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Item No place to hide: Marine habitat does not determine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in odontocetes(Elsevier B.V., 2025-12-10) Stockin KA; Peters KJ; Saltré F; Machovsky-Capuska GE; Betty EL; Tremblay LA; Yi SAs meso- and apex predators in food webs, marine mammals can bioconcentrate persistent environmental contaminants like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Although the presence of PFAS is widely reported in the marine environment, there is a lack of data for cetaceans in Oceania. We investigated whether ecological habitat influences bioconcentration patterns across a range of odontocete (toothed whale, dolphin and porpoise) species. We measured PFAS in liver samples (n = 127) from 16 cetacean species representing four families inhabiting four marine habitats along the Aotearoa New Zealand coastline. We analysed six perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, ten perfluoroalkyl sulphonic acids and four precursor compounds in the context of sex, body index, habitat and species/family using generalized linear mixed models. Results showed that marine habitat remained a weak predictor of PFAS burden. Instead, biological factors including sex and age class best explained the levels of PFAS detected across all species and habitats. We offer first important insights on PFAS levels across several new taxa globally, including endemic endangered species and poorly described polar vagrants. Our findings further highlight how the ubiquitous nature of PFAS pose a higher risk to odontocetes across different seascapes than previously anticipated.Item Not to exact a full look at the worst : (mis)representations of state-sanctioned violence in New Zealand poetry : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025-11-26) McLean, RobertThis thesis examines how local poetry written between the First World War and the early twenty-first century has represented state-sanctioned violence done in Aotearoa New Zealand and on the state’s behalf overseas. Although this period is marked by the emergence and consolidation of a distinct New Zealand literature and the New Zealand state’s deliberate involvement in major overseas conflicts, surprisingly few poems directly represent such violence. This thesis identifies and analyses poems written in English by Māori, Pacific, and Pākehā poets that do represent state-sanctioned violence: Donald H. Lea’s “Gold Stripe” from Stand Down! (1917); Allen Curnow’s Island and Time (1941); Kendrick Smithyman’s “Vignettes of the Māori Wars” from Flying to Palmerston (1968); Māori Battalion: A Poetic Sequence (2001) by Alistair Te Ariki Campbell; and Captain Cook in the Underworld (2002) by Robert Sullivan. I use a form of mimetic close reading to examine their sources, spatial and temporal renderings, attribution of agency, prosody and modes of representation, construal of legitimacy, and violence’s uses and effects. I determine how poetry’s conventions, licenses, limitations, and omissions have helped or hindered naming, understanding, and owning Aotearoa New Zealand’s state-sanctioned violence in these five poetic works. The evidence from this poetic archive testifies to a radical disjunction between state-sanctioned violence’s historical realities and how these examples of New Zealand poetry have represented of it. They have largely failed to give voice to what poet Geoffrey Hill called “the world’s real cries” by refusing to address directly the social, political, and legal sources of state-sanctioned violence’s meaningfulness and legitimisation.Item Adopting augmented reality to avoid underground utilities strikes during excavation : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Built Environment, College of Science, Massey University, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025) Khorrami Shad, HesamThe construction industry constantly pursues innovative methods to improve safety, enhance productivity, and reduce costs and project durations. Augmented Reality (AR) is a promising technology, potentially bringing about transformative changes in construction. AR is a promising technology for visualizing data in construction sites and preventing clashes and accidents. One of its promising applications is in the excavation sector, where accidental strikes on underground utilities pose serious safety risks, delays, and costly damages. However, while AR has gained increasing attention in recent years, its integration into construction practice remains limited. To address this limitation, this research investigates the potential of AR to facilitate identifying underground utility locations through a systematic review, industry engagement, and user-centred experimentation. Initially, a systematic literature review was conducted to explore the current applications of AR in construction safety. This review identified the safety purposes of AR across three project phases: pre-event (e.g., training, safety inspections, hazard alerting, enhanced visualization), during-event (e.g., pinpointing hazards), and post-event (e.g., safety estimation). However, the review also revealed a notable lack of studies focused on AR applications in excavation activities, particularly for underground utility strike prevention. In response, a study was undertaken to understand the needs, expectations, and challenges associated with adopting AR in the excavation sector. 31 professionals from the excavation industry participated in the within-subject experiment, interacting with two AR prototypes, delivered via Optical See-Through (OST) and Video See-Through (VST) devices. The findings indicated a clear preference for AR over traditional methods such as paper-based drawings. Participants showed a preference for VST rather than OST, given their familiarity with VST devices such as tablets. Further, accessibility emerged as the primary barrier to adopting AR within the excavation industry. Building on the literature and industry insights, an experimental study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of different AR visualization methods in underground utility detection. A within-subject experiment involving 60 participants was conducted to compare four of the most cited visualization techniques for underground utilities: X-Ray, Shadow, Cross-Sectional, and a newly developed Combination method. Drawing on the Theory of Affordances and Task Load analysis, the study found that the Combination and X-Ray visualization methods perform superior to the Shadow. These results provide empirical support for the user-centered design of AR visualization techniques in excavation practice. This research contributes to the fields of human-computer interaction, construction safety, and digital technology adoption by advancing the use of AR for underground utility strike prevention. The study shifts the focus of AR from general safety training to real-time, spatial visualization for excavation, offering both theoretical insights and practical applications. Methodologically, it follows a structured mixed-methods approach, combining literature review, industry engagement, and experimental testing. Practically, it identifies user preferences, visualization methods, and key adoption factors such as usability and accessibility. Overall, this thesis fills the gap between emerging AR technologies and their integration into safer excavation practices.Item Thriving in clinical veterinary practice : a strengths-based, qualitative investigation of thriving in clinical veterinarians in Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025-11-21) Cantley, Charlotte Emily LouiseVeterinarians play an important role in society, contributing to animal health, public health, and environmental sustainability. However, there is growing international concern about the well-being and workforce stability of veterinarians, particularly those working in clinical practice. Much of the existing research has focused on the negative impact of veterinary work on well-being, emphasising that veterinarians experience high levels of psychological distress and burnout. However, there is a lack of understanding of what enables veterinarians not only to cope in clinical practice but also to thrive and enjoy fulfilling careers. This research employed a qualitative approach, grounded in positive psychology, to explore the factors that help veterinarians thrive in clinical practice. Using in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this research investigated the lived experiences of clinical veterinarians in Aotearoa New Zealand, to identify the factors that contribute to a fulfilling and sustainable career. Participants across the three studies represented veterinarians from a wide range of clinical practice types, including companion animal, production animal, equine, and mixed practice. They included late-career veterinarians (n = 19), new and recent graduates (n = 22), and mid-late career veterinarians who were not practice owners or senior managers (n = 29). Reflexive thematic analysis was utilised to identify key themes from the data. Three final key concepts emerged as critical to thriving in veterinary clinical practice: positive leadership, a psychologically safe clinic culture, and a strong sense of purpose and meaning in work, referred to as the “3Ps” of thriving. For early-career veterinarians, positive mentorship in a psychologically safe environment was crucial for developing confidence, self-efficacy, and a professional identity suitable for general practice. Mid- and late-career veterinarians who experienced positive leadership and a healthy, safe workplace culture reported an evolving sense of purpose that included providing care to patients and expanded to encompass mentoring and supporting others in the profession, as well as philanthropic work and community commitment. These veterinarians expressed high levels of engagement and were often motivated by fostering thriving in others. The attitudes and behaviours of clinic managers were noted as particularly important. Thus, a thriving veterinary career can be considered an odyssey — a long, transformative journey shaped by challenges, growth, and continuous learning. It reflects an evolving sense of purpose, making the role of a clinical veterinarian far more than just a job. Based on these findings, a practical framework of evidence-based recommendations was designed to foster thriving throughout a veterinarian’s career. These recommendations target three levels of influence: the individual, the clinic, and the broader veterinary profession, and may help address the ongoing issues of recruitment and retention in veterinary practice. This research provides valuable insights into the benefits of pursuing a clinical career, contributing to the growing body of literature on positive well-being in the veterinary field. It highlights the importance of leadership and psychological safety — topics that have received relatively little attention in veterinary contexts — and shows how they enable veterinarians to find purpose and meaning in their work. Importantly, the research highlights that fostering thriving is a collective responsibility, shared between veterinary businesses, individual veterinarians, and the profession as a whole.Item Construction projects status tracking : a real-time data-driven framework for delay management and analysis : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Building and Construction, School of Built Environment, College of Science, Massey University, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025-10-16) Radman, KambizConstruction delays remain one of the most critical challenges in project delivery, often resulting in cost overruns, schedule slippages, and weakened stakeholder confidence. Traditional delay management methods are largely reactive, relying on periodic reporting and fragmented communication across project teams. In contrast, the increasing availability of digital tools offers the opportunity to adopt more proactive, data-driven approaches. This study introduces a framework that centralises and analyses real-time project data from multiple stakeholders, including head contractors, subcontractors, consultants (via Building Information Modelling—BIM), and on-site teams. By integrating these diverse inputs into a unified Power BI dashboard, the framework enhances early detection of delays, improves coordination, and supports timely decision-making. Earned Value (EV) metrics are embedded as key control points, providing early signals of deviations and potential risks. Despite these advances, several research gaps remain. Existing systems are often costly and complex, highlighting the need for simple, inexpensive, and user-friendly solutions. Real-time data acquisition and centralisation are still underdeveloped, limiting the speed and reliability of insights. Current practice focuses heavily on retrospective reporting, with limited capability for real-time analytics or predictive forecasting. Stakeholder communication and coordination remain fragmented, while systematic early notification systems for emerging delays are rarely implemented. Ultimately, it is necessary to integrate historical and real-time data to facilitate predictive delay analytics. Addressing these gaps would help shift construction delay management from reactive intervention towards proactive risk mitigation. Guided by these gaps, the research is shaped around three central questions: (1) What causes delays in major construction projects, and how do these delays affect stakeholder collaboration? (2) How are digital technologies currently being deployed to improve project performance in relation to delays and risks? (3) How can a new framework be designed and evaluated to strengthen early delay detection and enhance project outcomes? To answer these questions, five objectives are established. First, to identify and analyse the key project stakeholders and the principal causes of delay. Second, to review and assess the role of digital technologies in construction projects. Third, to develop a framework that integrates real-time data for enhanced monitoring, reporting, and early detection of delays. Finally, to evaluate this framework in practice, assess its effectiveness in enhancing transparency, facilitating stakeholder coordination, and improving overall project performance. In doing so, this research contributes to the advancement of digital construction management by embedding real-time analytics into live project environments. The proposed framework not only enhances transparency and resource allocation but also lays the groundwork for predictive delay management, thereby aligning construction practices with the broader objectives of Industry 4.0.Item Knowing, belonging & becoming-with the Ōruawharo : an ethnography of a river : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Albany Campus, Aotearoa, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025-11-17) Joensen, ClareThis thesis is situated in the northwest of Te Ika-a-Māui, the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand along the Ōruawharo river, a salty tidal tributary of the Kaipara Harbour. For over a hundred and fifty years, the Ōruawharo and surrounding district have been storied by a dominant ‘settler’ narrative which maps onto place, as names, text, histories, monuments and civic apparatus. However, this is not the only story of the Ōruawharo. There are multiple stories, multiple ways of knowing the river; knowings which produce different belongings. As such belonging to a place is always a process of becoming, and this becoming is produced relationally, as a series of “withs”, with both humans and non-humans. These becoming-withs produce embodied ways of knowing which in turn, remake place when given the opportunity to be known by others. This thesis aims to bring to light the unknown, hidden and subordinated Ōruawharo knowledges in order to reveal multiplicities and develop new ways of thinking about place. This is Pākehā research done inbetween Māori and Pākehā worlds in a Māori-Pākehā place; a form of research which comes with its own set of troubles. As it is a Pākehā imperative to decolonise (Shaw 2021b), I stay with the trouble (Haraway 2016), and through a level of discomfort, produce small decolonising acts in written text, public speaking roles and through the curation of an exhibit. Decolonising actions, spurred on by this thesis, have then led to others as people come to know more, including that which cannot be unknown. Drawing on knowledges generated with boats (boat ethnography), people (interviews and casual conversations), texts (archives, books, texts, journals, letters and documents), the curation of an exhibit and a wide range of encounters in my community, I debunk knowing place as a singularity and demonstrate the value of knowing place differently through these methods. Ultimately, this ethnography of a river offers a multiplicity of knowings-with and in doing so, shifts human-centric and settler-centric narratives with tendencies to dominate. With dynamism, knowing, becoming and belonging are shown as relational, embodied, in amongst the withs, ever in motion, shaping lives and reshaping place, place as seen, imagined, felt, understood, experienced and remade.Item Temporal reconstruction of a Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 outbreak in New Zealand(Microbiology Society, 2025-10-30) Strydom H; Wright J; Bromhead C; Welch D; Williams E; Mulqueen K; de Ligt J; Biggs PJ; Paine S; Jefferies S; French NOutbreaks caused by Salmonella Enteritidis are commonly linked to eggs and poultry meat internationally, but this serovar had never been detected in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) poultry prior to 2021. Locally designated genomic cluster Salmonella Enteritidis_2019_C_01, was implicated in a 2019 outbreak associated with a restaurant in Auckland. Four Enteritidis_2019_C_01 sub-clusters have since been identified, two retrospectively, in the Auckland region. Authorities initiated a formal outbreak investigation after genomically indistinguishable S. Enteritidis was isolated from the NZ poultry production environment. This study analysed 231 S. Enteritidis genomes obtained from the outbreak using Bayesian phylodynamic tools to gain insight into the outbreak's dynamics and origin. We used Bayesian integrated coalescent epoch plots to estimate the change of the Enteritidis ST11 population size over time and marginal structured coalescent approximation to estimate transmission between poultry producers. We investigated human and poultry isolates to elucidate the time and location of the most recent common ancestor of the outbreak and transmission pathways. The median most recent common ancestor was estimated to be February 2019. We found evidence of amplification and spread of strain Enteritidis_2019_C_01 within the poultry industry, as well as transmission events throughout the production chain. The intervention by the public health and food safety authorities coincided with a drop in the effective population size of the S. Enteritidis ST11 as well as notified human cases. This information is crucial for understanding and preventing the transmission of S. Enteritidis in NZ poultry to ensure poultry meat and eggs are safe for consumption.Item Critically understaffed and with Omicron looming, why isn’t NZ employing more of its foreign-trained doctors?(The Conversation Media Group Ltd, 2022-02-04) Thomas-Maude J; McLennan SItem NZ election 2020: why gender stereotypes still affect perceptions of Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins as leaders(The Conversation Media Group Ltd, 2020-10-15) Wilson SItem Why Jacinda Ardern’s ‘clumsy’ leadership response to Delta could still be the right approach(The Conversation Media Group Ltd, 2021-10-15) Wilson S