1. Wings Clipped The flight training school that was the focus of a bad IEAA report has closed down. The Wings Flight Training Academy owner said the students were out to get him: “RP Singh is like an innocent-looking rabbit in the forest when you’ve got 10 greyhounds trying to kill him”. I challenge people in trouble to come up with a better quote this year J
2. Glass The Wanganui Glass School’s low enrolments are stirring discussion in the town.
3. New Media Centre Whitireia has moved into a new, much more modern, space after exiting its earthquake prone Wellington Media Centre premises.
4. Treasury BIM The TEU’s Sandra Grey had a post on The Standard last week about Treasury’s BIM – it’s a good opinion piece (here’s a relevant story about mature career changers). Kerre Woodham writes a piece on the same issue claiming that elitism is good – one of her commenters says “university study is a drain on society and serves only to allow communism to find sympathisers”. Hmm.
5. Fake Quals The Commerce Commission is investigating Genesis Eight International College of Security, a security training operator that wasn’t NZQA registered (RNZ). Apparently the operator plagiarised material from Wintec and TSSL (a PTE)
6. Extras: Labour’s David Shearer visited Massey; progress on Otago Uni neurological chair fundraising (plus another story); The Press covers Rod Carr’s salary issues; proposed Christchurch heating system might involve CPIT; visit to Waikato by Chinese university partner; export education links with China; new Pasifika centre at Canterbury; an interesting piece on Asian student experiences in NZ (and a more formal article quoting Auckland’s Manying Ip).

Research & Innovation

1. Kauri Rings Auckland’s Anthony Fowler and colleagues have used kauri rings to deduce how affected we will be by El Nino/ La Nina (SMC, Stuff, NZ Herald, RNZ, AAP, TV3).
2. Storm Petrels Auckland’s Matt Rayner and others have found good evidence of NZ storm petrels breeding in the Hauraki Gulf – they’re only 35g and it’s hard to find them on land (Fairfax, RNZ).
3. Population The population research by Natalie Jackson and a student has generated stories on Waitaki population and Tararua/Waitaki along with earlier stories. It’s a good example of how to generate many stories by providing local angles.
4. Ethics Changes Various Otago and Auckland academics are concerned about changes to government ethics committees.
5. Extras: Otago Uni’s PhD student looking at time banking, Ken Hodge on master’s competitors and Jill Paris on literacy research in Southland; more on Otago Uni’s HIV research (and again and again); Canterbury links with venture capital; Massey hosting finance research conference; Victoria’s Prof Sir Paul Callaghan on clean-tech; Massey’s Steve Corbett on a story about invention; sticK on KiwiNet’s new portal.

Public Issues

1. Public Academics The NZ Herald had a piece traversing the issue of whether there are enough public academics in New Zealand. Personally, having trawled through academics’ public comments for the last two years, I can’t see any great problem at all. Many, many academics are engaged in public debate in New Zealand. In fact, I decided last month to do a monthly recognition of a public academic – first one will be in February.
2. Academic-Bashing? Auckland’s Margaret Mutu has written in Australian academic discussion blog The Conversation about her experiences of “academic-bashing”. Now she overstates it when she says she was nearly “sacked” (Auckland was appropriately supportive of her throughout) but she makes some good points about the public response to her comments about immigration. On the other hand, she did engage in an emotive issue and did not present any particular evidence to support her views (either then or in this latest post), although I imagine the people who emailed her did not present their arguments in as civil a manner as she did.
3. Brothels Otago Uni’s Gillian Abel and Victoria’s Dena Knight comment on brothel regulation.
4. Class Size Massey’s Prof John O’Neill criticises proposals to increase class sizes (Manawatu Standard).
5. Farm Sales AUT’s Rawiri Taonui on farm sales.
6. Extras: Auckland’s Rhema Vaithianathan on NZ businesses; Massey’s Ted Zorn on the Air NZ CEO; WITT’s Margaret Smith on a Waitangi Day panel; Waikato’s Jagdeep Singh-Ladhar on water allocation (Waikato Times); Massey caring for 22 Rena birds; Victoria’s Peter Thompson on public broadcasting; AUT’s Brian Broom diagnoses a columnist; Massey’s Mike Joy on fish quotas.

Students

1. Liquor Ban Dunedin City Council is considering a liquor ban in the main student area of North Dunedin.
2. Olympics Profile of Waiariki Olympic kayakers.
3. Orientation… at Aoraki and Otago Uni.
4. Bullet Problem An Otago Uni student was being held in India after 3 .22 bullets were found in his luggage (Hawke’s Bay Today).
5. High Rents Auckland students are complaining of high rents – the school leaver that is the focus has to weigh up flatting or living with his parents on the North Shore and commuting. And this is a problem how?
6. Extras: Cook Islands student off to AUT, with a recent Otago Uni grad returning; Careers NZ advice to students; Auckland student trialling macular degeneration treatment; Victoria student promoting a jet board while dressed up as a penguin.

Stakeholders

1. Army Friend Auckland won top Territorial employer for their region.
2. Extras: top game at Waikato Game Jam; Otago Uni’s Mike Harte on a local UFB trust; Massey’s museum building in Wellington is being used for a film (again); Canterbury helping with a museum display; UCOL and Massey productions have received theatre award nominations; TWOA teacher in kapa haka competition.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Otago Uni forensic biology summer class; Victoria architecture guest lecture; Massey’s teacher education courses start, along with a new Maori immersion course; AUT hosting a graffiti artist.

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. What’s the biggest challenge for Universities New Zealand right now?

Continuing to build on our ability to engage with the government on the policy issues affecting universities, including university resourcing. The challenge is to achieve this through demonstrating the multiple ways the work of universities – research and innovation, internationalisation, encouraging greater participation and achievement for Maori and Pasifika peoples, etc – can help the Government achieve its goals for New Zealand.

2. How is Universities New Zealand’s new graduate survey going?

The first survey has been completed and the baseline report will be released soon. Over 65% of students invited to participate completed the survey – just under 9,000 final year students from the eight universities. This is a fantastic result that lays the foundation for the future of the longitudinal survey. Further information can be found on the GLSNZ website.

3. Steven Joyce has tertiary education, science and innovation, and economic development roles. What impact do you think that will have on universities?

There are genuine synergies between these three areas, and Minister Joyce has demonstrated he can manage multiple challenging portfolios. Universities are central to our science and innovation system, as well as the economic development of this country. Hopefully, the integration at a ministerial level will help us unlock the universities’ potential to make an even greater contribution toward helping the Government achieve its goals to the benefit of all New Zealanders.

4. What needs most attention in the research area right now?

The availability of contestable funding. While overall funding for science and innovation remained the same last year, the availability of contestable funds was significantly reduced. This is a real risk as a competitive funding model is a good way of identifying the best opportunities when you have limited resources.

5. What made you smile about the university sector this week?

The sector is preparing for the year ahead at this time and I can genuinely say I am looking forward to meeting some of 2012′s first year students. Encountering their enthusiasm for tertiary study is something that I never tire of and one of the most rewarding aspects of this job.

1. King’s Education About 100 Japanese people will fly to NZ next month to mark the year since the death of 12 Japanese King’s Education students in the CTV building.
2. Tauranga Campus The local paper thinks a new Tauranga campus will energise the city.
3. User Innovation Lincoln’s Prof John Fairweather writes about support for user innovation.
4. Neurosurgery Otago Uni neurosurgery fundraising is a third of the way to target, with bikers to help next month, but the search is already on for the right person.
5. Pasifika Success Canterbury has just opened a new centre in its college of education to help raise the achievement of Pasifika school students.
6. Extras: the Crafar farm purchasers must establish a training facility; Otago Uni’s Prof Jean Fleming recognised by Science Festival; TEU cited some OECD research (NewstalkZB); Christopher Theunissen is new MIT associate dean; Prof Sir Paul Callaghan’s childhood teacher; BOPP tutor paddler; Otago Uni mountain biker.

Research & Innovation

1. Social Alcohol Victoria and Massey researchers are looking into social networking and alcohol. As one of them says “There’s quite a furore around the dangers of young people binge drinking and doom and gloom about the impact of social networking but very few people have asked those at the centre of it what they think”, which is funny, because the researchers don’t let the young people talk in the media release either (after two years of study).
2. Extras: Otago Uni flesh-eating disease research cited, as was Lincoln food miles work and AUT work on tourism for the deaf; Massey’s kicking robot off on tour; Otago Uni literacy research; Waikato student looking at population declines in some areas (focus on Gore); Auckland helping with gout (release); Auckland’s Sue Crengle looking at ethnic discrimination; Otago Uni’s Janet Hoek on ethical consumption.

Public Issues

1. Back to School Victoria’s Roseanna Bourke is interviewed about kids’ learning.
2. Babies’ Reading Auckland’s Nola Harvey comments on a US baby reading programme – the infomercials sure do the hard sell.
3. New Bible Laidlaw College’s Bob Robinson comments on a new edition of the Bible – interesting story.
4. Occupy Otago Uni’s Andrew Geddis on Occupy Dunedin’s possible eviction.
5. Obesity Deborah Coddington has a go at Otago Uni researchers over obesity causes (Kiwiblog, Keeping Stock).
6. Extras: Otago Uni’s Winsome Purnell on the size of sweet treats and other academics at a bioethics conference and Prof Richard Barker on cricket scoring; Massey’s Steve Stannard on cyclists’ nutrition; penguins at Massey but a dotterel died; Victoria’s Marc Wilson on a Timaru cat-killer and doomsday prophecies; AUT’s Andy Gibson on the future of the Internet; Otago Uni’s Hank Wolfe on cyberwarfare; Otago Uni lake expert on the best place to race a jet; academics on food prices; Auckland’s Ian Lambie on youth violence; Lincoln’s Prof Derrick Moot on lucerne; Auckland’s Rochelle Constantine on port expansion and marine mammals; Otago Uni’s Jim Faed on stem cell treatment.

Students

1. Sonny Bill…is dating an Auckland student.
2. Student Jobs Here’s some analysis of the student employment situation.
3. Quake Experience A Canterbury student reflects on his quake-riddled year.
4. Extras: Otago Uni student off to Britain to sing in a choir; Media Design School student wins Beck’s design comp; Massey student exhibiting in Kerikeri; Waiariki kayakers; Massey student’s gaming console; SIT cricketer and motor racer; Wintec student filming some home-wreckers; Massey student and family off to Parachute.

Stakeholders

1. MOU Hawkes Bay and Massey MOU.
2. Extras: support for Lincoln’s 1080 alternative research; Wintec sponsoring a Service Jam; exhibition at Auckland gallery; Lincoln young farmer competitor.

Teaching & Learning

1. Teach First The Business Roundtable says we should give Teach First a go, but the NZ Herald reckons grads might struggle for acceptance. Funnily enough, the NZ Herald storey talks about how they “revealed” Teach First’s approach last week – since it first hit the news last April, it wasn’t really a scoop.
2. Extras: Otago Uni music summer school; UCOL trades academy.

Policy, Management & People

1. Otago Clocktower The ODT has done a series on towers around town, including Otago Uni’s Registry Building Clocktower.
2. VSM Impact OUSA’s Darel Hall, a good friend of ED Blog, has opined on how the VSM Bill will make students associations even more accountable and then goes on to diss his beloved old uni, Canterbury, in favour of his new employer J.
3. Whitireia Buildings An ex-Whitireia council chair has criticised the Poly’s decision not to fund a local theatre, but I find it hard to fault Whitireia’s decision-making.
4. Honours Stories on Auckland’s Merata Kawharu and ex-Victoria’s Peter Walls. Canterbury notes 15 alumni received honours.
5. Extras: Kiwiblog criticises the TEU for conflating Destiny Church and trade policy (RNZ covered the original release); BOPP’s Lesley Mochan and her Xterra challenge;

Public Issues

1. Food Bill Otago Uni’s Gabrielle Jenkin has written a lobbying/research piece on the Food Bill, analysing whether food industry or public health groups had their views accepted (RNZ).
2. Balloon Crash Effect AUT’s Prof Simon Milne is commenting on the impact of the balloon crash on tourism – just before Xmas he was commenting on the attack on the Belgian girl in Turangi. Is he the go-to for disaster assessment in tourism?
3. Sahel Auckland’s Chris de Freitas on desertification of the Sahel in Africa.
4. Sea Lions Otago Uni’s Bruce Robertson reckons that DOC research contradicts MAF advice on the effects of squid fishing on sea lions (ODT).
5. Extras: Massey’s wildlife unit is back on standby for Rena oil spill victims;

Students

1. Balloon Crash Victims Media statements from families of balloon crash victims show that Johannes Jordan was an ex-Victoria and current Massey student, while Alexis Still was a Massey student.
2. Extras: Otago Uni Orientation; school leaver gets ready for flying school; 60 English language students starting at CPIT; Otago Uni MBA team does well in Montreal.

Stakeholders

1. African Stats Otago Uni’s John Harraway helping stats education in Africa.
2. Extras: Whitireia has been supporting a youth theatre company; Otago Poly and CPIT staff judging Wanaka art; Auckland’s Dilys John to check out a Southland waka;

Teaching & Learning

1. Pacific Music The NZ School of Music is starting up two new Pacific Islands Performance courses.
2. Extras: Waikato’s Summer School for Year 12 students;

1. ITO Costs/Benefits The ITF has released research they commissioned from BERL on the costs and benefits of industry training (Dom Post, Stuff).
2. Extras: Aoraki-Lincoln articulation; AUT’s top managers turn to iPhones; new Canterbury Chancellor; Raukawa head takes pay cut; new NZUSA president.

Research & Innovation

1. Bienniale Massey’s Heather Galbraith will be deputy curator for NZ’s 2013 Venice Bienniale entry.
2. Extras: Waikato electric car.

Public Issues

1. Seal’s Home Visit The cute story of the baby seal that came into someone’s home was commented on by Otago Uni’s Bruce Robertson and Massey’s Brett Gartrell.
2. Commuting FITEC and Auckland commuters discuss their experiences while AUT’s Profs Charles Crothers and Grant Schofield analyse it all.
3. Domestic Violence Waikato’s Ruth Busch reflects on her specialty of domestic violence as she retires.
4. Extras: Massey’s Nick Cave on dogs’ health; Otago Uni’s Prof Jennie Connor on alcohol research (release); Otago Uni’s Winsome Parnell on food guidelines; Canterbury’s Mark Billinghurst on invisible computing.

Students

1. Abseiling Graduate The AUT grad who had an abseiling accident last week recovered enough to attend the graduation ceremony yesterday.
2. Posthumous PhD AUT has granted a posthumous PhD – have a read.
3. Student Growth Here’s a lovely story of a student’s development at UCOL.
4. Architecture Overall results from an NZIA architecture competition for top students.
5. Extras: NMIT business student award; SJS in Otago (ODT).

Stakeholders

1. Whale Win Auckland’s Mazdak Radjainia has won the 2011 New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year Award for the Wildlife Category for the whale photo below. Wonderful.
2. Japan NZ Massey has helped develop a logo to mark 60 years of NZ-Japan diplomatic relations;
3. Extras: finance conference at AUT.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: new counselling course at Vision College.

1. New Ministers John Key announced new Ministers yesterday, with Steven Joyce keeping tertiary education (adding “skills and employment” too) and picking up economic development, plus science and innovation – Hekia Parata gained education (all the following stories are pretty generic: NewstalkZB, NewstalkZB, RadioLIVE, Kapiti Independent, APNZ, NZ Herald, NZ Herald, RNZ, BusinessDesk, Idealog, One News, Stuff, NBR, TV3). Reaction came from TEU, Universities NZ, NZUSA, frogblog. Later stories focused on Steven Joyce’s key role, including NZ Herald, NZ Herald and Fairfax.
2. Raukawa Funding Cut Te Wananga O Raukawa has had a $1.9m funding cut for next year after a second year of poor course completions in 2010 – they went from 42% to 43% (updated story and again). The new target is 55%, the level at which PTEs are offered zero funding. The wananga is claiming they should be measured according to their Kaupapa but the other two wananga get course completions in the 70s and 80s. Personally, I haven’t seen any credible argument to explain why they should be allowed to continue their low performance. I covered the issue back in August.
3. New NZUSA Prez NZUSA has elected its first ITP President ever – Pete Hodkinson of Unitec. They also recently appointed Alistair Shaw as Executive Director.
4. Aoraki Growth Aoraki expects to grow next year and has finalised a new collective agreement.
5. Extras: Winnie Laban seeking more Pasifika students for Victoria (release);

Research & Innovation

1. Higgs Boson Victoria’s Prof Shaun Hendy comments on the possible discovery of the Higgs boson, as does Massey’s Prof Tony Signal.
2. Low Carbon Transport Auckland’s Jamie Hosking helped write a WHO report on low carbon transport systems released in Durban.
3. Extras: AUT business incubation conference; Antonia Lyons on social networking and alcohol; Massey goat research;

Public Issues

1. Extras: Auckland’s Glenn Simmons on slavery in fisheries; Massey’s emeritus Prof Ivan Snook cited on charter schools; Victoria’s Gerard Kennedy on sleep;

Students

1. Graduate Success Canterbury is claiming high graduate employment on the back of a larger survey response.
2. Design The Dom Post had a long story profiling Victoria design students’ creations.
3. Extras: Victoria cheerleader and research into weeds on Nauru; top squash player off to AUT; student/club grants by OUSA;

Stakeholders

1. Jazz Tui…award nominations have been gained by Massey’s Phil Broadhurst.
2. Extras: Otago Poly’s Jean Ross getting involved in nursing politics;

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: tributes for (I think ex-) head of NMIT’s fisheries school, who died while tramping;

1. Canterbury Woes Canterbury will have an $11.4m budgeted loss next year, based on their media release – different figures were reported in media yesterday (TV3, BusinessDesk, NBR, RNZ, TEU). 24 staff have been given voluntary redundancy at Canterbury (39 applied).
2. New HSI CE The new HSI CE is Ken Harris – you can find out more about him here. He is appointed on a fixed term, which is sensible given all the merger discussions going on in ITO-land.
3. Unitec Sold Now before Rick Ede tells me off, I should note that the only thing that has been sold is a building that Unitec leases on the North Shore. I mentioned it a little bit ago and the offer sold in 3 weeks.
4. Reinstatement? A former Waiariki manager wants reinstatement, rather than just the compensation awarded by the ERA.
5. Extras: Auckland Council member Jan Dawson is the accountant of the year – TWOA’s Jo Hanita was outstanding new member of the year; update from last week on Auckland-TEU negotiations.

Research & Innovation

1. Baby Sex Victoria’s Diane Ormsby has been looking into the effect of heat on the sex of babies (and hasn’t found any).
2. Microscope Massey’s new digital microscope is being tested by leading palynologists around the world. What’s a palynologist, I hear you ask? Well, it’s someone who studies pollen and other organic microfossils, which are a key part of climate change research.
3. Extras: Auckland’s Prof Ross Lawrenson on prostate cancer research; Māori research projects; cellphone towers don’t affect house values according to Auckland’s Olga Filippova and Michael Rehm; Waikato environmental law centre.

Public Issues

1. Climate Change Here’s a rather negative view of Auckland’s Chris de Freitas’ work in the climate change area.
2. Takahe Massey’s Steve Trewick on a takahe eating a duckling.
3. Gangs Canterbury’s Jarrod Gilbert on the brotherhood of gangs.
4. Battery Car…made by Waikato people gets to Marlborough.
5. Earthquakes Canterbury’s Stefano Pampanin proposed a national earthquake strengthening policy. Massey’s David Johnston on the Christchurch exodus.
6. Extras: Victoria ant research covered by Waikato Times and RNZ; Massey investigating a painted hawk (long story); Auckland’s Rochelle Constantine on humpback whales; Auckland’s Alex Macmillan got some OIA papers; Auckland’s Bill Hodge on arson charges; Otago Uni’s Andrew Geddis on teapot tapes; Victoria’s Guy Marriage on refitting buildings; Media Design School’s Mason Herber on CTRL-F; CPIT’s Bruce Russell judges website quality.

Students

1. Top Chefs WelTec, AUT and CPIT trainee chefs won a chef competition (AUT).
2. Student Elections OUSA president Logan Edgar won an SJS council spot but an NZUSA president candidate couldn’t gain the two-thirds vote required.
3. Extras: NMIT student prez on summer jobs; MIT sugar creations; Otago Uni student’s column; Unitec student’s shopping app; Victoria student rescued; mentoring at Auckland’s Liggins Institute; BOPP art student.

Stakeholders

1. YMCA Massey marketing students have been helping out the YMCA with a marketing plan.
2. WITT & Māori WITT’s te reo courses may expand to the South Island.
3. Extras: fiction winner in Massey Maori book awards (main release); Victoria’s science writing prize winner; Māori farming operation keen to help young Māori study farming; Auckland’s Icehouse and its Māori focus; Xmas shopping at AUT.

Teaching & Learning

1. Street Art…courses involving The Learning Connexion and WelTec.

1. Government Policy Stuart Middleton gives an overview of how government policy might go.

Research & Innovation

1. Maori Diaspora Waikato’s Tahu Kukutai on the Maori diaspora.
2. Extras: AUT’s Charles Crothers on Auckland’s future ethnic make-up; research medal for Canterbury’s Prof Douglas Bridges.

Public Issues

1. Election Victoria’s Prof Stephen Levine on down to earth NZers; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on Winston’s BOP vote; AUT’s Paul Moon on Hone Harawira being pointless.
2. Prison Affairs Auckland’s William Wood on the prevalence of prison inmate-guard affairs.
3. Extras: TEU’s Sandra Grey on MMP; Auckland and AUT people on child safety; Massey bringing in US emergency management expert.

Students

1. Hospital Book Wintec students have contributed to a Waikato Hospital history book, DVD and website.
2. Extras: Otago Uni student up for youth award and another selling cookies; Canterbury student may lose her dogs;

Stakeholders

1. Unusual Open Day Lincoln is having a sort of open evening on Thursday where they have a lot of speakers talking about the future of Canterbury. It’s an interesting idea.
2. Extras: Otago Uni’s Julia Horsfield talking about zebrafish at charity event; NMIT Young Enterprise award; Massey staff member gets US military service medal.

Teaching & Learning

1. Typo Camp Whitecliffe is hosting a typography camp.
2. Extras: VMware module in NMIT IT degree.

1. Ministers Steven Joyce is picked to get Economic Development (and keep tertiary education?) while Hekia Parata is tipped for education.
2. Waiariki Settlement Waiariki has been ordered to pay a dismissed head of their nursing school $10,500 compensation and ex-CE Pim Borren has been ordered to pay $6,000 for obstructing the dispute resolution process (I imagine Waiariki will pick upon the bill for that). As I predicted in an earlier post, reinstatement was not ordered. It’s probably a reasonable outcome all around.
3. Tough 2012 Otago Uni reckons it will have a tough year in 2012 and won’t make a 3% TEC target for its surplus. I will believe it when I see it.
4. Managers are Good An Otago Uni academic (and former DVC) responds to concerns about an excessive number of managers.
5. New Gallery A new gallery at NorthTec has been welcomed.
6. Massey International Massey has launched a new internationalisation strategy.
7. Extras: Otago Uni Chancellor reappointed; discussion of Massey employment law case; story on WelTec-Whitireia Council merger; Lincoln’s Telford pre-enrolments at a record high; aviation Gateway programme supported by ATTTO.

Research & Innovation

1. Defence Commercialisation the Defence Force is working with Auckland’s UniServices to commercialise defence force IP. I wonder if there will be any protests about that down the track.
2. Bad Review Auckland’s Nick Perry gets a bad review of his latest book – “pretentious prolixity” is one of the reviewer’s comments, but it’s a rather pretentious turn of phrase in itself.
3. Short Boys Auckland’s John Peek found that some fertility drugs seem to lead to shorter boys (but not girls).
4. Extras: Waikato’s Nigel Calder launches maths book (SunLive); Auckland’s Janet Fanslow on family violence; UCOL’s Kane Parsons doing a Victor Borge homage; Massey’s Pasifika spirituality conference; Auckland’s Richard Milne on a trans-Tasman medication study; Waikato’s new coastal research centre; emeritus Prof Lee Erasmus’ work on a 1961 plane crash (Canterbury).

Public Issues

1. Post-Election Auckland’s James Young on capital gains tax and Prof Raymond Miller on the low turnout (and again) and on selling asset sales and on quake handling; Victoria’s Jon Johansson on Key’s mistakes and Auckland’s Joe Atkinson too; ex-Otago Uni hostel warden wins Dunedin North (profile of him); Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards assesses the media coverage and comments on Labour’s Clare Curran; Victoria’s Stephen Leven on the Wellington vote; Auckland’s Jennifer Lees-Marshment on Don Brash; Auckland’s Jian Yang gets in off the list.
2. Pre-Election Waikato’s Alan Simpson on a possible low turnout; Phil Goff finished election eve chatting to Auckland Uni cleaners; Bryce Edwards on text polls, but what was more amazing was the man in the article who thought text polls were one person, one vote; Otago Uni election show; Victoria’s Maria Bargh on the Mana and Maori parties’ poor communication; Victoria’s Kate McMillan on voting as a permanent resident.
3. Recidivism Victoria’s Devon Polaschek gave lecture on reducing recidivism among violent offenders.
4. The World Etc Long interview here with Auckland’s Prof Klaus Bosselmann about globalism, values and all sorts of other things. Victoria’s Prof Warwick Murray is also giving an inaugural lecture on globalism and the GFC. Victoria’s Ralph Chapman on climate change.
5. Maori Burial Massey’s Prof Paul Spoonley and Avril Bell comment on a court case over Maori burial practices.
6. Shaky Buildings Auckland’s Jason Ingham gave some good advice to Dunedin property owners about quake strengthening while Otago Uni is starting work on strengthening; comment on Prof Stefano Pampanin’s (Canterbury) prescription for Auckland’s quake-prone buildings;
7. Prostate Cancer Otago Uni’s Brian Cos opposes a prostate cancer screening programme, and the work of colleague Elspeth Gold on an alternative test.
8. Extras: Otago Uni academics on euthanasia (and an Auckland one); comment on porn research (and another story); Canterbury and Lincoln academics in on liquefaction research; Waiariki’s Debbie Thyne on artist Charles Blomfield; Waikato’s Natalie Jackson on the end of population growth in most of NZ; Canterbury’s Greg Newbold on police informants; Otago Uni’s Phil Bishop on the bad outlook for frogs (and how Kermit is partly to blame – I kid you not!); Otago’s Stephen Wing on shark tourism; Auckland’s Prof Miriam Meyerhoff on Obama’s grammar; Otago Uni’s Penny Field and Robin Gauld on the food industry’s power; Auckland’s Cameron Grant on immunisation.

Students

1. 20 Years NZCER has released a report on 20-year olds in a long-term longitudinal study.
2. Maori Opportunities BCITO’s Ruma Karaitiana and others at the CATE conference on opportunities for Maori.
3. Students’ Tough Time Two Otago Uni PhD students are seeking a scholarship extension after their clinical supervisor was convicted on fraud-related charges and had his registration suspended.
4. Streaming Graduations Massey streamed its latest graduations live and will leave them up on the Internet for friends and relatives far away to check it out. Good idea.
5. Top Hairdresser A Dunedin trainee was the Hairdressing ITO’s top apprentice.
6. Extras: Massey grad in PNG plane crash; new Massey flying grads (Manawatu Standard); Victoria student’s Christchurch design concept to happen; NMIT student in speed dating social services event; Aoraki student’s film; Massey PhD thesis on Maori and Western spirituality; Waikato student selling cookies; UCOL Chekhov production, chef grads off to Oman and glass awards; Otago’s Robert Schadewinkel checking out a 1080 drop’s impact; Otago Uni doctoral scholarships up.

Stakeholders

1. Chess Anyone? Canterbury students have helped to get a new outdoor chess set up and running (release, RNZ).
2. Extras: Otago Uni-Pasifika partnership and East Otago links; Otago Poly house sold for charity.