Youth offending is an increasingly major problem in many countries and cultures. Several theories imply that a subset of young people display delinquent behaviour at a young age and go on to have an extensive and serious criminal career. Recently, there has been interest in the literature in identifying these young people early on and carrying out interventions in order to deter them from a criminal career. Many studies have examined the development and usefulness of actuarial measures of risk of future violence or recidivism in adult offenders. However, the same attention has not been paid to the youth offender population. The present study gathered data from the population (N = 4307) of all young persons in New Zealand whose antisocial behaviour resulted in a Youth Justice intake from the Department of Child, Youth, and Family (CYF) in 2002. Information was obtained about this population from the CYF database, CYRAS, and from the Police National Intelligence Application database for a stratified random sample (N = 500). Three models were developed using Hierarchical Cox regression to predict recidivism, and they each used a different definition of recidivism. The performance of the models was assessed using ROC analysis and they were found to predict recidivism with a moderately good level of accuracy. A validation sample (N = 500), different from the sample on which the models were developed, was used to further assess the performance of the models by showing that they were able to generalize to a new data set and continue to perform at an adequate level. An actuarial model, like the one developed in the present study, could be used to help make decisions about which young people within the Youth Justice System require intervention in order to reduce the likelihood of subsequent reoffending.

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Abstract Three newly selected strains of Cyclopia rhizobia together with an inoculant strain, which has never been tested in the field with adequate experimental design, was assessed under both nursery and field conditions for symbiotic performance. The three new test strains were initially selected for their superior Nz-fixing abilities under glasshouse conditions, and then evaluated in this study for field performance. Cyclopia subternata Vogel and Cyclopia genistoides (L.) R. Br., which have the potential for producing high quality honeybushtea, were used as host plants in both the nursery and field studies.The effect of seedling inoculation at the nursery level was also examined for the four test strains under nursery conditions. The inoculation of cuttings under nursery conditions produced.significant increases in shoot biomass, shoot %N and shoot N content. More specifically, inoculating C. subternata with strains UCT44b and UCT61a significantly increased shoot biomass and N content relative to strain PPRICI3. Strains UCT44b and UCT61a also showed better nodulation with C. subternata cuttings compared to strains UCHOa and PPRICI3. Field inoculation of Cyclopia increased all growth parameters relative to the uninoculated control, except for leaf %N. Cyclopia subternata inoculated with strains UCT44b, UCT40a and UCT61a produced significantly lower b15N values than the uninoculatedC. subternata reference plant. Using the 15N natural abundance method, C. subternata was estimated to be gaining about half of its N from Nz fixation, while C. genistoides obtained less than half of itsN from symbioticnutrition.

Abstract Three newly selected strains of Cyclopia rhizobia together with an inoculant strain, which has never been tested in the field with adequate experimental design, was assessed under both nursery and field conditions for symbiotic performance. The three new test strains were initially selected for their superior Nz-fixing abilities under glasshouse conditions, and then evaluated in this study for field performance. Cyclopia subternata Vogel and Cyclopia genistoides (L.) R. Br., which have the potential for producing high quality honeybushtea, were used as host plants in both the nursery and field studies.The effect of seedling inoculation at the nursery level was also examined for the four test strains under nursery conditions. The inoculation of cuttings under nursery conditions produced.significant increases in shoot biomass, shoot %N and shoot N content. More specifically, inoculating C. subternata with strains UCT44b and UCT61a significantly increased shoot biomass and N content relative to strain PPRICI3. Strains UCT44b and UCT61a also showed better nodulation with C. subternata cuttings compared to strains UCHOa and PPRICI3. Field inoculation of Cyclopia increased all growth parameters relative to the uninoculated control, except for leaf %N. Cyclopia subternata inoculated with strains UCT44b, UCT40a and UCT61a produced significantly lower b15N values than the uninoculatedC. subternata reference plant. Using the 15N natural abundance method, C. subternata was estimated to be gaining about half of its N from Nz fixation, while C. genistoides obtained less than half of itsN from symbioticnutrition.

This thesis examines the relationship between Chief Executive Officer (CEO) origin and performance consequences in a New Zealand (NZ) setting. The NZ setting is unique because previous research on this topic is from the United States (US) and in one instance the United Kingdom (UK); and the NZ setting is intriguing because it has four important institutional differences: NZ directors hire outsiders much more frequently than their US and UK counterparts; NZ has no discernible trend in the frequency of outsider appointments over time, whereas the US has a marked upward trend; average CEO tenure in NZ is much shorter than that observed in the US or globally; and CEO succession occurs in relatively small firms. These four differences suggest that the NZ CEO market has some unique dynamics and perhaps unique performance consequences. This thesis fills a gap in our knowledge of executive and director practice in NZ and contributes to the CEO origin debate by analysing a new setting. Using a hand collected sample of 162 CEO appointments from NZ firms between 1991 and 2008, I find some significant performance differences between insider and outsider CEOs. Outsiders elicit a higher abnormal return around the appointment announcement: the 1-day and the 3-day differentials are approximately 1.2% and 1.7% respectively. In contrast, insiders create more shareholder wealth during their first three years in charge: insiders increase the appointing firm’s market-to-book ratio by approximately 27 percentage points more than outsiders. I also discover that insiders are around 37 percentage points more likely to last at least three years in the job. The main difference between these findings and those from the US and UK is that insiders easily outperform outsiders in the medium term. Also, I document an intuitive finding for grey insiders: grey insiders by definition possess a blend of insider and outsider attributes and perform between insiders and outsiders on all three performance measures. These findings are robust to various controls and subsamples, and there is also some evidence that the market-to-book finding is robust to selection bias.

Youth offending is an increasingly major problem in many countries and cultures. Several theories imply that a subset of young people display delinquent behaviour at a young age and go on to have an extensive and serious criminal career. Recently, there has been interest in the literature in identifying these young people early on and carrying out interventions in order to deter them from a criminal career. Many studies have examined the development and usefulness of actuarial measures of risk of future violence or recidivism in adult offenders. However, the same attention has not been paid to the youth offender population. The present study gathered data from the population (N = 4307) of all young persons in New Zealand whose antisocial behaviour resulted in a Youth Justice intake from the Department of Child, Youth, and Family (CYF) in 2002. Information was obtained about this population from the CYF database, CYRAS, and from the Police National Intelligence Application database for a stratified random sample (N = 500). Three models were developed using Hierarchical Cox regression to predict recidivism, and they each used a different definition of recidivism. The performance of the models was assessed using ROC analysis and they were found to predict recidivism with a moderately good level of accuracy. A validation sample (N = 500), different from the sample on which the models were developed, was used to further assess the performance of the models by showing that they were able to generalize to a new data set and continue to perform at an adequate level. An actuarial model, like the one developed in the present study, could be used to help make decisions about which young people within the Youth Justice System require intervention in order to reduce the likelihood of subsequent reoffending.

Two case studies examine and elaborate the idea of how the Chinese print media in New Zealand present Chinese cultural identity. The thesis examines the free Chinese newspapers given away in shops, supermarkets and other location where Chinese people gather. Do Chinese people use the media to maintain their cultural identity or to adapt to a new environment? The Chinese community in New Zealand is varied due to the diversity of its origins and the different stages at which its members have arrived. The Chinese in New Zealand show many differences in countries or regions of birth, languages, dialects, religions, values, behaviour and cultural identities. Little work has been done on Chinese print media in New Zealand. Many New Zealanders regard the Chinese community as homogenous. They do not know how many different kinds of Chinese newspapers there are in New Zealand and why Chinese migrants have so many of them. Chinese migrants in New Zealand group themselves after their arrival according to their origin, values, religions, dialects, and behaviours. Such varied groups of Chinese need their own papers to express their ideas, attitudes, values and argument. This study is intended to show how these varied newspapers reflect ideas about cultural identity in diasporic setting. Another important factor is how the Chinese print media react to an issue or social events and how readers respond. Chinese readers pick up the newspapers to read and discuss various controversial stories. People argue about important questions such as “who we are” “what we are doing here” and “what is our identity”. By studying these newspapers, we can gain insights into how the Chinese cultural identity is transformed by the experience of immigration.

Research on health related Quality of Life (QoL) is valuable in developing health policy, assessing medical treatment outcomes and social sciences. Different QoL measurement instruments reflect different facets, and some QoL assessment tools are culturally insensitive. This study examines the existing WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organisation Quality of Life) 26-item instrument for its suitability for use in New Zealand studies. It focuses on seeking facets of QoL of particular importance to New Zealand culture upon which New Zealand national items may be constructed and included when using the WHOQOL-BREF in studies in New Zealand. In order to achieve this goal, the project involved four sub-studies: verifying the existing WHOQOL response scale descriptors; conducting focus groups to elicit new areas or facets of QoL peculiar and particular to New Zealanders; examining the stability of the WHOQOL-BREF importance scale test-retest reliability; and conducting a national survey to assess what facets of QoL are most important to New Zealanders upon which national items may be developed and the national importance survey. The verification of response scale showed good correspondence with the standard English WHOQOL version. A total of 46 candidate importance items were generated from 12 focus groups’ discussions. Test/retest reliability revealed that the existing WHOQOL-Importance questionnaire items were more stable over a three week period, better than several of the new candidate importance items. Two thousand questionnaires asking what is important to New Zealand were sent out to the NZ general population and 585 returned. Results revealed that what is important varies across age, gender and health states. Twenty-four national items were developed from the national importance data. The study confirmed that what is considered as important facets of QoL varies within New Zealand and that there are facets that are important to New Zealanders not in the existing WHOQOL-BREF.

Two case studies examine and elaborate the idea of how the Chinese print media in New Zealand present Chinese cultural identity. The thesis examines the free Chinese newspapers given away in shops, supermarkets and other location where Chinese people gather. Do Chinese people use the media to maintain their cultural identity or to adapt to a new environment? The Chinese community in New Zealand is varied due to the diversity of its origins and the different stages at which its members have arrived. The Chinese in New Zealand show many differences in countries or regions of birth, languages, dialects, religions, values, behaviour and cultural identities. Little work has been done on Chinese print media in New Zealand. Many New Zealanders regard the Chinese community as homogenous. They do not know how many different kinds of Chinese newspapers there are in New Zealand and why Chinese migrants have so many of them. Chinese migrants in New Zealand group themselves after their arrival according to their origin, values, religions, dialects, and behaviours. Such varied groups of Chinese need their own papers to express their ideas, attitudes, values and argument. This study is intended to show how these varied newspapers reflect ideas about cultural identity in diasporic setting. Another important factor is how the Chinese print media react to an issue or social events and how readers respond. Chinese readers pick up the newspapers to read and discuss various controversial stories. People argue about important questions such as “who we are” “what we are doing here” and “what is our identity”. By studying these newspapers, we can gain insights into how the Chinese cultural identity is transformed by the experience of immigration.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that one way New Zealand's high prevalence of child abuse can be reduced is by the government increasing the legislative and policy responses within an ecological framework, to child abuse prevention. This is because such responses would ensure a 'best practice' approach to child abuse prevention. This 'best-practice' approach is one where child abuse prevention measures are community-driven, child-centred, multi-disciplinary and inter-sectoral. Section 1 of this thesis will provide a background on the different types of child abuse, why child abuse occurs and what the consequences of child abuse are. This section will also cover some current statistics on the incidences of child abuse in New Zealand. Additionally, there is a discussion on how child abuse is increasingly being minimised within a family violence paradigm - even though family violence is only one form of child abuse. New Zealand does not have a good track record when it comes to its rates of child abuse. Section 1 is intended to give the reader a very clear picture of how children in New Zealand are not currently being protected adequately enough from child abuse. This protection should be coming from the adults in their lives, in their community and in their nation. Section 2 of this thesis outlines an ecological framework for child abuse prevention. More specifically the way in which such an ecological model is operating presently in New Zealand, at particularly an exosystem (community) and macrosystem (national) level. The second part of this section discusses factors which will ensure the 'success' of an ecological framework for child abuse prevention. By 'success' the author is referring to a framework in which the primary outcome is the prevalence of child abuse in New Zealand is reducing. Section 3 of this thesis will contain the substantive arguments of this paper. New Zealand does currently have in place legislative and policy responses to child abuse prevention. However, the author maintains these responses to date have not been sufficient because New Zealand's rates of child abuse continue to escalate. This section consists of 19 recommendations of legislative and policy responses that could be implemented at a macrosystem/national level. At the conclusion of the recommendations contained in this thesis, it becomes clear that the government does need to respond urgently to New Zealand's growing child abuse rates. New Zealand can no longer afford to have a reactive, ad-hoc approach to child abuse. Nor can the response at a macro level continue to be one of rhetoric where there is more talk on child abuse prevention than there is on activating, monitoring and funding practical solutions. It is the author's contention that if the government considered the interests and welfare of children as paramount in legislative and policy decisions that relate to children, then this will send a strong and clear signal to the adults in childrens' lives that children are not to be abused. Instead, children are to be nurtured, respected and cherished in every way.