Massey Documents by Type

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/294

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Manawatu

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 26
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Studies of variation in the rectal temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate and skin temperature of some New Zealand Jersey cows with particular reference to summer climatic conditions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Agricultural Science in the University of New Zealand
    (Massey University, 1959)
    The field of research known as Environmental Physiology covers Studies on the physiological responses of animals to variations in their immediate environment and on the adaptation of animals to environment. Generally, studies with cattle in this field have been pursued either in tropical environment or, lately, in very cold climate (see series of papers by MacDonald and Bell, 1958). The use of climatic chambers, such as those described by Brody (1948) and by Findlay (1950), has enabled research workers to study the effects on animals of a wide range of climatic variables but the results have a restricted application in the field. [From Introduction]
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Support needs of ASD families in the Manawatu DHB catchment area : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) West, David Hyrum James
    Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is becoming increasingly understood as being both widely heterogeneous and complex for the individual on the spectrum. Similarly, families are also highly variable and complex; they are arguably the most important support unit a child with ASD has, with their own resources, constraints, values and beliefs. Service individualisation, which accounts for such variances within the individual, and the collective, is broadly seen as critical for service delivery success. To date, little research has gauged the extent of ASD service individualisation abroad, and an understanding of how this is done in Aotearoa New Zealand is absent. The intent of this research was to investigate whether or not existing services and supports target the uniqueness of both the individual with ASD, and their families to enable them to participate in society. In particular, a key focus was if services are appropriate, accessible and sufficient. To accomplish the intent of the research a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design was utilised. Both quantitative and qualitative data was gathered from caregivers of autistic children – firstly, through an online survey featuring several lifespan themes, and subsequently, qualitative data was collected through caregiver interviews carried out with participants recruited from the MidCentral and Nelson Marlborough District Health Board (DHB) areas. Analyses of the prioritised qualitative data indicated that a variety of service delivery factors prevented families with autistic children from optimal functioning, and participating in society. Furthermore, systemic issues were theorised to be the underlying causes of several of the difficulties faced by autistic children, and their families. The importance of individualised care packages that meet the needs of the families spoken to was emphasised, and the 'wicked problem' (Stace, 2011) of services that are appropriate, accessible and adequate remains ongoing. Recommendations for meeting the needs of individuals with ASD and their families are discussed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Effects of increasing cow urine deposition area on soil mineral nitrogen movement and pasture growth on a recent soil in the Manawatu region, New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Management at Massey University, Manawatū, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Romero Ramírez, Stefanía Yanina
    The cow urine patch is a major source of nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching from grazed dairy pasture farms. Increasing the urine deposition area is a direct way of reducing the potential risk of this cause N leaching losses. Research is required to quantity the effectiveness of this mitigation across a range of different soil and climatic conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of increasing the cow urine deposition area on NO₃⁻ leaching risk and short-term pasture accumulation on Recent soil in the Manawatu Region, New Zealand. A field trial was conducted, which consisted of three treatments evaluated on pasture plots: Urine (1 m2), Urine (0.2 m2) and No-urine. The two urine treatments received the same volume of 2.1 L urine/patch. Urine treatments were applied on the 6th of March 2017, and soil inorganic N was measured on three occasions; 15, 36 and 53 days after urine application (DAUA). At the third soil sampling time, which was 24 days after the drainage season was estimated to have commenced, the net inorganic N (inorganic N in the urine treatment minus the value for the No-urine treatment) in the 45-120 cm soil depth was 1.08 g net inorganic N/patch for the Urine (1 m2) treatment compared to 2.97 g net inorganic N/patch for the Urine (0.2 m2) treatment. Therefore, the Urine (1 m2) treatment resulted in a 63.6% reduction in the quantity of net inorganic N that was highly susceptible to leaching, compared to the more typical urine patch area of 0.2 m2. At a paddock scale, when net inorganic N from the urine treatments is multiplied by an estimate of the quantity of urine patches per hectare in a single grazing, this equates to a reduction of 2.53 kg N/ha from a single autumn grazing. It is expected that increasing urine deposition area at multiple grazings would result in greater reductions in the annual NO₃⁻ leaching risk. Over the two pasture harvests conducted in the trial, the pasture DM accumulation for the No-urine treatment produced an average of 3220 kg DM/ha. The two urine patch treatments achieved a similar level of pasture DM accumulation to that of the No-urine treatment. The lack of a pasture growth response from the added urine could have been influenced by the high clover content (35.9%) of the pasture, and in addition, there may have been adequate background soil mineral N levels, which together could have contributed to N not being growth limiting during the trial. This research has demonstrated that increasing cow urine deposition area in autumn has potential to be an effective mitigation for decreasing N leaching losses from grazed dairy pastures. Further research is required to investigate the effects of increasing cow urine deposition area at multiple grazings, in order to determine the effect of this mitigation option on annual NO₃⁻ leaching and pasture production.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Outdoor recreation resources in the Manawatu : with a preliminary case study of Foxton Beach as a water-based recreation resource
    (Massey University, 1974) Ng, Chin Yong
    The subject of supply of outdoor recreation resources is discussed in this thesis. The nature of the resources suitable for outdoor recreation and the present use made of them are determined. The extent and use of one type of recreation resource in the Manawatu - the Water-based recreation resource - is extensively reviewed. A preliminary case study is made of Foxton Beach as a water - based recreation environment. The results of the study of the ecological implications of recreation on the beach and the visitor surveys conducted there are presented. Major areas of 'ecological intolerance' are described and the recreation behaviours exhibited by the visitors at the beach are reported. Foxton Beach is reported to be able to attract visitors from within and outside the Manawatu region.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Knowing the honey bee : a multispecies ethnography : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Luttrell, Jordan
    Multispecies scholarship argues that the non-human has been relegated to the background of discussions about who and what inhabits and shapes the world. This thesis engages with this discussion as an experimental multispecies ethnography with honey bees in Manawatu, New Zealand. I aim to centre the honey bee in ethnography through engagement in the practice of fieldwork as well as the representation of the findings of this engagement. The honey bee is commonly known as an introduced, domesticated species, kept by humans in beehives in apiculture. This conceals the agency of the honey bee, rendering it passive, productive and compliant to the desires of humans, or in need of human intervention for survival. To view the agency of the bee I undertook embodied, performative ethnography, interviewing beekeepers and becoming one myself. My methodology, which was shaped by the bee, traced the networks that honey bees were enrolled in. Encounters were awkward, one-sided, and sometimes dangerous. The representation of honey bees demands an approach which attends to multiple, distinct accounts of honey bee worlds, because the bee is a lively agent, contributing to, experiencing, and communicating about the multiple networks in which it is engaged. As such, the findings of this thesis are presented in three accounts of encounters with honey bees. These accounts are distinct, capturing the honey bee in different networks, but are also distinct in their narrative styles, progressing from a description of honey networks in the spirit of Actor-Networks, to writing with honey bee narrator in poetry. Ethnographic representation is inevitably partial and an act of imagination. However, becoming sensitive to the ‘bee-ness’ of the bee; the waggle, hum and sting, and employing narrative inspired by the multisensory apiary, in other words, shaping representation with honey bees in mind, is an act of privileging honey bees in writing, and exploring what more can be said of, and with, the bee.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Railways and settlement : a study of the nature of the relationship between railways and settlement in the Manawatu and district between 1871 and 1971 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1972) Tester, Kenneth G
    The source material used in this thesis is of two types; primary and secondary. The primary material includes official government publications such as the Appendices to the Journel of the House of Representatives, particularly the Public Works and Railway Statements, the New Zealand Gazette, Statutes of the Colony of New Zealand, Census Publications and the Official Yearbook. The Annual Reports of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, held at Alexander Turnbull Library provided much valuable information while additional material was obtained from National Archives, the Department of Lands and Survey, New Zealand Railways and Palmerston North Public Library. I wish to thank all those who assisted me in the preparation of this thesis, particularly: - The Alexander Turnbull Library and the Palmerston North Public Library for permission to reproduce photographs - Mr T.J. Lovell-Smith from National Archives - New Zealand Railways and the Department of Lands and Survey - Mrs Colleen Tester and Mrs Lynette Toms for typing the manuscript - The Geography Department, Massey University and in particular, Mr E.C.R. warr who willingly gave his time and his advice.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Land use in the Manawatu : possible impact of a new agricultural processing industry : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1978) Ridler, Rowena Margaret
    The decision of the Canterbury (N.Z.) Malting Company to expand and to locate its second barley processing plant near Marton has meant that considerable land use changes may occur in the surrounding farming area, particularly the Manawatu coastal lowlands and terraces. A mail survey of 600 farmers in the Kairanga, Manawatu, Oroua and part of the Rangitikei counties found that of those responding, 51 farmers had definite intentions of growing barley for processing into malt and 74 possibly would do so. It was difficult to establish how much land would be affected because policy matters, such as returns, had not been established at the time of the survey. The plant requires over 30,000 tonnes or 7,000 hectares of barley annually once maltings are in full operation. Interesting observations were able to be made, however, with respect to characteristics of farmers likely to grow malting barley, how information about the malting barley plant has been diffused, and attitudes of farmers towards growing barley and engaging in contracts. The Manawatu is now an established mixed cropping and fat lamb farming region and the establishment of the malting barley plant should strengthen this position. Land use changes may occur in terms of changing cropping patterns if malting barley replaces other crops, but the impression gained is that most of the malting barley will be grown on land formerly in pasture. The nature of barley as a crop, with a short growing period and the ability of the pasture to be renewed with improved species in winter, means that the increased cropping may be complementary to the existing cropping/fattening pattern and enhance agricultural productivity in the region.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Selected soil physical properties and their affects [i.e. effects] on cereal yields in the Manawatu-Rangitikei region, New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Soil Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1986) Grealish, Gerard John
    The Manawatu-Kairanga-Rangitikei region is now a major cropping district in New Zealand. Expansion and intensification has led to a need for more specific information on soil physical properties and how these properties interact with crop yield and soil management. Soil physical properties largely determine the rooting depth and available water storage capacity of a soil-crop system. Compacted subsoils (1.5-1.7 Mg/m3), low saturated hydraulic conductivity (0-10 mm/hr), and poor aeration (0-5% large pores) were the probable causes restricting root depth in the six high terrace soils (Kiwitea mottled, Marton, Tokomaru silt loams) investigated. The two river plain soils (Kairanga silt loams) gave results vhich indicated a more suitable rooting environment than the high terrace soils. Restricted rooting depth led to low (65-80mm) total available water contents (TAWC) for the high terrace soils and higher, but more variable, TAWC (80-116mm) for the Kairanga soils. A simple soil water balance model allowed soil water storage and climate to be integrated to estimate periods of moisture stress. In the year of this study (1985/86) there was a range in moisture stress days (0-27 days) dependant on soil type. However, there was no correlation between the computed number of moisture stress days and crop yield. This was due to an unusual wet spring-summer growth season. Thus other factors, probably related directly and indirectly to poor drainage and aeration, affected yield more than moisture stress. Extended to different climatic seasons, the model predicted that 25-64 moisture stress days would occur in a drier season, depending on soil type. This is predicted to cause a 40% and 20% reduction in yield due to moisture stress for the high terrace soils and a Kairanga soil respectively.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An integrated catchment management plan toward restoration : sustainable farming with a future focus in the Mangaone West : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Management at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2014) Hickey-Elliott, Andree Beth
    Land cover change and land use management practices have caused environmental degradation of the Mangaone West catchment. A catchment management plan is needed to address the degradation. An integrated method was used to improve the likelihood of plan success. ArcMap and biophysical sampling were used to provide a knowledge base of current catchment conditions. Considerable environmental sampling was carried out, including MCI and QMCI indices, nutrient sampling of nitrogen and phosphorous, sediment assessment methods, riparian assessment and erosion assessment. A catchment meeting was held to form a consensus plan goal and view. The goal of ‘sustainable farming in the Mangaone West, with a future focus’ was established. The river styles framework and a traditional integrated catchment management plan framework were reviewed. Components for plan success were reviewed and integrated into the proposed plan. The catchment sampling found significant degradation with regard to its geomorphology, riparian margin and water quality. Erosion and connectivity of the upper catchment hillslopes and waterways is a significant issue. Much of the catchment is lacking a riparian margin. A combined plan is proposed, using a mixture of the river styles framework and traditional development structure. Best management practices need to be adopted by all landowners and riparian margins require significant restoration. Hillslopes of the upper catchment require stabilisation, and problematic willows in the lower catchment need to be removed. The local community needs to be involved throughout the plan implementation in order to maximise its success. With the proposed plan utilised, the Mangaone West could be restored to a sustainable environment.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Defining local food in New Zealand : a study in the Manawatu region : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of AgriCommerce at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2014) Hiroki, Sayaka
    Local food is an emerging consumer trend in countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, and Japan (Knight, 2013; Kimura & Nishiyama, 2008). However, the definition of local food varies by context, and from country to country (Kneafsey, 2010). Variation in the definitions of local food and in the attributes associated with local food may lead to disjunctions between intentions and outcomes of local food initiatives, and cause miscommunications among social actors (DeLind, 2011). In order to respond to growing demand for local food, it is important to understand how consumers define local food within different social and demographic contexts. While there is a substantial body of literature on local food internationally, limited research has been undertaken in the context of New Zealand. For the purpose of analysing how consumers define and understand local food in New Zealand, an exploratory study was conducted using a quantitative method based on self-administered questionnaires. A sample of 240 food shoppers was taken by convenience sampling in the Manawatu region of New Zealand. Data collection took place in different locations, including supermarkets, a farmers’ market, and public places in and around Palmerston North City. The data were processed and analysed using the SPSS statistical package. This study identified that a majority of the respondents considered that local food may be defined both as food that was produced and sold in New Zealand, and as food that was produced and sold in a more geographically constricted area. It also highlighted that support for community was the most important attribute associated with local food. The study further found that many of the respondents bought what they considered as local food from supermarkets, yet at the same time identified that local food was associated with a food supply system that is alternative to the mainstream food supply systems. Additionally, the study demonstrated that household income had a limited relationship with consumers’ perceptions of local food. This study provides a basis for further research into understandings of local food in New Zealand. It is suggested that further studies be undertaken to improve communication among different social actors with respect to demand and supply of local food.