1. BIMs Treasury’s BIM sparked media releases from NZUSA’s Pete Hodkinson (opposing interest on student loans) and the TEU’s Sandra Grey (opposing shifting funding to younger students and research money to help the private sector). It is not surprising that NZUSA wasn’t too worried about shifting funding towards younger students as most student reps are…younger students. The EXMSS VP, however, has addressed the focus on younger users in a good post. Bill English said there was nothing new in what Treasury said (NewstalkZB).
2. Rod Carr’s Pay Rod Carr, Canterbury VC, has asked for no pay rise for the final two years of his term. He has better PR sense that the Christchurch City Council CEO, although that has been obvious for some years!
3. Adventure Tourism Here’s a nice profile of adventure tourism coordinator at Waiariki, Nick Chater.
4. Academic Publishing Auckland’s Siouxsie Wiles has written on current academic publishing issues, including the Elsevier boycott (she also wrote on scientist-journalist relations). The TEU also wrote about Elsevier in this week’s newsletter.
5. Extras: Otago Poly has a $1m+ funding boost this year; EXMSS is looking to expand membership beyond Massey; Andy West’s Triumph motorcycle (adjunct at Waikato).

Research & Innovation

1. HIV Data Otago Uni’s Peter Saxton and colleagues recruited 1,049 gay and bisexual men in Auckland to undergo an anonymous HIV test. 6.5% had HIV and 1.3% of the total population were unaware they had HIV (21% of those infected). This sparked many stories from the media, including One News, TV3 (earlier story), Fairfax (and again), APNZ, AAP, gaynz.com (and here and here) and RNZ. The numbers sound terrible, but unfortunately there is no explanation in the media release about their sampling approach (which may well have introduced a bias) or their population estimate. Without identifying sampling issues and margin of error, we really have no idea of whether the research really “suggests” that 6.5% of gay and bisexual men in Auckland have HIV. So then I went to the free online journal article (refereed, but not linked, to in the media release) and found that the “community settings” where participants were sourced were “a gay community fair day, gay bars and sex-on-site venues” – the first is broad (and made up 80% of respondents), but the second and third would skew the sample. There was also a 49% acceptance rate to invitations to participate, and only 80% of those who accepted an invitation supplied a sample. The paper acknowledges that these factors are study limitations but doesn’t explore them in depth. That said, the survey provides an enormous amount of data that illuminates very real health concerns. My critique is really about whether the statistic at the start of the media release is reliable enough to be the lead, especially when the NZ Aids Foundation then treated it as gospel in their release.
2. Hot House Venture capital firm powerhouse has been running a summer programme at Canterbury to mentor students and grads towards commercialising new ideas.
3. Extras: Auckland gout research.

Public Issues

1. Facebook Canterbury’s Anne-Maria Brady on Facebook and China.
2. Extras: Canterbury’s Scott Walker on American politics; Auckland’s Jane Kelsey on loss of sovereignty; US water expert speaks at Waikato.

Students

1. Bad Work Some students allege they were paid very badly and forced to work hours beyond their visa allowances.
2. Missing Out Careers New Zealand’s CE Graeme Benny has tips for students who miss out on their first study choice.
3. Extras: Wintec students to get award for hospital history; Auckland might get a 15 year old student next year.

Stakeholders

1. Tale of Two Ports While Auckland’s Port is having strife, Tauranga’s Port is giving out scholarships (SunLive)
2. Extras: CPIT picks up $80K for its ArtBox project; winners of an Auckland Games Jam held at Media Design School.

Teaching & Learning

1. Carpentry Whitireia and WelTec have set up a joint carpentry programme in and around Kapiti – nice idea.
2. Extras: Aoraki’s Diane Turner off to NY to speak at a conference.

1. Building/Glass Wintec is finding it hard to fill its construction trades classes while UCOL is not filling the glass school in Wanganui.
2. New Professors Auckland has named 11 new professors.
3. Aviation 25^th Massey’s School of Aviation is celebrating 25 years of operation.
4. New ECE Centre TWOA has started a new ECE centre in Gisborne.
5. Costs Award A sacked Waiariki nursing manager has been awarded $11,000 in costs – this is just the final stage of a case we covered earlier.
6. Hon Docs Owen Glenn (large donor) and Hugh Fletcher (former Chancellor) were given honorary doctorates by Auckland.
7. Extras: Lincoln’s Ann Brower on her lucky quake escape; former South Australian Premier Mike Rann is a visiting fellow at Auckland; NorthTec is getting out to the small centres; EIT Tairawhiti going smokefree and design school head changes; Massey’s Lydia Lobb giving up booze for Feb.

Research & Innovation

1. Cadmium Lincoln’s Brett Robinson is looking into locking up excess cadmium on farms with lignite.
2. Wine Auckland’s Velimir Gayevskiy and Matthew Goddard have found that unique regional wild yeasts play a role in wine.
3. Rock Lobster Victoria’s James Bell is doing DNA tests on rock lobster/crayfish.
4. Traffic Lights Otago Uni’s Rachael McLean supports traffic lights labels on food.
5. Extras: KiwiNet database (ODT); Otago Uni’s Prof Gary Wilson off to the Antarctic; Auckland’s Raina Elley on Pacific adults’ fitness; Auckland’s Steve Matthewman on SUV purchases and Campbell Jones on the Occupy movement; comments on virus research and terrorism.

Public Issues

1. Politics Victoria’s Maria Bargh on Maori Party-National Treaty discussions and again (and AUT’s Rawiri Taonui and Paul Moon too).
2. Whale Death Massey’s Stuart Hunter did a necropsy on a Bryde’s whale.
3. Extras: Harvard professor speaking at AUT; Massey’s Bob Hargreaves on house prices (and in Wellington); support for Victoria’s Winnie Laban over Pacific languages; Auckland’s Prof Des Gorman on sedentary lifestyles; Lincoln’s Prof Keith Woodford quoted over land sales; Auckland’s Peter O’Connor on charter schools; Massey’s Prof Paul Spoonley on Auckland’s growth and Massey’s Mike Joy on dairy; Massey still has 17 penguins.

Students

1. Olympics Two Waiariki paddlers off to Olympics.
2. The Naked and Famous…will play at Auckland’s Orientation.
3. Post VSM Student group EXMSS is promoting its benefits as is the association at Waiarki.
4. Extras: SIT basketballer; woman who poured petrol over herself and lit it is now off to Massey; students doing summer jobs;; Victoria Summer Shakespeare.

Stakeholders

1. Jewellery Mentors Whitireia’s Peter Deckers came up with a great idea to match grads with their jewellery role models, who then agreed to mentor them. Now the grads are having an exhibition. What a fantastic idea.
2. Extras: write Helen Lowe is in residence at Canterbury; Massey pop-up garden.

Teaching & Learning

1. Oral Health AUT is expanding its oral health provision.
2. Extras: Otago Uni summer school weaving.

1. A View on Everything This opinion piece covers almost every issue in current tertiary education in short bites. Since it is probably just written to provoke, I think I will refrain from comment.
2. WITT Rockets WITT’s enrolments are up by 50% on last year, down to PEI’s demise, WITT’s own marketing and the general environment. Congrats to them. WITT has also treated PEI staff as internal for the purpose of new WITT jobs, boosting their employment chances – nice touch.
3. WEA Trouble A WEA is in trouble in Lower Hutt.
4. TEC CFO I saw the TEC is advertising its CFO position shortly after winning an ERA case – many of you were interested in that case, so here’s the judgment (you can download the full PDF there).
5. Rod to Stay As I suggested yesterday, Rod Carr is staying at Canterbury and not applying for the Reserve Bank job.
6. Extras: NBR covers Jacqueline Rowarth’s move to Waikato; Otago Uni’s neurosurgery campaign.

Research & Innovation

1. Innovation Database KiwiNet has launched an innovation database (Unlimited, Idealog) to showcase technologies on offer for commercialisation etc.
2. Tracking Albatross Otago Uni research tracking albatross made TV3 news.
3. Volcanic Lakes Waikato composers David Griffiths and Michael Williams will be at a Volcanic Lakes Festival in Italy this month directing their compositions.
4. Siouxsie Wiles’ …research on bioluminescence at Auckland is the focus of this piece in The Listener.
5. Exercise and Brains Otago Uni researchers are looking into how exercise affects brain function.
6. Extras: Auckland’s Keith Petrie et all has been looking at patients’ thoughts about illness; molecular mechano is the focus of an academic visiting Otago Uni; Massey franchising research; Victoria’s Aidan Tabor looking at emigrant couples’ experiences.

Public Issues

1. ICT in Schools Waikato’s Noeline Wright was on TV to discuss the use of digital equipment in schools.
2. Extras: WITT’s John Hudson cooks with sprouts and peas; Auckland’s Elsie Ho on Asian immigration to Auckland; Waikato’s Prof Natalie Jackson on a rural lack of young women; AUT’s Rawiri Taonui on the SOE Treaty issue.

Students

1. Celebrating Grads Competenz is celebrating its grads by creating an honour roll publication listing grads and their employers, plus producing an alumni magazine – is this a first amongst ITOs?
2. Legal Win Open Poly students won 5/7 Legal Exec exam prizes.
3. Nurse Star Profile of Unitec ad star and nursing student.
4. Bad Start A new SIT student had her parents helping her get to town and their caravan flipped.
5. Extras: Auckland student may be off to Amazon; Victoria rugby player; Miss India NZ from Victoria; profile of new Unitec dance student; a Victoria student at Occupy Wellington.

Stakeholders

1. Charming Worms Lincoln is running an ecology nature picnic for the whole family.
2. Extras: UCOL grad in top restaurant; Unison-EIT partnership; Waikato supporting Fieldays innovation competition; fire eater at CPIT; training needs in caring for the elderly.

Teaching & Learning

1. Teach First Teach First continues to stir controversy with the NZ Herald running an op-ed by an opponent and Auckland Now running a story.
2. Extras: 30 years of nursing at WITT.

Policy, Management & People

1. Rod Off? Canterbury VC Rod Carr is one of the suggestions for new Reserve Bank governor (Stuff) – I think he’ll stay because he has a big job and there are others probably better placed for the role who have stayed in the financial sector.

Research & Innovation

1. Food Waste An Otago Uni group has formed to study ways to make the most of food waste and now they’re working out how to get some money to do it.

Public Issues

1. Wilding Pines Otago Uni’s Mick Strack gets a pretty solid rebuff to his views on wilding pines.
2. Fouling Vessels Auckland and Niwa have found that noisier ships attract more fouling from barnacles and the like (RNZ). One solution might be to shift from onboard to onshore generators when in port. Nice work.
3. Pacific Languages Victoria’s Winnie Laban is calling for Nieuan, Tokelauan and Cook Islands Maori to become official NZ languages.
4. Crafar Farms Auckland’s Jane Kelsey reckons NZ could have been sued under a free trade agreement if the Chinese bid for the Crafar farms had been turned down – funnily enough they are being sued by NZ bidders for approving it (NZN, RNZ, One News).
5. Extras: Victoria’s Lance Beath on cost sharing with the Oz military; Canterbury’s Eric Crampton on the Food Bill; Massey’s Paul Spoonley on Auckland’s population.

Students

1. Extras: two Lincoln Black Caps; Otago Uni students in anthology, throwing a discus and swimming; sevens player hopes to get to Victoria;

Stakeholders

1. In Unison Lines company Unison has opened its training centre on EIT’s campus. It’s good to see a close relationship with a company.
2. Top Chef A UCOL grad is heading the chef team at a Dubai restaurant that is 422m above the ground – the highest in the world.

Teaching & Learning

1. Selling Notes An Otago Uni student has launched a site where people can give or sell study notes from lectures.
2. Chilly Link Tai Poutini Poly now has a link to Chile’s coolly-named Instituto Vertical, which also operates down in Antarctica.
3. Science Academy The future of an Otago Uni summer science academy for school students will depend on whether it helps the students’ marks.

Policy, Management & People

1. Self-Indulgent Education? A Stuff blogger is going back to study (after having 2 degrees already) and invites her readers to comment on whether she’s being self-indulgent. She gets a few of the costs wrong, suggesting that because she’s paid back her previous loans, it doesn’t matter, but fees (even under the original loan interest rates) only covered 20-30% of costs. Anyway, have a look if you’re keen.
2. New Tauranga Campus The new BOPP-Waikato-Awanuiarangi campus in Tauranga will have free use of 0.4 hectares from the Tauranga City Council. The group is also seeking $15m from the regional council and $15m from a local energy trust. That’s a lot of money, but it’s the sort of amount that other institutions pay for themselves. Good luck to the group in finding alternative funding.
3. Rowarth Move Waikato celebrates its appointment of Prof Jacqueline Rowarth (Waikato Times). She actually gets less coverage than she deserves in ED Blog because her NBR columns are usually behind a paywall..
4. Starpath Auckland’s Starpath project, which helps to improve school performance in Auckland is expanding to a wider group of schools.
5. TEC Employment Case Former TEC CFO Rochelle Leahy lost an ERA case over unjustifiable dismissal.
6. Extras: two new Waiariki managers – Rosemary Johnson and Greg Brimmer; Auckland’s Russell Snell supports Otago Uni’s new neurological chair; steel pou being installed at Massey Albany.

Research & Innovation

1. Rat Urine Victoria’s Wayne Linklater is leading a team analysing rat urine to develop better baits for trapping them.
2. Extras: AUT’s Philippa Pidgeon has a new dance routine; Otago Uni student tagging albatrosses.

Public Issues

1. PNG Auckland’s Steven Ratuva comments on the PNG situation.
2. Extras: more dead whales to be checked out by Massey; Otago Uni’s Chris Gallavin on extradition and Bryce Edwards on teapot tapes; Auckland’s Fiona Pienaar was on Breakfast to discuss toi moko; caring for penguins at Massey.

Students

1. Aoraki’s Got Talent A new Aoraki student has done well at a talent competition. You can see the video and it’s a good song.
2. Extras: UCOL Wairarapa open day; Lincoln had a Decision Day; Aoraki baking students.

Stakeholders

1. Subway Citing Subway cited some Auckland research .
2. Extras: 2degrees and its Maori partner are putting up some big money for Auckland ICT scholarships for Maori students; Massey pop-up garden.

Teaching & Learning

1. Teach First Stuart Middleton has a thoughtful piece on Teach First – essentially he says it won’t solve the larger problems around curriculum structure facing secondary schools. There’s more from another blogger here. I think both tend to overstate Teach First’s claims, which are relatively modest, if you read them closely.
2. Science Comms Blogger Grant Jacobs opines on what should be in science communication courses.
3. CAM Teaching Blogger and Waikato academic Alison Campbell writes on whether universities should teach complementary and alternative medicines.
4. Extras: Massey’s Elizabeth Gray gets teaching award.

1. Enrolment Trends Aoraki is bursting its seams in Ashburton. Canterbury’s enrolment release was covered by RNZ and The Press.
2. Massey HB Visit VC Steve Maharey and other Massey honchos are off to Hawke’s Bay to meet the locals.
3. Extras: students have a new GP visit fee at Auckland (One News); Loons at CPIT Open Day; top UCOL jiu jitsu fighter Vaughan Antonio.

Research & Innovation

1. New Lab Surgeon Swee Tan to set up cancer/birthmark research lab at Victoria this year.
2. Antarctic Victoria’s Rob McKay is going to use a $200K PM’s science prize to fund students and some work in overseas labs.
3. Toi Moko Dating Waikato’s Nicky Cameron might be able to use possum’s tooth enamel to date toi moko – preserved heads (NZH).
4. Motorway Stormwater Auckland’s Elizabeth Fassman is involved in a test of stormwater management in Auckland – I though it was quite interesting.
5. Smoking and Booze Otago research on smoking by occupation generated stories on doctors smoking (NewstalkZB) and teachers. It led on to a story with Otago Uni’s Prof Nick Wilson making some partisan statements about smoking and booze (NZN).
6. Extras: Auckland academics comment on a new meningococcal vaccine; Massey franchising research.

Public Issues

1. Vitamin C Sir Paul Callaghan’s trial of Vitamin C to treat his cancer has not shown any positive effects.
2. Waka Auckland’s Dilys John checks out Southland waka.
3. Extras: Massey autopsy of painted hawk and checking of 50 dead birds around Rena; Auckland’s Bill Hodge on an immigration case; Massey’s David Tripe on interest rates and KiwiSaver; Otago Uni’s Prof Charlotte Paul on synthetic oestrogen; Canterbury’s Jim Tully on that poverty doco stoush.

Students

1. Vampires A Victoria student has written a vampire book with her mother.
2. Shapeshifter…to play at Unitec’s Orientation.
3. Extras: SIT cricket scholarship winner; top scholars recognised at Waikato; the body of drowned Otago Uni student has been found; Korean equine students in Christchurch’s National Trade Academy; jargon-free Auckland debating release.

Stakeholders

1. Android Phones Google gave Victoria 50 Android-based phones and they’re been used extensively by students for developing Android apps.

Policy & Management

1. Canterbury Discounts? Canterbury has turned down an apparent request for a discount by Christchurch City Council, just after the Council gave its CE a pay rise. Putting aside the local politics, it would seem reasonable for a large organisation to seek a discount from a university, but in Canterbury’s case they’ve had their tuition funding guaranteed already by the government, so tuition fee income is the only new income they’ll get.
2. Virtual Gallery AUT has developed a virtual gallery space for students to display art – they think it’ a world first.
3. Student Services Unitec has signed a student services agreement with their students’ assn. Massey seems to have struck a tighter deal with students and the newspaper at Palmie, Chaff, may go, to be replaced by a monthly publication with Massey Wellington. Why no-one is setting up a group blog, rather than a physical paper, is beyond me.
4. Literacy Workbase’s Katherine Percy is using the slow period to good effect, by promoting adult workforce literacy – the NZ Herald has a good story.
5. Extras: Canterbury Ballet School is moving some classes to Nelson (Nelson story).

Research & Innovation

1. Extras: Waikato research to improve lake quality.

Public Issues

1. NZ & US/China Victoria’s Robert Ayson discusses NZ’s options after the US decision to focus its military on Asia (read China).
2. Balloon Crash AUT’s Max Abbott on the psychological impact on people in Carterton.
3. Sea Lions Otago Uni’s Bruce Robertson on sea lions (TV3) and their risk of extinction.
4. Extras: Otago Uni’s Jim Mann on obesity; National and Labour defended themselves against an Otago Uni academic’s accusation of favouritism toward the food industry; Massey’s Peter Lineham on Destiny Church; David Rankin disagreeing with AUT’s Paul Moon.

Students

1. Extras: $7m of student earnings thru SJS at Otago Uni last year (release); Waikato student into car racing; Victoria student helped out with an archaeological job.

Stakeholders

1. Extras: EIT paid to restore a Goldie print.

Teaching & Learning

1. Vampires…are the focus of a summer school course at Otago Uni by Garth Cartwright. Meanwhile, dance students are heading to India.
2. Extras: Canterbury’s Alison Ogier-Price teaching happiness.

1. Whitireia Buildings Whitireia has pulled out of a $3m contribution to a performing arts development in Porirua, both because they’ve moved their course into Wellington and approved a $20m development at Porirua for classrooms etc to replace prefabs. It’s upset some people in Porirua, but it’s hard to fault the priorities.
2. Industry Training The MOE will be getting a strong submission from Horticulture NZ on the industry training review.
3. Congrats Richard Richard Handley, WITT CE, has been congratulated by iwi on meeting Treaty responsibilities.
4. Titles Race? Ha ha, last week I suggested that Auckland’s appointment of 13 Distinguished Professors might start an arms race around titles and now Lincoln has named one! To be fair, the decision would have been made before Auckland’s release, but it does look like a developing trend anyway.
5. VSM Hearing Te Mana Akonga has apparently gained a Waitangi Tribunal hearing into its claims about VSM legislation.
6. Tough Competition The Spirit of Adventure is running a special trip for unemployed 17-20 year olds.
7. Raukawa App Te Wananga O Raukawa has had some bad news recently but I just came across this cool app they have, eWai, that has waiata tawhito on it. If I have it correctly, they are the traditional chants heard on marae.
8. Extras: Victoria now has the triple crown of business school accreditation; Methven summer school enrolments; new construction and student facilities at UCOL Wairarapa.

Research & Innovation

1. Food Science Lincoln’s first professor of food science, Charles Brennan, sees a bright future in the area for NZ.
2. Extras: Auckland cigarette research; three Canterbury researchers to give papers at human-computer interaction conference; new Victoria climate change book.

Public Issues

1. Aviation Oddity The person who allegedly impersonated Massey’s Frank Sharp, head of the aviation school, in an email that was entered into evidence at a coroner’s inquiry into an aviation accident has been revealed. It turns out that Peter Kirker, a CAA employee (he resigned last week), may have sent the email but the charges will be defended. This is very odd, but has got media coverage from RNZ, NewstalkZB, APNZ, APNZ, One News, NZN, Dom Post, Fairfax and Fairfax.
2. Summer Reading Massey’s Prof Tom Nicholson has devised a kids summer reading programme, funded by a donation, to stop kids falling back in reading ability during the break.
3. Charter Schools Auckland’s Peter O’Connor gets a swerve from Karl Du Fresne over charter schools views.
4. Extras: Unitec’s Keith Rankin on the global debt crisis; Massey’s Chris Wilkins on the war on P; Auckland’s Michael Littlewood on KiwiSaver; Otago Uni’s Najib Lafraie on an Otago Museum exhibition; Waiariki’s Narissa Bayler on social media tribute pages; WITT’s Robyn Trewern making salads.

Students

1. SVA Nelson The Student Volunteer Army is heading off to help in Nelson.
2. Glacier Art Auckland student Amelia Hitchcock collaborated with Massey’s Martin Brook and Rob Dykes to create art on a glacier lake.
3. EIT…fashion end of year show (nice pics) and art exhibition.
4. Extras: Canterbury grads get fire safety design awards in Singapore.

Stakeholders

1. Squid AUT is showing off its giant squid at Auckland Museum this summer.
2. Rowing Lincoln’s Martin Berka is rowing across the Tasman (with a group) but is battling a bad foot infection (release).
3. Extras: Unitec’s Jamie Lane is also a top snowboarding coach/selector; Otago Uni’s Dave Gerrard moonlights as the chair of the Drowning Prevention Council; Waikato’s Prof David Hamilton helping improve lake quality; Massey is supporting a new Wellington Fashion Week.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: ATITO’s first carding technician grad; EIT’s new music programme.

1. Agencies Differ Over Pilot School A Palmerston North flying school, Wings Flight Training Academy, seems at high risk of closure after the International Education Appeal Authority found that accommodation and settling in of students were not up to standards. The IEAA has recommended six months suspension for the provider, during which time no students could be enrolled. On the other hand, NZQA’s EER report in June had the following text (you decide who is right – NB NZQA has made a statement in the comments for this post):

   “Students are guided and supported well from the time they arrive in New Zealand to when they leave. They are met at the airport on arrival and introduced to New Zealand culture, which is very different to Indian culture. Most stay in the accommodation provided by WFTA which has separate houses for the male and female students, an arrangement the students’ parents expect and appreciate. As discussed earlier in this report, the chief flying instructor acts as a respected father figure which encourages parents to recommend WFTA to their children and helps students feel safe and secure, as they would at home.

   Students interviewed by the evaluation team commented that they were disciplined and counselled which showed that the academy was concerned for them and believed that they could succeed. They agreed that the accommodation provided, including the separation of the men and women and the bans on smoking and alcohol, were appropriate and helped them to stay focussed on their study and to make the most of their time at the academy.”

   The rating for learner guidance and support area was excellent for performance and self-assessment.

2. Grant’s Back Grant Robertson is back as Labour’s tertiary education spokesperson, while David Shearer keeps science and innovation. Recent Otago Uni hall of residence warden David Clark picks up associate tertiary.
3. Extras: Ag ITO’s AgExcel expands to quad bike tutors.

Research & Innovation

1. Fish Ears An Otago Uni PhD student is doing geochemical analysis of fish ear bones and it has a useful purpose.
2. Smoking Auckland’s Natalie Walker has been trialling some low nicotine cigarettes, which sound promising as part of a smoking cessation programme. This story also cites Otago/Auckland Uni research.
3. Canterbury Treasure A new book on Canterbury’s treasure is being launched in March, profiling the Library’s best holdings.
4. Extras: Otago Uni Maori research report; $100K donation to Otago Uni zebrafish facility.

Public Issues

1. Medication Labels Otago Uni’s David Reith wants medication packaging to focus on active ingredients rather than brands, to reduce the risk of over-medication.
2. Domestic Violence Retiring academic Ruth Busch (Waikato) says domestic violence is not dealt with well due to biases in the legal system.
3. Extras: Robert Patman on Kim Jong-il; Otago Uni’s Jim Mann on sedentary Kiwis (people); Otago Uni HIV figures cited; Victoria’s Dean Knight makes the news in Southland over knighthoods.

Students

1. Hitchhiking A UCOL student hitchhiked from Dannevirke to Palmie four days a week this year.
2. Extras: school maths teacher developing skills at Massey; Auckland law student at Durban climate change conference; Waiariki students raised $4K for a hospice.

Stakeholders

1. Queensland Trouble A jilted sculptor is trying to get Auckland’s Michael Parekowhai to withdraw from his sculpture competition win.
2. League Whitireia is linking up with a local league club.
3. Extras: Victoria mourns passing of Vaclav Havel; the wife of Prof Leon Phillips is spotting bears while he is on a fellowship in Colorado; Auckland-National Library collaboration on map records.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Otago Poly trades academy ready to start in Central Otago in 2012;

Policy & Management

1. PEI Job Losses Job losses are on the cards at New Plymouth’s Practical Education Institute, after the TEC has threatened it with lower funding due to poor completions (and has probably pretty much finalised its decisions). It is sad to see job losses but I’m happy to see TEC taking a hard line over performance across the country. More jobs will be created at other organisations with money reallocated for poor performing organisations.
2. No Raukawa Pay Cut Well, it seems that the Te Wananga O Raukawa CE has not had a pay cut – RNZ has corrected an earlier report. Meanwhile, Tariana Turia wished them well.
3. Flight Training Problems A flight safety consultancy has given advice to the Civil Aviation Authority about safety for trainee pilots. It turns out that there are quite a few deaths and near misses – many more than in the 90s even after correcting for extra training being done.
4. WelTec Precinct WelTec will have some planning certainty under a proposed education precinct by their Petone campus – the proposal will be out for consultation next year.
5. Extras: NMIT Chair Ross Butler is chairing a new AMI-related Crown company (release); Dame Malvina Major joins Waikato staff.

Research & Innovation

1. PM’s Science Prizes The PM’s Science Prizes were announced on Friday (Stuff, idealog, RNZ), with the $500K top award going to a NIWA-Otago Uni team working on climate change (ODT, NZN, Hot Topic, Otago release). Victoria’s Rob McKay won $200K for his work as an emerging scientist on glacial deposits (release, NBR). The $100K science media communication prize went to Canterbury’s Mark Quigley, for his quake work (release). Nina Huang won the secondary student’s $50K prize and will go on to study at Auckland, where she found supervision for a science project this year.
2. Signage Research I love this story about UCOL photographers going on a road trip to check out signage in 43 towns around NZ. I’d love to read the full analysis, if there is one.
3. Robots Auckland Uni’s big robotics study is going to get underway with 31 robots being part of six separate projects at a retirement village. They are doing some seriously interesting stuff.
4. Performance Stunt Auckland’s Chris Harvey is planning a performance work involving people laid off by government or otherwise feeling vulnerable. This will make news next year when it runs.
5. Bar Smoke Otago Uni’s Nick Wilson and Richard Edwards have found that second-hand smoke still gets you at bars even if you stay inside.
6. TV=Dole? AUT’s Erik Landhuis has found that TV watching as a child is correlated with later unemployment.
7. Extras: Victoria’s Devon Polaschek busting psychopath myths (RNZ, NZ Herald); Lincoln-CBRE survey on Christchurch office space; Massey’s Phil Broadhurst has a new jazz album; Otago Uni research cited on male grooming and on alcohol; Massey’s involvement in WW1 history project; Otago Uni’s Peter Saxton has done an HIV survey; Otago Uni’s Bruce Robertson on sealions; Otago Uni’s Prof Brian Cox wants Fonterra research money.

Public Issues

1. Politics Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards does some interesting analysis of Dunedin South’s voting pattern at the election; AUT’s Prof Rawiri Taonui on Maori party leadership;
2. Extras: Otago Poly’s Jean Ross on community nursing; Auckland’s Charles Clifton on buildings’ earthquake resilience; Otago Uni’s Miles Lamar on Wellington jellyfish; Otago Uni emeritus Prof Air Alan Mark on opencast mining; AUT’s Grant Schofield on living a healthy life; Auckland’s Prof Bill Hodge on a league player’s name suppression; AUT’s Prof Max Abbott on stingy men; Lincoln’s Caroline Saunders mentioned for her role in a climate change roadshow.

Students

1. Otago Fees Homepaddock complains about the Otago Uni-OUSA fees deal (RNZ), which sparked off many comments, while Steven Joyce offered a toothless warning, as he knew this would happen when he set his regulations. Meanwhile, Orientation will have big events at the new covered stadium (release), but will also feature some more academic elements as the Uni exercises its new financial power over the students’ assn.
2. Floods NMIT managed to put together a small graduation for its international students, after floods caused the cancellation of the main event. Meanwhile two Otago Uni students got married regardless of flood complications – here’s a pic of the happy couple.
3. Piper A Japanese student piped herself to her own graduation.
4. Extras: editorial about EIT art graduate exhibition; Auckland hockey player; profile of Victoria scriptwriter; Waikato busker, with kilt; Miss Hawkes Bay off to Massey; Media Design School has four films in a Bondi competition; Auckland student with cochlear implants.

Stakeholders

1. Sculpture Win Auckland’s Michael Parekowhai has won a Queensland sculpture competition. Here’s the Queensland release and the proposal image is below.
2. DHB Support Taranaki DHB offers 24 scholarships worth $85K to health students;
3. Extras: grads of AUT course run by The Heart Foundation; Lincoln award to Margaret Evans; Auckland and AUT jointly hosted the launch of a Pacific book; AUT involvement in Pacific media research website.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: UCOL sport students working with primary schools.