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Recent Submissions
Abortion counselling controversies and the precarious role of social work: Research and reflections from Aotearoa New Zealand
(2023) Meadows, Letitia
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: This article presents debates and controversies about counselling within abortion
provision in Aotearoa New Zealand. Formal and informal counselling networks are described, where
the role of social workers as providers of counselling services is precarious. Insights consider how
service users may be more holistically supported when accessing abortion care.
METHODS: Drawing on findings from a broader qualitative research project involving 52
participant interviews, formal and informal observation of practices, and analysis of service
documentation, the concept of boundary objects by Star and Griesemer (1989) is taken up to
account for diverse abortion counselling practices that occur in multiple but connected social
worlds. Revisiting these findings in the context of current abortion legislation and developments,
a Reproductive Justice (RJ) lens is used to inform the implications for service users and social
work practice.
FINDINGS: Past and present efforts within legislation, policy, and practice guidelines to
standardise abortion counselling have not prevented different versions of counselling from
being enacted by social workers, counsellors, nurses, medical practitioners, staff of community
agencies, and crisis pregnancy services. This has resulted in the practice and the term
counselling being contested. Participant accounts and observations revealed that multiple
disciplines offer counselling practices while social work remains poorly integrated into service
provision.
CONCLUSION: This article employs the concept of boundary objects to account for how
variations of counselling have been enacted and disputed. The addition of a reproductive justice
(RJ) lens with its attention to social justice is used to appreciate recent advances in access to
abortion services alongside arguing for enriched care practices and the value of social work in
supporting the integrated well-being and agency of service users.
Searching for sifting through and selecting curriculum materials for mathematics planning during practicum
(MERGA, 2023) Wilson, Susanna; Reid-O' Connor B; Prierto-Rodriguez E; Holmes K; Hughes A
This paper describes results from a case study about how a primary pre-service teacher (PST) used curriculum materials (CMs) when planning for a mathematics lesson during her final practicum. The data is drawn from a doctoral study (in progress) and results show how the PST initiated an active process of searching for and sifting through CMs on a familiar website to make selections for a lesson. Selections were based on several aspects, including the mathematics focus of her lesson, curriculum connections, her chosen teaching approach and mathematical representation for teaching multiplication. Implications for mathematics Initial Teacher Educators (ITEs) are discussed.
An Overview of the Unique DC Injection Campaign for Replicating GICs on High Voltage Transformers in New Zealand
(2023) Lapthorn, Andrew; Hardie S; Subritzky S; Dalzell M; Clilverd M; Cobbett N; Beggan C; Huebert J; Eaton E; Brundell J; Rodger C
Introduction:
Between 21 and 29 January 2023, with the assistance of Transpower, we
successfully utilised New Zealand's HVDC link to directly introduce
current into the ground at Haywards substation.
Our objective was to simulate the efffects of geomagnetically induced
currents (GICs) and observe their impact on two 216 MVA, 220/110 kV
autotransformers and one 80 MVA transformer, as well as to monitor the
associated transmission lines.
Assessing paropsine damage on Eucalyptus trees with remote sensing
(Forest Growers Research, 2022) Mann L; morgenroth, justin; Xu, Cong; Pawson S
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
New Zealand forests comprise 10.1 million hectares of forests. Due to the sheer scale of managing
these forests, remote sensing is increasingly used as a source of information for decision-making.
Information on tree growth, mortality, and health related to climate or pest activity can be monitored
and quickly mapped. Currently, no remote sensing methods exist to quantify foliar browse by
paropsine beetles on Eucalyptus. Currently, defoliation assessments are performed through visual
methods by ground-based observers. Such methods, like the Crown Damage Index (CDI), are time
consuming, particularly at larger spatial scales, and potentially suffer from observer bias.
Paropsine damage does not induce a colour change in foliage as would occur with a leaf-sucking
insect. Instead, paropsines reduce canopy density by eating parts of leaves, thus altering their shape
and area. Hence, LiDAR could be a suitable tool for paropsine defoliation assessment. This study
aimed to evaluate the potential for LiDAR as a quantitative assessment of paropsine defoliation of
Eucalyptus crowns as a replacement for the CDI.
Three LiDAR scanners (VUX-240, VUX-1LR and L1) were used to collect data from a Eucalyptus
trial in the Canterbury region (43°11'47.2"S 172°39'06.1"E) in September 2021 and March 2022. To
measure the defoliation prediction accuracy of LiDAR we simultaneously collected CDI data for 55
tree crowns at the same date as the LiDAR data. A total of 57 LiDAR metrics were extracted for each
of the 55 tree crowns. The best metrics model to predict CDI was statistically analysed with a Partial
Least Squares Regression (PLSR).
Results:
The results demonstrated 18 LiDAR metrics of interest and showed that LiDAR scanners could
predict CDI with ±19.1-23.6 % error from the actual CDI observed in the field, with VUX-240 having
the smallest error prediction (Root Mean Square Error (RMSE)=9.5 CDI units in September 2021),
followed by the L1 scanner (RMSE=10.5 CDI units in March 2022), and VUX-1LR having the highest
error prediction (RMSE=11.8 CDI units in September 2021 and RMSE=11.6 CDI units in March
2022).
Key conclusions are:
• All three scanners had comparable predictive abilities, meaning that all could possibly be
used for paropsine defoliation assessment.
• The actual error prediction shows promise as a healthy tree could be distinguished from a
heavily defoliated tree.
• More testing needs to be undertaken to increase the LiDAR defoliation prediction accuracy.
These tests should occur in sites with a broader CDI range (e.g., the Marlborough region).
• Future work needs to move away from the CDI and use a quantitative method of assessing
crown defoliation that can be compared with the remotely sensed LiDAR data. This is
important as the CDI is semi-quantitative and potentially subject to observer bias.
• More testing needs to be undertaken to determine whether LiDAR can differentiate between
paropsine beetle defoliation and trees where abiotic stresses have led to small leaves and/or
sparse crowns