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 ,
Layers of Memory: An Exploration of Yijing Through Palimpsest, Frame and Colour.
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) Bi, Xin; Braddock, Chris; Guo, Tony
My project aims to navigate various layers of memory across different periods of my life to understand and sit with them. The Chinese term Yijing serves as the framework for this practice-led research methodology. It also serves as a method of introspective exploration. I find myself looking through treasures of old writings, photos, objects and belongings that my grandma kept for decades, while experiencing nature and the ethics of everyday life. In many ways, Yijing resonates with the emotional, spiritual, and metaphysical quality of creating. Following the framework of Yijing, this project explores recollections of peripheral memories from my childhood home in China to compose memory images between the past and the present. Through an autobiographical visual language, I paint the layering of memory and experiment with the aperture of the everyday lens, aiming to create a body of work that reflects the fluctuating nature of everyday life.
Access status: Restricted ,
Metabolic Emergencies in the Prehospital Setting: Demographic and Clinical Patterns in Aotearoa New Zealand
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) Corrin, Kirsty; Todd, Verity; Dicker, Bridget; Penney, Sarah
In Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ), over 348,000 people are living with diabetes. Suboptimal glycaemic control is associated with an increased risk of acute complications, including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS), and long-term complications such as end-stage renal disease. These acute complications can be accompanied by significant electrolyte disturbances, which may worsen clinical outcomes. Emergency medical services (EMS) play a role in enabling early interventions and management of diabetic emergencies and any associated electrolyte disturbances, particularly in rural and remote locations. The demographic and clinical characteristics of patients presenting to EMS in AoNZ with diabetic-related or electrolyte-related emergencies are currently unknown. In addition, the intersection between diabetic emergencies and electrolyte disorders in the prehospital setting has not been examined. The primary aim of this thesis was to examine associations between ethnicity, specifically Māori compared with non-Māori, and the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients attended by EMS for specific metabolic emergencies in AoNZ. The secondary aim was to determine the frequency of concurrent diabetic-related emergencies and electrolyte-related disturbances among these patients. To address these aims, a systematic literature review was conducted to determine the frequency of electrolyte disorders (dysnatraemia and dyskalaemia) in patients with diabetes or diabetic emergencies presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) or attended by EMS. Fifteen studies were included. Eight examined diabetes or diabetic emergencies with a concurrent electrolyte disorder diagnosis, and seven examined electrolyte disorders in patients with diabetes. In DKA, dyskalaemia was observed in up to 38% of patients, and dysnatraemia in up to 84%. Diabetes as a comorbidity was most common among patients presenting with hyperkalaemia (35.6%) and hypernatraemia (34.9%). Severe electrolyte disturbances were associated with increased intensive care admission and prolonged hospital stays. No studies examined the intersection of diabetic emergencies and electrolyte disturbances in the prehospital environment, which is identified as a gap in the existing literature. Secondly, a retrospective observational cross-sectional study analysed patients transported by ambulance to ED who had an in-hospital diagnosis of a metabolic emergency. This study examined 10,267 patients, of whom 21.9% were Māori. Compared to Māori, age distribution showed lower proportions of non-Māori aged under 45 (Māori 40.8%, non-Māori 18.3%, p<0.001). Increasing deprivation was associated with higher rates of diabetic emergency presentations overall (Quintile 5: Māori 56.7%, non-Māori 29.9%, p<0.001). Māori were more frequently diagnosed with DKA or HHS, and with hyperkalaemia (p<0.001). Non-Māori had fewer status 1 and 2 presentations (Status 1 and 2: Māori 33.1%, non-Māori 24.7%, p<0.001), and a higher 30-day mortality rate (Māori 4.7%, non-Māori 6.5%, p<0.003). In patients with a primary electrolyte-related diagnosis, 20.36% had a concurrent diabetes- related diagnosis. A secondary diabetes-related diagnosis was most common in patients with hyperkalaemia (46.6%, p<0.001), with differences observed by ethnicity (non-Māori 17.7%, Māori 37.2%, p<0.001). In patients with a primary diabetes-related diagnosis, 9.18% of patients had a concurrent electrolyte-related diagnosis. Of these, 50.5% were observed in diabetes with DKA or HHS (p<0.001). This thesis provides the first description of the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients presenting to EMS in AoNZ with concurrent diabetic emergencies and electrolyte disturbances. It establishes baseline knowledge of the intersection between these metabolic conditions in the prehospital setting. The findings highlight an important association between clinical and demographic factors and support the need for prehospital clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion for concurrent diabetic and electrolyte emergencies.
Access status: Open Access ,
In-Season Resistance Training Intervention Improves Strength and Power Characteristics in Academy Freestyle Freeski Athletes – a Quasi-experimental Study
(SAGE Publications, 2026-08-21) McPhail, Jonathan; Cross, Matt; Linnamo, Vesa; Spörri, Jörg
Resistance training (RT) is recognized for enhancing strength and power in athletes, yet its application and effects in freestyle freeski athletes remain underexplored. This study examined the impact of an in-season RT intervention on lower-body strength and power characteristics in freeski athletes. Twenty-four male athletes (mean ± SD; age 17.5 ± 1.3 years, height 177.2 ± 3.9 cm, mass 71.9 ± 4.4 kg) participated in a nonrandomized controlled study. Participants were assigned to two groups: 13 freeski athletes formed the RT group, 11 sports athletes served as historical control. A repetitions in reserve RT approach (including knee and hip dominant exercises) were performed twice per week. Assessments, CMJ height, drop jump (DJ) height, DJ contact time, reactive strength index (RSI), absolute peak force (PFₐꙏₛ), and relative PF, were conducted pre-and post-intervention. Differences were analysed using repeated measures MANOVA Wilks’ lambda (Λ), magnitude of effect with partial-eta squared (ηp²), and pairwise comparisons with Cohen's d. Within-group pre-to-post changes were assessed using paired sample t-tests. A significant effect between timepoint and group was found (Wilks’ Λ=0.3, F(8,15) = 4.33, p < 0.007, ηp²=0.7), indicating changes over time (pre vs. post) differed significantly between the RT intervention and control groups. There was a significant main effect of group (Wilks’ Λ=0.4, F(8,15) = 2.65, p = 0.049, ηp²=0.6), highlighting differences across all dependent variables. Timepoint effect was significant (Wilks’ Λ=0.15, F(8,15) = 10.3, p < 0.001, ηp²=0.8), reflecting considerable changes across dependent variables. The RT group demonstrated significant improvements in all dependent variables (p < 0.05). A 10-week in-season RT intervention twice per week elicited significant improvements in lower-body strength and power characteristics in freeski athletes.
Access status: Open Access ,
Rewriting the Self at Work: A Scoping Review of How Digital and Social Structures Shape Accountants’ Occupational Identity during Digital Transformation
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) Bayot, Luisa; Cooper-Thomas, Helena; Sharma, Himanshu
Digital transformation, the strategic use of information technology to achieve organizational outcomes, is not only reshaping accountants’ work but also their understanding of their professional roles. As routine tasks become automated and data-driven tools expand, accountants are increasingly expected to take on advisory, analytical, and strategic responsibilities. These shifts can unsettle established professional identities, making it important for organizations to understand and actively support how individuals adapt. This scoping review examines how digital and social structures influence accountants’ occupational identities during such transformations. Drawing on 44 empirical and conceptual studies, it uses an abductive reflexive thematic analysis to identify patterns in how accountants respond to changing work environments. Two key insights were developed from this analysis. First, agency that is structurally supported through training, governance, and competency frameworks enables transformative identity work. Second, the iterative mutual reshaping of socio-technical structures and occupational identity enables optimization of organizational identification and outcomes. This study contributes to information systems and identity theories by bridging two interrelated but different disciplines: information systems and identity. Using a socio-technical perspective, it shows how technological features embody affordances and constraints that influence the reshaping of accountants’ occupational identities around emerging roles and value creation. It also contributes to identity work research by advancing a practice-based perspective that emphasizes how technology-enabled work outcomes strengthen occupational legitimacy, organizational identification, and the co-evolution of identity with digital and social structures. This study also contributes to practice by suggesting how organizations can support agentic identity work and create an environment that allows accountants to initiate changes in the system and processes, ultimately leading to optimized outcomes. Moreover, this study guides professional associations and large accounting firms on how they can support the profession in preparing accountants for digital disruptions to their identity.
Access status: Open Access ,
O le Lagi. Ma le Lagi. Ma le Lagi: Moana Films and the Re-imaging of Belonging in the Diaspora
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) McCartney, Marina Alofagia; Refiti, Albert; Kothari, Shuchi
Through the practice-led component of the thesis, the film "The Return", this study examines how a ‘Moana’* worldview has influenced the film form of Moana filmmakers** . As a focus on films made by Moana creatives increase (Strong, 2025, para. 5), the literature has historically explored the politics of representation on screen. Rather than only interrogating Moana representations in the film text, this research considers the vā (relationality) between filmmaker and film to investigate how it informs creative decisions made during the creative process. The Samoan tradition of su’ifefiloi (Ellis, 1998; Figiel, 2006; Tielu, 2016), is employed as a framework to thread together the gafa (genealogy) of "The Return" with constructions and explorations of Moana identity, and how these manifest in the themes and aesthetics of Moana films. Tala fa’a’aiga is used as a secondary framework that emerged in response to the su’ifefiloi as a methodology. These frameworks allow for a combination of Moana creativity and spirituality that developed the short film "The Return" and explored a theoretical approach to analysing the Moana films "O le Tulāfale" (Tamasese, 2011), "Hiama" (Freshwater, 2021), "Vai "(Arahanga et al., 2019) and "O Tamaiti" (Urale, 2019). These films are explored through the lens of the Moana values of vā, spirituality and/or fa’aaloalo (respect) to understand how film form is shaped by the identity reference of the filmmakers. The research adds to the canon of Moana film by considering whether a Moana film grammar is emerging. The films discussed have had at least one key creative stage located and funded by a government organisation outside the filmmaker's ancestral homeland. The study seeks to situate Moana film within the Moana rather than under the umbrella of diasporic or accented cinema. By doing so, the research reveals how Moana films can nurture the vā between mafaufau (mind), tino (body) and agaga (soul) for both the Moana filmmaker and the audience. The thesis consists of three components: a narrative short film, a contextualising exegesis that includes tala fa’a’aiga, which contextualise and position the creative researcher(s). The central component of the work is "The Return", with the exegesis and tala fa’a’aiga being produced in response to the creative practice. The study is significant as it is the first PhD study in Aotearoa New Zealand by a practising Moana screenwriter and director to specialise in Moana film. *‘Moana’ is the Samoan word for "deep sea" or "deep water" (Milner, 1992, p. 146). In this research, it replaces the label Pacific, which was introduced by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 (National Ocean Service, n.d., para. 2). **'Moana filmmakers', as used in this research, follows the convention of identifying those of ‘Pacific’ heritage working in ‘Pacific’ art in Aotearoa New Zealand.