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The UC Research Repository collects, stores and makes available original research from postgraduate students, researchers and academics based at the University of Canterbury.
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Recent Submissions
The effect of people noise on perceived tranquillity.
(2024) Braund, Kea
Increasing urbanisation raises concern about the increase of anthropogenic noise in urban areas, and
its impact on surrounding people and associated tranquillity. Consequently, the positive effects and
importance of preserving tranquillity in urban spaces is valuable. Previous studies have led to the
formation of the Tranquillity Rating Prediction Tool (TRAPT), as a way of assessing the tranquillity of
spaces, ranging from wilderness areas to suburban parks (Watts, et al., 2020; Watts, Miah, &
Pheasant, 2013). Through the use of TRAPT, insight has been gained into the impact of various noise
sources on people (Nicholls, 2017; Watts et al, 2020; Watts, Pheasant, & Horoshenkov, 2011).
However, the disturbance of people noise on tranquillity levels in a residential setting has not been
investigated and established through the use of TRAPT.
This study investigated the effect of people noise on tranquillity, determined using a typical
residential garden setting for the New Zealand (NZ) population. Previous studies using TRAPT in
urban spaces have been based in the United Kingdom (UK), and Hong Kong, as well as NZ (Pearse et
al., 2013; Watts & Marafa, 2017). This study aims to validate TRAPT for use in predicting tranquillity
ratings with people noise for the NZ population. The study extends previous research by focussing
on urban areas. The exploration of people noise and its impact on tranquillity is important to provide
an appropriate means of regulating noise in various settings – rural, urban and city areas.
Recordings of a range of anthropogenic noises were collected and edited into tracks for
participants to listen and rate. Visual stimulus of a residential garden was paired with the tracks to
imitate the desired setting. Participants rated their level of tranquillity after the presentation of each
sound stimulus. A comparison was made between the tranquillity rating (TR) of participants and the
TRAPT predictions. It was expected that the higher the people noise level the lower the perceived
tranquillity. The findings of this study followed this hypothesis, with the TR increasing as sound level
(LAeq) decreased. The perceived tranquillity did not differ from that predicted ratings using TRAPT.
This research has a range of real-world applications, particularly in assessing the effect of people
noise on the level of tranquillity in urban and recreational settings.
Tuaki populations in modern and late Holocene near-shore habitats of upper Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour.
(2024) Henwood, Jessie Leigh
Tuaki/cockles are an important mahinga kai species throughout New Zealand and make up the only major shellfish beds in Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour. Anthropogenic activities can cause a decline in tuaki populations due to the influence they have on the environment. Whakaraupō has undergone major change since European arrival to the area with the construction of the port and expansion of residential development. Additionally, the slopes surrounding the harbour were deforested to establish agricultural activities, influencing harbour sedimentation. Since European settlement in the harbour, mahinga kai resources in Whakaraupō have been in decline and tuaki populations have lower densities in Whakaraupō than other estuaries around Christchurch. Modern tuaki populations in Whakaraupō have been monitored over the last 17 years, but changes in these populations over the late Holocene are currently unknown. This research identifies factors influencing tuaki populations in upper Whakaraupō over the last ~8000 years. Modern populations of tuaki and associated sediment characteristics at 24 sites throughout upper Whakaraupō were analysed to provide a baseline for historical studies. Three sediment cores were collected and used to establish changes in tuaki populations and sediment characteristics over the last 8000 years. Tuaki length and density were used as indicators of population prosperity in both modern and historical settings. Sediment characteristics analysed include grain size, sediment composition, total organic carbon, total nitrogen and total recoverable phosphorus.
Modern populations of tuaki in Whakaraupō vary, however in general are positively correlated to salinity, tidal depth and amount of sand, which is typical of tuaki populations throughout New Zealand. However, population densities were mostly low compared to those in other estuaries in Canterbury, with few edible adults and abundant dead tuaki indicating that the current populations are failing to thrive. Tuaki populations in the sediment cores highlight four main stages of population change. Successful tuaki populations have been present in the harbour for the last 8000 years, as shown in Allandale Bay. However, in Head of the Bay and Charteris Bay from about 3800-2800 cal yr BP the fossil assemblages are dominated by Crustacea and Ostrea chilensis instead of tuaki. After this there is a period of tuaki dominance in all three cores, where their decreasing size in inner harbour areas indicates a shallowing of the harbour due to natural sediment infill. Tuaki of reproductive adult size are still present, but there is an overall decrease towards juvenile sized tuaki. This is followed by a major change in sediment composition and an increase in harbour sedimentation rates due to the deforestation the Whakaraupō catchments that occurred just after European arrival to the area. At this point tuaki populations in the three cores start to decline in density and size, remaining unsuccessful until present time, with very low densities or dominance of juvenile sized tuaki. Therefore, anthropogenic activities in and around Whakaraupō occurring since European arrival to the area have caused changes to the environment which are negatively influencing tuaki populations.
Youth experiences of using a crisis text line.
(2024) Stace, Alicia
There is a global mental health crisis with youth aged 15 to 24 experiencing high levels of mental distress. Thus, adolescence is a critical developmental period in which to provide high-quality mental health interventions. With greater access to technology, Crisis Text Lines (CTLs) are frequently used by adolescents who are seeking support for their mental health. However, very few studies have examined youth’s perspectives on using these services. This phenomenological qualitative study will use semi-structured interviews to collect first-person perspectives from 16 to 18-year-olds about their experiences using a New Zealand-based mental health CTL within the previous 12 months. Data was analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Findings consisted of four main themes; the reasons why youth contact CTL services, youth experiences of helpful and unhelpful conversations, the significance of the therapeutic relationship, and youth suggestions for improvements of CTL services. The findings of this study will enhance our understanding of youth experiences of using a CTL. It may also have important implications for the development, delivery, and improvement of clinical services. Awareness and understanding of youth experience may also help to ensure CTL continues to benefit youth who use these services.
Road infrastructure exposure to fault displacement hazard : regional analysis for New Zealand.
(2024) Daglish, Joshua
Recent surface-rupturing earthquakes in New Zealand have highlighted significant exposure and vulnerability of the road network to fault displacement. Understanding fault displacement hazard and its impact on roads is crucial for mitigating risks and enhancing resilience. There is a need for regional-scale assessments of fault displacement to identify vulnerable areas within the road network for the purposes of planning and prioritising site-specific investigations.
This thesis employs updated analysis of data from three historical surface-rupturing earthquakes (Edgecumbe 1987, Darfield 2010, and Kaikoūra 2016) to develop an empirical model that addresses the gap in regional fault displacement hazard analysis. The findings contribute to understanding of
• How to use seismic hazard model inputs for regional fault displacement hazard analysis
• How faulting type and sediment cover affects the magnitude and spatial distribution of fault displacement
• How the distribution of displacement and regional fault displacement hazard is impacted by secondary faulting
• The inherent uncertainties and limitations associated with employing an empirical approach at a regional scale
• Which sections of New Zealand’s roading network are most susceptible to fault displacement hazard and warrant site-specific investigations
• Which regions should prioritise updating emergency management plans to account for post-event disruptions to roading.
I used displacement data from the aforementioned historical ruptures to generate displacement versus distance-to-fault curves for various displacement components, fault types, and geological characteristics. Using those relationships and established relationships for along-strike displacement, displacement contours were generated surrounding active faults within the NZ Community Fault Model. Next, I calculated a new measure of 1D strain along roads as well as relative hazard, which integrated 1D strain and normalised slip rate data. Summing these values at the regional level identified areas of heightened relative hazard across New Zealand, and permits an assessment of the susceptibility of road networks using geomorphon land classes as proxies for vulnerability.
The results reveal that fault-parallel displacements tend to localise near the fault plane, while vertical and fault-perpendicular displacements sustain over extended distances. Notably, no significant disparities were observed in off-fault displacement between the hanging wall and footwall sides of the fault, or among different surface geology types, potentially attributed to dataset biases. The presence of secondary faulting in the dataset contributes to increased levels of tectonic displacement farther from the fault, highlighting its significance in hazard assessments. Furthermore, fault displacement contours delineate broader zones around dip-slip faults compared to strike-slip faults, with correlations identified between fault length and displacement width. Road ‘strain’ values are higher around dip-slip faults, with notable examples observed in the Westland and Buller Districts. As expected, relative hazard analysis revealed elevated values along faults with high slip rates, notably along the Alpine Fault.
A regional-scale analysis of hazard and exposure reveals heightened relative hazard in specific regions, including Wellington, Southern Hawke’s Bay, Central Bay of Plenty, Central West Coast, inland Canterbury, and the Wairau Valley of Marlborough. Notably, the Central West Coast exhibits the highest summed relative hazard value, attributed to the fast-slipping Alpine Fault. The South Island generally experiences greater relative hazard due to larger and faster-slipping faults compared to the North Island, despite having fewer roads. Central regions of New Zealand face heightened risk compared to Southern or Northern regions. Critical road links intersecting high-slipping faults, such as State Highways 6, 73, 1, and 2, necessitate prioritisation for site-specific assessments, emergency management planning and targeted mitigation strategies. Roads intersecting with the Alpine Fault are prone to large parallel displacements, requiring post-quake repair efforts. Mitigation strategies include future road avoidance of nearby faults, modification of road fill and surface material, and acknowledgement of inherent risk, leading to prioritised repair efforts of critical roads post-quake. Implementing these strategies enhances emergency response efforts by improving accessibility to isolated regions following a major surface-rupturing event, facilitating faster supply delivery and evacuation assistance.
This thesis contributes to the advancement of understanding fault displacement hazard by introducing a novel regional, empirical approach. The methods and findings highlight the importance of further developing such analyses and extending them to other critical infrastructure types exposed to fault displacement hazard in New Zealand. Enhancing our comprehension of the risks associated with fault displacement hazard offers valuable insights into various mitigation strategies for roading infrastructure and informs emergency response planning, thereby enhancing both national and global infrastructure resilience against geological hazards.
The real and the simulation: the promotion of digital gaming as community. Insights from the first-person shooter video gamer.
(2024) Munro, Ana M.
This thesis examines the suggestion that the digital gaming community is the simulation of a real community. I argue that the digital game community is more than a mode of relations and shared circumstances, it is a recognisable place of community culture. I analyse my own socio-anthropological engagement as a first-person shooter video game player to examine the concept of the video game community and apply thematic analysis to survey responses from a group of digital game players regarding their thoughts on community. I use Jean Baudrillard’s (1981/1994) theory of communication to argue that massive, online-only digital gaming is more than a hyperreal form of market logic. Participation as a community is the central theme of video game play; the forms of participation are not static but fluid due to the frequent shifts in technology. Therefore, emerging technologies and their adoption into practice are central to how we understand the ways in which the gaming community manifest and are then normalised through our use of this technology. Although digital gaming is a space where the commercial mediation of textual and semiotic imagery occurs, digital gaming engages the social gaze of the player, as well as the time factor of participation together in activities and importantly, it is also a place of verbal intimacy. I do not find that participation in the digital game community is inclusive, but rather, reflects the embodied world in themes of exclusion, stereotypes, and toxicity. The sociality experienced therefore is not equal for everyone.