Mayumi Asakawa will ring the Peace Bell at a Christchurch quake commemoration tomorrow. She is a former King’s Education student.

Policy, Management & People

1. Christchurch Mergers? Steven Joyce called for Christchurch TEIs to look at all possible options, including mergers, as they look to the next 20 years. The merger option is for the unis.
2. Top $ A Listener story on CE salaries mentioned Auckland VC Stuart McCutcheon and colleague Tim Hazeldine then commented on the salaries of managers at TEIs too.
3. UC New Starts…are up 2,000 on the same time last year, although total numbers are likely to be down.
4. Maori Research Institute The Institute’s trip to India will go soon, with Waiariki, Auckland and Awanuiarangi participation.
5. Uni Fair Asian Unis will hold a recruitment fair in Auckland this weekend.
6. Benefits Minister Chester Borrows has set out how a single mother wanting to study (and considering prostitution) is getting the equivalent of a $43K salary.
7. Extras: new UCOL trades facilities; Stuart Middleton on academic and vocational pathways; ITF’s Mark Oldershaw on youth employment (NewstalkZB); journalist checks out AUT’s Millennium Campus treadmill; $1.5m raised for Otago Uni chair.

Research & Innovation

1. Disease Increase Otago Uni’s Michael Baker and colleagues have published a major paper on infectious disease in NZ, with follow-up by SMC and stories by Stuff, RNZ, NewstalkZB, NZN, TV3, Stuff, NZ Doctor, NZ Herald, TVNZ and TV3.
2. Save the Whales Auckland’s Rochelle Constantine and Natacha Aguilar want Hauraki Gulf speed limits to reduce risk to Bryde’s whales, after recent research (NZ Herald).
3. Horse Racing Massey academics have found that it’s OK to race thoroughbreds at two years old.
4. Antarctic Victoria’s Dan Zwartz has been throwing floats off a boat to test water characteristics.
5. Extras: German academic on manuka honey at Waikato (NZ Herald); Victoria’s Elisabeth McDonald and Yvette Tinsley on dealing with sex offending.

Public Issues

1. Christchurch Quakes Otago Uni is planning a quake memorial service in Dunedin (as was EIT if I recall correctly). Canterbury’s Mark Quigley on quake communication. A NZ expat academic has brought students here to study quakes.
2. Kiwi FM AUT’s Matt Mollgaard weighed in on the KiwiFM keeping its frequencies while starting to play non-Kiwi music (TV3).
3. Youth Auckland’s Prof Alan France and Otago’s Prof David Craig had an NZ Herald op-ed on youth, following up on their jointly organised seminar.
4. Extras: Otago Uni’s Hank Weiss on cycling laws; Massey’s Jenny Poskitt on homeschooling; Massey’s Andrew Cardow on TV3 to discuss entrepreneurship; AUT’s Rawiri Taonui on Paul Holmes.

Students

1. Knox College The Knox College master, now on leave, comments on recent and proposed changes.
2. Big Brother Victoria student complains about security footage at boarding house going on Facebook.
3. Midnight Youth…are playing at Waiariki’s O-Week. SIT’s Orientation had Tim Shadbolt (and Shihad later). Orientation competition at Otago Uni (and a formal welcome). BOPP powhiri (and more). CPIT Orientation.
4. Liquor Ban Otago Uni students are signing a petition against a local liquor ban.
5. Extras: Lincoln’s new sports/leader scholars; refugee students at UCOL; young writer off to Victoria; top student off to Auckland; teenage gang targets some Tai Poutini students; Women’s Future month at Canterbury; Otago Uni cricketer.

Stakeholders

1. New Sculpture…placed in conjunction with AUT and Auckland.
2. Extras: Alcatel might set up UFB lab at Auckland.

Teaching & Learning

1. Lecturer Profile The ODT profiles Otago Uni lecturer Alan Blackman.
2. Extras: EIT’s Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti trades academies.