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    Timings of permanent tooth emergence in children of rural Vanuatu, Melanesia
    (Pasifika Medical Association, 2021-12-30) Webb E; Stewart C; Woods L; Dunlop PF; Tangis J; Stephens J; Dennison E
    Introduction: Global patterning and timing of permanent tooth emergence is influenced by ethnicity, with no known timings reported for ethnic Melanesian children living in the tropical archipelago of Vanuatu. Aim: To determine timings of permanent tooth emergence and sequencing for children who reside in rural Vanuatu Methods: Children aged 4-17 years (n=1026), part of a larger oral health cross-sectional study, were examined recording all permanent teeth present, across four spatially separated islands. Binary logistic modelling established children’s median age of emergence of each permanent tooth for each study area. Findings: The median emergence of first permanent molars for girls is 4.9-years and 5.3 -years for boys. In all locations, children had all permanent teeth emerge by age 11 years (excluding 3rd molars). Clinically important differences exist for permanent tooth emergence by study area. Discussion: Permanent teeth emerge earlier for Ni-Vanuatu children compared to both Melanesian children of Papua New Guinea as well as other ethnicities across Oceanic countries. These results can be used as a set standard for Vanuatu. Early tooth emergence suggests oral health education programmes should target pregnant women with clinical preventive strategies commencing for their children before 5-years of age.
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    Movements from Pearl Rivers : Connections flowing between Southern China and Aotearoa : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Arts at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University) Ma'auga, Tessa
    According to ancient worldviews indigenous to China, the universe and humanity evolved and diversified from one single origin, inheriting a divinely spiritual, as well as physical reality. The familial ties binding all life within the universe operate according to principles of reciprocity, harmony in diversity, and balance. These indivisible relationships continue across realms between deceased ancestors and living descendants. The role of humanity to cultivate the divine attributes reflected in the universe is aided by the advancement of arts and crafts. Such perspectives have informed this creative research, which unravels genealogical, philosophical, cultural, and artistic connections that flow between Southern China and Aotearoa. The visual outcome of the research, Movements from Pearl Rivers exhibition, highlights principles which propelled the long historical evolution of Southern China and her descendants. The continuously unfolding narrative of Southern China from cosmological origins, through ancient Austronesian migrations, to the 19th century Southern Chinese global dispersal is conveyed through a site-specific installation which threads together fibres connecting this region such as mulberry paper, banana, bamboo, silk, and flax. Paper cutting scrolls, kinetic cascading cords, woven items, and the objects and stories contributed by eight diverse descendants of the 19th century Southern Chinese global dispersal reinforce a spirit of connection flowing between an ancestral homeland in Southern China and a present homeland in Aotearoa. This research contributes to prevalent art discourses within Oceania which are learning to embrace the increasingly complex, diverse, and cross-cultural identities and relationships of this region. The conceptual framework based on elements of a Chinese cosmological worldview is offered in communication with diverse wisdom traditions in Oceania. The framework centres artistic practice on the cultivation of beautiful attributes within both the artist and their materials, for the purpose of fostering harmonious relationships. The artworks emphasise the notion of the ever-flowing spirit, underlying and connecting all beings within the universe.
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    Historical biogeography of marine ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) of the Southwest Pacific : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Evolutionary Ecology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Samayoa, André Philippe
    Current environmental and anthropogenic pressures are driving significant biodiversity loss and range shifts in marine environments. Understanding how biodiversity is generated and how it responded to past environmental changes is fundamental to inform future management strategies for marine resources. As the largest ubiquitous taxonomic group among marine vertebrates, ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) represent the best model to understand the generation of biodiversity and the processes that shaped contemporary geographic patterns in the sea. In this sense, centers of marine endemism are of evolutionary value as they translate evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that drive biodiversity dynamics. In the Pacific Ocean, endemism centers for marine fishes are mainly located in remote oceanic islands at the periphery of the tropical West Pacific which harbors the highest levels of biodiversity. Biogeographic research suggests that marine fish endemism in the oceanic islands of the Central Pacific originated via multiple independent jump-dispersal colonization events, and that the islands have acted as sources of new unique biodiversity. However, as the evolutionary setting starts to be revealed for marine fish endemism in the Pacific, processes that generate and maintain biodiversity in other peripheral islands remain unknown. My thesis aims to fill this gap by studying the origin, evolution, and processes that have shaped endemism and biodiversity of marine fishes in the Southwest Pacific. I examined the historical biogeography of the region´s marine fish fauna using open-access molecular data to infer evolutionary histories, and geographic distribution information to assess spatial patterns of endemism and biodiversity. Data were analyzed across three research projects based on time-calibrated phylogenies, probabilistic biogeographic modeling, and statistical analysis of phylogenetic measures of endemism and biodiversity. My results confirm the role of the subtropical islands of the Southwest Pacific as sources of new unique biodiversity, identify mainland Australia as the major source of endemic lineages, highlight the significance of jump-dispersal and vicariance in shaping endemism patterns, and reveal that the processes shaping patterns of endemism and biodiversity differ at local scales. My thesis contributes to the understanding of unique contemporary biogeographic patterns in the marine fish fauna of the Southwest Pacific.
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    Identifying challenges of aviation growth within the South Pacific region : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Aviation at Massey University, Manawatū Campus, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2022) Salesi, Vinolia Kilinaivoni
    The aviation and tourism industries are major cornerstones of economic and social development within the South Pacific Region (SPR). The SPR is a tourism-dependent region with air transport as the primary mode of transport for inbound tourists, given its geographical isolation from the rest of the world. Despite the importance of the aviation industry for the tourism sector and economic development within the SPR, there are continual challenges for the aviation industry within the SPR to grow and be sustainable. This PhD thesis investigates three key and related challenges facing the aviation industry within the SPR during different stages of the COVID-19 era. Chapter 1 examines the effects of the aviation sector on tourism growth within the SPR via econometric estimation for data collected from 2008 to 2018. It was found that the aviation industry has positively influenced tourism growth within the SPR, which justified government support for aviation and tourism growth during the pre-COVID-era. Chapter 2 explores the perspectives of stakeholders on aviation subsidy programmes within the SPR through interviews and thematic analysis amid COVID-19 era. It was found that the SPR countries’ aviation sectors are heavily reliant on aviation subsidies to operate and develop, but may also be subject to political influence and misuse. Because of the scale of the problem, it was noted that the SPR governments could not provide sufficient support for aviation operators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chapter 3 systematically reviews the literature and publications (2010‒2021) regarding the strategies for mitigating and controlling the impacts of pandemics on the air transport and tourism sectors during the post-COVID-19 era. The findings highlighted the importance of travel-related policies and measures (e.g., border closures and travel restrictions, quarantine and isolation, hygiene measures, virus testing, contact tracing, airport screening and other measures) for mitigating and controlling future pandemics that may happen within the SPR. Overall, the three empirical studies comprising this PhD thesis contribute to the aviation and tourism literature of a under-researched region (SPR) by providing insights from multiple dimensions, including international inbound tourism, aviation subsidies, travel-related policies and measures for future pandemics. It also provides evidence-based policymaking, pragmatic and practical insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders to develop the SPR’s aviation, tourism and economies
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    A va'ine approach to creative writing : the tīvaevae framework and the calabash breaker : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Creative Writing at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Kokaua-Balfour, Stacey
    This thesis explores an approach to creative writing embedded with an indigenous cultural framework from the Cook Islands. The tīvaevae framework, based around the process of constructing Cook Islands tīvaevae quilts, shapes both the critical and creative components of the thesis. The critical component explains how the tīvaevae framework is utilised and includes a discussion of an archetype called the calabash breaker, named after the poem of the same name by Selina Tusitala Marsh. The calabash breaker appears in different guises in both traditional and contemporary Moana narratives and can be recognised by her strong links to family, community and place, combined with tendency to rebel against the social conventions of her community. Typically, her insubordinate nature drives the narrative towards her ultimate act of disruption while also providing a method of social critique. Characters who share the traits of the calabash breaker are explored through a close reading of Witi Ihimaera’s novel Whale Rider (1987) and Sia Figiel’s novel The Girl in the Moon Circle (1996). In the creative component, a middle grade novel titled The Mōmoke’s Daughter, a Rarotongan girl named Kimiora from Porirua discovers she is the daughter of a mōmoke, a figure from Rarotongan cultural narratives. Kimiora and her friend return to the world of the mōmoke in the depths of te Moananui a Kiva, the Pacific Ocean. The book has a strong environmental concerns and explores what it means to be Indigenous to the Pacific while also part of a global community that is responsible for so much of the environmental destruction of ocean habitats. The novel uses the calabash breaker, expressed through the character of Kimiora, to explore Cook Islands ideas about identity, family, belonging, place and the role of mana tiaki (kaitiaki) of ocean environments.
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    Culture, gender and small business : Honiara, Solomon Islands : presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2001) Simiha, Bella
    The common assumption in regards to indigenous Solomon Islanders owning business is that most of these businesses will fail because of cultural constraints. These appear in the form of the wantok system and cultural obligations that place an extreme financial burden on small business owners (SBOs) and restrict the potential of potential small businesses. This study has been carried out in the formal business sector in Honiara to ascertain the effects of cultural obligations on small business (SB) and to determine the role of women in business. The research findings lead to the conclusion that with education/ experience cultural obligations can be managed within small businesses, and that women, despite the gender restrictions rooted in traditional culture, can manage small businesses successfully. However, it is evident that the wantok system and the commercialisation of some aspects of culture, places a financial burden on Solomon Islanders. In order to promote the development of indigenous small businesses, the government, pending adequate research, will need to ensure that suitable financial loan assistance schemes, and advisory offices are introduced to allow for easy access to start up business resources. Furthermore, as the research has shown that if women are to be successful in business these schemes must target all groups of women and not favour one group, for example rural women. It is also evident from the research that more professional women are entering into small businesses, and that they can manage cultural obligations and still assist relatives both in the urban and rural sectors.
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    Comparative study in the net barter terms of trade and income terms of trade of the Pacific Island economies : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Economics at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1995) Soakai, Robert Matafonua Fotu
    It is suggested by the so-called P-S thesis that countries whose exports based upon traditional primary products will continue to face deterioration in their terms of trade. It is upon such a proclamation, that challenge the author to launched an investigation to the validity of such a claim and its applicability to the case of Solomon Islands, Tonga and Western Samoa. The early researcher in this area shows that countries whose exports dominate by exporting traditional primary commodities tend to have more instability in its terms of trade than those who are exporting manufactured goods. However one of the most staggering finding of this research is. The terms trade of the three island economies seem to be deteriorate, at same time their purchasing power seems to be on the positive side. What it means that, despite the deterioration in the country's terms of trade their incomes seem not deter at all by such a movement. This is sound controversial to the P-S thesis but there was other trade incentive that came in to play when these countries' terms of trade deteriorate. However, perhaps it is enough to mention here that such deterioration in the terms of trade might mean so little when one take into account major factors that hammered these small island's economies. Factors like, drought, hurricane, poor quarantine service, has fueled the problem of deterioration of the terms of trade. Empirical test was carried out to examine the impact of the Net Barter terms of trade movement on the income (Gross Domestic Products). Result revealed was un-intrigue. Conclusion was drawn and there is a strong need for change in the export haves of the three island economies. Policies need to change to encourage regional trading. A change to the trade agreement (e.g., SPARTECA) that govern the trade activities of the island nations, is necessary. Such a change will help the island nations to compete with its trading partners effectively and competatively.
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    State failure in the South Pacific and its implications for New Zealand security policy : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Defence Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2007) Wootton, Stuart I. J
    The concept of state failure is complex, encompassing many aspects of the decline in a state, from its institutional and political capacities, to its social cohesion and economic performance. In the South Pacific, the term "failing" has been used to describe the Solomon Islands before the regional assistance mission RAMSI intervened. Its continued use to describe other countries in the region, such as Papua New Guinea or Fiji is controversial, mainly because the states of the South Pacific are generally considered much more peaceful than those in other regions labelled failing. Importantly, the geographical nature of the region itself provides a vastly different strategic context to African and European failing states which are often situated in landlocked geographies. It follows on that if Pacific Island states do experience aspects of failure (as opposed to being completely collapsed or failed) then their incapacities would breed unique security implications for the South Pacific region. This thesis aims to discern what those implications are for New Zealand policy in the South Pacific region. The method used will be to assess seven countries (Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) and their degree to which they measure up against twelve indicators of state failure. These indicators have been borrowed from the Fund for Peace's annual Failed States Index (with their permission) and they provide the structure for the assessment.
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    Constructing identity : collecting Oceanic art/artefacts in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Museum Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2002) Evans, Rose
    This study is concerned with the collection of historic and contemporary Oceanic art forms by private collectors in New Zealand. Exploration into a recent increase in both market promotion and private collectors incorporating Oceanic art forms into their contemporary fine art collections is analysed in this research. The study sits within a body of international research into motivations behind collector behaviour and the relationship between art and artefact, yet also exists within the specific local context of New Zealand as a post colonial settler society. The objective of the study is to use qualitative methodology to interview a small sample of five case study collectors. These collectors can be positioned in an art/artefact continuum. One dealer, identified by three of the case study collectors, was interviewed to examine the complex relationship between dealer and private collectors of Oceanic art. Two aspects are explored; the recent growth of Oceanic art forms in private contemporary New Zealand fine art collections and the increasing market promotion of cultural artefacts as fine art works. The study concludes that there has been an increasing interest by collectors of contemporary New Zealand fine art to incorporate Oceanic historic and contemporary art forms into their fine art collections. The study also identified the emergence of a new type of dealer who operates in an urban context to promote both historic and contemporary Oceanic art forms within a fine art gallery environment. The dealer articulates a 'narrative of identity' symptomatic of settler primitivism since colonial settlement in New Zealand. She uses Oceanic art within the context of a fine art collection not only to facilitate the collectors' examination of individual identity but also to negotiate a sense of place within a dynamic post-colonial multicultural environment.
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    Foreign aid and economic growth of the South Pacific microstates : selected case studies of the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Samoa and the Solomon Islands (1970-1995) : a research thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Applied Economics at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Viviani, Ron
    The purpose of foreign aid has traditionally been to assist developing countries to progress through the transition period from economic stagnation to self-sustaining economic growth. For most island economies foreign aid is a key factor in their economic growth and development. It provides a source for foreign exchange, fills the investment-savings gap and meets the shortfall in resource needs. This study presents an empirical analysis of the relationship between foreign aid and economic growth for the South Pacific Microstates (SPMs) of the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands. A neoclassical production function is employed to evaluate the aid-growth nexus. The Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method to cointergration regression is applied to time series data for the period 1970 to 1995 for each of the selected case studies. The various components of foreign aid such as bilateral, multilateral, grant, loan, and technical co-operation aid are utilised to evaluate the disaggregated effects of foreign aid on economic growth. Other determinants of growth such as investment, domestic savings, government consumption and exports are also included in this analysis. Empirical evidence indicates that foreign aid and its various components i.e. bilateral, multilateral, loan, grant, and technical co-operation aid, has not contributed positively or significantly to the Cook Islands and Kiribati's economic growth. The poor performance of government authorities in these South Pacific Microstates is the best explanation for such an outcome. The results for the larger SPMs of Samoa and the Solomon Islands show positive aid-growth relationships. As such, bilateral, grant, and loan aid contributes to economic growth for Samoa. In the case of the Solomon Islands the results are more interesting with various components of foreign aid having a stronger influence on economic growth than the aggregated form of foreign aid. That is, the impact of bilateral, grant, and technical co-operation aid on economic growth is positive and significant in the long-run. As for other determinants of economic growth it is apparent that exports is the only factor that significantly contributes to the economic performance of all these SPMs. Government consumption and the labour force has been productive for Samoa, however, the Cook Islands, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands display negative or insignificant results for these variables. Investment provides strong support for the economic growth of both Samoa and the Solomon Islands, however, in the case of the later it is a short term impact. Domestic savings in these two SPMs are well below investment levels and do not contribute to their country's growth performance. Overall, it is seen that domestic resources (i.e. exports) have a stronger influence on the economic performance of the Cook Islands and Kiribati compared to foreign resources (i.e foreign aid). However, with limited growth of the domestic resources in these SPMs it is difficult to maintain sustained economic growth while relying on exports only. The challenge for the Cook Islands and Kiribati is to improve the productiveness of foreign resources and reduce large and inefficient government sectors. As for Samoa and the Solomon Islands the performance of domestic resources contributes more to the economies of these countries than foreign resources. Moreover, foreign resources also contribute to economic growth. For Samoa and the Solomon Islands to benefit and sustain economic growth and development, it is important to implement policies that encourage private sector development and also have a stable economic environment.