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Thursday, December 9, 2021

Social Studies: Why Was a Treaty Needed in New Zealand?

In the 1830s, 100,000 Maoris and 100 Europeans lived in New Zealand. The scumbag behaviour of Whalers caused the Missionaries to assert protection to help with Maori rights. The reason why a treaty was needed was because of the Musket Wars and the Declaration of Independence. Extensively, a treaty was significant because it binds a formal agreement between parties. A treaty will help people live a lawful life with their morals, values and rights. 

A treaty was a necessity because of the behaviour of the British settlers. One of these British settlers were Whalers; 200 people were Whalers, they'd travel on the sea for months and return to the shore. Whenever the Whalers return to the coast - Kororareka, which we now know as Russel - they would dissipate alcohol, behave violently, there were girls prostituted for their entertainment, and act unlawfully. Situations like these need a treaty because it helps the problems and solves issues people face. The treaty is not a solution for every intricacy because some may break the regulations and restrictions. However, a treaty will be established as a guide, so people would act according to the law, reduce fights among men, build values and relationships. 

As previously mentioned, the treaty's purpose was to protect Maori rights during the 19th century. Missionaries strongly believed that this was the best solution. The missionaries educated Maori people about conversance. For instance, they introduced new farming equipment, taught reading and writing, and converted Maori to Christianity. Another reason that a treaty was needed was to protect Māori rights. The missionaries were concerned about the fights, prostitution, musket wars, and diseases around the land. Hence, a treaty is necessary because it will help civilisation establishment, end wars, stop prostitution and women torture, and the unlawful actions of most people.

The Musket Wars occurred in the 19th century, between the 1700s to the 1800s. During that time, approximately 20,000 died in the bloody war. Tribes traded large quantities of food and flaxes for muskets. The muskets gave an advantage to tribes over their enemies. Although, as more tribes got muskets, more battles followed. Northern tribes such as Nga Puhi attacked the South. The central North Island tribes like Ngati To Rangatira launched attacks on a tribe in the lower North Island and South Island. One of the impacts of these attacks was tribes without muskets were forced to trade with the Europeans to get them. Those who didn't have muskets faced no freedom and death. As a result, tribal boundaries changed. Over the years, tribes accessed muskets, which balanced power among them. 

What is the purpose of the Declaration of Independence in New Zealand? 34 Northland Chiefs signed the agreement with the British crown for what's known as the Declaration of Independence. Intriguingly, the Declaration of Independence was for mana and sovereignty to remain in the country. Also, Maori only trade with the British. In 1835, before the Treat of Waitangi, there wasn't a national Maori identity because everyone lived in extended family groups. None of the Maori chiefs had authority among the people. After signing the Declaration of Independence, it enabled Maori to trade in legal terms because they had a flag. Another purpose was that the Declaration of Independence helped promote and protect Maori rights. It's truly fascinating how treaties help unite nations and improve countries. It teaches valuable life lessons to future generations. 

This essay has demonstrated that a treaty was needed because it protects the Maori culture and their rights. Additionally, a treaty was needed to help people live by the law. Hey needed a treaty because it establishes values and relationship, end wars and stops prostitution. This topic impacted me personally because I learnt the importance of having your own right as a human being and the importance of your own identity. Consequently, without the treaty, Maori rights would not be accomplished. 

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

English: Year 10 Writing Portfolio

 Creative Writing - Term 1

In a world full of demons, there will always be the strongest and most powerful one. All demons - vulnerable, pitiful, juvenile, grown - worship him. The first demon ever to exist. With such great powers, he possesses, which no one can match. He was "Muzan Kibutsuji". He had his own division of demons whom he created, where he shares his blood, as a result of robust power. "The Twelve Kizuki" - Ranked by their expertise. Each had unique abilities which they use to dominate humans and feed on them to acquire more power. 

The sound of biwa plucked gracefully by a woman distorts the place. Obscenity was in the atmosphere. Lanterns illuminated the site but were obscurely dull. It was a maze of rugged traditional Japanese structures, which led from one room to another. The entrance or exit was unseen. You can run, however, escaping was impossible. The structure was filled with perpendicular paths - paralleled, vertical, horizontal, diagonal - Each path it leads to was unpredictable. It was like a game of ball-in-a-maze. Whenever the biwa was played, the whole place would tilt. The note comes after another until it's last struck, which gave a sharp melody. 

An elevating surface with equilateral sides appeared. Stood the lower-ranked Kizukis, warped by Muzan's command. One by one, bowed to their knees, paying their respects. Standing in front was Lord Muzan, the most savage and cruel demon of all, who looked down at them. He had lustrous red eyes, red as blood, long-black silky hair as dark as coal itself, and pale skin.

"P-please forgive us, my Lord! We didn't realise it was you-" Mukago, the lower-ranked number four, frantically apologised as she trembled in fear. 

"Who granted you permission to speak?" Lord Muzan sternly cut her off, still standing his ground. "Do not you speak nonsense in front of me" He added. 

"How about you answer my questions," He said while he intensely stares at her soul. 

 "Rui was killed-" He paused.

"My question for you is why are you pests so weak?" The disappointment remained visible in the tone of his voice. 

"Entering the ranks of the most wielded demons could not satisfy you enough? Conversely, I gave you a drop of my blood. Your job was only to devour humans to obtain more power." He ground his teeth.

He clenched his jaws and fists; veins became evident. You can see the disgust in his stare as his eyes widen. Before he says, "The higher-ranked remained untouched for over the century. They have always been the ones who were capable to dispose of those Hashira Demon Slayers. But, how about you six? When will you make yourself the use of me? I could not even count the times I replaced you." He crinkled his eyes while continually tapping his foot on the wooden floorboards. 

Lower-ranked six, Kamanue, was kneeling on the dusty floor, clenched his feeble fists in annoyance and thought, Easy for you to say-

Lord Muzan's eyes pierced at the helpless demon and paused his foot. "Easy for you say?" He interrupted Kamanue’s thoughts.

He smirked while tilting his head, his sharp stare remained, before imploring. "What is it you want to tell me? Go on." His eyebrows raised.

Kamanue froze; His face became pale, his body, hot, sweat rushing down his face. He can read my mind?!

He's gonna kill me! He thought.

"Kill, how exactly?" Lord Muzan asked in satisfaction, a sinister smile crept on his lips. 

The air got thicker. The place immortally darkened. The rest of the demons held their breath as they prepare themselves for what's about to follow next. 

Impatient, Muzan's mood suddenly changed in a blink of an eye. Veins popped, his tone more aggressive than before. If stares could kill, the demon would've had an instant death. "Tell me," He demanded.

Muzan slowly towered over the poor beast, overshadowing its figure. 

"Spare me, please! My Lord!" Kamanue begged helplessly.

"Show me mercy!" He cried, "I am truly sorry for my disgusting behaviour!" 

Lord Muzan kept a straight face; His face did not reveal a sign of empathy. 

Kamanue pleaded again before blood spurted on the floor. It was a horrifying scene, demonic, rather. 

Afraid, the other demons trembled, watching their kind suffer from a painful death. 

A demon with a big scar on his forehead named Wakuraba, lower-ranked three. There was blood on his body from their dead confederate. He thought, What is happening? Will the same thing happen to me too? After everything, I've succeeded to be in this position, will come to waste? This was supposed to be the beginning of greater things!

"Do you fear Hashiras more than you fear me?" He suddenly asked.

"NO!!" Mukago, who had two fine horns that could scratch even the toughest mineral on earth, and sharp fangs, abruptly answered. 

"Every time you encounter those Hashiras, all you do is escape. Isn't that right?" Lord Muzan's anger was building up.

"No, I wouldn't think of it!! I'd put my life on the line for you, my Lord!" She exclaimed.

Muzan's eyes widened, "Are you refuting what I just said?" 

Tears streamed down Mukago’s cheeks; Quivering in fear, perpetual sweat, dry throat, mind blank. It then was killed in a precipitated movement. More red liquid filled the void. 

This is it! This is the end for us! Wakuraba thought, who had a keloid shaped like an ‘X’ on his forehead.  Our minds are being red. Whether we agree or disagree with him, he's still going to kill us! We can't possibly beat him in a battler either! In that case... 

Disconcerted, Wakuraba raised his feet, bent his knees, hand touching the floor. The only option is to run! He circumnavigated away with an enthralling speed, it such a fast pace that movements could not even be seen. Gliding down the decks, going left, advancing to the right, soaring in zig-zag patterns, finding a way to escape from death. Just make it out of here somehow! Now that I've gotten this far away! His eyes were burning with determination. In a sudden inclination, back to where they stood, a rush of blood flow. The source of blood came from the head of Wakuraba who had run away. Head decapitated from his body, barely alive, he was appalled. He got me?! No way! Was it the trick of that biwa? But, I didn't hear it initiate a sound. Why!? I can't seem to regenerate my body. Tugging the hair on Wakaruba’s head was Lord Muzan. 

He began to speak, "I believe that the Twelve Kizuki are better off consisting of just the Upper Ranks." He declared, "I am now dismantling the Lower Ranks."

Blood was everywhere on the wooden floor. The whole place was filled with a distinctive smell, it was foul, rancid, and putrid. 

Lord Muzan gruesomely threw the head on the dark wooden floor. "Do you have any last words?" He glared inadequately at the remaining Kizukis. 

A demon, with navy blue hair with spiky beard, known as Rokuro -  the lower-ranked two, terrifyingly answered, "I can still be of use to you! If you could give me just a short reprieve, I vow, I'll be of use to you!" 

Lord Muzan questioned, "How long a reprieve are you asking for? How do you intend to be useful? Most importantly, what exactly can you accomplish with your current skills?" 

Rokuro was agitated, he for sure wanted to prove himself to his Lord. "Your blood! If you could give me a share of your blood, I will acclimate without fail!" He clenched his fists, "I will fight for you like an even more powerful demon!" 

"What makes you think you can order me to give you my blood?" Lord Muzan winced, his fangs bestowing. "You're beyond shameless. Know your place." 

Rokuro was startled, "You misunderstood me, my Lord! Please give me another chance! Please don't kill me-" 

Rigid cords on Lord Muzan's neck, eyes bulged clenched jaws and fists. "Shut up. I misunderstood nothing. I'm never mistaken about anything. My words are all absolute. You have no right to reject anything I say. Whatever I say is right and will always be right!"  

His eyes burn in red, "You tried to order me. You deserve to die." 

An endless amount of blood on the floating facade. Lord Muzan is truly cruel. He did not even, once, consider the lives of those he killed.

“Do you have anything to say?” Lord Muzan’s asked, one eyebrow raised, arms crossed. 

Lastly, Stood was the only demon who was left only to be executed. Enmu, the lower-ranked number one. Who has vivid pink and jet black hair, began to speak, "Well, let's see..." 

He did not seem afraid at all, nor, show any sign of fear. Though, looking from his expressions, it was more like a pleasure to him. "This is like a dream for me. To die by your hand in person. I so enjoyed hearing the other demons' last gasps!"  He added, "I feel so blessed! Because I love to see others in despair and agony. I, thank you for leaving me for last!" He put his palms together while grinning.

Lord Muzan seemed pleased, his eyes placid. In a swift, a needle pierced on the Enmu’s neck. His body was in a state of convulsion, eyes converted white, veins conveyed. Its body was trying to adjust to the power his Lord provided. Hearing his words make Lord Muzans jovial.

"That's what I like to hear. And so, I gave you an ample share of my blood. Although, you might not be able to withstand the volume of blood, and die. Still, if you do manage to acclimate, you're sure to acquire even greater strength. Make yourself useful to me. Kill the demon hunter Hashiras! If you accomplish my tasks, I'll give you even more of my blood." He gave an evil smirk. 

The biwa was once again, struck. Providing a discernment of victory, power, domination and destruction. 

Close Viewing - Term 3

Apartheid was a form of system in South Africa that upheld discrimination and segregation against Black people. The Power of One, directed by John Avildsen, was a film concerning the prejudice prior, Apartheid. In a particular scene, where Pk and Gideon were running around Alexandria Township, film aspects are used adequately to show the details in depth. These techniques were tracking shots, dialogues, medium shots, and settings helped produce the film with such exceptional procedures, efficient effort,  time, improved to get the message across and created a massive impact on the audience. 

Firstly, the camera trailed upon the two characters, Pk and Gideon,  as they ran. This camera technique is known as the "Tracking shot". Pk and Gideon's every movement are noticed, such as their shift of directions. Moreover, details, like their facial expressions and sweat running down their skin. As the two characters run, the camera follows along from the starting point towards their goal location. The tracking shot helps the director reach a wider audience as it produces a more realistic and practical scene. The use of this method allows the audience to experience the journey of Pk and Gideon; imagine themselves in their situation. The tracking shot was a brilliant idea for the two characters because of its interesting outcome. If a pan-shot was applied in the scene, it would make it boring, therefore, it would not appeal to the audience. 

Dialogues are significant when it comes to films. In the scene, we hear Pk ask Gideon about the mysteriously long queue as they run. In substantiation, we see Pk's bewildered expression with his eyebrows furrowed and his tone confused. In confusion, he asked, "What's the queue for?" Gideon replied immediately, "Toilet". Gideon explained in further detail, "The government only allows one [toilet] for two hundred people". Mr John Avildsen used the dialogue technique to show the viewers the unfair treatment Black Africans receive during the Apartheid. It made an immense impact on viewers due to the sympathy and pity felt for the Black people. This aspect has taught me to be grateful and content with what I have. Likewise, I have more knowledge and sympathy for humanity, such as my way of understanding became broader. Correspondingly, we are also facing a crisis regarding discrimination and prejudice. Black Lives Matter, used as an example, is a protest against racism, following the deaths of innocent Black people who were mercilessly beaten and brutally murdered. Equally momentous includes Asians, who also received the same treatment because of the pandemic from China, which made hatred towards rose. 

Mr John Avildsen used another film aspect in a scene, which was camera shots and angles. Specifically, he used the medium close up of Pk and Gideon having an intense discussion about Pk, teaching Black African kids to read and write English. To attest to that, we could see both characters' expressions like eyes widened. In addition, we could also hear the tone of their voice, robust and assertive.  The intention of a medium close up is to scrutinise the characters facial expressions and recognize their emotions. The audience could feel the tension growing as the two characters continued their conversation. We could feel their emotions and view their perspectives differently; Pk, conflicted, confused and uncertain. Gideon remained hopeful and plausible. As previously mentioned, the audience received an understanding of their prospects, goals and advocates. The medium close up can be compared to another film aspect, perhaps, a medium shot. The difference is, the medium shot goes far to your waist and above your head, and the medium close up is closer to the characters' faces. Using a medium shot would make the characters' expression and their feelings a puzzle to be solved. 

At last, creatively used was the setting. As evidence, people can be seen patiently waiting for their turn of toilet use, old facilities bestowed, children giggling as they play joyfully, vintage vehicles. Exposed Black drudges, digging, exchange of goods for currency, and established shops. The two, Pk and Gideon, stopped for a drink of water. In the frame, we see a concerned old woman with her hand on her chin and eyes fixed on Gideon. As Gideon walked away from the scene, his back on the camera, a German mother dragged her two daughters from, and two men who were reading a newspaper leaned back. It was deliberately done to show that German civilians fear and disgust Black people. The German government fooled its people, which the audience can understand why German civilians would act that way. Chiefly, when the commoners are impelled by manipulation and fear. It gives an impression and more discernment why Germans shouldn't take control. Analogous to segregation, the Jews also suffered at the hands of the Germans, which resulted in millions of deaths. 

In conclusion, it's shown that there are motives in every film aspect used in different scenes, which impacted the audience and successfully delivered the message across. Triumphantly, the director and his team broadcasted the movie well. As part of the audience, I learnt more things about history. It taught a student like me to be grateful. If we bring this aspect to teach others to be kind and grateful, we can have a world where negativity would not grow, only happiness abound.

Written Text Essay - Term 4

The story "The Red Sari" by Apirana Taylor sufficiently demonstrates the genuine appreciation of different cultures. The scene where the narrator idly observed the beggars plead for rupees, and reflect on the situation in his life was a memorable idea for me. It's a memorable idea because it taught me to look at things from a different perspective. It caused me to appreciate what I have, even the little things in life. It also taught me to be goal-oriented and sympathetic towards others.

In the intended text, a memorable idea was when the narrator observed his surroundings because he discerns things in-depth, in fact, contemplative. It properly teaches a valuable life lesson of why we should be thoughtful and aware of what's around us; we should be appreciative of what we have and see things with a silver lining. We see this text when the narrator thought "From beneath mud and dust, she looked at the haves," This proves that not everyone is equal. The author's purpose of this text was to compare the situation of a beggar with a stable-life person. The text made the readers sympathetic and considerate because the woman in the red sari was desperate, frantic, and pessimistic. Concomitantly, the narrator admired the woman as she was proud and confident for her upbringing. I recalled another significant scene in the text where the baby was shoved on the car's window. It was an important idea because it shows how cruel the world can be and how unfair life can be.

Another memorable idea to me was when the helpless woman begged piteously for rupees. The narrator sincerely admired the woman's courageousness when he said, "She has so much pride; she is not afraid to beg”. It proves that the woman in the red sari was independent and unconventional, despite her situation. It shows that she displays so much determination, which reveals her high spirit. The author implemented this on purpose to show that women are powerful and influential. The text made the readers respect the woman because she was persevering with intense emotions in her eyes. It instantly reminded me of another key text in the story where the narrator saw women swinging forty-pound sledgehammers. These women expressed something in common, independent, tough-minded, and determined. This idea is remarkable because everyone could learn from it. For instance, this memorable idea enlightened me to be strong and that woman are empowered. This idea comprises a piece of evidence that goes against society's expectations of women.

Ultimately, a memorable idea represents the narrator's view of women in India. We can identify this text when he stated, "Be they beggars or little rich girls, the women in India look beautiful. Fine bone structure. Almond eyes. Beautiful skin and sari". It displays the narrator's broad mind because he appreciated the Indian women regardless of their living conditions. The author's purpose was to indoctrinate people to regard things in a positive and empathetic way. This text helped reader's open their minds; intuitively understand that we live in a diverse world with a lot of imperfections. This fundamental idea evoked another text from the story where the woman made gestures with her hands, indicating that she was famished. The hand gestures showed that she was a sincere woman amidst a beautiful soul. Both texts are similar to one another because they show that women in India are bright and divine. This memorable idea retains a substantial connection to the real world because it ostensibly promotes appreciation of different cultures.

The story "The Red Sari" by Apirana Taylor demonstrates the appreciation of different cultures. A memorable idea to me was when the narrator quietly watched the beggars plead for rupees and reflect on the situation in his life. It's a memorable idea because it taught me to look at things from a different perspective. It made me appreciate what I have, even the little things in life. It also taught me to be goal-oriented and sympathetic towards others. Out of all the memorable ideas prominently mentioned, the most important was to look at things from a different perspective. If we look at things from a different perspective, it will advise us to be appreciative. Furthermore, it will encourage us to change into the best version of ourselves. As an example, the narrator of The Red Sari perceives things with a silver lining, which means he was ardently hoping to discover something good in bad situations. The story is teaching us that "the hope for the future is within us."

Business Studies Circular Flow - Term 4

One of how Covid-19 affected my household have positives and negatives. One of the positive effects of lockdown to my household is we are safer at home rather than in our workplace and school, exposed to the virus. It also had negative effects such as my education; face-to-face interaction is important because it enables students like me to learn better, to concentrate and study without any distractions like chores, gaming, etc. My mum is an essential worker, that’s why Covid-19 had less impact on my household because we are still receiving money from the business, which my mum works at, as well as wage subsidies. 

My father, who is a factory worker received a subsidy from the government while not working. The subsidy implementation will result in taxpayers paying higher taxes to fund the government's subsidy programmes, this involves all the households as everyone have to pay taxes regardless. An expedition of a tremendous amount of money during the lockdown means revenue reduction. Money from subsidies enables consumers to pay for their expenses; it implies that people will continuously buy goods and services from businesses. Due to panic buying (where people buy excessed goods), the demand is higher than supply. An exceeded amount of demand than supply leads to a higher equilibrium value of goods.  

My mother continued to work at her usual job as a food-factory worker, therefore, the business will have goods to produce, those goods are foods. During the lockdown, people buy more goods online, therefore, the money will continue to flow in the economy and the businesses can export those goods because of essential workers. As a result, export receipts will remain.  New Zealand’s importing and exporting activity increases its DGP because more people buy online. When goods are exported,  money is attained in the country for exchange. This means that exchange rates will increase and. Transport businesses will get an increased pay for their services. Therefore, the financial sector has a loan to give out to the producers to manufacture more goods. Because of the increase of loans, the revenue and profit may also increase. The simultaneous flow of the money in the economy of New Zealand, enables the government to grant subsidies and enables financial sectors to give out loans.

Digital End-of-Semester Final Project - Term 1

Karen Walker was born on the 4th of December 1969. She grew up in the Auckland suburb of Remuera. Walker attended Epsom Girls' Grammar School to pursue a career of becoming a fashion designer. After graduating in 1995, she launched her first two boutiques, with only a hundred bucks. 

Karen Walker is a New Zealand fashion designer. She began her fashion label back in 1987 and opened her first store in Newmarket, Auckland. As time went on, her business grew, Walker started selling off her clothes in Barneys, New York, in 1988. It was the same year where she presented her first runway collection.  

Walker’s sales soared when Madonna, an American singer-songwriter and actress, also referred to as the “Queen of Pop”, wore one of Karen Walker’s designed clothes. When Walker’s sales soared, she became well-known. Walker has designed clothes worn by famous actresses, actors, singers and more. Artists such as Bjork, Sienna Millar, Natalie Portman, M.I.A, Alexa Chung, Beth Ditto, Michael Haneke, Liv Tyler, Rihanna, Claire Daines, Zooey Deschanel and Jennifer Lopez. 

In the 2000s, Walker became the first New Zealander to have a solo show at New York fashion week. Karen Walker was also appointed as the “Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit”, for her services and contribution in the fashion industry during the, "2004 New Year Honours." In 2007, Karen Walker received the prize of, “Prix de Marie Claire” for best creative talent. Later on, in 2009, she was awarded the “World Class New Zealand Awards”. Ten years later, she was promoted to “Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit,” for her excellent services in fashion designs. 

In my opinion, Karen Walker is a hard-worker designer. For instance, in her interview for the online magazine called Fashion NZ, a reporter asked how she dealt with failures and the challenges she faced during the process. Karen Walker stated, “Well, it’s not easy to build a brand or a successful business, especially over three decades. Not everyone succeeds in this way, and we’re very aware of this. Over 30 years, we’ve faced thousands of challenges and continue to. When there are failures, it’s best to embrace them, and learn from them.
The fashion business is based upon the premise of constant change and, whilst this is, in part, our reason for being, it’s also one of the major challenges. We have to be constantly living in the future and pre-empting and managing changes that are out of our control.” She could’ve given up during her 30 years of service in the fashion industry, on top of that, she had a lot of competitors who could be more creative than her, but she didn’t. In my point of view, she was ambitious, she strived to do more, to be better, to be more successful, and to prove to everyone that she is not just any entrepreneur. 

The Great Depression - Term 1 

The Great Depression erupted from late 1929 up to 1939. It was the longest-deepest and worst economic downfall in history that affected countries across the world. Overproduction, executive inaction, bank closures, bankruptcies, fall in demands, lack of credit and many more of these triggered “The Great Depression”. These events made a devastating impact on the economy, such as unemployment, homelessness, debt, bankruptcies, suicides, poverty, hunger, job loss, evictions, wage cuts, and dejection. These led to the despair of local communities, businesses, and people.  The United States and Europe were particularly affected the most during this crisis, mild hit in Japan and Latin America. The country that suffered more damage was Germany during the Great Depression; due to its major factor, which was the “Treaty of Versailles”. 

The "Treaty of Versailles" was signed by several major countries in 1919. The countries before-mentioned were France, Germany, Britain, Austria-Hungary, Japan and the USA. The purpose of the treaty was to achieve peace between nations. Although Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, they did not participate because of indignancy; They did not believe they started the war. Germany had no choice but to sign the treaty and accept the guilt for commencing the war. People claimed that the treaty “had stabbed Germany in the back” by ending the war. The terms and conditions of the treaty were unfair on Germany's side as they are very damaging to the country and its economy. The terms included a reduction of German troops, territories stolen, and many more.  

Hitler’s dominion, along with his Nazi movement national party, and the stock market crash on Wall Street, New York stocks began to fall rapidly; shares of prices plummeted, which led to further “panic-selling” (A situation where people begins to sell their company stock in fear of its value declination), consequently, American investors withdraw their loans to Germany. Germany’s debt was amounted to around estimation of 29 billion dollars. By 1932, 24% of the German workforce were unemployed during the Great Depression. The percentage of unemployed Americans are about the same numbers as the Germans. 

From 1930 to 1933, New Zealand agricultural export prices began to plummet by 45%. New Zealand suffered from a short yet deep depression. When the prices changed, demands for goods and services fell. Approximately, 12% of unemployment fell in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Within two years, export prices in New Zealand fell by 45% and the national income dropped by 40% in three years. These disheartening circumstances were truly unbearable.

Sustainable Fishing - Term 1

Sustainable Fishing is a practice of maintaining the population of the fishes and invertebrates. This method ensures that they can balance the survival of all species.  


Intriguingly, there are ways that we can fish, at the same time, be able to sustain. For instance, one of the most efficient ways is purse seining. Purse seining is a vertical net (curtain) used in the open ocean, frequently targeting school fishes of single species, such as tuna and mackerels. Purse seining surrounds the school fishes and later draws the bottom together to enclose the fish. Another reason is that purse seining does not come in contact with the sea bed and can have lower levels of bycatch. 

Similarly, another efficient way to sustain fish is Longlining Fishing. Longlining Fishing is a technique used in commercial fishing, this method uses a long line with hooks attached. Longlining is effective because it is prone to incidental catching and killing large sea creatures, like dolphins, seabirds, sharks, and sea turtles. Considerably as further ecologically sustainable than other fishing techniques. 

The most sustainable way of fishing is “Spear Fishing”. The Tagbanua Tribe (A tribe inhabiting the Palawan Islands in the Philippines) have been doing sustainable fishing practices to maintain the fish population since history. They use the spearfishing technique to catch only specific fish species, with this particular method of fishing, fish can produce properly. 

Cast-net fishing is another sustainable method used by required skilled fishers. It has a circular shape with small weights around its bottom edge, when this net is thrown or cast in salt waters or fresh waters, it spreads out in the water and sinks, from there, fish are caught as the net is hauled in. 
 
Fly fishing is a traditional method of fishing that uses a rod and reel. This type of fishing uses bait to lure fish in and catch them, these baits can be feathers, worms, and other invertebrates (They could also be artificial).

Fish Farming is a method of fishing that is known worldwide. It’s become the fastest-growing industry for producing food. Most sustainable fish farms don’t use chemicals, instead, they take care of the fishes properly by feeding them with wholesome foods and clean water to keep the fishes healthy. Fish farmers are responsible for the usage of water they only take small portions of the surface of the water and monitor it constantly. Another reason why it’s sustainable is that they reduce the number of wastes by finding other solutions. 

Compared to an ordinary boat, a Commercial Fishing Vessel is purposely designed for fishing, some consist of machines, built-in containers, echosounder and radars. 

The largest trawler in the world, Atlantic Dawn, can catch about 400 tons of fish every 24-hours. Trawling has a massive bycatch impact. The majority of the fishes caught in the process are non-target fishes. It affects the biodiversity of the ocean, endangered species, and some are on the brink of extinction. 
Purse Seining is another sustainable method of fishing sometimes, it can go bad, due to bycatch occurrence.
Long Lining Fishing is a controversial fishing method because of bycatch issues. Longlining attracts other non-target species which kills them and can cause the decline of certain species.

Sustainable Fishing can be possible as long as we can employ limitations to catching fish and consumption. 

Commercial Fishing has massive effects on dolphins and sharks because many of these creatures die needlessly and accidentally, this occurrence is called, “Bycatch”. Bycatch is an accidental catch of fish that is a big issue both ecologically and economically. Non-target species are discarded back in the ocean, and they often die, which means they can’t reproduce, this creates a large impact on the marine ecosystem. Other impacts of fisheries on marine animals include the removal of their preferred prey and sometimes habitat damage. 
According to an environmental organisation called the “WWF” - World Wide Fund for Nature, bycatch is believed to be the main cause of the drastically declined population of the Pacific Leatherback Turtles. The data showed over 90% of the numbers reduced since 1980. Another significant piece of information was stated that 300,00 small whales and dolphins are dying annually, due to the entanglement in fishing gear. 
The majority of seabirds are also victims of bycatch, these birds are mainly albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, etc. These birds are near being endangered, especially albatrosses, 18 albatross species are near extinction. Sharks are also accidentally caught. In the Pacific Ocean, an estimation of 3.3 million shark species is caught each year by bycatches. 

The documentary, "Seaspiracy", states that 45 dolphins get caught in fishing vessels for every 8 tuna caught, which damages the dolphin population. Another piece of information from this documentary is about the “Dolphin Safe Labels”. The Dolphin Safe Labels was established back in 1990 by U.S law, this label was used to show that no dolphins were harmed, injured or killed during the fishing process of tunas, which are later on designed for canning. Over the last centuries, it is estimated that 7 million dolphins were killed in the tuna nets from the 50s to the 80s. Dolphin safe labels are deceiving consumers because there is no guarantee that dolphins are or can be safe during the fishing process, due to information and data surfing through the internet about the reduction of the dolphin population. 


Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Social Studies: Reflection - Why Do We Still Talk About The Treaty Of Waitangi?

The Treaty of Waitangi is established to respect one another regardless of their culture. These values are used in New Zealand because it allows a wider perspective, build a foundation of trust, understanding and awareness across cultures and beliefs. As a result, the Treaty of Waitangi creates diversity which makes New Zealand a more welcoming and safe place to live in. Lastly, the Treaty of Waitangi enables new knowledge, open ideas, different experiences and new skills. 


Resources: 

Monday, November 22, 2021

Social Studies: The Native American Indian Tribes and the US Government (the Treaty of Hopewell)

In Social Studies, we had to do research about treaties. We had two options to pick from and I chose the Native American Indian Tribes and the US Government, which was the Treaty of Hopewell. We had to research the treaty we have chosen and present the information creatively using text, symbols and visuals. 

There were questions that we had to answer: 

  • Who was the treaty between?
  • How long has the treaty been binding?
  • What are the positives and negatives of being bound by the treaty?
  • Were there any obvious similarities between the people affected by the treaty you have researched and the people affected by the Treaty of Waitangi? 
How this relates to our topic about the Treaty of Waitangi?
The reason why the Treaty of Hopewell relates to the topic of the Treaty of Waitangi is that both treaties are represented to form peace between two groups of people.  In addition, their treaties are formed to create alliances and to access shared resources.

What is a 'Treaty?'
  • A treaty is an international agreement concluded between States in written form and governed by international law. 
  • A treaty is a legally binding international instrument agreed and signed by two or more sovereign nations. 
(The US Government signed 370 treaties along with the Indigenous nations from 1778 to 1871).







Monday, November 15, 2021

Social Studies: My Pepeha


What is Mana? Mana means resonance or prestige, honour, presence, charisma, and spiritual power. 
What is Tapu? Tapu is defined as ‘sacred’ or ‘spiritual restrictions’, Tapu contains a lot of strong prohibitions or rules.
What is Utu? Utu betokens as compensation, retaliation, vengeance. 
How could these values conflict with Europeans? In my opinion, it’s because they are not fond of those values, nor believe in them as something important. 
How were these values different to European values? Europeans who settled in New Zealand were Christians, and believe the bible. They are different because they have different interpretations, and different Gods, beliefs and religions. 

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Social Studies: Maori and European Population in New Zealand in the 19th Century

In Social Studies, we have been learning about the the 'Treaty of Waitangi' / Te Tiriti o Te Waitangi. We also have tasks to do which helps us to adapt more knowledge about the events that occurred. For this task, we had to make a multiline graph that showcase the population data of New Zealand from the 1830s to the 1900s. We also had to answer questions regarding the population drop of the Maori and the increasing population of Europeans. 

 The Population of Maori & Europeans from the 1830s to 1900s

What does the graph show us? The line graph shows us the dramatic change in the population of Maoris and Europeans in New Zealand. We can see that as years pass by, the Maori population was decreasing while the Europeans were rising up. 

Why do you think that number of Maoris decreased, and Europeans increased? The number of Maori declined due to the colonisation of Europeans in the country. Furthermore, the Maori were exposed to new diseases, such as measles, tuberculosis and influenza, which were introduced by the Pakeha settlers in New Zealand during the 19th century. Thereafter, the European population increased as more people discovered the land, a lot of people settled in New Zealand which they lived. 



Monday, November 1, 2021

Film Music Research: What is Film Music?

Film Music Research

What is Film Music?

Film Music is used in filmography to establish the settings of a scene; it creates the atmosphere, it is used to engage the audience, to reinforce narrative developments, last but not least, it provides meaning to the characters, such as their actions, enable the translations of their thoughts, and generates emotions. 

What is the role of a composer?

A composer is the one in charge of producing the music, particularly, arrangement and writing the music. They are the ones who put the parts together, they put the pieces together of various elements, melodies, harmonies, rhythm, dynamics, structure and sensibility to compromise a piece of music. 


Friday, October 29, 2021

Personalised Passion Project Reflection

We planned our passion project last term; we brainstormed ideas of what we could do; we decided that we would create a sculpture that is inspired by a Japanese beast, we call our creation The Beast King. Additionally, we not only made a sculpture inspired by Japanese culture, but we also made it into a sustainable sculpture using environment-friendly materials such as cardboard and newspaper. Our group and I used adhesives such as glue, duct tape and wires to put the pieces together. 



This design embellished a complex design showcasing the history, culture and mythology of Japan. Our driving question was "How can we use sustainable materials (recycle), such as newspaper and cardboard to create art--life-size sculpture?"

The figure was constructed in a way in which is easily severed. Almost puzzle-like, the head, torso, lower body including the hair is detachable for easy access. How such body parts were built systematically and with an essence of a puzzle as well. Taking influence from the Japanese culture once more in the form of construction. "Miyadaiku" is a style of carpentry in which works by making joints in the woods and putting them concurrently; it doesn't use any glue, adhesives or nails. 


To conclude, our passion project was a success because of our hard work, as well as our teamwork. It was such a fun activity because we were able to unleash our creativity and modification. We did encounter some struggles. Which appeared in us needing to adjust and negotiate. However, we worked together and got through it triumphantly



Thursday, October 21, 2021

English: The Red Sari by Apirana Taylor

 In English, we are starting a new topic called "The Red Sari" by Apirana Taylor.   

Story Link: https://tierafoy.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/3/5/20359387/the_red_sari_by_apirana_taylor.pdf


Key Words (From the story): 

Rupee - A rupee is a name for currency in some Asian countries, such as Indian, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and more.

Sahib - Sahib is a title or a form of address towards men.

Memsahib - A respectful way of addressing upper-class women or married white women by non-white people. 

Sari - A sari is a traditional women's garment worn in South East Asia. 

Waiata Ringa Ringa - It is an action song that displayed Polynesian practices that fortifies the movements of the arms and the actions of the hand.

In “The Red Sari,” the narrator experiences a very different world to NZ. What is a quote from this story which shows this? 

What do you think the author, Apirana Taylor, wanted us to understand about experiencing different cultures?  

In my opinion, Apirana Taylor showcased the difference of cultures between the Indians and the others. It shows. It exposes that cultural diversity. It also shows the comparison, as well as similarities to other countries, such as countries with less pollution, countries in which there weren't a lot of beggars. On the other hand, it shows countries that do suffer from poverty, countries that are poor and are asking people for money.

Does Apirana Taylor encourage us to appreciate people who are different to us? How so? Yes, in the text, Apirana Taylor said that the woman had beautiful skin and was wearing a beautiful sari. It is indicated that Apirana Taylor appreciates other cultures and that we are all different. He is showcasing cultural diversity.

-

Find one MINOR SENTENCE (grammatically incorrect, partial sentence or fragment) in The Red Sari. Why do you think the author chose to write in this way? What is the effect of this on the reader?

"From beneath muds and dust, she looks in at the haves"

I think the author wrote this way to show the difference between the narrator and the woman in red clothing, to show that the narrator has something because of the word "haves", which we can assume that is means something you "have" or someone who has something. It shows that the narrator has money, not technically rich, but someone who is not a beggar. On the other hand, the woman didn't have anything, in fact, she was a beggar and she was asking for money from the man in the car. 


This sentence created an impact on the reader to show that people who live in poverty would do anything to get something, to earn something, like money, to be able to survive in this world. It shows the point of view of the man in the car (narrator), and how he felt during the event. 

“Kali -- goddess of destruction -- rules” is an example of an ALLUSION (a reference to mythology, another text, historical event or person). Why did the author include this allusion in his writing? What is the effect of this on the reader? Because it creates a deeper meaning and purpose in the story and compares it to another show or text with which some people may be familiar.

Find an example of REPETITION in the story. What is the effect of this? 

They are dirty, filthy beggars. Dirty filthy. Dirty filthy stinking beggars. 

The purpose of this was to emphasize a point or create an idea, on which the character is trapped on.

Monday, October 18, 2021

Music Reflection

What I enjoyed in Music last term was practising for our performance. I enjoyed it because I was grouped with my friends that made our practise fun. Whenever we make mistake, there wasn't any serious reaction, like someone getting mad or pissed, instead, it was hilarious. 

I didn't learn any skill last term but I did improve on performing, I wasn't really that comfortable performing in front of an audience nor someone watching me sing, unless it was my friend. But I built up courage and was able to take on the challenge, beside, the performance was gonna be marked in the report. 

My group were recorded on our performance because we didn't really have a lot of time to perform in front of an audience. My group performed "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley. Janel and I were the vocals, we would alternate on singing, while Shiela was doing the piano. 

This the video of our performance: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GmNIR10Rj8blWBThEM90XHpBVxYpkCeS/view?ts=6152390d


English: How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped

https://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/HOW-PEARL-BUTTON-WAS-KIDNAPPED-1912.pdf 

Post Reading Questions

Who were the main characters of the story? 

  • Pearl Button - a little girl with curly blonde hair, and white teeth, had lots of layers of clothes, pinafore, petticoat, stockings, and shoes.
  • Two dark-skinned fat women (Maori women), one was wearing a red dress, and the other wearing a yellow and green dress, bare-foot, and no stockings.
  • Two small men wearing blue (Police)
What happened to Pearl Button in the story? 
Pearl was kidnapped by the two big Maori women, they took her to a log room full of other people who were the same skin as them. They gave Pearl Button a peach and she ate it, the juice running down her front, people laughing at her, they were amused at the little girl. After the funny event, Pearl was carried again but in a green cart with two ponies, red and black. They arrived quickly at their location which was the beach, warm sand, singing birds, and grass pushing against Pearl's pale feet. Suddenly, two little blue men came running towards, carried her back to the House of Boxes.

Pakeha vs Maori Living

The Māori of New Zealand lived in a more communal way than New Zealand’s Pākehā immigrants. Pākehā arrived in Aotearoa and immediately started sectioning up the space — from land down to living quarters. 

While European settlers lived in little houses, Māori people did not live like this. The pā can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, and is the centre of a Māori community, extending the concept of family out beyond the traditional nuclear family by European concept. Mansfield grew up alongside Māori pā culture and would have noted the differences.

Katherine Mansfield’s story ‘How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped’ (1910) can be considered as a paradigmatic example of the author’s use of family relations as a prism for examining a number of issues.
Pākehā vs. Māori, community, urban vs. rural, man vs. nature, conformity vs. freedom, order vs. chaos etc…

To convey these issues without being so literal, Mansfield uses allegory to hide these issues within her text.
Allegory: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Symbolism
  • Allegory can be hard to discern. 
  • A great way to uncover it is to look for the symbolism hidden in the text.
  • Symbolism is a literary device that uses symbols, be they words, people, marks, locations, or abstract ideas to represent something beyond the literal meaning.
What are some symbolism in the story?
Little men in blue coats - This means that they are polices 
Pearl Button swung on the little gate in front of the House of Boxes - Symbolism of the difference of living conditions between Pakeha's and Maori's.

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

English: New Zealand Fashion Between the 1850s - 1920s

The fashion attire in New Zealand during the 1840s up to 1890s was extracted in Britain. During that time, domestic sewing machines and paper patterns became available and accessible, which makes home dressmaking easier and accessible, as a result, it gives people, especially, women to be fashionable. 

After women's participation in cycling increased, it encouraged a lighter and looser style that allowed freedom of movement. Tailored jackets, skirts, blouses became popular and trendy. 

A couple of years later, in the 1900s, more hand-made clothes were made. Oversized hats with ostrich feathers that flow gracefully were popular among women. 

In the first World War, necklines were cut lower, skirts became shorter. Women's fashion became simpler, low waisted dresses were worn at a mid-calf length or knee-length, which makes the footwear more visible. 


In my opinion, I think that fashion in the past has really evolved, looking back at it, people in today's generation have a more sophisticated and complex style. Fashion today is more open for everyone, for instance, males wear skirts during fashion week, there are a range of styles and genres, gothic style, casual, boho, haute couture, y2k, minimal, etc. 

Monday, September 27, 2021

Wananga Reflection

 Last week, in Wananga class, we did our personalised passion project, we continued to put hair and add more hair in our statue. The Beast King has v-shaped hair so we had to add layers to make the hair shape like a 'V'. We also started to put hair on the head of the other Beast King since we are doing two statues. 

Monday, September 20, 2021

Wananga: Personalised Passion Project Blog - THE BEAST KING KABUKI

What is Genius Hour? Genius Hour means to Create. It is a chance to unleash your creativity and be able to work on something that you are passionate about. It could be a passion that you already have or a new passion that you are interested in learning more about. One of the main outcomes of this will be for you to create something through your passion.  Given that you are working on your passion, it will be up to you to make sure you create something at the end of this.  

What else is Genius Hour? Genius Hour is a time when students are allowed to explore topics that interest them the most. The instructional focus of Genius Hour is much more about the process of exploration than the content. Students are tasked with researching their topics of interest and teachers help guide their research more thorough questions than direct learning/content delivery. Students have the freedom to access resources and people in the building who can help with the topic they’ve chosen.

For our personalised passion project, we are doing it as a group and our project will involve sustainability and creativity. We are making a beast king Kabuki (Japanese) out of sustainable materials such as newspaper, cardboard, empty tissue rolls, glues and etc. We will make it a life-size figure and there will be two of them. 

(inspiration)

Driving Questions: How can we use sustainable materials (recycled) such as newspaper and cardboard to create are--a life-size statue?

Detailed Plan: 

Date - 


Week 8


What is researched, planned oir actioned? 

Location 

Who is involved?

Contingency (Identify potential problems and solutions)

Equipment

Needed

Wednesday 

We brainstormed ideas of what we could make as a group.

We did this at school.

The whole group 

(7 members)

  Chromebook

Thursday 

We gathered our equipments such as the cardboard and newspaper. We began to make the body parts of the statue.

At school

The whole group 

(7 members)


How we can stick the pieces together without using much glue.

Cardboard

Scissors

Stapler

Friday

We continued to create the body parts of the sustainable statue.

At school

The whole group 

(7 members)


 

Cardboard

Scissors

Stapler


Notes

Create the body parts of the second statue

At school

The whole group 

(7 members)

 

Cardboard

Scissors

Stapler


Music: Term 3 Music Performance

 What instrument are you performing on? And what will you perform? My group and I will be performing "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley and we will be using our voices and a piano for our instrument.

Are you doing a solo or group performance? I will be performing with a group because I think that with more people, it would be more fun, less nervous, and it will improve our collaboration skills, creativity, and innovativeness.

What do you need to work on first? In my opinion, my group and I will need to work really hard and contribute. We need to work on the piano and voice rhythm so that they will match to create a harmonic piece. 

What will be challenging? I think the challenge will be performing in front of the class and trying not to make a mistake.

Friday, September 17, 2021

English: The Lake

Story: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qGj2VRFR3u3Xhb8InfPKoiI8kju1-5NJ/view

Listing - A listing is a method/technique used by writers who brainstorm and gather ideas about their chosen topic to write, usually 3 or more.

Example: "The wave shut me off from the world, from the birds in the sky, the children on the beach, my mother on the shore."

Figurative Language:

  • Simile - Simile is a method used in writing that compares two things, using "Like or As".
Example: "It was like nailing summer into a series of coffins."

Metaphor - Metaphor is a widely used figurative language that uses descriptive words in order to paint a picture or to illustrate a certain thing. 

Example: "The beach was so long and lonely."

Personification - Personification is the use of human characteristics in another object. 

Example: "The wind lifted me."

Dialogue - A dialogue is when two or more people have exchanged conversations, dialogue is used in films, books, novels, plays, etc. 

Example:  "Mama, I want to run up the beach aways," I said.

"All right, but hurry back, and don't go near the water."

Emotive Language - Emotive Language is a technique where the author or writer used languages that evoke the emotions of the audience. They can be used in a variety of concepts such as in spoken word performances, novels, books, debates, etc. 

Example: "Mama withdrew into the distance, sitting. Soon she was only a brown speck and I was all alone."

Allusions - An Allusion is a figure of speech used to make a reference to people and makes the audience think or make connections to something else.

Example: "I stood there, watching the sun take away the water beads on my arms. I replaced them with goose-pimples." 

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Music: New Zealand Music ♪♫♪

5 Facts: 

  • Lorde chose her stage name because she was fascinated with “royals and aristocracy”. However, she felt the name Lord was too masculine, thus she added an “e” to make it more feminine.
  • On 13 May 2015, a wax figure of Lorde was introduced to Madame Tussauds Hollywood.
  • In June 2014, Lorde released a two-piece make-up limited edition collection in collaboration with MAC Cosmetics, consisting of a lipstick titled after her debut album, Pure Heroine, and an eyeliner.
  • She has Croatian citizenship thanks to her mum Sonja Yelich's family, who immigrated to New Zealand from Dalmatia.
  • Before writing songs, Lorde wrote fiction. She wrote her first story aged 11 when her dog fell off her balcony and accidentally hanged itself.