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: Restricted ,
Dark by Design: Eurocentric Design Frameworks, Digital Harm, and the Practice of Emancipatory Alternatives
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) Bootsman, Maaike; Johnson, Rosser
Contemporary digital design appears rarely as neutral as it tends to be presented. The frameworks governing how applications tend to be built may reflect the values, priorities and knowledge hierarchies of those who designed them – rooted predominantly in Western rationalism, individualism and the assumption that measurable outputs constitute the only legitimate form of knowing. These epistemological assumptions may surface measurable harm for the communities they claim to serve, particularly those whose ways of knowing operate outside of that paradigm. This exegesis examines the structural conditions that may underpin Eurocentric design logic, names the harms it appears to generate, and demonstrates – through original practice – that an alternative may be both viable and necessary. This research situates itself within the practice of vibe-coding and communications design in Aotearoa New Zealand, and generated two original digital artefacts as the primary contribution: Prototype X, a two-sided web-based audit tool that measures Eurocentricity in application design against emancipatory principles; and x√r (pronounced “resonance”), a community-powered quest application built as a live demonstration of those principles in practice. The decision to produce both artefacts reflects a central practitioner insight: an audit tends to be a singular action and warrants a web tool; a community platform tends to serve a recurring need and thus warrants an application. This research draws on Indigenous epistemologies, Design Justice, the CARE framework, and liberation theology as parallel emancipatory traditions, and proposes an original seven-node taxonomy of measurable sociotechnical design harm – Performativity, Extractivism, Exploitation, Diminishment, Displacement, Erasure, and Reinscription – each corresponding to one of the seven deadly sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. The orientation of this research tends less toward theorising what ethical technology could be, and more toward the practice of designing it.
Access status: Open Access ,
Priorities for Intervention Content to Support Families and Friends Affected by Gambling Harm: A Mixed Methods Study of Clinician and Researcher Perspectives
(Springer, 2026-11-04) Gandhi, Monique; Dowling, Nicki; Thomas, Anna; Rodda, Simone; Hawker, Chloe; Keshani, Imran; Guyett, Anita; Merkouris, Stephanie
Harmful gambling impacts not only the person who gambles but also their partners, families, and friends (affected others; AOs). Although interventions for AOs exist, effectiveness is modest, with little evidence available to guide the selection of intervention content. Behaviour change techniques (BCTs), the active ingredients of behaviour change interventions, provide a framework for identifying and prioritising intervention content for AO interventions. This mixed methods study therefore aimed to: (1) identify BCT groups considered most important by gambling clinicians and clinical gambling researchers for inclusion in interventions that either support the AO's own wellbeing (AO-focused) or support the person who gambles (gambler-focused); and (2) explore gambling clinicians' views on why these BCT groups were prioritised. Gambling clinicians (n = 37) and clinical gambling researchers (n = 19) from multiple countries ranked their top five of 23 BCT groups for inclusion in each intervention type, and a subset of clinicians (n = 15) participated in follow-up interviews. Social support, financial management, and restoring a balanced lifestyle were prioritised across both intervention types, alongside communication training for AO-focused interventions, and goals and planning for gambler-focused interventions. Clinician interviews highlighted rationales for these priorities but also a tendency to reorient AO-focused support around the person who gambles, reflecting uncertainty about who constitutes the primary client in AO interventions, and to view support for AOs and the person who gambles as intertwined. Findings highlight a need for future interventions to make their intended target explicit, and to address AO wellbeing in its own right alongside AOs' their capacity to support the person who gambles.
Access status: Open Access ,
Multiblock Integrative Modelling of New Zealand Monofloral Honeys: Mapping the Multi-Constituent Drivers of Antioxidant and Anti-Tyrosinase Activity
(MDPI AG, 2026-11-01) Lakshitha, Rushan; Owens, Adrian; Kantono, Kevin; Le, Thao T; Gannabathula, Swapna; Hamid, Nazimah
Honey bioactivity is a multi-constituent property often oversimplified by single-marker analysis. This study applied an exploratory multiblock integrative framework to map the systems-level architecture of bioactivity in New Zealand thyme, mānuka, kānuka, and clover honeys. Sugars, minerals, targeted phenolics, and bioactive indices were profiled alongside a functional panel (ferric reducing antioxidant power, FRAP; cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity, CUPRAC; 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, DPPH; and anti-tyrosinase). Univariate analysis revealed a distinct functional gradient (p ≤ 0.004), with thyme showing the highest mean activity across the four in vitro endpoints within this cohort. Beyond univariate comparison, data integration analysis for biomarker discovery using latent components (DIABLO), supervised by categorical honey type, and sparse partial least squares regression (sPLS-REG), using the continuous assay panel as the response, identified a bioactivity-associated signature spanning multiple chemical domains. The high-bioactivity axis co-varied with vitamin C, syringic acid, phosphorus, and sucrose; these associations do not establish biochemical synergy or soil causation. Botanical adjustment weakened or reversed several pooled associations; vitamin C–CUPRAC depended on the inference method and within-thyme support, and no pair passed within-type permutation BH correction. Lumichrome showed a kānuka-associated pattern within the present cohort, consistent with previous reports, but its specificity requires confirmation in larger, independently sourced cohorts. The contribution is the within-cohort integration of complementary compositional domains with multiple functional endpoints. The findings are hypothesis-generating and require external validation.
Access status: Open Access ,
Beyond the Legs: Reconsidering Sprint Performance through the Lens of Spinal Engine Theory
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) McTaggart, William; Uthoff, Aaron; Spence, Alyssa-Joy
Traditional sprint models have advanced understanding of lower-limb force production, but they do not fully explain the active contribution of the trunk and lumbo-pelvic system to sprint performance. This thesis aimed to examine the role of lateral trunk flexion in sprinting by first reviewing the relevant biomechanical literature and then testing whether isometric lateral trunk flexion strength was associated with 40-m sprint times and discrete performance variables. The narrative review identified that conventional models, including the SMM and 2MM, largely represent the upper body or above the lower leg as a single passive mass, whereas emerging imaging, kinetic, morphological, and coordination evidence suggests that the trunk contributes actively to sprinting through muscle activation, pelvic rotation, COM control, and integrated arm-trunk-leg coordination. This evidence provided the rationale for the experimental study, as the literature describes what the trunk does during sprinting but has rarely tested whether lateral trunk flexion strength is directly related to sprint performance. Eighteen trained sprint and field-sport athletes (age 18.9 ± 2.9 years; body mass 84.2 ± 8.9 kg) completed isometric lateral trunk flexion testing using fixed dynamometry and maximal 40-m sprints. Split times over 0–10 m, 10–20 m, 20–40 m, and 0–40 m, peak acceleration, peak velocity, and distance to peak velocity were recorded. The lateral flexion peak force protocol demonstrated good-to-excellent intrasession reliability across sides (ICC = 0.84–0.90; CV = 7.81–9.15%). Pearson product-moment correlations showed that greater lateral flexion peak force was associated with faster 0–10 m (r = −0.63, p = .007), 10–20 m (r = −0.56, p = .018), and 0–40 m sprint times (r = −0.70, p = .002). The association with 20–40 m sprint time was moderate but non-significant (r = −0.48, p = .054), and no significant relationship was observed with distance to peak velocity (r = .41, p = .101). These findings suggest that lateral trunk flexion strength may be most relevant to acceleration and early sprint performance rather than later, higher-velocity sprinting. However, the results should be interpreted with caution because the study was cross-sectional, involved a small and predominantly male sample, and did not include concurrent kinematic or GRF data to explain the mechanism underpinning the observed relationships. Practically, lateral trunk flexion strength may be worth assessing and developing in athletes whose performance depends on acceleration, but further research with larger samples using predictive experimental designs is required to elucidate the contribution of lateral trunk flexion strength to linear sprinting performance.
Access status: Open Access ,
"Unequal Click"- Understanding Power in Digital Adoption Among Early Childhood Educators
(Auckland University of Technology, 2026) Takai, Nita; Ekandjo, Talita
The growing use of digital technologies in early childhood education (ECE) has changed teaching practice, administrative procedures and communication with families. Storypark and SeeSaw are among the digital platforms that have become integral to daily work in ECE settings in Aotearoa New Zealand. Nevertheless, educators’ use of these technologies remains uneven. Existing research has examined digital skills, access and organisational influences on technology use, but little is known about how organisational power shapes educators’ digital participation in ECE. This interpretivist comparative case study involved 16 participants from two ECE centres in Auckland, nine from Centre A and seven from Centre B. Semi-structured interviews explored educators’ experiences of digital technology use, organisational decision-making and participation. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and interpreted through the Circuits of Power framework. Centre A had integrated digital technologies across most areas of its work. Centre B used them more selectively, as a deliberate pedagogical choice to protect hands-on learning. Educators described access as broadly available in formal terms but unevenly usable in practice. Managers led decisions, in consultation with governance groups or staff, and little resistance was reported. Educators experienced inclusion and exclusion mainly through informal recognition and professional expectations, rather than deliberate exclusion. Organisational norms and routines shaped what counted as appropriate digital practice, while the format and pace of support shaped who felt able to take part. The study suggests that power over digital adoption in these centres operated more through shared meanings and everyday routines than through open conflict. Its contribution is a contextual account of the difference between formal access to digital tools and meaningful participation. For ECE leaders, the findings highlight the importance of professional expectations, a manageable pace of change and support suited to