Tuwhera Research Repository

The Tuwhera Research Repository provides sustainable open access and archiving to a broad range of AUT produced research - theses, research outputs and datasets.

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Access status: Open Access ,
The Role of Accessibility Measures in Travel Behaviour: A Focus on Conventional and Emerging Mobility Options
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) Barati, Mehdi; Stewart, Tom; Duncan, Scott
Promoting active travel is essential for improving public health, reducing environmental impacts, and addressing transport inequities. Walking behaviour is associated with a wide range of personal and environmental factors. Out of these factors, the correlation between urban form and travel behaviour is well established in the literature. The extent to which built environment features are associated with active travel is often expressed through measures of accessibility, reflecting the ease of reaching destinations and activities. Given that public transport and micromobility (e.g., shared e-scooter) services may improve access to destinations and may support walking, many scholars have endeavoured to uncover how accessibility is correlated with these mobility options. Despite this growing body of research, important gaps remain in understanding how accessibility can best inform active and sustainable transport planning. This thesis therefore investigates how different accessibility measures correlate with travel behaviour across conventional and emerging transport modes in a highly car-dependent city, Auckland, New Zealand, drawing on objective mobility data and advanced modelling techniques. The first study (Chapter 3) examined the relationship between neighbourhood accessibility and objectively measured walking behaviour using GPS and accelerometer data from 2,503 trips. An enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA)-based accessibility index was used to quantify access from participants’ homes to destinations across eight key domains, such as education, recreation, and public transport. Findings showed positive associations between neighbourhood accessibility and walking behaviour both within and beyond home-neighbourhood boundaries, although these estimates were accompanied by substantial uncertainty. The association for walking beyond the home neighbourhood was estimated more precisely, whereas the estimate for within-neighbourhood walking was less precise. Socio-demographic factors, including age, gender, and work status, were also associated with walking patterns, with older adults and unemployed individuals recording longer walking durations. These findings suggest that neighbourhood accessibility may be more strongly related to walking beyond the immediate neighbourhood than to walking within local areas, although evidence regarding spatial differences in accessibility–walking associations remains uncertain. The second study (Chapter 4) examined the relationship between accessibility to bus stops, measured from three spatial anchors (home, trip origin, and destination), and actual bus ridership using GPS and accelerometer data from 108 participants (835 trips). Mixed-effects logistic regression models were applied, with work status and neighbourhood residency duration tested as moderators. Results indicated that home-based accessibility was negatively associated with bus use, while origin-based accessibility showed no significant relationship. Destination-based accessibility interacted significantly with neighbourhood residency, suggesting that the association between destination accessibility and bus use differed according to residency duration. Work status marginally moderated the home-based association, suggesting that the association between home-based accessibility and bus use differed between employed and unemployed participants. These findings underscore the complexity of accessibility–ridership relationships and the importance of individual circumstances, particularly work status and neighbourhood residency duration, in understanding how associations between accessibility and bus use vary across population groups. The final two studies (Chapters 5 and 6) focused on shared e-scooter use patterns, leveraging more than 470,000 trip records collected between April 2023 and May 2024. The third study applied a gravity-based negative binomial model to examine how domain-specific accessibility measures correlate with trip volumes. Results revealed pronounced distance-decay effects consistent with the short-range nature of e-scooter travel. Higher trip volumes were observed in areas with greater accessibility to public transport and recreational amenities, indicating a spatial alignment between micromobility use and leisure or multimodal transport nodes. Conversely, lower usage was associated with greater accessibility to shopping and education facilities, higher exposure to environmental “bads”, elevated car ownership, and increased deprivation. The fourth study employed elastic net regression to investigate how domain-specific accessibility measures were associated with e-scooter trip length. Findings indicated that higher public transport accessibility was associated with shorter trips, consistent with a possible role in first- and last-mile connectivity, whereas greater accessibility to recreation, education, and environmental “bads” corresponded with longer trips. Shopping accessibility showed directional asymmetry, with longer trips originating in retail-rich areas and shorter trips terminating in such destinations. Longer trips were also more common in areas with greater deprivation or higher car-ownership levels, raising equity concerns under distance-based pricing models. Collectively, these studies indicated that accessibility is an important correlate of active and sustainable travel behaviour. Across walking, public transport, and shared micromobility, the associations between accessibility and travel behaviour varied across population groups according to factors such as age, employment status, neighbourhood residency duration, and local socio-economic conditions. By integrating objective mobility data with multidimensional accessibility metrics, the thesis advances understanding of how accessibility relates to travel behaviour in a highly car‑dependent setting. The findings underscore the importance of combining spatial accessibility improvements with policies that acknowledge demographic variation and address socio‑economic constraints. Altogether, this thesis provides an evidence base to support more equitable, user‑centred transport planning, illustrating that accessibility-focused strategies should be tailored to the circumstances and mobility needs of different groups.
Access status: Open Access ,
Whakawhiti i te Ara Mātauranga - Transitioning from Kura Māori to English-medium Schools
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) Barbarich-Tawera, Tui Marie; Ka'ai, Tania; Barbarich-Unasa, Te Wai
Ākonga Māori experience diverse and often complex transitions when moving from Māori-medium education into English-medium schooling. While some navigate this shift successfully, others encounter challenges that can affect their learning, identity, and sense of belonging. Despite increasing numbers of Māori learners making this transition, limited research has examined their lived experiences or how effectively current schooling practices support them. This study addresses this research gap by exploring how ākonga Māori and their whānau experience the decision to transition, and following this, how the transition process impacts learning, wellbeing, and cultural identity. The research is guided by a Kaupapa Māori methodology and draws on semi-structured wānanga (forum for discussion) and kōrero (discussion) as primary methods of data collection. Ten participants contributed to the study, including six ākonga who had transitioned from Māori-medium to English-medium schooling and four whānau members involved in the decision-making process. Data was analysed thematically to identify shared patterns across participant experiences. Five key themes emerged from the analysis: Holding on to Being Māori: Cultural Continuity, Identity and Belonging; Choosing New Pathways: Possibility, Agency and Becoming; Finding Safety in New Social Worlds; Learning in a New System: Language, Teaching and Educational Continuity; and What Made the Difference: Support, Advocacy and Collective Care. Collectively, these themes demonstrate that transition experiences are shaped by the extent to which cultural identity is recognised, whānau are included as partners, and appropriate academic and language support is provided. They further suggest that more coherent and collaborative approaches between Māori-medium and English-medium education may strengthen transition processes and contribute to more positive outcomes for ākonga Māori. By centring the voices of ākonga and their whānau, this research contributes new insight into how transitions between schooling contexts are experienced and how educational practices may better support Māori learners navigating these pathways.
Access status: Open Access ,
Enablers and Barriers for Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus to Achieve Optimal Glycaemic Control - a Qualitative Study Using the Theoretical Domains Framework
(BMC, 2018-04-11) Martis, Ruth; Brown, Julie; McAra-Couper, Judith; Crowther, Caroline
Background: Glycaemic target recommendations vary widely between international professional organisations for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Some studies have reported women's experiences of having GDM, but little is known how this relates to their glycaemic targets. The aim of this study was to identify enablers and barriers for women with GDM to achieve optimal glycaemic control. Methods: Women with GDM were recruited from two large, geographically different, hospitals in New Zealand to participate in a semi-structured interview to explore their views and experiences focusing on enablers and barriers to achieving optimal glycaemic control. Final thematic analysis was performed using the Theoretical Domains Framework. Results: Sixty women participated in the study. Women reported a shift from their initial negative response to accepting their diagnosis but disliked the constant focus on numbers. Enablers and barriers were categorised into ten domains across the three study questions. Enablers included: the ability to attend group teaching sessions with family and hear from women who have had GDM; easy access to a diabetes dietitian with diet recommendations tailored to a woman's context including ethnic food and financial considerations; free capillary blood glucose (CBG) monitoring equipment, health shuttles to take women to appointments; child care when attending clinic appointments; and being taught CBG testing by a community pharmacist. Barriers included: lack of health information, teaching sessions, consultations, and food diaries in a woman's first language; long waiting times at clinic appointments; seeing a different health professional every clinic visit; inconsistent advice; no tailored physical activities assessments; not knowing where to access appropriate information on the internet; unsupportive partners, families, and workplaces; and unavailability of social media or support groups for women with GDM. Perceived judgement by others led some women only to share their GDM diagnosis with their partners. This created social isolation. Conclusion: Women with GDM report multiple enablers and barriers to achieving optimal glycaemic control. The findings of this study may assist health professionals and diabetes in pregnancy services to improve their care for women with GDM and support them to achieve optimal glycaemic control.
Access status: Open Access ,
Dimensionality and Scaling Properties of the Patient Categorisation Tool in Patients With Complex Rehabilitation Needs Following Acquired Brain Injury
(Foundation of Rehabilitation Information, 2018-03-27) Siegert, Richard J.; Medvedev, Oleg; Turner-Stokes, Lynne
Objective: To investigate the scaling properties of the Patient Categorisation Tool (PCAT) as an instrument to measure complexity of rehabilitation needs. Design: Psychometric analysis in a multicentre cohort from the UK national clinical database. Patients: A total of 8,222 patents admitted for specialist inpatient rehabilitation following acquired brain injury. Methods: Dimensionality was explored using principal components analysis with Varimax rotation, followed by Rasch analysis on a random sample of n = 500. Results: Principal components analysis identified 3 components explaining 50% of variance. The partial credit Rasch model was applied for the 17-item PCAT scale using a "super-items" methodology based on the principal components analysis results. Two out of 5 initially created super-items displayed signs of local dependency, which significantly affected the estimates. They were combined into a single superitem resulting in satisfactory model fit and unidimensionality. Differential item functioning (DIF) of 2 super-items was addressed by splitting between age groups (< 65 and ≥ 65 years) to produce the best model fit (?2/df = 54.72, p = 0.235) and reliability (Person Separation Index (PSI) = 0.79). Ordinal-tointerval conversion tables were produced. Conclusion: The PCAT has satisfied expectations of the unidimensional Rasch model in the current sample after minor modifications, and demonstrated acceptable reliability for individual assessment of rehabilitation complexity.
Access status: Open Access ,
Mirrors at the Threshold: From Mirror Stage to Macrocosm
(MDPI AG, 2026-09-10) Douglas, Carl; Patel, Rafik
Mirrors were crucial elements in defining the modern concept of the architectural interior in Europe during the seventeenth century. In the first section of this article we show how mirrors supported the development of Enlightenment theory of the psycho-social subject. This theme eventually reached its apex with Jacques Lacan’s essay ‘The Mirror Stage’ and came to define the prevailing critical approach. The mirror in premodern Islam, however, is less concerned with the psycho-social subject and its interior architecture. In the second section, we consider how mirrors such as those employed in ayeneh-kari tiling are understood to situate cosmically and act poetically. Dissolving, fragmenting, and scattering effects tend to have greater importance than questions of self-image. Having established these contrasting critical positions, we then consider two more current permutations of the mirror: the advent of the mirror-glass façade in the twentieth century, and the use of mirrors in contemporary installation art. In the third and fourth sections, we explore the way mirrors can decentre the individual as a source of meaning and suggest or evoke new macrocosmic identities. Critical emphasis on the psychological subject’s interior architecture falls short of recognising the many ways the physical design and construction of spaces might contribute to a wider range of spatial experiences and practices. In our concluding reflections, we suggest (without foreclosing other meanings or uses of the mirror as threshold) that practical and critical uses of the mirror have implications for spatial politics.