http://www.ed.co.nz Tertiary education news and views Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:44:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 http://www.ed.co.nz/2011/08/12/news-128-%e2%80%93-no-nzqa-ero-merger-enz-chair-fishing-boat-workers/ http://www.ed.co.nz/2011/08/12/news-128-%e2%80%93-no-nzqa-ero-merger-enz-chair-fishing-boat-workers/#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:57:18 +0000 Dave Guerin http://www.ed.co.nz/?p=3266 Read Full Story.]]>

No NZQA-ERO Merger Various agencies were approved for merger yesterday by Cabinet, but NZQA and ERO were not included and the merger is now off the table. Good – it was a bloody stupid idea. Policy work in the DOL will also no longer shift to the MOE, as had been proposed. (PSA, RNZ)

ENZ Chair One of Wellington’s lobbyists has been appointed as the new Education NZ chair – he currently works for Saunders Unsworth (and may do some work for the Metro ITPs there) and was previously head of the Wgtn Chamber of Commerce (NZPA). He has a background in MFAT and trade issues, speaks fluent Mandarin and is on Victoria’s Council. I heard a rumour that another Wellington consultant has got the CE job, but I’d need more sources to name the person. The NZ Herald also did a good review of day 1 of (old) ENZ’s conference up in Auckland.

Fishing Boat Workers Auckland’s Christina Stringer, Glenn Simmons, Daren Coulston and Professor Hugh Whittaker have released their report on work conditions on foreign crewed fishing vessels in NZ waters. They found some bad things, from bad pay and long hours to abuse (RNZ, The Aucklander, TVNZ, Stuff). It will be interesting to see how the debate goes – if their report is as substantial as it seems to be, there will be a lot of debate about it.

Tai Wananga TWOA’s new school, Tai Wananga, is making progress.

NMIT’s Flash Boat NMIT has spent $180K on a new boat but it’s not a runabout for CE Tony Gray, but a lifeboat for maritime training. NMIT has also just hosted a young adult fiction writer – you’ll love the quotes from the teenage girls.

Canterbury Cuts The TEU is pointing to budget cuts at Canterbury, which is a natural reaction to the funding drop from the international market.

VSM The TEU lead their newsletter with VSM, arguing that it is bad for staff. AUSA asked the PM to visit them on the Auckland campus to see the effects of VSM (they’re voluntary). Lincoln students rallied yesterday (NZPA). And the VSM Bill itself is pushed out a bit because Member’s Day next week will be replaced by urgency.

Cheers Johann Johann Wohlmuther is stepping down after 21 years heading MIT’s hospitality school. He’s a great character and there’s a nice profile of him here.

Precision Agriculture …is something Massey and Lincoln are working together on to improve farmer uptake of the practice.

Syndication Kiwiblog picked up on my post about Labour’s recent Christchurch training announcement.

Short Bits NZUSA was criticised over UE claims. Massey: Marjan van den Belt on accounting for natural capital; Prof Malcolm Wright on adidas’ PR; Nigel Parsons on Middle East trade and politics. UCOL: students doing promotions and free building labour; Otago Poly: grad in fashion comp. Victoria: is bringing us a US poet; Sir Paul Callaghan’s giving a speech (what will he say? I guessed right without reading the release). Roger Field’s retirement from Lincoln. Labour candidate Andrew Little on WITT/tertiary education. Waikato: students off to Malaysia competition; lecture on business and sport. Canterbury: helping school students with homework; awards for engineering students; the students assn likes light rail; dispute about rockfalls. Auckland: Entrepreneurs’ Challenge finalists; Samoan tattooing. TWOA: health checks in Gisborne. Waiariki: weight loss challenge. AUT: Prof Brooks on food safety. Otago Uni: student tracking kaka.

]]> http://www.ed.co.nz/2011/08/12/news-128-%e2%80%93-no-nzqa-ero-merger-enz-chair-fishing-boat-workers/feed/ 0 http://www.ed.co.nz/2010/12/10/news-1012-tai-wananga-tairawhiti-head-tainui-college/ http://www.ed.co.nz/2010/12/10/news-1012-tai-wananga-tairawhiti-head-tainui-college/#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:14:57 +0000 Dave Guerin http://www.ed.co.nz/?p=2320 Read Full Story.]]>

Tai Wananga Education Minister Anne Tolley and Associate Education Minister Dr Pita Sharples have announced the establishment of a new secondary school over two sites in Hamilton and Palmerston North. Tai Wānanga, a Year 9 to 13 secondary school developed in conjunction with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, will deliver a tikanga-based education programme taught in English, but within a uniquely Māori environment (NZPA story – don’t read the comments is my tip). This is a bit new initiative by TWOA as they move from a predominantly older student body to attracting school leavers – I know they’ ve been thinking about this for years, if not decades, and I’d expect to hear of more initiatives before too long.

Secondary-Tertiary Stuart Middleton has blogged again, on the fact that we might be at a turning point on secondary-tertiary transitions.

Tairawhiti Campus Head Jan Mogford will be the new EIT Tairawhiti campus manager – she’s currently a Head of School there.

New Centre The University of Auckland has launched a new Centre for Infrastructure Research (NZ Herald and NBR).

TEU News TEU’s newsletter yesterday had some great items but I haven’t got time to do justice to them today but they include titles like “Could trade agreement let for-profit US universities sue NZ polytechnics?” and “Weltec staff opposed to 55 extra hours per year”. And no, my reticence has nothing to do with attending the TEU Xmas party tonight and more that I need to do some work.

Plagiarism Case A former Victoria University student accused of plagiarism has won a reconsideration of her case.

Research $$ Otago Uni’s $3.1m of HRC money and Auckland Uni’s

Tainui College Waikato-Tainui’s endowed college at Hopuhopu is to finally be used as intended for post-graduate study.

Nice Grad Story I don’t usually cover graduation stories, but this is a nice one about what education can do.

Maori Ed Award Canterbury Uni’s Prof Angus Macfarlane has won the NZARE’s Te Tohu Pae Tawhiti Award.

Short Bits Otago Uni has had 1,000 sci-fi books donated to it.There’s a new DOL study on international students’ post-study settlement in NZ. Some Vic academics have endorsed a report that opposes lignite use. SIT ran a Southland Perceptions Survey. David Farrar criticised a welfare policy group chaired by a Massey academic. Some Unitec signage was found amusing by the Herald’s Sideswipe column. Otago Uni research on smoking cessation and cancer for Pacific women. An Otago Uni student has helped to run a survey on computer crime and security. A UCOL student has scored a video production internship in San Francisco.

]]> http://www.ed.co.nz/2010/12/10/news-1012-tai-wananga-tairawhiti-head-tainui-college/feed/ 2 http://www.ed.co.nz/2010/06/10/news-106-vc-leaving-heath-research-coming-and-vsm/ http://www.ed.co.nz/2010/06/10/news-106-vc-leaving-heath-research-coming-and-vsm/#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:07:59 +0000 Dave Guerin http://www.ed.co.nz/?p=1154 Read Full Story.]]>

VC Steps Down Prof Sir David Skegg of the University of Otago will step down by July next year, a few years short of the end of this term (he will have done seven years). While the formal replacement search will start soon, you can sign up on Facebook for New Zealand’s Next Top Vice-Chancellor (HT TEU).

Health Research $$ $81.88m of Health Research Council funding has just been allocated. The University of Otago got some money to test the safety of babies sleeping in flax baskets.

Skills Highway The DOL has launched a new Skills Highway website to profile businesses that are doing well with workplace literacy – there’s a media release too. The site and associated work is being piloted in Canterbury.

Bridge Death Here’s an update on the trial (and another one) relating to a Massey student’s death in a bridge-swinging accident.

Music by KAREN KAREN has put up a case study about how it can support the University of Otago’s use of its new music console, but I remain unconvinced that Otago has a use for a $1m sound console (or that we have 3 national music centres for that matter).

Social Work Also at Otago, proposed social work cuts have attracted comment from other academics and the Social Workers’ Registration Board (a merger of departments was approved this week, but the final details are still to be worked out).

Honours The University of Auckland has recognised staff that received honours on Monday.

VSM The Education and Science Committee was in Dunedin yesterday to hear submissions on the VSM bill. Looks like some dodgy stats were put out by OUSA, which is quoted as saying that students put in 200,000 voluntary hours last year for student services (including a foodbank and advocacy services). Working full-time for a year is about 2,000 hours, so are they saying that 100 students worked full-time on a voluntary basis? I think it’s more likely they added up all student time on all student activities, and the bulk of that would have been students participating in clubs.

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