ED

Policy, Management & People

1. Resigned MOE Deputy Secretary of Tertiary, International and System Performance, Anne Jackson, has resigned. She was responsible for Novopay as Deputy Secretary Schooling until July last year.
2. Aussie Loans Kiwis who live in Aussie for 10 years may get government loans to cover university fees (Timaru Herald, NZ Herald).
3. Extras: Otago Uni’s Prof Sarah Todd on fee hikes for international students; successful year at The Open Polytech.
   

Research & Innovation

1. Food Budget Massey says a third of students’ diets are affected by lack of funds.
2. Kura App New Victoria mobile phone app looks set to change the way New Zealanders learn te reo Maori.
3. Scholarship Graduate Women Wellington (GWW) awarded a new $100,000 PhD scholarship.
4. Extras: Waikato student’s research on children’s use of scooters (TVNZ); Otago Uni’s Dr. Lisa Te Morenga on a study on sugar intake and weight; five Otago scholars get career awards for research.

Public Issues

1. Power Prices Prof Bob Lloyd, a University of Otago physicist, says we are paying too much for power prices.
2. His Holiness The Dalai Lama is in town, and held a question and answer session with students at Otago Uni (NZ Herald).
3. Extras: Otago Professor Hank Wolfe on surveillance, (as is colleague Prof Greg Dawe); Auckland’s Gehan Gunasekara’s on big brother surveillance; Massey’s Professor Howard Lee on National Standards (and Waikato’s Martin Thrupp and Victoria’s Michael Johnston); Otago Uni’s Brian Cox on CT scans; Auckland’s Danny Osborne on rugby and homophobia; Canterbury’s Greg Newbold on the death of drug lord Brian Curtis; Victoria’s Richard Norman on Wellington’s creativity; Massey’s Hamish Gow on culture change in meat industry; Waikato’s Clive Pope on winning in sport; Victoria’s Dr Richard Hill and Otago’s Chris Brickell laud book on anarchy.

Students

1. MARS @AUT Two students at AUT to link students and industry professionals through MARS@AUT (MARS being Marketing, Advertising, Retail and Sales).
2. Reeling It In Auckland’s Peter Simpson has had a film accepted for the Shanghai Film Festival.
3. Critic Appointment Otago students’ association mag Critic has a new editor after the last one left after an employment dispute.
4. Odd Job Student Job Search wants an Aucklander to deliver a Georgie Pie to Christchurch for $15.
5. Extras: Otago Uni won’t save student pub from closing.

Stakeholders

1. Shining Light Massey partners with the Wellington City Council for a weekend extravaganza of light.
2. Pressure Cooker About 80 school students are taking part in the Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge (ITC) at Massey University in Auckland this weekend (Yahoo).
3. Professor Talk Harvard Professor Edward Glaeser is to speak on densification and urban agglomeration at Auckland University on 1 July.
4. Wellington Massey cooking school Le Cordon Bleu business director Guy Pascoe on Wellington as the culinary capital.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Victoria Architecture students redesign Lower Hutt; Massey students to compete in an agri-foods competition in Atlanta; brother and sister from EIT are top apprentices.

I had someone put up their hand to help with the news posts yesterday and he started with this one, so my mornings might be a bit simpler for the next few weeks, Dave.

Policy, Management & People

1. Student Loans Marlborough Express editorial says it’s time to get tougher on loan repayments.
   
2. Postgrad Numbers Otago and Auckland Universities have between 7% and 8.5% fewer postgrad students according to AUSA’s Craccum mag.
3. Extras: BCITO seeking more funding to meet demand for building apprenticeships; City and Guilds excellence medal for AURT’s Alan Brown.
   

Research & Innovation

1. Extras: Lincoln researchers are interviewing farmers on succession and governance, Weta Workshop and Victoria University combine to offer a computer graphics PhD scholarship, conference at Waikato in July on Indigenous research; early career awards at Otago Uni.

Public Issues

1. Nothing Standard Waikato Professor Martin Thrupp says National Standards are poor at comparing achievement between schools (RNZ).
2. Dunne Leak: Otago Uni Professor Andrew Geddis believes police won’t find evidence of a crime in the leaking of the GCSB report (RNZ). Otago’s Bryce Edwards also commented on the issue.
3. Extinct Eels New Zealand is driving its longfin eel population into extinction says Massey’s environmental science lecturer Mike Joy.
   
4. Killer Robots Canterbury’s Christoph Bartneck on autonomous killing systems.
   
5. Cycling Deaths Dr Glen Koorey from Canterbury says 80 per cent of all fatal bicycle crashes are caused by motorists.
   
6. Extras: Two more university academics resign from Owen Glenn’s family violence inquiry; Canterbury’s Eric Crampton on fat taxes; Massey’s Grant Duncan on The Green Party, Auckland Professor Jenny Dixon on home ownership; Canterbury’s Zita Joyce on fan fiction; Otago Uni’s Liz Slooten on Maui’s dolphins; Waikato’s Brenda Midson on Police investigation techniques; Auckland’s Gehan Gunasekara on school students’ IT privacy; Victoria’s Mark Southcombe on the next generation of houses; Massey’s Robin Peace on the ageing population; Auckland’s Bruce Harris on a judge’s move.

Students

1. Dash Design A 48-hour design challenge at UCOL is including tertiary as well as secondary students.
2. On song A first year Waikato music student and baritone singer got top honours in a Waikato University Aria competition.
3. Extras: Auckland University student on the unitary plan; student pub closing in Dunedin.

Stakeholders

1. $3m Raised Otago Uni received $3m, the target, for its neurosurgery fundraising.
2. Young Enterprise Aoraki on the Dragons Den round of the Lions Foundation Enterprise scheme, which it is sponsoring.
3. Fieldays On the topic of dens, Waikato’s Jacqueline Rowarth is speaking at Fieldays – it follows a similar format to the Dragons Den TV programme.
4. Extras: tractor-pull competition at Waikato, Victoria Uni’s Professor Brenda Vale is judging Kapiti’s greenest street,

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: education workshop for budding quantity surveyors; Massey workshop on pathogen evolution, Crown Institute student gets top ranking for IATA exam… again.

ED Blog’s usual writer, Stuart, is on a well-deserved holiday for a few weeks, so I’ll be writing it in the interim (unless I find a temporary replacement). That means the tone and approach may have a few minor changes, Dave.

Policy, Management & People

1. Extras: Waikato roller derby enthusiast; profile of Witi Ihimaera, now working at MIT; Massey won a property award.

Research & Innovation

1. Overcrowding Otago Uni’s Prof Michael Baker has found that overcrowded housing explains Maori/Pacific children’s high hospitalisation rates (RNZ, APNZ, NewstalkZB). Labour argued for more affordable housing (RNZ).
2. KiwiSaver Massey’s Claire Matthews looked into KiwiSaver churn rates (NewstalkZB, NZ Herald, Fairfax, RNZ).
3. Marae Maps Otago Uni’s Prof Paora Tapsell on his marae maps.
4. Strokes Canterbury’s Prof Tanja Mitrovic looking into memory loss in stroke victims.
5. Extras: Canterbury’s Prof Geoff Chase on diabetes diagnostic approaches; Christchurch quake stories in Canterbury’s QuakeBox project; AUT’s Merja Myllylahti on newspaper paywalls (RNZ); Otago Uni hosted a brain research conference; Waikato cycle trail survey; Massey’s Penny Back on heifers.

Public Issues

1. Fluoride The fluoride debate garnered comment from Otago Uni’s Jonathan Broadbent (NZ Herald) and Waikato’s Alan Simpson.
2. Peter Dunne The issues around Peter Dunne’s resignation were commented on by Massey’s Grant Duncan, Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards (NBR) and Victoria’s Jon Johansson.
3. Glenn Inquiry Waikato’s Neville Robertson on child abuse inquiry (and again), and colleague Rachel Simon-Kumar.
4. Blogger Pay…was the focus of Canterbury’s Donald Matheson, who then got a serve from a blogger.
5. Science Comms For some reason not apparent in the media release, Ako Aotearoa is funding improvements in science communication at Canterbury Uni.
6. Obesity Otago Uni ran a research symposium on obesity (NewstalkZB, NZ Herald, Stuff). A related op-ed by Otago Uni’s Prof Janet Hoek got a response from the advertising industry.
7. National Standards Waikato’s Prof Martin Thrupp on national standards here and here and here.
8. Eels Otago Uni’s Gerry Closs on eel quotas and Massey’s Mike Joy.
9. Wellington Massey’s Steve Maharey on the future of Wellington.
10. Extras: Auckland’s Prof David Mayes on the housing market; transcript of interview with Waikato’s Prof Jacqueline Rowarth; Canterbury’s Jarrod Gilbert on a Nelson gang; AUT’s Simon Walters on sideline behaviour; Auckland’s Richard Brookes on Georgie Pie; Lincoln’s Ann Brower on high country farms; Unitec’s Keith Rankin on Sir Douglas Graham; Auckland’s Prof Jenny Dixon on home ownership; Otago Uni’s Prof Mark Henaghen on family law; various academics on bottled water; Auckland’s Michael Littlewood on KiwiSaver; Canterbury’s Mike Grimshaw on rugby as a religion; Otago Uni’s Prof Bob Lloyd on the electricity market.

Students

1. Audacious The annual Otago Uni/Poly business idea competition is on.
2. 48 Hours Aoraki students did well in the 48 Hours film competition.
3. Assault Waikato Uni student seeking a discharge without conviction after assaulting his girlfriend.
4. Extras: Otago SJS earnings; AUT student saw dolphins.

Stakeholders

1. Fieldays The annual onslaught of Waikato media releases about Fieldays has started, this one being on their strong agricultural research.
2. Industry Links Two AUT postgrad students have launched an initiative to link students and the marketing industry.
3. Design Awards UCOL, EIT and NMIT are running a secondary school design competition for a second year, and adding a tertiary section (Wanganui Chronicle).
4. Dalai Lama Dalai Lama to be at Otago Uni (NewstalkZB) and Canterbury this week
5. Extras: Wintec’s Tony O’Brien joined the Waikato Chamber of Commerce board; Otago Uni staffer is Otago’s honorary naval officer; review of Massey vet TV show; school students at biology day at Waikato.

Teaching & Learning

1. India Unitec and CMC Limited are launching vocational education programmes in India.
2. Living History …is an Otago Poly student project and here are the results.
3. Extras: Massey students came up with urban design ideas for Palmerston North; TWOA te reo Maori grads; Otago Uni pass rates; Massey students win design awards (Fairfax); NorthTec health management paper.

Policy, Management & People

1. Loan Fraud A student who assumed other identities to illegally pocket $43,000 in student loans has been sentenced to 4 and a half months of home detention (Christchurch Court News).
2. The TEU… is concerned about the Metro Group of polytechs engaging the services of private govt relations firm Saunders Unsworth, and has articles on the TEC’s IT vulnerabilities, its upcoming blueprint for tertiary education and the Govt’s proposed new employment law.
3. Building Apprenticeships Building apprenticeships in Q1 of 2013 are up 22% on Q1 of 2012 and BCITO C-E Ruma Karaitiana on apprentice numbers in Christchurch.
4. Sir Turi Carroll Lincoln to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the graduation of Sir Turi Carroll.
5. Extras: Canterbury had 11 alumni and 2 former staff members recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Research & Innovation

1. Research Funding The Health Research Council awarded $58.7m in funding (Newstalk ZB, Science Media Centre), including more than $24.8m for research programmes. Canterbury researchers received $1m, Auckland received a total of $31.2m in overall funding, and Otago Uni received $15.5m. Auckland’s Maurice Wilkins Centre issued its own media release. Massey’s Prof Jeroen Douwes got nearly $1.2m in HRC funding to study the effect of pesticide exposure on children’s nervous systems. Auckland’s Benjamin Thompson got $1.2m in HRC funding to research treatment for amblyopia, a.k.a. lazy eye.
2. Maori Men Auckland researchers on the inherent racism in New Zealand’s health services and how it affects Māori men.
3. Problem Gambling AUT’s Prof Max Abbott is conducting the world’s largest clinical trial for problem gambling treatment (NZ Herald).
4. Dog Training A Waikato student is studying the timing of rewards when training dogs.
5. Bridge Columns Canterbury’s Alessandro Palermo is testing new design bridge columns (Radio NZ).
6. Flatmate… is a web-based app designed by two Canterbury students to make flatting easier.
7. Extras Auckland researcher won two awards.

Public Issues

1. Attractive Employees Massey’s Stuart Carr on a recruitment site that excludes less attractive people.
2. Climate Change Victoria’s Prof David Frame on climate sensitivity.
3. Parliamentary Debates Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on yesterday’s fiery exchanges in Parliament.
4. St Clair Esplanade Otago Uni’s Wayne Stephenson on the problems caused by the St Clair Esplanade.
5. Drone Aircraft AUT’s Dan Reader on the potential uses for remote-controlled drone helicopters.
6. Law Reform Otago Uni’s Mark Henaghan is critical of the Govt’s family law reforms.
7. Zealandia Victoria’s Wayne Linklater wants to create a variety of environments around the Zealandia sanctuary area.
8. Glenn Report Otago Uni’s Nicola Atwool on Sir Owen Glenn’s family violence inquiry.
9. Zealandia Victoria’s Wayne Linklater wants to create a variety of environments around the Zealandia sanctuary area.
10. Extras: Otago Uni’s Jonathan Broadbent on water fluoridisation; Massey’s Sir Mason Durie to deliver a lecture.

Students

1. AUSA… has expressed its concern at working conditions in Bangladesh following the clothing factory fire earlier this year.
2. Tool Blacks Competenz wishes the Tool Blacks well for July.

Stakeholders

1. GLBTI Forum AUT is hosting the inaugural ‘Not Your Usual Hui’ this Friday, a forum for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (GLBTI) communities.
2. Quantity Surveyors Otago Poly and CPIT staff and students to present at education workshop for budding Quantity Surveyors (Mountain Scene).
3. Love Life Fono… a gathering of the rainbow Pacific communities to be held at Auckland in October.
4. DHB Candidate City Vision has announced AUT’s Helen Gaeta as a candidate for the Auckland District Health Board.
5. Treasury Comp Victoria scholarships are on offer in a Treasury-run competition for secondary students.
6. Book Shop Dunedin’s University Book Shop has asked staff to reapply for their jobs.
7. Educational Facilities BOPP’s Helen Anderson chaired the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International’s (CEFPI) annual Australasian conference.
8. Group Therapy Massey’s Margaret Roberts is starting a new group therapy programme.
9. Extras: Auckland’s Sophie Tamati to speak at TEDxAuckland event; Waiariki’s Craig Tiriana on the PRINZ Conference; TWOA holding Matariki wearable arts parade; Waikato to showcase agricultural research at Fieldays.

Teaching & Learning

1. Nurse Practitioner A Massey grad has become the Marlborough region’s first nurse practitioner.
2. Suicide Awareness Three UCOL students are holding a suicide awareness day for their community-based project.
3. Library Research The Auckland War Memorial Museum has awarded $20,000 in library research grants to 6 Auckland students.

Policy, Management & People

1. IT Vulnerability 13 Govt agencies have been found to have IT vulnerabilities, including the TEC (Rhema, NZ Herald).
2. Research Centres Massey has launched the new MPOWER (Massey People, Organisation, Work and Employment) research hub at its Albany campus, and Waikato has established an Early Years Research Centre with a focus on education and children aged 0 to 8 years.
3. Overseas Borrowers Peter Dunne says new measures have been successful in getting more overseas students to repay their student loan debt.
4. Master Craftsman… Sopolomelama Filipe Tohi has returned to Auckland’s Fale Pasifika for a 1-month artist’s residency.
5. Pasifika Health Tariana Turia has announced $1.4m to support Pasifika students through their health studies.
6. Colombian Visit Lincoln hosted a delegation of Colombian Govt officials and education providers last week.
7. Extras: Derek Handley new Executive Professor at AUT; Victoria’s Data Crate highly commended at Earthquake Strengthening Awards; Massey had 1 staff member and 12 alumni honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Research & Innovation

1. HRC Grants The Health Research Council has announced recipients of more than $58m in research and health project funding (NZ Herald). Otago Uni and Auckland received about $15.5m and $31.2m, respectively.
2. Antarctica Victoria’s Rob McKay is studying Antarctica’s climate history and a Waikato student has been awarded a $10,000 Freemasons scholarship to study Antarctic Biology.
3. Peter Gluckman… the Prime Minister’s chief science advisor outlined the National Science Challenges at Massey.
4. Paywalls AUT’s Merja Myllylahti says newspaper paywalls are not a viable business model in the short term.
5. Commercial insurance Canterbury’s Charlotte Brown, Erica Seville and John Vargo on the commercial insurance sector’s role after the Canterbury earthquakes.
6. KiwiNet… is a consortium of research organisations that will focus on commercialising publicly funded research.
7. Extras: AUT involved in smart fabric development; AUT researching businesses use of social media.

Public Issues

1. Negligent Parents Canterbury’s Prof Stephen Todd on parental responsibility for damage caused by their children.
2. NZ Power Electricity Authority chairman Brent Layton criticised Victoria’s Geoff Bertram for his views on Labour and the Greens’ NZ Power plan.
3. Fluoridisation Otago Uni’s Jonathan Broadbent is critical of the decision to remove fluoride from Hamilton’s water supply (Science Media Centre).
4. Junk Food Otago Uni’s Prof Janet Hoek wants strict restrictions like those for tobacco on unhealthy food and drink.
5. Suicidal Thoughts… are likely in Canterbury as people deal with post-earthquake stresses, says Canterbury’s Martin Dorahy.
6. Food Safety Massey’s Prof Hamish Gow on Asian industry backing for the Global Food Safety Partnership.
7. Tourism NZ… has been praised by Lincoln’s Prof David Simmons for its change in marketing strategy.
8. Gender Identity Otago Uni’s Prof Dave Grattan on gender identity and biological mismatches.

Students

1. Missing Student An Otago Uni student reported missing on Monday has been found alive and well.
2. Caffeine Student opinion piece on the importance of caffeine at exam time.
3. Scarfie Army Otago Poly’s Scarfie Army held a free community car clinic.

Stakeholders

1. Shakespeare Festival Wanganui High School and Timaru students have won awards at Otago Uni’s Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Schools Festival.
2. Pacific Health Otago Uni’s Fa’afetai Sopoaga and Colleen Murray helped at Dunedin’s Pacific Health Day yesterday.
3. Science and Faith Massey’s Paul Stock to lead forum on the nature of science and faith.
4. Shadows of Shoah… is a new exhibition on the Holocaust at AUT.
5. Google Summit Canterbury’s Prof Tim Bell to speak at Google Global Summit in London.
6. Muriwai Matariki Magic TWOA’s Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr to speak at festival.
7. Plinth Commission NorthTec’s Glen Hayward is 1 of 2 finalists in Wellington’s 4 Plinths Sculpture Project commission.
8. Extras: two UCOL students are Innovate 2013 finalists; TV series to showcase Massey Veterinary Hospital.

Teaching & Learning

1. Kerikeri Art NorthTec’s art students to use Kerikeri as an “alternative space”.
2. Promoting Rugby Waikato event management students are working with the Waikato Rugby Union to promote various forms of rugby.
3. LAAB Experiment Four NMIT students have been experimenting with different ways of showcasing art.
4. NorthTec Carpentry… students have been practising their skills by working on NorthTec’s painting facilities.
5. Mechatronics Cup Waikato’s engineering electronics students held the annual Mechatronics Cup for 2013.
6. Business Case The winners of Waikato Management School’s Case Competition have been announced.
7. Science Passion A Waikato student says hands-on learning developed her passion for science.
8. Extras: UCOL’s Leigh Anderton-Hall went to the ‘Puppets in Prague’ workshop; Lincoln ran its Thr3sis competition in May.

Policy, Management & People

1. New Institute AUT has launched the new Institute for Applied Ecology NZ.
2. Professorship Derek Handley has taken up an adjunct executive professorship at AUT.
3. Waikato Loans The Waikato Times on Waikato students’ student loan debt.
4. Extras: Unitec’s campuses are smokefree as of yesterday; Lincoln’s Ann Brower wants council apology for bus crash; Auckland’s Prof Albert Wendt and Victoria’s Prof Piri Sciascia and Chancellor Ian McKinnon named in Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Research & Innovation

1. Angry Lego Canterbury’s Christoph Bartneck says Lego figures increasingly have angry rather than smiling faces (Newstalk ZB, Fairfax, ODT, Yahoo).
2. Handwritten Note A handwritten note from missionary William Colenso to his father has been found in the Massey library.
3. Royal Disease Massey researchers on the extremely rare genetic disease haemophilia B Leyden.
4. DOVE Services EIT’s Penny Ehrhardt says DOVE Hawke’s Bay is effective in reducing family violence.
5. eCHAT Auckland’s Prof Felicity Goodyear has developed  electronic health screening test eCHAT for people to complete while waiting for the doctor.
6. Medicine Storage Otago Uni’s Campbell Hewson says bathrooms and kitchens  are the worst places to store pills and potions
7. Diabetes Otago Uni’s Kirsten Coppell says 1 in 5 NZers over 15 in her study had pre-diabetic conditions.
8. Climate Change Massey academics to present research at climate change conference.
9. Extras: a Massey student looking at the effect of poisons on threatened native falcons.

Public Issues

1. Financial Advisers Massey’s Mike Naylor says the Govt should regulate financial advisers’ commission.
2. Degree Inflation Canterbury’s Eric Crampton on degree inflation (Salient).
3. Give Way Rule Waikato’s Samuel Charlton on the give way rule change.
4. Prison Riot Canterbury’s Prof Greg Newbold on the recent rioting at Springhill Prison.
5. Competitive Sport Waikato’s Clive Pope on kids and competitive sport.
6. Beans Otago Uni’s Bernard Venn on the health profile of beans.
7. Dyslexia Canterbury’s Prof John Everatt says NZ struggles to diagnose and address dyslexia.
8. Transparency Massey’s Christine Cheyne says local Govt bodies need more public transparency.
9. Extras: AUT’s Prof Paul Moon on the Tuhoe settlement.

Students

1. Missing Student Otago Uni student Sophie Acklin has been reported missing (NZ Herald, Yahoo).
2. VUWSA Salient on the relationship between VUWSA and Victoria.
3. Photographer An Aoraki photography student on shooting bands and events.

Stakeholders

1. Wellington Phoenix… football team is linking with Lincoln-based Asia Pacific Football Academy.
2. Dance Troupe… Atamira Dance Company staging KAHA collection of short works at Waikato.
3. Careers Expo Vocational Pathways, Massey, Waikato and Media Design School representatives to attend Career Expo show in Auckland.
4. DCC Rates Dunedin City Council has the highest percentage of non-rateable assets of NZ’s main centres, with Otago Uni contributing the most to those.
5. Obesity Symposium Otago Uni’s Prof Jim Mann organised a symposium on obesity on Friday.

Teaching & Learning

1. Dramatic Production Waikato’s Jan Bolwell is directing a play about the life of James Joyce’s daughter.
2. Inaugural Lecture Victoria’s Prof Uli Zuelicke to speak on miracle materials and mystery particles.
3. Weta Scholarship Wet Digital is offering a Victoria postgrad scholarship in computer graphics.
4. Marae Visit NorthTec students visited the Ngāi Tupoto Marae at Motukaraka.
5. Puppet Workshop UCOL’s Leigh Anderton-Hall attended a 12-day ‘Puppets in Prague’ workshop in the Czech Republic.
6. Nepal Visit Four Waikato Hillary scholars will travel to Nepal for three weeks.
7. Science Orators Finalists have been selected for the 2013 Eureka! Sir Paul Callaghan Award for Young Science Orators.
8. Extras: Lincoln and Aoraki to offer agriculture and horticulture courses in South Canterbury.