New Zealand Region Research Articles

Appreciating the work of nurses caring for adults with intellectual disability and mental health issues.

This paper presents findings from a study exploring the nurses' experience of caring for adults with intellectual disability and mental health issues in inpatient settings. Semi structured interviews were undertaken with 13 nurses from various regions of New Zealand. Methods suggested by an Appreciative Inquiry methodology were used to explore the nurses' positive experiences of their role. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using open coding and Leximancer (an online data mining tool) analysis to identify dominant themes in the discourse. Analysis revealed themes around 'Contextualising behaviour', 'Communication', 'Confidence to care' and 'Time'. Participants reflected upon their experiences offering personal interpretations in identifying the aspects of nursing that mattered and that worked. What is shown is that nurses were able to describe a range of creative and adaptive ways of nursing in responding to numerous complex factors they faced in their roles. This suggests a strong foundation on which to advance nursing care in this field.

A survey of antimicrobial use in dairy cows from farms in four regions of New Zealand

AIMS: To assess the use of antimicrobials in dairy cows over three seasons in a group of dairy farms within the Southland and South Otago region, and to assess antimicrobial use in one season in a group of monitored dairy farms in four regions of New Zealand.METHODS: Sales data were collated for all antimicrobials purchased by 399, 406 and 436 dairy farms in the Southland and South Otago regions for the 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons, respectively, and from 108 dairy farms in the Manawatu, Taranaki, North Canterbury, and Southland and South Otago regions of New Zealand for 2014–15. Antimicrobials were categorised by class and product type (injectable, or dry cow or lactating cow intramammary). Antimicrobial usage was calculated as the mass of active ingredient (ai) per kg biomass, or population correction unit (PCU), with biomass estimated from the number of cows and heifers in the milking herd on 1 June multiplied by 458 kg.RESULTS: Estimated annual use of antimicrobials in the Southland and South Otago herds was 8.47, 9.58 and 9.54 mg ai/PCU for the three seasons, and for herds in the four regions was 8.65 mg ai/PCU for 2014–15. Penicillins were the most commonly used antimicrobials. Between 2012 and 2015, penicillin use increased from 5.75 to 7.44 mg ai/PCU, whereas there was a decrease in use of macrolides (1.19 to 1.04 mg ai/PCU) and cephalosporins (0.82 to 0.45 mg ai/PCU). Estimated annual use in 2014–15 by herds in Manawatu, Taranaki, North Canterbury, and Southland and South Otago was 8.93, 5.28, 6.44 and 9.97 mg ai/PCU, respectively, and also varied with size of herd. In these herds, injectable products were most commonly used (4.89 mg ai/PCU), followed by dry cow intramammary (3.04 mg ai/PCU), then lactating cow intramammary treatments (0.71 mg ai/PCU).CONCLUSIONS: The use of antimicrobials in dairy cows in New Zealand appears low by international standards, but varied across years and across regions. The vast majority of antimicrobials used by class were penicillins. This is the first attempt at a national assessment of antimicrobial use by volume and type for dairy cows in New Zealand and will aid in the progression of a strategy of reduction, refinement and replacement of antimicrobial use in animals.

Soil influences on plant growth, floral density and nectar yield in three cultivars of mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium)

ABSTRACTHoney derived from the nectar of Leptospermum scoparium J.R. et G. Forst. Myrtaceae (mānuka) is a high-value product and there is considerable potential for economic growth in honey-growing regions of New Zealand through increased nectar yield from mānuka plantations. Leptospermum scoparium exhibits a significant amount of phenotypic plasticity throughout regions in New Zealand where it has established, although the influences on this plasticity are unknown. When assessing L. scoparium as a nectar source for honey in marginal land areas, the possible effect of soil on nectar chemistry and yield should be considered. We investigated whether phenological patterns of flowering, plant growth, nectar composition and nectar yield were influenced by soil composition.Three different cultivars of L. scoparium were grown on 10 different soils in glasshouse conditions. The soils chosen were representative of the range of New Zealand soils where mānuka is being considered as a commercial crop for the honey industry. ANOVA and general linear models revealed no significant effect of soils on nectar composition or production; however, significant but complex interactions between cultivars and soils influenced plant growth and flowering (P ≤ 0.05). Accordingly, the overall nectar yield was influenced by cultivar and soil interaction. Measured attributes of the soil such as cation exchange capacity, sulphate, iron, manganese, calcium and chloride were shown to influence the plant parameters assessed.Results allowed modelling of nectar potential against each soil type and established a mānuka soil index to determine the most appropriate soil for each cultivar. The results indicated that potential nectar yield increases will be dependent on cultivars being deployed according to the nature of the soil present. Furthermore, the mānuka cultivars displayed significantly greater growth in response to increased nutrients and some cultivars increased floral density, suggesting potential to improve nectar yield by greater plant growth using targeted fertilisation.

Patterns of Laboratory Monitoring in Adults with Diabetes: What Factors Affect the Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines?

National evidence-based guidelines recommend that people with diabetes have their HbA1c, blood lipids and albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) monitored at least annually. However, international literature indicates a quality of care gap between the published clinical recommendations and actual clinical practice. A prospective cohort study was conducted to examine the patterns of laboratory monitoring in people with diabetes by linking patient profile data generated in routine primary care practice in 2 major regions of New Zealand between 2005 and 2012 with national and regional datasets (primary care enrolment, laboratory tests, hospitalizations, mortality and pharmaceuticals).We identified 56,933 people aged ≥35 years with diabetes. People were defined as being monitored according to recommended guidelines if they had ≥1 test a year from entry into the cohort. The proportion monitored yearly varied between 27.5% and 100% (mean=72.7%, SD=24.0%) for HbA1c, 17.1% to 100% (mean=66.0%, SD=27.5%) for blood lipids and 10% to 100% (mean=57.3%, SD=29.0%) for ACR. For most of laboratory monitoring indices, increasing age, body mass index (BMI), race, area deprivation, smoking status and having a previous cardiovascular disease (CVD) event were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of being monitored according to the guidelines. This study revealed that a small proportion of people with diabetes were being consistently monitored according to the recommended guidelines over an 8-year period, with HbA1c being monitored the most. Risk factors for CVD were associated with an increased likelihood of being monitored according to recommended guidelines. Developing more pro-active audit and feedback strategies for appropriate monitoring may support primary care achievement of recommended monitoring goals.

Filling gaps in notification data: a model-based approach applied to travel related campylobacteriosis cases in New Zealand.

BackgroundData containing notified cases of disease are often compromised by incomplete or partial information related to individual cases. In an effort to enhance the value of information from enteric disease notifications in New Zealand, this study explored the use of Bayesian and Multiple Imputation (MI) models to fill risk factor data gaps. As a test case, overseas travel as a risk factor for infection with campylobacteriosis has been examined.MethodsTwo methods, namely Bayesian Specification (BAS) and Multiple Imputation (MI), were compared regarding predictive performance for various levels of artificially induced missingness of overseas travel status in campylobacteriosis notification data. Predictive performance of the models was assessed through the Brier Score, the Area Under the ROC Curve and the Percent Bias of regression coefficients. Finally, the best model was selected and applied to predict missing overseas travel status of campylobacteriosis notifications.ResultsWhile no difference was observed in the predictive performance of the BAS and MI methods at a lower rate of missingness (<10 %), but the BAS approach performed better than MI at a higher rate of missingness (50 %, 65 %, 80 %). The estimated proportion (95 % Credibility Intervals) of travel related cases was greatest in highly urban District Health Boards (DHBs) in Counties Manukau, Auckland and Waitemata, at 0.37 (0.12, 0.57), 0.33 (0.13, 0.55) and 0.28 (0.10, 0.49), whereas the lowest proportion was estimated for more rural West Coast, Northland and Tairawhiti DHBs at 0.02 (0.01, 0.05), 0.03 (0.01, 0.08) and 0.04 (0.01, 0.06), respectively. The national rate of travel related campylobacteriosis cases was estimated at 0.16 (0.02, 0.48).ConclusionThe use of BAS offers a flexible approach to data augmentation particularly when the missing rate is very high and when the Missing At Random (MAR) assumption holds. High rates of travel associated cases in urban regions of New Zealand predicted by this approach are plausible given the high rate of travel in these regions, including destinations with higher risk of infection. The added advantage of using a Bayesian approach is that the model’s prediction can be improved whenever new information becomes available.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1784-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

High perennial ryegrass seeding rates reduce plant size and survival during the first year after sowing: does this have implications for pasture sward persistence?

AbstractFailure of perennial ryegrass swards to persist is a key issue on dairy farms in many areas of the world. This study describes an experiment conducted to test the hypothesis that high ryegrass seeding rates (&gt;18 kg seed ha−1) reduce plant size and physical survival during the first year after sowing, with negative implications for population persistence. Four cultivars representing four functional types of perennial ryegrass were sown at five seeding rates (equivalent to 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 kg seed ha−1) with white clover in three dairying regions of New Zealand. Plant establishment rates, size and survival were measured for the first 13 months after sowing. Herbage accumulation, botanical composition and perennial ryegrass tiller density were also monitored. Increasing seeding rate reduced plant survival in the seven weeks after sowing, reflecting likely differences in germination and very early mortality of small seedlings. Thereafter, plant survival was relatively high and consistent across seeding rates at two sites but was consistently greater in the 6 kg ha−1 treatment compared with the 24 and 30 kg ha−1 treatments at one site. Higher seeding rates also increased ryegrass tiller density and the contribution of ryegrass towards total herbage biomass but reduced the contribution of white clover. Very few cultivar × seeding rate interactions were detected for any of the measured variables. Many of the seeding rate effects dissipated by the end of the first year after sowing, indicating that high seeding rates did not predispose swards to poor persistence in the longer term, irrespective of ryegrass functional type.

The interactions between genotype, management and environment in regional crop modelling

Abstract Biophysical models to simulate crop yield are increasingly applied in regional climate impact assessments. When performing large-area simulations, there is often a paucity of data to spatially represent changes in genotype (G) and management (M) across different environments (E). The importance of this uncertainty source in simulation results is currently unclear. In this study, we used a variance-based sensitivity analysis to quantify the relative contribution of maize hybrid (i.e. G) and sowing date (i.e. M) to the variability in biomass yield (Y T , total above-ground biomass) and harvest index (HI, fraction of grain in total yield) of irrigated silage maize, across the extent of arable lands in New Zealand (i.e. E). Using a locally calibrated crop model (APSIM-maize), 25 G x M scenarios were simulated at a 5 arc minute resolution (∼5 km grid cell) using 30 years of historical weather data. Our results indicate that the impact of limited knowledge on G and M parameters depends on E and differs between model outputs. Specifically, the sensitivity of Y T and HI to genotype and sowing date combinations showed different patterns across locations. The absolute impact of G and M factors was consistently greater in the colder southern regions of New Zealand. However, the relative share of total variability explained by each factor, the sensitivity index (S i ), showed distinct spatial patterns for the two output variables. The Y T was more sensitive than HI in the warmer northern regions where absolute variability was the smallest. These patterns were characterised by a systematic response of S i to environmental drivers. For example, the sensitivity of Y T and HI to hybrid maturity consistently increased with temperature. For the irrigated conditions assumed in our study, inter-annual weather conditions explained a higher share of total variability in the southern colder regions. Our results suggest that the development of methods and datasets to more accurately represent spatio-temporal G and M variability can reduce uncertainty in regional modelling assessments at different degrees, depending on prevailing environmental conditions and the output variable of interest.

What do we know about the nutritional status of the very old? Insights from three cohorts of advanced age from the UK and New Zealand.

Very old people (referred to as those aged 85 years and over) are the fastest growing age segment of many Western societies owing to the steady rise of life expectancy and decrease in later life mortality. In the UK, there are now more than 1·5 million very old people (2·5 % of total population) and the number is projected to rise to 3·3 million or 5 % over the next 20 years. Reduced mobility and independence, financial constraints, higher rates of hospitalisation, chronic diseases and disabilities, changes in body composition, taste perception, digestion and absorption of food all potentially influence either nutrient intake or needs at this stage of life. The nutritional needs of the very old have been identified as a research priority by the British Nutrition Foundation's Task Force report, Healthy Ageing: The Role of Nutrition and Lifestyle. However, very little is known about the dietary habits and nutritional status of the very old. The Newcastle 85+ study, a cohort of more than 1000 85-year olds from the North East of England and the Life and Living in Advanced Age study (New Zealand), a bicultural cohort study of advanced ageing of more than 900 participants from the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua regions of New Zealand are two unique cohort studies of ageing, which aim to assess the spectrum of health in the very old as well as examine the associations of health trajectories and outcomes with biological, clinical and social factors as each cohort ages. The nutrition domain included in both studies will help to fill the evidence gap by identifying eating patterns, and measures of nutritional status associated with better, or worse, health and wellbeing. This review will explore some of this ongoing work.

Predicting groundwater redox status on a regional scale using linear discriminant analysis

Reducing conditions are necessary for denitrification, thus the groundwater redox status can be used to identify subsurface zones where potentially significant nitrate reduction can occur. Groundwater chemistry in two contrasting regions of New Zealand was classified with respect to redox status and related to mappable factors, such as geology, topography and soil characteristics using discriminant analysis. Redox assignment was carried out for water sampled from 568 and 2223 wells in the Waikato and Canterbury regions, respectively. For the Waikato region 64% of wells sampled indicated oxic conditions in the water; 18% indicated reduced conditions and 18% had attributes indicating both reducing and oxic conditions termed “mixed”. In Canterbury 84% of wells indicated oxic conditions; 10% were mixed; and only 5% indicated reduced conditions. The analysis was performed over three different well depths, <25m, 25 to 100 and >100m. For both regions, the percentage of oxidised groundwater decreased with increasing well depth. Linear discriminant analysis was used to develop models to differentiate between the three redox states. Models were derived for each depth and region using 67% of the data, and then subsequently validated on the remaining 33%. The average agreement between predicted and measured redox status was 63% and 70% for the Waikato and Canterbury regions, respectively. The models were incorporated into GIS and the prediction of redox status was extended over the whole region, excluding mountainous land. This knowledge improves spatial prediction of reduced groundwater zones, and therefore, when combined with groundwater flow paths, improves estimates of denitrification.

Regional variation in postabortion initiation of long-acting reversible contraception in New Zealand.

To determine whether there is regional variation in the immediate postabortion initiation of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) in New Zealand. Retrospective analysis of nationally collected data on receipt of intrauterine and implantable contraception at the time of an abortion, together with demographic characteristics and region of residence for the year 2013. Postabortion LARC initiation varied significantly between the 16 regions of New Zealand, ranging from 32% (95% CI 23.2-42) to 61.4% (95% CI 53.3-69). Implant use ranged from 6.8% to 32.7% across regions, and intrauterine method use ranged from 21.4% to 54.7%. Regional variation in total LARC uptake was most marked for under 20-year-olds (20.3% to 70.9%). The ratio of intrauterine to implant users ranged from 0.7 to 4.1 across regions, with intrauterine methods prescribed two and a half times more frequently nationwide. These regional differences in postabortion LARC initiation suggest there are between-clinic differences in prescribing. Reasons for these differences need to be examined to identify and address any barriers faced by clinics in the routine provision of postabortion LARC. Equitable access to LARC at the time of an abortion is needed throughout New Zealand to assist women in the prevention of future unintended pregnancies.

Extratropical Impacts of the Madden–Julian Oscillation over New Zealand from a Weather Regime Perspective

Abstract The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) signal in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) extratropics during the austral summer (November–March) is investigated over the New Zealand (NZ) sector, using the paradigm of atmospheric weather regimes (WRs), following a classification initially established by Kidson. The MJO is first demonstrated to have significant impacts on daily rainfall anomalies in NZ. It is suggested that orographic effects arising from the interaction between regional atmospheric circulation anomalies and NZ’s topography can explain the spatially heterogeneous precipitation anomalies that are related to MJO activity. These local impacts and circulation anomalies are shown to be better understood as resulting from changes in the occupation statistics of regional WRs (the Kidson types) through the MJO life cycle, although both constructive and destructive effects are demonstrated. The hypothesis of a significant forcing of the MJO over the NZ sector is further supported by lagged composite analyses, which reveal timing characteristics of the delayed regional circulation response compatible with the average propagation speed of the MJO. While the southern annular mode (SAM) has been previously shown to be statistically related to the MJO and is known to be a significant driver of NZ’s climate, no evidence is found that the impact of the MJO over the NZ sector is mediated by the SAM. It is therefore suggested that the MJO directly impacts regional circulation and climate in the NZ region, potentially through extratropical Rossby wave response to tropical diabatic heating. These findings suggest a new potential for predictability for some aspects of NZ’s weather and climate deriving from the MJO beyond the meteorological time scales.

What can the geographic distribution of mtDNA haplotypes tell us about the invasion of New Zealand by house mice Mus musculus?

We mapped the distribution and diversity of mitochondrial D-loop haplotypes among 502 New Zealand house mice (Mus musculus). By widespread sampling from 74 sites, we identified 14 new haplotypes. We used Bayesian phylogenetic reconstructions to estimate the genetic relationships between the New Zealand representatives of Mus musculus domesticus (all six known clades) and M. m. castaneus (clade HG2), and mice from other locales. We defined four distinct geographic regions of New Zealand with differing haplotype diversity indices. Our Results suggest (a) two independent pre-1840 invasions by mice of different origin (domesticus clade E and castaneus clade HG2) at opposite ends of the country; (b) multiple later invasions by domesticus clades E and F accompanying the post-1840 development of New Zealand port facilities in the central regions, plus limited local incursions by domesticus clades A, B, C and D1; (c) a separate invasion of Chatham I. by castaneus clade HG2; (d) previously undescribed New Zealand haplotypes, potentially the products of localised indigenous mutation, and (e) hybridisation between different lineages.

The ability of four strains of Streptococcus uberis to induce clinical mastitis after intramammary inoculation in lactating cows

AIM: To compare the ability of four strains of Streptococcus uberis at two doses to induce clinical mastitis in lactating dairy cows after intramammary inoculation in order to evaluate their usefulness for future experimental infection models.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four field strains of S. uberis (26LB, S418, and S523 and SR115) were obtained from cows with clinical mastitis in the Wairarapa and Waikato regions of New Zealand. Twenty-four crossbred lactating cows, with no history of mastitis and absence of major pathogens following culture of milk samples, were randomly allocated to four groups (one per strain) of six cows. Each cow was infused (Day 0) in one quarter with approximately 104 cfu and in the contralateral quarter with approximately 106 cfu of the same strain. The other two quarters remained unchallenged. All four quarters were then inspected for signs of clinical mastitis, by palpation and observation of the foremilk, twice daily from Days 0–9, and composite milk samples were collected from Days 0–8 for analysis of somatic cell counts (SCC). Quarters were treated with penicillin when clinical mastitis was observed. Duplicate milk samples were collected and cultured on presentation of each clinical case and on Day 4 from challenged quarters with no clinical signs.RESULTS: Clinical mastitis was diagnosed in 26/48 (54%) challenged quarters. Challenge with strain S418 resulted in more cases of mastitis (12/12 quarters) than strains SR115 (7/12), 26LB (6/12) or S523 (1/12), and the mean interval from challenge to first diagnosis of mastitis was shorter for S418 than the other strains (p<0.001). The proportion of quarters from which S. uberis could be isolated after challenge was less for strain 26LB (1/6) than SR115 (6/7) (p<0.05), and SCC following challenge was lower for strain S523 than the other strains (p<0.05).CONCLUSIONS: There were significant differences between the strains in the proportion of quarters developing clinical mastitis, the interval to mastitis onset, SCC following challenge and the proportion of clinical cases from which S. uberis could be isolated. These results illustrate the difference in the ability of S. uberis strains to cause mastitis and the severity of the infections caused.CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Experimental challenge models can be used to compare infectivity and pathogenicity of different strains of mastitis-causing bacteria, the efficacy of pharmaceutical products and host-responses in a cost-effective manner.

Anthropogenic fluorine accumulation in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions of New Zealand: comparison of field data with projections

Application of phosphate (P) fertilizers to farmland is projected to be causing worldwide accumulation of fluorine (F) in agricultural soils and associated ecosystems, but wide-scale field data have been lacking. We report results of sampling across two large regions of New Zealand involving soils of 298 native and farmed properties. This has enabled the first wide-scale retrospective estimates of anthropogenic F enrichment in pastoral and horticultural soils. Results validate earlier projections: F accumulation in farmed soils has been comparatively rapid (mean increase 2.1 % per year) and widespread. Over 50 years, average total F concentrations in surface soils have doubled from ~220 to 440 mg/kg. Thresholds protective against chronic fluorosis in grazing animals are being substantively passed, indicating that land may be rendered unsuitable for pastoral production in the mid-term future: when sampled 44 % of dairy farm soil samples exceeded 500 mg/kg total F, and 10 % exceeded 650 mg/kg. Potential for F toxicity to plants and wildlife appear to be significant and marginal, respectively, at current soil F concentrations. Relationships between F and other elements suggest P fertilizers are also a source of several elements geochemically linked to F, and that anthropogenic F modifies soil aluminium (Al) chemistry, potentially opening a broad-scale Al exposure pathway to pollinating insects. Findings signal a need for systematic examination of the range of possible affects that may be linked to increasing soil F, which include various types of ecotoxicity, altered Al chemistry, reduced P availability, and potential for increased dietary intakes of F, Al and aluminofluoride (AlFx) species over time.

The care work of general practice receptionists.

INTRODUCTION The care work of general practice receptionists has received limited research attention, despite receptionists position at the beginning of patients' journeys in many health care systems. We examine receptionists' perceptions of their work and the opportunities and constraints they experience in caring for patients while providing administrative support to practices. METHODS Data were collected in focus group interviews with 32 receptionists from urban and rural general practices in the Auckland and Northland regions of New Zealand. We employed tools from inductive thematic analysis and Straussian grounded theory in interpreting the data. FINDINGS We found that the way receptionists identified with a caring role strongly challenged the pejorative view of them in public discourse. Receptionists provide care in two key ways: for the practice and for patients. The juggling they do between the demands of the practice and of patients creates considerable work tensions that are often invisible to other staff members. CONCLUSION Receptionists have a critical role as the first step in the patient care pathway, bridging health care system and community. For general practice to be patient-centred and improve accessibility for the most vulnerable, the care work of receptionists must be considered core. KEYWORDS Receptionists; general practice; care; New Zealand.

Linking Land Use Capability classes and APSIM to estimate pasture growth for regional land use planning

Investigation of land-use and management changes at regional scales require the linkage of farm-system models with land-resource information, which for pastoral systems includes forage supply. The New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI) and associated Land Use Capability (LUC) database include estimates of the potential stock-carrying capacity across the country, which can be used to derive estimates of average annual pasture yields. Farm system models and decision support tools, however, require information on the seasonal patterns of pasture growth. To generate such pasture growth curves (PGCs), the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) was used, with generic soil profiles based on descriptions of LUC classes, to generate PGCs for three regions of New Zealand. Simulated annual pasture yields were similar to the estimates of annual potential pasture yield in the NZLRI spatial database, and they provided information on inter-annual variability. Simulated PGCs generally agreed well with measured long-term patterns of seasonal pasture growth. The approach can be used to obtain spatially discrete estimates of seasonal pasture growth patterns across New Zealand for use in farm system models and for assessing the impact of management practices and climate change on the regional sustainability.

Nitrous oxide emissions from urea fertiliser and effluent with and without inhibitors applied to pasture

There is currently a limited number of New Zealand studies quantifying nitrous oxide (N2O) emission factors (EF1, N2O emissions as a percentage of N applied) for farm dairy effluent (FDE) and urea fertiliser. Therefore, two experiments were conducted in four regions of New Zealand to determine EF1 for FDE and urea fertiliser applied to pastures with contrasting soils and climatic conditions. Experiment 1 included urease and nitrification inhibitors to determine their effect on EF1. Urea treatments included (i) standard urea; (ii) urea amended with the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) at 0.02kgDCDkg−1 nitrogen (N) and (iii) urea amended with the urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nBTPT) at 250mgnBTPTkg−1urea, while FDE was applied with or without DCD, at 10kgDCDha−1. Experiment 2 focused solely on FDE, which was applied to pastures that had either never received FDE or had a history of repeated application of FDE over several years. Urea fertiliser produced a large variation in EF1 values, ranging from 0.03% to 1.52%. Application of FDE resulted in EF1 ranging from 0.06% to 0.94% across both experiments. The urease and nitrification inhibitors had little or no effect on reducing EF1 from urea fertiliser and FDE application. The history of repeated applications of FDE to pasture also had no effect on EF1.

Farmer’s intended and actual adoption of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies

A growing body of work aims to understand the impacts of climate change on agriculture as well as farmer’s perceptions of climate change and their likeliness to adopt adapting and mitigating behaviors. Despite this, little work has considered how intention to adopt differs from actual adoption of climate change practices in agriculture. Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior we aim to assess whether different factors affect intended versus actual adoption of climate behaviors among farmers in New Zealand. Data were collected through mixed methods (37 interviews and a telephone survey of 490 farmers) in two regions of New Zealand 2010–2012. Through multiple regression models we test hypotheses related to the Theory of Planned Behavior around the role of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived capacity in affecting intended and actual adoption. Results suggest that there are different drivers of intended and actual adoption of climate change practices. Climate change attitudes and belief is only associated with intended not actual adoption. We find no evidence that subjective norms (climate change policy support) significantly influence either intention or actual adoption. Only perceived capacity and self-efficacy were important predictors of both intended and actual adoption. These results suggest a disconnect between intended and actual behavior change and that using data about intention as a guiding factor for program and policy design may not be prudent. Furthermore, fostering perceived capacity and self-efficacy for individuals may be crucial for encouraging both intended and actual adoption of climate adapting and mitigating behaviors.

Weather effects of stalk necrosis in Vitis

A 5-step physiological explanation is offered for correlations found by THEILER and MULLER (1986) between aspects of the weather at flowering and the incidence of stalk necrosis in grape. Four of the steps are well supported in the literature and are discussed briefly. The other step proposes that the development of xylem in the peduncle is stimulated by floral evapotranspiration. This postulate is tested with measurements of xylem cross-sectional area in clusters taken from vineyards located in diverse regions of New Zealand for which meteorological data were available. Statistical analysis indicates a clear distinction between material from the climatic extremes and a significant (P = 0.05) correlation between calculated values of evapotranspiration during flowering and peduncular xylem area. The beginning of a physiological explanation for the seasonal effects on the incidence of stalk necrosis in grape has stimulated studies which may allow the selection of non-sensitive varieties.

General practice and specialist palliative care teams: an exploration of their working relationship from the perspective of clinical staff working in New Zealand.

With the future focus on palliative and end-of-life care provision in the community, the role of the general practice team and their relationship with specialist palliative care providers is key to responding effectively to the projected increase in palliative care need. Studies have highlighted the potential to improve co-ordination and minimise fragmentation of care for people living with palliative care need through a partnership between generalist services and specialist palliative care. However, to date, the exact nature of this partnership approach has not been well defined and debate exists about how to make such partnerships work successfully. The aim of this study was to explore how general practice and specialist palliative care team (SPCT) members view their relationship in terms of partnership working. Five focus group discussions with general practices and SPCT members (n=35) were conducted in 2012 in two different regions of New Zealand and analysed using a general inductive approach. The findings indicate that participants' understanding of partnership working was informed by their identity as a generalist or specialist, their existing rules of engagement and the approach they took towards sustaining the partnership. Considerable commitment to partnership working was shown by all participating teams. However, their working relationship was based primarily on trust and personal liaison, with limited formal systems in place to enable partnership working. Tensions between the cultures of 'generalism' and 'specialism' also provided challenges for those endeavouring to meet palliative care need collaboratively in the community. Further research is required to better understand the factors associated with successful partnership working between general practices and specialist palliative care in order to develop robust strategies to support a more sustainable model of community palliative care.