1. The Communications and Media ITO is now offering the NC in Business Administration and Computing L2 and L3.
2. The ETITO is offering similar quals through a specialist website, Skills Plus, where you can sign up for the NC Business Administration and Computing L3, NC in Business Administration L4 and NC in Business (First Line Management).

The latter site is quite interesting because it doesn’t seem bound to any industry and only has a $50 annual fee (plus a $500 bonus payment to employers upon completion). It seems like quite a good way to build up scale in relatively easy to deliver qualifications.

Back in the mid-90s, ED did a feasibility study for a Computing ITO and the only way they were going to make money was by running something like Skills Plus, focused on basic user ICT training across the workforce. The computing industry wasn’t that interested in the idea (they quite reasonably cared more about software developers) and didn’t establish the ITO (although the idea of an ITO comes up again every few years). Still, offering basic business admin courses in the workforce seems like a simple enough idea and there’s plenty of demand for it.

I’m just wondering whether more ITOs are doing the same thing. Any ideas from readers? Is it a reaction to tougher funding rules affecting other qualifications or just a coincidence?

Policy, Management & People

1. Get Exporting! In what must be one of his silliest public comments, Steven Joyce said in a NZ Herald op-ed that the main problem facing the University of Auckland is that it doesn’t have enough international students and it should work harder to get them. Maybe, just maybe, other factors also have an effect. I have a lot of time for Joyce but that column is just a blinkered joke. Having spent yesterday reading Auckland’s 2011 annual report for ED Insider, I don’t think the Uni is sitting on their hands waiting for helpful advice like “get exporting”, especially since they’re the biggest education exporter in the country…
2. Teacher Ed Hekia Parata, Minister of Education, announced yesterday that a postgrad qual would be a new prerequisite for teachers. Massey’s Prof James Chapman loved the idea because he’s just approved the same changes (colleague Prof John O’Neill disagreed), while a primary school principal spokesperson didn’t like it. Victoria’s Dugald Scott helpfully punctured the idea that class sizes are everything – if they were, universities would be in trouble.
3. PBRF Costs TEU reps, past and present, comment on the impact of the PBRF on redundancies and research activity.
4. WIE Wins Dispute Waikato Institute of Education won in the Disputes Tribunal after student claims of wrongdoing.
5. Sport Space Otago Poly will be getting a new sports hub.
6. Extras: Wanganui vet likes Massey’s vet facility plans; WITT hosted Chinese delegation; Auckland remembered they won a good employer award 13 days ago; Otago Uni’s Prof Keith Hunter on using Singapore as a science model.

Research & Innovation

1. Port Hills Canterbury’s Ben Mackey is using new techniques to explore ancient earthquakes in Christchurch’s Port Hills.
2. Antarctica South Korea’s building a $90m Antarctic research station and Canterbury’s
   Prof Bryan Storey will be liaising with them (release). Some academics were also in this book on science on the ice.
3. Extras: Otago Uni’s Fiona Gunasekara on income and health; Massey alumni’s terrorist analysis; Massey PhD on motherhood; Victoria PhD student’s drug research; Fed Farmers supports Otago Uni look into coroners’ recommendations.

Public Issues

1. Marine Resources Three academics comment on a RSNZ piece on marine resources/environment.
2. Europe Auckland’s David Mayes on the Euro crisis.
3. Business Development Massey’s Claire Massey on business support and an upcoming conference.
4. Pirate Party The Pirate Party might launch out of Waikato, or not.
5. Extras: Otago Uni’s Tony Blakely on prescription fee hikes; Otago Uni’s James Henry on cruise ship passengers; Auckland’s Cameron Grant on whooping cough; Massey’s David Tripe on interest rates; Canterbury visiting fellow on EQC model; Victoria’s Rachel McKee on deaf interpreters and Peter Thompson on the Commerce Act.

Students

1. Car Crash A US student remains in critical condition, while the bodies of her three fellow students have been released by Police.
2. Nice Recovery An Otago Uni student is recovering well from a spinal injury last year.
3. Olympics Vision College has a distance student, Andy Moloney, gearing up for the Laser Class dinghy racing in London.
4. Extras: Canterbury rugby player; success for Taratahi/AgITO trainees; sports turf grad at Dunedin stadium; SkyCity apprentice chef wins regional competition.

Stakeholders

1. Winston…was speaking at Wintec.
2. Kingitanga Day…was held at Waikato yesterday.
3. Diversity Unitec is up for an ethnic diversity award.
4. Employer Award Auckland has given Bayleys an award as a good graduate employer.
5. Extras: Hekia Parata praises Canterbury Pacific outreach programme; Aoraki body-painter does fundraiser; emeritus prof Ivan Snook honoured by Massey; Massey Writers Read Week;

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: prisoners learning first aid.

Policy, Management & People

1. Nursing Investigation UCOL, NMIT and Waiariki are being investigated by NZQA over allegations of shonky entry standards by Indian nursing students.
2. Vet School Massey is going to spend $75m to improve its veterinary facilities, so it can boost intakes from 100 to 140 (Fairfax, NewstalkZB).
3. Easy to Qualify Some old timers think that today’s trade quals are too easy to get and want to bring back exams.
4. New Dean Auckland has attracted Prof Robert Greenberg from CUNY to be its new Dean of the Faculty of Arts (NewstalkZB).
5. VSM David Farrar on students’ assn perfidy and Salient had an anonymous column on Victoria’s alleged plans to undermine the students’ assn.
6. Making Up Figures Rod Oram said “our universities have the lowest funding per student in the developed world” which seems completely false to me. I’d love to see his source for that.
7. Loans and Allowances Salient on loans and allowances, a Dom Post editorial and school students at an open day. Also Indian Newslink (and again and again).
8. Extras: TEU on council petition; protests against Canterbury cuts (The Press); silly Massey graphic; NZUSA challenged by students over stance on asset sales; WWF wants the TEC to promote sustainability; Massey responds to teacher ed concerns.

Research & Innovation

1. Pygmy Elephants A Victoria PhD student has been researching pygmy elephants in Borneo.
2. Cost of Laws Otago Uni public health researchers estimated the costs of developing laws (RNZ, Homepaddock, NBR).
3. 3D Guitars We mentioned the 3D printed guitars form Massey yesterday, but this link has a video with the maker playing it.
4. Backyard Science Canterbury’s Mark Quigley dug up his own backyard to find old liquefaction.
5. Extras: rare plant blooms at Waikato; NetSafe cites Auckland research; Southland Times editorial on Canterbury virtual spiders; Massey researchers found some Kiwis don’t like ethnic signs; Otago Uni’s Prof John Campbell on the ageing population and Anthony Watts on an undersea volcano.

Public Issues

1. Employment Disputes Auckland’s Bill Hodge offered views on current disputes.
2. Extras: Victoria’s Susan Corbett on VPN provision; Otago Uni’s Shane Sexton on school science; Canterbury’s Chris Gallavin on insanity defences; Waikato’s Doug Boer on cycles of abuse; academics on taxing Sky to pay for the TV they like.

Students

1. Name for Sale A Media Design School student is selling his name on TradeMe to raise money for setting up a business
2. Fatal Crash AUT offered condolences for an American exchange student of theirs (and the two Auckland students) who died in the car crash (we reported it was all Auckland students yesterday). Police following up (release, 3 News) and road safety questioned after fatal crash with American students. One of the students remains in critical condition.
3. Mural Nice big mural by CPIT staff and students, with the community.
4. Extras: university project leads to dining site; Otago Uni singer; Aoraki student-built house sold; apprenticeships at Dunedin career expo; person who attacked Otago Uni student jailed; Dunedin student business competition; Canterbury night surfers; BOPP wrestler; art grad talking to Waiariki artists; Canterbury tweeters.

Stakeholders

1. PR Win Canterbury staff won a PRINZ award for their PR work during the quakes as did some AUT students for another project.
2. Theatre AUT has agreed a partnership with Auckland Theatre Company.
3. Extras: Open Poly supporting policy and wellbeing conference; Otago Uni grad with lecture notes selling site; Waikato VC meets Rotary.

Teaching & Learning

1. APL Otago Poly APL/RPL seminars.
2. Extras: Massey Albany teaching and learning unit relocation.

Policy, Management & People

1. World Class Salaries Canterbury’s Eric Crampton makes a blatant play for a higher salary but make some interesting points along the way about how salary setting in NZ universities may disadvantage some areas.
2. Buildings UCOL wants to demolish an old building so that they can build a new one with Maori groups.
3. Teacher Ed More on Massey teacher ed changes (RNZ) with NZEI disagreeing with the move.
4. Councils OUSA wants to keep student representation on uni councils.
5. New Chair Prof Sally Poppitt has taken up the new Fonterra-funded Chair in Human Nutrition at Auckland.
6. Extras: the Greens’ Catherine Delahunty on ACE; Otago Uni is part of the Dunedin stadium cost overruns story (RNZ, Fairfax, NewstalkZB, One News); big graduation at Awanuiarangi to mark 20 years, while NZ Tertiary College celebrated 30 years; Otago Uni quake fixes in Christchurch; Otago Uni tramper still missing (Fairfax); Le Cordon Bleu is winning a trademark fight (and gaining a MasterChef contestant); Christchurch rebuild costs (RNZ, APNZ); NZ Herald is about a year late on predicting the post-quake location of Saudi students; Critic on loans and allowances; Auckland fire alarms; NZAS conference follow-up.

Research & Innovation

1. Hotels and Feng Shui AUT’s Jill Poulston and Rene Bennett have proved links between feng shui evaluations and hotels’ success. The write-up is a little vague…
2. 3D Guitars Massey’s Olaf Diegelmade has created electric guitars via 3D printing.
3. Spinoffs The NZ Herald looks at spinoffs from Auckland.
4. MacDiarmid Auckland is joining the MacDiarmid Institute as a full partner.
5. Bullying An Otago Uni study, with Australian Catholic Uni, has looked into schools’ bullying policies (Fairfax). This sparked more comment by Auckland’s Ian Lambie (who also commented on child pornography) and Massey’s Ann Ryan.
6. Robots Otago Uni PhD on collaborative robots sounds interesting.
7. Extras: Auckland’s Prof Cliona Ni Mhurchu on salt in food; Lincoln Psa virus report (One News); David Farrar on Otago Uni income mobility report; Victoria assessment of police safety orders; Auckland’s Trecia Wouldes on drinking in pregnancy; Otago Uni coronial review.

Public Issues

1. Drugs Canterbury’s Jarrod Gilbert offers thoughts on drug smuggling in Akaroa and Greg Newbold comments about prison guards getting drugs to inmates.
2. Maori Heads AUT’s Paul Moon inspired a story on toi moko.
3. Death Canterbury’s Ruth McManus on death in a big feature in The Press.
4. Fish Dumping Auckland’s Glenn Simmons on filming of fish dumping.
5. Extras: Victoria’s Trevor Bradley on keeping track of those on bail; NZ Herald editorial on TPP letter by academics; Unitec’s Keith Rankin on austerity; UCOL lecturer on foie gras protests (Whale Oil); Massey’s Karyn O’Keeffe on sleep and obesity; Otago Uni’s Erika Wolf to give a talk on a photographer’s work and Philippa Howden-Chapman on home insulation; Auckland’s Ellis on tabloid-size newspapers; Auckland visiting lecturer on babies and toddlers; Auckland’s Susan St John on family planning, Prof Rob Brodie on branding and Douglas Elliffe on coffee pricing.

Students

1. Fatal Crash Three Boston University students on exchange at the University of Auckland have died in a car crash south of Turangi, with five more admitted to hospital (one critical). Their vehicle went into the gravel on the left side of the road and then flipped after a correction (Fairfax, 3 News, RNZ, One News, RadioLIVE, RadioLIVE). The first people on the scene were another carload of the same group – they were all on their way to do the Tongariro Crossing, as part of a plan to see Lord of the Rings sites. RBZ bizarrely headlined a story as “University touched by NZ support over deaths” as though it was important that NZ was thanked. The Herald on Sunday had more sensitive coverage of the reaction in Boston (NewstalkZB, Fairfax, NZN, 3 News). The car rolled outside the house of an ex-paramedic and his eight year old daughter, who both helped the injured (3 News). A road safety campaigner talked about the problem of gravel road edges (NewstalkZB). Five other American students were rescued off Mt Ngauruhoe via helicopter (3 News) and had dinner with their rescuers last night.
2. Tweet Your Thesis…is a competition at Canterbury.
3. 60kg That’s how much weight a Victoria student lost.
4. Imagine Cup Otago Uni Imagine Cup competitors (and a judge’s perspective).
5. Tensions There’s some tensions between We Are The University and VUWSA.
6. Extras: Massey women’s soccer team; Japanese SIT soccer player; Lincoln netballer; Auckland student talking about Facebook; David Farrar on VSM, NZUSA and asset sales; UCOL baker; Lincoln students fundraising; Colin Slade back to studies; SJS Otago stats; students cleaning up abandoned Christchurch sites; AUT parking problem.

Stakeholders

1. Fat Duck BOPP’s Lee Pearce has close links to the Fat Duck restaurant and Heston Blumenthal.
2. MEPs Some MEPs visited Lincoln.
3. Fudan University Day…at Otago Uni.
4. Extras: Waikato open day (and Massey Albany); Otago Uni’s Judy Bellingham giving charity concert; BOPP to get Rena lifeboat; Victoria saddened by death of ex-Cook Islands PM Sir Geoffrey Henry; review of Massey drama society production; Whitireia grads win radio awards; Otago Poly’s Kerry Adams at virtual midwives’ conference; Otago Uni PE wall of fame; career planning for Otago school students; fertiliser education programme to be launched at Waikato.

Teaching & Learning

1. Trades Academy Wintec is involved in a new trades academy based in Te Kuiti.
2. Extras: Massey mediation classes sell out; CPIT social media courses; ATTTO on their new Maori tourism qual.

Policy, Management & People

1. Creative Industries The Nelson Mail had a good article on the shift of NMIT’s school of arts and media to a school of creative industries. There’s also an accompanying comment piece.
2. Extras: Otago Uni staffer missing after a tramp; Tariana Turia recognised Sir Mason Durie’s work (RNZ).

Research & Innovation

1. 1820s History AUT’s Prof Paul Mon is releasing a new history on 1820s New Zealand (I bet this gets lots of press).
2. Income Mobility Otago Uni’s Kristie Carter and Fiona Imlach Gunasekara have found both income mobility and chronic low income (RNZ, NZ Herald). Treasury and Bill English liked the income mobility, while the Greens focused on the low income.
3. Lego Canterbury’s Christoph Bartneck is cataloguing Lego figures (there are photos).
4. Industrial Coating Susan Krumdieck’s team at Canterbury has developed an interesting industrial coating process.
5. Self-Harm Victoria’s Marc Wilson on self-harm – (I misspelled Marc’s name yesterday).
6. Burial Rituals Otago Uni’s Nancy Beaven and Sian Halcrow have been investigating burial rituals in Cambodia (New Zealand News.net).
7. Extras: another op-ed on Dr Bogan; exhibition by Massey’s Lee Jensen; academics on structural steel; Auckland dolphin DNA tests; Lincoln kiwifruit PSA virus research (RNZ, NZ Herald); Massey’s Mary Paul editing Robin Hyde’s writings; Canterbury start-ups in running for tech awards (RNZ).

Public Issues

1. Extras: Auckland’s Tom Agee on fair trade; AUT’s Max Abbott on gambling.

Students

1. Olympics Waiariki kayakers have checked out the Olympic course.
2. Extras: Waikato students’ balloon; Otago Uni singers competing; NZUSA opposition to asset sales; Waikato rugby player makes U-20 NZ team.

Stakeholders

1. Crayons CPIT staff and students helped develop a big crayon drawing at Sumner.
2. Extras: Otago Uni PE wall of fame; more on TWOA/Auckland grants by community trust; Auckland’s Dr Airini to speak at Business NZ-Every Child Counts event; International Travel College sponsoring Bellyful NZ; search function added to Canterbury’s CEISMIC digital archive.

Teaching & Learning

1. WITT Uniforms WITT’s nursing students have a new bright blue uniform.
2. Spiders A NorthTec student will be checking out spiders’ habitat.
3. Extras: UCOL lecturer’s MS stretch class; EIT film students getting good help; Ag ITO’s Farming to Succeed programme looks good.

• Steven Joyce announced the changes, which was reported by 3 News, RNZ, NZ Herald, Fairfax (315 comments), Fairfax, 3 News, NewstalkZB (and earlier), NZN, One News, NZN,
• Follow-up stories this morning included Fairfax, NewstalkZB, RNZ, NZ Herald, NZ Herald, Otago students saying people might be put off study (and in Manawatu and Nelson)
• Labour said it sent a message that grads were better off in Aussie and Grant Robertson complained about Joyce’s timing and had a Fairfax op-ed.
• Child Poverty Action Group said it would intensify poverty traps.
• Other comment came from halfdone, NZ Herald cartoon, No Right Turn (and again), EXMSS VP, EXMSS and AUSA.

Policy, Management & People

1. Academic Salaries Universities NZ released a report on academic salaries (RNZ, Sciblogs).
2. Fund Design! Massey Prof Tony Parker (and Designers Institute of NZ prez) wants STEM funding to extend to design. Scientists like the extra money though.
3. Wintec $$/Chair Wintec chair Gordon Chesterman is standing down after 10 years, after a good surplus.
4. Extras: Waikato network security and arson; Canterbury-TEU arts courses mediation; Victoria fashion designer; TEU on gender pay gap, union membership benefits, Canterbury-CPIT links; Beijing delegation at Whitireia.

Research & Innovation

1. Hobbit Otago Uni’s Prof Ian McAndrew has checked out Hobbit employment law.
2. Wanganui Auckland’s Jason Ingham might help out Wanganui’s old buildings.
3. Police Safety Otago Uni academics checked out the safety of people in police vests.
4. Extras: Victoria marine rights study; Otago Uni-DHB health research excellence awards; Canterbury’s Alex Yip on catalytic applications.

Public Issues

1. MFAT Victoria’s Robert Ayson on MFAT restructuring and Terence O’Brien on closing Scandinavian embassies.
2. Asking for It Otago Uni’s Prof Doug Sellman has pretty much said that an assault victim was “asking for it” because he went out to a bar late at night, backing up a judge.
3. Extras: Treasury panel involving Victoria’s Bob Buckle; Auckland research on not for profit governance; more euthanasia debate; Otago Uni student on China/India arms race; Massey’s Jon Palmer on meat use by dates; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on voting and Janet Hoek on banning smoking.

Students

1. Playing Possum Students in Dunedin are drinking in trees until they fall out – it’s called Possum (ODT).
2. Good Builders BCITO research shows building apprentices are on to it.
3. Darts Otago Uni’s paper plane champs competitor.
4. Extras: Rhodes Scholar from Waikato; Otago Uni netballer; Aoraki student’s hat and hair creation wins; Wintec javelinist; SIT student disgusted by vandalism; Unitec’s Imagine Cup entry on diabetes; Auckland sports tournaments; Clubs and Societies upgrade at Otago Uni – and law students win in Dublin; Unitec student farewells vet killed by elephant; Canterbury students doing volunteer work; Massey student’s Nobel inspiration.

Stakeholders

1. Massey News Massey experts are going to be a key part of a new TV3 news show.
2. Extras: Wanganui/Palmie expos; Auckland’s Sarah Trotman speaks at business awards; NZ music month at BOPP.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Gateway students at Auckland airport.

Policy, Management & People

1. Canterbury Explosion A lab explosion caused media near-hysteria yesterday afternoon (NZ Herald, RNZ, NewstalkZB, 3 News, Fairfax, NZN), but the flask that shattered during a purification exercise caused a hand injury to a student and a minor neck injury to a second student.
2. Waikato Arson Vigilant Waikato security guards helped foil a campus arsonist (RNZ, Waikato Times).
3. Student Support Labour’s Grant Robertson said the Government was proposing a graduate pay cut (nice line). The CTU didn’t like the proposed changes, while AUSA was deeply concerned, VUWSA decided to go for John Banks’ comments from a week or more ago, NZUSA said dropping the repayment loan threshold would go beyond the pale, an author at The Standard went for intergenerational theft and the Manawatu Standard managed not to say much at all. David Farrar has some brief comments and Homepaddock criticises NZUSA’s arguments.
4. Prison Education Big boost in NZQF credits earned by prisoners.
5. STEM $$ There’ll be extra money in the Budget for STEM EFTS.
6. Extras: more on Auckland engineering facilities upgrade; nice profile of Canterbury earthquake engineer Brendon Bradley.

Research & Innovation

1. Offshore Drilling Not the normal type – Otago Uni’s Virginia Toy is drilling into faults off Japan.
2. Extras: Whale Oil on bogan PhD; Otago Uni’s Mark Lokman on hapuku farming.

Public Issues

1. Extras: resistance to Mike Joy’s call for eel ban; AUT Pacific media freedom video.

Students

1. Butchers Battle Its competition time for apprentice butchers, in a competition run by the Retail Meat ITO.
2. Extras: Massey and Raukawa in Manawatu netball.

Stakeholders

1. London Olympics AUT’s Prof Mark Orams off to coach yachting at the Olympics. Auckland’s Selina Tusitala Marsh is off to the London poetry Olympics.
2. Red Dot Massey’s industrial design expertise has been recognised in the Red Dot Design Awards.
3. Extras: Unitec is supporting the Waitemata DHB’s kids ward; Auckland scientists helped with geothermal display; Waikato’s Kingitanga Day.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: EIT’s Suzette Major running workshops for artists;

Policy, Management & People

1. Big Budget Hints John Key gave a pretty mild speech covering loans and other issues yesterday, but follow-up comments to reporters suggested that the 10% repayment rate would go up and that allowances would also be cut (RNZ, 3 News, Fairfax, NZ Herald, NZN, NZN, NewstalkZB, One News, Whale Oil, NZN, NZ Herald, Fairfax, Kiwiblog) . NZUSA put out releases about the loans and allowances changes, and student politician Dave Crampton wrote a blog post. The Greens’ Holly Walker also put out a release about allowances.
2. Drama at Canterbury CPIT and Canterbury discussed transferring Canterbury’s theatre and film studies department to CPIT. CPIT refused in the end but staff and the TEU are upset.
3. Debt Collection SIT staff are visiting classes to chase up students who haven’t paid their fees.
4. $216m That’s how much will be spent on refurbishing Auckland’s engineering faculty.
5. Where Have the Teachers Gone? The TEU’s Sandra Grey has a cheeky media release trying to use Quarterly Employment Survey stats to show a 4,000 drop over the last year in education and training employees. The data isn’t reliable at the industry level – it also shows a drop from 126K to 104K in the last quarter…
6. Uni Rankings The NZ Herald calls for quality not quantity over university enrolments, picking up on Stuart McCutcheon’s op-ed. Canterbury’s Eric Crampton also commented.
7. Extras: Massey has appointed Andy Martin to promote applied learning (in a fairly impenetrable media release); Otago Uni working hard to attract top students .

Research & Innovation

1. Commercialisation Auckland gave out commercialisation medals to some top performers to recognise their work. Nice idea.
2. Dolphins A Massey PhD student is studying dolphins in the Sounds.
3. Extras: Massey’s Barry McDonald has helped develop a writing assessment tool; Victoria/Auckland/Otago research on hospital productivity; Auckland’s Elizabeth Broadbent on asthma texting research; more on bogan PhD.

Public Issues

1. Quake Lincoln’s Ann Brower on the Christchurch buildings that fell on the bus she was in.
2. Alcohol Medical students have supported the alcohol purchase age going up. Act on Campus disagree.
3. Refugees AUT’s Prof Max Abbott on refugees (he’s having a bust couple of weeks).
4. Extras: AUT”s Alan Cocker on online news reading; Victoria’s David Lawrence on Shakespeare; Chris Trotter cites Nigel Roberts and Bryce Edwards; Auckland’s Natalie Walker on candy cigarettes and Prof David Williams on Ngati Whatua o Orakei settlement; Victoria’s John Overton on business focus of aid; Auckland’s Mike Rann to give a seminar on leadership in policy making; Victoria’s Chris Marshall on Jesus advertising; Waikato’s Prof David Lowe scoffs at flood risk; Auckland’s Trish Wouldes on drug users’ babies.

Students

1. Student Friendly An op-ed by ex-Salient co-editor on Wellington’s friendliness to students.
2. Extras: Whitireia theatre production; Invercargill panel beater was MITO’s top apprentice; WITT singer; Waiariki golfer.

Stakeholders

1. Imagine Cup Two AUT students and an Auckland student won the Imagine Cup, although Auckland chose to focus on their domination of the finals (their teams were 2, 3 and 4). Other coverage came from Microsoft, ComputerWorld, iStart, NBR and techday. Anyway, the students’ idea is designed for blind people and goes like this: “take a photo of your surroundings and hear your phone describe it to you”.
2. NZ Music Month…will kick off at CPIT this year.
3. Extras: Waikato’s Kingitanga Day plans; Massey gets art award; Aoraki students survey Ashburton over art gallery/museum.
   

Policy, Management & People

1. Uni Rankings Stuart McCutcheon had an op-ed on declining university rankings yesterday, suggesting more money or rationing to fix it.
2. Closing the Gap NZUSA proposes closing the gap with Australia by improving NZ’s student support.
3. Extras: power cut at Otago Uni/Poly (update); more on students’ earning projections.

Research & Innovation

1. Dr Bogan Waikato’s Dave Snell made the news a few years back when he got a PhD scholarship to study bogans – now he’s graduated (One News).
2. Extras: Otago Uni health research; Christchurch TEIs helping local innovation; Mike Williams’ ANZAC opera at Waikato; Auckland running PharamaZen trial; hospital productivity research by Victoria, Auckland and Otago Unis.

Public Issues

1. US-NZ Victoria’s Robert Ayson makes Time magazine blog on US soldiers in NZ.
2. Eels Massey’s Mike Joy wants fishing of long-finned eels banned (RNZ).
3. Marijuana Massey Chris Wilkins on marijuana arrest trends.
4. Bad Stats Auckland’s Annette Beautrais tries to link our “low” drinking age with youth suicide, even though youth suicides have gone down from 1995 to 2009, when the drinking age dropped from 20 in 1999 (Kiwiblog, Stats Chat).
5. Banks Otago Uni’s Andrew Geddis on John Banks’ donation issues.
6. Extras: Otago Uni’s Prof Grant Gillett on euthanasia; Massey found the dolphin died of natural causes; Waikato’s Pou Temara on te reo Maori in schools.

Students

1. Extras: Unitec gay comedian in Comedy Festival; fair trade at Victoria; more on bar complaint from last week; EIT-SIT film student; Auckland student exploring the Amazon.

Stakeholders

1. World Record Tim Shadbolt broke the world record for the longest interview, while at SIT.
2. Maori Business Auckland offers its Maori business awards.
3. Biology Olympiad Massey and Waikato are helping top school students prepare for an international biology event.
4. Extras: Lincoln’s Prof Brian Jordan gets Swedish honorary doctorate; Whitecliffe sponsoring fashion awards; HSI is involved with Restaurant Assn group training expansion; Auckland authors at writers and readers festival; Waikato’s Kingitanga Day prep; TWOA’s Kura Te Ua off to perform in Solomon Islands.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Lincoln AgroEcology course growth; indigenous scholars at Massey; copy of Reviewit poster from Ako Aotearoa event.

Policy, Management & People

1. Quake Impacts More Christchurch students headed to Dunedin this year – the ODT story is worth a read.
2. Critic Otago student newspaper Critic has some good stories this week on academic suspensions, business competitions, the Uni’s surplus and international students.
3. ACE @ Auckland Auckland is cutting its continuing education classes, with 11/18 tutors made redundant – the other 7 will shift back to mainstream departments. It’s apparently due to lower government funding.
4. Business Links Steven Joyce is keen to encourage universities to work more closely with businesses.
5. Loans NZIER’s Jean-Pierre de Raad wants changes to student loans on the agenda.
6. Extras: salary expectations for students; BOPP’s innovative Allan Dyson; travel and tourism quals map to go to NZQA; dealing with youth unemployment in Oamaru.

Research & Innovation

1. Frogs Victoria’s Ben Bell has been researching Maud Is frogs for 35 years.
2. Extras: Otago Uni and Dunedin biotech companies; Otago Uni’s Prof Jim Mann on a diabetes surgery; Massey dope arrests research gets coverage; Lincoln research on Christchurch CBD.

Public Issues

1. Pokies Auckland’s Peter Adams had an op-ed on pokies and AUT’s Max Abbott commented on tech fixes to problem gambling.
2. Farm Workers Lincoln’s Rupert Tipples on why farmers prefer to employ migrants over Kiwis (Whale Oil).
3. Sierra Leone Auckland’s Chris Mahoney on the trial of Charles Taylor.
4. Gold Canterbury’s Lloyd Carpenter is running a Central Otago gold conference (extra story).
5. Euthanasia Otago Uni’s Prof Grant Gillett and Colin Gavaghan comment on euthanasia.
6. Dolphins Otago Uni’s Liz Slooten on a Maui’s dolphin death (Fairfax) – which is off to Massey for an autopsy (NZN).
7. Extras: Auckland’s Kathy Peri on rest homes; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on the Budget (and voting and David Shearer) and Prof Steven Grover on Petricevic and Andrew Geddis on John Banks’ donations (NZN, Kiwiblog); CPIT’s Paul Norris on court access for media; academic visiting Victoria on managing oceans; digital identity conference at Victoria; Otago Uni’s Kevin Dawkins on Bain legal aid; Lincoln’s Steve Wratten on compost bins; Unitec’s Peter Mellalieu on an old dairy factory; Massey’s Claire Matthews on switching banks and Janet Sayers on home businesses and David Deakins on SMEs.

Students

1. Hitman Bought? An Indian student in NZ is wanted for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill someone in India.
2. Podium A Canterbury student gets his first motor racing podium finish.
3. Great Kids…is what a Dunedin guy thought of student volunteers.
4. Space Balloon Two Waikato twins got a balloon up to almost 32,000 feet. A Canterbury student is working on a rocket.
5. Miss Canterbury…is an Otago Uni student.
6. Extras: Aoraki student’s art exhibition; AUT student seeking osteoarthritis sufferers; Auckland youth politician; PhD on cricket scoring.

Stakeholders

1. Group Training The Restaurant Assn is expanding a group training effort from Auckland to other parts of the North Island, aiming to grow from 38 to 150 apprentices.
2. Jazz CPIT’s Jazz School was heavily involved in the Christchurch International Jazz and Blues Festival.
3. Extras: animal emotions expert to speak at Massey; Steven Braunias back as Wintec’s editor in residence; SIT hosting longest interview record attempt.

Teaching & Learning

1. Literacy Here’s a nice story about overcoming literacy challenges.
2. Extras: EXMSS’s Ralph Springett had a great DEANZ poster; ATTTO marae camp and new Tourism Maori qual; UCOL music students’ performance; more on uni cheating (with graph); NMIT labs for school students.