Massey Documents by Type

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Havelock North : a study of population growth and the changing nature of the town since 1952 : a thesis ... for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography
(Massey University, 1969) Bell, David
Many small towns in New Zealand have undergone a change in role in the twentieth century depending upon their relationship with a nearby larger urban centre. In some instances the relationship has become totally changed as a result of complete absorption of the smaller centre by the larger and the development of Greater Auckland is an example of this. Alternatively, the small town may retain its individuality to a greater extent yet undergo a significant change in function, developing as a residential suburb of the larger town or city to the detriment of its 'all-round' development. Such is the case of Havelock North, a town situated on the lower slopes of a range of hills approximately three miles east of Hastings City. Following its inception in 1860 after a short period of initial growth the township began to decline in importance and for a period of about sixty years from around 1890 to 1950 it was virtually little more than a small 'peaceful village' serving primarily as a retirement centre and a 'high-class' residential suburb of Hastings. Within the last two decades, however, the population of Havelock North has grown considerably from 1,828 in 1951 to 5,472 in 1966. It is this rapid growth in recent years together with the associated changes which have occurred, both directly and indirectly, is the morphology of the borough and the character of the borough's population which provides the basis for this study. [FROM INTRODUCTION]
Hard times? : demographic change and the 1930s depression in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in History at Massey University
(Massey University, 1991) Marsden, Lucy E
The 1930s depression is well established in both the historiography and the popular consciousness in New Zealand as a major event with wide-reaching consequences. In this thesis New Zealand demographic data relating to marriages, fertility and mortality are examined for evidence of interruptions that can be attributed to the effects of the economic downturn associated with the 1930s depression. The conclusion reached is that while some interruptions are discernible, they are essentially slight and of short duration. This raises the possibility that the depression did not in fact have a very severe impact in New Zealand. Another possibility is that the relationship between economic circumstances and demographic behaviour may no longer be close, an argument that would seem to be supported by the inconsistency of trends over time, and in other English-speaking countries studied. Data relating to the incomes of five groups are then examined. The evidence is of a wide diversity of financial experience during the depression, with a marked effect on many, particularly the least skilled, the owners of small farms and other small businesses, and those already towards the lower end of the economic scale. In addition, it is shown that the cuts in wage rates and pensions were in general not a major factor in reducing real incomes, which suggests the relative importance in this of unemployment. Statistics relating to unemployment are then analysed. They support the findings regarding income, since the least skilled were the worst affected. It is concluded that while the scale of unemployment in the 1930s was an anomaly in this country, the period of severe unemployment was relatively short compared with that experienced by some other countries. In respect of the groups most likely to suffer unemployment, the depression was an intensification of the normal situation rather than an anomaly. Some possible reasons are suggested for the lack of correlation between demographic and economic trends, and for the prevalence of the belief that the depression was a "community trauma" in this country.
Intergenic DNA sequences from the human X chromosome reveal high rates of global gene flow
(BioMed Central, 2008) Cox M; Woerner A; Wall J; Hammer M
BACKGROUND:Despite intensive efforts devoted to collecting human polymorphism data, little is known about the role of gene flow in the ancestry of human populations. This is partly because most analyses have applied one of two simple models of population structure, the island model or the splitting model, which make unrealistic biological assumptions.RESULTS:Here, we analyze 98-kb of DNA sequence from 20 independently evolving intergenic regions on the X chromosome in a sample of 90 humans from six globally diverse populations. We employ an isolation-with-migration (IM) model, which assumes that populations split and subsequently exchange migrants, to independently estimate effective population sizes and migration rates. While the maximum effective size of modern humans is estimated at \~{}10,000, individual populations vary substantially in size, with African populations tending to be larger (2,300-9,000) than non-African populations (300-3,300). We estimate mean rates of bidirectional gene flow at 4.8 x 10-4/generation. Bidirectional migration rates are \~{}5-fold higher among non-African populations (1.5 x 10-3) than among African populations (2.7 x 10-4). Interestingly, because effective sizes and migration rates are inversely related in African and non-African populations, population migration rates are similar within Africa and Eurasia (e.g., global mean Nm = 2.4).CONCLUSION:We conclude that gene flow has played an important role in structuring global human populations and that migration rates should be incorporated as critical parameters in models of human demography.

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