How individuals perceive their environment determines how they relate to and interact with it. This research takes a specific landscape, the South Island high country, and identifies and evaluates how it is perceived. It is evident that the way in which individuals perceive landscape reflects not only their physical enviroment, but their culture. Culture gains even greater importance in this process, when one considers the perceptions of community and society. Landscape perception concerns how individuals view and interact with their environment. It is the initial step in developing opinions and positions on issues relating to a specfic area. Experience of, and participation are identified as crucial components of the perception process. Those who indicated they were actively involved in the high country were more likely to have richer and more acute perceptions of the area than those who were not so involved. The latter group tended to reflect the imagery of the media and other sources. Current perceptions of the high country were found to be oriented around images of pastoral farming, wilderness experience, recreation and tourism activity. The location of the high country, as perceived by respondents, centred on the lakes district of inland Otago and South Canterbury. Where survey respondents resided was clearly of influence on their perceived high country. While the perceived high country reflected much of the historical imagery, it also reflected socioeconomic change in the area. The move from pastoralism to recreation and tourism was apparent, as was resistance by the public to alienation of high country land through sale of Crown land to overseas interests and its use in Treaty settlements. There was general acceptance, especially amongst experts, that change in the area (lease reorganisation and economic activity in particular) will have an important impact on landuse and how the public perceives the high country. The future of the high country is seen by lay-person and expert alike as lying with the expansion of tourism and recreation. This will see more people visiting and living in the area. All interviewees agreed that pastoral farming will play a decreasing role in the area and that a greater diversity of landuse and, in turn, perceptions of the high country will result from these shifts.

Consideration of the degree to which social factors have influenced the development of archaeology has become a recent focus of interest among archaeologists; however little work has been done on determining the relationship of social factors to archaeology in new Zealand. The aim of this thesis is to consider whether archaeologists were influenced by the surrounding New Zealand society between the years 1840 and 1954 and if so, in what manner were they influenced. In particular, consideration is given to how the social background of New Zealand archaeology compared with the social influences of British archaeology compared with the social influence of British archaeology of the time. For the purposes of the study the term archaeologist applies to all those who investigated or recovered in situ archaeological material. Lists of archaeologists of the day were compiled from journals, newspaper articles, and unpublished sources. From these lists the social background of those engaging in archaeology was reconstructed. Developments in archaeology theory and methodology were also examined, not only to determine the manner in which they effected the practise of archaeology, but also to determine the source of those developments, and the reasons for their adoption. The wider social context was also examined to determine the degree to which archaeology reflected certain factors in New Zealand society, not simply in the manner in which archaeology was carried out, but also in the reasons for which research was conducted. This study demonstrates that though the discipline, and in particular the power, was concentrated among urban professionals, the social spread of those engaging in archaeology was wide. This was particularly the case between the turn of the century and the Second World War, when archaeologists with a tertiary background were in a minority. Archaeologists were influenced both from inside and outside the field, the degree of influence being determined by individual factors. As archaeologists were a part of society, so too was society part of archaeological practice. In the manner in which archaeology was conducted the influence of societal attitudes towards women and Maori can be seen.

This thesis concerns the visual representation of the Maori in illustrations featured in the School Journal, Bulletins, Maori Language Readers, and Remedial Readers published by the New Zealand Department of Education from 1907-96. The main focus is to examine how the prehistory of Aotearoa has been presented to the public. For this reason School Journals were chosen as they have been a resource available to all school children for almost a century, and reflect changing theories incorporated into illustrations which can be just as significant, or even more powerful, than text in transmitting information (and sometimes culture-bound values) to the public about past Maori lifeways. I examined specific areas such as the representation Maori physiognomy, representation of gender and ethnicity, material culture, and activities in illustrations and photographs to create an overview of how the Maori have been depicted and question how closely these representations adhere to reality.

This thesis investigates the phenomenon known as a Maori ethnic identity. The topic is investigated using personal interviews and the findings are reported by way of personal narrative. Eight informants were interviewed. All presently identify as Maori and have arrived at this point following a diverse range of experiences. The thesis documents these experiences and those things that are important to them on a personal level. As such, this thesis investigates the topic of Maori ethnicity as it pertains to a group of individuals, not to Maoridom as a whole. It was found that no single paradigm could be applied to my informant�s conception of identity. Each constructed their identity in a unique way. Integral to all identities, however, was the use of both cultural and biological factors. In constructing and maintaining their identities as Maori my informants looked firstly to the presence of ancestry and, following from this cultural practices were employed. The use of ancestry as a basis of identity, and the causal attributes associated with it (such as natural leanings towards the use of Maori language), represent essentialist tendencies on the part of many of my informants. Also of great interest was the perception, by many of my informants, that cultural traits were innate. This is described as a Lamarckian way of viewing ethnicity.

Skeletal remains of the prehistoric New Zealand dog, the kuri, are frequently recovered from archaeological sites. Despite their relative ubiquity only one major study, and the last for twenty five years, has been conducted. That work provided limited anatomical and osteometric information and concluded that the kuri population was homogenous through space and across time. This study set out to provide a more detailed skeletal description and to investigate the question of population homogeneity by examinig kuri skeletal material from five museums and two university anthropology departments. Metric and non-metric data was collected from a total of thirty seven archaeological sites from throuhout New Zealand. Variation within the population was established by comparing coefficients of variation across a number of variables. A program of univariate and multivariate analysis was carried out to examine spatial and temporal variation. Results showed that the appendicular skeleton of the kuri has the highest levels of variation. Smaller limb shaft dimensions of late prehistoric kuri are thought to be due to a reliance on insufficient quantities of marine foods. Tooth wear analysis of late prehistoric dogs showed that they had severe tooth wear compared to �Archaic� dogs.

This thesis is concerned with cervical cancer amongst New Zealand women, particularly Maori women. Maori women have an alarmingly high incidence of cervical cancer, approximately three times higher than non-Maori women. Maori women experience one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the world. Chapter one, two and three form the introductory section of the thesis, Section A. Chapter one provides an overview of cervical cancer incidence in the world, followed by a more detailed analysis of the occurrence of cervical cancer in New Zealand and a discussion of the aetiological factors of cervical cancer. Cervical screening is discussed in Chapter two. The ethnic differences in incidence and mortality of cervical cancer between Maori and non-Maori and possible reasons for these differences are studied in Chapter three. Section B consists of the original work undertaken. A pilot study (Chapter four) was conducted to trial the methods for the national study (Chapter five). The national study was a retrospective review of the cervical smear histories of Maori women first diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer over a recent two year period in order to investigate why Maori women have not had their disease detected by screening and treated at the intraepithelial stage. Maori women�s knowledge of and attitudes towards cervical screening were obtained in a survey in Ruatoria (Chapter six). Section C concludes with a chapter (Chapter seven) on the conclusions and recommendations based on the material reviewed and the work undertaken.

Museum textiles provide priceless documentation of the activities of people throughout time. They record human interests and serve as resources for students of many disciplines. In New Zealand there are artefacts made from Phormium tenax which are extremely important in terms of providing a record of early New Zealand life and links to our past as both artistic and cultural symbols: they present an insight into the many faceted nature of early Maori culture. However there are some which are clearly in need of preservative treatment. Others may need care in the future for inevitably they are, or will be, subject to degradation during storage, when on display and during cleaning and refurbishing. Conservators, who embark occasionally on restorative treatments designed to reverse or arrest the symptoms of degradation, have begun to address the causes and future fundamental affects of their procedures. However there have been few scientific studies of the properties of the fibres and, therefore, there is little information to help the conservators in their tasks. This study has a twofold purpose. The first aim is to provide a short survey of the literature on Phormium and relate it to other lignocellulosic fibres. The emphasis in the survey is to put the conservation problem in context and to point to those technical articles which may be relevant to someone dealing with ancient materials. Secondly there is a practical study of the impact of heating the fibres in the absence and presence of oxygen and in water. These two agencies are ones which are directly relevant to the conservator.

This thesis is an attempt to assess the degree of differentiation between two regions, Otago and Southland, to be found in the styles of four types of artefact; Bird-spear points, One-piece fish-hooks, Composite hook points, Adzes. In order to assess the significance of these differences the comparison has been made not only between the two regions mentioned above but also with a set of samples from the northern North Island used as a bench-mark. The data has been collected in the form of non-metrical (presence/absence) and metrical (continuous or ratio-type) variables specific to each artefact type. The method of analysis of the data is concerned with the study of the relative frequencies of these ranges of variables. This is supported by Chi� and Student�s T tests. As well as seeking to establish the degree of differentiation between the material cultures of the regions the interpretation also seeks to distinguish between causal factors for these differences (for example, variations in functional requirements, differing or limited access to material types, etc.).

In many former British colonies independence from colonial rule has produced a myriad of post-colonial tensions. Increasingly, writers from the indigenous race in these former colonies have felt moved to respond to these tensions in their imaginative fiction. This study has undertaken a comparative cross-cultural analysis of the works of two writers from such societies whose indigenous cultures share common assumptions, to explore the underlying impetus of these tensions, and the writers� proposals for resolving them. Chapter One assesses Witi Ihimaera as a writer, and explores his concept of biculturalism, with particular emphasis on the distinctly Maori point of view which informs his analysis of contemporary social problems. Chapter Two assays Ihimaera�s pastoral writings, Pounamu Pounamu, Tangi, and Whanau, tracing in them the development of his concept of biculturalism, and also the changes in Ihimaera�s writing that culminated in The new Net Goes Fishing, with the hardening of attitude that it expresses. Chapter Three looks at the revisionism of Ihimaera�s view of New Zealand history from a Maori viewpoint. It uses Ihimaera�s The Matriarch not only as a means of exploring this revisionist Maori perspective, but also as evidence of the radicalisation of Ihimaera�s views, and the broadening of the concept of biculturalism to embrace not only cultural, but social and political matters. Chapter Four considers Ihimaera�s The Whale Rider as a feminist restatement of earlier views and highlights the growing dilemma he faces concerning the concept of biculturalism. Chapter Five focuses on Achebe, the writer, and his view of the role of the African writer in contemporary society. It argues that Achebe views himself as a seer, a visionary writer who has the answer that could regenerate his society. Chapter Six analyses Achebe�s Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God, and argues that contrary to accepted views of Okonkwo, this character is not actually representative of his society but a deviant. It further argues that the post-colonial African societies� affictions with irresponsible leaders were already manifest in the colonial period, through characters such as Okonkwo and Ezeulu, whom Achebe sees as guilty of gross abuses of power and privilege. Chapter Seven looks at both No Longer at Ease and A Man of the People, and argues that the failure of the first indigenous administrative class stems both from their having an incomplete apprehension of all the aspects of their heritage and the responsibility which power imposes on those who exercise it, and also from lack of restraint in wielding of power. It further argues that the unbridled scramble for materialism has resulted in the destruction of democratic principles. In the context of contemporary New Zealand society, Ihimaera sees the solution for Maori post-colonial tensions as bicultural integration, but he is having problems with the concept in the face of increasing radical activism from Maoris who see it as little better than assimilation. Achebe, however, has opted for re-formism, having discarded traditionalism because it is inadequate for people in the modern world.

Throughout the twentieth century, Maori life expectancy for both men and women has increased significantly. For most health conditions however, medical statistics show that the Maori mortality rate remains significantly higher than the rate for the NZ non-Maori population. The results of epidemiological studies show that some of these health conditions may be environmentally induced. There appears to be a high incidence of obesity in the Maori population which has been related to dietary intake, with an associated high incidence of diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. These conditions appear to be particularly prevalent among Maori women. It is thought that the Maori population are gentically susceptible to obesity; a trait which manifests itself when there is a plentiful food supply in the population. At present, there is very little information available about the dietary intake of the Maori population, or the effect of diet upon obesity and associated health disorders in this group. The aim of this survey was to obtain information about the dietary intake of a sample of Dunedin Maori women using the diet history method of assessment. Also to determine the incidence of obesity and other dietry related health conditions in this group. Chapter 2 reviews the change in food habits and health status of the Maori population over the last two centuries, as well as reviewing the different methods by which information for dietary surveys is obtained. After setting out the methods and findings of the survey, Chapter 5 discusses the results in light of information obtained from similar dietary studies of NZ women. The samples intake is compared to recommended nutrient allowances for NZ women and the incidence of dietary related health disorders is also discussed. Overall, Dunedin Maori women�s diet was not deficient in any of the recorded nutrients. Dunedin Maori women, in their middle years, exhibited substantially higher energy intakes than middle years non-Maori women in the 1977 National Dietary Survey. The level of Dunedin Maori women�s carbohydrate intake was the main contributing factor for this higher energy intake. Dunedin Maori women over 50 years of age exhibited substantially higher energy intakes than NZ women aged 50-54 years in the 1985 Timaru Health District Survey, with an overall higher consumption of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Over half of Dunedin Maori were classified as overweight or very overweight. Hypertension and diabetes were reported, and obesity was commonly found among women with these health conditions. Over half of Dunedin Maori women used cigarettes, the majority using between ten and thirty cigarettes per day. Dunedin Maori women are relatively isolated from the more densely populated areas of North Island Maori. As a result, the survey results cannot be interpreted as characteristic of NZ Maori women in general. The significance of these findings is rather the elucidation of a regional situation. Further studies of Maori women in both rural and urban areas of the North and South Island are necessary to determine if an overall pattern of high intake exists with a deleterious impact upon the health of Maori women.