Auckland University Of Technology Research Articles

O le Fau Gagana: A Samoan Mental Health Nurse in Aotearoa-New Zealand.

This article explores my journey as a Samoan woman who migrated as a young mother to Aotearoa-New Zealand, completed nursing qualifications, later specialising in mental health nursing, and eventually completed doctoral studies. Since July 2023 I have been a Lecturer in the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Environmental Studies, Auckland University of Technology. This article uses autoethnographic and narrative methods to collect data from my own life, to explore the experiences of Samoan people in the mental health system of Aotearoa-New Zealand. Criteria for reporting qualitative research was used to prepare the paper. My story showcases the benefits of having both clinical and cultural understandings in the context of mental health care in Aotearoa-New Zealand. The gap between the rhetoric and the reality of the 'New Zealand dream' for Samoan people mirrors the gap between policy and practice in relation to Pacific strategy plans for mental health care. By writing about my experiences, I aim to support better understanding of core concerns for Samoan people when they are engaging with mental healthcare services.

Symposium 5: How can Networked Learning promote student-directed learning at AUT?

Auckland University of Technology (AUT) is a young university in Aotearoa New Zealand, focusing on the student experience. This paper looks at the learning environment in that context and questions where networked learning principles could contribute to the strategic goal of student-directed learning. The paper explores central notions in networked learning as strengths and weaknesses, and redefines student-directed learning for the context of AUT.

Symposium 5: Applications of networked learning to the support of learning and teaching in higher education

This symposium is the result of a broad effort by the authors to consider the applicability of networked learning to our work to support learning and teaching across our institution. We, the authors, work in a central learning and teaching support unit within Auckland University of Technology (AUT), in Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. We are concerned with how networked learning is applicable to our efforts to support learning and teaching at AUT-specifically- to operationalise the institution’s strategic commitments to learner success. Our focus on supporting learning and teaching operates at various levels, from the ‘local’ level of individual courses to the intermediate level of supporting degree programmes to the more ‘global’ level associated with developing institutional policy that supports effective academic teaching practices and the ongoing evolution of a technology infrastructure that enables and supports productive learning and teaching activity. Moreover, our work deals with questions and challenges which range from specific, situated practical challenges to broad, philosophical questions which affect learning and teaching across the institution. This symposium represents our efforts to synthesise our understandings of networked learning and connect general ideas about networked learning with specific, situated aspects of our work to support learning and teaching across the institution.

EDITORIAL: Gaza, genocide and media: Will journalism survive?

30th Anniversary Edition of Pacific Journalism Review: When editor Philip Cass and I, as founding editor, started planning for this 30th anniversary edition of Pacific Journalism Review, we wanted a theme that would fit such an important milestone. At the time when we celebrated the second decade of the journal’s critical inquiry at Auckland University of Technology with a conference in 2014, our theme was ‘Political journalism in the Asia Pacific’, and our mood about the mediascape in the region was far more positive than it is today (Duffield, 2015). Three years later, we marked the 10th anniversary of the Pacific Media Centre, with a conference and a rather gloomier ‘Journalism under duress’ slogan. The PJR cover then featured a gruesome corpse at the height of Rodrigo Duterte’s callous and bloodthirsty ‘war on drugs’—and on media—in the Philippines. Three years later again the PMC itself had been closed in spite of its success. EDITORIAL NOTE: After the editorial of Pacific Journalism Review and the lead article in this edition (Vol 30, No 1&2) about the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange were printed, the Australian journalist was set free and he arrived back in Australia after a plea bargain. The winner of his country’s Walkley Award for journalism excellence, Assange was freed by a US federal court in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, on 26 June 2024 after a plea bargain to plead guilty to one charge of violating the US Espionage Act and the judge sentenced him to 62 months, jail time already served in the UK on remand. His 14-year struggle for freedom was over, but his lawyers say they will press for a full US presidential pardon.

Kei Kōnei Aronui – the Collective Experiences of MAI Ki Aronui, a Māori and Indigenous Doctoral Scholar Support network.

Kei kōnei Aronui (Aronui is here) is the title of a waiata (song), composed by Jani Wilson (former coordinator of MAI ki Aronui), and is sung when welcoming newcomers into our space – declaring our presence and identity. This collective article presents the narratives of nine scholars affiliated with MAI ki Aronui, a Māori and Indigenous doctoral support network – hosted at Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland University of Technology) in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Authors were invited to contribute short narratives or illustrative pieces describing their experience of MAI ki Aronui and their PhD or research journey. These contributions likely represent similar sentiments shared by fellow Māori and Indigenous PhDs. They include a range of creative and conventional vignettes illustrating the experience of being an Indigenous scholar in a western academic institution. The educational pathway for Māori and Pasifika, in Aotearoa has several compounding pressures, resulting in these scholars being amongst a small minority in Aotearoa’s universities. This collaborative article attempts to present the collective experiences of Māori and Indigenous scholars from elsewhere who found a place of belonging and acceptance, beyond the margins of academia and centred within an Indigenous worldview.

The Eke Tangaroa programme for Māori/Pasifika early career academics: Past, present, future

This commentary reflects on Auckland University of Technology’s Eke Tangaroa programme, which aims to increase the number of Māori and Pasifika academic staff of the university and to support them in developing their research careers. The commentary has three parts, representing the past, present and possible future of the programme. The first part (past) is by the two senior professors who came up with the idea in the first place. The second part (present) is by the inaugural and current kaiurungi (navigator) of the programme, also the first author of this commentary. The third part (future) draws on a conversation with the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, who is responsible for the programme.

Auckland University of Technology, Child and Youth Health Research Centre Research Roadshow Presentation (2023)

Introduction: Every year Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences host a research roadshow to provide staff and postgraduate research students an opportunity to showcase their work, network, exchange/share ideas and collaborate to generate new opportunities for research.
 Methods: Members of the AUT Child and Youth Health Research Centre presented a combined power-point presentation where each project was allocated one slide.
 Findings: Ten research projects were presented that spanned across 4 schools. The types of research included 7 empirical designs 1. Using participatory video to explore the perceptions and understandings of health and wellbeing among refugee background youth in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2. Creating a community engaged research agenda for Tamariki with Asthma, 3. The role of serious games and youth as co-designers in future healthy and sustainable city world-building, 4. Decolonising and democratising Malawian public health: A photovoice collaboration with families exploring daily meals associated with a rise in diabetes, 5. Strengthening Pacific voices through Talanoa participatory action research, 6. The creating space project, 7. Children and young people’s participation in activities that inform the planning, implementation, and evaluation of service delivery in Children’s Hospitals in New Zealand; two integrative reviews 8. Children and young people’s self-reported experiences of asthma self-management nursing strategies across various settings; 9. Factors that Influenced the experiences of paediatric nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic and one meta-analysis 10. Risk and protective factors of adolescent suicidality.
 Conclusion: All together there were 30 exhibition presentations including 26 individual sessions over the day (VIMEO recording).

Additive manufacturing materials for structural optimisation and cooling enhancement of superconducting motors in cryo-electric aircraft

Superconducting electric motors offer the potential for low weight and high power in applications such as electric aircraft and high speed marine transport. Combined with renewably-sourced cryogenic fuels and advanced fuel cells they offer a path to zero-carbon mass transport. The proposed architectures of these extreme machines, operating at temperatures around 20 K–50 K and employing very high alternating magnetic fields, require materials for the stator that are not electrically conducting and at the same time have good cryogenic structural performance. Additively manufactured (AM) materials can play a key role in these designs, and a collaboration between the Robinson Research Institute and Auckland University of Technology is studying the performance of a range of composite polymers in superconducting machine applications. There are significant challenges to be met, including understanding the effect of the build process on material properties at low temperatures, and also the effect of formulation changes on thermal properties. AM metals can be employed in the rotor components, where the magnetic field fluctuations are very small for our synchronous designs. In this usage case, we can achieve dramatic reductions in the weight of the rotor assembly by minimising the number of joints and facilitating the design of multi-functional components in our helium cooled, vacuum cryostat architecture. Novel design solutions have been developed for several key components in our prototype machines and these are discussed, along with cryogenic testing results for selected AM polymers and composites.

OBITUARY: Tui Rererangi Walsh O’Sullivan: The ‘flying bird in the sky’

In 1977, Tui O’Sullivan became the first woman and the first Māori appointed to a permanent position at what was then the Auckland Technical Institute (it became Auckland University of Technology in 2000). At AUT, she developed the first Women on Campus group. She helped establish the newspaper Password, a publication introducing new English speakers to New Zealand society and culture. She taught courses on the Treaty of Waitangi when the treaty was a subversive idea. She contributed to the change in social and political thought that has brought the treaty—that her tupuna signed—to greater public influence. The justice it promises was a major theme in Tui’s working life. She was also a founding member of the Pacific Media Centre advisory board and advocate for Pacific Journalism Review from 2007 until she retired in 2018.

Developing librarians’ teaching practice: a case study of learning advisors sharing their knowledge

Increasingly, tertiary librarians are required to teach as part of their role. There is recognition that ongoing professional development (PD) is required in teaching and learning as this is not generally provided as part of formal library qualifications. Using an education design-based research approach, this collaboration aimed to enhance the teaching practice of liaison librarians to enable more consistent review, planning, and design of information literacy workshops. As part of a wider PD programme for liaison librarians at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), learning advisors developed and taught three workshops. The learning advisors were chosen by the library leadership due to their teaching expertise and adaptability. They provide embedded, academic literacy support for students tailored to specific assessment guidelines and marking criteria. The aim was to share examples of learner advisor practice underpinned by relevant theory and applied directly to an information literacy context. Liaison librarians were exposed to workshop strategies to develop appropriate learning outcomes, content, and pedagogical approaches for planning ongoing teaching. They had opportunities to assess and evaluate their current knowledge and skills and consider new approaches. These sessions enabled the team to go forward with shared knowledge to guide their workshop design to create more consistent, sustainable, and measurable content. Another outcome was the co-development of workshop design principles which have been applied to the redevelopment of workshops. As this process is replicable, the value of sharing knowledge and expertise between teams such as learning advisors and liaison librarians is worth exploring further.

Creative practice as research: an undergraduate practice-led project in Communication Design in New Zealand

In the past three decades, designers have adopted an innovative position as practitioner- researchers in universities by conducting academic research through their creative practice. Many scholars have acknowledged and discussed the will to communicate through creative means. Such endeavours have always been part of the learning and teaching in Graphic Design but how practice-led research sits within university institutions at the undergraduate level requires further investigation. This article offers insights into five design practitioners developing research projects led by the practice, of academics at Auckland University of Technology, in Auckland, New Zealand. These undergraduate candidates are undertaking research by creative practice in the broad field of Visual Communication Design. These new practitioners/researchers to the academic space feel profound and unsettled tensions, for whom traditional research approaches seem too ordered to capture the dynamism of the inquiry process, which lies at the heart of their creative practice. They seek an approach that can offer high levels of interdisciplinarity and focus on skill and competence to produce insights into a socio-material iterative design process. The article presents, with a commentary on practice, five projects operating in the context of complex problems young designers face and their understanding of the design work as it relates to practice and research. The article contributes to advancing a shift in higher design education towards creative practice as an approach to research, promoting the social and the cultural rather than design that is industrially driven. While working within this scope, it is envisaged that some arguments and inferences will have applicability beyond the Aotearoa and for other creative practices, practitioners and researchers.

The dual journey of navigating the ‘awa of higher education’ from a Māori doctoral student’s lens

For many Māori students, staying in the main flow of the awa (river) is not easy in New Zealand’s mainstream education system. But with the right support mechanisms and structures in place, it is possible, for a Māori doctoral student to achieve educational success as Māori in higher education. This paper discusses what is entailed in the dual journey of a first in family, Māori doctoral student when completing a doctoral qualification alongside a Māori journey in strengthening connections within te Ao Māori (the Māori world). The narrative shares insights of the researcher’s experiences which led to the development of an Indigenous methodology model called ‘He Pūtauaki Model’. A number of key factors for ensuring her success as a Māori doctoral candidate was the continual support and guidance provided from kaumātua (elders), whānau (family), hapū (sub-tribe) and iwi (tribe), over a four-year period of completing the doctoral journey, and when a Mahitahi approach was adopted by her supervisors and reinforced by other Te Ipukarea Research Institute postgraduate students made a difference for her in overcoming the challenges that an Indigenous Māori doctoral student can face when navigating the awa (structural mechanisms and psychosocial challenges) at Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

It takes a Village

Presentation: https://youtu.be/ff490WnkE2w
 Abstract:
 Many educational institutes have been challenged with the rapid response to developing appropriate “new norms” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was complicated further at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) with the announced sundowning of the Learning Management System (LMS- Blackboard) in late 2020. With the forced transition to Canvas during a pandemic, AUT Learning Transformation LAB (altLAB) worked directly with academic and administrative staff to establish a collaborative approach to implementing Canvas tailored for each Faculty.
 The Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences (FHES) established a Community of Practice (CoP) with staff from altLAB, “Canvas Champions”, Faculty Academic Advisors, and project Change Manager gaining direct relationships towards both the project management team and academics. CoP employs three key characteristics: (1) Joint Enterprise (shared domain of interest); (2) Mutual Engagement (engagement in joint activities and relationship building), and (3) Shared Repertoire (sharing of resources for practice) (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Nicolini et al., 2016; Wenger-Trayner et al., 2015). Joint Enterprise was readily established by inviting key members to a join a weekly “FHES Canvas Catch Up” with a shared aim of integrating well-designed curriculum and assessment into Canvas courses. Members of the group actively engaged in joint activities that both informed staff of the Canvas project, while opportunistically responding to the pandemic to “refresh” courses with pedagogically informed curriculum, assessment, and delivery of the Canvas builds. “How To” guides and Course Start Checklists were developed when gaps of learning were identified in the Canvas roll out, which were supported and reinforced by regular Q&A drop-in sessions and email-outs facilitated by the Canvas Champions.
 All 1837 AUT courses were transitioned for delivery in Canvas from Semester One, 2022. A standard template was developed and utilised to provide consistency across the university, with minor modifications to meet the needs of the individual faculties. As of October 2022, 97% of students (n=1898 responses) were accessing Canvas on a weekly basis with 66% daily; and 86% of students ‘satisfied’ (of which 36% were ‘extremely satisfied’). 83% of students perceived that they had a mostly consistent experience between courses.
 While student engagement and satisfaction were paramount and realised during the shift to Canvas (especially in disrupted times); the project was met with some challenges. For example, in response to COVID-19, the planned 18-month project was delayed resulting in a 15-month roll-out. Academics prioritise the transition to online delivery of teaching and learning over communications of the LMS implementation and training opportunities.
 This presentation will highlight some key learnings in the context of an LMS transition, with recommendations for future projects that may employ a Community of Practice for pedagogically informed curriculum and assessment design.
 References
 
 
 
 Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate peripheral Participation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815355
 
 
 
 
 
 Nicolini, D., Scarbrough, H., & Gracheva, J. (2016). Communities of Practice and Situated Learning in Health Care. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198705109.013.20
 
 
 
 
 
 Wenger-Trayner, E., Fenton-O'Creevy, M., Hutchinson, S., Kubiak, C., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015). Learning in landscapes of practice: boundaries, identity, and knowledgeability in practice-based learning. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315777122
 
 

Reconciling research autonomy and marketisation in New Zealand universities: the idea of strategic entrepreneurialism

ABSTRACT This study proposes the concept of strategic entrepreneurialism to suggest ways universities can best maintain their research autonomy in the face of increasing marketisation in higher education. Studies show that there is decreasing research autonomy globally, and while some scholars attribute this to corporate practices of the higher education system, others believe that those practices can rather strengthen research autonomy. This study contributes to the debate and thereby also contributes to theories of marketing for higher education that promote a hybrid system where universities’ core educational mission is adjusted to enable compatibility with the economic mission. Twenty-six staff from the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology were interviewed, and documents such as the universities’ strategic plans and research policies were analysed. The findings showed that while university-industry-government research collaboration can resource universities to enhance their research mission, it can affect their autonomy.

Research and practice


 
 
 This article reports on research into 25 dissertations written by students in the Master of Psychotherapy programme at Auckland University of Technology in the two years 2021 and 2022. The article focuses specifically on the contribution that these dissertations make to the discipline area. This is contextualised with reference to three gaps, or perceived gaps: between research and practice, researchers and practitioners, and publishing and reading. Based on an empirical-deductive approach to the analysis of the dissertations reviewed, the article reports these contributions; assesses their tone; and suggests that, while the sections of the dissertations regarding these specific contributions are varied and, in some cases, limited, the students/researchers make some important points about the discipline area of psychotherapy with regard to practice and education/training.
 
 

Passive variable acoustic technology for classroom reverberation time: a case study

PurposeTo maximise acoustic comfort in a classroom, the acoustic conditions of the space should be variable. So, the optimal acoustic state also changes when the classroom changes from a study environment into a lecture environment. Passive Variable Acoustic Technology (PVAT) alters a room’s Reverberation Time (RT) by changing the total sound absorption in a room. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the improvements to classroom acoustic comfort when using PVAT.Design/methodology/approachThe study is conducted in an existing tertiary classroom at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. The PVAT is prototyped, and the RTs are measured according to international standards before and after classroom installation. The acoustic measurement method used is a cost-effective application tool where pre- and post-conditions are of primary concern.FindingsPVAT is found to offer statistically significant improvements in RT, but the key benefits are realised in its’ ability to vary RT for different classroom situations. It is predicted that the RT recommendations for two room types outlined in the acoustic standard AS/NZS 2107:2016 are satisfied when using PVAT in a single classroom space. By optimising RT, the acoustic comfort during both study and lecture is significantly improved.Originality/valueWhen PVAT is combined with an intelligent system – Intelligent Passive Room Acoustic Technology (IPRAT) – it can detect sound waves in real time to identify the optimal RT. This paper details a pilot case study that works towards quantifying the benefits of IPRAT, by prototyping and testing the PVAT component of the system.Highlights A pilot case study outlines the development and test of a variable acoustic prototype in a tertiary classroomA method is adopted to measure acoustic conditions, using three under-researched Android applicationsThe benefits of PVAT are realised in its ability to vary RT by adjusting the prototypes’ sound absorptionBy using PVAT in a single space, the recommended RTs for two room types outlined in the acoustic standard AS/NZS 2107:2016 can be satisfiedThe improvements in acoustic comfort due to PVAT are statistically significant

He Pounamu Ko Āu: Celebrating a mana wahine Māori narrative

“He wāhine, he whenua, e ngaro ai te tangata.” 
 
 "By women and land, men are lost ‐ also refers to the essential nourishing roles that women and land fulfil, without which humanity would be lost." (Mikaere, 1994) 
 
 My master's is a kaupapa Māori creative, practice-led study that explores my wahine Māori identity. I expound on my journey through moving image, mōteatea (traditional Māori chant, sung poetry), ambient sound, and installation, sharing my healing process of overcoming the adversity of colonisation and the impacts it has had on me as a wāhine Māori. On an artistic level, my research showcases the wahine Māori worldview through film. I use my maternal whakapapa (genealogy) to celebrate intergenerational wāhine talent. As a finale, I honour my Māori creativity through an exhibition: an immersive experience installation at St Paul's Gallery at Auckland University of Technology. Delving deeper into my research, I explore the application of a mana wāhine Māori paradigm, drawing knowledge from whakapapa, whakawhānaungatanga (process of establishing relationships) and wairuatanga (spirituality). My understanding is supplemented with personal experiences, empowering my wāhine Māori pūrākau (stories). Moreover, applying a conceptual identity framework of a pounamu (jade, nephrite) pūrākau methodology (developed by my mother, Dr Alvina Jean Edwards) reinforces my Te Ao Māori worldview understanding and ways of knowing. Further, the pounamu pūrākau methodology provides a valuable lens to review my experimental and explorative moving-image practice. It guided me to my whenua in Te Waipounamu (South Island), activating my art-making process. Finally, Papatūānuku (mother earth) is my atua (god) who is chosen for her healing character and represents a central mana wahine figure within my wahine Māori pūrākau. In this presentation, I will discuss the pounamu pūrākau methodology and the creative methods I took to create all the components for the final exhibition He Pounamu Ko Āu.

History and Development of University Doctoral Academical Dress in Aotearoa (New Zealand)

In 2018 it was announced that Auckland University of Technology (AUT) would join the other seven universities in Aotearoa (New Zealand) in offering a higher doctorate qualification. As part of this process it became apparent that new academical dress would need to be designed and created. Working in the university’s Graduate Research School gave me an opportunity to provide input, and as a result, I designed a new set of academic dress for these qualifications in conjunction with the university’s official robemaker, Paul Fielder (FBS).

Learning about the awa: My reflective journey of admission into a doctoral programme at Auckland University of Technology

Supporting new Māori doctoral students on their academic journey as they begin requires them to adapt quickly and steadily to the universities structures and systems. Contemplating and thinking to take on doctoral studies entails a huge mind shift from worker to student, and also has to be taking onboard with your whānau (extended family) and the greater hapori (community). To successfully navigate the awa (river) involves meeting minimum entry requirements of a doctoral programme and then submitting a PGR2 proposal on a topic which you will be acquainted with. This paper aims to explore the awa, a metaphorical analogy of navigating and engaging in higher education as a mature student[1] based on their lived experiences as a Māori doctoral student when entering into a doctoral programme at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and the details of their keys to success, and preparation needed to successfully complete the PGR2 pathway.
 
 [1] Mature students can be considered to have careers, family commitments, significant life experiences, and are likely to hold down long-term debt like a mortgage (Howard & Davies, 2013). They tend to be over the age of 25 years old (Boston, 2017).

About the Contributors

About the Contributors