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Item The geological history and hazards of a long-lived stratovolcano, Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand(Taylor and Francis Group on behalf of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2021-03-17) Cronin SJ; Zernack AV; Ukstins IA; Turner MB; Torres-Orozco R; Stewart RB; Smith IEM; Procter JN; Price R; Platz T; Petterson M; Neall VE; McDonald GS; Lerner GA; Damaschcke M; Bebbington MSMt. Taranaki is an andesitic stratovolcano in the western North Island of New Zealand. Its magmas show slab-dehydration signatures and over the last 200 kyr they show gradually increasing incompatible element concentrations. Source basaltic melts from the upper mantle lithosphere pond at the base of the crust (∼25 km), interacting with other stalled melts rich in amphibole. Evolved hydrous magmas rise and pause in the mid crust (14–6 km), before taking separate pathways to eruption. Over 228 tephras erupted over the last 30 kyr display a 1000–1500 yr-periodic cycle with a five-fold variation in eruption frequency. Magmatic supply and/or tectonic regime could control this rate-variability. The volcano has collapsed and re-grown 16 times, producing large (2 to >7.5 km3) debris avalanches. Magma intrusion along N-S striking faults below the edifice are the most likely trigger for its failure. The largest Mt. Taranaki Plinian eruption columns reach ∼27 km high, dispersing 0.1 to 0.6 km3 falls throughout the North Island. Smaller explosive eruptions, or dome-growth and collapse episodes were more frequent. Block-and-ash flows reached up to 13 km from the vent, while the largest pumice pyroclastic density currents travelled >23 km. Mt. Taranaki last erupted in AD1790 and the present annual probability of eruption is 1–1.3%.Item Design and fabrication of a climate-controlled lysimeter and testing of new controlled-release fertilisers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) in Agricultural Engineering and Environmental Sciences at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2021) Gunaratnam, AbhiramPastoral agriculture is the backbone of the New Zealand (NZ) economy and nearly 9 million hectares of land (33% of the total land area in NZ) is under pastoral farming. The higher and continuous applications of readily available N fertilisers to pastoral land use increase nitrogen (N) losses, which degrade the water and air quality. Controlled-release fertilisers (CRFs) have been shown to be an effective strategy to mitigate N losses in many parts of the world. This study was undertaken to develop different CRF formulations and test their effect on ryegrass under a simulated climate condition. A new controlled-environment lysimeter system was designed and fabricated, since lysimeter designs available in the literature are not suitable to conduct a controlled-environment study. The lysimeter was permanently capped to provide a confined space for controlling the microclimate of ryegrass, and equipped with sensors to monitor the environmental variables. An environmental controlling unit (ECU) was designed to emulate a climate model and control the environmental variables in the lysimeter. Taranaki region’s (spring season of the year 2013) climate model was selected to emulate in this design. The ECU modifies the ambient air according to the climate model and circulates it through 40 lysimeters using air conduits and distributors. The ryegrass was grown for three months under simulated climate conditions, and DM yield was measured. In addition, microclimate temperature, relative humidity (RH), evapotranspiration and drainage of each lysimeter during the experimental period were recorded. The performance of the ECU was tested by comparing the observed temperature and RH values of the plant proximity with setpoints of the climate model. In addition, the performance of the lysimeter system on recreating the climate model was tested by comparing the observed drainage, evapotranspiration, and DM yield values with the estimated values derived from the climate model. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) of temperature was 1.96 °C day⁻¹, which was marginally higher than the targeted temperature variation range of 1 °C day⁻¹. However, the RMSE of RH was 4.45% day⁻¹, which was within the targeted fluctuation range of 5% day⁻¹. These observations showed that the ECU satisfactorily controlled the environmental variables as per the climate model. The observed drainage, evapotranspiration and total DM yield were within the estimated values; 525 mm, 104 mm and 2167 kg-DM ha⁻¹, respectively. These results revealed that the selected Taranaki climate model was successfully emulated in the newly developed lysimeter system design. A low-cost, simple lysimeter soil retriever (LSR) design was fabricated to retrieve the soil, and its performance was examined. The soil moisture influenced the retrieval process, where lower disturbances for soil block structure and roots were observed for soil with high moisture (28%) than low moisture (13%). The linear actuator used in this design was powerful enough to perform soil retrieval and showed consistent performance after 80 soil columns were retrieved. Force given by the linear actuator did not damage the lysimeter body, but was sufficient to push the soil column out of the lysimeter. Therefore, this design is suitable to retrieve soil blocks from mini (<100 kg) and small (100-1000 kg) lysimeters. Different forms of CRFs were developed by coating urea with epoxy-lignite (Epox) or polyester-lignite (Poly) polymer composites. Each composite was coated three or five times, and therefore four CRFs were formulated depending on the type of composite and coating thickness; Epox3, Epox5, Poly3, and Poly5. The complete release of urea took place at 144, 408, 120 and 175 hours for Epox3, Epox5, Poly3 and Poly5, respectively, in water. Increasing the coating thickness prolonged the duration of urea release for both composites. Although no cracks were identified in all the CRF coatings, micropores were seen under high magnification in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. The interactions between lignite and polymer were demonstrated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The lignite dominated in all coatings compared to the polymer, and lignite compositions were 2.1 to 5.3-fold higher than polymers in CRFs. The Epox5 showed overall better performance than other formulations. The CRF formulations which showed more controlled-release characteristics in water; Epox5 and Poly5, were selected to study their performance on ryegrass against urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP) in the climate-controlled lysimeter system. The total DM yield, root DM distribution, herbage N recovery and nitrogen utilisation efficiencies (NUE) were not significantly different between N treatments. Although N₂O emission and nitrate leaching losses were not significantly different between N treatments, the values were very low in comparison to the values obtained in similar studies reported in the literature. An investigation was carried out to find out the reason for these observed low N₂O and nitrate levels with different hypotheses. The only hypothesis tested that showed a significant relationship with these observed results; the high iron content of sand could have decreased the nitrate in leachate and N₂O emission. In this study, a 2 x 4 factorial design was used with two types of sand (low and high iron sand) and four N levels (0, 50, 100 and 200 kg-N ha⁻¹). It was found that high iron sand significantly lowered (P<0.05) the nitrate leaching at all N levels compared to low iron sand, except for the 0 kg-N ha⁻¹ treatment. The N2O emission was significantly lower (P<0.05) for high iron sand than low iron sand, only at the 200 kg-N ha⁻¹ application level. These observations support the hypothesis, that iron is involved in nitrate reduction and the possible mechanism was dissimilatory nitrate reduction (DNR) pathway. A new controlled-release fertiliser (Ver-1) was developed by Verum Group Ltd using lignite and urea. In this study, the effectiveness of two different types of CRFs (Epox5 and Ver-1) and two levels of iron application (239 and 478 kg-FeSO4 ha-1) on controlling N losses were tested in lysimeters where ryegrass was grown. The Epox5 and Ver-1 significantly (P<0.05) reduced N leaching losses by 37% and 47%, respectively, whereas only Epox5 significantly (P<0.05) increased N₂O emission compared to the urea treatment. Iron treatments were not effective in controlling N losses, which suggests that the expected DNR pathway was not prominent in this study. The DM yield and NUE were not significantly increased by CRFs and iron applications compared to the urea treatment. The hierarchical clustering analysis revealed that Ver-1 was the best treatment for controlling N leaching losses. Future research is recommended to investigate (a) the mechanism which underlies the reduction of nitrate in high iron content sand, (b) the effectiveness of iron application on N leaching losses on different soils, and (c) the performance of new CRFs formulations (Epox5 and Ver-1) at the field level.Item Effects of disturbance and nutrient regimes on freshwater invertebrate community structure : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ecology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2018) Taylor, Joanna MarieFreshwater ecosystems globally are under threat from anthropogenically driven impacts including water abstraction for drinking and agriculture, exotic species invasion, eutrophication, channelization and destruction or modification of habitat. In New Zealand, eutrophication from nutrient enrichment is one of the most pervasive and detrimental impacts. High nutrient levels in waterways is detrimental not only to the species that inhabit them, but can also affect drinking and irrigation water for humans and result in loss of recreational and aesthetic values. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus can cause large amounts of periphyton to grow which in turn can impact water quality and the community composition of stream macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrate communities are also strongly affected by floods. More or less frequent flooding can cause changes in composition of stream invertebrate communities. Streams are usually affected by multiple stressors but the effect of those stressors are often considered in isolation for management. As macroinvertebrates are often used as indicators of ecosystem health, it is important to assess how different stressors interact and how these impacts those communities. In this study, macroinvertebrate communities in four Taranaki streams were sampled to assess the interactive effects of nutrient enrichment and flood regime. Nutrient enrichment resulted in invertebrate communities changing markedly between upstream and downstream sites. All four streams had a similar composition at the upstream sites whereas downstream sites in most streams were very different. In two of the streams with lower disturbance regimes, nutrients were the most important driver of invertebrate community composition. In the two streams with a higher disturbance regime, the invertebrate communities were more similar between upstream and downstream sites indicating that flooding was overriding the effects of nutrient enrichment as the most important driver of community composition.Item Multiple scales of biological variability in New Zealand streams : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2016) JayasuriyaStream fish communities in Taranaki, New Zealand, were studied for the patterns and drivers of their spatial ecology. The study was focused on three main themes: a) complementarity between geography and landuse in driving regional distribution patterns of stream fish, b) the impact of agriculture on community composition, structure and variability of fish and invertebrates, and c) concordance among environmental distance and community dissimilarities of stream fish and invertebrates. Stream sampling and data collection for fish was conducted at regional scale using 96 sites distributed in the protected forest (44 sites) of Egmont National Park in Taranaki, and in surrounding farmlands (52 sites). Local scale sampling for fish and invertebrates was carried out at 15 stream sites in pasture (8 sites) and in adjacent forest (7 sites). Environmental data of geography, landuse and local habitat description were also gathered concurrently to biological sampling. The regional scale survey reported fifteen fish species, dominated by longfin eels (Anguilla dieffenbachia), redfin bullies (Gobiomorphus huttoni) and koaro (Galaxias brevipinnis), while 12 fish species and 69 different invertebrate taxa were recorded from the 15 sites at local scale. Regional scale spatial patterns of fish were mainly driven by landuse pattern. Catchment landuse (characterised by percentage cover of farming/native forest) effectively partitioned the stream fish community structure in Taranaki. Within each level of catchment landuse (farming), abundance and richness of fish species were negatively correlated with the altitude. Moreover, the upstream slope in high elevations and intensive farming downstream limited the distribution of stream fish across the region. Fish community composition differed significantly but weakly between forest and pasture in the immediate proximity. The dissimilarity of fish communities between forest and pasture increased from regional to local scale, and a similar result was found with stream invertebrate dissimilarity at the local scale. Stream communities (fish and invertebrates) were equally variable among streams between the two land use classes both at regional and local scales. Although the land use difference did not affect within-stream variability of fish, invertebrate communities were less variable within a pasture stream. Trends in in-stream variability of invertebrates were influenced mainly by altitude, stream morphology, pH, and riparian native cover. In concordance analysis, Mantel and Procrustes tests were used to compare community matrices of fish and invertebrates and the environmental distance between stream sites. The spatial patterns of fish and invertebrates were significantly concordant with each other among the 15 streams at the local scale. Nevertheless, community concordance decreased with lower spatial scales, and the two communities were not concordant at local sites within a given stream. Agriculture had a negative impact on the concordance between fish and invertebrates among streams, and none of the communities correlated with the overall environmental distance between agricultural streams. Community concordance between fish and invertebrates was consistently higher than the community-environment links, and lower trophic level (invertebrates) linked to their environment more closely than the upper trophic level (fish). The overall results suggest a bottom-up control of the communities through the stream food web. Finally, to inform the regional management and conservation decision, stream sites were partitioned according to the most important bioenvironmental constraints. The ecological similarity was measured by geography, land use pattern and the abundances of influential native fish species within the region, and the streams were clustered into seven distinct zones, using the method of affinity propagation. Interestingly, the dichotomy in proximal land use was not generally represented between zones, and the species diversity gradients were not significantly different across the zonal stream clusters. The average elevation of a given zone did not influence the community variability, while upstream pasture significantly homogenised fish communities between streams within a zone. Nonetheless the zones were based on river-system connectivity and geographical proximity. This study showed separate effects of confounding geography (altitude) and landuse on stream fish community structure, which has not explicitly been explored by previous studies. Studies with a simultaneous focus on multiple biological (e.g. fish and invertebrates) and environmental (e.g. geography, landuse, stream morphology) scales in varying spatial scales are not common in freshwater ecology. Therefore, this study has a great contribution to the understanding of the spatial ecology of stream communities linked with the control of geography, landuse, environment and likely biological interactions between fish and invertebrates.Item Impact management and social performance in the petrochemical industry in Taranaki : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University(Massey University, 2000) Whyte, MandyThis thesis addresses the practices of the petrochemical industry, in particular exploration and production companies (E& P), in interacting with operations-affected community stakeholders. It does so by reviewing the range of methodologies common to the industry, and by surveying companies active in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. It seeks to answer the question: how can exploration companies minimise their social impacts and conflict with operations-affected communities, and the associated costs, in a mutually acceptable and sustainable way? The thesis challenges the practice of addressing community concerns with, what the author has identified as, a public relations approach, the primary and underlying purpose of which is, it is argued, to further the economic interests of business. It maintains that practices arising from a public relations approach are both socially inappropriate and commercially ineffective when applied to communities who are negatively affected by companies with which they are obliged to share the same social and physical environment. Instead the thesis supports a community development approach to interactions between the petrochemical industry and community stakeholders. This approach emanates from a philosophical framework that espouses human rights and the integration of social, environmental and economic development as an enduring function of commercial enterprise. It is posited that effective management of the dynamics of opposing interests will not be achieved through companies deploying 'nice people' to negotiate with disaffected, disparate and disempowered groups, but through the use of qualified social practitioners and the community development tools of social assessment, participation and empowerment to create mutuality beneficial outcomes.Item Nga Rauru : ka maro te kaki o te Kotuku : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University(Massey University, 1992) Walsh, Michael Wehi MailetongaThis thesis is concerned with the development of a resource: land, so as to provide an economic base that will sustain social and cultural activities for the iwi of Nga Rauru. Chapter One of the thesis reveals the various Acts and legislations and reasons that made land a source of conflict between Maori and Pakeha during the Nineteenth century. This is the first period of land alienation. Chapter Two highlights the Acts and legislation of the Twentieth century that continued to alienate Maori from their land. Attempts to counter this land alienation are also discussed. In Chapter Three a block of Maori land, originally Crown granted in 1882, is used to show the process of fragmentation and alienation which has produced the situation today: there is still Maori land left in the block, but it is largely leased to local Pakeha farmers. The consequences of land alienation to Maori in general, and where possible Nga Rauru specifically, is discussed in Chapter Four. Economic, cultural, spiritual, social and political factors are viewed in an attempt to gauge Nga Rauru's present 'well-being'. The final chapter calls for the utlisation of Nga Rauru lands to be returned to the iwi. A scenario concentrating on forestry development is used to indicate possible costs and returns to the iwi, in economic and social terms. The chapter concludes that there is a need for Nga Rauru to establish a Development Unit to facilitate desired economic growth for the iwi.Item Colonial imperative and the transformation of the Taranaki landscape : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Geography at Massey University(Massey University, 1997) Sharman, Craig MelvilleThis study is an historical cultural geography of colonial Taranaki. I argue the history of colonial Taranaki can be better understood by focusing on the notions that underpinned the actions of the settler Government towards Maori, and the Taranaki landscape. The notions of 'civilisation', 'progress', 'savages', and 'order', are some of the concepts that were complicit in shaping the settlers' understanding of their 'reality'. These notions structured the settlers' own identity as 'civilised', and that of Maori as 'savages', and constituted the Taranaki landscape as 'wasted' and unproductive in the hands of Maori. In this context, both the landscape and Maori were constructed as needing 'culturing', to transform them from a state of 'savagery', to a state of 'civilisation'. I argue that these notions constituted a context in which the dispossession of Maori land was constructed as 'just' and natural'. Maori land was alienated through war, confiscations, the compensation process, and the 'rule of law'. A legislative framework was set up to include Maori within its authority, based on the notions above. Maori resistance to the assertion of that authority was greeted as further proof of the 'savageness' of Maori. The settler Government maintained a paternalistic attitude towards Maori, and indirectly caused war and injustice through their refusal to deal with Maori as equals. The identity of the settlers, and of Pakeha today, is based on a conventional history that represents the colonisation of New Zealand as a benevolent and beneficial process for Maori and Pakeha. I argue that by challenging this history and asserting the existence of other historical experiences, unseen by the conventional history, the politics of 'being Pakeha' and 'being Maori' can be engaged in. This engagement is crucial to the ability of New Zealand society to move beyond colonialism, to a state of post-coloniality.Item Effects of land use and point source discharges on macroinvertebrate and periphyton communities of the Taranaki ring plain : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Massey University(Massey University, 2000) Wells, A.G.Macroinvertebrate and periphyton communities were sampled from February 1998 to May 1998 in 83 stream and river sites throughout the Taranaki Ring Plain, New Zealand. Generally as streams descend the mountain, the catchment moves along a continuum ranging from pristine headwater streams with a high proportion of catchment in native forest, through to lowland streams with a high proportion of pasture catchment, draining intensive agricultural and industrial practices which put pressure on water resources. Ordination of sites indicated that the environmental continuum on the Ring Plain corresponds to a gradient of taxa along Axis 1 from clean water mayfly, caddisfly and stonefly taxa (i.e., Deleatidium spp., Coloburiscus) that prefer headwater streams, through to nutrient tolerant taxa (i.e. Oxyethira, Nemertea, Potomoprygus) that prefer lowland streams. This was emphasised by the positive correlation of Axis 1 with altitude and percent native forest and negative correlation with conductivity, chlorophyll a, temperature and BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand). A decline in invertebrate richness (number of taxa, Margarlef's index), and an increase in periphyton richness (number of taxa) and biomass (chlorophyll a) also occurred with distance downstream on the Ring Plain. Data collected in my study were compared to earlier studies (Taranaki Catchment Commission 1982,1984; Stark 1982; Hirsch 1958) to examine longer term temporal changes in macroinvertebrate communities. Significant differences in MCI and the SQMCI were found between my study and studies in the 1980's and 1958, as well as differences in percent EPT and the number of taxa between my study and 1980's studies. The decline in biotic indices in my study was also accompanied by a decrease in the abundance of mayfly and sensitive caddisfly taxa (i.e., Deleatidium spp., Coloburiscus) and an increase in the abundance of Diptera and the more tolerant caddisfly taxa (i.e. Oxyethira, Tanytarsini), since 1980's studies. Although invertebrate communities in my study that used to be below dairy factories and septic tank discharges were similar to the invertebrate communities in the 1980's studies, there was a general improvement since the 1958 study. This recovery was reflected in the smaller negative differences in MCI values between sites directly upstream and downstream of discharge points within my study compared to the 1958 study. Temporal changes in water quality were mostly attributed to the intensification of agricultural practices, point source discharges from dairy factories and industry, changes in the flow regime and sand movement.Item Kia mau, kia ū : supporting the breastfeeding journey of Māori women and their whānau in Taranaki : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Public Health at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2015) Reinfelds, Marnie AntalyaThe benefits of breastfeeding for maternal and infant health are well known to Maori. Yet inequities in breastfeeding rates between Maori and non-Maori exist. To understand some of the causes of these inequities, this qualitative study was designed to investigate some of the barriers to breastfeeding for wahine Maori. It is grounded in Kaupapa Maori and Mana Wahine research methodologies as a way of ensuring that the experiences of Maori women were prioritised and to provide transformative outcomes for whanau, hapu and iwi. The aims were to: (1) Identify the barriers to full and exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended six months for wahine Maori in Taranaki; (2) Identify ways to reduce these barriers; and (3) Understand how a breastfeeding culture can be enhanced within whanau Maori. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Maori women and two whanau Maori living in Taranaki. Thematic analysis identified several intervention points to support breastfeeding: (1) access to high quality breastfeeding information (Filling the kete); (2) a compassionate and culturally-safe maternity healthcare workforce (Health service support); (3) active whanau involvement (Whanau support); (4) greater acceptance of breastfeeding by the wider community (Hapori – supportive communities); and (5) access to breastfeeding role models (Role-modelling breastfeeding). Partners and whanau provide important emotional and practical support to breastfeeding women (The breastfeeding support role) however the significance of this role needs to be acknowledged and encouraged (Supporting the supporters). Building whanau capacity and capabilities related to breastfeeding support must begin in the antenatal period (Access to information). This thesis presents a Kaupapa Maori breastfeeding support framework that highlights two areas of action. Tiakina Te Ukaipo describes the relationship between whanau and maternity providers and the ways in which they can protect the mother/infant dyad. It also offers a pathway for supporting Maori women in their breastfeeding aspirations. Hapai Te Tikanga Ukaipo describes the responsibilities of Government, the healthcare sector and the wider community to protect tikanga ukaipo. Maori women aspire to breastfeed our babies, just as our tupuna did. As this thesis clearly shows, achieving these aspirations will require a commitment and reorientation of the maternity healthcare system towards whanau ora.Item A high resolution record of late quaternary climatic and environmental change in Taranaki, New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Earth Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2013) Tinkler, Robert JohnA high-resolution characterisation of climatic and environmental change in Taranaki, New Zealand over the last 80,000 years using biotic and abiotic proxies is presented. This research contributes to the small set of sediment cores that extend from the present back through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the southern North Island, and adds to the small number of near-continuous cores in New Zealand. Fossil pollen data presented here provides a record of vegetation changes in response to climate change (temperature, wind and rainfall). In addition, the project applies a recently developed pollen temperature transfer function (Wilmshurst et al. 2007) to quantify, for the first time, temperature change across the entire LGM in this region, and elucidates the timing of Late Quaternary New Zealand climatic events and phases. Climate change timing and magnitude is tested against the climate event stratigraphy (CES) developed by the NZ-INTIMATE (INTegration of Icecore, Marine and Terrestrial archives) group (Alloway et al. 2007), including: Last Glacial Coldest Period (LGCP); the mid-eLGM Interstadial; the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition (LGIT); Termination I; the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR); the Late-Glacial Warm Period (LGWP), the Late-Glacial Reversal (LGR); and Early Holocene Warming (EHW). During the Moerangi Interstadial between 40,000 and 30,000 cal yrs BP, both the Eltham and coastal Taranaki pollen records show that cold-climate taxa such as Nothofagus menziesii, Nothofagus subg. Fuscospora, Hoheria, Plagianthus, Phyllocladus and Poaceae dominated the pollen assemblage. In addition to being cold, low numbers of fern and tree fern spores imply that conditions were drier than present. The LGCP at Eltham (29,000 – 18,000 cal yrs BP) began around 1,200 years earlier than similar records from elsewhere in New Zealand. Transfer functions suggest that mean annual temperatures at the LGCP/ LGM at Eltham were 5.7°C cooler than present. Within the LGCP, the mid-eLGM Interstadial described in similar records from New Zealand seems to be evident in the W-MAT-derived temperature curve at Eltham, where warming of around 0.8°C occurs between 27,000 and 24,500 cal yrs BP. The LGIT appears to have begun around 18,000 cal yrs BP and concluded around 14,600 cal yrs BP at Eltham, which agrees well with speleothem data from Northwest Nelson, but is more short-lived than at Otamangakau Bog where the LGIT is thought to have persisted for another 1,500 years. A period of sharp cooling inferred from the Eltham pollen record between 16,600 and 15,000 cal yrs BP, when mean annual temperature fell between 1°C and 4°C from the previous period, is matched in time, but not in intensity at some other western and central North Island, and some South island sites, and may be a sampling artefact. The LGWP duration at Eltham (14,600 – 13,500 cal yrs BP) broadly corresponds with NZ-INTIMATE and Northwest Nelson estimates of 14,800 – 13,500 cal yrs BP; mean annual temperatures at Eltham came within 0.6°C of modern-day mean annual temperatures at this time. The timing of the LGR at Eltham shows good agreement with NZ-INTIMATE estimates (Alloway et al. 2007; Lowe et al. 2008), that is, from around 13,500 to 12,500 cal yrs BP. The LGR onset at Eltham preceded onset at the Auckland maars by 600 years and concluded 1,500 years earlier than at Auckland; mean annual temperature at Eltham at this time was approximately 2°C cooler than the present day MAT of 11.2°C. The EHW event commenced at Eltham around 12,500 cal yrs BP, around 1,000 years earlier than at Kaipo Bog, Otamangakau Bog; and largely synchronous with the Auckland maars and Okarito. Pollen records from coastal Taranaki sites span d18O Stage 5a (Otamangakau Interstadial, c. 80,000 yrs BP) through to d18O Stage 2 (Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition, c. 18,500 cal yrs BP), and encompass the stadial complex between these two interstadials (d18O Stage 4, c. 70,000 – 60,000 yrs BP). These records contribute to the small number of pollen-based paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic narratives for New Zealand extending from the LGIT to the Otamangakau Stadial (d18O stage 5a) time periods. A major contribution of the current A High Resolution Record of Late Quaternary Climatic and Environmental Change in Taranaki, New Zealand study is to reconstruct and characterise d18O stage 5a and d18O stage 4 temperatures based on two pollen transfer functions developed by Wilmshurst et al. (2007). During d18O Stage 5a around 80,000 cal yrs BP, conditions were warmer and wetter than the succeeding glacial. d18O Stage 4 and the early part of d18O Stage 3 were cool with relatively low precipitation and were likely to have been windy at coastal Taranaki sites. Although d18O Stage 4 was cool, it was not as cold as the LGM: pollen transfer functions showed decreases in estimated mean annual temperature from d18O stage 5a, with mean annual temperatures falling around 2°C to reach 7°C. Precipitation likely decreased during d18O stage 4, as indicated by low levels of drought-intolerant taxa Dacrydium cupressinum, Cyathea smithii, and monolete spores, whilst low shrub diversity implies that disturbance was likely to have been low. During early d18O stage 3, the climate warmed and became wetter in coastal Taranaki, as indicated by increasing conifer abundance; in particular Dacrydium cupressinum, high abundance of Cyathea smithii, and a decline in cold-tolerant Nothofagus, Halocarpus, Asteraceae, and Poaceae after 60,000 yrs BP. These conditions persisted for < 5,000 years before temperatures decreased again, then between 50,000 and 40,000 yrs BP the decline in Poaceae and cold-tolerant shrubs Phyllocladus, Halocarpus and Asteraceae, as well as the sharp rise in tall tree conifers, all point to climate amelioration. Conditions were still relatively cool; although pollen transfer functions imply that that mean annual temperatures increased slightly, with mean annual temperature estimates fluctuating between 7°C and 8°C, this was approximately 3 to 4°C cooler than present. For the first time in New Zealand, aerosolic quartz dust was extracted from organic sediments; this peat-derived data informs a paleowind narrative for Taranaki. The technique used in the current study to extract quartz from peats can be considered successful, insofar as relatively pure samples of quartz could be isolated in sufficient mass to be able to measure them, and relate the data to the age model and the coeval pollen influx. The paleowind reconstructions from Eltham can be summarised as follows: strong winds dominated between 36,200 and 35,100 cal yrs BP, 30,746 and 32,101 cal yrs BP, 28,364 to 17,477 cal yrs BP, and 16,118 to 15,806 cal yrs BP. Intermediate winds occurred between 30,746 and 28,364 cal yrs BP, 17,477 and 16,118 cal yrs BP, and 15,619 to 14,916 cal yrs BP; winds of light intensity dominated between 34,777 and 32,101 cal yrs BP and 14,916 and 9,900 cal yrs BP. Major dust peaks at 31,358 cal yrs BP; 21,300 cal yrs BP and 15,955 cal yrs BP all correlated well with the Vostok ice core as well as marine core P69 (Stewart & Neall 1984), and Onaero and Waitui in northern Taranaki. Similarly, dust minima after about 15,000 cal yrs BP at Eltham, Vostok, marine core P69, Onaero, and Waitui suggests that the quartz dust signature at Eltham is consistent with both global and regional estimates of dust influx as the atmospheric dust load responded to changes in wind direction and strength, in particular the intensity of westerly winds, and changes to sediment source area characteristics such as vegetation cover. Combining fossil pollen data and aerosolic quartz dust results is a new technique to investigate the relationship between wind intensity, temperature and plant assemblages. The Eltham fossil pollen and aerosolic quartz data was analysed to determine how the relative proportions of competitive, stress tolerant and ruderal taxa respond to winds of differing intensities over time, as well as quantifying the impact of wind of different intensities on plant diversity over the period 36,200 to 9,900 cal yrs BP. In essence, competitor, C-selected taxa increased in relative abundance, and stress-tolerant, S-selected and ruderal, r-selected taxa decreased over the last 15,000 years at Eltham, as both temperature and wind intensity ameliorated. Wind data was examined against pollen diversity data to test the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis (IDH) in the vegetation of the Taranaki region. A moderate relationship between floral diversity and dust flux was found, with periods of high and low dust flux corresponding to lower diversity, and periods of intermediate dust flux corresponding to higher diversity, as predicted by the IDH.