Pacific Research and Policy Centre

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End date: 1979Subject: search.filters.subject.New Zealand

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    Biogeochemical studies on some nickel accumulating plants from New Zealand and New Caledonian serpentine areas : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Chemistry at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1974) Lee, Julian
    Serpentine areas in New Zealand and New Caledonia are described. A study was made of soil factors controlling the distribution of five species from a serpentine flora in the Dun Mountain area, South Island, New Zealand. Samples of soil were taken from sites of each of the species, and each sample was analysed for calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, magnesium, manganese, nickel, potassium and zinc. On the basis of the species growing on them, the soil samples were divided into five groups: group 1, Pimelea suteri; group 2, Myosotis monroi; group 3, Lebe odora; group 4, Cassinia vauvilliersii; group 5, Leptospermum scoparium. Discriminant analysis was used to characterise each group of soils on the basis of chemical composition. The results showed that the two endemic plants (P. suteri and M. monroi) were much more commonly found in localities of highest magnesium concentration. These two species were strongly differentiated by the potassium and copper levels in their soils. No strong elemental discrimination was found among the non-endemic species. Correlation coefficients were calculated for the relationships between pairs of elements and highly-significant correlations (P 0.001) are reported. A nickel accumulating species from New Caledonia, Homalium kanaliense is compared with the New Zealand nickel accumulator, Pimelea suteri. The very high accumulation of nickel in the New Caledonian species, presents interesting questions in plant physiology. Purification of nickel complexes from an aqueous extract of B. kanaliense leaves was achieved and preliminary identification methods employed. None of the nickel was associated with amino acids and the present evidence suggested possible complexing of the nickel to simple carboxyllic sugars.
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    Aspects of Maukean population migration : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1974) Gordon, Graeme David James
    The increasing dissatisfaction and rising aspirations of many Pacific peoples has prompted an increased amount of outmigration to larger metropolitan countries where it is perceived that these desires can be fulfilled. Migration of Cook Islanders to New Zealand is no new phenomenon. In recent years, however, for a great diversity of reasons, the flow has reached alarming proportions. The repercussions of such a displacement of population are significant both for donor and recipient areas. Although several studies have focused attention on migrant groups in New Zealand, literature linking the whole migratory process from the island of origin is not quite so readily available. It is becoming apparent that more attention must be directed at the causal factors which induce would-be migrants to forfeit a familiar way of life for one which can be initially bewildering.
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    Tongans in Auckland : a preliminary investigation of the Tongan community in the Central Auckland urban area : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in geography at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1974) Whitehead, David Warwick
    The minority Polynesian community examined in this thesis required more than those research techniques familiar to students of migrant groups. Specific interviewing difficulties and solutions to these are proposed for interviewing Tongans. Suggestions to overcome the suspicions of respondents and the dangers of ethnocentrisim on the part of the researcher are also suggested. A questionnaire is included and its design, to include internal checks and ease in tabulation are noted. Chapter Two deals with migration motives, both real and stated. These motives are confined in the main, to those acting at the source, Tonga, and include population pressures on land, housing, employment and capital. Data is provided from recent surveys in Tonga, together with the results of a survey of Tongans residing in the Central Auckland Urban Area, 1974. An examination of data provided by the Department of Statistics, concerning arrivals and departures, is included in Chapter Three. This is supplemented with data on airfares and the manner in which the migrant raised sufficient capital to purchase his passage, from the survey. Special attention is paid to permits and the reason why some Tongans have overstayed their legally permitted stay. Chapter Four compares the demographic and social characteristics of Tongans with other Polynesians in New Zealand. Age, marital status, dependents, sex, religion, birthplace and educational qualifications of migrants in the survey are recorded. The results of an investigation into the occupational and residential characteristics of Tongan migrants are recorded in Chapters Five and Six. Comparison is drawn between the unskilled occupations of Tongans and other Polynesians and the location of place of work and residence is noted. The method of securing initial employment revealed the social and psychological pressures impinging on the recent migrant and reasons and results suggested. Using data supplied by the Department of Statistics the spatial distribution of Tongans in New Zealand, and in particular each statistical subdivision of Auckland is recorded. Movement over time within the Central Auckland Urban Area is discussed using indices of segregation and a Lorenz Curve.
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    A comparative study of the language used by New Zealand children of European and of Samoan descent aged 6 years 10 months to 8 years in conversation with an adult : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Language at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1979) Moynihan, Isobel Mary
    The research represents an attempt to establish some normative data for the oral language performance of native-English speaking children aged 6 years 10 months to 8 years in conversation with an adult, and by examining the performance of Samoan children in the same age-group to determine those areas which discriminate most strongly between the performances of both groups. Children were interviewed individually and the conversations recorded over a thirty-minute period. Tapes were transcribed on the same day as the recording, and the data quantified according to the procedures of Developmental Sentence Analysis Lee, L.L. and Koenigsknecht 1974, Developmental Sentence Analysis., which established a rank-order for each group. A more detailed analysis of the data was then made in order to identify those areas of development and/or of uncertainty which were common to both groups, and those which appeared only, or mainly, among the Samoan children. The statistical analysis, based on the developmental weighting of syntactic items, (DSS scores) indicated that where errors were specific to the Samoan children they occurred in structures described as early-developing among native-English speaking children. At the higher developmental levels, the performance of Samoan children above the 50th percentile (for that group) was similar to that of their English speaking age-mates. The classification of error-patterns also distinguished between 'growth errors' (where performance was characterized by over-generalizing or by substitution, for example), and 'deficiency errors' (where morphemes and syntactic items were omitted), the latter occurring more consistently among the Samoan children. In addition, a general indication of language development in relation to chronological age was derived by comparing the DSS scores of the Samoan children falling below the 25th percentile for that group with those obtained by younger children at the 50th percentile point for each one-year interval from age 4 to age 6. In the absence of New Zealand DSS norms for these age-levels, it was necessary to use those derived from a study of American children (Lee 1974), but the results are in accord with other New Zealand-based studies (See 0.1, Introduction) which have noted the "two-year gap" appearing around age 7 among Polynesian children when their achievement on a variety of measures and tests is compared with that of their Pakeha age-mates. In the present study, the "gap" ranged from about 20 months at the 25th percentile (for the Samoan group) to over 41 months at the 10th percentile. The general intention has been to sharpen the focus for teachers wishing to develop compensatory language programmes so that effort may be directed to those specific areas where non-native speaking children appear to have missed a developmental stage in their acquisition of English. The findings also suggest that difficulty with certain syntactic structures, semantic concepts, and phonological realizations is a function of age-level and the language-situation for both groups of subjects rather than of the ethnic background of the Samoan group.