scholarly journals The February 2004 Landslide Event in Geomorphic Perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kim C Wright
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
News Media ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
Storm Event ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Landslide Event ◽  
The Impact

<p>In February 2004 a severe storm impacted the lower half of the North Island, New Zealand. Intense rainfall during the storm triggered extensive landsliding throughout the Tertiary hill country of Wanganui, Manawatu, and Wairarapa. The storm event also produced floods estimated to have a return period of 100 years. Flooding impacted on many communities, destroying homes, drowning livestock, and ruining crops. Because the effects of flooding were more immediate, and affected a greater number of people, landsliding damage received little coverage in the news media. However, the importance of these large rainfall-triggered, multiple landslide events that occur periodically in New Zealand should not be underestimated. New Zealand is losing valuable hillslope soil through erosion processes at a rate far in excess of the development of new soil. Landsliding is the most obvious and active hillslope erosion process operating in the hill country of New Zealand today. This study examines the impact of the February 2004 landslide event from a geomorphic perspective, addressing questions such as: what changes to landforms were produced by this event, and, how much geomorphic work (volume of material, moved a given distance in a given time) was done by landsliding during the event. The proposition underlying this study is that it is not just the magnitude of the triggering event that determines the geomorphic response in terms of landform change and work done, but also that the nature of the terrain influences the magnitude (e.g. landslide densities, volumes, areal extent) of the landsliding produced. In order to test this hypothesis the study was undertaken in two parts. The first, a catchment-based study using mostly field methods to produce a sediment budget and landform change measurement. Secondly, a regional analysis of four areas which experienced the most severe landslide damage were analysed in terms of terrain and landslide characteristics. From the methodologies employed in these studies it is demonstrated that terrain characteristics are highly influential in determining the type and severity of landsliding. To determine the geomorphic significance of the event in terms of the history of similar New Zealand landslide events, a frequency-magnitude analysis comparison was conducted, and the results compared with studies of previous rainfall-triggered, multiple landslide events. The results of the catchment-based study, the regional study, and the frequencymagnitude analysis show that the February 2004 event is likely to be the most geomorphically significant event of its type (rainfall-triggered) to have occurred in New Zealand over the past 100 years. The area affected (16,000 [square kilometer]) and number of landslides produced (~70,000) are greater than previously documented events. Landslide densities are also amongst the highest recorded in New Zealand. Although the majority of landslides were shallow regolith failures, large scars from deep-seated, rotational landslides will be visible in the landscape for hundreds of years. Material eroded from hillslopes during the event is estimated (conservatively) to be in excess of 20 million tonnes. While the majority of this eroded material remains within the hillslope system (depositional slopes and fans), a considerable proportion (an average of 25 % in the study catchment) is transferred to fluvial systems via fluvial coupling and removed from hillslopes permanently.</p>

scholarly journals The February 2004 Landslide Event in Geomorphic Perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kim C Wright
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
News Media ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
Storm Event ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Landslide Event ◽  
The Impact

<p>In February 2004 a severe storm impacted the lower half of the North Island, New Zealand. Intense rainfall during the storm triggered extensive landsliding throughout the Tertiary hill country of Wanganui, Manawatu, and Wairarapa. The storm event also produced floods estimated to have a return period of 100 years. Flooding impacted on many communities, destroying homes, drowning livestock, and ruining crops. Because the effects of flooding were more immediate, and affected a greater number of people, landsliding damage received little coverage in the news media. However, the importance of these large rainfall-triggered, multiple landslide events that occur periodically in New Zealand should not be underestimated. New Zealand is losing valuable hillslope soil through erosion processes at a rate far in excess of the development of new soil. Landsliding is the most obvious and active hillslope erosion process operating in the hill country of New Zealand today. This study examines the impact of the February 2004 landslide event from a geomorphic perspective, addressing questions such as: what changes to landforms were produced by this event, and, how much geomorphic work (volume of material, moved a given distance in a given time) was done by landsliding during the event. The proposition underlying this study is that it is not just the magnitude of the triggering event that determines the geomorphic response in terms of landform change and work done, but also that the nature of the terrain influences the magnitude (e.g. landslide densities, volumes, areal extent) of the landsliding produced. In order to test this hypothesis the study was undertaken in two parts. The first, a catchment-based study using mostly field methods to produce a sediment budget and landform change measurement. Secondly, a regional analysis of four areas which experienced the most severe landslide damage were analysed in terms of terrain and landslide characteristics. From the methodologies employed in these studies it is demonstrated that terrain characteristics are highly influential in determining the type and severity of landsliding. To determine the geomorphic significance of the event in terms of the history of similar New Zealand landslide events, a frequency-magnitude analysis comparison was conducted, and the results compared with studies of previous rainfall-triggered, multiple landslide events. The results of the catchment-based study, the regional study, and the frequencymagnitude analysis show that the February 2004 event is likely to be the most geomorphically significant event of its type (rainfall-triggered) to have occurred in New Zealand over the past 100 years. The area affected (16,000 [square kilometer]) and number of landslides produced (~70,000) are greater than previously documented events. Landslide densities are also amongst the highest recorded in New Zealand. Although the majority of landslides were shallow regolith failures, large scars from deep-seated, rotational landslides will be visible in the landscape for hundreds of years. Material eroded from hillslopes during the event is estimated (conservatively) to be in excess of 20 million tonnes. While the majority of this eroded material remains within the hillslope system (depositional slopes and fans), a considerable proportion (an average of 25 % in the study catchment) is transferred to fluvial systems via fluvial coupling and removed from hillslopes permanently.</p>

Aotearoa/New Zealand Print News Media Reportage of the Environment

2008 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 152-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Craig
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
News Media ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Industry Group ◽  
Print News ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Environmental News ◽  
The Impact

This article is based upon a month-long survey of the reportage of New Zealand environmental news in the country's metropolitan daily and Sunday newspapers. The study examines topics such as the coverage of different environmental issues, the frequency and distribution of different types of sources accessed for the news stories, the distribution of environmental news across different sections of the newspapers, and the ratio of news stories to opinion articles. The article concludes that ‘the environment’ is often interpreted through an economic and business framework in newspaper reportage. This is reflected in the prominence of particular kinds of environmental issues in the survey, such as climate change and electricity/energy production and consumption, and the dominance of bureaucratic and corporate/industry group sources in environmental news. The increasingly problematic nature of ‘the environment’, and the growing importance of the impact of environmental change on economic life, particularly in a national economy that remains heavily reliant on agriculture, is evident in a high proportion of ‘op-ed’ articles in the survey and a high proportion of environmental news stories in the business sections of the newspapers.

scholarly journals Diversity reportage in Aotearoa: Demographics and the rise of the ethnic media

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Robie
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
News Media ◽  
Asian Population ◽  
Media Industry ◽  
Ethnic Media ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Regional Trends ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Impact

For more than two decades, diversity has been a growing mantra for the New Zealand news media. Initially, the concept of biculturalism—partnership with the indigenous tangata whenua—was pre-eminent in the debate, but as the nation’s Pasifika and ethnic media have flourished and matured and demographics have rapidly changed, multiculturalism has become increasingly important and challenging. The regional media relationship in the context of contested notions such as the ‘arc of instability’ and the impact of coups and crises on journalists has become critical. Projected demographics by Statistics New Zealand indicate that the country’s Asian population will almost double by 2026. The Pasifika and Māori populations are also expected to grow by 59 and 29 per cent respectively. Māori, Pasifika and ethnic media in Aotearoa/New Zealand are also steadily expanding with implications for the media industry and journalism educators. This article examines the regional trends and how initiatives such as the Pacific Media Centre and new journalism courses with an emphasis on diversity are addressing the challenges.

scholarly journals When Maintaining Relationships and Social Connectivity Matter: The Case of New Zealand Midwives and COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Crowther ◽  
Robyn Maude ◽  
Billie Bradford ◽  
Diana Austin ◽  
Andrea Gilkison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
News Media ◽  
Informed Choice ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Model Of Care ◽  
National Crisis ◽  
Relational Continuity ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Sources

New Zealand’s response to COVID-19 was go hard and go early into Level 4 lockdown on 25th March 2020. This rapid response has resulted in low rates of infection and deaths. For New Zealand midwives, the sudden changes to how they work with women and families during pregnancy, birth and postnatally, especially in the community, required unprecedented innovation and adaptation. The volume of information coming from many different sources, and the speed with which it was changing and updating, added further stress to the delivery of a midwifery model of care underpinned by partnership, collaboration, informed choice, safety and relational continuity. Despite the uncertainties, midwives continued their care for women and their families across all settings. In the rapidly changing landscape of the pandemic, news media provided a real time account of midwives’ and families’ challenges and experiences. This article provides background and discussion of these events and reports on a content analysis of media reporting the impact on the maternity system in New Zealand during the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that the New Zealand midwife was a major influencer and initiator for relational care to occur uninterrupted at the frontline throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, despite the personal risk. The initial 5-week lockdown in March 2020 involved stringent restrictions requiring all New Zealanders, other than essential workers such as midwives, to remain at home. Midwives kept women, their families and communities central to the conversation throughout lockdown whilst juggling their concerns about keeping themselves and their own families safe. Insights gained from the media analysis suggest that despite the significant stress and upheaval experienced by midwives and wāhine/women, relational continuity facilitates quality and consistent care that honors women’s choices and cultural needs even during situations of national crisis.

Farming on Air: New Zealand Farmers and Rural Radio Programming

1999 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Fountaine
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Public Service ◽  
News Media ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Agricultural Community ◽  
Radio Programming ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Funding Cuts

In the light of funding cuts for New Zealand and Australian public service broadcasters, this article examines the impact of Radio New Zealand's restructuring on one key audience group: farmers. The results of a mail survey of the agricultural community indicate that the recent changes have had a negative effect on the specialist rural programs. Supporting the notion that the specialist news media are an important component in the information-sharing process, agricultural publications were judged the most important source of news overall, and Radio New Zealand's rural programming the most important broadcast source.

scholarly journals Potential profit gains from improving pasture productivity on New Zealand South Island high-country farms

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 183-189
Author(s):  
Charles A. Morrison ◽  
Victoria C.F. Westbrooke ◽  
Jim L. Moir
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Farm Productivity ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Class 1 ◽  
Lime Application ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Impact

Soil acidity combined with low levels of key nutrients on New Zealand hill-country farms are limiting factors for legume establishment/growth. However, legumes are a critical component of these farms as they provide nitrogen and high-quality feed. A farm-systems model was developed to estimate the impact of targeted fertiliser and lime application, combined with sowing clover, on whole-farm productivity and profitability. A base model was developed that incorporated 17 years’ worth of Beef + Lamb NZ survey data for Class 1: South Island Farms. This base model was then used investigate two lime-application/oversowing models where part of the modelled high-country farm was targeted for improvement: (1) Conservative, i.e. 0.6% farm area; and (2)  Aggressive, i.e. 2.8% farm area. Three scenarios to utilise the additional pasture grown were then investigated for each model by: (a) increasing ewe numbers; (b) increasing ewe performance (lambing percentage); and (c) increasing liveweight gain of stock. Scenario 2a, generated the highest profitability level (Earnings before Interest Tax and Rent, EBITR $58,870) above the base model but became less financially attractive when the two years required to build the maternal ewe flock were factored in. Scenarios 2c and 1b generated increases in profitability (EBITR) between $33,310 and $41,290 above the base model. Variation in product prices, production levels and time to develop the final farm-management system would also influence the productivity and profitability of the scenarios. Environmental aspects, infrastructure and staff availability would affect the suitability of the development for individual farming businesses. 

scholarly journals Lucerne for high quality summer feed in North Island hill country

2003 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 169-174
Author(s):  
A.W. Mcgowan ◽  
G.W. Sheath ◽  
R.W. Webby
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Annual Basis ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Summer Growth

It is common to have a shortage of high quality summer feed on hill country farms in New Zealand, due to a deterioration of pasture growth during the drier months. Lucerne produces high quality feed during summer on lowland fields; however, its potential in hill country is unknown. This study measured the persistence of lucerne and evaluated its seasonal production relative to pasture. These results were then modelled for a typical sheep and beef farm to assess the potential benefits of including lucerne on the farm. Monthly growth rates of lucerne (six cultivars) and pasture were measured pregrazing, and lucerne viability was assessed at the end of the five-year study. Lucerne was successfully established and maintained on hill country for five years. On average, the total annual production of lucerne and pasture were similar, with only the highest yielding cultivar 'Rere' consistently outproducing pasture on an annual basis. Lower spring production of lucerne was compensated for by higher summer growth rates of 62 kg DM/ha/day, compared with 34 kg DM/ha/day for pasture. The extra summer feed from lucerne enabled a model farm that included 12.5% lucerne to carry more animals and produce lambs of heavier slaughter weight than on a pasture only basis. This gave a predicted increase in the gross margin of 3%. The impact of lucerne on other farms must be modelled individually to establish the best system to utilise the additional high quality summer feed. Key words: lucerne, modelling, quality summer feed

Pathways ahead for New Zealand hill country farming

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 73-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.G. Scrimgeour
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
The Status ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Hill Farming ◽  
The Hill

This paper provides a stocktake of the status of hill country farming in New Zealand and addresses the challenges which will determine its future state and performance. It arises out of the Hill Country Symposium, held in Rotorua, New Zealand, 12-13 April 2016. This paper surveys people, policy, business and change, farming systems for hill country, soil nutrients and the environment, plants for hill country, animals, animal feeding and productivity, and strategies for achieving sustainable outcomes in the hill country. This paper concludes by identifying approaches to: support current and future hill country farmers and service providers, to effectively and efficiently deal with change; link hill farming businesses to effective value chains and new markets to achieve sufficient and stable profitability; reward farmers for the careful management of natural resources on their farm; ensure that new technologies which improve the efficient use of input resources are developed; and strategies to achieve vibrant rural communities which strengthen hill country farming businesses and their service providers. Keywords: farming systems, hill country, people, policy, productivity, profitability, sustainability

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