Still not getting a fair deal : the under-representation of female athletes in television news coverage of the 2006 Commonwealth Games : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Communication Management at Massey University

This research investigates gender equity in New Zealand television news coverage of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Using content and frame analyses, the study evaluates the prime-time news coverage of the two largest free-to-air broadcasters, TVNZ and TV3. The results demonstrate that the hegemonic masculinity of sport is still reflected and supported by New Zealand's television news media. Women athletes received just 25% of the time spent reporting on the Games with male athletes receiving 43%. This was despite women making up 46% of the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team and winning 53% of the medals, indicating that participation and success had little correlation with the media's decisions about which athletes to report on. This study also highlights differences in the framing techniques used by the media in reporting on sportsmen and sportswomen. The research found the presence of gender-marking, preferential positioning, reliance on male sources and other framing devices. The ways these were used provided further evidence of the dominant presence sportsmen have over sportswomen in the New Zealand Commonwealth Games television coverage. On a positive note, the research found no sexualisation and very little stereotyping of female athletes, techniques which have been prevalent in international studies. This thesis outlines the need for New Zealand's television news media, particularly the public service broadcaster TVNZ, to reflect on the inequality they continue to demonstrate in their coverage of sportsmen and sportswomen and to put in place active measures to increase the levels of coverage given to sportswomen by New Zealand's mainstream media

See No Fiduciary, Hear No Fiduciary: A Lawyer’s Knowledge Within Aiding and Abetting Fiduciary Breach Claims

Fiduciary liability for attorney conduct generally extends only to direct clients of legal services. Over the last few decades, however, the lawyer’s role has expanded. Following this trend, fiduciary liability also has expanded to allow third-party claims in certain limited circumstances. One example is the attorney aiding and abetting a client’s fiduciary breach claim. One of the key requirements for liability under this claim is the attorney’s knowledge of his client’s fiduciary relationship with the third party alleging the breach. Within those jurisdictions that have accepted the claim, there are two approaches to the knowledge element. The first is the constructive knowledge standard that permits liability if the attorney knew or reasonably should have known of the fiduciary relationship. The second approach is the actual knowledge standard that requires overt and obvious evidence of fiduciary knowledge. In addition to these standards, a third approach ignores the knowledge element entirely: the qualified immunity standard that protects attorneys against third-party liability as long as the conduct falls within an attorney-client relationship. This Note argues for the rejection of constructive knowledge and adoption of either the qualified immunity or actual knowledge standard for numerous doctrinal and policy reasons while maintaining the claim’s original policy goals

Improving PSF modelling for weak gravitational lensing using new methods in model selection

A simple theoretical framework for the description and interpretation of spatially correlated modelling residuals is presented, and the resulting tools are found to provide a useful aid to model selection in the context of weak gravitational lensing. The description is focused upon the specific problem of modelling the spatial variation of a telescope point spread function (PSF) across the instrument field of view, a crucial stage in lensing data analysis, but the technique may be used to rank competing models wherever data are described empirically. As such it may, with further development, provide useful extra information when used in combination with existing model selection techniques such as the Akaike and Bayesian Information Criteria, or the Bayesian evidence. Two independent diagnostic correlation functions are described and the interpretation of these functions demonstrated using a simulated PSF anisotropy field. The efficacy of these diagnostic functions as an aid to the correct choice of empirical model is then demonstrated by analyzing results for a suite of Monte Carlo simulations of random PSF fields with varying degrees of spatial structure, and it is shown how the diagnostic functions can be related to requirements for precision cosmic shear measurement. The limitations of the technique, and opportunities for improvements and applications to fields other than weak gravitational lensing, are discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures. Modified to match version accepted for publication in MNRA

Improve Intra-Operative Nurse-to-Nurse Communication Using a Safety Checklist

Poor and inadequate handoff, or transfer of care of the surgical patient care from the primary to the relief operating room registered nurse circulators, can result in irreversible patient harm, or sentinel events, such as retained foreign items. In this study, Rogers\u27 diffusion of innovation theory was the framework for implementing the handoff safety checklist. Also, Donabedian\u27s structure process and outcome was the model to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and improvement in the quality of patient handoff communication and improvement of nurse satisfaction over time. Nineteen-statement surveys, conducted at multiple timeframes, were completed by volunteer operating room nurse participants. In comparison, outcomes of the pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys illustrated significance in the quality of nurse communication and satisfaction of the handoff safety checklist. The value of standardized handoff safety checklists is evident in the study. However, further research of handoff safety checklists in the intraoperative arena is warranted

Contacts with, and attitudes toward, the mentally ill in the New Zealand police : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

Irregular pagination: pg 56 missingDeinstitutionalisation and changes to the Mental health Act (1992) relating to committal and treatment for those with a mental illness has resulted in increased numbers of people with a mental illness living in the community. Internationally these changes in the care of mentally ill people have resulted in increased contacts between the police and the mentally ill. The present study investigated the amount, and nature of, contacts between the New Zealand police and the mentally ill and the attitudes of the police toward mentally ill persons using Cohen and Struenings Opinions about Mental Health (OMI) scale. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to all police stations within region three of the New Zealand police districts and a total of 261 sworn police participated. The results show that New Zealand police, like their international colleagues, experience regular contacts with the mentally ill that are time consuming, stressful and largely non-criminal in nature. While the police expressed a dislike to attending call outs involving the mentally ill, their attitudes as measured by the OMI were overall positive and accepting of mentally ill people. The participants expressed a desire for additional training and education to better prepare themselves to deal with the mentally ill