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.

1. New TV Ads I was going to write a post about new TV ads put out by ITPs, but StopPress wrote much the same thing on Friday, so I’ll pass. It’s worth a read on cool new ads by Open Poly and MIT.
2. Innovation City Prof Sir Peter Gluckman has followed up last year’s speech on Auckland by putting a condensed version in a NZ Herald op-ed. He’s proposing an innovation city and wants some thinking about what should be in it. I smell a wider government agenda.
3. Fund a Prof The ODT is getting in behind a $3m fundraising campaign for a new neurosurgery chair at Otago Uni. So is the Southland Times, which gives more details on other organisations in the campaign. There’s also a media release on the campaign and associated stories here, here, here and here.
4. Whitireia Buildings Whitireia is planning to wipe out a lot more prefabs once its new building is up and running – they blessed the site on Friday and construction should end in a year.
5. Extras: Massey’s Steve Stannard out cycling; Aoraki’s Nicola Pearce off to Outward Bound; Christchurch enrolments; local providers’ reaction to PEI’s demise; Victoria notes the success of its Centre for Strategic Studies.

Research & Innovation

1. Alzheimer’s There’s some interesting work being done on detecting Alzheimer’s disease by Prof Cliff Abrahams at Otago Uni.
2. Extras: Auckland’s Bridget Kool on the impact of multiple medicines on falls; AUT’s Lindsey White on seaweed harvesting; exhibition co-curated by Otago Uni’s Prof Hilary Radner goes to Whangarei; Otago Uni’s Lisa Stamp recognised for early career work.

Public Issues

1. Kids’ Treadmill Who really buys their kid a treadmill? Anyway, Otago Uni’s Kim Meredith-Jones comments on the trend. Meanwhile, Auckland’s Yvonne Anderson is helping with a programme to combat child obesity in Taranaki.
2. Massey Birds Rena-affected birds will now go straight to Massey as numbers reduce, to join one last dotterel.
3. Saving Frogs Otago Uni’s Phil Bishop wants sponsorship to help save frogs.
4. Extras: Auckland’s Ian Lambie on charitable giving; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards gets an editorial reference; Massey’s Claire McLachlan on criticism of NZ ECE; Otago Uni staff helped move a seal pup and its mum; blogger Grant Jacobs on Prof Sir Paul Callaghan’s cancer treatment; Auckland’s Basil Sharp on energy prices; Waiariki’s Narissa Bayler on uploading fight videos; AUT’s Kelly Sheerin on barefoot running; Otago Uni’s Mark Henaghen on healthcare and trust and Doug Sellman on alcohol; Victoria’s Peter Barrett and Lincoln’s Shannon Page went to protest lignite mining in Southland (release); AUT’s Vernon Rive on climate change agreements.

Students

1. Music Making Auckland’s Alex Taylor makes a list of musicians to watch in 2012.
2. Extras: early school leaver’s experience – worth a read; Nanocamp for school students at Victoria while others studied science at Otago Uni; OUSA is fixing some squash courts; the student who drowned in Wellington turned out to be a current Otago Poly, and former Otago Uni, student; Dunedin student rentals; Waikato nursing student selling a tattoo on her butt.

Stakeholders

1. A Cute Uni Museum Artist Christine Hellyar is doing an exhibition based on Auckland’s McGregor Museum, which I have just discovered and looks quite interesting (if specialised). Well worth checking out for the science geek.
2. Extras: Auckland monitoring ecohouse; Wanganui’s Council is supporting accommodation for glass students (Wanganui Chronicle); photography exhibition at Victoria.

Teaching & Learning

1. Apple’s Textbooks Apple launched their new textbook software last week and I suspect it won’t shine given its proprietary bounds, but more importantly it’s just another signal of the changing textbook market. The Chronicle of Higher Education has a good review.
2. Teach First…is getting ready to recruit its first students into its condensed teacher education programme (NewstalkZB, AAP). There was a follow-up story today.
3. Extras: UCOL Rangitikei trades academy story.

1. Christchurch Rebuild The wave of new students/trainees in construction don’t yet have a job to go to, with rebuilding in Christchurch not yet starting – comments by BCITO’s Ruma Karaitiana and CPIT’s Phil Agnew.
2. Wings Trimmed Southern Wings Aviation College, which is shifting away from being an SIT subcontractor, has had an EFTS cut as TEC introduces a new aviation training cap.
3. Marae Gateway Victoria has a new marae gateway and it looks pretty good. Much better than the simple alleyway that they used to have.
4. Loans Students are borrowing more (interest.co.nz).
5. Canterbury Changes The TEU’s Sandra Grey (ED Blog’s Best Lobbyist Singer of the Year) muses on whether Canterbury will cut whole departments. Meanwhile, Canterbury is to spend $1.6m on an emergency communication system.
6. Extras: release on Tai Poutini’s EER; Otago Poly’s Matt Carter and his management success; HSI and Waiariki board member gets new job; new Chancellor at Canterbury (RNZ); Deborah Hill Cone’s underdeveloped views on university marketing, participation and organisation; TWOA’s Tai Wananga has good demand; car parking changes in Dunedin; Auckland hostel to be extended.

Research & Innovation

1. Women in Newspapers Massey’s Catherine Strong has released some strong findings on newspaper careers for women. I’ll be interested to see how it is covered.
2. Too Much Salt Otago Uni’s Rachael McLean has found that Kiwis eat too much salt (RNZ, The Press, NZN).
3. Old Shoppers Waikato’s Margaret Richardson is trying to make life easier for older shoppers.
4. Baby Deaths Auckland’s Shirley Tonkin and colleagues have found that tongue growth and jaw looseness can contribute to sudden infant deaths. Unlike much of the research in this area, it actually seems science-based and clear – read it now before its gets washed through the Ministry of Health!
5. Solar Car TV3 did a piece on the Waikato solar car, the German uni’s team’s car and a local car. I feel sorry for them given they have no windows and no A/C!
6. Extras: Victoria’s Melanie Johnston-Hollitt working on astronomy software; Massey’s Sitaleki Finau on Pasifika spirituality; Massey’s Kerry Taylor on a museum’s history; research by Otago Uni’s Bernard Venn cited (on potatoes); art making by MIT’s Bill Riley; Otago Uni’s Tony Reeder on sun safety; Victoria’s Elisabeth McDonald on changes to sex-attack justice; nice profile of Massey’s Evelyn Sattlegger; art conference at Vic this week.

Public Issues

1. Breastfeeding on P? Auckland’s Trecia Wouldes notes that there’s not much evidence on the effect of breastfeeding while taking P.
2. Home for Xmas Massey bird saviours hope to be home for Xmas after releasing the last of the oiled birds – also Canterbury’s Prof David Schiel on the cleanup an d Waikato’s Prof Chris Battershill on the environmental recovery.
3. Immigration Alleged comments by AUT’s Prof Charles Crothers are being used by a local Grey Power group to support an inquiry into Auckland’s ethnic makeup (I think they don’t want non-white people).
4. Gift-Giving Waikato’s Carolyn Costley on the psychology of gift-giving – which makes me wonder whether academics can find as many angles on Xmas as they did for the RWC. I spoke too soon – BOPP’s Esta Chappell is commenting on the greenness of real vs fake Xmas trees.
5. Bank Downgrades…attracted comments from Massey’s David Tripe (and again and again).
6. Extras: Victoria’s Maria Bargh on Labour and Maori and Robert Ayson on Iran-Britain relations; Otago Uni seminar on food production; Canterbury’s John Cookson on post-quake Christchurch; Otago Uni’s Dr Blackman on chemistry hero Ernest Solvay; Massey’s Clare Robinson on David Shearer; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on voter turnout and Labour’s list; Massey’s David Deakins on business real estate; AUT’s Elaine Rush on drinking water; Otago Uni’s Andrea Insch on a marketing campaign and Prof Stephen Wing responds to some odd marine theories; more from OIA request of Auckland’s Alex McMillan; Auckland’s Barry Gustafson on coalition deals.

Students

1. NZer of the Year Canterbury’s Sam Johnson (Student Volunteer Army) has been nominated by the NZ Herald as a NZer of the Year finalist.
2. Art Over Panel Beating Here’s a story of a student who chose art at Massey over a panel beating apprenticeship.
3. Listening to Kiwis Bay of Plenty Poly students have put in kiwi listening stations on the Kepler Track near Te Anau (release).
4. Cunliffe Support Auckland’s Young Nats have come out for David Cunliffe, claiming he joined up via a BBQ draw (Homepaddock).
5. Morals An AUT student has a NZ Herald op-ed on media morals.
6. Extras: BOPP grad top regional motor apprentice; Massey eventing rider; Auckland architecture student’s win; Stephen Franks on a Canterbury alumni event; Wintec hospital history; Otago Uni students’ moot win and fair trade coffee research; odd media release about OUSA prez and SJS; Unitec students’ house-building; kea blood tests by an Otago Uni student; Otago Uni runner wins race; Canterbury’s girls software challenge; Otago Poly chef grad profile.

Stakeholders

1. Dental Clinic Otago Uni is opening a new kids’ dental clinic – good idea and good story.
2. Extras: SIT drops racing car sponsorship; Otago Poly staff supporting a Foodbank; cycling race at Canterbury.

Teaching & Learning

1. Facebook German Canterbury’s Vera Leier has got her students working on a class Facebook page, but they must change their settings to German – the language which she is teaching them. It’s a good idea to make language learning seem more everyday.
2. Teacher Awards Students have recognised their top teachers at Massey – congrats to Mike Joy, Sean Phelan, Prof Barrie Macdonald and Gina Salapata.
3. Extras: sustainable skills summer school.

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. Canterbury Loss Up Canterbury’s projected loss for 2012 is up from $10m to $15m, but it drops to $9m once insurance comes in (presumably the earlier $10m figure also dropped after insurance).
2. Skill Shortages The ITF’s new CE, Mark Oldershaw, has made the news in week 1 – talking about skill shortages.
3. Extras: prosecution due to a workplace accident at Victoria (by a contractor); big Council investment in carpark to help MIT; a letter to the editor about night classes.

Research & Innovation

1. Fire! Canterbury’s Prof Charles Fleischmann has received a US award for fire engineering research. He’s researched furniture flammability, which I would have thought more of an Otago Uni specialisation…
2. Ant Cycles Victoria’s Meghan Cooling and Phil Lester have found out about the life cycles of Argentine ant colonies.
3. Extras: Waikato legal research centre focusing on Maori governance; Victoria’s Melanie Johnston-Hollitt helping with Square Kilometre Array software; Waikato solar car at the beehive; KiwiNet workshop.

Public Issues

1. Lucky Christchurch Canterbury’s adjunct Prof John Cookson is writing a five-part series on Christchurch in The Press.
2. Turkey Tails Otago Uni’s Nick Wilson comments on the impact of turkey tails in Samoa (don’t you love the variety of tertiary education!).
3. HIV Otago Uni’s Nigel Dickson has reported on late diagnosis of HIV (gaynz.com).
4. Rents Massey’s Prof Bob Hargreaves on rent and wages.
5. Extras: Massey symposium on nutrition and brain development in babies plus fish oil research by Prof Welma Stonehouse; Waikato’s Natalie Jackson on population trends; AUT’s Vernon Rive on climate change discussions.

Students

1. Fashion Whitecliffe’s fashion show looked pretty good. CPIT’s fashion show is on Saturday.
2. NZ’s Top…gymnast is at AUT.
3. Extras: one of Unitec’s TV ad stars is part of the grad exhibition; a bit on Auckland student activism in this piece on Occupy; ambulance officer student; NorthTec students’ visual arts display; UCOL acting student off to Unitec.

Stakeholders

1. Oxford Donation A Canterbury scholarship to study at Christ Church, Oxford, has been boosted by a Trust’s donation.
2. Extras: Intergen’s Otago Poly/Uni links; Massey’s Terry Stewart being a hillbilly; winner of Massey Maori book awards;

Teaching & Learning

1. Sustainable Course This release is a bit of a promo but it’s an interesting one about an Otago Poly sustainable practice course and how its students have done.
2. Pasifika Trades Training…is being offered at CPIT to help rebuild Christchurch (release).

Policy & Management

1. Industry Training Drop Labour’s Jacinda Ardern publicises the drop in industry training numbers.
2. VSM Students’ associations preparing for income cut.
3. New ATTTO CE…is Kathy Wolfe, who has been Acting CE.
4. Whitireia Shift Whitireia is shifting into a temporary Kapiti campus until their new campus is ready.
5. Extras: Stuart Middleton redesigns the education system in his lunch hour; project manager on Artena integration at EIT-Tairawhiti.

Research & Innovation

1. Pornography A Marsden Fund grant at Auckland for pornography research has caused a wee stir.
2. Indian Migrants …are the focus of a study by Massey’s Prof Paul Spoonley (Stuff).
3. Pasture Meter Massey’s Ian Yule et al involved in developing a new pasture meter.
4. Coastal Research Waikato is opening a new coastal research field centre – I know Victoria and Auckland have them and I know Otago has a big boat at least, but who else has such a centre?
5. Kids’ Bikes Otago Poly’s Scot Eady has a cool Wellington exhibition about kids’ bikes – have a read.
6. Extras: Auckland’s Hans Edge on Pacific peoples’ hearts and team games; video of Waikato’s solar powered car (release).

Public Issues

1. Elections impact of tertiary education in Dunedin North electorate; Auckland’s Joe Atkinson on Goff’s police allegations; the Canterbury study of election coverage has some interesting results, but I think their apparent lack of correction for size and prominence of story may be a weakness; find out which academics are on TV on Saturday night, while Otago Uni is running its own election TV show; Massey’s Alexander Molchanov finds that elections (and politics) can hurt business; Auckland’s Bill Hodge on the Greens’ Kevin Hague’s Pike River legal action; Massey’s Claire Robinson on John Key (and again, with Auckland’s Joe Atkinson, and both of them on Phil Goff); Te Mana Akonga student voting guide;
2. Rena Waikato’s Prof Chris Battershill on Rena dispersants.
3. Family Violence Auckland’s Janet Fanslow has a NZ herald op-ed on family violence. Otago Uni study on family violence cited.
4. Trademarks Victoria’s Aroha Mead comments on an interesting library software trademark case.
5. Extras: Massey’s Wayne Barrar wins award for art book; Otago Uni academics on the drinking age; Otago/Victoria Uni academics speaking on eco design; Otago and Auckland Uni academics on euthanasia; Canterbury’s Eric Crampton and Auckland’s Tim Hazeldine on privatisation.

Students

1. Grad Shows Massey’s new grads’ fashion is here and here with pictures. Film School graduation in Wellington.
2. Meningitis Auckland’s Nikki Turner on a student vaccination drive.
3. Top Actors Toi Whakaari grads going well in Wellington theatre awards.
4. Extras: disabled people bullied in Nelson, including possibly an NMIT student; Otago Poly tramper rescued; motor racing Canterbury student; hospitality pathways; AUT student model; student film-makers.

Stakeholders

1. Manufacturing Help CPIT and MIT have put together what sound like a great seminar for Christchurch manufacturers.
2. Climate Change A Unitec staffer, Malia Talakai, is becoming a climate change envoy.
3. Extras: profile of Massey’s Sue Prescott; Victoria lecturer’s conviction; Otago Poly’s Matt Carter was a finalist for young exec of the year.

Teaching & Learning

1. Top Salon A New Plymouth salon has been named the top hairdressing training salon by HITO plus 3 Christchurch hairdressers won.

1. Whitireia-WelTec Merger Steven Joyce has approved the Whitireia-WelTec council merger.
2. Fees There were fears that Otago Uni’s fees would rise by 4% and they did.
3. CPIT Settlement CPIT has settled an agreement with TEU members.
   
4. National’s Policy Me on TV about National’s policy yesterday morning.
5. Artena Merger Artena put out a release about how well the EIT-Tairawhiti merger went on the student management system side.
6. Extras: progress on Otago Uni building at new stadium; Massey’s new natural sciences degree; assessment services provider wins award; NMIT building wins another award (it will win my “most-mentioned building” award this year).

Research & Innovation

1. Sequelae A Canterbury release about a book for children might show why academics shouldn’t write their own releases, with the introduction of the word sequelae with no explanation. Or it could be a ruse to encourage you to Google it and find out what it means, in which case I’ll let you find out.
2. Urgency Victoria’s Claudia Geiringer, Polly Higbee and Prof Elizabeth McLeay have researched Parliament’s use of urgency.
3. Extras: Waikato electric car; paper cites Auckland meth baby research; Waikato’s Ngahuia Te Awekotuku sells out French translation of tattoo book.

Public Issues

1. Election Massey’s Deborah Russell on second class citizens; the tea tapes attracted comments from Massey’s Claire Robinson (good piece) and Victoria’s Steven Price; Victoria’s Ana Gilling on Back Benches; Massey’s Grant Duncan on coalition options; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on last leaders’ debate;
2. Penguins Massey released penguins (Stuff). Back In less telegenic work, Waikato will be researching the long-term impact of the spill on the environment (SunLive).
3. Extras: Otago Uni’s Phi Bishop on saving frogs; Auckland’s Prof Kenneth Husted on innovation; Auckland’s Prof Raymond Miller on MMP; AUT’s Grant Schofield and Auckland’s Katie Fitzpatrick on kids’ fitness.

Students

1. Student Unrest An Otago Uni Council member complained about publicity over student unrest and the impact it might have on enrolments.
2. Extras: Otago Poly careers day in Central Otago; Unitec’s Grad Show; BOPP end of year shows (BOP Times); baking showcase at MIT; Waiariki runner Samara Shepherd; ESITO’s top trainee.

Stakeholders

1. Fibre Training EIT and Unison have signed a training deal, including a facility, to support fibre rollout (Hawke’s Bay Today).
2. Court Case Victoria’s Yvonne van Roy on trial over the death of a cyclist.
3. Avocado WITT’s Denis Duthie cooks with avocado.
4. Extras: Auckland’s Icehouse signs deal with iwi; Open Poly’s Merilyn Merritt on cleaning up the Waiwhetu Stream -it runs by the campus; Unitec students arrive in Haiti; Massey-supported community garden; Massey won Maori language award in tertiary education sector; AUT refugee education conference; Massey’s global entrepreneurship week; Chinese visit to Massey; recognition for Massey work after Christchurch quake.

Teaching & Learning

1. Top Lecturer Massey’s Prof Jill Hooks gets Albany lecturer of the year.

1. MIT Review It is review season and MIT has the latest one. TEU has released details of 28 potential job losses in a rightsizing review.
2. Labour Policy Labour released training policy.
3. Whitireia Settlement Whitireia has reached a new employment agreement with TEU members.
4. Commercialisation Auckland has an interesting new Masters in Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship. It almost interests me.
5. Extras: Open Poly won a Lower Hutt business award; Otago Uni building gets Historic Places Trust recognition.

Research & Innovation

1. Weta Head Size Wetas with bigger heads have more mating success, but Massey’s Cilla Wehi is trying to find out if there’s a downside to having a big head, but has not found one yet (NZ Herald, Stuff). There’s a good weta video too.
2. Royal Society Honours More on Otago Uni’s Christine Winterbourn, while Massey recognises Shaun Cooper’s win and Victoria recognises Prof Colleen Ward’s and Prof Rod Downey’s wins. Auckland Joanna Wojnar won a writing award.
3. Extras: AUT’s Prof Paul Moon on his latest book; Auckland’s Prof Annie Goldson wins best director award; Massey’s Prof Bernhard Breier on Omega-3.

Public Issues

1. The Tapes AUT’s Greg Treadwell calls the Police requests for info state bullying but blames it all on John Key. Auckland’s Gehan Gunasekara says there was nothing illegal about the taping. Canterbury’s Ursula Cheer on the legal issues around the search warrants.
2. David Bain Otago Uni’s Kevin Dawkins on David Bain’s compensation bid.
3. Privatisation Auckland’s Prof John Farrar put some political views about privatisation in a poorly structured media release. Really, I think some people should stick to bugging their Facebook friends with their political views rather than putting out media releases.
4. Election Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards and Auckland’s Barry Gustafson on dirty tricks.
5. Language Survival Victoria is bringing back an alumnus from the 1950s to speak at a languages forum.
6. Obama Otago Uni’s Robert Patman thinks a new Marine base in Australia might help (or complicate) NZ-US (or NZ-China) relations.
7. Extras: Auckland’s Jane Kelsey on free trade and Ken Palmer on local body election advertising limits; Massey’s David Raubenheimer on how animals obesity can be used to understand humans’ obesity; Canterbury’s Jarrod Gilbert on gang expansion.

Students

1. Student Marketing AUT is trying to attract Manukau students to new postgrad courses, while Massey is trying to fill a new Bachelor of Natural Sciences.
2. Extras: student off to NY entrepreneurship competition; NorthTec students’ RWC experience; Massey student standing for election; first-time student voters.

Stakeholders

1. Extras: Wintec honours a business partner; TWOA manager picks up chair role at dairy farm business; Massey getting penguins ready for release.

1. Apprenticeships A Retail Meat ITO board member is on the soapbox for a Stuff election story on apprenticeships.
2. Raukawa Te Mana Akonga president says that students are happy with Te Wananga O Raukawa.
3. New Services Academies Anne Tolley has announced 8 new Services Academies in schools.
4. Seismic Survey Otago Poly’s building should be OK in an earthquake.
5. Aoraki IR/Review Aoraki TEU members have asked the Poly to enter into mediation over various issues, while the review of various courses has been delayed a bit.
6. Capital Issues Stuart Middleton branches out into capital investment issues and proposes integration of school and tertiary facilities to make the best use of resources.
7. Extras: Labour repackaged their previously released education policy; Learning State CE Jeremy Baker challenges public sector employers to train their staff; NorthTec’s upgraded art gallery reopens; Otago Poly’s trades expo for women and possible closure of South Dunedin computing centre; International Travel College won a marketing award.

Research & Innovation

1. Killer Plagues Massey’s Prof Nigel French and Prof Mick Robertson on the veracity of new film Contagion (3 News).
2. RSNZ Medal AUT’s Prof Stephen Henry has an RJ Scott medal from the Royal Society of NZ.
3. Baby Sleep An ACC-funded study into babies’ sleep patterns by Otago Uni was mocked.
4. Nurse Burnout A Massey pilot study by Martin Woods has found that 60% of nurses have quit jobs due to burnout and other issues.
5. Extras: Victoria’s Kat Thornton’s Fulbright plans; Massey’s Prof Harjinder Singh wins a Shorland Medal (another colleague also won, Stuff); TV3 on the CSI Otago work (and ODT); Massey’s Karen Stockin to get a dead dusky dolphin.

Public Issues

1. 1961 Crash The Waikato Times has a story on a 1961 air crash and the Auckland and Canterbury academics at the time who contested the official view. Interesting.
2. Election Labour’s Shane Jones spoke to Otago Poly students; Massey’s Claire Robinson on web campaigning; mall visits by politicians gets comment by Victoria’s Jon Johansson, Massey’s Claire Robinson and Auckland’s Jennifer Lee-Marshment; Auckland’s Michael Littlewood on KiwiSaver; TWOA’s Sehai Orgad standing for Labour and AUT PhD student Sue Bradford standing for Mana; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on pessimism (with Victoria’s Marc Wilson); Bryce Edwards and AUT’s Paul White on party advertising; Canterbury’s Ursula Cheer and Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on the Key-Banks tape.
3. MMP Victoria’s Nigel Roberts and TEU’s Sandra Grey (in an MMP campaign role) on MMP (and Nigel again); Waikato’s Alan Simpson also commented on MMP.
4. Occupy Otago Uni’s Andrew Geddis has an op-ed on why the Octagon occupation will continue. Auckland’s Campbell Jones reckons Occupy will be staying in Aotea Square until the world changes, which may be a long time.
5. Extras: Canterbury’s Ursula Cheer on media approaches to name suppression; Waikato academics on Rena spill (release) and at a dive event; Wintec hosting youth suicide campaigner; Otago Uni’s Dr Blackman on silver; Massey’s Rana Ravindran on iodine in food; Massey’s Kate Hill on a dog nursing kittens.

Students

1. Year End exhibitions… at MIT, AUT (release), Aoraki and UCOL (and again).
2. Storm Petrels Massey’s Megan Young is studying them.
3. Extras: Waiariki golfers; Massey students researching tui; more on Otago Poly student’s software sale; Otago Poly student wins film award; Victoria student on indigenous tour guiding (and interpreters); UCOL student acting; collecting for foodbanks; AIESEC students doing volunteer work overseas; rower doing Massey study; Otago Uni students’ op-ed on climate change; WITT student’s benefit issues; Massey child tracker wrist band.

Stakeholders

1. Film Partners The ODT has a great wee story on the links between Otago Uni and Natural History NZ over a natural history film-making course. Well worth a read. There’s also a story on the ScienceTeller Festival.

Teaching & Learning

1. E-zine Unitec has a new e-zine for English language teachers.

1. The VC’s Pay…is big news in Dunedin.
2. Canty Bailout? John Key said he wouldn’t fund Canterbury’s latest bailout request, while Phil Goff said he couldn’t guarantee anything.
3. Unemployment NZUSA has joined a group to reject youth unemployment (group’s release, Stuff). Unitec’s Keith Rankin also wrote about unemployment. Otago Poly is part of a Dunedin consortium to get a grant to help young people avoid the dole.
4. IRL’s Future John Key announced a big new development for IRL, along with Wayne Mapp and David Carter releasing a related review report (NZ Herald, Science Media Centre).
5. Extras: The TEU has several election-related angles in its newsletter; ATTTO on its performance.

Research & Innovation

1. Agriculture Footprint Lincoln’s Keith Cameron and Hong Di have some good ideas about how to reduce greenhouse gas emission, soil leaching and improve grass growth in agriculture.
2. Extras: Auckland’s Prof Rod Gover, Massey’s Prof Paul Spoonley and Canterbury’s Prof Richard Blaikie and Prof Jack Copeland recognised as Royal Society fellows; Waikato PhD student won a departmental competition; Auckland’s Cherie Spiller off on a Fulbright; visiting academic from Canada to Canterbury; EIT lecturer’s DIY knitting kit; Waikato solar car team joining German group to drive round NZ.

Public Issues

1. Election Victoria’s Maria Bargh on young Maori voters and the Te Tai Tonga contest.
2. Public Access Otago Uni’s Mick Strack writes on rural public access issues.
3. RWC Massey students and grads in a RWC-related photography project.
4. Extras: academics at Fabian lectures; Massey’s Christine Cheyne on stopping bus-people collisions; students trying to cheer up Victoria’s Ralph Chapman; Massey’s penguin hotel; Otago Uni visiting academic on vaccination; Massey’s David Tripe on banking sector health and ANZ annual results; Canterbury’s Mark Quigley on quakes; Lincoln’s Jon Hickfrod on reducing lambing losses.

Students

1. Careers BCITO is holding a national careers afternoon;
2. Quake Relationships Canterbury’s Emma Marshall will be checking out the stress of the quakes on couples.
3. Extras: SIT talent showcase; Massey students in an exhibition; Aoraki student exhibitions; profile of MIT nursing grad; Canterbury homework programme for Aranui High School; Massey shepherd in competition; Rhodes Scholar’s study plans; Coroner’s inquiry into medical student’s 2009 death (NewstalkZB, One News).

Stakeholders

1. Extras: Canterbury project to help out Tonga.
   

Teaching & Learning

1. Welding Simulation Competenz has developed a flash game and app to entice people into welding.