News 16/4 – 9 on ITP Councils, Plus Orangutans and Barbie

April 16th 2010 at 7:51am, By Dave Guerin

ITP Councils
- Several polytechnics commented on their Council members yesterday, covering the Ministerial appointees and/or the local appointees – here are releases from UCOL, Wintec, WelTec and Unitec.
- Labour’s Maryan Street has put out a well-argued release about the challenges the new Councils will face to represent their communities.
- The Greens’ Gareth Hughes is concerned that there are no staff or student representatives (they were always going to come from the local appointees) but also points out that only 20/78 appointees were women (21 by my count), but “a good number” were Maori.
- The NZ Federation of Business and Professional Women has also criticised the Minister for appointing so few women (27%), although is more impressed with Paula Bennett’s Welfare Working Group (60% women).
- The NZ Herald reports that National Minister Judith Collins’ husband David Wong-Tung was appointed to Unitec’s Council. While the Council appointments look pretty strong overall, there is always a risk that Ministers will appoint cronies to boards. I’m not saying David Wong-Tung was appointed because of his marriage to Judith Collins, but it is incredibly stupid not to declare that relationship when making the appointment – all you get is headlines like the one for this Herald story. So, it’s the first dumb move I’ve seen with these appointments.
- Outgoing Otago Polytechnic Chair Graeme Crombie is interviewed in the Otago Daily Times.
Orangutans Not our usual topic, but there’s a nice story about Bay of Plenty Polytechnic veterinary nursing students going to Borneo last year to help the orangutans.
Entrepreneurial Artists Tairawhiti Polytechnic art tutor is setting up a new studio space as a cooperative for artists in central Gisborne, filling a niche in the local market and helping graduates to continue their practice
Wall to Reopen? A Coroner has suggested that Tai Poutini Polytechnic reopen its climbing wall, but implement existing regulations to avoid a repeat of a death last year.
Academic Harassed? I thought this story was going to be about Fonterra threatening academic freedom, but really it looks more like a “he said, she said” exchange of emails between people who disagree with each other. And Fonterra’s only been told to stop because they’re both witnesses in water hearings.
Uni Games SIT and EIT fought out the final (and only) games in the volleyball, while SIT is doing well in the cycling on their home track.
Barbie Goes to the V8s That’s the name of a fashion show by Wintec fashion students this weekend – grid girls will be the models.
Plunket Nurses Plunket has a relationship with Whitireia Community Polytechnic to train community health workers, many of whom become Plunket nurses – 100 graduates today.