Advance - Autumn 2012 by Unitec

Unitec Research Magazine Autumn 2012

Lending a robotic hand Page 4

Page 10

Page 16

Choosing the high road

Unitec in print

Turning failure into success

The latest from Unitec academics

editorial editor Simon Peel writer Karen Burge art direction Nadja Rausch design Aaron Bold photography V icky Te Puni and Simon Young printing GEON published by Unitec Institute of Technology ISSN 1176-7391 phone 0800 10 95 10 web www.unitec.ac.nz postal address Private Bag 92025, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

» Editorial

» Advance Autumn 2012

Research with impact One of the lines in my job description relates to the development of Unitec’s research culture. But what is a research culture and how does one develop it? The first question is somewhat easier to answer than the second. A research culture is about the unique ways in which research is conducted at Unitec, including our beliefs about what is and what is not research, our values and regarding what is important about research and what is less important. It is about the structures and the ways in which the organisation supports research, the language that we use to describe our research, our research strategies and goals, and many other aspects. The culture at Unitec is different from the culture at a traditional university. You can learn about a research culture by observing the various ways in which it comes to life. Advance is both a manifestation of a research culture and a tool for shaping and developing a culture by communicating messages about ‘the way we do things around here’. Cultures are often reflected in the stories that are told and the people who are held up as positive role models. The stories in this issue of Advance exemplify aspects of our research culture. They speak of why we do it, how we do it, and who we do it with. Several issues ago Advance had an article on a research project looking at the warmth and efficiency of houses, using houses built on campus by Unitec students. In this issue we show how this research project has evolved into a long-term building performance test bed, with multiple research projects and involvement from industry partners. If there is one project that exemplifies what I would like the Unitec research culture to look

like then this is it. Research founded upon real-world problems, involving industry partners, involving teams of researchers from different discipline areas working together, involving students and connecting to what we teach. Research producing new and useful knowledge and information that can be applied for the benefit of our partners and New Zealand more generally. In terms of student research this issue of Advance offers the excellent example of the work of Brian Evans, Principal of Kelston Boys’ High School. Brian chose an important contemporary issue as the topic of his research towards his Master of Education degree. That degree programme, like many others at Unitec, attracts midcareer professionals who want to gain higher qualifications and engage in a significant research project. Brian’s research on the achievement of Pacific Island boys has many useful implications for how teachers and schools can increase their chances of educational success. I hope that you enjoy reading about the research currently being undertaken at Unitec. If you have any comments or feedback or would like to become involved in any of our research programmes, please feel free to contact me or any of the researchers directly. Contact: Dr Simon Peel Associate Professor Dean, Research Email: speel@unitec.ac.nz

Lending a robotic hand A combination of robotics and healthcare is the focus of several innovative Auckland research projects. Computing lecturer Dr Chandimal Jayawardena tells us more about the work and his role in it. Healthcare robots and robotic diagnostic chairs may sound futuristic but for Unitec computing lecturer Chandimal Jayawardena they are his daily work. Chandimal’s current research project involves creating a robotic diagnostic chair that can assess cardiovascular risk. The project is funded by the Unitec Research Committee, and involves a cross-departmental team of Unitec co-researchers. Chandimal is also a long-standing member of the University of Auckland-based HealthBots project, which has designed and implemented robotic helpers for the elderly and is in its third round of testing at Selwyn Village in Auckland. It was the combination of robotics and health informatics that particularly interested Chandimal and he plans to build on that with the creation of the diagnostic chair. He says it will be used in a number of different ways, including assessing the cardiovascular risk of patients living in remote areas by allowing their results to be sent directly to doctors and specialists in larger centres. With $25,000 in initial funding, he plans to produce a prototype by the end of the year and has already finished the software design and preliminary testing. Once operational, the chair will take and record measurements including body weight, bio impedance (which helps determine the ratio of body fat), blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation, as well as ECG measurement. “If you have these measurements then it is possible to diagnose cardio vascular risk.” A large part of the project involves the integration of the various healthcare information systems used by doctors, hospitals, and

pharmacies in New Zealand. “Health Informatics is an emerging area. In New Zealand there are lots of heterogeneous healthcare systems that are not interconnected but have the standards to do this. My plan is to use those standards in this chair, so that it can easily integrate with any of these systems. In most robotics projects, the focus is on the technical side but I want to create an information system as well as a robotic product.”

HealthBots project

With his specialist research interests in robotics, software architecture, and software integration , Chandimal became involved in the HealthBots robotic project in 2009 as a research fellow with the University of Auckland. Since joining Unitec in 2011, he has continued his involvement in the project, which is led by Associate Professor Bruce MacDonald of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Auckland, through a sub-contract with UniServices. The Korean Government’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, together with the Yujin Robot company, ED Corporation and Isan Solutions are also partners in the HealthBots project. Initially Chandimal’s role in the HealthBots project was to design the software architecture and lead the technical team, while other members of the 22-strong team worked on their specialist areas of health psychology, gerontology, signal processing, and health informatics. The first robot trial was held in 2009, initially to test the feasibility of using robots with the elderly, and two further trials

have followed, the latest involving 30 robots placed in independent living apartments, communal areas and hospital public areas. Chandimal says the robots perform a range of helpful functions for the elderly, including companionship, entertainment, communication and reminding, but there were a number of unique challenges in creating a suitable product.“We needed to create something that was very different from any other software product and there were a number of considerations. One is that the elderly may not be as familiar with computers, and another is that they may have physical limitations due to old age, such as arthritis, limited vision or loss of hearing. These are serious considerations in product design and the reason we tested them in Selwyn Village several times.” Chandimal says user trials are one of the unique strengths of the HealthBots project, as internationally researchers face difficulties in recruiting suitable participants, gaining ethical approval for their work, and managing participant involvement during the often extended timeframes of such projects. “HealthBots is one of the biggest robotics projects in the world. Most robotics projects are limited to the lab and don’t involve real participants. Having Selwyn as a partner is very helpful.”

World-leading robots

The HealthBots robots also have an advantage over robots in other international projects because of the large number of functions they can perform. “In most cases they are limited to very few functions, for example there might be medication-reminding robots or entertainment robots. But with this robot, the decision was made to include a large number of features – as many features as possible

– so therefore it can do vital-signs measurement, entertainment, calling/Skype, medication reminding, falls detection, internet browsing, and brain fitness games – a lot of things. These robots do not perform physical tasks but they can help look after the person. They can detect falls and call the caregiver or family, they can remind people. And it is feasible that these robots will be in people’s homes in the future.” The computers used at Selwyn Village have a touch screen for residents to interact with, wheels to navigate, and some senses, but they do not look or move like humans. Chandimal says that the interface used is very intuitive, so it is relatively easy for residents to learn to use them. Supporting that ease of use and the range of functions is complex software architecture designed by Chandimal to allow the range of applications to work harmoniously together. “Initially, in a project like this, there are only ideas, so in the software development process we need to gather the requirements – what the software needs to be able to do – and design an architecture to support this.” Chandimal continues as a member of the HealthBots team, doing collaborative research. The current phase of the HealthBots project ends in mid 2012 and the group is applying for funding to extend the project. Contact: Dr Chandimal Jayawardena Lecturer Department of Computing Faculty of Creative Industries and Business Email: cjayawardena@unitec.ac.nz

» Publications

» Advance Autumn 2012

Introducing the ePress Unitec has recently launched its ePress to offer academics the chance to share their research with the broadest possible audience. We look at what the new facility will offer academics and the wider research community. Postgraduate Advisor, Evangelia Papoutsaki, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, Linda Aumua, Director of the Centre for Pasifika Development and Support, Malia Talakai, former Principal Academic Advisor at Unitec’s Pacific Centre, Savae Latu, former lecturer at the Department of Computer Studies, and Kang Sun, Unitec graduate. This was quickly followed by a report on System Dynamics Modelling of Pathways to a Hydrogen Economy in New Zealand authored by Associate Professor (Department of Civil Engineering), Jonathan Leaver and co-authors Kenneth Gillingham and Andrew Baglino. The most recent addition has been the publication of the Proceedings of the International Conference on eLearning Futures, 2011.

Unitec’s new ePress provides a means to showcase Unitec research, including contract research and reports that may not normally be available to other researchers and the general public. “We launched the Unitec ePress as a new way to share our research with the world. For a while we have been thinking about how to get some of the excellent work being done at Unitec in front of a wider audience,” says Simon Peel, Dean of Research. “We were aware that some research that did not fit the traditional formats such as journal articles and books was not easily accessible. We are not looking to replace those forms of publication but rather to supplement them.” The ePress endeavours to promote Unitec’s research activities and foster a more direct link between the writers and readers of scholarly work. By using the electronic medium, it also aims to reduce the costs of, and barriers to, accessing scholarly information, as well as to promote electronic journals in under-served disciplines. The publication of Akoaga: Efficacy, Agency, Achievement and Success in the Tertiary Sector, Focus on Students and Parents from Pasifika Communities marked Unitec’s first foray into electronic publishing. This commissioned research investigated the role of self-efficacy and agency in the success of students from diverse cultural groups, in particular Pasifika communities in the tertiary sector. It was co-authored by Deepa Marat, former Unitec

“These are excellent examples of contract research now able to be easily accessible in electronic form via the ePress,” says Simon. “While our initial thinking was around publishing research reports, we have expanded our ambitions to publish eBooks, discussion papers and occasional paper series, conference proceedings, reports and monographs.” Unitec ePress is a collaborative project of scholars, academic publishers, librarians and information technologists and is hosted by the Unitec Research Office. ePress Editor-in-Chief Evangelia Papoutsaki says the ePress offers researchers the opportunity to share their work with Unitec’s academic community enabling a greater research dialogue within the institution. Unitec ePress follows the same quality assurance processes as any other academic publisher through a rigorous reviewing process that involves internal and external Unitec experts. Extensive submission guidelines are available online and support/mentoring is provided during the publishing process. Contact Dr Evangelia Papoutsaki Editor in Chief Unitec ePress and Associate Professor Department of Communication Studies Faculty of Creative Industries and Business Email: epapoutsaki@unitec.ac.nz

» Computing

» Advance Autumn 2012

Unitec gives industry the edge Unitec research is set to change the way New Zealand businesses approach budgets and investment thanks to a partnership with local business and a research grant from TechNZ. A breakthrough in accounting software research

accurate budgets on which to base future

is nearing completion thanks to a winning formula

investment. "When someone does a budget

– a partnership between Unitec and Passage

they make it up, to a large extent. There is

Software Limited, an Auckland business software

no analysis of how accurate or viable that

solutions distributor.

budget is," says Geof.

Antonio Yip, who is completing his Master of

The commonly-used Dupont analysis

Computing degree at Unitec, is the lead researcher

– a formula developed in the 1920s by

in this cutting-edge research, with the supervision

DuPont Corporation to calculate return

of his lecturers in the Department of Computing

on investment – is considered more

Paul Pang and Xiaohui Zhao.

useful for some industries than

Antonio brings a rare combination of skills and qualifications to the project – he has a Master of

others, and Geof's intention was to offer options.

Finance degree, computer programming acumen

"In the decades since it was

and 10 years of stock trading experience in his

developed, has nothing

native Hong Kong, one of the most dynamic

changed? That was the thing I

business hubs in Asia. The research aims to

wanted to research, through

help Passage Software enhance its accounting

this new development we're working on with

Based on the sample data, he says he has been

software “Passage Forecast 5” to be more

Unitec. The background of both finance and

able to randomly generate data sets for testing so

compatible with local industry performance, with

computing was quite necessary for the project,

that he will be able to run the program successfully

a focus on improving budget forecasting.

and Antonio has that very rare mix of skills. It's

using real data once it’s available.

Unitec and Passage Software met through the Rosebank Business Association network, and the project sprang to life thanks to an award

about understanding a business process and utilising software to complement it for required outcomes," says Geof.

of $42,000 from the Foundation for Research,

Antonio says he is now in the last stages of his

Science and Technology's TechNZ expert scheme.

research, having successfully completed the

The grant allows for businesses to fund expert

literature review, proposal writing and presentation,

support in research and development projects.

and data collection. He is currently more than half

"Passage Software is the expert of their programme, but they also want to be innovative and explore new technology to enhance their product," says Department of Computing senior lecturer Paul Pang. With a client list of 1000 mainly small-tomedium businesses, including 700-odd chartered accountants, Passage Software is the distributor of SAP, Sage and Sage Pastel products in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Its director, Geof Nightingale, says the research follows up his hunch that advances in technology, applied to the Sage and SAP products they offer, could help business and banks to collate more

He is confident the same technology can be applied to improve budget forecasting. Says Antonio: "Imagine an alarm system in your software that says your budget is not going to be realistic, or it is over-optimistic, or just inaccurate. As a business or a bank, that is good information."

way through the crux of the research process, which

He says doing this kind of research would almost

is coding or programming – the process of designing,

be impossible without the business partnership

writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the

model. “Some of the data could be commercially

source code of computer programs.

sensitive so you can’t go deep enough for analysis.

“I’m developing an application programming interface (API) so that Passage Software can implement and incorporate the code I’ve written to their existing

Without the support of Passage Software, it would be very difficult for me to access key data on my own,” Antonio says.

software package (Passage Forecast 5) to enhance its functionalities,” says Antonio. Antonio is working with sample data initially, while formal consents are still being obtained from industry clients of Passage Software, mostly from the wine, manufacturing, and education industries.

Contact: Dr Paul Pang Senior Lecturer Department of Computing Faculty of Creative Industries and Business Email: ppang@unitec.ac.nz

» Building Technology

Testing times Projects to improve the thermal efficiency, ventilation, and long-term performance of New Zealand houses are underway at Unitec’s test house facility. A unique building test facility at Unitec is the focus of three new research projects, which will lead to improvements in the way we build houses in New Zealand. Unitec is one of only a handful of tertiary institutions around the world that has two identical buildings for use as test and control houses to trial new building innovations. The buildings are built by Certificate in Applied Technology Carpentry students over the academic year and then sold and moved to new locations. However, the control house remains in place and each year new building practices and products can be tested against it in a neighbouring test house. Started in 2010, the test facility already has its first completed project, looking at the benefits of high-performance double glazing compared to conventional double glazing. This year the research team have three new projects underway, investigating passive improvements to address summertime overheating, the monitoring of long-term environmental and structural performance through use of multiple sensors,

and improvements to air tightness and building-wrap techniques to test thermal efficiency and moisture content.

software prediction for a static is accurate, then there is a fair chance of determining how a building will react when it is occupied.”

Senior lecturer in Construction Roger Birchmore says the availability of test/ control buildings combined with staff who have the expertise and interest to conduct the research, creates exciting opportunities for research and product trials with industry partners. “Manufacturers are keen to get on board because they see the value of the full-scale testing. And at the end of it they also have hard data to use for improvements and marketing of their products.”

The completed research project, funded by the Unitec Research Committee and in association with industry partners Metro Glasstech, looked at the different performance of standard double glazing, which has two sheets of glass and an air gap, and high-performance double glazing, which has a special low emissivity coating inside, tinted coating outside and argon gas between. The project was a collaboration between staff in the Departments of Construction and Building Technology.

Robert Tait, Lecturer in the Department of Building Technology, says the original concept for the test facility involved taking measurements from the two houses and comparing these with data predicted by computer software, using weather data from Unitec’s own weather station. “Aligning building information models with academically-acceptable software proved to be the greatest challenge. When the

“Originally Metro Glasstech wanted to test innovative double glazing and so the research team set up the site with the two houses as close together as possible to eliminate any kind of environmental variables but far enough apart not to interfere with each other,” says Roger.

The findings

While there are many measurements still to analyse, initial findings show that the highperformance glazing keeps temperatures down inside the house during summer time, even with the windows open. Roger says that because the high-performance double glazing keeps out the solar-gain, there were initial concerns that this would make the house colder in winter. “What we found was that on the numerous overcast days in winter, it performs just like the ordinary double glazing and there was very little temperature difference between the two houses.” But due to the increased insulation standard in modern houses, the team found that both test and control houses significantly overheated in summer, and although the high performance glazing helped reduce that overheating in the test house,

» Advance Autumn 2012

temperatures in the roof space reached up to 50 degrees centigrade. “Because of the increased insulation, the heat that gets into the building stays there and opening windows does not vent it,” says Roger. “So our problem is moving from improving cold houses in winter to houses that are almost too hot in summertime. The subsequent risk is that people will spend money on air-conditioning.” Another significant finding is the delay of several hours in summer between peaksun and the peak-temperature time in the house. Roger says this might be expected in brick or concrete house, but less so in houses with lightweight cladding. “One theory is that it’s actually heat build-up from the roof which is pushing down into the rooms below.” This has led to a new research project, looking at passive ventilation to vent the roof space, using a ridge vent at the peak of the roof and vents in the soffits underneath. The team hope the buoyancy of the heat will drive the air out, rather than it building up and pushing down into the house. In winter if the air temperature isn’t buoyant, it won’t rise and the heat should remain in the roof space to

help warm the house. The team are working with industry partner Viking Roof Spec on the Unitec Research Committee-funded project, while colleagues in the Department of Electrotechnology are developing monitoring equipment and processes to quantify airflow in and out.

All wrapped up

At the same time another project in the test house, headed by Robert Tait, is looking at the way a building is 'wrapped' prior to cladding and lining. At present a building is wrapped with a specialised building wrap and the cladding attached, while on the inside the interior plasterboard is fixed directly to the frame. The project will research wrapping the frame on both sides – with plywood on the outside and an internal wrap from Proclima on the inside. The plasterboard will then be spaced off with an air gap, which will provide a space to run services, pipe work and electrical cables. “This way you don’t penetrate the internal air barrier, as the idea is for it to be as airtight as possible with as few penetrations as possible.” And on the exterior of the framing, the wrap will be replaced with plywood. “We believe that the ply is going to help with air-tightness

and moisture control, as the joints will be sealed, but also that the sheet ply will add some seismic resistance and reduce noise transfer,” says Robert. Robert says as well as research results, the test house facility provides industry with information on how new techniques and technologies impact on build times. “Specifically on the wrap house, but also in future research, we’re getting staff to monitor the construction times, so we can actually measure the construction impact – how much longer it takes to build. So if it is a fantastic solution and we think everybody should do it, then we know how long it takes and the degree of difficulty and we can report that to the industry.” Contact: Robert Tait Lecturer Department of Building Technology Faculty of Technology and Built Environment Email: rtait@unitec.ac.nz

» Editorial

» Advance Autumn 2012

Choosing the high road Turning failure into success for Pacific Island boys is the focus of new research by the Principal of Kelston Boys’ High School, Brian Evans, who recently completed a Master of Education at Unitec. Success not failure was the driving force for Brian Evans when he started his Masters research into high academic achievement for Pacific Island boys, at Unitec. Brian has spent the past decade teaching in predominantly Pacific Island schools and it was while he was deputy principal at De La Salle College in Mangere that he decided to look at the growing academic success at the school. “I chose this research because of the success we were having – it was breaking all the stereotypes of a decile one Pacific Island school in South Auckland.” Nearly 90 per cent of the schools’ students are Pacific students, drawn from an area with the highest rate of socio-economic disadvantage in the country. Despite this, the results in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) continued to climb year on year. The school achieved NCEA pass rates far higher than similar decile one schools, exceeded the national average at Level 1 and 2 NCEA, and was comparable at Level 3.

Brian’s research looks at what works for Pacific boys in terms of relationships, curriculum and pedagogy, and provides examples of classroom practices that lead to high achievement.

Top-class teaching

“A lot of what I found is not specific to Pacific Island boys – although it works very well for them – it is specific to being a top-class teacher. It turned out to be a whole range of things but the simple, single, key thing is the expectation that kids will pass. “At De La Salle we had a good core of people with that belief and when the results started tracking upwards, it created momentum. The students also got that hunger for success and wanted to achieve and pass… they are still boys obviously, so it was always going to be a little laid back,” he laughs.

» Editorial

» Advance Autumn 2012

And a year into life as principal of decile 4 Kelston Boys’ High School in Waitakere City, Brian has led changes that have already significantly increased NCEA pass rates, particularly for Pacific Island boys, who make up 50 per cent of the school's 1100 students.

He cites setting up homework centres and not using homework tasks towards assessment as a good example. “It’s about providing solutions for every problem students may have and if they start grabbing hold of that, then they will succeed.”

Pass rates have gone up across the board but for Pacific Island boys the increases are between 24 and 35 per cent. Brian puts the initial improvements down to robust tracking of performance, regular feedback, and students being motivated by a culture of expectation and success. And while plastering the boys’ latest results up around the classrooms might not be PC, it allows them to be completely aware of where they are at and what they need to do next.

A is for achievement

“It’s simple really. They see the success – the runs on the board – and they start to get excited. You say to a boy, ‘you have 40 credits and you need 40 more’ and they do that.”

Promoting success

Brian’s research involved student questionnaires and focus groups, and interviews with teachers deemed to be top-quality by colleagues, students, and the results their students achieved. The research culminates in a series of recommendations that Brian plans to share with the wider education community, for the benefit of Pacific boys in any school. He found that success was supported by: creating a positive learning environment; establishing explicit learning intentions; thorough planning and feedback; targeted professional development for staff; setting high expectations; regular contact with home; recognition of cultural diversity; and teaching with a positive attitude. Brian believes that by schools using these practices, Pacific boys could reach levels of achievement that match any other ethnic group. Brian says Pacific learners often live and learn between different worlds – which can include home, school and church. And in a low decile school, some students faced issues such as poverty, poor health and violence, over which they and the school had little control. “But despite that, we have to find ways for kids to succeed.”

Brian says that students in his study rated the teacher’s care, respect, classroom management, humour and expectations as more important than their ethnicity, although they appreciated efforts to understand their worlds, pronounce their names correctly, and include relevant texts and experiences into classroom learning. “None of the teachers featured in my research looked for the easy solution, they wanted to get the best result and they didn’t offer excuses.” And Brian says that a culture of success in the classroom breeds a culture of achievement throughout all areas of school life. “I talk about it every week at assembly – achievement.” As a highlyregarded rugby coach who took the national women’s rugby team, the Black Ferns, to Rugby World Cup success in 2010 and was nominated for Rugby Coach of the Year, Brian says his sporting involvement helps the boys relate to his vision. “They don’t just see me as an academic figure. They know that I love sports as well but I’m not going to prioritise that, I’m going to prioritise their education. And when the boys see and experience success across the academic, sporting and cultural worlds, then they are unstoppable.” Brian's research has opened his eyes to the importance of teachers continuing to be learners – for the benefit of themselves and the students they teach. And with an opportunity to take Kelston Boys’ High School to its full potential, Brian says research will help underpin it. “The successes we are starting to have here at Kelston make me even more interested in heading back to Unitec to conduct further research into what drives success for Pacific Island boys. We have the potential to change thousands of lives if we get this right.”

Âť Editorial

Âť Advance Autumn 2012

Researching the sorry state of Tongan roads Tongan roads are in a sad state despite efforts to rebuild and maintain them using millions of dollars in international aid. New research by Unitec lecturer Winston Hiliau is looking at what can be done to make the roads stronger and more cost effective.

» Civil Engineering

With potholes big enough to park a car inside, Tongan roads are in a poor state, despite the millions of dollars in international aid spent on maintaining them. But new research by Unitec engineering lecturer Winston Hiliau is looking at the underlying issues, with great potential benefits for the island nation. When Winston, a roading engineer all his professional life, travelled to Tonga last year, the roads in the capital Nuku’alofa were so bad that taxi drivers drove their passengers only part-way to their lodgings and left them to walk the rest. He was in Tonga with Head of Department for Engineering, Associate Professor David Phillips, to promote engineering to young people, and the pair quickly ascertained that the roading was in need of urgent review. “We noted that all the roads branching off the main roads were in a very poor state. They were all unsealed, potholes had developed over time and some of these potholes were longer than a Mini or VW Golf. The main arterial road surfaces in numerous locations were also deteriorating.” Before the trip was over, the seeds of a research project were sown. Winston, originally from Tonga and a New Zealand resident for 35 years, says he had noticed on several return visits to the Pacific nation that there were continuous efforts to rebuild, resurface and maintain the roading infrastructure, but without long-term success. Now an academic, the moment seemed right for him to ask why, and what could be done about it. He has since secured funding from Unitec’s Research Committee to support initial research and testing in Tonga. In Tonga the local material used for roads is mostly sedimentary rock, which doesn’t withstand heavy roading, and the academics quickly identified that a solution was required to address the limestone’s bearing strength, and its ability to perform as a roading aggregate. An initial review of existing recent research showed they were on the right track. A recent report focused on the supply of sealing aggregate in Tonga, and tested the properties of the materials. Aggregate samples were obtained from seven quarries then exported for analysis in Australia. Sieving and testing was carried out on Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV) losses and Aggregate Wet Strength (AWS) of the material. “Not surprisingly, all samples failed to meet all of the required properties during the sieving analysis. Indications are that the material can be easily crushed, some comprised of too many fines, and the very fine fragments were present in high percentages in all samples.” Winston also intends to review existing work that relates to the roads’ rapid degradation caused by stormwater runoff. Another issue of concern driving the research is the millions of dollars of aid funding that has been poured into Tonga, by countries like New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, and the World Bank, yet without a corresponding level of improvement in the roading structures. Winston says he wants to investigate, in the first part of the review, what is required to improve the return on investment. “If you think of a $20 million investment into improving roads, I’d look at the proposition to reduce that to $15 million, with $5 million kept to invest in maintenance to make it last longer.”

» Advance Autumn 2012

A holistic approach

He has also uncovered a number of environmental issues that make the research all the more imperative. Continuous excavation and quarrying of the limestone resource over decades has made the underground water supply vulnerable to contamination. Vast acres of land may potentially be untenable, similar to what has already occurred in neighbouring Nauru, where mining had stripped the land of vital phosphates, and left a moon-like surface in need of significant rehabilitation. A meeting to brief the Tongan Minister of Environment about his research was well-received, and Winston says awareness of the effects of the quarrying was already high. “Traditional and cultural protocol in Tonga means that current landowners are guardians of the land, similar to the emphasis Maori put on their land. It is passed down from generation to generation. Tongan soil is highly fertile and there is an awareness that continuous quarrying will have a huge impact on this. The demand on the resource is significant. They are talking about using 60,000 tonnes of aggregate over the next three years just to reseal the roads, and after that 5000 tonnes a year to maintain the roads, and that’s just the top part. The base is continuing to degrade over time as well.” His first research trip to Tonga recently highlighted the need to analyse current carriageway designs and construction methodologies as an integral part of the research. He aims to complete the review process, including a review of existing research, practices and standards, materials available and details to resolve, in an interim report by June. By the end of the year, he hopes to be working through material extraction, sampling and testing, both for the base of the road and the sealing layer, comprised in the top 25mm of the road. Phase two, which will involve testing new products, will focus on additives that could make the local aggregate rock more durable. Winston says he has put out early feelers to industry, and there is strong interest in supporting his research project. “Additives may be fibrous or chemical-based. We will look at cement stabilisation. I’m also interested in testing coconut fibre, which is cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and readily available.” According to Winston the roading issue requires a very holistic approach long-term, looking at design, drainage systems, carriageway surfacing, and the establishment of a Tongan national code of practice and standards for road construction. Winston notes that while his principle focus is the roads themselves, the state of the roading infrastructure touches most areas of the Tongan economy. “Roading is so vital to farming, ease of access, tourism, community facilities and commerce. My interest is as a roading specialist, but there are many other positives that could come out of this.” Contact: Winston Hiliau Lecturer Department of Civil Engineering Faculty of Technology and Built Environment Email: whiliau@unitec.ac.nz

» Sport

» Advance Autumn 2012

A mascot mystery A loveable beagle in a netball skirt has become the unlikely mascot for top netball team the Northern Mystics. Department of Sport lecturers Trevor Meiklejohn and Katie Bruffy look at the creation, branding and future of Scruffy the dog. What does a big furry dog have to do with top netball team the LG Northern Mystics? Not a lot, actually, but this hasn’t stopped a former gift-with-purchase soft toy from becoming the team’s much-loved mascot. New research from Unitec Department of Sport lecturers Katie Bruffy and Trevor Meiklejohn looks at the relationship between the Mystics and their major sponsor LG Electronics, and how Scruffy the dog, who had previously fronted an LG promotion, became the team’s mascot. The Mystics, who were last year’s runners-up in the ANZ Championship, joined the trans-Tasman netball competition in 2008. The new franchise offered a chance to form new relationships for Unitec’s strategic sport marketing students and for the past three years students have developed marketing plans and creative pitches for the Mystics as part of their course work. The subject of the Mystics' mascot Scruffy came up time and again, as students questioned the ‘fit’ of a dog with the netball team. Trevor and Katie decided the topic was worthy of further research, and soon realised it was a very under-studied area in sport management. In a recent presentation on their research to the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand conference, they received a lot of interest in the work from fellow academics and practitioners.

What’s the fit?

Initially they were most interested in why the Mystics were using LG’s Scruffy the dog as its team mascot and how Scruffy was perceived by Mystics staff and those outside of the organisation. They interviewed Mystics staff, and held focus groups with members of the public, including young netballers and tertiary students. While some mascots make sense, such as the Brisbane Broncos’ horse, the link between the Mystics and Scruffy was harder to understand. In the end, they discovered it was more accident than intention. When LG offered a container-load of Scruffy soft-toy dogs and full-sized Scruffy suits left over from a promotion, the team management gratefully accepted. “This is an example of a small organisation with a million important things to do – like put a team on the court, find a place to train

and hire staff – saying ‘we’re prepared to sacrifice what, in the ideal world, might be quite a strategic process in terms of determining a mascot, and we’re going to go for the convenient option’,” says Trevor. “And that’s the nature of many sporting organisations; low on resources and high on expectations and with lots of things to do.” Despite this, Scruffy the mascot has become an integral part of the Mystics team and brand. “She’s like a player who is a consistent presence year after year. And that’s a huge factor when it comes to building a brand,” says Trevor. Added to this, everyone in the focus groups seemed to like Scruffy. Knowing Scruffy was going to be at the game was a big attraction for younger netball players, who wanted their own Scruffy toy. “Scruffy is adding to the Mystics’ brand, the entertainment factor at the games, and community promotion,” says Katie. At the time, adopting the mascot was an additional benefit the franchise could offer its new major sponsor, LG. Since that time the ownership and branding of Scruffy has changed. “There has been a gradual shift from a pure co-branding relationship between LG and the Mystics through the use of Scruffy, to more of a Mystics kind of Scruffy.” According to Trevor this shift hasn’t been deliberate. “Interestingly, the LG dog was more of a one-off promotional item and is not synonymous with the LG brand. If it was an iconic figure, such as Ronald McDonald, the Michelin Man or the M&Ms, then that would be different territory.” The pair also looked at the future for the mascot, who is brought to life by a dedicated volunteer inside the suit and even has her own Facebook page. The Mystics see the potential for kids’ fan clubs and other promotions but in reality there is a resource-scarcity. Trevor says that while he and Katie didn’t start out with the intention of adding mascots to their ongoing research interests, they both see the potential for future research into how mascots fit with sponsorship, marketing, ownership and branding. Contact: Trevor Meiklejohn Lecturer Department of Sport Faculty of Social and Health Sciences Email: tmeiklejohn@unitec.ac.nz

» Editorial

» Advance Autumn 2012

» Book Reviews

Unitec in print The latest books from Unitec academics.

Historical Portraits of Women Home Scientists: The University of New Zealand 1911-1947

The Politics of Insects: David Cronenberg’s Cinema of Confrontation

Authors: Dr Tanya Fitzgerald and Dr Jenny Collins

Author: Dr Scott Wilson

A Unitec associate professor and a former Unitec lecturer present a historical portrait of the first generations of women home scientists at the University of Otago in the early to mid-twentieth century. The book by Dr Jenny Collins, Associate Professor of Education at Unitec, and Dr Tanya Fitzgerald, Professor of Educational Leadership, Management and History at La Trobe University, Melbourne, begins with individual portraits of the first four women professors. Winifred Boys-Smith (1865-1939), Helen Rawson (1886-1964), Ann Gilchrist Strong (1875-1957) and Elizabeth Gregory (1901-1983), played a key role in the development of home science as a legitimate scholarly arena for women and greatly influenced the next generations of academic women in New Zealand.

The title of Dr Scott Wilson’s book draws inspiration from the following dialogue of Seth Brundle, the main character in David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of The Fly:

Historical Portraits of Women Home Scientists has a unique place in the literature of histories of higher education in New Zealand, with its focus on how women sought to professionalise their field of expertise through their teaching, research, consultancy work, and networking efforts. Using photographs, documentary and archival evidence, as well as oral testimonies, the authors capture with acuity the tenacity of university-educated women who challenged the view that home science was little more than ‘glorified housekeeping.’ Publisher: Cambria Press, 2011, 213 pp

“Have you ever heard of insect politics? Neither have I. Insects… don’t have politics. They’re very brutal. No… compassion. No… compromise. We can’t trust the insect. I’d like to become the first insect politician.” Thus begins Scott’s incisive discourse about Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg as a political modernist. Scott, who is a senior lecturer in Film History, Film Theory, and Cultural Studies in the Department of Performing and Screen Arts at Unitec, goes on to demonstrate through a meticulous examination of Cronenberg’s career and creative work – from Fast Company (1979) through to Dead Ringers (1988) and Eastern Promises (2007) – how “all of Cronenberg’s films are concerned not just with transformation but with what happens when transformation becomes transgression.” Michael Grant, from the University of Kent, UK, says of this book, “I have no doubt that this book will establish itself, not only as the most profound study of David Cronenberg, but also of the political theory of cinema, to have appeared this century.” Publisher: Continuum Publishing Group, 2011, 244 pp.

» Advance Autumn 2012

Managing Effective Relationships in Education Author: Dr Carol Cardno Combining a theoretical and a practical approach, Dr Carol Cardno, Professor of Education at Unitec, provides a guide to educational administration, management, and leadership across sectors. Carol focuses on two particular topics: organisational learning and dilemma management. More specifically, the book looks at how to bring about productive relationships in order to solve complex problems, showing how effectiveness is enhanced when complex problems are resolved collaboratively and trustingly. This book will stimulate and support practising and aspiring educational leaders at all levels and in all types of educational organisations. Professor Tanya Fitzgerald, from La Trobe University, Melbourne, says Managing Effective Relationships in Education is essential reading for all leaders in education. “It skilfully weaves together theory and practice and presents a demanding curriculum for leadership learning. This book offers a refreshing insight into the complexities of being a leader and exercising effective leadership in modernised organisations.” Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2012, 224 pp

Communication, Culture & Society in Papua New Guinea: Yu tok Wanem? Edited by D r Evangelia Papoutsaki, Michael McManus and Patrick Matbob. ‘Yu tok wanem?’ — Want to talk? — sets the tone for this collection of essays on issues around the development of media in the diverse culture of Papua New Guinea. With more than 1000 different languages spoken, Papua New Guinea presents interesting and complex media issues, which are covered by more than 20 authors, including young emerging researchers from Papua New Guinea and well-known media academics from Australia and New Zealand. Local researchers write about issues involving mainstream media, the information gap, and social concerns, providing space for critical reflection on media, communication and development. Family violence, development opportunities for radio, and the language around HIV/AIDS are some of the many issues raised. Co-editor of this book, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Unitec, Dr Evangelia Papoutsaki, says that a greater focus on the social and cultural importance of local knowledge is vital for the future of quality media reporting in Papua New Guinea. She also advocates for journalism students, despite limited resources, to do research in their own communities as a way of developing pride and confidence, while also promoting the development of critical sense about Western models of inquiry. Published by: Auckland University of Technology’s Pacific Media Centre and Divine Word University Press, Madang, 2012.

» Language Studies

Crossing the language barrier Nurses with poor English language skills have been the subject of media reports both in New Zealand and overseas. But for Unitec research team Caroline Malthus and Hongyan Lu, the daily experiences of nursing students tell a different story. They discuss their findings on how nursing students attain the English language they need to succeed in a clinical environment. In recent years Bachelor of Nursing programmes in New Zealand have attracted large numbers of students with English as an additional language (EAL). But despite a continued focus in the literature on the communication gaps, problems and barriers these students face, they often succeed in gaining nursing qualifications, registration and employment. Caroline, a learning development and languages lecturer, and Hongyan, a lecturer on the Bachelor of Nursing programme, were interested in researching how students attained the English skills they needed and what had helped and hindered them in their quest. In the course of their research, faculty members, clinical staff and learning advisors all expressed concerns about gaps in the English language

proficiency of many Bachelor of Nursing EAL students. Despite this, the pair could find no difference in the graduation rates of EAL students and those that had English as a mother tongue. “Most of them survived and succeeded to the end. So we wanted to know how they managed their own study, how they utilised services on offer, and also what other things helped them from their own external environments,” says Caroline. Hongyan agrees: “We felt there was already a lot of research that demonstrated a problem and which various programmes have worked or not, but little to show what students did for themselves in order to succeed. We wanted to look at those success stories.”

Clinical communication

Their retrospective in-depth interviewbased study involved eight Bachelor of Nursing graduates and four clinical tutors, and looked at the strategies and factors students used to develop spoken language. The graduates involved in the study were Chinese, Fiji Indian, Korean, and Eastern European and all had English as an additional language. The pair presented their findings last year at the Australasian Nurse Educators Conference in Hamilton and the Forging New Directions in Academic Language and Learning Conference in Adelaide. They have had one paper published in the Journal of Asian Pacific Communication,

and are working on a second article. The pair has also presented their research informally to nursing lecturers and students. The Nursing Council of New Zealand requires students to spend at least 1100 hours on clinical practice to meet the requirements for nursing registration. As part of the assessment process, effective communication is seen as pivotal to developing therapeutic relationships with patients, collaborating with the health team, ensuring accurate documentation of nursing care, and enhancing the quality of care. Half of the research participants experienced difficulties with spoken English on their first clinical placement and described initial feelings of shock, difficulty, fear and frustration. The clinical setting further highlighted the importance of communication in the nursing profession and often pushed students to improve their English as fast as possible. “Relationships are often the key driver,” says Caroline. Students gave vivid descriptions of their communication struggles and indicated that being understood was more of a problem than understanding others. And while some were aware that their language deficiencies were seen as a problem in clinical settings, they repeatedly mentioned how positive input from patients had helped improve and consolidate their language skills.

» Editorial

Steep learning curve

Hongyan says at the same time students are facing communication struggles they are also learning about the New Zealand health system and the cultural context. And while students may have excellent knowledge of medical terminology, the colloquial terms and jargon was more of a challenge. Everyday terms used in a hospital, such as ‘pop up on the bed’ or ‘pop on the gown’ can be lost on some students with EAL, often because of the level of familiarity. Caroline says that formal language could put patients on edge, as a nurse-patient relationship tends to be more intimate. “It often involves touch and getting right into people’s personal space so staying at a polite distance may feel really uncomfortable for the patients.” Through the interviews with graduates and tutors, Caroline and Hongyan say the main threads of success involved students: » Tuning into the socio-cultural context of the nursing workplace

» Advance Autumn 2012

» Learning theory and practice of communication for clinical settings, and understanding communication as a more deliberate skill than merely speaking and listening » Developing a sense of identity as a nurse » Seeing clinical practice as a chance to push development of spoken language » Using stress as a motivator to improve English The pair says that students who succeeded had motivation and self-belief, accepted their mistakes and were willing to communicate even in the face of negative feedback. They also highlighted specific actions students could take to further increase their chances of success, including: joining mixed study groups outside of class; learning the different communication forms needed by nurses; keeping up to date with local news so they could take part in conversations with patients and staff; and working part time in a clinical setting.

The pair found that even failing a paper had a positive ending as it provided students with an impetus to work harder to improve their English and develop a deeper understanding and confidence. “It’s important for lecturers to see that failing a student, while difficult, does actually benefit the student more in the long run and helps to maintain professional standards and professional safety.” Both Caroline and Hongyan say there is much to be learned from EAL students who overcome steep odds to succeed. “The challenge is huge,” says Caroline. “Sometimes we go all around the topic but if we actually ask people who have been through the process what they learned and what they noticed, they have really good insights.” Contact: Caroline Malthus Senior Lecturer Department of Language Studies Faculty of Social and Health Sciences Email: cmalthus@unitec.ac.nz

20 » Editorial

» Advance Autumn 2012

100 languages of children New Head of the Department of Education, Beverly Clark, has an ongoing interest in how children communicate and develop language. She tells us about some of her research projects and her career teaching and researching in the early childhood sector. Head of the Department of Education at Unitec Dr Bev Clark has a personal and professional fascination with the way children master language and self expression in early childhood settings. Originally from South Africa and a kindergarten teacher for 26 years, Bev started her research career with a Masters in Education, looking at how children who spoke Zulu at home developed their English language once they entered the English-speaking world of early childhood education. After moving to New Zealand in 1997 she further pursued research into emerging language with her Doctorate in Education

at the University of Auckland, looking at how children use not just their conscious talk to others but their self talk – how they talk to themselves – to learn language and imbed new knowledge, particularly when they had English as an additional language. “I’m really interested in languages and how children express themselves, and particularly children who have a different language at home and then come into an early childhood centre that is pervasively English-speaking. I wanted to see what that looked like in a New Zealand context.”

» In the Limelight

Self talk

» Advance Autumn 2012

Bev says the work of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky furthered her interest in children’s self talk, as he identified that it helps them to develop cognitively, learn language, and regulate their thinking. “So to learn a new concept, children will talk to themselves. They’ll say, ‘I've got two of these and if I add two more then I will have four’, so they’ll talk it out. And Vygotsky said that children talk to themselves more when the people around them can understand them. So even though it’s private, they like to know that there’s someone out there who could understand them.”

“Even really young children can get you to do things for them just by looking at you. If you are a relieving teacher in an early childhood centre, a toddler will check you out and then bring you a book and just look at you, and there’s no way you can say ‘no’. They are very effective at communicating – verbally, non-verbally, artistically, and in so many other ways – understanding how others communicate, and picking up on vibes.” The pair is continuing with the research and extending it to include a new entrants class, to look at the forms of expression in a more formal environment.

However, when a child enters an environment where their language is foreign, that self talk can shut down as they think more and talk less. “What I found was that the children in my study, who were from Afghanistan, the Philippines, China, and the Pacific Islands, all talked to themselves but the language they used, even for their private speech, was English, because that was the language of the centre.” Bev says that during her research she discovered children using self talk as a significant aid to learning English. “I saw a child re-telling a story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears she had watched her teacher tell on the mat. She was given the magnetic story afterwards and she mapped this out and talked to herself and said it over and over again. Her back was to me, but her learning was really evident.”

Passion and quality

Passion in teaching is another area Bev has recently started to research. “You look at all the ads for early childhood and you see ‘we want a passionate teacher’. I sent out some surveys to teachers on a small scale and the response from people was that even though the culture is changing, and the workload increasing, they are still absolutely passionate about their jobs. It is a joy for them.” On the basis of this early research she plans to expand the study to include primary school teachers as well as early childhood teachers and lecturers. “This will be interesting research because there is this tension between workload and your love for your job. And trying to find a balance that actually really works is quite hard.”

Since then Bev has concentrated on the wider concept of children’s expressions, including work on the visual arts and the role of the teacher. “Traditionally there are quite fixed ideas in early childhood about what the adult can do and there’s traditionally been a hands-off approach.” Bev and co-researcher Nicky de Lautour, a senior lecturer in the School of Education at Auckland University of Technology, have written papers and presented their findings at a number of conferences. Their research largely re-maps what a teacher can do when working with children. “You don't always have this hands-off approach, you can be an engaged artist yourself and children can learn from you. We hope that we’ve contributed to the shifting of ideas around that.”

Since joining Unitec last year from Auckland University of Technology, where she was Associate Head of School in the School of Education, Bev says she has been convinced that the high-quality research being undertaken by colleagues in her new department makes a vital contribution to the thinking around early childhood. “With the cuts in funding from the Government, I think there is some loss of perspective on the value of excellent early childhood education. Excellent research helps create excellent early childhood centres, where children become part of a whanau and learn about how to be and to reach their potential. That gives children a better life, not only today but in the future.”

The pair is currently working on another research project looking at what the innovative Italian child-centred early childhood education model Reggio Emilia calls The Hundred Languages of Children. “It’s a metaphoric saying because in reality there are at least a thousand ways that children communicate – they are incredibly good communicators.” They have each spent a week in an early childhood centre observing and recording every form of expression they could see.

Contact: Dr Bev Clark Head of Department Department of Education Faculty of Social and Health Sciences Email: bclark@unitec.ac.nz

22 » Completions

Research degree completions Unitec congratulates the following students who have recently completed postgraduate research projects at Unitec. Copies of these studies can be found in the Unitec Library or through the Unitec Research Bank, http://unitec.researchbank.ac.nz.

Master of Architecture Name: Anne Milbank Research: Ole Nu'u o le Ao: Polynesian domestic archetypes in Auckland

Master of Architecture (Professional) Name: Xue Bai Research: Principles of housing which achieves social interaction and community integration Name: Charlotte Brennan Research: Modernism: A contemporary interpretation Name: John Broadbent Research: Constraintly inhered habitation Name: Tess Fenwick Research: Programme: Morphosis Name: Steven Hutana Research: Hamo te Rangi - Design for a contemporary urban marae Name: Martin Leung-Wai Research: The Taualuga: A spatial study Name: Zhenyu Li Research: Tangible architecture Name: Kyle Lombard Research: Future living in Auckland's CBD Name: Tony Ng Research: New urbanism for Auckland Name: John O'Sullivan Research: The aesthetics of topology optimisation and non-standard analysis Name: Georgy Rajan Research: Eco-resort in rural India Name: Brendan Scott-Woods Research: Exploring cultural gateways: Designing a new international airport terminal that represents New Zealand's cultural identity Name: Erxin Shang Research: A "pulpitumic" school - A place to project architecture into the consciousness of the public Name: William Weavers Research: Active living architecture

Master of Business Name: Feletiliki Kefu Manisela Finau Research: The impact of working capital management dynamics on performance of Tongan enterprises in New Zealand

Name: Mary Ling-Pui Research: Exploring not-for-profit marketing: A service-dominant logic perspective Name: Garikai Tachiwona Research: Understanding the potential of the balanced scorecard to drive a high performance culture in a New Zealand information technology organization: An exploratory study

Master of Computing Name: Rachel Chandra Selvan Research: Impacts, changes and technical issues that arise when introducing an online learning tool in a tertiary educational organisation Name: ZhengYi (Alex) Guan Research: A reliability evaluation of wireless sensor network simulator: Simulation vs testbed Name: Paula Raymond Lutui Research: Performance analysis of IPv4 vs. IPv6 on various operating systems using jumbo frames Name: Mohib Shah Research: Performance of voice & video over IP using various IP transition mechanisms Name: Ning Wei Research: Prototype and testing an e-learning 2.0 system Name: Lian Wei Research: Success factors for transactional ecommerce websites: An investigation focusing on technical and business contexts Name: Guorong Xu Research: Social networking sites, web 2.0 technologies and e-learning Name: Bingqian Zhang Research: An application of soft systems methodology on a holistic level: recommendations for developing and implementing green ict strategies in New Zealand

Master of Design Name: Gillian Deery Research: Processing practice/practice as process Name: Robert Shaw Research: Designing the Shaw 9 Metre Name: Jan Simmons Research: Response to nature and space

Master of Education Name: Mary Hayes Research: E-journaling: Fostering transformation through interdependent learning

Master of Educational Leadership and Management Name: Bill Barker Research: Turnaround leadership: How three successful leaders turned around their schools Name: Janice Borsos Research: Principals supporting aspiring principals while attending a development programme Name: Fiona Cavanagh Research: The problem of boys’ underachievement in writing in New Zealand primary schools Name: Vaughan Couillault Research: Expectations and experiences of independent learning in two New Zealand secondary schools Name: Justine Driver Teaching as inquiry: Understandings and challenges towards a professional way of being Name: Claire Edwards Research: Effective evaluation of professional development Name: Kiely Murphy Research: The complexity of pastoral care middle leadership in New Zealand secondary schools Name: Raewyn Pilbrow Research: Influences on pasifika student academic achievement in New Zealand primary schools Name: Syharath Saengaloun Research: The middle manager’s role and professional development needs in lao higher education

Master of Health Science Name: Exelda Kruger Research: Prescription rights for New Zealand MRI technologists – an opportunity for role extension

Master of Health Science (Nursing) Name: Kolly Bang Research: Local community knowledge, perceptions and experiences of malaria prevention in the highlands of Papua New Guinea

Master of Landscape Architecture Name: Coombes Daniel Research: Unfamiliar terrain: From the paradox of intervention to paradoxical intervention

Master of Osteopathy Name: Tasman Darragh Research: The effect of home-exercise with and without additional osteopathic treatment for those with shoulder impingement syndrome Name: Sarah Dryburgh Research: An initial exploration into the development of a web-based educational resource for individuals with non-specific chronic low back pain: An action research inspired approach Name: Karen Gardner Research: An exploration of the experience of parents in the osteopathic treatment of their infants Name: Nicola Gardyne Research: Predictors of parents seeking osteopathic care for their infant Name: Michael McBeth Research: Management of discomfort associated with road cycling using bike fit and osteopathic treatment: A single system design Name: Ashleigh Mitchell Research: Test-retest reliability and determinants of the self evaluation of breathing questionnaire (SEBQ): A measure of dysfunctional breathing Name: Jenna Norrie Research: Structural or cranial osteopathy: Factors influencing practitioner preference Name: Tonia Peachey Research: Marketing the osteopathic practice. An exploratory investigation Name: Lily Rose Research: A preliminary investigation into the attitudes and practices of New Zealand osteopaths in relation to the health system Name: Hong Yel (Dominic) You Research: Identification, assessment and management of somatisation in clients of osteopathic practitioners in New Zealand

Master of Social Practice Name: Alabi Adeosun Adeosun Research: How people who have a relative or friend with mental illness are supported by the Auckland branch of Supporting Families in Mental Illness Name: Faye Pouesi Research: Te puawaitanga o te ngakau Name: Sheree Veysey Research: Look at the human being in front of you who’s hurting: Clients with a borderline personality disorder diagnosis describe their experience of discriminatory and helpful behaviour from health professionals

Postgraduate completions Lecturer in the Department of Management and Marketing and recent Master of Business graduate, Mary Lim, says the chance to research and present her thesis Exploring not-forprofit marketing: A service-dominant logic perspective has turned her into an astute and confident researcher and she now has her eye on doctoral study. “There is nothing ‘academic’ about research – its relevance to daily business activities and problems is very real, and the ability to combine academia with real world business research is ideal. Researching my thesis taught me how to listen, analyse, evaluate and reflect on what is before me. It has taught me to be more strategic in my thinking and join all the dots together to arrive at the best solution.” Mary’s colleague in the Department of Management and Marketing, Feletiliki (Frederick) Kefu Manisela Finau, also graduated recently with a Master of Business. His thesis The impact of working capital management dynamics on performance of Tongan enterprises in New Zealand explores and analyses the impact of working capital management dynamics on financial performance of Tongan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in New Zealand.

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