            their stories too.”
number of years.                                                                           Interested in working
                                            An iOS app is under development and Dr
The app contains images and text and        Hinze says the next logical step would be      with Waikato?
is triggered as users move into the         to be able to listen to the commentary in
                                                                                           Email research@waikato.ac.nz
different garden spaces. When users         other languages.

A second Eureka moment for student

                                            A
                                                    n idea to turn wastewater into        can benefit New Zealand’s economic,
                                                    high-quality phosphate fertiliser     environmental and social wealth
                                                    earned University of Waikato          and wellbeing.
                                            engineering student Shalini Guleria second
                                            place in the 2016 Sir Paul Callaghan          “I proposed industrial wastewater be
                                            Eureka! Awards.                               converted to a high-quality phosphate
                                                                                          fertiliser called struvite,” she says.
                                            Shalini presented her idea during a           “Currently in New Zealand struvite
                                            12-minute presentation alongside six          formation is a problem in wastewater
                                            other undergraduate finalists from around     treatment facilities but I proposed that
                                            New Zealand. This is the second time          this problem is actually a solution to
                                            Shalini has had success at the Eureka!        some even bigger issues such as global
                                            Awards as she also placed second in 2014.     warming, depletion of a non-renewable
                                                                                          resource and water pollution.”
                                            The purpose of the annual awards is to
                                            identify and foster young leaders who         Shalini received a highly-commended
                                            will support economic growth through          award of $5000 for her second place in
                                            science, technology, engineering and maths    the competition.
                                            (STEM), while contributing to the late
                                            Sir Paul Callaghan’s goal of New Zealand      She was also awarded the $2500 Weta
                                            becoming “the most beautiful, stimulating     Digital Gold Scholarship for the most
                                            and exciting place in the world in which      innovative and creative engineering
 Shalini Guleria                            to live and work”. The key part of the        solution applying science for
                                            Eureka! Awards is to show how STEM ideas      technological innovation.

14   University of Waikato
Four awards
for education
   research

                                                                        Associate Professor Jenny Lee-Morgan

F
     our University of Waikato               education policy in Europe. At almost 1.1         assessment system. Professor Thrupp's new
     researchers won awards for their        million euros, this study was one of the          book based on the study will be published
     contribution to education by the        largest social science projects funded by         later this year: The Search for Better
New Zealand Association for Research         the EU in its 5th Framework for Research          Educational Standards: A Cautionary Tale.
in Education (NZARE).                        and Technological Development.
                                                                                               Associate Professor Jayne White
New to the University of Waikato,            The research involved eight research              received the Judith Duncan Award for Early
Associate Professor Jenny Lee-Morgan         teams based in Belgium, England, France,          Childhood Education Research, recognising
was the 2016 recipient of the Te Tohu Pae    Hungary and Portugal and concerned
                                                                                               major contributions to New Zealand early
Tawhiti award for significant contribution   the relationships between schools, local
                                                                                               childhood research for more than 20 years.
to Māori education. Dr Lee-Morgan is         authorities and central government
the Deputy Director of the Te Kotahi         in these five countries. The findings             The Sutton-Smith Doctoral Award for an
Research Institute (TKRI) at Waikato.        illustrated some convergence in education         excellent doctoral thesis by an NZARE
Her research has included marae-ā-kura       and social policy across them. Professor          member was awarded to Dr Jeanette
(school marae), Māori-medium teacher         Thrupp co-directed the team in England
                                                                                               Clarkin-Phillips. Her thesis was titled
education, and Māori pedagogy – all          and undertook research in an English
                                                                                               "Fighting the odds to make it even:
of which concerns improving Māori            local authority and its schools. He also
                                                                                               Mapping an affordance ecosystem in a
learner and whānau experiences and           contributed to the overall analysis.
outcomes in education across the sector.                                                       kindergarten community."
More recently, Dr Lee-Morgan has been        From 2004-07 Professor Thrupp had
investigating pūrākau as a Kaupapa Māori     another large education project funded
narrative inquiry approach.                  by the UK’s Economic and Social
                                             Research Council, involving schools in
Professor Martin Thrupp from Waikato’s       the south of England, which revealed
Faculty of Education was awarded the         how subtle differences in schools’ social
McKenzie Award for his substantial           and organisational contexts impacted on
contribution to educational research         school processes.
in the fields of policy and leadership,
and their impact on school outcomes          In recent years Professor Thrupp has
and social justice. The McKenzie Award       undertaken research in New Zealand
honours a current NZARE member’s             primary schools funded by NZEI Te Riu
significant contribution to educational      Roa, looking at the enactment of National
research, and to NZARE, over an extended     Standards across six diverse schools. Known
period of time.                              as the RAINS project, the research illustrated
                                             how schools took very different approaches
In the early 2000s Professor Thrupp was      to the National Standards and highlighted           Professor Martin Thrupp
involved in a large comparative study of     advantages and disadvantages of the

                                                                                                                           Summer 2017   15
Horizons – research with impact

Composer takes Omanu to Teldex in Berlin

I
   n the history of audio recording, few
   studios have earned legendary status.
   Two of the most famous are Abbey
Road in London and Teldex in Berlin. It’s no
surprise then that University of Waikato
composer Martin Lodge describes having a
work of his recorded at the Teldex Studios
in December as “one of the great thrills of
my life.”

The opportunity came through the
initiative of leading German cellist
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. He was
keen to record Omanu, the virtuoso
composition for solo cello that Dr Lodge
was commissioned to write for Schmidt            Associate Professor Martin Lodge (right) with his Berlin ‘Dream Team’
to premiere as part of the 2016 Waikato
International Cello Fest, held at the
                                               Omanu. “The whole experience at the                   The recording of Omanu made in Berlin
University of Waikato and curated by
                                               Teldex Studio was fantastic,” he says. “It            is being mastered in Auckland by Wayne
cellist James Tennant.
                                               was a privilege to have my piece played               Laird and will be released internationally
The composition was inspired by Omanu          by Wolfgang, one of the world’s greatest              on the Atoll label later this year.
beach near Tauranga, where Dr Lodge grew       living cellists. He didn’t just rattle through
up. He says memories of birds and the sea      the notes but played with wonderful                   Dr Lodge says he recently learned that
were in mind when he wrote the music.          understanding and commitment. The                     the winner of the 2015 Tchaikovsky
“Wolfgang enjoyed the challenges of playing    matching technical virtuosity of the
                                                                                                     Competition cello division, Andrei Ionita
Omanu and began looking for further            studio producer and engineer were spine-
                                               tinglingly fabulous. Everyone worked                  of Romania, played Omanu as part of
performance possibilities for the piece."
                                               together as what I can only call the Berlin           his final examination at the exclusive
Dr Lodge travelled to Berlin to take part      Dream Team to make the occasion ideal                 Universität der Künste in Berlin in
in Wolfgang Schmidt’s recording of             and unforgettable.”                                   January this year.

Sea-faring poet drops anchor at Waikato

T
      he University of Waikato’s 2017          “The good thing about piloting boats is
      writer in residence is working on        there’s often down-time, time to think,
      his ninth collection of poetry,          and often I’d jot down odd little phrases
which will have a distinctly Waikato focus.    on scraps of paper and then make
                                               something of them on my days off,”
Bob Orr knows the Waikato well even            he says.
though he hasn’t lived in the region for
years. He grew up on a farm at Hoe-o-          Bob uses a portable manual typewriter,
Tainui 20km north of Morrinsville and          “screens make my eyes go fuzzy”, and
                                               sometimes he’ll do between 30 and 40                    Bob Orr
completed his secondary schooling at
                                               drafts of a poem before he’s happy with
St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton.
                                               the end result.
                                                                                                     biennially in recognition of a distinguished
Bob started to write poetry when he was                                                              contribution to New Zealand poetry. He’s
                                               His inspiration comes from everywhere,
a teenager, and he hasn't stopped since.       he says, and his poems are often about                been writing for more than 50 years.
Returning to the Waikato region has            everyday things; finding beauty in the
                                                                                                     Bob can’t specify what he’ll be writing
                                               familiar – the tyre shop and the hospice
meant a big change for the poet. For                                                                 about in his next collection. “I don’t want
                                               shop, for example. Then there’s the sea,
more than 30 years his “office” has been                                                             to restrict myself, but I’m here to
                                               love, and observations of people.
the Hauraki Gulf where he worked on                                                                  re-immerse myself in the Waikato
boats, most recently on tug and pilot          Last year Bob won the Lauris Edmond                   landscape and we’ll see what springs
boats for Ports of Auckland.                   Memorial Award for Poetry, a prize given              from there,” he says.

16   University of Waikato
Unlocking
  The mysteries
   of Foulden
      Maar
                                                                         Dr Beth Fox

A
        n ancient crater lake in Central       Once the process of destabilisation of
        Otago has provided scientists with     the ice-sheet was kick-started, it could
        new insights into carbon dioxide       keep going by itself.”
changes and the effects those changes
had on the Antarctic ice sheet 23 million      Dr Fox says this information is important
years ago.                                     as scientists study today’s CO2
                                               concentrations and the melting ice
Dr Beth Fox, a paleoclimatologist from         in Antarctica.
the School of Science at the University
of Waikato, says fossilised leaves found       “We need to build on this new
at Foulden Maar near Middlemarch               information by doing more analysis and
                                               modelling. We don’t yet know at which          cores, one 120 metres long and one 184m
hold evidence of a sharp increase in
                                               point between 500 and 1550 ppm that            long. It was while she was working on
atmospheric CO2 levels associated with
                                               destabilisation of the ice took place and      her PhD that Dr Fox had the idea to work
a major collapse of the ice sheet.
                                               we’d also like to look at different plant      on the fossil leaves and reconstruct CO2
Dr Fox and her colleagues Drs Tammo            species to confirm what we’ve found            levels from millions of years ago, but she
Reichgelt and William D’Andrea at              so far,” says Dr Fox.                          didn’t follow it up until she completed
Colombia University in the US found that                                                      her doctorate.
changes in the stomatal cells and carbon       Dr Reichgelt says some models have
isotope ratios in the leaves indicated a       shown that at the rate we’re going             She says the study was made possible by
major increase in the levels of CO2, rising    right now, the Antarctic ice sheet might       the fantastic level of fossil preservation
from about 500 parts per million (ppm) to      reach a critical tipping point and start       in Foulden Maar, where soft tissues are
between 750 and 1550 ppm over a span           destabilising very quickly. They now have      preserved right down to the cellular level,
of less than 10,000 years.                     evidence that it’s happened before.            along with the fact that the sediment
                                                                                              contains annual layers, allowing for much
“What surprised us was how such                Dr Fox has been working on the Foulden         more accurate dating than is normal for
large CO2 fluctuations happened over,          Maar core since she began her scientific       such an ancient deposit.
geologically, relatively short time scales,”   career. At the beginning of her PhD, she
says Dr Fox.                                   was involved in the initial retrieval of the   “It’s an amazing site, with many more
                                               sediment cores, which involved six weeks       stories to tell us about how climate has
“We found that atmospheric CO2 levels          of diamond core drilling in Central Otago      changed in the past,” Dr Fox says.
began to rapidly increase around the           in the depths of winter, at temperatures
same time as the ice-sheet began to            down to -6 degrees.                             Interested in working
decline and, more importantly, even                                                            with Waikato?
when the CO2 levels dropped back to            A great deal of effort on the part of the
previous levels, the ice kept on melting.      drilling team led to the retrieval of two       Email research@waikato.ac.nz

                                                                                                                        Summer 2017      17
Horizons – research with impact

  Les Arthur

                  Online courts –
               the way of the future?
A
       Waikato University law academic’s           is designed to be used from start to finish     A similar online court system was recently
       proposal to establish an online court       by litigants without lawyers, although          proposed in England and one of the most
       and further increase the monetary           lawyers would not be excluded. All the          widespread concerns about it relates to
threshold of disputes tribunals could enable       essential details of the case and the           parties challenged by, or without access
more Kiwis who are unable to afford legal          evidence they provide would be placed in        to, a computer.
representation to secure access to justice.        an electronic file, available to both parties   “An essential element of the
                                                   and the court.                                  development of an online tribunal would
Currently individuals and small businesses
                                                                                                   be the availability of voluntary agencies
with civil claims can go to a disputes             The software is designed to guide parties       such as community law centres or
tribunal if the disputed amount is $15,000         through an analysis of their grievance in       Citizens Advice Bureau nationwide to
or less or, if all parties agree, up to $20,000.   such a way as to produce a document             assist the computer-challenged,” says
The current proposal is to increase the            capable of being understood by both             Mr Arthur. He says he's had plenty of
monetary jurisdiction to $30,000.                  parties and the decision maker. This process    support for his proposals from in and
                                                   would help to ensure the key facts and          outside the judiciary.
Waikato Senior Lecturer and disputes               evidence are clearly outlined when they
specialist Les Arthur says we need to              arrive at the tribunal for a hearing.           Mr Arthur teaches Legal Ethics, Mediation,
increase the monetary jurisdiction to                                                              Insurance Law and Advanced Civil
something a lot higher.                            “Appeals from the tribunal, which should        Litigation at the University of Waikato.
                                                   include errors of law, could be submitted       Before becoming an academic, Mr Arthur
“There are lots of low-value disputes              electronically to a District Court Judge        was in private practice doing general
that range around $50,000 which are                and in some circumstances a decision            litigation including insurance, family and
not worth going to the District Court, so                                                          criminal law. He was also a corporate
                                                   could be made on the documents,” says
there’s a large gap. The ceiling could be                                                          counsel for Vero Insurance for two years.
                                                   Mr Arthur, a former barrister and solicitor.
increased to $50,000 and the legal rights
of parties could be protected without              “The online court system would resolve           Interested in working
the assistance of lawyers through the              common disagreements over issues such            with Waikato?
development of an online court,” he says.          as goods, services and property damage
                                                                                                    Email research@waikato.ac.nz
Like the Disputes Tribunal, the online court       more quickly and easily.”

18    University of Waikato
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