Archive for 2017
Events
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Million Dollar Dinner (September 1 2017)
Join us to celebrate the milestone $1,000,000 raised by Otago Polytechnic’s annual Charity House initiative!
02 December 2017, 6.30pm
The Hub, Otago Polytechnic
Dress code - cocktail (dress to impress!)Our Million Dollar Dinner will be a night of celebration and acknowledgment of the impact of generosity in our community. Enjoy a sumptuous three-course meal, live entertainment and a charity auction.
All proceeds from the evening will go to the Education Foundation for the purpose of supporting:
- Scholarships for students and staff
- Development of learning facilities
- Community projects: Dunedin Wildlife Hospital and supporting United Way.
About the Charity House
Each year for the past 11 years, Otago Polytechnic carpentry students have built a four-bedroom home with guidance from lecturers and the generous support of more than 20 local businesses. The finished Charity House is then auctioned with all proceeds going to United Way, which distributes the funds to charities and worthy causes within Otago.
Rachael Shriffer
Otago Polytechnic
Private Bag 1910
Dunedin, 9054
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Design Winter Camp 2017 (June 19 2017)
Learn new skills and improve your portfolio! Digital Animation and Digital Illustration are offered as part of our visual design short courses for 2017. Winter Camp is held during the mid-year school holidays (10-14 July, 2017). The courses are taught by our own in-house communication design experts and are run at different times throughout the week so you can take part in more than one.
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Art & Genetics: What do you get when you cross an artist with a scientist? (March 6 2017)
Art & Genetics: What do you get when you cross an artist with a scientist?
Art and science might be two different areas but a group of Dunedin artists and scientists have proved there can be a meeting of minds even on complicated concepts such as genetics. Rebecca Fox talks to some artists involved in the Art and Genetics Exhibition.
Otago School of Art senior lecturer Peter Stupples said this year's exhibition was linked to the Conference of the Genetics Society of Australasia being hosted at the University of Otago. For the past seven years, art school students, staff and other artists had joined with scientists to create artworks during an about eight-month period. This year the artists were working with those in the genetics and biochemistry fields.
''The idea is not to illustrate science but mainly to bring science to the public, to show people who come to the show an idea of science.'' The works that emerge cover all sorts of media - sometimes paintings but also drawings, video, sculpture and printmaking. Read more in the Otago Daily Times. and PressReader
Location: HD Skinner Annex, Otago Museum
Opening
Tuesday, 4 July 2017, 6pm-7pm
All welcomeExhibition
4 -16 July 2017, open 10am - 3pm daily
Artist floor talks
Saturday 8 July, 2pm-3pm
Madison Kelly, Natalie Forsdick and Christine KellerSunday 9 July, 2pm-3pm
Pam McKinlay, Brittany Sue Mason and Jesse-James Pickery
Saturday 15 July, 2pm-3pm
David Hutchinson and Chanel Taylor: Sue Nunn and Iain Lamont
DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART/UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO SCIENCE SERIES
The Art and Genetics Exhibition is the culmination of a six month collaborative project between artists from the Dunedin School of Art, University of Otago scientists and other Otago artists. The project is part of the Art and Science series - the theme this year is Genetics.
The exhibition will run alongside the international conference on genetics being held in Dunedin in July - hosted by Genetics Society of Australasia with the NZ Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Find out more about the conference including public talk sessions >
Image: Pam McKinlay and Jesse-James Pickery, Iranga Tukunga Iho, 2017.Art and Genetics Exhibition in association with the conference of the Genetics Society of Australasia
In collaboration with scientists from the University of Otago, Dunedin artists and the Dunedin School of Art
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Art and Revolution (March 6 2017)
ART & REVOLUTION
Exhibition Opening: 12 October 2017 at 6PM
Exhibition Dates: 10-21 October 2017Symposium: 13 October 2017 / Admission Free to the Public
Following eight successful symposia held at the Dunedin School of Art, from ‘Illustrating the Unseeable: Reconnecting Art and Science’ (2009) to ‘Art and Future: Energy, Climate, Cultures’ (2016), the Dunedin School of Art, together with the scholars at the University of Otago, is organising an ninth symposium entitled ‘Art and Revolution.’
2017 is a significant centenary year. One hundred years ago the Russian Empire was brought to an end by two events, the February and October Revolutions of 1917 that heralded the formation of the Bolshevik-led Soviet Union. Both revolutions were applauded by Russian artists, for whom the social structure in which they worked changed from private to state patronage. Other revolutions in history also brought about changes in the role of art and artists, in the direction and momentum of art’s agency, as well as intense discussions about the part art plays in the affairs of societies. We might all get caught up by momentous, life-changing social and political events—revolutions—in our own time. What role might art and artists have in the swift surge of change? Can art lead the debate about the nature of a post-revolution future? What examples can we put forward from the past to give us some idea of the way to act as artists and theorists of the visual? What are the threats and what the opportunities for art and artists in the unfolding of revolution?
And what about other forms of “revolution”—in social relations, in science, in forms of representation, in the media of art, in fashion, in exhibition design…
> Download Exhibition Catalogue.SYMPOSIUM
13 October 20178.30 am
Opening
9..00 - 9.20
Peter Stupples, Malevich: The Revolution File
9.20-9.40
Lara Nicholls, Wildfire—the Ignition of Emptiness and the Legacy of Malevich in Melbourne in the 1980s
9.40-10.00 Robyn Maree Pickens: “They’re Real Revolutionaries, Real Demons:” Pussy Riot and the Efficacy of Protest art in Putin’s Russia. 10.00-10.20
Asafov Film: Mozaics
10.20-10.35
Discussion
10.35-10.50
Coffee
10.50-11.20
Xavier de la Cueva Meade, Art and La Revolución Mexicana (1910-1920)
11.20-11.40
Raymond Spiteri, Surrealism, Dissensus, and the Politics of the Image
11.40-12.00
Rodney Swan, Images of Cultural Resistance—The Artists Book in Occupied France.
12.00-12.15
Discussion
12.15-12.30
Gallery talk
12.30-12.50
Lunch
12.50-1.10
David Sinfield, Print as Protest
1.10-1.25
Barry Thomas, Revolution, Art, Leadership
1.25-1.40
Mike Nixon: Art and Activism: I Could Do it Because I had the Power
1.40-1.55
Discussion
1.55-2.15
David Cook, Aotearoa Photovoice
2.15-2.35 Fiona Clements: Unstitsched: Local Fashion Revolution 2.35-2.55
Yaël Filipovic, Conversation Starters
2.55-3.10
Discussion
3.10-3.30
Afternoon tea
3.30-3.50
Lisa Catt, Time-based Management: A Revolution of Technology, Artistic Practice and Institutional Thinking
3.50-4.10
Elizabeth Pulie, The Revolutionary Potential of the End of Art
4.10-4.30 Catherine Bagnall and Marcus Moore, Being Idle Revolution
4.30-4.50
Discussion
Windup
Opening at Milford House, Dowling Street
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Career Guidance Day (November 23 2017)
Do you want help to explore your options to find a meaningful career?
No matter what stage you’re at or what career pathway you want to follow – we can help you!
We’ll help you find a career that best fits your values, goals and interests – and discuss your career options and/or a possible course of study.
The day includes:
Career Guidance
Get advice on your career pathway from our experienced team.Student Support
Talk to our team about the learning support services we offer.Campus Tours
Explore our facilities if you are not familiar with our campus.Foundation Learning
Talk to our team about our range of programmes that can help you staircase into tertiary study or seek employment.Student Survival Seminar (10am and 12pm)
A fun and informative overview of everything you need to know about being a student.Student Loans and Allowances Workshops (12pm and 2pm)
StudyLink will be available to guide you through applying for a loan/allowance.Student Village Seminar (1pm)
Date: Wednesday 6 DecemberTime: 9.00am – 3.00pmVenue: The Hub, F Block, Forth Street
Find out about this new student accommodation option.Whether you want to explore your career options or you are looking to enrol in a programme of study – everyone is welcome!
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3 DAY ETCHING WORKSHOP IN PRINT STUDIO - Jan 2018 (November 22 2017)
29-31 JAN 2018, PRINT STUDIO, N BLOCK, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Take advantage of a fabulous opportunity to learn the artful skill of metal plate etching. Techniques covered will include; drypoint, hard ground, soft ground and aquatint. Suitable for beginners or to extend your existing skill base. The etching workshop will take place in the Print Studio at Dunedin School of Art with tutors Kiri Mitchell and Maisie Robinson.
Costs as below:
$350 for 3 days includes printmaking materials.
Max 12 students from16+ years old.
10am-4pm Monday 29 – Wednesday 31 January 2018
Presented in association with current exhibitions at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery featuring etchings from the collection.
Enquiries: Ph.4743260. Bookings: Via our Customer Services Agency, Dunedin City Council, Civic Centre, 50 The Octagon. Open 8.30am to
5pm Mon to Fri. Payment required upon booking (cash or Eftpos). -
1954 - An Experiment in Disarticulated Cinema by David Green (November 22 2017)
7-17 DEC, 11AM-2PM DAILY, DREAVERS MILLINER SHOP, 165 GEORGE ST, DUNEDIN
Six months after her coronation the 25-year-old Queen Elizabeth II of England spent three days and two nights in and about Dunedin.
1954 is an experiment in disarticulated cinema, by David Green, using historic footage from the visit.
David Green’s installation, "1954", will feature footage of Queen Elizabeth’s January 1954 visit to Dunedin, shot by members of the Otago Cine Club on 8mm and 16mm cameras. Provided by the Film Heritage Trust, the footage shows the excitement that enveloped the city during the visit. "Also what you see is a Dunedin that’s almost unrecognisable. There is so little left of the architecture that existed in 1954, especially in the main town area." Read more in the Otago Daily Times...
1954
David Green
7th - 17th December 2017
daily between 11am-2pm
Dreavers Milliner Shop
165 George Street.
(across the street from Farmers) -
1954 - an experiment in disarticulated cinema by David Green (November 18 2017)
7-17 DEC, 11AM-2PM DAILY, DREAVERS MILLINER SHOP, 165 GEORGE ST, DUNEDIN
Six months after her coronation the 25-year-old Queen Elizabeth II of England spent three days and two nights in and about Dunedin.
1954 is an experiment by David Green, in disarticulated cinema, using historic footage from that visit.
1954
7th - 17th December 2017
daily between 11am-2pm
in Dreavers Milliner Shop, 165 George Street
(across the street from Farmers) -
Publications launch (November 16 2017)
We are looking forward to celebrating and launching our 2017 research publications.
6 DECEMBER 2017, 5 - 7 PM, THE HUB, OTAGO POLYTECHNIC
This year has been a bumper year for research publications:
- Junctures journal, edited by Peter Stupples
- several different issues of Scopes journal
- a book, Art and Design, published by Cambridge Press and edited by Jane Venis and Peter Stupples
- our monthly e-magazine Relevant Research
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Volunteer tourism, development and the aesthetics of poverty (November 13 2017)
Dr Émilie Crossley presents the last lunchtime seminar in the Supervision, Management, Business, Analytics series for the year.
28 NOVEMBER 2017, 12 till 1pm, D317, D Block, Otago Polytechnic
Topic: Volunteer tourism provides tourists with the opportunity to engage with development efforts in poor parts of the world. This seminar explores the tension between volunteer tourists’ identities as agents of development and perceptions of the environmental or cultural damage caused by their presence. Using interviews conducted with British volunteer tourists over the course of a year, I show how their narratives are framed by competing discourses of development and conservation. This analysis reveals that volunteer tourists also draw on colonial representations of Africa that construct an aesthetics of poverty, in which poverty becomes doubly-inscribed as both horrific and beautiful. Caught dilemmatically between an ethical imperative to alleviate poverty and the desire to admire it as symbolic of authenticity, I explore how volunteer tourists come to prioritize the aesthetic preservation of visited places over the economic rights of their inhabitants.
Presenter: Dr Émilie Crossley is a critical tourism researcher whose work explores tourist subjectivity from the perspective of psychosocial studies. Her doctoral research at Cardiff University presented a qualitative study of British volunteer tourists in Kenya, focusing on postcolonial constructions of the toured Other, understandings of care in a tourism context, and the development of ethical identities over time. Émilie has taught on a variety of degree programmes, including social psychology and tourism studies, and has a strong interest in pedagogical innovation. Her research interests include volunteer tourism, tourists’ perceptions of poverty, spatialities of care, and longitudinal research methods. She is currently based at Otago Polytechnic in New Zealand.
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Public Seminar: Kawita Vatanajyankur Artist in Residence (November 1 2017)
2 NOV, 12 – 1PM, P 152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Thai video artist Kawita Vatanajyankur creates works that offer a powerful examination of the psychological, social and cultural ways of viewing and valuing the continuing challenges of women’s everyday labour. In her staged performances, Vatanajyankur undertakes physical experiments that playfully, often painfully, test her body’s limits - a challenge that is both unavoidably compelling and uncomfortable to watch.
Vatanajyanlur has achieved significant recognition since graduating from RMIT University (BA, Fine Art) in 2011. In 2015 she was a Finalist in the Jaguar Asia Pacific Tech Art Prize and curated into the prestigious Thailand Eye exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, London. In 2017, her work has been curated into 'Islands in the Stream' exhibition in Venice, Italy alongside the 57th Venice Biennale. Vatanajyankur has exhibited widely across Australia, as well as Asia and Europe.
Kawita Vatanajyankur is the Dunedin Public Art Gallery | Partner Dunedin School of Art International Visiting Artist 2017.
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Global Shack (October 30 2017)
Culinary Arts
6, 7 AND 8 NOVEMBER, 12PM–1PM, TECHNIQUE RESTAURANT, OTAGO POLYTECHNIC
$9.50 for a food/drink combo. EFTPOS available.
Our talented first-year Bachelor of Culinary Arts students are taking the concept of takeaways to a new level with Global Shack (previously Burger Shack), which will feature a range of delicious street food, as well as an assortment of drinks.Brought to you by Culinary Arts (Year 1)
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Exhibition: End of Year Nightclass Students (October 30 2017)
An informal exhibition of Nightclass work.
FRIDAY 3 NOV, 5.30PM, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, (ground floor of the main Art School Building, Riego St)
A relaxed and informal exhibition of work and works in progress from across the twenty Art Nightclasses, at the Dunedin School of Art.
2018 NIGHTCLASS ENROLMENTS ARE NOW OPEN. Please go to www.op.ac.nz to enrol online. Term One starts on the week of February 19th.
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Disability Matters Conference (October 27 2017)
Three Otago Polytechnic lecturers and one of our students are contributing to the Disability Matters Conference being hosted by the University of Otago.
27 to 29 November 2017
On Monday 27 November at 2.30pm, Margaret McKenzie and Barbara Fogarty-Perry are presenting research and practice views on new ethnography research for co-constructing strategies for success with students with dyslexia in a tertiary education setting in New Zealand.
On Tuesday 28 November at 11.40am Barbara Fogarty-Perry will present on the topic "Family members as paid carers of adults with disability?? Dead in the water or merely sleeping ...".
Then at 1.40pm on Tuesday 28 November, Tania Allan Ross is presenting about fashion focusing on health and wellbeing, and in another stream postgraduate student Keri McMullan will speak on the self-regulation practices of older adults with low vision who use mobility scooters.
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Business, Tourism and IT Morning Tea for Mums and Dads (October 27 2017)
Calling all Mums and Dads!
Want to take your first step towards a career in Business, Tourism or IT? ... but think you can’t juggle family life with studying?
You can, and we are here to help you! We offer:
- Certificates for all levels of learning
- Classes during school hours
- Online delivery so you can fit study around your family
- On-campus childcare facilities
- Teaching and support staff who understand the pressures of parenthood!
Want to find out more?
Come along to our morning tea
You can speak to our staff about your study options and meet other Mums and Dads who are also looking to embark on their career journeys.
Friday 10 November – 10.00am to 11.30am
Room D102, Dunedin Campus, Harbour Terrace• Refreshments • Supervised children’s play area • Career guidance • StudyLink advice • Car parking available in our visitors' car park on Harbour Terrace
Please see the map for the location of D Block and visitor car parking (VCP) on Harbour Terrace.
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Street Food Week (October 27 2017)
You don’t need tickets to this event as you can just purchase food as you want it on the night.
MONDAY - WEDNESDAY 6-8 NOVEMBER / 12.00PM -1.00PM / TECHNIQUE RESTAURANT, OTAGO POLYTECHNIC
Mystery and anticipation surrounds this evening of immersive culinary exploration as devised by our talented first-year Bachelor of Culinary Arts students. Titled Global Shack (previously Burger Shack), this popular event will feature a range of delicious (takeaway) street food and drink combos.
Note: Eftpos will be available.
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New New New Brewery Pop-Up (October 27 2017)
You don’t need tickets to this event as you can just purchase food as you want it on the night.
FRIDAY 3 NOVEMBER / 218 CRAWFORD STREET, DUNEDIN, 4.30pm-9pm
This is a street food event and has three pop-up food shacks under the concepts of Blade Runner, Japanese kitch Nowucme (pronounced Now Yu See Me) and a Korean taco pop-up ( apparently, very “on-trend” at the moment).
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Surface (October 27 2017)
Join the innovation showcase from our Creative Studies students!
OPENING / 20 NOVEMBER / 5PM / OTAGO POLYTECHNIC, 3rd FLOOR H BLOCK, FORTH STREET
Experience an exciting range of works in various media across the fields of design and visual art, as produced by our Creative Studies students, who have enjoyed a year of experimentation in different subject areas, including digital, drawing and design projects.
OPENING
Monday 20 November, 5.00pmEXHIBITION
Tuesday-Thursday 21-23 November, 10.00am-4.00pm
Friday 24 November, 10.00am-12.00pm -
Charity House Auction (October 27 2017)
If you’re looking for a brand new home for your section – look no further!
AUCTION ON SATURDAY 18 NOVEMBER / 12.00PM / L BLOCK, ANZAC AVENUE /
This is the 12th year our Carpentry students have built a house to be auctioned for charity, with generous support from local companies. The funds raised go to United Way, which distributes the proceeds to charities throughout Otago.
Open Homes
L Block, Anzac AvenueThursday 26th October 5pm-5.30pm
Sunday 29 October 1pm-2pm
Thursday 2 November 5pm-5.30pm
Sunday 5 November 1pm-2pm
Thursday 9 November 5pm-5.30pm
Sunday 12 November 1pm-2pm
Thursday 16 November 5pm-5.30pm
This event is presented by students from the New Zealand Certificate in Carpentry (Level 4)
A special thank you to our sponsors who have made a difference to our communities and contribute to this project!
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Collections 17 Fashion Show (October 26 2017)
We are very proud to present a world-class fashion show from our graduates and students from Shanghai!
Friday 17 November, 7pm (doors open), seated by 7.45pm for an 8pm start The Hub, Otago Polytechnic
Tickets are available here
Our fledgling fashion designers showcase their latest collections in an exciting and inspirational display of talent and creativity.
The emphasis of this annual event is the third-year graduate collections, which demonstrate the designers’ individual directions. These are accompanied by stand-out looks created by students in their first two years of study and our Graduate Diploma in Design students.
Design students from the Shanghai University of Engineering Science / IFA Paris will also showcase their collections at Collections 17, as part of the Shanghai Dunedin Sister City Fashion Communication Project.
The public also has the opportunity to view fashion students’ work up close as part of our School of Design exhibition, DEBRIEF.
This event is presented by School of Design
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Plant Sale and Open Day (October 26 2017)
It’s time to turn green for spring! Call in and learn about all things green, from green careers to hands-on growing.
Saturday 18 November 2017, 10am-2pm
Otago Polytechnic, Permaculture Garden, L Block, 100 Anzac Avenue, Dunedin / VIEW MAP >Call in and learn about all things green, from green careers in horticulture and arboriculture to hands-on growing. Indulge in some weekend plant shopping at our Plant Sale, to will be held come rain or shine.
This is the perfect opportunity to find out about our programmes and the wide range of horticulture electives we are offering. The team of friendly staff from the School of Natural Resources will be there to answer any questions you might have, and to provide guidance on the electives that best suit your interests.
Free activities on the day:
- Tree climbing for kids – running anytime
- Tour of the permaculture garden at 10.45 am and 1.30 pm
- Chainsaw sharpening demonstration at 11 am and 1 pm
- Grow your own microgreens hands on workshop 12 pm
This event is presented by School of Natural Resources
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DEBRIEF 2017 (October 25 2017)
Communication Design; Fashion; Interior Design; and Product Design
16 – 19 NOVEMBER, THE HUB, OTAGO POLYTECHNIC
This varied and vibrant design showcase offers a treat for the senses. Surprising, clever and insightful objects feature in this exhibition of all design disciplines at Otago Polytechnic: Communication Design; Fashion; Interior Design; and Product Design.
Industry Preview
Thursday 16 November
5.30pm – 6.30pm
Otago Polytechnic, The Hub, Forth StreetRSVP >
Opening Night
Thursday 16 November
from 6.00pm
Otago Polytechnic, The Hub, Forth StreetExhibition opening hours
Friday 17 November, 9.00am – 5.00pm
Saturday 18 November, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Sunday 19 November, 10.00am – 12.00pm
Otago Polytechnic, The Hub, Forth StreetThis event is presented by School of Design
Image credit: Danni Cuthbertson, 'Dread Poster'. Finalist in the Graphic Design category of the 2017 Best Awards. Photo by Alex Lovell-Smith.
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Public Seminar: Video Artist Kawita Vatanajyankur (October 25 2017)
2 NOV, 12 – 1PM, P152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Thai video artist Kawita Vatanajyankur creates works that offer a powerful examination of the psychological, social and cultural ways of viewing and valuing the continuing challenges of women’s everyday labour. In her staged performances, Vatanajyankur undertakes physical experiments that playfully, often painfully, test her body’s limits - a challenge that is both unavoidably compelling and uncomfortable to watch.
Vatanajyanlur has achieved significant recognition since graduating from RMIT University (BA, Fine Art) in 2011. In 2015 she was a Finalist in the Jaguar Asia Pacific Tech Art Prize and curated into the prestigious Thailand Eye exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, London. In 2017, her work has been curated into 'Islands in the Stream' exhibition in Venice, Italy alongside the 57th Venice Biennale. Vatanajyankur has exhibited widely across Australia, as well as Asia and Europe.
Kawita Vatanajyankur is the Dunedin Public Art Gallery | Partner Dunedin School of Art International Visiting Artist 2017
This seminar is supported by Fred Staub Open Art.
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Public Seminar: CRASH: Why I won’t fly American Airlines or accept rides from strangers (October 24 2017)
26 OCT, 12 – 1PM, P 152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF AR, RIEGO ST
In her seminar, titled CRASH: Why I won’t fly American Airlines or accept rides from strangers, Rachel H Allan runs headlong into a world where steel and steam fuse with spit, rubber and desire as she exposes her textured collision between technology and human inquiry.
Rachel H Allan holds a Master of Fine Arts with distinction from Dunedin School of Art, where she currently lectures in photography and electronic arts. She has exhibited her photographs both locally and internationally most recently at The Yu Gallery, Shanghai (2017), The Tokyo International Art Fair, Tokyo (2017) and with Wallplay, New York (2017) and was a finalist in the International Renaissance Photography Prize (2016) with a work she created at the first artist residency offered by Hone Tuwhare Trust in Kaka Point, New Zealand (2014). Her published artist-books are held in the collection of The Reminders Photography Stronghold (Tokyo, Japan) and The George Eastman Museum (Rochester, New York).
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Contingency, Elasticity, Tetris and The Muses (October 19 2017)
19 OCT, 12 – 1PM, P 152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Contingency, Elasticity, Tetris and The Muses: Exploring Shifting Streams of the Classroom and the 8th ELIA* Academy
Curiosity, hybridity, research, social change are words/phrases that often are used when describing actions relating to the idea of art and making art now. Not limited to art and art practice, these concepts span across a number of contexts and in ways in which their intentions might not have been imagined. The smudge of these, also leave residue which evokes action, and lead to new ways in which to operate, enact and converse with the complex nature of the technological world we inhabit. These concepts are also central to the process and practice of making art, and teaching art for that matter, and it is in these concepts that the matrix of what goes on in both the studio and the classroom unfolds. “What’s happening here?” was the title of the ELIA 8th Academy held in London in July 2017. Artists, Designers, Educators and Institutions gathered to examine and open discourse into how the classroom now functions as a part of the wider mechanisms of government, funding and capital, and how we might have got it wrong, but in doing so have introduced new and necessary ways of operating. My discussion will touch on key moments of this conference, contingency, and slime mould.
Michael Greaves is a Lecturer in Painting at the Dunedin School of Art. Michael has recently completed a MFA with distinction in painting, and in 2017 has exhibited both in Auckland in Berlin with the ongoing project Facsimile. His research explores the relationships between objects and things and the ways in which these present in the world.
- ELIA is an acronym for the European League of Institutes of the Arts of which the Dunedin School of Art at Otago Polytechnic is a member.
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Transferable skills, learner employability & employer conversations (October 16 2017)
12 NOON, 19 OCTOBER, G106, OTAGO POLYTECHNIC, UNION STREET, or Join Skype Meeting
Presenters: Barry Law and Behnam Soltani
This snapshot research project explores how a small group of staff have initiated employer conversations and feedback on the work-ready capabilities employers expect to see from potential employees… and how that aligns with the learner capability framework developed by OPAIC and Otago Polytechnic.
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Diwali: Festival of Lights (October 16 2017)
2PM-4.30PM SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER FREE!!
at Dunedin Public Art Gallery Foyer and (weather permitting) the Central OctagonJoin us as the city comes alive with colours, lights and festivities to celebrate South Asian Heritage in Dunedin. Learn how to wrap a turban, drape a sari, have mehendi painted on your hands, taste traditional Indian food, create colourful rangoli patterns, enjoy cultural performances and more!
We welcome everyone to this spectacular FREE family-friendly event.
Otago Polytechnic fashion lecturer Rekha Rana Shailaj has been a member of the organising committee for Dunedin's Diwali 2017 celebrations. Her research is informed by reflection on both current fashion issues and how they relate to Eastern and Western methodologies and aesthetics.
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IOT meetup (October 13 2017)
5.15 - 7.15 PM, 25 OCTOBER, SIGNAL ICT Graduate School, Level 2, 123 Vogel Street, Dunedin
The Internet of Things provides an opportunity to build local community. The technology is available globally and the learning is available globally, so we are not dependent on the solutions which global corporations might offer, but can produce our own home-grown solutions to local issues.
SIGNAL ICT Graduate School and Otago Polytechnic are coordinating monthly IoT meetups in Dunedin, usually on the last Wednesday of the month.
Please join us for the final IoT meetup for 2017. Come along for networking opportunities with the IoT community, hear about the installation of the BIT student nodes on the top of H Block, and join the discussion on the BIT IoT curriculum.
Further speakers tbc. Have a topic you would like to present? Email Lesley or Kylie to discuss.
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IT, Business and Tourism Showcase (October 11 2017)
Illustrating the potential benefits of student and industry partnerships, our IT, Business and Tourism students reveal the solutions they’ve developed for real clients, harnessing the latest technological advancements.
OFFICIAL OPENING: 9 NOVEMBER 2017, 5.30PM-7.30PM, RSVP BY 2 NOVEMBER 2017 >
SHOWCASE: TUESDAY, 7 -9 NOVEMBER, 9.00AM - 5.00PM
THE HUB, OTAGO POLYTECHNICThe work of our graduating Information Technology, Business & Tourism students will be on show for the public in the 2017 EAD IT & Business Showcase. Take the opportunity to come and talk to our students about their research projects, including:
- The Internet of Things
- Social media strategies in the tourism and event sector
- IT Infrastructure and operations
- Community software development project
- Human resource strategies to secure strong business relationships with Chinese partners
- Machine learning
- Assistive technologies
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Exhibition: Burnt by UV (September 28 2017)
OCT 6-10, NEXT GALLERY, CHRISTCHURCH.
Burnt By UV
Exhibition of work by Mark Bolland, Rachel H. Allan, David Green and Alex Lovell-Smith
Venue: NEXT GALLERY, 336 St Asaph Street, Christchurch.
Opening on Friday 6 October, 5:30PM
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Ceasing to breastfeed (September 28 2017)
6 NOV, 1 - 1.40 PM
Presenters: Dr Jennifer Ayton and Jean Ross
Connect to the Adobe Connect seminarEach presenter will speak for 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes for questions.
Breastfeeding Grief: Women’s experiences of interrupting exclusive breastfeeding
Dr Jennifer Ayton, Senior Clinical Lecturer, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, will present her mixed method study exploring how mothers negotiate the process of ceasing to exclusively breastfeed. Overall women struggle to make sense of stopping (using formula milks) resulting in powerful feelings of personal and social failure and shame. This reproduced an intense and prolonged sense of breastfeeding grief; a potential mental health issue.
Dr Ayton is a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Health University of Tasmania. Jen works with a diverse range of partners using creative arts, sociology and public health to explore infant and young child feeding, maternal and family health. Jen has PhD in sociology / public health. Jen has published in peer reviewed journals, national, and international conference papers, is the recipient of competitive grants including the Tasmanian Early Years Scholarship to pursue her research on the low rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Her applied understanding of health sociology and extensive clinical background as a midwife/nurse including working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander & African communities adds to her expertise and balanced perspective.
Rural Health, Education and Research – Building Capacity Together
Our second speaker is Jean Ross, Principal Lecturer in the School of Nursing at Otago Polytechnic. The aim of this session is to engage with likeminded staff at Otago Polytechnic to build capacity for a sustainable rural health care to the population of Aotearoa. Worldwide there is an uneven distribution of rural health professionals per capita of population in rural locations, when compared with urban areas (Hughes, 2009). Health practitioners, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers, dentists and pharmacists are less likely than doctors, midwives and nurses to practice in rural and remote locations (Hegney, Francis & Mills, 2014; Hughes, 2009). A reduction of health care practitioners leads to the lack of availability and recruitment of experienced health practitioners and a corresponding lack of rural planning and dedicated funding. These challenges, together with the limited financial resources and the “uneven geographical distribution of the… health care workforce” (Hughes, 2009 p. 205) are evident, as the rural geographical location becomes more isolated or remote over time. It is in these rural, geographically isolated locations, in developed countries, that nurses and midwives form the majority of health care practitioners (Hughes, 2009). For the future planning and recruitment of health care practitioners it is imperative students receive an education and the clinical practice experience to ensure health care in the rural regions are sustainable. Likewise ongoing rural research aligned with practice and education will sustain and inform future planning. With this in mind I wish to open a debate as to whether colleagues feel that there is a need to collaborate together and wave the rural flag at Otago Polytechnic.
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Assessing Learning Conference (September 28 2017)
An important conference for the tertiary sector
28 November to 1 December 2017
Otago Polytechnic Campus, Dunedin, New ZealandThis conference is a chance for participants to engage with the latest in assessment thinking and practices as well as being reminded of long standing challenges concerning assessment validity and integrity. Also, rapid changes in technology are offering new opportunities as well as further challenges as is the trend towards more learning taking place outside of classrooms.
There is a strong focus on sharing practice in order to improve practice and to that end the conference is structured around interactive workshop sessions and practice presentations will be catered for.
Who should attend?
The conference is relevant to all parts of the tertiary sector including universities, ITPs, ITOs PTEs and Wānanga. -
Kawita Vatanjyankur (September 28 2017)
2 NOV, 12 – 1PM, P 152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Presenter: Kawita Vatanajyankur
Thai video artist Kawita Vatanajyankur creates works that offer a powerful examination of the psychological, social and cultural ways of viewing and valuing the continuing challenges of women’s everyday labour. In her staged performances, Vatanajyankur undertakes physical experiments that playfully, often painfully, test her body’s limits - a challenge that is both unavoidably compelling and uncomfortable to watch.
Vatanajyanlur has achieved significant recognition since graduating from RMIT University (BA, Fine Art) in 2011. In 2015 she was a Finalist in the Jaguar Asia Pacific Tech Art Prize and curated into the prestigious Thailand Eye exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, London. In 2017, her work has been curated into 'Islands in the Stream' exhibition in Venice, Italy alongside the 57th Venice Biennale. Vatanajyankur has exhibited widely across Australia, as well as Asia and Europe.
Kawita Vatanajyankur is the Dunedin Public Art Gallery 2017 International Visiting Artist, Project Partner Dunedin School of Art at Otago Polytechnic. -
CRASH (September 28 2017)
26 OCT, 12 – 1PM, P152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Presenter: Rachel H Allan
CRASH: Why I won’t fly American Airlines or accept rides from strangers
In her seminar Rachel Allan runs headlong into a world where steel and steam fuse with spit, rubber and desire as she exposes her textured collision between technology and human inquiry.
Rachel H Allan holds a Master of Fine Arts with distinction from Dunedin School of Art, where she currently lectures in photography and electronic arts. She has exhibited her photographs both locally and internationally most recently at The Yu Gallery, Shanghai (2017), The Tokyo International Art Fair, Tokyo (2017) and with Wallplay, New York (2017) and was a finalist in the International Renaissance Photography Prize (2016) with a work she created at the first artist residency offered by Hone Tuwhare Trust in Kaka Point, New Zealand (2014). Her published artist-books are held in the collection of The Reminders Photography Stronghold (Tokyo, Japan) and The George Eastman Museum (Rochester, New York). -
Contingency, Elasticity, Tetris and The Muses (September 28 2017)
19 OCT, 12 – 1PM, P152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Presenter: Michael Greaves
Contingency, Elasticity, Tetris and The Muses: Exploring Shifting Streams of the Classroom and the 8th ELIA* Academy
Curiosity, hybridity, research, social change are words/phrases that often are used when describing actions relating to the idea of art and making art now. Not limited to art and art practice, these concepts span across a number of contexts and in ways in which their intentions might not have been imagined. The smudge of these, also leave residue which evokes action, and lead to new ways in which to operate, enact and converse with the complex nature of the technological world we inhabit. These concepts are also central to the process and practice of making art, and teaching art for that matter, and it is in these concepts that the matrix of what goes on in both the studio and the classroom unfolds. “What’s happening here?” was the title of the ELIA 8th Academy held in London in July 2017. Artists, Designers, Educators and Institutions gathered to examine and open discourse into how the classroom now functions as a part of the wider mechanisms of government, funding and capital, and how we might have got it wrong, but in doing so have introduced new and necessary ways of operating. My discussion will touch on key moments of this conference, contingency, and slime mould.
Michael Greaves is a Lecturer in Painting at the Dunedin School of Art. Michael has recently completed a MFA with distinction in painting, and in 2017 has exhibited both in Auckland in Berlin with the ongoing project Facsimile. His research explores the relationships between objects and things and the ways in which these present in the world.
- ELIA is an acronym for the European League of Institutes of the Arts of which the Dunedin School of Art at Otago Polytechnic is a member.
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The nexus of research and teaching (September 28 2017)
12 OCT, 12 – 1PM, P152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Presenter: Oonagh McGirr
When: 12 noon to 1pm, Thursday 12 October 2017
Where: P152, Dunedin School of Art, Riego Street, Dunedin
Otago Polytechnic's Deputy Chief Executive: Teaching and Learning Services, Oonagah McGirr, will present this week's art seminar. Her topic is "The notable and noteworthy nexus of research and teaching - what Art and Design taught me".
In this session Oonagh McGirr shares her experience of working within the international Art and Design learning and teaching community. She will reflect on how it has shaped her personal worldview and professional practice in leading a portfolio which spans Research, Quality, Learning and Teaching, Internationalisation and Secondary Tertiary Progression for Otago Polytechnic.
Oonagh McGirr is the Deputy Chief Executive, Learning and Teaching Services at the Otago Polytechnic. -
Clink Project 4 (September 26 2017)
A creative and collaborative jewellery project
When: Monday 16 October
Where: Auckland MuseumCLINK Project is a contemporary jewellery collaborative that was established in 2014 jointly by Hungry Creek Art & Craft School and the Dunedin School of Art. The project manifests as an annual gathering in Auckland for a frenzied week of brainstorming, planning, making and debate. Key driving aspects are collaborative making and public interaction in an endeavour to share contemporary jewellery with a diverse audience. CLINK plays with the experience of "disruption" or "intervention".
In 2017 Clink Project 4 will be hosted by the Auckland War Memorial Museum The team will enact the project's driving forces of collaborative making and public interaction, while responding to pieces from the Auckland Museum collection inside this public venue.
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Jane Austen 200 (September 26 2017)
Flimsy dresses, outrageous underwear, and dandies: What happened to decency in the Regency?
Presenter: Dr Jane Malthus
When: 5:30pm on Tuesday 3 October 2017
Where: Burns 2 Lecture Theatre, University of Otago, Albany St, DunedinThe talk is part of a series organised by the University of Otago in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the death of English novelist Jane Austen. The full programme is attached below.
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Building career pathways for casuals (September 26 2017)
16 NOV, 12 - 1 PM, D312, D BLOCK, HARBOUR TERRACE, DUNEDIN
Presenter: Dr Steve Atkins
Dr Steve Atkins will cover the use of the Kawa model for connecting the experiences, skills, and passions of the precariats - employees whose work is casual or whose hours are precarious - to build a career pathway.
This seminar is part of a monthly "SiMBA" series hosted by our College of Enterprise and Development. presenting relevant applied research in the field of Supervision, Management, Business and Analytics. This forum is normally held at lunchtime on the third Thursday of the month.
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Workplace resilience (September 26 2017)
18 OCT, 12 - 1 PM, D312, D BLOCK, HARBOUR TERRACE, DUNEDIN
Presenter: Dr Lesley Gill
Dr Lesley Gill is speaking about emotional intelligence and resilience in the workplace.This seminar is part of a monthly "SiMBA" series hosted by our College of Enterprise and Development. presenting relevant applied research in the field of Supervision, Management, Business and Analytics. This forum is normally held at lunchtime on the third Thursday of the month.
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High taxes = Happy citizens? (September 26 2017)
Introduction to the Danish tax system, and its connection to the welfare state and our overall happiness of the country
30 OCT, 12 - 1 PM, F209, OTAGO POLYTECHNIC, FORTH ST, DUNEDIN
Presenter: Valdemar Stilling, Lecturer, Business Academy Aarhus, Denmark
Topic
Traditionally, Denmark is one of the countries in the world where citizens have to pay the highest taxes. The max marginal personal tax is + 60 %. At the same time Denmark is one of the happiest countries to live in, according to various United Nations reports. This seems odd at first glance, because people seldom are happy about paying taxes. However, it could easily lead to the conclusion, that in order to have a rich country, you must have high taxes, and if you are rich, you must be happy.
However, researches point to other explanations of why we are rich. Beneath the core facts of the country, lies a way of culture, a way of sharing and trusting in each other. These explanations are probably the true explanations of why Denmark is an example, which other countries strive to follow.
The above plays a major role in the Danish society model, we call it the well fare model. This seminar will explain and present how these big parts all is a part of the Danish well fare model, and how they interact and function with each other. Hopefully you will get some new perspectives and ideas to bring on for future projects.
About the presenter
Valdemar Stilling is a lecturer at Business Academy Aarhus. But actually his interest for teaching started in his childhood as he was brought up at a Danish folk high school. Living among the students on a daily basis, gives you a wide a various perspective on life and people in general. Hence he has a very open minded perspective on life, and loves to encounter new cultures. His primary area of teaching is in Finance and Economics. Within the finance area, his courses have been focused on Corporate Finance. The economic courses are within a variety of courses, ranging from Managerial Economics to Private Economics and taxation. Furthermore, he has been teaching courses in Business Administration and Private Banking, the latter including Marketing Management subjects.
Contact details:
Business Academy Aarhus, Denmark
E-mail : vast@eaaa.dk
Linked-in : Valdemar Stilling – please connect. -
The sonic lives of whales (September 21 2017)
Sonic communication is critical for whales and dolphins, both socially and in terms of echo-location - and there’s evidence the noises from shipping, underwater drilling and sonic blasting are having a detrimental impact on these animals.
Sounding is a Dunedin art project involving a series of community events over three weeks, investigating the connections between underwater noise pollution and the whales and dolphins living off the coast of Otago. It is the work of Otago Polytechnic Academic Leader: Communication Design, Associate Professor Caro McCaw; West Coast artist, Vicki Smith; Taranaki internet-of-things enthusiast Andrew Hornblow; sound artist Leyton Glen; University of Otago Professors Liz Slooten and Steve Dawson; and performance choreographer Katrina Thomson.
“Sounding employs playful interaction to help us better understand our marine mammals’ sonic environment and echo-location behaviours,” Caro explains, “and the effects of noise disruption in our oceans.”
The exhibitions involve social games and installation, and the performances, both incidental and choreographed, employ electronically-enhanced umbrellas. These augmented umbrellas have attachments shaped like whales’ ear bones that will transmit whale communication sounds around Dunedin’s WiFi hotspots – or ‘WiFi oceans’ as they’ve been named by the artists.
While Sounding is both fun and illuminating, its aim is to help raise money for further research into the effects of noise disruption to these magnificent mammals.
“Recently the world’s largest seismic testing ship has been off the coast of New Zealand, using sonic blasting to locate oil reserves under the sea,” says Caro. “We want to draw attention to this practice and its effects on whales and dolphins, who rely so heavily on sound to hunt for food, find mates and detect predators.”
The project has received funding from the Dunedin City Council, Creative New Zealand, Urban Dream Brokerage and Gig City.
Exhibitions
Friday 22 September-Sunday 15 October, 11.00am-5.00pm, at Urban Dream Brokerage.
Saturday 30 September-Sunday 15 October, 11.00am-5.00pm, at Otago Museum’s Skinner Annex.
Pop-up performances
Saturday 30 September, 2.00pm, Otago Museum Lawn.
Saturday 14 October, 6:30pm, Vogel Street Party.
To join in the pop-up performances, please register your interest at www.sounding.eventbrite.co.nz
Symposium
Saturday 7 October, 10.00am, Otago Museum’s Hutton Theatre
Sonic Seas Film Screening
Saturday 7 October, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Otago Museum’s Hutton Theatre
www.facebook.com/SOUNDINGdunedin
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Public Symposium: Figuration, Feminism and Sculpture (September 5 2017)
THUR 14 SEP, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, PLUS BUS TRIP
PROGRAMME
9:40am Meet at Dunedin School of Art ( Coffee,Tea, Juice) Hand out Programme
10:00am Bus to leave the Dunedin School of Art
Visit Re-configure Exhibition, 20 Atkinson Street, South Dunedin
Morning Tea
Bus to leave the Re-configure Exhibition at 10:45
11:00am Visit to Dunedin Public Art Gallery: Francis Upritchard Exhibition
11:40am Bus leaves Dunedin public Art Gallery
Symposium Afternoon at the Dunedin School of Art, P152 Lecture Room
12:00pm Stephen Hart - The Rapture
1:00 pm Lunch
1:30pm Michele Beevors Welcome - Object Oriented Feminism
2:00pm Patrizia Bondn - Deconstructed. And then?
2:30pm Kiri Mitchell - Laboured Motherhood
3:00pm Sarah Baird - The Bertha Revolution: The Making of
3:30pm Break (Afternoon Tea)
4:00pm Victoria Bell
4:30pm Francine Keech - Anxiety Therapy
5:00pm Megan Brady - Smooth Thoughts for Life
5:30pm Shelley McConaughy - Peach Rug, negotiating the bizarre state of being
6:00pm General Discussion (Drinks)
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Exhibition: Re-Configure (September 5 2017)
15 SEP - 6 OCT, 20 ATKINSON STREET, SOUTH DUNEDIN
In 1971 artist and academics, Mariam Shapiro and Judy Chicago together with students, converted a disused house on the campus at California Institute of the Arts into one of the most important feminist art works Woman House. At the time, all of the terms of reference were new, installation, craft as art, feminism. The various works installed in the house addressed these concerns and most importantly the lack of gallery representation for female artists.
With this in mind, a group of artists in Dunedin with links to the Dunedin School of Art decided to re-examine some of the concerns that Woman House raised forty –six years ago. Many of the concerns of the initial exhibition have meant changes to the curriculum for example, the craft -art debate of the eighties has given way to a new materiality. While the initial ideas that circled around an all too essentialist biologically determined subject have been replaced by social constructions and monstrous representation.
The classic problematic of who is looking at whom, and for whose pleasure, has been debated since Laura Mulvey’s article Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema became the go to text of the1980’s. Google reports suggest 24 million selfies uploaded in 2016 have exponentially complicated the image of women in western culture. At Dunedin School of Art the ratio of female to male students has been 85-15 during the last 15 years. The work in the exhibition Re-Configure by artists Shelley McConaughy, Kiri Mitchell, Sarah Baird, Megan Brady, Francine Keech, and Michele Beevors address these issues and so many more.
Re-Configure will be held in conjunction with the Feminism, Figuration and Sculpture Symposium on 14 September at the Dunedin School of Art.
Re-Configure
VENUE: 20 Atkinson Street South Dunedin.
DATES: 15th September-6th October 2017
TIMES: Tuesday to Saturday 10-4
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Public Seminar: Nietzschean Killers Meet Feminist Cop (September 4 2017)
THUR 7 SEP, P152, Lecture Room, 12:00-1:00PM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Nietzschean Killers Meet Feminist Cop: Murder by Numbers and the Storying of Leopold and Loeb
Rebecca StringerThis seminar examines the group of films based on the story of Nathan F. Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb, whose joint kidnap and murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago on May 21, 1924 was famously dubbed the ‘crime of the century’. Each in their own way Rope (Hitchcock, 1948), Compulsion (Fleischer, 1959), Swoon (Kalin, 1992) and Murder by Numbers (Schroeder, 2002) dramatise the story of young Leopold’s and Loeb’s purportedly Nietzschean pact to commit the ‘perfect crime’. My purpose in examining these films is to explore what is particularly unique in the film Murder by Numbers, which marks a break from the earlier films by attempting to story Leopold and Loeb from a victim’s perspective. Murder By Numbers ventures the victim’s perspective by way of a pseudo-feminist rewriting that adds a new lead character, a woman police detective who is a survivor of violent crime. Murder By Numbers prompts re-examination of the earlier films and reveals much about how a ‘victim’s perspective’ is currently constituted and imagined.
Rebecca Stringer is the author of Knowing Victims: Feminism, Agency and Victim Politics in Neoliberal Times (Routledge, 2014) and co-editor, with Hilary Radner, of Feminism At The Movies: Understanding Gender in Contemporary Popular Cinema (Routledge, 2011). - Exhibition: The Bertha Revolution by Sarah Baird (August 31 2017)
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Dunedin's Great Big EV Showcase and Test Drives (August 31 2017)
Dunedin EV Group have two major events planned for the week. Dunedin's Great Big EV Showcase and Test Drives and record attempt on Sunday 10 September, at Forsyth Barr Stadium and a panel forum on Thursday 14th September in the Dunningham Suite of the Dunedin Public Library. During the week there will also be several other activities based at Dunedin Public Library including lunchtime talks and videos playing on the Gigacube as we celebrate 100 years of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in NZ and look into NZ’s EV future.
Dunedin's Great Big EV Showcase and Test Drives
Sunday 10 September 2017
10.30am - 3.00pm
Forsyth Barr Stadium East Carpark and Otago Daily Times Stand
FREE ENTRYDUNEDIN EV OWNERS PARK UP, RECORD ATTEMPT AND “DUNEDIN EV FAMILY” PHOTO
RECORD ATTEMPT
We will be having an attempt at the NZ record for the most electric vehicles (EVs) in one place at the same time, currently held by Christchurch (100). Dunedin has 200 plus EVs so we think this is achievable. Otago currently has the 2nd most EVs per 1000 capita in NZ. We would like everyone of those 200 plus EV owner to come to this part of the event for the record attempt and photo. While e-bikes will not be included in the official tally we welcome all e-bike owners to participate in the photo as well.
PHOTO
We will be taking a group photo of the EV park-up and families in Dunedin to document this milestone of early EV adoption in Dunedin’s EV history. Something to show our children and grandchildren in 2050! Nuts and bolts - EV Owners to arrive from 10.30 for vehicle park-up. See marshalls in the car park for directions. There will be spot prizes for participating EV owners.12- 3pm PUBLIC EVENT
FIND OUT ABOUT EVs and TAKE A DRIVE IN AN ELECTRIC CAR.Meet local EV owners and talk to them about their experience of EV ownership in Dunedin and the wider Dunedin area. Nine models of Electric Vehicles will be available for test rides and test drives.* There will also be electric bikes on display and available for test rides and live music, science demonstrations, remote control cars, face painting and food vendors. Myth busting, charging demonstrations, EV apps, spot prizes and more! Family friendly FREE event.
See NZ’s oldest electric car still in use, the 1904 Baker Electric alongside the most modern of electric vehicles on the market as we celebrate 100 years of EVs in NZ. In addition there will be a scratch-built Roadster and a variety of made-in-Dunedin electric car conversions.
SUNDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER AT THE FORSYTH BARR STADIUM HARBOUR CAR PARK AND ODT COVERED STAND AREA.
* Hyundai Ioniq, Audi e-Tron, e-Golf, BMW i3, Nissan LEAF, Renault Zoe, Nissan van, iMEV-------------------
THURSDAY 14TH SEPTEBMER, 5.30 – 7.00pm
EV Panel and public discussion
EV expert panel topics will include:
Charge.Net – NZ’s Rapid highway
Air NZ – Electrifying the ground fleet
E-ideas from Shanghai
Flip the Fleet
Charged As – the Dunedin EV scene
In addition there will also be local Dunedin EV owners and small business owners discussing how they use their EVs for work, family and pleasure.Lunchtime Talks (dates and times TBC)
Plugging in – Charging your Electric Vehicle at home and on the Road
Under the bonnet of your EV
100 years of EV in NZ
Electric bike display and talk
Plugging in – Charging your Electric Vehicle at home and on the Road
WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL DRIVE ELECTRIC WEEK I HEAR YOU ASK ?
International Drive Electric Week is a worldwide celebration to heighten awareness of today's widespread availability of plug-in vehicles and highlight the benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles. Started in 2011 as National Plug In Day in the United States with the simple idea to hold simultaneous events across the country on the same day, by popular demand it was expanded to an entire week of grassroots events. In 2015 it became an international event with invitations to EV groups in other countries to participate. “International” Drive Electric week now more accurately represents its coverage and importance. New Zealand participated in 2015 with one or two events. In 2016 it was expanded to events in twenty New Zealand locations. In Dunedin alone this year we will have sixteen events and activities over the course of the week.
Each Drive Electric week event is led by local EV owners’ group and typically includes some combination of EV showcase, ride-and-drives, informational booths, talks and more.
WHO ARE THE DUNEDIN EV GROUP?
Dunedin EV Owners Group was started in 2015 to offer support to new and prospective EV owners and promote the idea of Electric Vehicles to the wider public. Our working group has since grown and continues to expand. We work in close association with the Better NZ Trust for their annual Road Trip and in the past two years we have held two Dunedin forums called “ChargeUp Dunedin” to advocate for local Rapid Charging infrastructure and held park-up events for International Drive Electric Week 2016.
In addition we hosted international EV expert Chelsea Sexton – of “Who Killed the Electric Car” and “Revenge of the Electric Car” fame - on the Dunedin leg of a national speaking tour and last year the group was also invited to provide an EV presence at events for Center for Sustainability at Otago University, the Transport Forum Otago Energy Research OERC, Otago Classic Car Club “Autospectacular”, “drive the mayors” for the local body conference held in Dunedin last year and community events such as Vogel St Party. In addition we have taken countless people for rides and test drives in our EVs as individual members of the group. Word of mouth and test rides and drives are the best way to demystify electric cars (and bikes) and win over hearts and minds.
Electric Vehicles are great for the environment and your wallet and amazing to drive!
More details to come for public lunchtime talks. See event page at Dunedin EV Group on facebook for updates https://www.facebook.com/events/208160103046981
Contact Dunedin EV Group for more information
Pam McKinlay: pam.mckinlay@op.ac.nz -
Public Flim Screening: The Silences (August 28 2017)
THURS, 5:30 for 6:00PM start, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST, DUNEDIN
The Silences is a personal essay documentary about the tangled bonds, secret histories and unspoken traumas of family life that stretches from New Zealand to the Australian suburbs. It is an exploration of early childhood and the “silences” of the past that resonate in the present. It draws upon a wealth of photographs, letters, oral histories, documentary footage and clips from the filmmaker’s previous work. It unfolds a mother’s story of lost opportunities, lost love and grief; a father’s story of work, mental illness and war; and a daughter’s story of trying to piece together a more complex picture of the confusing ties of love, loss and kinship between a mother and daughter.
Margot Nash is a filmmaker and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Communications at the University of Technology Sydney. Her research and teaching areas are the theory and practice of screenwriting, film production, subtext and the gaps and silences in history. Her films include the experimental shorts We Aim To Please (co filmmaker 1976) and Shadow Panic (1989), and the feature dramas Vacant Possession (1994) and Call Me Mum (2005). In 2016 she won an Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Award for her feature documentary The Silences (2015).
WHEN: 5.30 for 6pm, 31 August
WHERE: Room P152, Dunedin School of Art, Riego Street, Dunedin
COST: Complimentary -
Public Seminar: Creativity and Uncertainty: stepping into the unknown (August 28 2017)
THURS, 12:00-1:00PM, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST, DUNEDIN
Creativity and Uncertainty: stepping into the unknown
In the seminar Margot will share her research into the ‘unknown’ and the ‘uncertain’ as active and imaginative spaces for creative practitioners. Uncertainty creates anxiety, particularly for funding bodies, yet it is this discomfort, this ‘itch’ that drives artists and researchers. Certainty might promise the known, but uncertainty promises the possibility of the new. Margot will discuss the creative development of her most recent film The Silences (2105), and how creativity lies within the mysterious interplay of the known and the unknown, of passion and reason and of logic and intuition.
Margot Nash is a filmmaker and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Communications at the University of Technology Sydney. Her research and teaching areas are the theory and practice of screenwriting, film production, subtext and the gaps and silences in history. Her films include the experimental shorts We Aim To Please (co filmmaker 1976) and Shadow Panic (1989), and the feature dramas Vacant Possession (1994) and Call Me Mum (2005). In 2016 she won an Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Award for her feature documentary The Silences (2015).
WHEN: Noon to 1pm, 31 August,
WHERE: Room P152, Dunedin School of Art, Riego Street, Dunedin
COST: Complimentary -
Public Seminar: Dialogue within Public and Private Spaces (August 15 2017)
FRIDAY 18 AUG, 12:00 - 1.00PM, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Public Seminar is on Friday this week - please note Thursday lunchtime seminar this week is CANCELLED.
THE PRODUCTION OF DIALOGUE WITHIN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACES.
My research has shifted over the last few years, from self-directed projects to working collaboratively under the guise Tiger Murdoch. Working collaboratively has allowed a certain freedom, where the outcomes aren’t in a sense self-serving. The central question’s to my research have remained constant throughout: Can art create change? What is change? In relation to the politics, which govern public and private spaces, and the philosophical dilemma of a culture moving toward complete moral relativism. As a practitioner I am interested in arts ability to create blips, disruptions, tiny moments within the everyday continuum where conversation can take place.
Matt Dowman received his BFA from Whitecliffe in 2002, and a MFA with honours from Auckland University’s Elam School of Fine Arts in 2004. He has had success exhibiting throughout New Zealand as well as offshore in Melbourne, Sydney, Berlin and Vienna. His work is held in major collections home and abroad. Matt is a prolific artist having captured the attention of the New Zealand media, he has been interviewed regularly on TV3 Nightline and various art programs, magazines, newspaper articles and featured in major publications such as Warwick Brown’s book Seen this Century. Matt has established a high profile in Auckland with his many public murals including Britomart’s Bare Rocks & Backbones. He has received numerous awards including third place in the Mazda Emerging Artist Award, runner up in the New Zealand Painting & Printmaking Award and a merit award in the Molly Morpeth Painting competition. Recently he has twice been a finalist in the National Contemporary Art Award as part of the collaborative duo, Tiger Murdoch. Matt is represented by Antionette Godkin Gallery in Auckland. -
Exhibition and Awards: Celebrate 2017 - Otago Secondary Schools (August 14 2017)
22 AUG - 1 SEP, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY, RIEGO ST, DUNEDINCelebrate 2017 - Otago Secondary Schools Art Awards Exhibition
EXHIBITION DATES
Tuesday 22 August to Friday 1 September
EXHIBITION DATES
Tuesday 22 August to Friday 1 September
(image Sam Hancock - DSA Scholarship Award Winner) -
Exhibition: Robert Westaway - One Moment in Time (August 14 2017)
14-19 AUG, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY, RIEGO ST, DUNEDIN
One Moment in Time: Organic Abstraction
Robert Westaway
EXHIBITION DATES
14 - 19 August, 2017
EXHIBITION OPENING
Thursday August 17th
5pm – 7pmin association with OUSA Art Week
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Exhibition: Rachel H Allan, "CRASH" (August 10 2017)
26 August – 12 September, Robert Piggott Art Gallery, 8 Jetty Street, Dunedin
Rachel Hope Allan
CRASHExhibition: 26 August – 12 September
Preview: 25 August 5.00pm – 7.30pmGallery Opening Hours: Monday and Tuesday 12 – 2pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am – 4pm
Robert Piggott Art Gallery
8 Jetty Street
DunedinFree entry, all welcome.
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Public Seminar: Imaginary Spaces - Elisabeth Wilding (August 2 2017)
24 AUGUST, 12 – 1PM, P 152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Imaginary SpacesThis seminar will focus on thoughts concerning the relationship between philosophy and the arts, and in which way a crossing of philosophy and the arts might expand the field of artistic practice. It will introduce my intentions in New Zealand for practical investigations on Framing and on the Aesthetic Moment, debating and reflecting one's own gaze on landscape and spatial relations in an expanded, open concept.
Elisabeth Wildling is a multi-disciplinary artist from Vienna, Austria, where she works as Artistic and Scientific Associate at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Her artistic work explores the condition of alertness and the regard of our own perception of perception. Using visual and cinematic techniques, she discusses the coherence of space and time perception in our construction of the unvarying (and unaltearable).
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Public Seminar: Studio Craft and Design in sustainable innovation (August 1 2017)
10 AUGUST, 12 – 1PM, P 152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Convergence through craft: Deep knowledge systems for comprehending complexityRohan Nicol will discuss the unique and enduring contribution of Studio Craft and Design as a location for practice and research into sustainable innovation. ‘Sustainable innovation’ is motivated by the various crises currently being experienced acrosss the globe. These are complex and interconnected, prompting calls for the necessity of a great transformation through multidisciplinary responses in order to achieve meaningful solutions. In this context, designers are increasingly aware of their wider responsibilities ‘beyond the object’ including the economic, social, environmental, technological and political dimensions of problems that lie beyond the object.
Rohan Nicol is head of internationally renowned Gold and Silversmithing workshop at the Australian National University, School of Art and Design. His is an independent artist, academic and curator with interests encompassing jewellery, silversmithing and design. His activity includes one off works for exhibition, limited production products, curatorial projects and writing. He holds Qualifications from the Australian National University and Charles Sturt University where he was awarded a PhD. His awards include the prestigious Bombay Sapphire design award and funding to conduct research from the Australia Council and Australian Universities. He regularly exhibits at peak venues in Australia and internationally. His work is held in collections including the Powerhouse Museum and the National Gallery of Australia.Rohan is one of the currently at the Dunedin School of Art as an Artst in Residence.
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Exhibition: Alicia Hall, "Sorted" (July 17 2017)
24- 28 JULY, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY, RIEGO ST, DUNEDIN
Alicia Hall
Sorted
MVA Exhibition (Textiles)EXHIBITION DATES: 24 - 28 July, 2017
EXHIBITION CLOSING: Friday July 28th, 2017 - 5pm – 7pm
GALLERY HOURS
Monday to Friday, 10am – 4pmDSA GALLERY
Ground Floor, P Block, Riego Street (off Albany St), Dunedin -
Exhibition: TOP ART (July 17 2017)
17-28 JULY, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY, RIEGO ST, DUNEDIN
Top Art is an annual touring exhibition featuring a selection of the NCEA Level 3 portfolios that achieved Excellence in Visual Art in the previous year.
Five streams are covered: design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.
EXHIBITION HOURS
Week 1 Monday: 1- 4pm, Tuesday - Friday 10am -4pm
Week 2 Monday - Thursday, 10am -4pmDunedin School of Art
Ground Floor, P Block, Riego Street (off Albany St), DunedinThe Dunedin School of Art invites high school students to our Open Day workshops and tours on
Saturday August 19th
10am - 3pm 2017.
Bookings not required.
Please contact: artadmin@op.ac.nz to book a workshop, arrange a tour of the Art School or talk to staff.(image credit: Alice Jones, Columba College)
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Thinking about your next step after graduation? What about a Career in the NZ Defence Force (June 30 2017)
Then come along to the: NZ Defence Force Information Session
Find out more about the NZ Army, NZ Navy and NZ Air Force.
They have amazing careers and experiences to offer graduates in the following areas:- Hospitality
- Nursing
- Engineering and
- Technical Trades
- Intelligence, IT and Communications
- Logistics and Administration
Tuesday 8 August, G106
12.00pm to 1.00pmFor more info: patricia.quensell@op.ac.nz
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High Performance Strength and Conditioning for Rugby Union (June 30 2017)
Otago Polytechnic’s Institute of Sport and Adventure is hosting this world-class three-day workshop which focusses on High Performance Strength and Conditioning for Rugby Union. GPSports will also celebrate the global launch of their newest product EVO - the world’s first GPS unit to meet World Rugby’s new specifications for match play. Otago Polytechnic is the first institution in the world to have the accredited units.
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Artist Talk - Dunedin Public Art Gallery (June 20 2017)
WEDNESDAY 21 JUNE, 10.30-11.30AM, DUNEDIN PUBLIC ART GALLERY
Clive Humphreys - A Maker’s Map…guide to a practice. Join the Friends of the Gallery for a talk by Clive Humphreys, artist and Senior Lecturer, Dunedin School of Art at Otago Polytechnic. This talk outlines a number of central concerns within Humphreys’ making practice over the last 13 years and traces the ways in which those concerns have manifested across a number of projects. Clive is the acting Head of School at the Dunedin School of Art.
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Exhibition - TOP ART (June 19 2017)
17-28 JULY, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST
Top Art is an annual touring exhibition featuring a selection of the NCEA Level 3 portfolios that achieved Excellence in Visual Art in the previous year. Five streams are covered: design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.
EXHIBITION HOURS
Week 1
Monday: 1- 4pm
Tuesday - Friday
10am -4pmWeek 2
Monday - Thursday
10am -4pmPlease contact: artadmin@op.ac.nz to arrange a tour of the Art School or talk to staff about portfolio preparation.
The Dunedin School of Art invites high school students to our Open Day workshops and tours on Saturday August 19th 10am - 3pm 2017. Bookings not required.
Dunedin School of Art
Ground Floor, P Block
Riego Street (off Albany St)
Dunedin -
SUNROOM - a space to stare at the sun (June 16 2017)
Beaming in the sun to 23 Princes Street, a vacant retail space near the Octagon during Puaka Matariki, artist Trudy Lane invites the public to come stare at Te Rā, the sun – safely!
Open from 16 June the project will include a series of public talks on astrophysics, energy, ecologies, and cosmologies, aiming to encourage an awareness of the sun as our primary source of energy and how that energy transforms and surrounds us constantly in a myriad of permutations.
Read here for more information >
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OPEN DAY - DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART (June 14 2017)
19 AUGUST, 10AM- 3PM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST (off Albany St)
Dunedin School of Art, Riego Street (off Albany Street)
Take note of this date in your calendar and come along with friends and whānau to enjoy and experience our hands-on workshop facilities at the Dunedin School of Art. The Dunedin School of Art is offering a range of FREE workshop experiences and tours in our world-class facilities at our OPEN DAY on Saturday 19 August.
If you would like to take part in a workshop or are interested in what we get up to, please come along, registration is not required. These workshops are suitable for anyone and no prior experience is required. Please wear closed shoes for your safety in our workshops.
Explore Dunedin School of Art
Parent information
Learn about the diverse creative career pathways open to your child.
Student stories
Hear from current students and alumni about their experience of studying at Dunedin School of Art.
Study options
We have a tradition of teaching excellence with the support of world-class facilities – ensuring that you reach your full potential. Teaching is across eight specific studio areas.
FREE Art Workshops and Open Day | Suitable for everyone, no prior experience needed.
Registration is NOT required ALL WELCOME
Dunedin School of Art, Riego St (off Albany Street). Dunedin
Saturday 19 August 2017 10.00am – 3.00pm
Enquiries phone: 0800 762 786 Email: artadmin@op.ac.nz
The Dunedin School of Art Open day is an opportunity for anyone to visit our world class workshop facilities, to see what goes on, explore our studios and gain a sense of our creative community. Workshop activities and materials are free. There is no need to register, please come along any time during our open hours and join in on one or all of the workshop activities.
Tours of the Dunedin School of Art will also be available on request.
POP-UP GALLERY AND SHOP will be on site with student works for sale. Cash sales only, no credit or EFTPOS. Nothing over $100.
STUDIO WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIESCERAMICS. “Have a go on the wheel” with Rob Cloughley. Tours of the Ceramic Studio, demos & some basic tuition on making with clay. Here is an opportunity to have a go making work on the pottery wheel. At 12 noon we will demonstrate the Raku firing process. Raku is a Japanese process that involves opening the kiln up while red hot to take the work out.
DRAWING. “Observational Drawing” with Michele Beevors. Have a go at drawing still life with charcoal and an eraser. Also try the concept of creating a blind contour drawing.
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY “Lighting Studio” with Frank Pawluk. Explore 3 point lighting setup for video and photography stills. Utilise the cameras to shoot low key portraits or video a self-promo.
JEWELLERY AND METALSMITHING. “3D Printed Jewellery” with Brendon Monson and Andrew Last. Customise a ring or pendant using simple CAD software, 3D print the Jewellery and cast it in pewter using the Delft Clay technique.
PAINTING. “Painting in Miniature” with Anita De Soto, Graham Fletcher and Michael Morley. You may discover skills that you never knew you had. Learn an easy way to achieve instant results.
PHOTOGRAPHY. “Partake in a photography experience under the red light” with Rachel Allan and Mark Bolland. Create a photographic drawing in the darkroom.
PRINTMAKING. “Etching Workshop” with Neil Emmerson and Marion Wassenaar. Introduction to the intaglio process of dry point etching on clear plastic. This involves inking and printing works on paper through the etching press.
TEXTILES. "Wet Felting" with Vivien Dwyer & Helpers. Join our 'felting circle' and make a felt artwork to take home. Wet felting is the process of combining layers of wool roving and yarns into one piece of felt fabric. Tutors will demonstrate how pictures or patterns can be felted into small art works. Come join in."
POSTGRADUATE STUDY INFORMATION SESSION 11.00am - 12.00noon with Alex Kennedy Postgraduate study provides the opportunity to develop as an art practitioner as you develop a deeper understanding through practical- and theory-based research. Choose to study at the Dunedin School of Art and enter into a lively and challenging environment where you will benefit from the nationally unique workshop facilities, a focus on individual supervision and the expertise of lecturers who have a diverse range of approaches and understandings in the Visual Arts.
Thinking of applying to study at the Dunedin School of Art in 2018?
Staff will be available to discuss application entry requirements for our art programmes, assist with your portfolio preparation and your application. We are now offering provisional placements in our programmes for 2018 if your work clearly meets our entry criteria. Bring along samples of your art work and discuss this option.For more information:
0800 762 786
artadmin@op.ac.nz
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram
www.op.ac.nz/art -
Exhibition: New Textile work by Jenny Bain (June 7 2017)
12-23 JUNE, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY, RIEGO ST, (off Albany St)
More Surface Disturbance : “Possession and Displacement”
New Textiles by Jenny BainDates: 12 - 23 JUNE, 2017
Opening: MONDAY 12 JUNE, 5-6PM
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Public Seminar: Contemporary Drawing (June 2 2017)
THURS 8 JUNE, 12-1PM, P152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ARTPeter Belton is a practicing artist who has specialized in drawing. His own practice is, in its orientation, phenomenological. It is premised from propositions, rather than declamation, which arise from the question: is this what I see? By extension, if any proposition is to be owned, it becomes: how might I project insight about what I feel and think? Such a positioning does not overlook analysis which might present through a deconstructive reading of process. Being asked to do a presentation on Contemporary Drawing is not too unlike being asked to address the meaning of life. The field of possible reference is huge and at best can only be partially apprehended. Any presenter’s response must, necessarily, reflect their positioning within circumstance, situation and bias. It is personal.Peter is a graduate from the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts and has a Master of Fine Arts from RMIT University, Melbourne. He is currently teaching at the Southern Institute of Technology. In another life he was the Senior Lecturer at the Dunedin and University Colleges of Education. Peter has also worked as Art Curator at the Southland Museum and Art Gallery. -
Public Seminar: Scott Eady in Vladivostok, Russia (May 29 2017)
THURS 1 JUNE, 12.00 -1.00PM, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST
Artist Residency in Vladivostok, Russia, 2016 - SCOTT EADY
In April 2016 Scott Eady received a surprise email awarding him the first Martin Tate Wallace Artist Residency in Vladivostok, Russia. On 1 July he bordered his flight to the city described as ‘exciting and exotic’. Eady will share some of his experiences including preparing work for an exhibition equipped with only a camera and pocket knife.
Scott Eady is a Senior Lecturer in the Dunedin School of Art and teaches in the sculpture studio. He exhibits regularly both nationally and internationally. -
Exhibition: Waiata o Te Pō - Rachael Rakena (May 26 2017)
29 MAY - 9 JUNE, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY, RIEGO ST, (off Albany St)
Rachael Rakena
Waiata o Te Pō
Exhibition Dates: 2 – 8 JUNE, 2017
Opening: Thursday 1 June, 5 - 6PM
Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday: 10AM - 4PMThe Dunedin School of Art welcomes Rachael Rakena who has been here as an artist in residence since late March. Rachael is an alumni of the school, an ex-staff member and our current Nohoaka Toi Kai Tahu.
Digital video artist Rachael Rakena has exhibited in New Zealand, Australia, China, Italy, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, France, Spain, Britain and the United States, including international biennale.
Among other large group exhibits, her work has been included in Pasifika Styles at Cambridge University and in Dateline: Contemporary Art from the Pacific at Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin. In 2006, Rachael and artist Brett Graham represented New Zealand at the Sydney Biennale with their collaborative work UFOB. In 2007, their work Aniwaniwa was selected for the Venice Biennale and, in 2008, her work Pacific Washup was included in the Busan Biennale. In 2009, Rachael’s work was included in the Spanish exhibition FEEDFORWARD which explored how artists are using digital technologies to interpret the world. Of Maori and Pakeha descent, her inspiration comes from family; she uses contemporary technology, new language and digital media to create artwork that expresses traditional Maori culture and identity. Few artists need to invent a word to describe their art form, but Rachael did: "Toi Rerehiko". Rachael is a lecturer at Massey University’s School of Maori Visual Arts.
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Public Seminar: Reflected on Black Water: He waiata aroha - RACHAEL RAKENA (May 22 2017)
THURS 25 MAY, 12.00 -1.00PM, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Rachael Rakena will discuss a series of works that make up the ‘verses’ of a visual love song. Celebrating the relationship between t¯upuna and mokopuna, these works connect generations across black oceans of time and space, exploring the nuances of cosmology narratives, whakapapa and Pacific diaspora within her own wh¯anau.
Rachael Rakena (Ngāi Tahu, Ngā Puhi) is a video artist who works, frequently in collaboration with others, to create richly-layered performative installations, videos and photographs. She has exhibited nationally and internationally including Sakahàn: International Indigenous Art, National Gallery of Canada; Haka Peepshow, The Octagon, Dunedin; Aniwaniwa, 52nd Biennale di Venezia, Venice; Pacific Styles, University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, UK; Mo Tatou, Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand.
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Occupational Therapy Information Evening (May 19 2017)
Want to know more about a rewarding career as an Occupational Therapist?
Come and learn more about this diverse people-oriented profession. Hear from therapists working in Dunedin about the work that they do, from staff about the design of the programme and from students what it's like to be part of the programme.
Head along to our information evenings:
Dates: Tuesday, September 26
Time: 7.00pm to 9.00pm
Venue: School of Occupational Therapy, Room G201/203, G Block, Cnr Union Street and Harbour Terrace, Dunedin
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PUBLIC SEMINAR: “Why Art has the Power to Change the World" (May 15 2017)
THURS 18 May, 12.00-1.00pm, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
The Art of Politics - METIRIA TUREI
Olafur Eliasson in his 2016 article “Why Art has the Power to Change the World", wrote:
“I believe that one of the major responsibilities of artists — and the idea that artists have responsibilities may come as a surprise to some — is to help people not only get to know and understand something with their minds but also to feel it emotionally and physically. By doing this, art can mitigate the numbing effect created by the glut of information we are faced with today, and motivate people to turn thinking into doing.”
What if we replaced ‘politicians’ with ‘artists’? How we would understand our political power?
And would we really, finally change the world?
Metiria Turei is the Co-leader of the Green Party Aotearoa New Zealand. -
Public Seminar: Painting To Think - JENNA PACKER (May 9 2017)
THURS 11 MAY, 12.00 – 1PM, P152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART
Jenna Packer: Painting To Think
Jenna Packer paints works which can look to be historical observations, but present alternative social and colonial narratives. She uses techniques drawn from watercolour and fresco traditions, referencing a type of historical genre painting. She thinks the disconnect between what we recognise as factual and familiar, and an alternate version, make it possible to confront preconceptions and assumptions, and pose new questions.
After graduating from Ilam School of Art in 1988 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Jenna Packer went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in History (First-Class Honours) at the University of Canterbury the following year. Through the 199’s she continued her education with time spent at the Glasgow Print Workshop, Otago Polytechnic, The Slade School of Art (London) and La Rouelle Studio (France). A painter, printmaker and illustrator, Packer has been exhibiting her work since 1990 both within New Zealand and abroad.
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Public Seminar: What is art? Why does it matter? Who defines a work of art? (May 2 2017)
THURS 4 May, 12.00 -1.00PM, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST (off Albany St)
What is art? Why does it matter? Who defines a work of art? - WAYNE GILBERT
Wayne Gilbert is an ordinary artist in an extra-ordinary city full of great artists and art. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Houston in Painting with a minor in Art History 1984. He has a Masters Degree from Rice University in Liberal Studies 2012. He was a founding member of the Rubber Group, along with Bill Hailey and Ramzy Telley in 1996 until 2004. Their multiple disciplined extravaganzas were bohemian rough and stayed well out of the mainstream.
Wayne has been a guest speaker at Bard College, Annandale on the Hudson, New York, Rutgers University, New Jersey, and Texas Tech, Lubbock, Texas. He has curated exhibitions, in Trujillo, Peru, Santiago, Cuba, Salwedel, Germany, Seattle ,Washington, Marfa, Texas, Arlington, Texas to name a few. -
Dunedin School of Art Public Seminars Term 2, 2017 (May 2 2017)
4 MAY - 8 JUNE, 12.00 - 1.00PM, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST (off Albany St)
International and national speakers will present on a variety of topics in a weekly seminar series on Thursdays lunchtimes at Dunedin School of Art.
All events are held at 19 Riego Street Dunedin, Lecture Theatre P152, except where stated otherwise. Times are included with each event.
Note: All Thursday seminars are scheduled for 12-1pm. All listed events are open to the public – all welcome, no RSVP and no charge.
This program is supported by the Fred Staub Open Art.
In accordance with the Otago Polytechnic MoU with local Kai Tahu Runaka, we observe tikanga in our lecture and gallery spaces and thus request all attendees to refrain from eating and drinking during events (except water) and from sitting on tables, thank you.
All enquiries to leoni.schmidt@op.ac.nz except where otherwise indicated.
Thursday 4 May, 12.00 -1.00pm, P152
What is art? Why does it matter? Who defines a work of art? - WAYNE GILBERT
Wayne Gilbert is an ordinary artist in an extra-ordinary city full of great artists and art. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Houston in Painting with a minor in Art History 1984. He has a Masters Degree from Rice University in Liberal Studies 2012. He was a founding member of the Rubber Group, along with Bill Hailey and Ramzy Telley in 1996 until 2004. Their multiple disciplined extravaganzas were bohemian rough and stayed well out of the mainstream.
Wayne has been a guest speaker at Bard College, Annandale on the Hudson, New York, Rutgers University, New Jersey, and Texas Tech, Lubbock, Texas. He has curated exhibitions, in Trujillo, Peru, Santiago, Cuba, Salwedel, Germany, Seattle ,Washington, Marfa, Texas, Arlington, Texas to name a few.
Thursday 11 May, 12.00 -1.00pm, P152
Painting to Think - JENNA PACKER
Jenna Packer paints works which can look to be historical observations, but present alternative social and colonial narratives. She uses techniques drawn from watercolour and fresco traditions, referencing a type of historical genre painting. She thinks the disconnect between what we recognise as factual and familiar, and an alternate version, make it possible to confront preconceptions and assumptions, and pose new questions.
After graduating from Ilam School of Art in 1988 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Jenna Packer went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in History (First-Class Honours) at the University of Canterbury the following year. Through the 1990’s she continued her education with time spent at the Glasgow Print Workshop, Otago Polytechnic, The Slade School of Art (London) and La Rouelle Studio (France). A painter, printmaker and illustrator, Packer has been exhibiting her work since 1990 both within New Zealand and abroad.
Thursday 18 May, 12.00-1.00pm, P152
The Art of Politics - METIRIA TUREI
Olafur Eliasson in his 2016 article “Why Art has the Power to Change the World, wrote:
“I believe that one of the major responsibilities of artists — and the idea that artists have responsibilities may come as a surprise to some — is to help people not only get to know and understand something with their minds but also to feel it emotionally and physically. By doing this, art can mitigate the numbing effect created by the glut of information we are faced with today, and motivate people to turn thinking into doing.”
What if we replaced ‘artists’ with ‘politicians’? How we would understand our political power?
And would we really, finally change the world?
Metiria Turei is the Co-leader of the Green Party Aotearoa New Zealand.
Thursday 25 May, 12.00 -1.00pm, P152
Reflected on Black Water: He waiata aroha - RACHAEL RAKENA
Rachael Rakena will discuss a series of works that make up the ‘verses’ of a visual love song. Celebrating the relationship between tūpuna and mokopuna, these works connect generations across black oceans of time and space, exploring the nuances of cosmology narratives, whakapapa and Pacific diaspora within her own whānau.
Rachael Rakena (Ngāi Tahu, Ngā Puhi) is a video artist who works, frequently in collaboration with others, to create richly-layered performative installations, videos and photographs. She has exhibited nationally and internationally including Sakahàn: International Indigenous Art, National Gallery of Canada; Haka Peepshow, The Octagon, Dunedin; Aniwaniwa, 52nd Biennale di Venezia, Venice; Pacific Styles, University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, UK; Mo Tatou, Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand.
Thursday 1 June, 12.00 -1.00pm, P152
Artist Residency in Vladivostok, Russia, 2016 - SCOTT EADY
In April 2016 Scott Eady received a surprise email awarding him the first Martin Tate Wallace Artist Residency in Vladivostok, Russia. On 1 July he bordered his flight to the city described as ‘exciting and exotic’. Eady will share some of his experiences including preparing work for an exhibition equipped with only a camera and pocket knife.
Scott Eady is a Senior Lecturer in the Dunedin School of Art and teaches in the sculpture studio. He exhibits regularly both nationally and internationally.
Thursday 8 June, 12.00 -1.00pm, P152
Topic TBC - PETER BELTON -
Exhibition: X-Rated 2007-2016 (May 1 2017)
1-13 MAY, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY
X-Rated 2007-2016
Print Alumni
Students and Staff Exhibition
exhibition Dates: May 1- 13Exhibition Opening: May 2nd, 5-7PM
Gallery Hours: Tuesday to Friday 10AM - 4PM
- Exhibition: X-Rated 2007-2016 (May 1 2017)
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Rekindling the creativity behind occupational therapy (April 24 2017)
Recycling, reusing, reducing, remodeling, and reselling! Juliet Arnott’s social enterprise ‘Rekindle’ is all about diverting reusable resources from waste via creativity and craftsmanship.
She studied at Otago Polytechnic’s School of Occupational Therapy and went on to use her creativity and craftsmanship with community groups, schools, health groups, artists and designers.
Rekindle originally focused on diverting timber from waste within residential demolition in Christchurch, turning it into furniture, interiors, sculpture and jewelry.
One of Juliet’s more famous projects was Whole House Reuse, where her team deconstructed and transformed an entire earthquake damaged house into beautiful and purposeful artifacts. More than 250 people from around New Zealand and the world were involved, creating everything from a delicately carved taonga puoro to a finely crafted backyard studio.
Juliet will give a public talk on May 4 about Rekindle and how she actively pursues creative solutions to unmet social and environmental needs.
What: Public Talk by Rekindle founder, Juliet Arnott
When: Thursday 4 May, 5.00pm - 6.15 pm
Where: Otago Polytechnic, G block, Room 106See the website for more information: rekindle.org.nz
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Public Seminar: Modern Art, Film Theory and the Fourth Dimension (April 12 2017)
Thursday 13 April, 12.00-1.00pm, P152 Lecture Room, Dunedin School of ArtWhat Modern Art can Teach Contemporary Film Theory about the Fourth DimensionMethods of n-dimensional analysis derived from non-Euclidean geometry have been variously applied in modern art practice and theory to describe transformations of figure, frame, surface, space and time in the expression of a fourth dimension. However, with few exceptions, these ideas have had little uptake within film and media theory, despite recurring representations of the fourth dimension in popular narrative cinema. This seminar will attempt to reach across this gap via the principle of elementary parallelism, which observes structural homologies between consecutive lower dimensions and provides the basis for creative extrapolation of figures such as the tesseract: technically defined as a hypercube, but also the four-dimensional extension of any three-dimensional object. The seminar responds to Theo Van Doesberg’s impulse in his essay Film as Pure Form (1929) to place the film screen within the tesseract by arguing that the tesseract has always already assumed a structuring presence within the moving image, while also indicating its elaboration through the historical development of film form. Drawing on Marcel Duchamp, the seminar demonstrates how the cinema enacts two related modalities of the tesseract which alternately emphasize spatial reversibility and temporal protraction. Such a move enables film theory to not only describe figural reversibility within cinematic representations, but also more fundamentally the forms of existential (hyper)reversibility on which the experience of moving images is predicated.Dr. Kevin Fisher is a senior lecturer in Media, Film and Communication at the University of Otago. His research interests include cinematic representation from historical and phenomenological perspectives, digital culture, film spectatorship, and film violence. Recent publications include Fisher, K. (2015). Seismic energy and symbolic exchange in when a city falls. In A. Wright (Ed.), Film on the faultline. (pp. 163-180). Bristol, UK: Intellect. Fisher, K. (2014). The ecstatic gestalt in Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Refractory, 24. -
Exhibition: Landskin by Fiona Van Oyen (March 31 2017)
3-6 APRIL, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY, REIGO ST, (off Albany St)
Landskin
Fiona Van Oyen
(image: detail from "I think this is part of your garden (blue)", 2016, lino cut print on cotton paper, 2.4 1.4 m
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Public Seminar: Into the Light of Day (March 28 2017)
THURS 6 APRIL, 12.00-1.00PM, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST (off Albany St)
Into the Light of Day
Denise (Dee) Copland will give a presentation on her research methodology, which has resulted in various expeditions to wilderness regions such as Antarctica and the profound impact that such regions, coupled with her research, have had on her outlook and output.
DEE COPELAND graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts (Honours) in Printmaking, School of Fine Arts University of Canterbury (1977) and a Certificate of Graphic Design, CPIT (1971). National awards include CNZAC (1990), an Antarctic Arts Fellowship in 2001-2002) and several Artist-in-Residences since 1985. She has lectured at the School of Fine Arts, UC (1982-4); Senior Lecturer at the School of Art& Design, CPIT until 2006 and lectured at other Polytechnics and Summer Schools throughout NZ. She has exhibited extensively in both solo and group exhibitions, by invitation shown in numerous international Biennales in Europe and Asia, and in group exhibitions in Australia, Japan and France since 1978. Dee has printed for a number of NZ artists and produced a limited edition Printmaking book (1985). Her work is held in collections in NZ and internationally. She is full time artist, now living in Portobello, Dunedin.
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Public Seminar: Creativity and Uncertainty (March 27 2017)
THURS 30 MARCH, 12.00-1.00PM, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST, (off Albany St)
Creativity and Uncertainty: Stepping into the Unknown, by Margot Nash
Margot will share her research into the ‘unknown’ and the ‘uncertain’ as active and imaginative spaces for creative practitioners. Her work as a filmmaker has meant writing screenplays to raise money for production. Screenplays that might offer the promise of certainty for funding bodies, yet promises of certainty are inherently problematic for all artists. Things change once the process of engaging with the materials begins and then, as a work takes shape, it can steadfastly resist the direction it has been so studiously steered towards. Uncertainty creates anxiety, particularly for funding bodies, yet it is this discomfort, this ‘itch’ that drives artists and researchers. Certainty might promise the known, but uncertainty promises the possibility of the new.
She I will discuss the creative development of her most recent film The Silences (2105) a personal essay documentary about family secrets. I will share a free fall discovery-driven process and argue that it is within the mysterious interplay of the known and the unknown, of passion and reason and of logic and intuition - that creativity lies.
MARGOT NASH - Margot Nash is a filmmaker and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Communications at the University of Technology Sydney. Her research and teaching areas are the theory and practice of screenwriting, film production, subtext and the gaps and silences in history. Her films include the experimental shorts We Aim To Please (co filmmaker 1976) Shadow Panic (1989 and the feature dramas Vacant Possession (1994) and Call Me Mum (2005). In 2016 she won an Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Award for her feature documentary The Silences (2015).
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Exhibition: Kiri Mitchell (March 25 2017)
28 - 30 MARCH, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY, RIEGO ST (off Albany St)
Kiri Mitchell
Milk
MFA Exhibition
28-20 March -
Public Seminar: In Context - Spanish Painters at Home and Away (March 17 2017)
THURS 23 MAR, P152 LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST (off Albany St)
In 2016 Clive Humphreys travelled to Spain to see some beloved Spanish paintings in their places of origin and in the contexts for which they were made. Inevitably the actual experience invited a reconsideration of what constitutes context.
Clive is a Principal Lecturer in the School of Art and teaches Textiles. He has been supervising postgraduate projects since 1998 and has also chaired and examined postgraduate examinations. His research expertise lie in drawing, painting and textiles and his recent research has consistently developed around the potentials and problems of pictorial composition and its various strategies for engagement of the viewer.
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Public Seminar: Finding East Asian Aesthetics In The Garden (March 13 2017)
THURS 16 MAR, P152, LECTURE ROOM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST, DUNEDINPlease note there has been a late change to the advertised presentation.
"FINDING EAST ASIAN AESTHETICS IN THE GARDEN FINDING EAST ASIAN AESTHETICS IN THE GARDEN "David Bell is Associate Professor at the University of Otago. He teaches classics and visual art education and Japanese art history and theory. His research interests embrace pedagogies for aesthetic education, trans-cultural art education and learning in museum settings. His passion for Japanese arts, especially ukiyo-e ‘floating world pictures’, has generated a range of research articles, books and exhibition projects on the collecting of Japanese prints and the distinctive ‘floating world’ aesthetic sensibility of iki. His book publications in this field include Chūshingura and the Floating World (2001), Ukiyo-e Explained (2004) and Hokusai’s Project (2007).
This talk will explore practices, pathways and potentials for learning aesthetics in garden-museum settings drawing on the findings of research in settings in United Kingdom, North America and New Zealand into ways museums can mediate learning between different cultures. It makes a case for the status of garden settings as museums, as aesthetic phenomena, and as media for sensory engagement and learning in aesthetics. It then describes real learning experiences in garden-museum settings to explore practices and pathways for facilitating affective sensory experiences and learning through and about the aesthetic sensibilities of some East Asian communities. It suggests that garden-museums might further enhance these learning experiences in ways that empower visitor’s independent reflections on nature and artifice, aesthetics and pleasure. Finally, it summarises some practical principles for finding East Asian aesthetics in museums, emphasising aesthetic memory, sites of transaction, and the place of theoretical knowledge in both sensory and conceptual learning.
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Excessive Memory (February 27 2017)
by Michael Greaves
28 February - 2 March,10.00am-4.00pm. Opening Tuesday 28 February, 5.00PM-7.00PM
Dunedin School of Art Gallery, Ground floor, Riego Street, Dunedin
Michael Greaves presents a suit of works associated with the research undertaken for the Masters of Fine Arts, opening on Tuesday the 28th February at 5pm in the Dunedin School of Art Gallery on Riego Street.
Located in a meta-field that threatens to tear apart the very kernel of painting, the works of Michael Greaves present both the object and the thing as same.
In the work the image’s role in painting easily shifts from that both of the pretender to photographic process – the rendering of the indexical – and to the other, that of the object. Painting becomes a welcome surrogate to the idea that the image may contain, in essence the act of painting itself.
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Emergence - by David Green (February 8 2017)
Emergence - David Green's video Installation will be open in the Dunedin School of Art Gallery
Exhibition dates 20 -24 February,10.00am-4.00pm
Exhibition opening Tuesday 21 February, 5.00PM-7.00PM
Dunedin School of Art Gallery, Ground floor, Riego Street, DunedinEmergence uses glass as a medium to explore the materiality of light, animal movement, and parallel distributed processing. This is David Green’s final MFA Exhibition culminating three years of research.
Emergence installations by David Green, photo by Cath Cocker
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Massage Therapy Open Night (February 2 2017)
Are you are a hands-on person interested in health ….. and passionate about helping people overcome stress and pain?
Then Massage Therapy is the ideal career for you!
Our Massage Therapy programmes are taught through online learning, practical block courses and clinical experience at our new campus clinic.
Find out more at our Open Night: on
Thursday 9 February
6.00pm to 7.00pm
Forth Street campus
View our new facilities, receive a free massage and talk to their staff about enrolling for 2017.
Check out our Massage Therapy programmes here.
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Public Seminar: By-Products of Urban Environments (December 13 2016)
THURS 23 FEB, 2017, 12.00-1.00PM, P152 LECTURE THEATRE, RIEGO ST, DUNEDIN
Eve Armstrong has a contemporary art practice centred on a formal and research-based enquiry into the surpluses and by-products of urban environments. Arranging, deconstructing, reassembling and reimagining the potential of everyday objects and modern waste-products, Eve's works promote a reconsideration of the materials that are used and discarded on a daily basis. Her on-going Trading Table project encourages social interaction and participation as a means of highlighting alternative currencies and value systems surrounding objects, materials and activities. In this seminar Eve will discuss the current concerns of her practice, which have developed out of her time in residence as part of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Visiting Artist programme.
Eve Armstrong (b.1978) is a contemporary artist based in Wellington. She graduated with a BFA from Elam School of Fine Arts in 2003, and in 2006 received a New Generation Award from the Arts Foundation of New Zealand. Armstrong has exhibited and undertaken residencies nationally and internationally, with work presented at Dertien Hectare, Netherlands (2010), Tarrawarra Biennial (2008), Australia, the 3rd Auckland Triennial (2007), the Busan Biennale (2006) and the SCAPE Art & Industry Biennial (2006). She has completed artist's residencies at McCahon House, Auckland (2009), Asia New Zealand Foundation/AiR Association Limited, Hong Kong (2008), and Enjoy Gallery, Wellington (2005). Her 2011 project Taking Stock was presented as part of Letting Space, a Wellington public art programme, and in 2013 she embarked on a series of artist projects at The Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt. -
Public Seminar: Tikanga Māori and practicing the Sample (December 13 2016)
FRI 24 FEB, 2017, 12.00-1.00PM, P152 LECTURE THEATRE, RIEGO ST, DUNEDIN
Artist Nathan Pohio talks about being lead by Tikanga Māori in his work and offers a biographical account of the sample as politic by 80's hip hop artists, in particular Grandmaster Melle Mel and how these things opened up his practice as an artist working in video and other photo-media. -
Introductory Growsafe short courses (December 8 2016)
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Otago Polytechnic Education Open 2017 (September 28 2016)
Your supports have made a difference to Otago Polytechnic's students and the local economy! We hope you to see you in 2017!
- Pin 2017, Auckland (September 28 2016)
News
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Leading NZ in qualification completions (September 27 2017)
Otago Polytechnic has the best qualification completion rates in the country, according to the latest figures from the Tertiary Education Commission.
The statistics show Otago Polytechnic was the highest-rated New Zealand tertiary institution in this measure in 2016, with a 91% qualification completion rate. It’s the second consecutive year the Polytechnic has topped the Institute of Technology/Polytechnic sector in this category.
The Polytechnic also leads its sector for progression to higher-level study (46%) and ranks second-equal for successful course completions (83%) and student retention (77%).
Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive, Phil Ker, is delighted with the results. ''We are proud to maintain our position as one of New Zealand's top-performing institutes,” he says. “These results are a credit to our wonderful teaching and support staff, and a reflection of the high calibre of our students and graduates.”
The top qualification completion ranking features prominently in Otago Polytechnic’s latest enrolment campaign, It All Adds Up, alongside other impressive numbers which include
- 94% of our graduates are in work or further study
- 92% student satisfaction rating
- 20 national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards
- 1:16 teacher-to-student ratio
- 80+ international exchange partnerships.
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Passing of our Chaplain, Mike Wright (July 28 2017)
Staff and students of Otago Polytechnic are deeply saddened at the passing of our Chaplain, Mike. He was a much loved member of the Otago Polytechnic whānau and touched the lives of many of us.
Our thoughts and condolences are with Mike's wife Sheryl, and three children; Brittany, Emma and Taylor.
Mike taught us much about the true meaning of "loitering with intent" and we will miss his steadying and caring influence immensely.
Ka nui te aroha e rangatira. Na te whānau o Te Kura Matatini Ki Otago.
He kotuku rerenga tahi.
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Building relationships (December 15 2017)
Otago Polytechnic's relationships with Chinese tertiary education institutions continue to flourish.
A delegation of 17 lecturers from Guangdong Construction Polytechnic has spent the past three weeks in Dunedin, gaining insights into how Otago Polytechnic trains apprentices, as well as visiting apprentices in the workplace.
Among the top 100 vocational colleges in China, Guangdong Construction Polytechnic is looking to enhance its delivery of programmes in accordance with the Chinese Government’s desire for a more practical, student-centred education model.
“They are particularly interested in work-ready graduates in the technology sector,” Marc Doesburg, Otago Polytechnic’s Director Internationalisation, says.
The Guangdong delegation’s visit is part of a wider and ongoing connection between Dunedin and China.
These include Project Shanghai, a partnership of Dunedin businesses, educational institutions, the Otago Chamber of Commerce and the Dunedin City Council that has developed a broad range of links with cities and institutions elsewhere in China.
Read more about Otago Polytechnic’s international partnerships.
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Record number of graduates (December 7 2017)
A record 1463 people (up from 1430 last year) will graduate from Otago Polytechnic tomorrow.
Two afternoon ceremonies will be held at the Dunedin Town Hall. This is the second year that the polytechnic has catered for rising graduate numbers by holding two December ceremonies.
Otago Polytechnic external relations director Mike Waddell says the graduations inject money into the Dunedin economy, as well as add to the city's vibrancy, including by strengthening and adding further skills to city businesses, and bringing ''new blood'' to Dunedin and Otago.
Slightly fewer people – 644 (compared to 660) – will graduate in person tomorrow.
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The dating game (November 30 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Bachelor of Social Services graduate Joshua Perry has set up a dating website, Enabling Love, in response to an expressed need by members of the disability community.
As Josh explains: “Enabling Love is run for people with disabilities by people living with disability.
“We understand the challenges of meeting others through dating sites and have decided to set up our own inclusive service. We aim to provide a safe environment for individuals to meet new friends and form new connections and relationships.”
Josh, who has cerebral palsy, has been promoting his website at this week’s Disability Matters conference in Dunedin.
He plans to launch Enabling Love on 25 January.
Read the Otago Daily Times article on Josh
Read more on Enabling Love
Read more about our Social Services programmes
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‘‘Sink or Swim’’, by Jasmine Middlebrook (November 23 2017)
In Jasmine Middlebrook's latest solo exhibition she explores the use of space to convey themes of isolation and internal reflection. Middlebrook is known for bridging abstract, realism and surrealism, sometimes all in one painting. Last year, The Listener named her as a key New Zealand artist to watch. Her works have sold to public and private collections around the world. While she always wanted to be an artist, she still finds it strange that she has achieved her goal.
The Dunedin School of Art-trained artist, has a string of awards to her name - Adams Portraiture Awards finalist in 2016 and 2014 and first places in various Otago awards, including the Hope and Sons Art Awards, City of Dunedin Art Awards, Edinburgh Reality Premier Art Awards and Arrowtown Art Awards.
‘‘Sink or Swim’’, by Jasmine Middlebrook is on at Gallery de Novo, until November 30. Read more in the Otago Daily Times...
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Buy Central Otago Cherries (November 22 2017)
Order beautiful Central Otago grown cherries, at the Customer Services Desk at Dunedin Campus.
$12.50 for 1Kg or $25 for 2Kg.
Pickup 11am-Noon on Monday, 18 December or Thursday, 21 December from S Block Car Park
Cherries are grown at the Central Campus and will be ready for you to enjoy at Christmas.
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Pavements and paradigms: bringing community back into mobilities (November 17 2017)
Presenters at the 8th New Zealand/Aotearoa Mobilities Symposium include Otago Polytechnic senior lecturer Mary Butler and postgraduate student Keri McMullan.
21 - 21 NOVEMBER 2017, at the University of Otago's School of Physiotherapy
The Otago Polytechnic presenters are both speaking on Monday 20 November:
11.20 am The scoot-along: Using a ‘walking’ interview to gather data about mobility scooter users. Keri McMullan 11.40 am Screening older drivers: an ethical dilemma Mary Butler -
Good sports (November 13 2017)
A trio of Otago Polytechnic Bachelor of Applied Science students are heading to India, where they will spend the next four weeks playing games.
In the second year of their BAppSc degrees (Physical Activity, Health & Wellness), Tarryn Fahey, Stephen Vanderpeet and Jenna Paton will be initially accompanied by Kim Park, Senior Lecturer at Otago Polytechnic’s Institute of Sport & Adventure, before Kim leaves the trio in the care of Indian academic supervisors.
Tarryn and Jenna, along with students from Flinders University (Adelaide), will work at Sulochanadevi Singhania School, where they will teach primary school-aged students fundamental movement skills using an approach that involves play or games to promote learning.
Stephen, meanwhile, will be based at the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy, teaching junior and senior players training techniques and sport-specific skills (alongside students from Flinders).
“As part of the second-year and third-year courses for the BAppSci, students are required to do 260 hours of work placement in a physical activity, health or wellness workplace,” Kim explains.
The Mumbai opportunities will be invaluable for the Otago Polytechnic students, helping them demonstrate and build core competencies such as communication, teamwork and leadership, Kim says.
Studying abroad can help students creatively solve problems by applying familiar concepts to unfamiliar situations. These include looking at a project from different perspectives, learning from people whose value systems may be different, and being flexible and adaptable.
In a recent survey, employers ranked the following as the top four employability skills for tertiary graduates: an ability to communicate verbally with persons inside and outside the organization; ability to make decisions and solve problems; ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work; and ability to obtain and process information.
“Having travelled to a number of developing countries in my early 20s, I am convinced of the benefit of seeing how others live,” Kim says.
“The students can also with work and dedication -- actually affect change in others’ lives and come to know the satisfaction of giving their time to something beyond themselves.”
Read more about Otago Polytechnic’s International partnerships.
Read more about Otago Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Applied Science.
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Making a Better World: Research and Teaching (November 1 2017)
MON 30 OCT, 9.30AM - 5.00PM, P152, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST, DUNEDIN NORTH
Attendance is free however registration is required for catering purposes. Please advise us of any dietary requirements.Please click here to register >
On Monday 30 October 2017 we are hosting the second joint symposium for Otago Polytechnic and Southern Institute of Technology.
The goal is to share and be inspired by research and teaching:
- Innovative teaching and assessment methods
- Research that informs teaching content
- Involving students in research
- Teaching students to research
- Supervising research
- Other research that reaches our communities
Programme:
The symposium will feature oral presentations from researchers in a wide variety of disciplines.
Session Title Abstract Chair/ Presenter/s 9.30 morning tea and welcome Leoni Schmidt 10.00 Session 1: Community effect Stephanie Revell Web Intelligence in Tourism: User Experience Design and Recommender System Baker-Web-Intelligence-in-Tourism.pdf Oras Baker Rocks of the Pacific Region
Ross Ramsay 10.45 Session 2: Community engagement Matt King Vision simulation as education Butler-Vision-Simulation-as-Education.pdf Mary Butler Walk and Talk Therapy: Out of Place? Revell-Walk-and-Talk-Therapy.pdf Stephanie Revell A Valuable Lesson: The potential benefits and pitfalls of real-world community projects Cathcart-Real-World-Community-Projects.pdf Emma Cathcart 11.55 Session 3: Teaching Alexa Andrew Reducing the effects of residual mathematics anxiety on pre-service primary teachers Mumford-Residual-Maths-Anxiety2.pdf John Mumford Inclusive education in NZ then and now Fogarty-Perry-Inclusive-Education-in-NZ.pdf Barbara Fogarty Perry The impact of target professional development on teachers perception of their confidence and ability to implement the physical education curriculum McKenzie-McKenzie-PE-Teachers-professional-development.pdf Duncan McKenzie 1.05 lunch
1.35 Session 4: Student assessment Joanne Whittle
Assessment practices in STEM – A Case study from a Level 3 Bridging to Engineering Programme Peters-Cadzow-Assessment-practices-in-STEM-case-study.pdf Hana Cadzow Online Assessment of Level 2 Engineering Maths Harmer-Quinn-Online-Assessment-of-Engineering-Maths.pdf Mark Harmer and Gerard Quinn Video Assessment of Midwifery Practice Skills in Simulated Practice Situations McIntosh-et-al-Video-Assessment-of-Midwifery-Practice-Skills.pdf Carolyn McIntosh and Yvonne Moseley-Martin Anxiety and oral assessments Robertson-Andrew-Gaffney-Clinical-Reasoning-Oral-Assessment.pdf Alexa Andrew and Linda Robertson 3.10 Session 5: Student learning
Barbara Fogarty Perry Reflections on the benefits and challenges created by facilitating a multidisciplinary student project Humphreys-King-Facilitating-a-Multidisciplinary-Student-Project.pdf Richard Humphreys and Matt King
Hitch-hikers, couch potatoes, you’re fired! Teaching research methods through a group project Whittle-Teaching-Research-Methods.pdf Joanne Whittle The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Longitudinal Interprofessional Education (IPE) Initiative McMillan-Longitudinal-Interprofessional-Education-IPE-Initiative.pdf Mary McMillan 4.20 voting Lesley Brook 4.30 afternoon tea 4.45 presentation and thanks Leoni Schmidt 5.00 finish -
The good oil (November 9 2017)
For one day a week this year, Jessika Stratton (17) has swapped the chatter of her high school peers for the clatter of engines.
Like thousands of high school students, the year-12 Columba College pupil is busy preparing for NCEA exams this month.
Yet Jessika’s NCEA Level-2 workload includes a sleeves-rolled-up component: a National Certificate in Motor Industry (Foundation Skills) via the Otago Secondary-Tertiary College, a partnership between Otago Polytechnic and secondary schools in the Otago region.
Read Jessika's story here.
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Increased industry focus for degree students (November 8 2017)
Students of Otago Polytechnic’s refreshed Bachelor of Applied Science degree programme, which focuses on Health, Exercise and Sport, will benefit from an even greater focus on intensive project-based study in industry and community organisations.
The degree has been revised as part of a five-year review process. As a result, the third and final year will be entirely project-driven, with increased project and industry-placement components in first and second years.
“The final year project could be a partnership with a local business or community organisation, or a student could even opt to establish their own health, exercise or sport-related business,” says Head of the Polytechnic’s Otago Institute of Sport and Adventure (OISA), Dr Megan Gibbons.
This innovative approach builds on OISA‘s strong track record of partnership partnering with high-performing sports teams and community organisations.
Already, students and staff provide performance analysis for the Highlanders rugby team and netball’s Southern Steel, and physical conditioning for a variety of sports and teams, including some in the United States and Argentina. There’s also an ongoing, regular student-run programme for five-year-olds at Andersons Bay School, developing ‘perceptional motor programming’ skills such as climbing, coordination and the fundamentals of movement.
“We realise that this focus is a real strength of our offerings at OISA,” says Dr Gibbons.
“And we know this kind of immersive real-world education helps students to learn and brings about exceptional employment opportunities and outcomes. For these reasons, our staff felt strongly about embedding this experiential learning more extensively in our degree programme, and we are delighted to be doing so.”
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Nesting instincts (November 7 2017)
Wildlife vet Dr Lisa Argilla is currently house-hunting in Dunedin as she prepares to move from Wellington to run Wildlife Hospital Dunedin.
Planned in partnership with Otago Polytechnic, the Wildlife Hospital is seeking $60,000 in initial funding to get up and running in January next year.
Lisa is looking forward to making Dunedin her home and putting her energy into getting the wildlife hospital up and running.
"This is my passion, so I can't wait to get started. I want to save as many creatures as I can,'' she told Dunedin's Star newspaper recently.
Wildlife Hospital Dunedin, which will operate in conjunction with Otago Polytechnic's School of Veterinary Nursing, will have the capability to handle up to 500 animals a year.
www.wildlifehospitaldunedin.org.nz
Read the Star article here.
Read more about Veterinary Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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A multi-layered event (November 3 2017)
There will be a collision of flavours at an Otago Polytechnic street food event tonight.
New New New Brewery is hosting three pop-up food shacks at New New New Brewery, including Japanese and Korean-inspired dishes.
Part of Student Showcase 2017, the location at 218 Crawford St has another strong Otago Polytechnic connection – the 140-year-old brick building has been redesigned by former student Charlotte McKirdy (pictured).
An old stables believed to date from the 1870s, the site was run as an auto-repair business in the early 2000s before it was bought by Dunedin businessman Ian McKinlay, who saw its potential as a microbrewery and tasting room.
A family friend of Charlotte’s, he asked her to take a look at the crumbling building, which had consent to be demolished. However, Charlotte – a third-year Design (Architecture) student at the time – had other ideas.
She utilised the building's high ceilings and large openings, opting for a "pragmatic'' design that was also sympathetic to its original form. The stables' original brickwork was restored, while bluestone found on site was used to fill a hole in a wall.
Read more on the smorgasbord of Student Showcase 2017 events, here:
For details of the food pop-up, visit: https://www.op.ac.nz/about-us/news-and-events/item/2224
Photo: courtesy Otago Daily Times
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Boost for wildlife hospital (October 30 2017)
Local support continues to build for Wildlife Hospital Dunedin.
Planned in partnership with Otago Polytechnic, Wildlife Hospital Dunedin is seeking $60,000 in initial funding to get up and running in January next year.
The running total for the ‘‘Saving Our Native Species’’ fundraising campaign has been boosted by $2350.26 in individual donations, bringing the total to $18,988.11, according to Wildlife Hospital Dunedin Trust co-chairman Steve Walker.
He is delighted that the ‘‘feel-good factor’’ surrounding the project is inspiring local people to support it.
Read about the fundraising campaign's progress in the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about Veterinary Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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Caselberg Trust Creative Connections resident for 2018 (October 30 2017)
Dunedin photographer Justin Spiers has been named the Caselberg Trust Creative Connections resident for 2018.
Spiers was the Supreme Winner at the Cleveland National Art Awards 2017, and has previously been a finalist at the Wallace Art Awards and the National Contemporary Art Awards. He graduated from Dunedin School of Art in 2013, and was the Director of the Perth Centre for Photography between 2004 and 2007.
His three-month residency at Caselberg House, in Broad Bay, comes with a $6000 stipend and $2000 for funding for residency-related expenses.
Spiers is planning two projects during his residency — The Black Swan of Trespass and Pet Photo Booth.
Read more about Justin's projects and the Caselberg Trust Residencey...
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108 ceramic cups project (October 26 2017)
Ceramic arts student Rye Senjen has just completed creating 108 hand thrown cups for Otago Polytech Eden cafe. The cups are made from Dunedin sourced clays which Rye has prepared and hand-thrown. Last year Eden Cafe banned service of coffee in disposable takeaway cups to stop 1000 paper cups heading to landfill each week. The cups were glazed using colours which have significance in terms of colour for her gaze research.
She says, "I was aware that the Otago Polytech Eden cafe had already banned disposable cups in 2016 and I decided to throw 108 cups to replenish their stocks. I also wanted to showcase the beauty of handcrafted locally made ceramics, as well as the use of entirely non toxic, safe glazes. Additionally half of the cups were thrown on a kick-wheel, no electricity required, to further explore the possibilities of reducing energy consumption."
"Our environmental footprint is very much a consideration in my ceramic arts/craft practice. Ceramics can be made by hand from local dirt ie clay and covered with glazes that are non toxic, long lasting, beautiful and unique. I hope people will enjoy their beverages knowing the cups were made a mere stones throw away, across the Leith and that each use mitigates a small amount of their environmental footprint."
The cups are now available at Eden Cafe. Rye's is also making cups and bowls for 'SUSTAIN’ - an exhibition of tableware, which is a fundraiser for the Dunedin Night Shelter to be held at St Pauls Cathedral, Dunedin, 18 November – noon 2 December 2017
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End-of-year Student Showcase 2017 (October 26 2017)
Enter the wondrous hive-mind that is Otago Polytechnic.
1-23 November, Otago Polytechnic
Our students create, achieve and innovate so much every year, and the end-of-year Student Showcase is our way of celebrating their successes and sharing them with the community.
Held over three weeks, Student Showcase 2017 draws from the diverse disciplines of Art, Carpentry, Design, Fashion, Horticulture, Culinary Arts, Information Technology and Business.
From the Collections fashion show to the SITE art exhibition and the Charity House auction, this year’s varied programme offers the public a chance to get up close to – and even purchase – exceptional student work.
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Welcome to Artist in Residence Kawita Vatanajyankur (October 25 2017)
We welcome this week Thai-Australian video artist Kawita Vatanajyankur, Dunedin Public Art Gallery Visiting Artist Residency / in partnership with Dunedin School of Art. Kawita creates works that offer a powerful examination of the psychological, social and cultural ways of viewing and valuing the continuing challenges of women’s everyday labour. In her staged performances, Vatanajyankur undertakes physical experiments that playfully, often painfully, test her body’s limits - a challenge that is both unavoidably compelling and uncomfortable to watch. The alluring, luminous colours in Vatanajyankur’s work are distinctive of the artist's aesthetic and tap into a globalized and digitally networked visual language of consumption and instant gratification. Vatanajyanlur has achieved significant recognition since graduating from RMIT University (BA, Fine Art) in 2011. In 2015 she was a Finalist in the Jaguar Asia Pacific Tech Art Prize and curated into the prestigious Thailand Eye exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, London. In 2017, her work has been curated into 'Islands in the Stream' exhibition in Venice, Italy alongside the 57th Venice Biennale. Vatanajyankur has exhibited widely across Australia, as well as Asia and Europe. Vatanajyankur’s work is held in private collections in Australia, Asia, Europe and America. She is currently represented by Nova Contemporary, Bangkok / Alamak! Project / Clear Edition & Gallery, Tokyo
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Jewellery & Textile students win NZ Design Awards (October 25 2017)
Congratulations to Meg van Hale and Hope Duncan, Jewellery & Textile students at the Dunedin School of Art, who have received recognition at the ECC Craft and Design Awards www.nzcraftdesignawards.com
The top designs were shortlisted from entries received from tertiary students throughout New Zealand, in the annual edition of this design competition run by The Friends of the Dowse Art Museum.
For 30 years the Friends of The Dowse have offered their support to New Zealand tertiary students through an Award scheme designed to encourage innovation and creativity specifically in the areas of design and craft. It is the leading national award in this area. The ECC NZ Student Craft / Design Awards are an avenue for students to present their designs to a wider audience outside the academic environment, and let the design community see the student talent that is emerging.
Meg van Hale won The Village Goldsmith Jewellery Award of $1,000 and Hope Duncan was given the Highly Commended Award in The Rembrandt Fashion and Textile Design category.
As two of the 16 national winners, both are now in the run for the Peoples Choice award. Check out the winning entries online and cast your vote.
Meg van Hale is one of the top five category winners and therefore also in the run for the Supreme Award winner announced on the night.
Meg van Hale https://ecc.wishpond.com/2017_ecc_scda_voting/entries/168333946
Hope Duncan: https://ecc.wishpond.com/2017_ecc_scda_voting/entries/168333608
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A close-up view for tourism students (October 20 2017)
Otago Polytechnic tourism students are set to gain a first-hand insight into the business events sector.
The Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) annual conference opens in Dunedin on Tuesday and has attracted more than 140 industry experts, including owners and managers of venues, catering companies, accommodation providers and others.
Otago Polytechnic tourism and hospitality lecturer Helen Geytenbeek says the event will create valuable links between theory and practice for 20 tourism students, who will be hosted by CINZ.
"This will be the first time some of them have experienced a conference plenary session, and it promises to be a real learning curve for them."
It is the first time the conference has been held in Dunedin.
CINZ is the industry body for the convention and incentive industry, and delegates will visit at a time when the city’s business tourism industry is growing.
Read about this in the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about Otago Polytechnic's tourism programmes.
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Viva la revolution - au revoir (October 18 2017)
This week's Art & Revolution symposium at the Dunedin School of Art is Peter Stupples’ swansong after a long, fascinating and productive career. Stupples moved to New Zealand from the United Kingdom in 1973 to run the Russian Department at the University of Otago. Within the department, he taught Russian art history. In 1990, he left Russian studies to set up the university’s art history department. He retired, as an associate professor, in 2003. But the retirement was as shortlived as it was boring. Eighteen months later, at the invitation of former university staff and students, he happily took up a position as senior lecturer in art history and theory at the Otago Polytechnic Dunedin School of Art. A dozen years later, and now 81 years old, he is about to retire again, this time for good, he says.
But first, he has one last event to oversee and participate in, the ninth annual Dunedin School of Art symposium and exhibition featuring artists who are actively engaged in what would be called political protest, such as Barry Thomas, of Wellington, and Jenna Packer, of Dunedin. Thomas has a history of protest works that usually take the form of an intervention or an installation. Packer’s art works often feature a bull that represents capitalism, Stupples says. "Her general theme is this bull of the economic system that we live under. And we are all minor slaves in one way or another, but we can also attack it or enter it and change it."
Read more about Peter Stupples and the Art and Revolution Symposium and Exhibition in the Otago Daily Times....
The Art and Revolution Exhibition is open to the public until 20 October at the Dunedin School of Art Gallery in Riego St.
Read more about Barry Thomas's Dunedin performance in the Otago Daily Times ...
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Tutor designs a new programme for Māori prisoners (October 12 2017)
A new Māori language and cultural programme at Otago Corrections Facility (OCF) is offering prisoners the opportunity to reconnect with their culture.
The 10-week ‘Te Hokai Manea Tepuna’ programme has been introduced at OCF to offer men in the prison’s high security units the opportunity to engage in Te Ara Māori - a Māori pathway based on kaupapa values that helps prisoners make positive changes in their lives.
Te Hokai Manea Tepuna has been designed by Otago Polytechnic tutor Rue-Jade Morgan specifically for the prisoners in the high security unit. It also enables the men to gain NCEA unit standards.
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Otago Polytechnic students win in national design awards (October 12 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Design students have enjoyed success in this year’s prestigious national Best Design Awards.
The Awards, announced at a ceremony in Auckland on Friday 6 October, recognise excellence in graphic, spatial, product, interactive and motion design. The Best Awards are held annually to showcase the highlights of New Zealand design. They are judged by a jury of international design experts, and the very best piece of design in each discipline was given the supreme Purple Pin.Otago Polytechnic students had two wins in the Product Design category. The silver went to ‘The Glo’, a high-tech children’s wheelchair, designed by Jeremy Metherell, Elizabeth Anderson, Steven Kulicke and Malwin Schloegel. Malwin, one of the international students, flew in from Germany for the awards, making the win even more special.The Cactus Hammock (by Jeremy Metherell) won a bronze award in the student product category. The hammock, which embraced the Cactus Outdoor Supplies ethic of ‘simplicity, durability and function’ has proven to be a commercial success, and is now onto its third production run.The Roller Derby zine series (by Lily Renwick) won a bronze award in the student Graphic design category.Otago Polytechnic had a total of nine students named as finalists in this year’s Best Awards, including four Communication Design students in the Graphic Design category.“We’re delighted at how well our Product and Communication Design students did at this year’s awards,” says Andrew Wallace, Product Design Lecturer at Otago Polytechnic. “They’ve got bright futures ahead of them. According to the 2017 PWC report, Design is now earning more than Agriculture toward New Zealand’s GDP. It’s an exciting time to be launching a career in this industry.” -
'Lock out' for Mental Health Awareness Week a success (October 11 2017)
On 10 October, Otago Polytechnic held a ''lock out'', encouraging people to spend time outside playing games, eating fruit and listening to music.
The event was part of Mental Health Awareness Week. The Mental Health Foundation has encouraged workplaces to take part in these lock out events during the week.
On campus, staff and students could talk to members of the Mental Health and Wellbeing @OP Group to find out more about available OP support services, write an inspiring, supportive message on the BBQ tables, and enjoy some free fruit!
There were outdoor activities and music from Jane Venis, and Studio 56 was open as a chill out space for staff and students.
As part of a student project, Nursing student, Chelsea Manning prepared a video documenting the personal mental health journey of four individuals. The video played on loop in The Hub during the event.
A response of more than 40,000 signatures to a petition calling for a mental health inquiry has overwhelmed its Dunedin organiser. Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust chairwoman Corinda Taylor set up the petition last week before Mental Health Awareness Week this week.
She hoped the response would prompt the health select committee to follow up the trust's push for a mental health inquiry.
A petition organised ahead of the trust's May health select committee appearance garnered just 1740 signatures, Mrs Taylor said.
''We hope that this online petition, once we have even more ... signatures, can be tabled with our original petition once the new government is formed."
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ISA lecturer trains football players in China (October 10 2017)
The Otago Institute of Sport and Adventure has been forging links in Asia.
Senior lecturer Brendon Timmins has just returned from a three week visit to China, in which he guided and supported football players with their gym-based strength development.
“This opportunity arose after a presentation I made on Strength and Conditioning in China in 2015,” he explains. “That trip resulted in a request to actually spend time training the SIT Student American Football Team.”
Brendon’s experience gave him insights into another culture and worldview, while providing some teaching challenges. Issues such as the language barrier proved to be a challenge at times. One of the students acted as Brendon’s translator – however, he struggled with knowing how to translate exercise-based terminology. “This made me re-think how to express myself in ways he and the team could understand,” says Brendon. “I had to really scale back my teaching processes to ensure we were all on the same page, and that I was not placing players at risk of injury.”
He also had to earn the trust of the players. “This was not a US scholarship programme and the players weren’t compelled to be there – so I had to make sure the training was valuable to them, given that they were fitting it in around a very busy academic schedule.”
Brendon also found the trip valuable for relationship-building – developing trust and the potential for ongoing relations between China and New Zealand.
“I was able to sow the seed of Otago Institute of Sport and Adventure internships via Prime Ministers’ scholarships with SIT going forward and beyond,” he says. “This was certainly welcome, but will need to be discussed higher up at their management level. The SIT have already indicated that they are looking to send at least three players out in June 2018 for several weeks to experience training within our Tapuae space during their Chinese summer break.”
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Central Otago Horticulture student wins award (October 9 2017)
Hinton Orchard supervisor Luke Bottriell was delighted when he was named Central Otago Apprentice of the Year in the eighth annual Central Otago Awards in Roxburgh earlier this month.
Luke, who is studying for a certificate in horticulture through the Otago Polytechnic Central Otago campus online, hopes to continue on to a degree. He works for Howie and Sarah Hinton, who own three orchards on 280ha, and was described during the presentation as a ''fantastic role model, with enthusiasm and an excellent work ethic''.
He has been with the Hinton family for about two years and has learned to do almost everything associated with running an orchard, even a little bit of marketing, which he enjoyed. He also works alongside the tourists who pick fruit in the summer, and with the Vanuatuans who work on the orchard.
'The Hintons teach me, and then let me learn from my own mistakes,'' Luke says.
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Vet Nursing lecturer and students make a difference in Rarotonga (October 5 2017)
Holly Kendrick – lecturer at Otago Polytechnic’s School of Veterinary Nursing – has spent this year working as a volunteer on the board of a newly established charity veterinary clinic: Te Are Manu, based in beautiful Arorangi, Rarotonga.
“Te Are Manu is an exciting new venture,” Holly says, “and with the backing of the Cook Islands government we were thrilled to officially open our doors for the first time on Monday 4 September.”
Rarotonga, a small island with a circumference of just 32km and with a population of just 13,000, is only 3 and a half hours flight from Auckland.
This is the first time that the Cook Islands has had its own veterinary clinic. After more than 20 years of relying on an American service the opportunity arose to enable the local people to become more involved in the care of their animals.
“Our caseload at Te Are Manu is varied and covers everything from spey and neuter clinics, treating life threatening fish poisoning, parasite control and many hit by car/scooter patients,” Holly explains. “A huge part of our role on the island is educating the people, particularly the children about animals needs and the importance of animal welfare.”
Holly emphasises that while veterinary medicine is running many years behind New Zealand standards, the efforts and passion put into this project by all involved has been outstanding. Te Are Manu is reliant on donations of supplies and the kindness and generosity of volunteers.
So far this year 3 Otago Polytechnic students have travelled to Rarotonga to be part of this project. Brooke Roberts a diploma student took part in a vet trek to Aitutaki where over 70 cats were desexed in a 4 day period. Mari Vuorinen and Elizabeth Graham, both VNA students, have just returned from a trip to aid in setting up the clinic building.
Holly will also be travelling back to Rarotonga on 26 October with another group of Otago Polytechnic Veterinary Nursing Assistants to volunteer at the clinic.
For more information please email holly.kendrick@op.ac.nz
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Construction students take part in Sleepout challenge (October 4 2017)
Otago Polytechnic construction students, along with Graham Burgess and his team, will build the sleepouts from scratch to help raise money for charity.
This celebrity challenge will feature in this year's Great Kiwi Home and Living Show. In the 2017 Great Kiwi Sleepout Design Challenge Callum Proctor and Patrina Roach (Callum & P from The Hits radio station) will be pitted against each other. This follows the success of the Man Cave v She Shed Challenge at the show at Forsyth Barr Stadium last year.
The sleepouts will be raffled and all the proceeds will be shared between The Cancer Society Otago Southland and Otago Community Hospice. If all 4000 $10 tickets are sold, $40,000 will be raised for the charities.
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BIT students help out at the Age Concern Expo (October 4 2017)
Two Otago Polytechnic Bachelor of Information Technology students, Bex Shinderman and Yan Chau, took part in the annual Age Concern Stepping into the Future Expo on 2 October 2017.
The Expo, which celebrated the "``International Day for Older Persons'' took place at the South Dunedin Community Hall, where about 150 people attended. Video games proved a 'hit' and the elderly could even come in and have a go on a Nintendo Wii.
Bex and Yan, both first year BIT students - and Brendan Kelly, a third year BIT student - went along as volunteers, where they gave a range of IT advice to the elderly.
Age Concern health promotions Kristen Beardsmore said the day was about giving older people information to use now or in the future - from health and financial planning to activities, groups and even computer games.
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Wildlife Hospital set to take flight (October 4 2017)
The drive to establish a wildlife hospital in Dunedin, servicing the majority of the South Island, has taken a big step towards becoming a reality.
Otago Polytechnic recently concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with The Wildlife Hospital Trust, which means that the Hospital will be housed at the School of Veterinary Nursing.
“We’re delighted to be collaborating with the Hospital” Phil Ker, CEO of Otago Polytechnic said, “not only is it the right thing to do for our wildlife, but we can use the expertise the Hospital staff will bring, for teaching our veterinary nursing students and graduates. We’ll also be able to build research programmes around the information gained from treating the sick and injured animals brought in.”
It is hoped the hospital will be opening its doors in early 2018.
“We’ll have the capability to handle up to 500 animals a year, mainly our native birds” noted Steve Walker, Co-chair of the Wildlife Hospital Trust. “With Dr Lisa Argilla we have a world-leading wildlife vet ready to start when we open our doors. It’s been a wonderful project to be involved with so far and particularly exciting now it’s close to becoming a reality, we believe there will be numerous people in the community who will also want to get behind this, both financially and from a volunteer perspective. ”
The Wildlife Hospital will be the only specialised facility in the South Island for treating native animals and will help cement Dunedin’s reputation as the Wildlife Capital of New Zealand.
Otago Polytechnic Deputy Chief Executive Jo Brady says “Supporting the Wildlife Hospital will contribute to improving the survival rates of our native wildlife and reduce the risk of extinction of some of our native species.”
www.wildlifehospitaldunedin.org.nz
Photo: Dr Lisa Argilla
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Outdoor Leadership Management student wins Tertiary Award (October 2 2017)
Diploma of Outdoor Leadership Management student, Michael Edh, has won a tertiary award at the New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association (NZOIA) Excellence Awards.
Michael was one of six guides and instructors who have shown outstanding potential during their studies that received a Tertiary Award. This year’s recipients have a variety of fascinating stories, including Michael, who recovered from a life-changing injury to complete his study at Otago Polytechnic.
Michael had to withdraw from his studies last year due to a serious knee injury. However, chose to come back this year and complete the diploma. Andy Thompson, Principal Lecturer at the Institute of Sport and Adventure, was part of a team of staff who supported Michael and put Michael’s name forward for the award.
The annual New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association (NZOIA) Excellence Awards dinner was held at Rotoiti Lodge in St Arnaud. The prestigious ‘Tall Totara’ Award for a current instructor who personifies excellence in outdoor leadership went to Kahunui outdoor centre Director John Furminger from St Cuthbert’s College for establishing some of New Zealand’s most respected outdoor education programmes.
Find out more about the NZOIA awards.
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Sounding ... an interactive exhibition (October 2 2017)
Sounding is a Dunedin exhibition that makes a call to action for better management and research into the connections between noise pollution and mammals.
Co-created by Otago Polytechnic Communication Design academic leader Assoc Prof McCaw, West Coast artist Vicki Smith, sound artist Leyton Glen and creative technologist Andrew Hornblow, the exhibition opened at 165 George St last week and runs until October 15. It has also opened at the Skinner Annex, at Otago Museum.
The exhibition features electronically enhanced umbrellas which emit sounds, including those of whales and dolphins.
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Holly Zanderbergen (September 28 2017)
Holly Zandbergen paintings inspired by photographer Craig Potton's work are now being exhibited at Potton's gallery in Nelson.
Timaru born artist Holly Zandbergen felt so inspired by Nelson photographer Craig Potton's work, she decided to turn some of them into paintings. Four of the oil painted end results are now being exhibited at Potton's gallery in Nelson. Potton said it was "quite brilliant" what Zandbergen had done with the photographs. "I looked at [the paintings of my photographs] first on the screen, from images she'd sent, I was absolutely stunned," he said. Potton said he didn't know Zandbergen or her work prior to her ringing him up to ask if she could paint some of his photographs. "It's very interesting, she said she'd never done paintings of photos before but she was just taken with the photographs and the colour," he said. Zandbergen graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Dunedin School of Art.
She gained recognition as an emerging artist when she became shortlisted for the NZAAT Emerging Artist Award at the New Zealand Art Show that same year. Potton said Zandbergen was "frankly an exceptionally good painter".
Holly is currently living and working in Wimbledon, London, after graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Dunedin School of Art, NZ. She hasbeen exhibiting in London since she moved there in May 2014. -
Animals in our lives (September 28 2017)
A familiar face round campus, Finbar gave up some precious snoozing time to answer some questions for us
Who’s your OP Human?
I work with my mum Audrey Campbell who is a learning advisor for the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Care.
Can you tell us a little about yourself? (Breed, age, occupation, hobbies)
My Name is Finbar McCool but I get called Finners for short. I have work at the poly for almost 9 years, yes I was a young pup aged 2 when I first started, and I will be 12 years old on 31st of October - Halloween.
I’m a Scorpio, a Huntaway Collie cross and some of my favourite things to do are clicker training with my mum, because I get treats, treats and more treats. I also like to go tramping with my Dad and I have done some great walks in the south island of New Zealand. My most favourite thing to do is play with the students by being the guinea pig to practice dog training on, and after a hard days work finding the sunniest spot and snoozing with the other dogs, we have a lot of fun!
What’s your claim to fame? (A quick anecdote – good / bad or ugly – promise not to tell your Human!)
Most of my career has been as a search dog for the New Zealand Land Search and Rescue organisation, I have been a qualified search dog for many years, and I have helped my dad search for lots of missing people, my most famous find involved me searching every day for 7 weeks for a lady missing on the Routeburn track, on the last day just as the search was about to be called off, I found her backpack and the search was solved, they called me the Mighty Fin in the newspaper.
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown-lakes/mighty-fin-hero-long-search
What’s your favourite form of environmental enrichment?
My favourite form of environmental enrichment is spending time with my favourite stuffed toy Mr Lion, I can spend hours pulling the stuffing out, and then a fairy puts the stuffing back into him and sews him up, just so I can do it all again tomorrow!
What quality do you most admire in your veterinary nurse or veterinary nursing assistant when you’re feeling unwell?
I like them to spend time with me and talk to me so that I felt settled, cuddle me when they can, so seeing a need and doing something about it, proactive care and comfort is the key for me.
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Students finalists in Best Design Awards (September 27 2017)
A total of nine Otago Polytechnic Design students have been named as finalists in the prestigious national Best Design Awards, established by the Designers’ Institute of New Zealand.
The celebrated projects include a graphic campaign promoting the importance of voting; a series of Roller Derby-themed ‘zines; a high-tech children’s wheelchair; and a device for administering injections to livestock.
The Best Design Awards are held annually to showcase the cream of New Zealand design, recognising excellence in graphic, spatial, product, interactive and motion design. The Awards are judged by a jury of international design experts, and the very best piece of design in each discipline is given the supreme Purple Pin. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Auckland on Friday 6 October.
Four Otago Polytechnic Bachelor of Design (Communications) students are finalists in the Graphic Design category: Charlotte Boyce; Ruby Imlach; Lily Renwick; and Danni Cuthbertson.
Their lecturer, Matt Galloway, says, “It’s wonderful to see these students considered among the country’s finest designers. And it’s pleasing to note our continued success after Communications Design students won two Silver Awards in this category in 2016.”
Five Otago Polytechnic Bachelor of Design (Product) students are finalists in the Product Design category – including one student nominated for both an individual project and a team project: Jeremy Metherell; Elizabeth Anderson, Steven Kulicke, Malwin Scholegel and Jeremy Metherell; and Ian McDowall.
Product Design Programme Leader, Machiko Niimi, is delighted with these students’ achievements, which follow on from the success of the department’s Gold Award winner, Adam Gorrie, in 2016.
“We wish our finalists the very best at the awards ceremony,” she says. “These talented students deserve every success. We’re very proud of their hard work and proud too of our innovative Product Design teaching team.”
She adds, “It’s particularly pleasing to see these undergraduate-student projects being named as New Zealand finalists alongside many postgraduate-level design projects.”
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Audacious win for Design student (September 20 2017)
Design student Harvey Penfold is helping gather data about birds in North East Valley, Dunedin - and last night, his project won him first prize in the Audacious Business Challenge 2017. Harvey takes home a $5000 prize with his Award.
Orokonui Ecosanctuary needed help designing a bird feeder, so the Bachelor of Design (Product) volunteered to help. The bird feeder needed to:
- be installed in different properties on a sturdy steel waratah
- cope with the weight of a heavy bird such as kaka as well as small bellbirds
- offer food for both nectar-loving birds and seed-eating birds.
Harvey used his design skills and Otago Polytechnic's 3D printer to develop a platform for birds to use. A seed feeder hangs from the platform, and a nectar feeder hangs above it. A motion sensor triggers a camera nearby on another waratah to record bird visits to the feeder. Fifteen of his platforms have now been provided to Orokonui Ecosanctuary, ready for installation on properties in North East Valley, Opoho and Pine Hill.
The feeders are a key component of the Valley Project's long-term project to make North East Valley an unfenced ecosanctuary, encouraging more native birds to visit and live there. Residents will be involved in gathering baseline information about which native birds come there and what they eat, which will inform decisions about which foods should be offered in future to attract which birds. This research is being undertaken with University of Otago scientists, sponsorship from Mitre 10, and support from the Orokonui Ecosanctuary to run the experiments.
Product Design Lecturer, Andrew Wallace, says it's great to see Harvey achieve success. "He's already putting his design skills to work on a real-world project which will have a positive environmental impact," he says. "We're delighted his work has been recognised with the top Audacious Award."
Harvey is holding workshops at Mitre 10 on Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 October (11.00am-1.00pm).
Find out more about studying Product Design here.
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Student's street food pop-up (September 14 2017)
Fancy some deliciously-toasted Cubano sandwiches stuffed with slow-cooked meats, cheese, pickles and a delectable sauce? Perhaps with some gourmet fries on the side?
15 and 22 September from 4.30pm
Then go no further than a pop-up food experience by INKubate, an enterprise from Bachelor of Culinary Arts student, Dylan Malcolm. He’ll be creating mouth-watering dishes on site at New New New in Crawford Street, Dunedin, for the next two Fridays (15 and 22 September from 4.30pm).
“INKubate is about the energy of development and growth,” says Dylan. “Where possible, we pair our great food with live performances of music and street art. I’d love for any OP artists who are keen to collaborate to get in touch.”
In keeping with the creative theme, experimental fries will be on the menu – including pad-Thai inspired fries served with peanuts, coriander, sprouts and sriracha sauce. Other possibilities for include cheeseburger fries and lasagne fries.
For future events and pop-ups, Dylan has constructed his own sustainable food shack, utilising waste vinyl signage from Dunedin retailers and offcuts of steel from a local supplier.
“It’s fully portable and it takes me 30 minutes to put up or put down,” says Dylan. “It was quite a mission to make but it’s going to be great for cooking and serving my food at events around Dunedin and beyond.”
Check out the INKubate Facebook page
Find out more about studying Culinary Arts -
TEDxDunedin at OP (September 11 2017)
An award-winning anti-bullying campaigner was one of the speakers at the TEDxDunedin event, held at Otago Polytechnic's Hub on Sunday 10 September.
OP Nursing student and Queen's Award-winner, Ashleigh Smith, was one of more than a dozen speakers throughout the day who engaged and inspired the gathered crowd.
OP students and lecturers were among the other speakers, including Hannah Joynt and Jane Venis, Scout Barbour-Evans and Senorita AweSUMO.
You can read more about TEDxDunedin in the Otago Daily Times and watch videos on the TEDxDunedin website.
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Making a Better World: Research and Teaching (September 7 2017)
MON 30 OCT, 9.30AM - 5.00PM, P152, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST, DUNEDIN NORTH
On Monday 30 October 2017 we hosted the second joint symposium for Otago Polytechnic and Southern Institute of Technology.
The goal was to share and be inspired by research and teaching:
- Innovative teaching and assessment methods
- Research that informs teaching content
- Involving students in research
- Teaching students to research
- Supervising research
- Other research that reaches our communities
Programme:
Thanks to all our speakers, who provided oral presentations in a wide variety of disciplines.
Session Title Abstract Chair/ Presenter/s 9.30 morning tea and welcome Leoni Schmidt 10.10 Session 1: Community effect Stephanie Revell Rocks of the Pacific Region
Ross Ramsay 10.45 Session 2: Community engagement Matt King Vision simulation as education Butler-Vision-Simulation-as-Education.pdf Mary Butler Walk and Talk Therapy: Out of Place? Revell-Walk-and-Talk-Therapy.pdf Stephanie Revell A Valuable Lesson: The potential benefits and pitfalls of real-world community projects Cathcart-Real-World-Community-Projects.pdf Emma Cathcart 11.55 Session 3: Teaching Alexa Andrew Reducing the effects of residual mathematics anxiety on pre-service primary teachers Mumford-Residual-Maths-Anxiety2.pdf John Mumford Inclusive education in NZ then and now Fogarty-Perry-Inclusive-Education-in-NZ.pdf Barbara Fogarty Perry 12.45 lunch
1.35 Session 4: Student assessment Joanne Whittle
Assessment practices in STEM – A Case study from a Level 3 Bridging to Engineering Programme Peters-Cadzow-Assessment-practices-in-STEM-case-study.pdf Hana Cadzow Online Assessment of Level 2 Engineering Maths Harmer-Quinn-Online-Assessment-of-Engineering-Maths.pdf Mark Harmer and Gerard Quinn Video Assessment of Midwifery Practice Skills in Simulated Practice Situations McIntosh-et-al-Video-Assessment-of-Midwifery-Practice-Skills.pdf Carolyn McIntosh and Yvonne Moseley-Martin Anxiety and oral assessments Robertson-Andrew-Gaffney-Clinical-Reasoning-Oral-Assessment.pdf Alexa Andrew and Linda Robertson 3.10 Session 5: Student learning
Barbara Fogarty Perry Reflections on the benefits and challenges created by facilitating a multidisciplinary student project Humphreys-King-Facilitating-a-Multidisciplinary-Student-Project.pdf Richard Humphreys and Matt King
Hitch-hikers, couch potatoes, you’re fired! Teaching research methods through a group project Whittle-Teaching-Research-Methods.pdf Joanne Whittle The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Longitudinal Interprofessional Education (IPE) Initiative McMillan-Longitudinal-Interprofessional-Education-IPE-Initiative.pdf Mary McMillan 4.20 voting Lesley Brook 4.30 afternoon tea 4.45 presentation and thanks Leoni Schmidt 5.00 finish -
Dunedin short film showcase (September 4 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Film and Television students will present a series of 20 short documentary films about Dunedin and Dunedinites this week.
They'll be screened at The Cube on the ground floor of the Dunedin Public Library on Wednesday 6 September from 6.00pm-8.00pm.
The documentaries are between three and five minutes long, and give an insight into some of the people who live in the southern city and the activities they get up to.
You can read more about the docos in this story from the Otago Daily Times.
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Otago Polytechnic gift product wins ‘Made in New Zealand’ award (August 30 2017)
Challenge Marketing has just won the Made in New Zealand Award for a product they crafted for Otago Polytechnic: a gift product made from New Zealand Rimu and Paua shells.
This award highlights promoting and producing a promotional product or garment utilising the very best of NZ made components.
Otago Polytechnic requested this gift for visitors from China. The product needed to be of quality workmanship, lightweight, portable and represent both the Otago Polytechnic and New Zealand. It also had to align with the polytechnic’s sustainability and eco-friendly mandate, and had to incorporate the OP logo. The result was a beautiful, hand-crafted item that showcases New Zealand’s natural beauty.
Adrian Hocking from Challenge Marketing is delighted with the win. “We are very proud and extremely happy to have designed and delivered a product for the Otago Polytechnic,” he says. “To win this category was a huge honour and recognition from many of our industry for Challenge Marketing’s hard work over the last year.”
He said that the Chinese recipients of the gift were very impressed with the craftsmanship, and believed it reflected New Zealand’s natural beauty. They also commented that in Chinese Astrology wood represents people who have high morals and great confidence.
“In fact, they were so impressed that they ordered 3 times the number, and now use them to give to all overseas visitors and other dignitaries.”
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Graduate wins Doris Lusk Ceramics Residency (August 24 2017)
Award-winning Waitati ceramicist and Dunedin School of Art graduate, Kate Fitzharris, has won the 2017 Doris Lusk Ceramics Residency – a two-week teaching residency based at Risingholme Community College in Christchurch.
The biannual Residency is open to graduates of Otago Polytechnic’s Dunedin School of Art (DSA) – the only institute in New Zealand offering tertiary qualifications in ceramics. It is named for the iconic New Zealand painter and ceramicist, Doris Lusk, who grew up in Dunedin and studied at the DSA.
In addition, Doris Lusk taught pottery at Risingholme Community College, a not-for-profit organisation with a focus on promoting the development of appropriate social, educational and leisure activities. Risingholme is also a hub for the DSA’s 14 ceramics distance students based in Christchurch.
Lusk’s granddaughter, Tatyanna Mehrarry, teaches Christchurch-based ceramics students for the DSA, and also at Risingholme today. “We established the residency to honour my grandmother and her commitment to arts education,” she explains. “Her belief was that being an artist is a privilege, and that it is important for artists to pass on their knowledge and skills to others in the community.”
Kate Fitzharris says she is delighted to win the residency. “I’m really excited about the opportunity to be immersed in an environment of learning and to share knowledge with the students,” she says. “Teachers often say they learn from their students – and I am looking forward to enquiry and open dialogue.”
She will work with 150 students over the two week Residency, including the Christchurch-based students of the DSA‘s Diploma in Ceramics Arts.
There is a three-day student exhibition that takes place in the middle of the Residency, openng at 5pm on 1 September at three studio spaces on St Asaph Street, Christchurch: STUDIO80, NEXT Gallery and Space Academy. The proceeds from the exhibition will fund the next Doris Lusk Residency.
Images: Wearing it, 2017 [photo by Justin Speirs]; It's really me, 2016. Both works by Kate Fitzharris.
Find out more about studying at the Dunedin School of Art
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Graduates to show at NZ Fashion Week (August 23 2017)
Three Otago Polytechnic fashion graduates are preparing to show their collections at New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland -- Laura Bennett, Letitia Powell and Kimberly Ramsey.
The Graduate Show, which will be held on Wednesday 30 August, showcases the best of New Zealand's emerging designers, and is closely followed by both industry professionals and the fashion media.
Academic Leader: Fasion, Professor Margo Barton, says the three OP graduate designers were selected for their collections' overall cohesion.
You can read more about the designers and see more images of their collections in this story written by another of our Fashion graduates, Brittany Pooley, in the Otago Daily Times.
You can check out the designers' websites:
www.lauramarrisbennett.com
www.kimberlyolivia.com
www.letitiapowell.comFind out more about studying Fashion at OP here.
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Official opening for SIGNAL (August 23 2017)
The Dunedin campus of the SIGNAL ICT Graduate School has been officially opened this week by the Minister for Tertiary Education, the Hon. Paul Goldsmith.
The Minister opened the Dunedin and Christchurch studios at the same time thanks to the powers of digital video conferencing technology – which seems fitting given SIGNAL’s focus.
Its offerings include a programme to up-skill teachers of digital technologies, a re-training programme for those looking to shift to a tech career, and professional development in-work courses for those who are already have established careers within the tech sector. There are currently more than 40 students enrolled in SIGNAL programmes.
“The tech sector is the third-largest in New Zealand, and is growing rapidly,” says the Director of SIGNAL, Dr Stuart Charters. “SIGNAL is well positioned to assist growth in this area from the ground up, and has pathways in place to transition graduates from any discipline into tech, to help address the current skills shortages.”
SIGNAL ICT Graduate School (http://signal.ac.nz/) is a collaboration of the five leading South Island tertiary institutions: Otago Polytechnic, University of Canterbury (Lead Organisation), Lincoln University, Ara Institute of Canterbury and University of Otago. Dunedin’s SIGNAL studio is located at 123 Vogel St.
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Pop-up sensory room a soothing space (August 23 2017)
A room fitted out with objects that provide a range of sensory experiences is open to the public from Wednesday 23-Friday 25 August, thanks to two third-year students of Otago Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Occupational Therapy.
The sensory room was devised by the students as a way of mitigating the effects of anxiety – a condition that research shows is one of the more common medical diagnoses made in tertiary students.
“Anxiety can be managed through sensory modulation strategies,” explains Janine Hunter, one of the students involved. “Sensory modulation is about making sense of the world by processing and responding to environmental stimuli using all seven senses – touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste, balance and spacial awareness.”
Her collaborator, Nathalie Heinz, says high anxiety can have major effects on an individual. “High anxiety levels can impair someone’s ability to regulate their senses, which can in turn result in difficulties engaging in occupations or activities as students.”
The sensory room will be in the Studio 56 building located in the Polytechnic carpark on Harbour Terrace. Users of the space will be asked to provide feedback on Nathalie and Janine’s proposal for a permanent sensory space for students at Otago Polytechnic.
“We believe this would help students with anxiety to self-modulate, allowing them to better engage with their learning and the student community,” Nathalie says.
Find out more about studying Occupational Therapy at OP here.
- Graduate Holly Zandbergen has solo show in London (August 22 2017)
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Introduction to viticulture short course (August 15 2017)
Enrol now for our 5-day Introduction to viticulture in Central Otago short course (18-22 September)
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Introduction to Cherry Growing short course (August 15 2017)
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Oamaru Stone Carving Short Course (August 15 2017)
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September Short Courses at Central (August 15 2017)
Enrol now to secure your place on our September short courses:
Barista: 2-day Barista course. 7&14 September
Food Safety: 1-day essential skills for safe food handling. 21 September
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OP teachers win national excellence awards (August 9 2017)
Two Otago Polytechnic teachers have been awarded prestigious national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards for world-class teaching, among a field of 12 educators honoured this year.
The annual Awards, administered by Ako Aotearoa, celebrate New Zealand’s finest tertiary teachers. Among those honoured this year are Otago Polytechnic’s Principal Lecturers in Nursing, Dr Liz Ditzel and Mereana Rapata-Hanning, who each take home $20,000 in recognition of their achievements. Mereana’s award is in the Kaupapa Māori category.
“I’m delighted Liz and Mereana have been acknowledged with these prestigious awards,” says Chief Executive, Phil Ker. “It’s wonderful the Awards Committee has recognised their dedication and excellence. Their contribution to Otago Polytechnic and their commitment to their students are greatly valued.”
A total of 20 Otago Polytechnic educators have been recognised with these Awards since 2007, highlighting the exceptional quality education on offer at the institute.
Otago Polytechnic’s Ako Aotearoa Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards
2017: Dr Liz Ditzel – Principal Lecturer, School of Nursing; Mereana Rapata-Hanning – Principal Lecturer, School of Nursing
2016: Dr Megan Gibbons – Head of School, Otago Institute of Sport and Adventure; Richard Nyhof – Principal Engineering Lecturer, School of Architecture, Building and Engineering; Matthew Thompson – Senior Carpentry Lecturer, School of Architecture, Building and Engineering
2015: Clive Humphries – Principal Lecturer, Dunedin School of Art
2014: Adrian Woodhouse – Senior Lecturer, Food Design Institute; Daniel Pfyl – Senior Lecturer, Food Design Institute; David Gillespie – Lecturer, Food Design Institute; Stephen Ellwood – Lecturer, Food Design Institute; Tony Heptinstall – Senior Lecturer, Food Design Institute; Judith Roddick – Principal Lecturer, School of Nursing; Caroline McCaw – Communication Design Academic Leader, School of Design
2012: Jane Venis ─ Creative Studies Academic Leader, School of Design
2011: Professor Leoni Schmidt – Head of School of Art; Peter Bilous – Snowsport/Avalanche Studies Programme Manager, Central Otago campus
2010: Maxine Alterio – Principal Lecturer, Educational Development Centre
2009: Judy Magee – Senior Lecturer, School of Foundation Learning
2008: Adrian Woodhouse – Senior Lecturer, School of Hospitality
2007: Margo Barton – Fashion Academic Leader, School of Design.
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Scholarships to Finland (August 3 2017)
Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) Winter School runs for eight weeks from January-March 2018. We're now seeking applications from Otago Polytechnic degree students in their 2nd year or higher, including graduates.
Applications close on 15 September 2017. To find out more, please contact exploremore@op.ac.nz
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Dunedin-Shanghai Scholarship winners arrive (August 2 2017)
For the fourth year in a row a group of students from China are undertaking internships at Otago Polytechnic after winning prestigious scholarships.
Eight students from four of our Chinese partner insitutions are on two-week placements at our School of Design and our product development centre, EPICentre.
The students are recipients of Dunedin-Shanghai Mayoral Scholarships, which were initiated by the sister cities during Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull's visit to Shanghai in 2013.
Have a look at Channel 39's coverage of the Scholarship here.
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Students help bring fantasy world to the stage (August 2 2017)
A team of Communication Design students has helped bring a vivid fantasy world to life for the Fortune Theatre’s latest production, Into the Woods.
Crammed with magical moments, this 1987 Tony Award winning musical features Cinderella, Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood and Jack amongst others, along with quests to combat giants, break spells and strive for happiness.
Lecturer Jon Wilson worked with the director Jonathan Hendry to imagine what could be done to realise the setting on stage. One of the challenges was successfully integrating the use of animation with human actors to create an imaginary world. A group of talented Communication Design students then took their vision and ran with it, producing animated sequences to visually communicate the fantasy environment for this entertaining musical.
This is the second time the Theatre has worked with the Polytechnic. Last year, Jon and another group of students contributed audiovisual elements to the critically-acclaimed show, Grounded.
“These have been wonderful opportunities for our students to gain valuable professional experience and for our staff to contribute their expertise to benefit the community," says Polytechnic Chief Executive, Phil Ker. "We look forward to the prospect of partnering again on future productions.”
Into the Woods will be delighting audiences at the Fortune Theatre from 5 to 26 August.
You can find out more about the show and purchase tickets here.
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Student wows with innovative pasta flavours (August 2 2017)
Innovative pastas and sauces that are full of flavour - Marcus Tonga's creations are big sellers at the Otago Farmers' Market in Dunedin every Saturday.
Marcus is a graduate of Otago Polytechnic's Bachelor of Culinary Arts degree and is now completing his honours.
Lemon-infused fettucine, multigrain pasta with flaxseed, and another pasta made with cricket flour are among his most sought-after innovations.
Read more about Marcus and The Crooked Spaghetti Co. in the Otago Daily Times.
Find out more about Culinary Arts at Otago Polytechnic.
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August Short Courses at Central (August 1 2017)
Learn something new or keep your compliance up to date. Check out our short courses starting in August:
Introduction to cherry growing: weekend course where you can learn the basics of this exciting industry - 26 & 27 August
Weeds: A 5-day course where you will learn to identify common weeds and a range of methods of weed prevention and control - starts 28 August
Growsafe: A compliance course that runs monthly. Approved Handlers Certification also available. Next course 29 August
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Welcome to Chinese educators (August 1 2017)
Three educators from Dalian Ocean University in China's Lianing Province are in Dunedin for six months, to learn more about Otago Polytechnic's unique brand of experiential, student-centred learning.
Jingbo Yu, Jinyan Song and Ying Zhang are keen to understand the Polytechnic's teaching methodolodies and use of educational technology in light of the launch last year of a joint Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Mechanical Engineering). Three years of the four-year degree are taught at Dalian Ocean University, with the final year taught at Otago Polytechnic.
At the time the programme was launched, the Mayor of Dunedin, Dave Cull, said, "Otago Polytechnic's partnership with Dalian Ocean University is yet another exciting development in Dunedin's strong and mutually beneficial educational links with China."
The three visitors willl spend time observing classes, undertaking research and also teaching classes.
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Support for queer and questioning international students (July 31 2017)
There's a new support and talking group for international students who are queer or questioning their sexual orientation or sex/gender identities.
Queer and Far is for international students from Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago, and provides an opportunity for students to ask questions and meet like-minded people in confidential setting. Meetings are held weekly - every Wednesday at 3pm at the International Office at the University of Otago.
'Queer' is a term used to describe the many variations of sexual attraction and sex/gender identity, such as intersex, transgender, genderqueer, asexual, fa'afafine, takatapui, lesbian, bisexual and gay. Although it may not be the preferred term for everyone, it is used to challenge binary representations of sexuality, sex, and gender.
Otago Polytechnic is a proud to support our queer communities, and has been awarded the Rainbow Tick which recognises us as a safe workplace irrespective of a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
You can read the ODT's story on Queer and Far here.
If you would like to find out more about Queer and Far, please email q.support@ousa.org.nz
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Vet student answers emergency Rarotonga call (July 26 2017)
In a dream work-experience opportunity, Otago Polytechnic Veterinary Nursing student Brooke Roberts has travelled to Rarotonga to help run an emergency desexing clinic for cats on the island of Aitutaki.
The clinic is being established as a result of an urgent request from the Cook Islands SPCA, due to a large number of pregnant cats on the island.
Brooke will run the clinic with a New Zealand veterinarian who is also being flown in for the task. The pair left on Tuesday 25 July and will spend four days on Aitutaki establishing and operating the clinic, with the aim of desexing around 70 cats.
This incredible experience has arisen thanks to the efforts of one of Otago Polytechnic’s Veterinary Nursing lecturers, Holly Kendrick, who is on the board of a new charity veterinary hospital in Rarotonga, Te Are Manu.
“Te Are Manu will provide consistent, quality care to animals,” she says. “There’ll be a strong focus on preventive medicine, and giving locals the opportunity to get involved and even become qualified veterinary nurses. At present there are no local vet nurses in Rarotonga.”
It’s hoped this will be the first of many opportunities for Otago Polytechnic Vet Nursing students to gain real-world work experience at the clinic.
You can read an ODT article on Brooke's trip here.
Find out more about our Veterinary Nursing programmes here
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Prime Minister’s Scholarship Asia (July 25 2017)
Funded study for individuals or groups!
Presentation by: Christine Roberts – Student Scholarships Manager, ENZ
Find out more about funding for student groups and individuals, to study for six weeks to a full semester or year in Asia.16 August – 12.00pm, G204
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Great excitement over micro-credentials (July 21 2017)
Small enough to be manageable, big enough to be meaningful. EduBits, Otago Polytechnic’s new micro-credential service, is about to be launched and the institution is celebrating these small credentials in big style!
EduBits are small credentials that enable applicants to ‘show what they know’ by validating their expertise. People submit evidence of their skills, as required by each EduBit, which are then assessed and recognised with a digital certificate. These certificates, sometimes called badges, can then be shared on social media sites, online CVs and with employers.
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) has included Otago Polytechnic in a pilot to test and evaluate micro-credentials for New Zealand.
Jo Brady, Otago Polytechnic Deputy Chief Executive People, Performance and Development, says the micro-credentials offer people a new way to prove their knowledge.
“EduBits are a great way for people to gain recognition of career-relevant skills without taking time off work for study. They’re ideal for personal and professional development, and can be gained as-and-when needed,” she says.
Otago Polytechnic is offering a wide range of EduBits to suit the needs of all sorts of people. From business and professional capabilities to Health & Safety in farming, the range is extensive.
EduBits are evaluated by Otago Polytechnic’s qualified and expert assessors, sometimes in collaboration with industry partners, and are underpinned by the Polytechnic’s robust quality process.
Otago Polytechnic is launching EduBits to Dunedin’s business leaders, employers and other stakeholders on Thursday 27 July in The Hub. There will be a demonstration of the EduBits process followed by Q&A.
Read more about Otago Polytechnic's EduBits.
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Bird Dog Hot Dog (July 20 2017)
‘Tītī hotdog with horopito pickled onions and mānuka smoked chilli relish’.
It sounds more like a song than a dish, which is ideal really.
This perfectly described and melodically inspired plate is Dunedin’s entry in Savoir Faire, a literary cookbook spearheaded by Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature, with recipes and words from the Cities of Literature around the world.
The idea for the online book was cooked up by Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull after the 2016 UNESCO Creative Cities Forum in Östersund – a City of Gastronomy.
Mr Cull says the book is a great way for the Cities of Literature to pay respects to gastronomic traditions, especially those of our home regions.
“It is a celebration of both food and literature, and the frequent relationship between the two” he says.
City of Literature Director, Nicky Page says all 20 Cities of Literature were invited to provide a recipe with a literary flavour. A year later, Savoir Faire is complete.
“It was up to each City as to how they interpreted it and every single entry is quirky and original with amazing images. Some are straight forward with their signature dish tied into literature; others have chosen a literary angle and created a recipe to match.”
That’s exactly what Dunedin’s entry has done. Otago Polytechnic Food Design Lecturers, Richard Mitchell and Adrian Woodhouse took inspiration by the lyrics of Graeme Downes (the genius behind 1980s band, The Verlaines) and the beer of Richard Emerson (which was also inspired by Downes’ work).
The two Food Design Lecturers were charged with creating the dish. As students in the 80s, they grew up in the thick of the ‘Dunedin Sound’- a post punk musical (and literary) movement. So, it makes perfect sense that they turned to Graeme Downes and The Verlaines - specifically their 1987 album ‘Bird Dog’ with its title song lyrics:
“The bird returns to soothe my ear
I love this imported German beer...”
Enter Richard Emerson, brewer extraordinaire and Verlaines fan. Despite being deaf since birth, Richard was inspired by the Verlaine’s none-too-serious outlook on life. He created ‘Bird Dog Indian Pale Ale’ a tribute to the album. Add to that the ‘Bird Dog Hot Dog’ that Adrian Woodhouse created, and some compelling prose written by Richard Mitchell, and you have the perfect collaboration for a mouth-watering literary feast.
Nicky Page says all 116 UNESCO Creative Cities have been invited to translate the digital cookbook into their own language, making this a truly global collaboration.
“I am especially proud of the wonderful entry from Dunedin,” she says.
Savoir Faire is available free, online.
Read more about Food Design at Otago Polytechnic.
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Engineering students reach for the sky (July 19 2017)
They may not loop the loop, but a group of magnificent Otago Polytechnic students are about to defy the crowds by building a flying machine!
A Van's RV-12 aeroplane kit has arrived on site at Otago Polytechnic’s Dunedin Campus. Bachelor of Engineering Technology and New Zealand Diploma in Engineering students are itching to get stuck into building the plane, which will take about two and a half years to complete.
Otago Polytechnic is the only Polytechnic or University in the country whose students are building a plane.
Stuart Allan, Principal Engineering Lecturer, says the plane is a great way for the students to employ what they learn in their degree.
“The students are really interested in this project. It’s a unique, practical way to motivate them, as they can really see what they’re achieving as they go,” he says. “This will be run like a business; we’ll have a General Manager, along with Construction and Quality Managers. We’ll also include the Marketing and Business students.”
The plane has a nine-metre wingspan with detachable wings, so it can be transported on a trailer.
The plane’s registration is ZK OPT (ZK for New Zealand and OPT for Otago Polytechnic).
The plane will be built and supervised under Civil Aviation rules and regulations. The licenced Aircraft Engineer overseeing the project is an Engineering graduate from Otago Polytechnic.
The kitset cost $70,000 which is being paid for by Otago Polytechnic’s capital expenditure budget over two years.
When the plane is completed, it will be sold and the profits will go towards the next kitset plane.
Read about the Bachelor of Engineering Technology at Otago Polytechnic.
More Engineering programmes.
Read the Otago Daily Times article.
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Otago Polytechnic invests in Central Otago (July 17 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is investing in Central Otago’s educational future with a new Trades Hub and student accommodation for its Central campus.
Construction will begin once consents are obtained on the new 600 square metre trades building at Bannockburn Road. It will house Automotive and Carpentry programmes, classrooms, offices and a common room. There will also be a platform for the construction of a four-bedroom house that the students will build. This is stage one of the proposed campus redevelopment project, which is a move from the current location to a new facility on Otago Polytechnic’s Bannockburn Road site.
Head of Central Otago Campus, Alex Huffadine, says the polytechnic is very excited about bringing a Trades Hub to Central Otago.
“There’s a real skills shortage in the trades industry. By offering trades-based training here at Central campus, we really hope to solve that problem with well qualified graduates and, at the same time, help our students into a fantastic career,” he says.
He adds that Otago Polytechnic’s two new trades qualifications (the New Zealand Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Level 3) (Carpentry) and the New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Engineering (Level 3)) will both be taught from the Trades Hub which is expected to be finished by the end of term one in 2018.
With a shortage of accommodation in Cromwell, Otago Polytechnic has also committed to building self-contained student accommodation at its Molyneux Avenue site. Stage one of the accommodation will include four houses with up to five bedrooms per house.
Mr Huffadine says accommodation is an important part of Otago Polytechnic’s growth in the region.
“We hope accommodation onsite removes the barrier of rental shortages in Cromwell. This offers a safe and easy option for our students.”
The first phase of student accommodation will be available for students studying in 2018.
The construction of both builds is currently out for tender.
Read more about studying at Otago Polytechnic's Central Campus.
Read about this in the Otago Daily Times.
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World first at Otago Polytechnic (July 17 2017)
A High Performance Rugby Union Workshop at Otago Polytechnic last week launched the world's first GPS unit accredited by World Rugby.
The world-class workshop, which focused on High Performance Conditioning, drew participants from Argentina, Spain and South Africa as well as from within New Zealand. It covered all aspects of strength and conditioning training and related activity including sports psychology, movement analysis, gym-based strength/power and sport nutrition.
The top-level presenters included Mat Blair, Otago Polytechnic’s Senior Lecturer and Academic Leader, Dr Ken Hodge from Otago University and Argentinian strength and conditioning expert, Alejandro Pastor.
The event held global significance with the launch of GPSports' newest product, EVO. This is the world’s first GPS unit that meets World Rugby’s new specifications for match play. Otago Polytechnic is the first institution in the world to have the accredited units.
The presenters were:
Hayden Croft has expertise in a variety of areas, all focused on advancing rugby coaching through the use of innovative technology. This has included work with the All Blacks, Highlanders, Otago Rugby, Oceania Rugby and Southern Steel Netball. Hayden is currently working on his PhD and holds the chairperson role with the NZ Performance Analysis Society.
Dr Ken Hodge is a Professor in sport and exercise psychology at the School of Physical Education, Sport & Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, New Zealand. He has worked as a Mental Skills Trainer (MST) for a number of rugby players and teams including the New Zealand Rugby Union and the IRB Sevens Rugby Referees squad. Ken is the co-author of a rugby sportpsych book entitled Thinking Rugby: Training Your Mind for Peak Performance (Reed Publishing, Auckland, NZ); and co-author of a book on rugby training entitled Smart Training for Rugby: The Complete Rugby Training Guide (Reed Publishing, Auckland, NZ).
Alejandro Pastor completed his undergraduate at Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina and post-graduate qualifications at Universidad del Salvador, Argentina in 2000. His specialty area is conditioning elite-level athletes (rugby union). Related roles over the last 20 years include tertiary level teaching, conditioning for amateur - professional rugby and football players and Head of S&C in diverse rugby levels.
Brendon Timmins completed his undergraduate (1993) and post graduate qualifications (2015) at Otago University and his Diploma of Teaching with the Dunedin College of Education in 1995. His specialty area is coaching and conditioning elite-level athletes (rugby union). Related roles over the last 25 years include personal training, intermediate and tertiary level teaching and coaching and conditioning for professional rugby players.
Simon Body has a Bachelor of physical education from the University of Otago (1997) and completed the Graduate Diploma in Physical Conditioning at Otago Polytechnic (2011). He has been involved with three international rugby teams, the latest being Fiji from 2014-2016. He lectures at the Institute of Sport and Adventure and is currently completing his Masters in Professional Practice.
Matthew Blair completed his undergraduate and post graduate qualifications at Otago University and Otago Polytechnic in 2010. His specialty area is conditioning elite-level athletes (rugby union). Related roles over the last 25 years include tertiary-level teaching, personal training, conditioning for professional rugby players and officials.
Dr Kirsty Fairbairn completed her Nutrition and Dietetics undergrad and MSc at Otago University and her PhD degree in Skeletal muscle physiology at the University of Sydney. She has been Consultant Sports Dietitian for the Manly Sea Eagles NRL Squad, the Highlanders Super Rugby Squad and Head of Sports Nutrition at the Singapore Sports Institute. Kirsty continues to work with Singapore’s Olympic Gold Medallist swimmer Joseph Schooling. Recently she joined the All Blacks as support to their full-time Sports Dietitian, Kat Darry.
Joe Cole is the founder of Profiler Corp and the creator of the Smartabase athlete management system used in over 150 professional and Olympic teams globally. He completed undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and statistics and has further qualifications in computer science and statistics. His passion has always been elite sports performance and he has worked with hundreds of sports performance professionals in varying fields. Joe’s main interest area is explosive power development in athletes.
Read more about the EVO, Ken Hodges' presentation and the interanational interest in the event in articles from the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about Physical Activity and Wellbeing at Otago Polytechnic.
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Vet Association's Chief Officer role for former OP programme Manager (July 17 2017)
Otago Polytechnic's former Veterinary Nursing Programme Manager, Helen Beattie, has been named the new Chief Veterinary Officer for the NZ Veterinarians' Association.
Helen left Otago Polytechnic for SPCA and will now take on one of the country's biggest veterinarian roles.
Read more about Helen's journey in this Otago Daily Times article.
Read more about Veterinary Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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Otago Polytechnic comes to the K9 rescue (July 17 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Veterinarian Nursing Lecturer, Holly Kendrick saved the day ... or at least Maku's day yesterday!
The seven year-old black labrador slipped five metres off a concrete wall into the Water of Leith while out with his owner.
Holly spotted the fire engines and distressed lab and sprang to action.
Read this Otago Daily Times article for more.
Read more about Veterinary Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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Sacrificing for lower paid colleagues (July 6 2017)
Top earners at Otago Polytechnic have made a sacrifice for their lower paid colleagues.
Rather than opting for a percentage increase for all staff, the polytechnic and the Tertiary Education Union agreed to a $1100 flat increase.
Continue reading in this Otago Daily Times article.
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From custom made sculptures to custom made herbal teas (July 5 2017)
Emma Heke's homegrown Nelson herbal tea business is blooming. Emma's journey started as an artist with a fine art degree from Dunedin Art School after which she set up her first business, a papier maché venture. People would commission all sorts of custom-made sculptures from lemon trees to mini red Cadillacs. She has approaches her business ventures with enthusiasm and attention to detail. Herelatest venture is Heke Homemade Herbals. She sells her herbal teas at the Nelson Market on Saturdays and online.
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Engineers, builders - the lucrative options (July 5 2017)
Trades are the way to go for earning power, according to the latest report by the Ministry of Education.
The report looks at earning potential of graduates, ranked by their different fields of study.
Engineering and other trades, including building, are among the top earners. Civil engineer graduates can expect to receive 65% more than the median income of $38,663 five years after study. Builders earn 52% more than the median income.
With a national skills shortage in engineering ... why wouldn't you sign up?
Read more about this story in the Otago Daily Times and the New Zealand Herald.
More about Engineering and Construction at Otago Polytechnic.
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Building Central Otago’s future (July 4 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is answering the call for qualified builders in Central Otago by offering a new qualification for 2018.
The New Zealand Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Level 3) (Carpentry) gives students the ready skills to enter the construction trades as an apprentice carpenter.
Students will enjoy hands-on training and a chance to be involved in real-world, community-based projects, including the construction of a four-bedroom house.
Head of Central Otago Campus, Alex Huffadine, is thrilled the campus is offering the Carpentry programme.
“With Central Otago experiencing a building boom, this is great timing. This new qualification further cements us as a long-term education provider in the region – with our outdoor and sports programmes, horticulture and viticulture, cookery, stone masonry, agriculture, automotive and now carpentry – we really are the place to come for trades learning.”
Mr Huffadine adds that the polytechnic is also developing new business partnerships that will further enhance the opportunities for students.
Read more about The New Zealand Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Level 3) (Carpentry).
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Intro to Viticulture (July 4 2017)
This short course is suitable for those already working in the industry, or for those who wish to look at New Zealand and Central Otago viticulture for pure interest.
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A memorable June (July 4 2017)
From overzealous chicken fanciers to three-legged races, Otago Polytechnic Business students have been busy planning events throughout June.
The students from the Graduate Diploma in Event Management and the Bachelor of Applied Management in Events, organised three very successful events as part of their qualifications.
The Living Garden Sustainability Event saw two hundred people fed from Otago Polytechnic’s Living Gardens! The Event Management students’ goal was to promote the gardens and educate about their use and benefit to individuals and the environment. They held an event in the Hub, offering free soup over two days. They were successful in showing that the Living Gardens provide sustainable fruit and vegetables, free of charge, to anyone who wants it.
Another group ran ‘OP Survivor 2017” for OPSA (Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association). The event, for students by students, was inspired by the TV show “Survivor NZ”. Teams of students from ten different Schools were given challenges based around knowledge, fitness, and stomach strength! They included a three-legged race an eating competition and a quick-fire quiz. The event was deemed a great success, with all involved having a ball of a time.
The final group helped fundraise for Anglican Family Care – a social services agency that helps children and their families in Otago. They held a silent auction and movie event – showing ‘Pecking Order’, a New Zealand film about poultry farming and competition. They successfully raised more than $3800 for Anglican Family Care.
All of the students learnt a great deal in this hands-on real life event experience. They were in charge of many things while planning, running and evaluating these creative events for their clients. These included sponsorship, venue booking, marketing and communications (both external and internal). All agree it was a fabulous experience and has set them up well for event management in real-world situations.
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Introducing Fred Staub Open Art (July 3 2017)
The Dunedin School of Art is pleased to announce a new partnership between the DSA Foundation and the Otago Masonic Charitable Trust. A recent bequest by the late Frederick Charles William Staub (1919 – 2012), a well-known and respected Otago Freemason, artist and art educator has lead to the creation of Fred Staub Open Art. Fred Staub Open Art delivers community seminars, exhibitions and its artists-in-residence programmes to the Dunedin School of Art, its communities and the public.
Head of the Dunedin School of Art, Prof Leoni Schmidt says, "The DSA has always delivered a broad range of seminars, exhibitions and events that are always open to the public. The truth is, that with this support from the Otago Masonic Charitable Trust, we are able to do much more. We are looking to grow our offerings through Fred Staub Open Art."
Fred Staub worked at the Dunedin School of Art from 1951 – 1977. Fred Staub Open Art has been established with bequeathed funds from Otago Masonic Charitable Trust to the Dunedin School of Art Foundation.
For more about Otago Masonic Charitable Trust click here.
For more about events, seminars at the Dunedin School of Art, click here. -
Learn how to handle food safely for your customers! Food Safety: Unit 167 (June 28 2017)
Working with food? This food hygiene unit standard is a legal requirement in some workplaces... Find out more about Food Safety: Unit 167
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Seats from scrapped strops (June 23 2017)
Twelve Otago Polytechnic Design students have turned scrapped strops into designer seating.
The strops, from the building site of Otago Polytechnic’s new Student Village, were destined for landfill, but the canny students saw a use for them.
They’ve woven them to make seating, based on a design in a 1956 DIY magazine.
Senior Design Lecturer, Gavin O’Brien, also found some old car seat belts.
“John, at John’s Seatbelt Sales & Service, has been saving all the old seatbelts that didn’t make warrant. Our students have made them into these handmade chairs,” he says.
The project was part of an Interdisciplinary Studio – where students from different disciplines work together on a shared brief. They used the Epic Centre in A Block to produce their creations.
Epic Centre Technician, Ken Wyber, is already looking to the project’s future.
“Next time, we can use the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) router which will cut all the wood out digitally,” he says.
The students keep their own chair – one will even travel home with an exchange student to Switzerland!
Pictured: Ken Wyber and Gavin O'Brien try out the new seats.
Read more about studying Design at Otago Polytechnic.
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Deep thinking gardens. (June 23 2017)
From sensory plantings to deep thinking gardens, Otago Polytechnic’s Landscape and Horticulture students have been busy studying plant collections.
They have built on their horticulture and landscaping skills by creating four plant collections on the Dunedin campus as part of the Living Campus:
- A Sensory Garden outside G block with consideration to the studies undertaken by Occupational Therapy.
- A Medicinal Garden added to the Permaculture Terraces corner of St David Street and Harbour Terrace.
- A Deep Thinking Garden created around and in Studio 56 to enhance its use as a study space.
- The Bio Dome Gardens have been planted in consultation with Hospitality and Food Design students and staff to produce frequently used herbs and greens.
As the icing on the cake (or the compost on the plant!), the class has also created an exhibition of cyanotypes – a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print.
The exhibition is a nod to Anna Atkins who produced the first book to use photographic illustrations in 1843.
The exhibition is on in the L Block entrance until 15 July.
Read more about Horticulture at Otago Polytechnic.
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New works for New Zealand Fashion Week (June 23 2017)
The glitz and glamour of the New Zealand Fashion Week catwalk will soon be a reality for three Otago Polytechnic graduates.
Laura Bennett, Kimberly Ramsey and Letitia Powell have been chosen to represent the institute in the New Zealand Fashion Week Graduate Selection. All three women say they’re humbled by their inclusion.
“In our industry and as a recent graduate, you can’t get much better than being able to show your collection at New Zealand Fashion Week!” Laura says.
Kimberly says breaking into the industry after graduating is the biggest challenge of all.
“I can’t express how grateful I am of being selected to represent Otago Polytechnic. I wouldn’t get this type of experience without their support.”
Letitia couldn’t quite believe she’d been chosen.
“I read the email to my parents to check that it said what I thought it said! THEN I let myself get excited!”
They all had to expand their collections to meet the required eight outfits for the Fashion Week runway show. Their collections are very different - Kimberly’s is the result of her honours research into the use of NZ wool for felting; Laura’s is a contemporary interpretation of 1930’s and 1970’s glamour-wear; and Letitia’s calm, tonal sportswear inspired collection portrays floating bodies of water.
Otago Polytechnic Professor Margo Barton says the three were selected for their overall cohesion from Otago Polytechnic’s top graduating students for 2016.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for these students to showcase their designs and network with the press and industry. Their collections can also be used as a portfolio piece for their futures in fashion” she says.
Photos: Kimberly Ramsey at the 2017 iD Dunedin Fashion Show, Laura Bennett at Otago Polytechnic's Collections 2017 and Letitia Powell backstage at the 2017 iD Dunedin Fashion Show.
Read more about studying Fashion at Otago Polytechnic.
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Japanese Delegation visits Otago Polytechnic (June 21 2017)
Otago Polytechnic has welcomed a group of 10 Japanese International Directors and Teaching Professors representing several universities and colleges of technology throughout Japan.
Education New Zealand and Air New Zealand arranged the delegation, which stopped for half a day at Otago Polytechnic during their travels around New Zealand.
Dunedin Mayor, Dave Cull, welcomed the group during the mihiwhakatau. He described Dunedin as an education city that values its international partnerships.
The group enjoyed a tour of Otago Polytechnic, focusing on hospitality and engineering.
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Reviewing recycling (June 21 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is checking its landfill against its organics in a company-wide waste audit.
Sharon MacIver, from the waste audit company ‘Our Daily Waste’, is leading a group of Sustainability students for the audit. They’ve collected a cross-section of waste from around the polytechnic and are sifting through and weighing it to see if staff and students are doing their bit for sustainability.
Rubbish and recycling was collected from the second floor of the Automotive block, an entire floor in G Block, the third floor of the Mason building, the staffroom and the Hub.
The waste busters have made some interesting finds – like a pair of old jeans in the automotive bins and organic waste in the wrong staffroom bin!
“Apparently the staffroom does have an organics bin and yet all the coffee grounds were dumped into the landfill. We got the most organics out of the landfill in the staffroom,” Sharon says.
Sharon will report back on the audit over the next few weeks. Sustainable Practice Advisor, Jen Rodgers, says that will help reveal the best route Otago Polytechnic can take to reduce waste.
Otago Polytechnic is serious about waste reduction, including the following list:
- Recycling bins
- Paper handtowels are taken to a composting facility at Green Island
- Hand dryers in all new builds (these have a much smaller footprint than paper towels)
- Composting coffee grinds and foodscraps
- Eden Café has removed all throw away coffee cups and salad containers.
Sharon says Otago Polytechnic is doing well in its commitment to minimising waste.
“I’ve seen some good bins out and recycling bins, and really good signage. Obviously, they’re taking it seriously, because they’re committing to an audit.”
Read more about studying Sustainable Practice.
More about Sustainability at Otago Polytechnic.
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Scarlett Jewellery (June 21 2017)
Rebecca Scarlett Shearer studied Jewellery and Metalsmithing at Dunedin School of Art.
She's now living and creating her jewellery under the label "Scarlett Jewellery Label" in Melbourne.
Read Rebecca's story in the Otago Daily Times.
Visit the Scareltt Jewellery Label website.
Read more about studying Art at Otago Polytechnic.
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Pursuing Central Otago outdoor pursuits (June 20 2017)
Central Otago is about to become the outdoor wonderland for a host of tertiary students chasing their education dreams.
As of Feb 2018, Otago Polytechnic will offer the Certificate in Outdoor Pursuits (Level 4) at its Central Campus.
Alex Huffadine, Head of Otago Polytechnic Central, says it’s exciting to be offering a programme that fits so well with the region and everything on its doorstep.
“It’s another example of the unique qualifications we offer at Otago Polytechnic Central that cater directly to our local industry,” he says.
Senior Lecturer, Peter Eley, says the programme will be the perfect first step into outdoor education.
“Students will experience a wide range of outdoor pursuits including white water kayaking, rock climbing and tramping. They’ll also learn about nutrition, physical conditioning and leadership,” he says.
After completing the certificate year in Central, students can progress to the Diploma in Outdoor Leadership and Management (Level 5) in Dunedin.
Read more about Physical Activity and Wellbeing programmes.
Photo: Andy Thompson
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New York bound (June 19 2017)
Run headlong into a world where steel and steam fuse with spit, rubber and desire in a series of works created through photographic process from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Otago Polytechnic Photography Lecturer, Rachel Allan, will soon head to New York for a solo show of her exhibition CRASH.
With more than a nod to J.G. Ballard’s book of the same name, CRASH sees Rachel explore the textured collision between technology and human inquiry
CRASH investigates the fear and supernatural atmosphere during an act of resuscitation, bringing images of near-death moments to the surface.
Interested in subterfuge, trickery and the alchemical magic of photography, Rachel’s work raises questions around the potential and expectations of image production in the 21st century. She deals with restraint, curiosity and mimicry. Her work challenges perceptions of reality to explore the fetishisation of objects within a photographic process.
Rachel is delighted to be exhibiting in New York which came about via a chance connection on social media with Wallplay – an experiential creative platform that connects artists, technology and gallery spaces with brands for cutting edge collaborations.
“A curator at Wallplay liked an image of one of my pieces – a one-eyed sphynx cat – on Instagram and it snowballed from there!” Rachel says.
Otago Polytechnic’s Dunedin School of Art is supporting Rachel’s exhibition in New York, funding a proportion of the cost to take it overseas.
Rachel’s photographic works will be on display at number 2 Rivington Street, New York from 28 June – 2 July. Rachel leaves for New York on 23 June.
Visit Rachel Allan's website.
Read more about studying Art at Otago Polytechnic.
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Welcome to three visiting artists (June 19 2017)
The School welcomes three overlapping AiR / Visiting Scholars in the disciplines of Jewellery/Design (Dr. Rohan Nichol, Canberra School of Art, ANU), Print/Sculpture (Jo St Baker, QLD) and Photography (Elisabeth Wildling, University of Applied Arts, Vienna).
Rohan Nichol ǀ 22 June – 13 August 2017
Dr. Rohan Nicol is a craftsman, designer, academic and curator. His practice and research spans jewellery, silversmithing and design. He holds qualifications from the Australian National University and Charles Sturt University where he was awarded a PhD. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the prestigious Bombay Sapphire Design Award as well as funding to conduct research from the Australia Council and Australian Universities. He regularly exhibits his work at peak venues in Australia and internationally. His work is held in public and private collections including the Powerhouse Museum and the National Gallery of Australia. During his residency he will be producing a series of water vessels to explore the traditions and cultural norms we associate with the domestic table as a platform for altering individual behaviours and practices. He is looking to employ the philosophical and ethical drivers that underpin Studio Craft and Design to propose new ways of operating that aim to mitigate or prevent the negative impacts of consumption centred in the home.
Jo St Baker ǀ 6 August – 29 September 2017
Jo St Baker holds a BVA from the Dunedin School of Art and is now based in Brisbane's Moreton Bay. In 2016 Jo has received an Australian Regional Arts Development Grant for a period of experimentation and a solo exhibition in 2017/18. Her project entitled “Resilience” extends woodcut carving techniques and seeks to blur the lines of drawing, carving, print, painting and sculptural modes of presentation. Jo is currently involved with Migaloo Press and their upcoming Vie du Pacique II, an International Print Exchange for the Asia Pacific Region created by Dr Jennifer Sanzaro Nishimura. She will be speaking about this event at the Dunedin School of Art.
Elisabeth Wildling ǀ 1 August – 12 December 2017
Beginning of this year I was permitted to do my PhD at the University of applied Arts Vienna. The (working) title for my PhD project is Framing of the Aesthetic Moment [Using Devices of Art]. I’ d like to put the question how a setting for aesthetic practice would look like, and find potential answers within perception, camera/device, cinematique techniques. At my last visits I was delighted to observe how the DSA is doing it's Master of Art Programme of theoretical and practical work, and claiming quality in both aereas equally. During this upcoming research period I envisage to participate in theory lectures, and to work on filming studies and prints in the analogue photography studio.
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Sunroom - come stare at the sun (June 19 2017)
A projection of the sun from solar telescopes in Dunedin, Dresden and Nasa is coming to warm up the city of Dunedin.
Beaming in the sun to 23 Princes Street, a vacant retail space near the Octagon during Puaka Matariki, Otago Polytechnic Design Lecturer, and artist, Trudy Lane invites the public to come stare at Te Rā, the sun – safely! The sun’s projection comes from multiple sources including a live data feed from a solar telescope manned by the Dunedin Astronomical Society and satellite footage from Nasa. At night this data feed will be switched to one from the Radebeul Observatory in Dresden, Germany creating a ‘sun exchange’.
This free event will be open for over two weeks from 16 June and will include a series of public talks on astrophysics, energy, ecologies, and cosmologies. Otago Museum’s Ian Griffin, Astronomer and Director will speak on the sun as a star, and Craig Rodger, Head of Physics at Otago University, will speak on space weather which causes aurora. Dunedin Astronomical Society’s Mirko Harnisch, amateur astronomer will provide some fun facts on the sun, and talk about how to safely view it via solar telescopes and other methods and Amadeo Enriquez Ballestero will present the “Sizzling Sun Science Show” an amazing interactive science show that will include making a comet that will behave as explosively as a real comet approaching the sun!
Sunroom is the latest Urban Dream Brokerage project and has been created by digital artist and Otago Polytechnic lecturer Trudy Lane with the support of Mirko Harnisch of the Dunedin Astronomical Society, GigCity and the Otago Polytechnic. It is the first of two GigCity art commissions for this year.
This project seeks to encourage an awareness of the sun as our primary source of energy on our planet and how that energy transforms and surrounds us constantly in a myriad of permutations.
The project has been supported by GigCity Community Fund through Letting Space’s Urban Dream Brokerage service with funding from Dunedin City Council.
PUBLIC EVENTS:
Mon, June 19 - 6.30pm, Talk and discussion - Sun storms, Craig Rodger (Department of Physics, University of Otago) A discussion of space weather and how energy flows from the sun impact the environment on and around the Earth - including the recent auroras and the larger solar storms which hold the potential to destroy our digital communication infrastructures.
Thu, June 22, 6.30pm, Discussion - A bi-cultural discussion - creation narratives and quantum physics - Rua McCallum, David Hutchinson - Join us for an informal bi-cultural discussion between Rua McCallum, a researcher exploring creation narratives as part of her PhD research, and quantum physicist David Hutchinson. An ongoing conversation, born from a position of love and respect.
Sat, June 24, 3.30pm, Sizzling Sun Science Show, Amadeo Enriquez Ballestero (Dunedin Astronomical Society) - Come enjoy an amazing interactive science show about the sun! Hold with your own hands the very gases that make our star and make a comet that will behave as explosively as a real comet approaching the sun! Experience also the power of ultraviolet light and discover why using sun block in New Zealand is so important.
Thu, June 29,6.30pm- The sun as a star, Ian Griffin - Ian Griffin, Director of Otago Museum and amateur astronomer extraordinaire, discusses his own fascinations with stars - their physics, scales and the wider contexts of the fiery maelstrom that is our star.
For more information see: www.sunroom.exchange
Hear more about this in the Otago Daily Times and on Channel 39.
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Puppy love (June 16 2017)
Otago Polytechnic students stressed with impending exams are being offered the chance to snuggle their worries away!
The Veterinary Nursing School is holding a Puppy Love de-stress afternoon.
Several dogs will be at the Otago Polytechnic Hub on Wednesday 21 June at 1pm.
Students are encouraged to come and have a snuggle for some K-9 counselling!
Read about Veterinary Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
See some of the dogs in snuggle action in this Channel 39 article.
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Rejuvenating the past (June 16 2017)
From pounamu to plaques, time capsules to trees - Otago Polytechnic can now remember its history in a much clearer fashion with the creation of a Memorial and Commemorative Register.
Communication Design student, Zane Carter, created the Campus Memorial Map and Register. It has recorded memorial and commemorative features on Otago Polytechnic’s Forth Street campus.
Zane located and photographed each site, then recorded its location and details on a commemorative event webpage.
“Some were difficult to locate and many were overgrown. I had to get into the bush at times, and polish up plaques!” he says.
The register notes commemorative events, trees planted in memory of staff and students, paintings, seating and plaques.
Otago Polytechnic also created a ‘Campus Memorial and Commemorative Register’ policy, which manages the design, placement and record of all memorial and commemorative items.
“It’s really nice to give back. I’ve studied at Otago Polytechnic for three years now, so it’s nice to put a mark on a place that has helped me so much,” Zane says.
See the Commemorative Sites page.
Read about Design at Otago Polytechnic.
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Mentoring IT for girls (June 16 2017)
“This is important because our world is becoming more digitally dominated. We need to be part of it.”
Shreya Das, Year 9 at St Hilda’s Collegiate is looking forward to a day of IT mentoring.
Otago Polytechnic will become ‘tech heaven’ for a group of 40 girls from around Dunedin next week with a new “ShadowTech Day”.
The day, run by NZ Tech and hosted in Dunedin for the first time, will see the girls paired up with female mentors in the industry. They’ll spend the day with their mentor, learning about tech and how it’s used in the real world. They’ll then return to Otago Polytechnic to hear inspiring speeches by Heidi Renata from Innov8hq and Otago Polytechnic IT guru, Ange Meikle.
The group coming from St Hilda’s Collegiate School are thrilled with the opportunity. Bella Devereux, Year 10, says it’s great timing.
“Soon, we have to choose what to study for next year. So, if we’re interested in the tech we learn at ShadowTech, we can take that as a subject.”
Lesley Smith, Head of College of Enterprise and Development at Otago Polytechnic, says the aim of the day is to encourage more girls to take science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects at school. By doing so, they’re keeping the opportunity open for a career in technology.
“Our mentors are all successful women in the tech sector. This is an excellent opportunity for these girls to really experience what a career in the industry can look like.”
The IT industry is the third most valuable sector in the New Zealand economy. Women make up more than 50% of the population, yet less than 15% of the IT industry. Research shows that women have plenty of ability for IT, but are locked into a stereotype that IT is for boys.
Lesley Smith hopes that ShadowTech can help put an end to that stereotype.
Read more about Computing and IT at Otago Polytechnic.
Read about this story in the Otago Daily Times.
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Ashleigh making a difference (June 14 2017)
Ashleigh Smith is on the countdown to meet the Queen!
The Otago Polytechnic Nursing student will receive a ‘Queens Young Leaders Award’ for her work with ‘Sticks n Stones’ - a youth-led group devoted to empowering young people to recognise and stand up to bullying.
Ashleigh was on Seven Sharp last night (June 13) with her younger sister, Courtney who is also involved in the group.
See the Seven Sharp story here, and read about the sisters in this Timaru Herald article.
Read about Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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Otago Polytechnic/University of Otago research provides evidence for government decision (June 14 2017)
The government aims to reduce sudden infant death by 86% in 8 years.
This Māori Television report explains how they plan to do that - incorporating research carried out by Otago Polytechnic and Otago University.
The researchers, led by Otago Polytechnic's Associate Professor in Midwifery, Sally Baddock and Otago University's Professor Barry Taylor and Dr David Tipene-Leach, concluded there were no significant differences in risk behaviours in wahakura compared to bassinets and there were other advantages, including an increase in sustained breastfeeding.
See the Māori Television report here.
Read more about Midwifery at Otago Polytechnic.
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First Doctorate for Otago Polytechnic (June 13 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is thrilled to announce it will provide its first Doctorate qualification.
The Doctor of Professional Practice is for experienced professionals who wish to take their learning to a higher level. They will work and study at the same time.
Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive, Phil Ker, says with more than thirty staff holding doctorates and an established Master of Professional Practice, Otago Polytechnic has the expertise as well as maturity in systems to provide the new qualification.
“This is an innovative, learner centred qualification that will generate and apply new knowledge in the workplace. It is a learner-centred approach that will make a difference in our communities,” Mr Ker said.
Capable NZ Professor Samuel Mann led the team that developed the final version of the qualification and worked with NZQA to bring it to fruition.
“Students will use substantial and novel research to address ‘wicked’ or new problems within their professions. It’s all about emergent frameworks of practice - they’ll see a change in professional practice for themselves, their organisation and their wider community,” he said.
Professor Mann says there are already 25 people wanting to start the qualification, but the first intake will be restricted to five students.
“This is the biggest academic news at Otago Polytechnic since degrees were approved in 1995. We’ve broken through the glass ceiling and have shown that we have the knowledge and history to provide doctorate level programmes,” Professor Mann said.
Read about Capable NZ.
Read about this story in the Otago Daily Times.
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Living in Auckland (June 12 2017)
Nothing can prepare you for a life in the big City of Sails. Many of us here at Otago Polytechnic’s Auckland International Campus are immigrants ourselves, so we understand more than anyone what it takes to make a new home. The city has a pulse to it - like a beating heart that welcomes you with open arms to its diverse family.
Within all the hustle and bustle, one can feel a little lost. So we’ve come up with a few tips and tricks to help your transition into your new home
1. Auckland is BIG
There are about 1.5 million people in Auckland, spread over 1000km². There's South Auckland, East Auckland, West Auckland, Auckland City, North Shore … then amongst those regions are districts and suburbs. Traffic can be awful – so be sure to use the public transport system. @akldtransport.
2. Parking
To find Auckland carparks, check out: https://at.govt.nz/driving-parking/find-parking/
Parking hack: Auckland Maritime Museum is not only a fascinating place to visit, you can purchase a coupon at their museum shop for $4.50 which will give you 4 hours of parking in Downtown Carpark with any museum admission. The $4.50 voucher must be bought at time of entry to museum. All you need to do is park first, buy your voucher when you get to Voyager Maritime Museum and then use it when you exit the carpark. http://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/whats-on
Eftpos (Electronic Funds Transfer) is king – Paywave is the future! New Zealand was one of the first countries to introduce Eftpos – as a result WE LOVE IT! Very few people seem to bother with cash now-days – most prefer paywave where you simply show your card to the Eftpos machine.
4. The food is awesome!
Food isn’t cheap, but it is good! There are hundreds of restaurants of different cuisine from every corner of the world. Living on a tight budget? Not to worry, there are some great online sites that have daily specials. Check out: www.grabone.co.nz
Most of the grocery stores have an international section if you feel like cooking something more traditional. https://www.aucklandnz.com/visit/taste/best-places-to-eat
5. There’s always something to do
Heart of the City Auckland lists events, dining, bars & nightlife to arts and culture. Be sure to visit this site regularly to stay up to date with what’s happening in the buzzing city of sails. https://www.heartofthecity.co.nz
Kelly Tarlton’s does discounts online (must be done before the day of your visit) at www.kellytarltons.co.nz (it’s $28.80 instead of $36 per adult). Also, it is free on your birthday! You must be accompanied by a paying person of equal or greater value. and bring photo iD or a birth certificate as proof.
Auckland Zoo has cut-price twilight entry on Wednesdays in summer. Adult entry is $15 (usually $25), and $10 for children.
Auckland Museum is free with a MyMuseum card you sign up for at the museum. Make sure you take Auckland residency proof, such as a council bill or power bill and photo ID. Students get free entry to exhibitions there too
Under $20 – Check out: http://www.noted.co.nz/culture/whats-on/50-things-to-do-in-auckland-for-under-20/ for a list of things you can do in Auckland for under $20.
6. Hair
Lots of the salons do a cheap day of the week, but if you are really tight, the hair academies do it the cheapest!
Servilles Academy, A cut and blowdry with a Foundation (beginner) stylist is $10, and $25 with a Graduate. Phone 308 0670 email academy@servilles.co.nz Location at level 4, 131 Queen Street Auckland.
Cut Above Academy has 3 locations, on campus at Building 180 Unitec Campus, phone 815 3503, and Level 2, 246 Queen Street phone 377 7746, and Southern Campus Salon
7. Life Hacks
- A good day is a good day. A bad day is a good story. At the end of the day, it’s all good. Keep that in mind
- When you’re at the beach this summer, place your jandals facedown. Then when you’re ready to roll, your feet won’t get cooked.
- Still tired after a solid night’s sleep? You’re probably dehydrated. Guzzle some water and you’ll be good to go.
- There is no right way to do life. There’s only stuff that works and stuff that doesn’t.
- When you find the perfect pair of jeans, buy two.
- Think of five things you're grateful for every day.
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Otago Polytechnic's own Karate Kid! (June 12 2017)
Otago Polytechnic's Institute of Sport student, Cameron Russell, is off to Croatia to compete in the World Youth Cup for karate.
Check out his story in the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about studying Sport at Otago Polytechnic.
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Timaru Nursing provision (June 12 2017)
Otago Polytechnic has agreed that Ara Institute of Canterbury will take over the provision of Nursing Education in Timaru.
Bachelor of Nursing students based in Timaru will start studying with Ara rather than Otago Polytechnic from 2018.
When Aoraki Polytechnic merged with CPIT two years ago, Otago Polytechnic took over the Aoraki programmes offered in Dunedin and CPIT took over all Aoraki programmes offered in Timaru. Before the merger, Aoraki had not offered a Nursing programme, however nursing education was offered by Otago Polytechnic to ensure nursing education was available in South Canterbury. Now that the merger has taken effect, it is a natural transition for Ara to offer the Nursing papers at their campus, consolidating the tertiary provision for the region.
The current 31 (Equivalent Fulltime) Timaru-based Bachelor of Nursing students will study from Ara’s facilities, but will continue their education as usual with Otago Polytechnic until they graduate in two years’ time. Otago Polytechnic will withdraw from the delivery of the Bachelor of Nursing in Timaru once all students have successfully completed their programme.
Timaru-based nursing lecturers, one full time and one part time, have been offered the opportunity to transfer from Otago Polytechnic to be employed by Ara. They will continue to teach the current Otago Polytechnic nursing students until their graduation.
Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive, Phil Ker, said it’s important that current Timaru Bachelor of Nursing students complete their qualification and graduate from Otago Polytechnic.
“Otago Polytechnic’s focus is to ensure our students continue to receive the best education through this transition. We have been working closely with Ara to make it a seamless change. Otago Polytechnic’s Nursing programme continues to be offered in Dunedin and attracts students from all over the country,” Mr Ker said.
The South Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) welcomed the move. Ara and Otago Polytechnic both work closely with the DHB, which will continue to ensure that Timaru-based students from both institutes have access to work placements, graduate programmes and employment opportunities.
Lisa Blackler, Director Patient, Nursing and Midwifery, South Canterbury DHB, is pleased that a locally based option for Nursing education will continue.
“Beginning one’s career at South Canterbury DHB exposes you to fantastic hands-on clinical scenarios that you may not experience at the larger DHBs. This truly ensures our nursing staff have a wide scope of skills which impacts immensely on growing our nursing calibre. And with such a strong foundation here, we look to retain highly skilled staff who can boomerang internationally in the hope they bring new ideas and innovations and return to South Canterbury,” she said.
Otago Polytechnic will expand its Nursing provision in Dunedin and will employ new staff here, so the institute is not losing EFTs (Equivalent Full Time Students) or staffing numbers.
Read about Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
Read about this in the Timaru Herald and on the Foreign Affairs website.
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Nau mai, tauti mai Oonagh! (June 12 2017)
Otago Polytechnic welcomed Oonagh McGirr, our new Deputy Chief Executive, Learning and Teaching Services, to a packed atrium on Friday 9 June.
Oonagh was delighted with her mihi whakatau.
“It was very interesting for me because there are a lot of similarities between my culture and the Māori culture. I’m originally from Northern Ireland, so I felt quite moved by the welcome and really do appreciate it.” she says.
Oonagh says she feels very privileged to be in her new post.
“What I want to do is meet people and listen to them, hear their story. I’m into narratives, part of my doctoral study was around narrating people’s identity, so I’m interested in the identity that people have and what their work is in terms of that identity, and how we can help them to enhance that and be even more successful.
Oonagh’s most recent position was Head of Teaching and Learning at Bahrain Polytechnic. She has held director and senior roles with Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, CEME and London Metropolitan University.
Meet our Executive Leadership Team.
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Rugby stats don't lie (June 9 2017)
Otago Institute of Sport and Adventure students have been studying the stats at Saturday rugby.
Otago Daily Times reporter, Adrian Seconi, summarises the findings of "the good folk at Otago Polytechnic".
Read more about studying Sport at Otago Polytechnic.
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Intro to Viticulture Short Course. 18-22 September 2017 (June 8 2017)
Learn about the history of Central Otago wine industry, viticulture practices, wine-making and of course, visit the vineyards and taste some wine along the way. Great way to have an introduction to the viticulture industry in a short 5 day course. $400 - space is limited so register your interest today. CALL 0800 765 9276.
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Emerging artist to get global exposure (June 7 2017)
Timaru artist, Holly Zanderbergen's paintings will gain global exposure when they are displayed in Seattle, London and Toronto later this year. Holly Zandbergen, 25, said her upcoming exhibition Terrain was inspired by a book of photographs by Kiwi photographer Craig Potton.
Holly Zanderbergen won the Best Young Artist Award at the UK’s prestigious National Open Art Awards (NOA), at the Royal College of Art in London in 2015. Holly's work "Emergence" won first prize in the Young Artists Awards (23 years or under) and prize money of £5,000.
A total of 35 artists from across the UK and Ireland won prizes totalling more than £60,000.The winning artworks were selected from nearly 4,000 entries.“I’m hoping that winning this award will have proven me to be an emerging artist and as someone who can be invested in for the long term. The prize money will go towards my London studio rent and pay for my larger works, some of which have cost me up to £800 on paint alone,” says Ms Zanderbergen.
Zanderbergen graduated from the Dunedin School of Art in 2013. Holly says she chose to study at the Dunedin School of Art because of its emphasis on the practical side of art making. She says, “The course gave me the opportunity to create in a space that was never dictated by current modes or ways of thinking. The lecturers always maintained an openness in their way of teaching which I found extremely refreshing after studying at a previous university that believed painting to be a dying art form. In this encouraging environment I felt more comfortable to find my voice as a painter, and with my teacher's guidance I grew in confidence most noticeably in my paint handling."
Holly Zandbergen’s works depict everyday moments, portraits and landscapes and explore a relationship between density of mark and the feeling of open space.
Read more in The Timaru Herald...
(image: Holly Zanderbergen, from Impermanence series as exhibited in the graduating student exhibition SITE 2013).
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Summer in a wintry Dunedin (June 6 2017)
A group of Canadian and Nebraskan tertiary students have just arrived at Otago Polytechnic to take part in the city’s first ‘Summer Series Programme’.
The programme is run in countries all over the world, this is the first time Dunedin has been involved.
The 13 students will complete two papers while here: Sustainability in Nature and Understanding a Bicultural Perspective.
They experienced their first taste of biculturalism on their arrival, with a mihi whakatau (welcome) to Otago Polytechnic.
Carly Livingston, from Humber College in Ontario, Canada, said she wasn’t sure what to expect.
“It was nerve wracking, but it was fine, because no one was awkward about it. It’s a really nice way to be welcomed – formal but in a casual sense as well.”
The group will spend some time in the classroom, but most of their learning will happen out in the field. They’ll kayak Otago Harbour, cycle to Karitane, stay on a Marae and volunteer at the Sinclair wetlands.
Michael Simmons, Otago Polytechnic’s Professional Development Consultant, says the students will get the opportunity to engage with the natural environment, as well as learning skills to make a real difference to the future of our planet.
Carly says she’s already noticed that New Zealand is cleaner and greener.
“We have more garbage cans in Toronto, yet there’s more litter. People here just don’t seem to litter. I’ve also heard a lot about how kiwis are more aware of conserving energy.”
The students are from Humber College (Canada), Saskatchewan Polytechnic (Canada) and Central Community College, Nebraska (USA). They’re in Dunedin until 30 June.
Read more about being an International Student at Otago Polytechnic.
More on Sustainability at Otago Polytechnic.
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Tall poppy and proud (June 6 2017)
“What we love about New Zealand is partly the very things that cause tall poppy syndrome. We’re very egalitarian, respectful, we treat everyone the same. If someone goes above that, we go, ‘You’re not like us anymore'".
In this article in The Wireless, Capable NZ facilitator, Jo Kirkwood, discusses Tall Poppy Syndrome and how it effects entrepreneurs in New Zealand.
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Ups for kids (June 6 2017)
When Carla Hore found her sick son snuggled in bed with his rugby ball, she finally got what it meant to him.
Now, she’s hoping to provide other children with sports equipment, so they too can take their passion home with them.
Carla is studying Social Services at Otago Polytechnic and, along with four of her fellow students, has created ‘Ups for Kids’. The project collects donated sports equipment from the community and delivers them to children who can’t afford their own.
Many people in Dunedin have been keen to help, including Constable Toni Wall, from Dunedin Police, who donated 50 balls.
Carla says the project aims to give the children confidence and a sense of belonging. Children can keep the equipment and play with it at home, hopefully improving their physical and mental wellbeing in the process.
Te Ani Rakete, one of the Social Services students working on the project, plans to continue it into the future.
Read about Social Services at Otago Polytechnic.
Read the Otago Daily Times article.
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Sustaining an Education (June 2 2017)
Otago Polytechnic's 'energy detectives' are helping to save $1 million over the next five years!
The NZ Herald has published this article outlining how Otago Polytechnic aims to reduce its bill by 30%.
Read more about sustainability at Otago Polytechnic.
Study Sustainability at Otago Polytechnic.
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Dot-to-dot success - Ana Teofilo solo show in Auckland (June 1 2017)
Ana Teofilo Fa'anunu was born and raised in Dunedin but her Samoan ancestry is in her art.
The Otago Polytechnic Masters of Art graduate is preparing for her first solo show in Auckland.
Ana creates designs that literally stick out! She carves round wooden frames and applies glue dots.
“I’ve had different reactions to my work from hearing drums through the colours in my paintings to the glue dots reminding them of candy or Aboriginal art and being in Australia. I just want people viewing my work to enjoy them and have fun with their imagination.”
“I feel my contribution to the overall landscape of Pacific arts in NZ is that I bring Pacific art from the Deep South.”
Ana’s hope is that her contribution puts the South Island pacific art scene on the NZ map while also encouraging other emerging Pacific artists in the South Island. She wants to show them that, “they do not need to be from Auckland to follow their passion or express themselves as a Pacific artist”.
Ana Teofilo’s Exhibition opens with a preview on Tuesday 13th June and is on view until Saturday 1st July 2017, at the Warwick Henderson Gallery, Level 1, 255 Broadway, Newmarket, Auckland.Read more about the Master of Fine Arts.
Read more about Ana Teofilo Fa'anunu and her upcoming exhibition in the Otago Daily Times.
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Michael Coughlin heads back to school (June 1 2017)
One of Dunedin's most experienced chefs has gone back to school at Otago Polytechnic!
In this Otago Daily Times article, Michael Coughlin explains his success in the kitchen and why he's returned to study.
Read more about Culinary Arts at Otago Polytechnic.
Photo: Linda Robertson, ODT
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Riki Day's cookery progression (May 31 2017)
Riki Day graduated with a Diploma in Professional Cookery from Otago Polytechnic in 2005 and is now head chef at Urban in Nelson.
Here's a terrific article in the Nelson Mail about his career progression
Read about Culinary Arts at Otago Polytechnic.
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Simply applicable apprentice app (May 30 2017)
Keeping tabs on apprentice learning just got a lot easier thanks to a new app modified at Otago Polytechnic.
The Otago Polytechnic ITAB App allows apprentices to record text and photos while they work then report directly back to their employer. Until now, apprentices have had to laboriously complete paperwork every night – printing photos, recording what they worked on, how they worked on it and for how long. Otago Polytechnic Online Learning Designer, Matt Thompson, says the app is a great help for apprentices.
“It’s another tool to make life easier. They can record their evidence of learning and it’s far more accurate and quicker than trying to recall it at the end of the day.” Data from the app is stored on the Cloud. Employers have access to it at any time and can give instant feedback.
Matt says it’s important the app is user friendly.
“Some employers aren’t that technically savvy. The app had to be really simple so they could access information easily.”
Otago Polytechnic graduate, Mark Henry is trialling the app and says it’s made life a lot easier.
“It’s so much quicker and easier than filling out paperwork. It definitely saves heaps of time. I’m not very good with computers, so it was important to me that it was straight forward,” he says. “Most of the other apprentices wish they could’ve done theirs online!”
Otago Polytechnic Carpentry staff are also using the app so they can give feedback to apprentices. It also means staff are fully up to date with the apprentice’s work before they make site visits.
The app is free and available to any builder who wants to follow their apprentice’s evidence of work in a clear and accurate manner.
Matt’s hoping to introduce video to make the app even easier to use.
Read about Construction at Otago Polytechnic.
See the Otago Polytechnic ITAB app for android and for iPhone.
Read about the app in Educators NZ, The Otago Daily Times and Education Review.
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Otago Apprentice builds his way to the top (May 30 2017)
“There’s no prize that could mean more to me than the Ken Reed Trophy!”
Dunedin apprentice and Otago Polytechnic graduate, Chris McLean, is over the moon about winning the national 2017 NZ Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge in Auckland at the weekend.
“It’s an amazing feeling when you put so much work into something and it pays off,” he says.
Fourteen regional winners competed in the final. After an entertaining challenge to build a go-cart, they submitted a portfolio showcasing their apprenticeship, were interviewed by a panel of experts and gave a presentation on a building task they had a lead role in completing. The winner was then announced at a black-tie dinner on Saturday night.
The judges said Chris was a humble and deserving winner.
Chris is currently an apprentice at Just Build It Ltd in Dunedin. He reckons his attitude to work helped him take out the top honours.
“It’s about finding something you really enjoy, then striving to achieve it. I’ve never agreed with ‘minimum wage, minimum effort’. I worked hard and was determined to be there and the judges could see that,” he says.
Chris’s former lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, Matt Thompson, says Chris is passionate about the industry and will go a long way.
“Chris’s win shows how good the trade training is throughout Otago. We’ve always punched above our weight; it’s a credit to the local builders and Polytechnic and exemplifies the great training our apprentices get,” Matt says.
Among his prizes, Chris wins the Ken Reed Memorial Trophy, a Makita drop saw and tool set, an Outward Bound Leadership Scholarship and one of his favourite items: a full copy of the NZ Building Standards (NZS 3604).
“I love it because I’m a bit of a geek! I was so chuffed to get that,” he laughs.
Photo: Leni Fifita
Read more about Construction at Otago Polytechnic.
Read more about Chris' win in the ODT and on Channel 39.
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A right royal visit (May 29 2017)
An Otago Polytechnic Nursing student is about to head to London to visit the Queen!
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II will present Ashleigh Smith with a ‘Queens Young Leaders Award’ for her work with ‘Sticks n Stones’ a youth-led group devoted to empowering young people to recognise and stand up to bullying.
Ashleigh Smith is a vibrant, smiling, positive teenager. However, five years ago, when three of her schoolmates at Maniototo Area School took their own lives within eight months of each other, she didn’t know what to do with herself.
“It was a hideous time. I was 13, and trying to comprehend why someone would make that decision. I was angry and sad all at the same time.”
So, when government funding came through for an anti-bullying campaign, the local school students jumped at the chance to work from a youth perspective.
Ashleigh, along with other student leaders from five Central Otago Schools, started ‘Sticks n Stones’. Student ambassadors are trained and given the skills to help other young people, especially with online issues. It may be as simple as helping them find the right support network.
“There was such a generation gap between advice versus how youths were living their lives online.”
The group also plays an advocacy role, right up to government level.
“A lot of decisions are being made about youth without consulting them. We’re now being approached to have a say on policies like the ‘Harmful Digital Communications Bill’.”
Ashleigh has presented on the national and international stage including at a conference in Dublin titled “Bullies, Bullied and Bystanders”.
The Queens Young Leaders are 60 young people from around the Commonwealth. Recipients complete a year-long course through Cambridge University. Within that time, they are paired with an experienced mentor, spend five days in Cambridge and receive an award from the Queen herself.
Ashleigh leaves for London on June 19. The award ceremony with the Queen is June 29.
Read more about Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
Ashleigh was inteviewed live on Seven Sharp for 'Pink Shirt Day' - the national anti-bullying day. (Ashleigh comes in at about 3:20).
Read more about Ashleigh in the ODT and the NZ Herald.
Watch Ashleigh on Channel 39.
Photo: TVNZ
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Getting inside, over, under the Student Village (May 29 2017)
New drone footage of Otago Polytechnic's new student accommodation has just been released.
The 20 million-dollar accommodation block continues to rapidly progress.
The west wing roof is nearly on, and the fifth and final floor of the west wing floor and wall structure is now completed. The windows are currently being fitted.
On the East wing, the second level is finished (with two more levels to go!)
As each level of the Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) structure goes up, service trades are able to gain access to do their work.
CLT is the generic name given to structural building panels made from wood elements glued together in layers. Otago Polytechnic’s student accommodation is the tallest and largest (by volume) CLT building in New Zealand.
The timber construction’s going up in 11 stages over 90 days encompassing columns, beams, floors and walls.
The Student Accommodation village is the first fully owned Otago Polytechnic residence, and will have 231 beds. These will be single dormitory rooms, studios and four-bedroom apartments. All meals will be provided for dormitory residents.
The accommodation will be finished prior by February 2018, in perfect time for the students to arrive!
View the drone footage of the construction site, taken before the west wing roof construction began.
Read the latest story in the Otago Daily Times.
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A growing competition (May 25 2017)
Otago Polytechnic will host this year's regional Young Fruit Grower Competition in Cromwell.
The event will pitch four of Central Otago's best young fruit growers against each other. They'll complete six practical exercises including demonstraing their knowledge of agri-chemicals and a first aid test.
The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to compete for the national Young Grower of the Year title in August.
Three of the four competitors are present or past students of Otago Polytechnic.
The event is on Friday May 26 from 11:30am at Otago Polytechnic's Cromwell campus. The following awards dinner is at the Moorings Restaurant at Pisa Moorings.
Read about studying Horticulture at Otago Polytechnic's Central campus.
Read more about this competition in NZFarmer.
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Welcome to Narnia (May 24 2017)
Turkish delight and a wardrobe of fur coats … Otago Polytechnic’s Sargood Centre was transformed into Narnia for this year’s Ball for IDEA Services clients – adults with intellectual disabilities.
Otago Polytechnic’s Occupational Therapy students organised the successful event for nearly fifty guests. The theme was ‘Welcome to Narnia’.
Beforehand, some of the guests enjoyed a beauty and grooming session at ‘Switch’, one of IDEA Services Community Centres, before arriving to a red carpet welcome at the event.
Entertainment included a jam by Matthew Rhodes and support worker, Chris Butchard, who are heading to Ireland to experience an international busking festival, and the trip of a lifetime, in September. All profits from the night (nearly $400) have gone towards funding Matthew’s trip.
IDEA Services Outcome Facilitator, Eleanor Doig says it was a magic evening.
“Probably the best thing from my point of view was the lovely engagement of the students with the people we support. It is rare for them to experience this sort of relaxed interaction and is a real treat. I feel really strongly that the people we support have lots to teach the wider community In terms of accepting and enjoying difference.”
Otago Polytechnic Occupational Therapy student and ball organiser, Jennie Turner, agrees.
"What a great night full of beautiful outfits, awesome dance moves, and amazing musical talent. It was truly a privilege to have the opportunity to 'Make a Difference' for such a fantastic bunch of people living in our community."
Read more about Occupational Therapy at Otago Polytechnic.
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Hopping great Hospice helper (May 23 2017)
Otago Community Hospice is $6000 better off after a hopping great event at Otago Polytechnic at the weekend.
Nursing Senior Lecturer and brewer, Vicki Yarker-Jones (aka Vicki Purple), Otago Polytechnic and Hospice collaborated to create a unique craft beer to release for Hospice Awareness Week.
“We’ve brewed a beautiful Vienna Lager” Vicki says. “If it were a dance, this beer would be a Viennese Waltz.”
Vicki specially prepared ginger three ways (root, syrup and seeped in vodka) to infuse into the lager.
“We’ve only used natural Mainland ingredients, and we brewed them at the southern-most brewery in New Zealand – the Catlins Brewery at Kaka Point” she says.
In a nod to ginger’s therapeutic properties, Vicki named the brew ‘Ginger Ninja’.
“This is the perfect marriage between everything I hold dear. The Hospice supports our students for work placement, and the nurses there came up with the idea of Hops for Hospice; The school of Nursing at Otago Polytechnic, and my own love of brewing; Add to that the fact that I survived cancer, and it’s the ideal collaboration”.
“The beer’s been a real hands-on experience, with Tessa Scott from Hospice travelling to the Catlins for brew day and helping out with the brew” Ginny says.
Ginny Green, Otago Community Hospice Chief Executive, says Hospice is delighted to be working alongside Vicki whose enthusiasm is contagious.
“We are also really grateful for the longstanding supportive relationship that we have with the Otago Polytechnic” she says. Phil Ker, the CEO of Otago Polytechnic, has been instrumental in helping make this collaboration a reality” she says.
Hops for Hospice was the official launch event for Ginger Ninja and it was showcased alongside five other unique craft beers from around Otago. Each beer was creatively matched with an exquisite menu designed by Mark Lane and the team at the Food Design Institute at Polytech.
Each year the Otago Community Hospice has to raise in excess of 2 million dollars in order to continue delivering essential specialist palliative care services throughout Otago.
Read about the event in the Otago Daily Times.
Read about Vicki's Ginger Ninja in msn news, NZCity, The Otago Daily Times and The Southland Times.
Read about Ginny Green, Otago Community Hospice CEO, in the Otago Daily Times.
Read about Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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Tot ziens & ha det from Otago Polytechnic (May 19 2017)
Dunedin’s reputation as a global centre for education is about to get a boost in Europe with the return of seven interns from Otago Polytechnic.
The students are from several universities in Europe and have spent the last four months’ working at Otago Polytechnic as part of the final year of their degree.
Sander Lenaerts, from Belgium has been developing the polytechnic’s website. He was surprised at New Zealand’s relaxed working atmosphere.
“The boss just trusts that you’ll get your work done and leaves you alone to do it!”
Eline Goedhuys, from Belgium, agrees.
“Here, you call your boss by their first name. At home, it’s ‘Sir’! It makes it easier to talk to them, when you’re on the same level. There’s more kindness, more flexibility, less stress.”
Eline has spent her internship designing a recruitment app along with fellow Belgian, Filip Vanden Eynde.
“I really wanted to learn some new technologies and I have! I’ve learnt a new coding language, React JS. This experience has really helped with my final year of my degree,” Filip says.
Mette Sveen, from Norway, has been working with the Design for Service Excellence (D4SE) team. She believes the internship will help her with employment.
“Compared with other students, we are now more competitive when we apply for a job. It’s also a great experience before starting a masters.”
The group has enjoyed learning about New Zealand’s cultural intricacies. July Kempeneer has been marketing with the Fashion School and can’t believe how relaxed the dress code is.
“In Belgium, everyone would have to wear a suit, it’s very hierarchical. In my first month here … I wore jandals!”
And The Netherlands’ Mark Sebregts is delighted with how welcoming the organisation is.
“I had the opportunity to travel during my internship to explore the beautiful country. Otago Polytechnic is really flexible, and allowed me to make up the time. They really wanted us to have a great experience and travel as well.”
All the interns agree their time at Otago Polytechnic has been very valuable.
“I’ve been applying for jobs back home, and the first thing they want to talk about is my time here in Dunedin,” says Eline Goedhuys.
13 European students have been in Dunedin for the internships, working at organisations around the city including The Otago Museum and Dunedin Chamber of Commerce.
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A successful baker's dozen (May 18 2017)
In 13 years, Phil Ker has taken Otago Polytechnic from technically insolvent to one of the highest performing polytechnics in the country.
The Otago Daily Times profiled the Chief Executive, revealing his marathon past and motorbike future.
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Gym boost for Wheelchair Warriors (May 18 2017)
A group of Dunedin residents with long-term injuries and disabilities have just overcome another challenge – extra support with their health and fitness programmes.
Wheelchair Warriors was founded by Nick Chisholm who has locked in syndrome due to a rugby accident 16 years ago. At Sky Fitness, the group provides personal training for a variety of long term injuries and disabilities and covers exercise, nutrition, functional movement and support.
Now, Healthcare Rehabilitation is sponsoring Wheelchair Warriors, providing equipment, clothing and money towards the gym memberships fees.
“We’re thrilled to be able to support the Wheelchair Warriors, knowing that this will help people in all aspects of their life. We see this as the beginning of a long term arrangement with Nick and his team,” says Russell Simpson, General Manager Healthcare Rehabilitation.
Nick’s team at Wheelchair Warriors includes six students from the Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Activity, Health and Wellness) at Otago Polytechnic. They are on placement with the organisation, helping with exercise and rehabilitation programmes. Nick says he couldn’t run the group without them.
“Wheelchair Warriors has really started to grow in numbers. It’s only able to do this because we have the support of Otago Polytechnic students,” Nick says.
Otago Institute of Sport and Adventure Placement Coordinator, Kathryn van der Vliet, says the students gain much more than personal training experience.
“OP students learn how to interact with people with a variety of disabilities like MS, paraplegia and strokes. They learn how to communicate and adapt to meet the individual demands and needs of their clients.”
Read more about Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Activity, Health and Wellness).
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Midwifery showcased by the ITP for its innovative teaching model (May 18 2017)
We’re implementing new teaching methods to create a brighter future for our students.
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Insects for lunch? (May 12 2017)
Fancy a cricket canape? A locust latte? Or perhaps some al dente ants?
Protein-filled insects are fast becoming the new super food. Otago Polytechnic student, Finn Boyle, says we can train our palates to accept the arthropodic flavours.
Check out '5 Insect recipes we dare you to try' in the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about the Food Design Institute at Otago Polytechnic.
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Living and breathing education (May 12 2017)
Fonda Smyth’s relationship with Otago Polytechnic began five years ago when she heard Chief Executive Phil Ker speak at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics Congress.
“He spoke about the future of tertiary education in such an insightful, frank and respectful way. Although my philosophy was aligned - about unleashing the confidence and potential in learners so they then understand themselves and what they have to offer- he was talking about how Otago Polytechnic was actually doing it through Capable NZ and OERu. That was truly inspiring and I knew I needed to know more. I thought ‘this is what Nova Scotia needs … this is what everywhere needs!’,” she says.
Fonda lectures in the International Business programme at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) in Canada. NSCC is the primary applied tertiary provider supported by the Nova Scotia government whose mandate is "To improve the economy and quality of life of Nova Scotia through education and innovation". With around 2000 staff, and 120 Programs across thirteen campuses, it serves the entire Province and has an annual enrolment approaching 24,000 students.
“We’re an access college, which means we offer upgrade and foundation based programmes through to advanced diploma programmes. That means that we have to be thoughtful and responsible in how we design and deliver relevant education and ensure we have certain support and services in place to help students,” she says.
Fonda is on ‘Learning Leave’ for a year to update her understanding of international business and its challenges, and to take back to NSCC and the wider Nova Scotia Community all she can learn about Otago Polytechnic's success with Capable NZ and OERu. She’s been based in Auckland, but was keen to schedule the time in Dunedin to research what we are doing at Otago Polytechnic.
“I really admire Otago Polytechnic’s vision and implementation of respecting non-traditional methods of learning. Whether it’s from self-directed learning from open education resources or learning that has occurred in the workplace, Otago Polytechnic is shifting the emphasis to facilitating and recognizing learning that is relevant and highly meaningful. I can see the significant impact it must have for the learners and the communities they are involved with. Otago Polytechnic's leadership in this area and OERu is remarkable and, I think, will greatly influence innovation in the tertiary education sector well into the future.
Fonda’s aim of this visit is two-fold. She wants to be a catalyst – introducing programmes like Capable NZ to NSCC; and a bridge – to foster a relationship between the two institutions, to ideally, have an even bigger impact together. I am learning that Otago Polytechnic and NSCC have an incredible amount in common; such as our reason for being, our philosophy of teaching and learning, our values and our long term goals. We have strikingly similar economic and social environments and common challenges in supporting our students. Yet, we seem to have strengths in different areas, which is exciting, because that should mean we can really learn a lot from each other.
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Argentinian strength and conditioning expertise (May 11 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Sports students are enjoying some international education this week with a special guest lecturer in strength and conditioning from Argentina, Alejandro Pastor.
Mr Pastor has an illustrious career in strength and conditioning coaching, as well as teaching it at Universities. He has trained all ages from youth through to The Pumas. He was the strength and conditioning assistant for the Pumas for two Rugby World Cups – ’07 in France, and ’11 in New Zealand and he was the head of strength and conditioning with the Brazil Rugby team for the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games.
At Otago Polytechnic, Alejandro is taking the students through an intensive week of applying strength and conditioning analysis. He hopes to build a bridge between theoretical aspects and how to put all that information on the field. He teaches the ‘TEC’ model:
Technique
Errors
Corrections
Alejandro says this model allows for an individualised programme and rapid improvement with athletes. This is a model he has developed while working with American company, Exos. With them, he provides intensive two or three day workshops with top level athletes.
“This is able to be understood quickly and is easy to implement. We go to the basics then build on them in a more structured and robust way. If you have a solid base, then you can improve your structure!” he says.
Alejandro has been instrumental in creating placements for Otago Polytechnic students at La Plata Rugby Club in Argentina. Two worked there last year and another two will head over in July.
Alejandro will also return to Otago Polytechnic in July for the High Performance Strength and Conditioning Workshop for Rugby Union. He hopes to bring five other Argentinian strength and conditioning coaches back with him to take part.
“The All Blacks have been the world champions for two Rugby World Cups now. A lot of work goes into that, so New Zealand is the place to be to learn from the best.”
Read more about Physical Activity and Wellbeing programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
Read more about Alejandro in the Otago Daily Times.
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Community Art leads to scholarship (May 10 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Master of Visual Arts student, Alicia Hall, has won the Otago Polytechnic Art and Community Connections Scholarship for 2017.
Alicia Hall’s enthusiasm is contagious as she explains her journey at Otago Polytechnic.
“During my time at Dunedin School of Art I went thought a total transformation. I arrived as a size 18, and now I’m only a size 12. I just grew more and more happy because I started to discover who I was and also my life's purpose.”
The 51 year-old used to be a bookkeeper and an administrator. She’s always been a ‘maker’, but didn’t think she had the skills needed for Art School.
“I was surprised I got in on the strength of my textile art. I thought I’d have to be able to draw well – but that wasn’t the case. Now I’ve come so far, and I have Art School and Jenny Rudd at Social Services to thank for that”.
Alicia’s full of praise for her lecturers.
“The support and guidance you receive is incredible. If you’re willing to work, they’ll help you every step of the way. They see your potential, and they push you to achieve it.”
In her second year, through her individualised project on the digestive system, Alicia decided to change her life style. This, and experiencing the transformative power of making, lead to her interest in women’s health and well-being.
“What happened to me at Art School is pretty amazing. I want to share that with other women.”
For her Master of Visual Art Degree, Alicia has researched the health benefits that occur while making and creating within a community. Her work was acknowledged when she was awarded with the 2017 Otago Polytechnic Art and Community Connections Scholarship - $1500 towards her post graduate study.
‘I’m really buzzed. I’m grateful for the scholarship money and it is recognition of the work that I’m doing.”
Alicia now plans to volunteer in High Schools around Dunedin. She’s a Christian, and it’s important to her to help people by sharing her artistic techniques and life lessons.
“This coming term I’m teaching textile art skills to a small group of girls at Otago Girls’ High School during their Club Period. As we create we’ll discuss a variety of subjects, from nutrition to stress to life-goals.”
“Community art is so important. When people become involved in a creative network, benefits can add value on a totally different level."
Read about the Master of Visual Arts.
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Anything Could Happen in Shanghai (May 9 2017)
Dunedin is inspiring an international audience with the exhibition ‘Anything Could Happen’ at the prestigious Yu Gallery in Shanghai.
Forty-five works by artists and designers with links to Dunedin were chosen for the exhibition which opened on Monday 8 May.
Kai Tahu kaumātua, Edward Ellison, formally opened the exhibition with a whakamoemiti – blessing to the works and the gallery. Dunedin then gifted the Yu Garden a significant piece of pounamu carved with the Māori motif ‘Aukaha’ which is from the bindings of waka and symbolises the binding together of two sides.
Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull, attended the opening and says the exhibition builds on the success of the long standing sister city relationship between Dunedin and Shanghai.
“Not only does it highlight the strong cultural ties between the two cities, it also provides important economic opportunities for our creative, education and tourism sectors. This is an amazing opportunity to showcase Dunedin,” says Mr Cull.
"Our artists and designers are not constrained by convention. Dunedin has always nurtured an innovative and diverse cultural scene and what you see in the show is a snapshot of our city’s creative energy and style.”
Otago Polytechnic Director of Communications, Mike Waddell was also at the opening and says Otago Polytechnic is thrilled to be collaborating with Enterprise Dunedin and the Dunedin City Council on this project. Otago Polytechnic’s Professor Margo Barton and Senior Lecturer Jane Malthus both curated the exhibition alongside the City Council’s Antony Deaker.
“The event offers a world class experience for the ten students and two staff who’ve made a significant contribution to the design and layout. I am immensely proud of their achievement here in Shanghai,” he says.
“Also, many of our lecturers and graduates from the School of Design and the Dunedin School of Art were chosen to exhibit. This event can only continue to grow the sister city relationship and the relationship with Otago Polytechnic,” he says.
New Zealand Consul General to Shanghai, Guergana Germanoff, (who attended Otago Girls’ High School) spoke at the opening, along with officials from Shanghai, Deputy District Mayor of Huangpu District, Dr Chao Kejian, and Deputy Director-General of Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office Mr Liu Guangyong.
The Yu Gallery is part of the prestigious Yu Yuan (gardens) which are more than 400 years old and attract six million people every year.
‘Anything Could Happen’ runs from May 8 to June 9 and has exclusive use of the gallery.
Photo: Otago Polytechnic Professor, Margo Barton, Dunedin City Council Ara Toi project coordinator, Antony Deaker and Otago Polytechnic Senior Lecturer, Jane Malthus.
Read about Design at Otago Polytechnic and Art at the Dunedin School of Art.
Read about this event in the Otago Daily Times.
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Knit one, purl one, love one (May 8 2017)
“I woke up one Tuesday morning and thought 'What can I do to help today?’”
Tyla-Jaide Jones, is only four months into her Midwifery degree and already she’s helping mothers and babies.
When Tyla-Jaide visited Dunedin’s Queen Mary Maternity Hospital with her classmates, she learned that the ward always needs knitted baby clothing, so she decided to help.
Tyla-Jaide contacted retirement homes in Dunedin, and asked if anyone would be prepared to knit for a good cause.
“Their response was amazing! I went down that afternoon – Tuesdays is craft day at Summerset – and met with some women who told me what they needed. I went straight out and bought the yarn, photocopied some patterns, and dropped them all back.”
The result, dozens of booties, singlets and hats for the newest residents in Dunedin.
“I learnt to knit with my great grandmother when I was young, but I’m not good enough to do any of these patterns! So I thought I’d better enlist some master-knitters. It’s a really nice connection, between the elderly women, the mothers and their babies.”
Tyla-Jaide met with the group of the keen knitters on Friday May 5 (pictured) to celebrate International Midwives Day!
Read about Midwifery at Otago Polytechnic.
Read about Tyla-Jaide in the Otago Daily Times.
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Trekking for breast cancer (May 5 2017)
Lauren Auty is about to make the walk of a life-time.
Next week, the Otago Polytechnic human resources partner will leave for a 111 kilometre trek along the traditional pilgrimage route of Camino de Santiago in Spain. But, as challenging as it will be, this is more than just a five-day walk.
Lauren is a breast-cancer survivor. This challenge has inspired her to get back into physical activity.
Lauren will be joined by twenty others on the walk – all of them raising money for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation (NZBCF) through the travel and fundraising organisation, Inspired Adventures.
After five months of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation therapy and a one-year course of Herceptin, Lauren is on the road to recovery. This trek is a milestone in that journey.
“It’s a way of signalling the end of my treatment, the beginning of feeling well again and looking ahead to the future” she says.
Lauren has been working hard to prepare for the hike.
“I’ve been walking for four hours each day at weekends discovering some of the amazing trails around Dunedin,” she says. “Some of my recent favourites are the Taieri River and Swampy Summit tracks.”
Lauren feels it’s important she gives back after her experience.
“The NZBCF offers important services such as free counselling, rehabilitation and support classes for people with or recovering from breast cancer. But for me, the most important part of its work is funding research into treatments and measures to help prevent the disease.”
Lauren’s also keen to raise awareness of breast cancer and that it can affect women of all ages. She was diagnosed in July 2015 when she was just 31 years-old.
“Know what’s normal for you, and if anything changes then get checked out as soon as possible” she says.
Lauren aims to exceed her fundraising target of $3500. You can track and donate to Lauren’s effort on the NZBCF website. Lauren’s journey to El Camino is also recorded on facebook.
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Student Accommodation May update (May 5 2017)
Otago Polytechnic’s 20 million-dollar student accommodation is now ahead of the original construction programme.
As each level of the Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) structure goes up, service trades are able to gain access to do their work.
The fifth and final floor of the west wing floor and wall structure is now completed, with installation of the roof trusses expected to be complete by the end of the month.
The ground floor on the East wing has now been completed so installation of the electrical, mechanical and plumbing services will now start.
CLT is the generic name given to structural building panels made from wood elements glued together in layers. Otago Polytechnic’s student accommodation is the tallest and largest (by volume) CLT building in New Zealand.
The timber construction’s going up in 11 stages over 90 days encompassing columns, beams, floors and walls.
The Student Accommodation village is the first fully owned Otago Polytechnic residence, and will have 231 beds. These will be single dormitory rooms, studios and four-bedroom apartments. All meals will be provided for dormitory residents.
The accommodation will be finished prior to January 31st 2018, in perfect time for the students to arrive.
Read more about the student accommodation build in the Otago Daily Times.
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Doughnuts for dinner! (May 4 2017)
Having trouble encouraging kids to the dinner table? Here's a no-fail option ... donuts for dinner!
In this Otago Daily Times article, Third-year Bachelor of Culinary Arts student, Phoebe Churcher explains the beauty of sushi donuts.
The recipe uses basic sushi ingredients and a sure fire way to get the kids to eat dinner.
Read more about the Bachlor of Culinary Arts.
More Food Design Institute programmes.
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Otago Polytechnic students celebrate International Day of the Midwife (May 3 2017)
Otago Polytechnic’s School of Midwifery is embracing celebrations for this Friday’s “International Day of the Midwife”.
In Dunedin, Midwifery students and staff will attend a celebratory shared morning tea at the Otago Museum Reserve. Mothers and families are invited to join with midwives to celebrate the day. Pippity Pop, the balloon lady, will entertain the children while all will share morning tea.
Megan Walker is a Senior Lecturer at Otago Polytechnic’s School of Midwifery, as well as the Chairperson for NZ College of Midwives Otago. She says the key message for Friday is that supporting midwives supports women, mothers and families.
“Investing in maternity services and the midwifery workforce is an investment in the wellbeing of New Zealand now and in the future. It is evident in media reports that women are increasingly worried about the under resourcing of midwifery services in New Zealand and would like more priority given to the profession” she says.
In Wellington, Otago Polytechnic midwifery students will take part in a picnic rally at Parliament Gardens in support of midwives. They’ll have placards, balloons and banners on hand to show their support for the profession.
Read about Midwifery at Otago Polytechnic.
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Oceania Rugby Conference (May 3 2017)
Two Otago Polytechnic Sports Lecturers are on their way to the Gold Coast for the Oceania Rugby Sports Science & Sports Medicine Conference.
Hayden Croft, Lecturer in Performance Analysis, and Mat Blair Academic Leader and Senior Lecturer in Physical Conditioning, volunteer their time for the conference. This is the 4th year they’ve been involved.
Ken Hodge, Professor at Otago University’s School of Physical Education, is also attending and is chair of the advisory group.
The conference invites coaches, physios, analysts, sports scientists and sports medical staff from around Oceanic rugby. Most of the Pacific Islands will be represented, including Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
The intensive two-day conference aims to help Pacific Island rugby, addressing the latest breakthroughs and theories on medicine-related matters.
Read more about this in the Otago Daily Times.
Read about the programmes you could study at the Otago Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health.
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New Otago Polytechnic Council appointment (May 1 2017)
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith has today announced a new appointment to the Otago Polytechnic Council.
Dr Neil Barns has extensive experience in the tertiary education sector, recently as Interim Chief Executive of Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology and as the Chief Executive of CPIT and of NMIT.
As a consultant, Dr Barns has worked with tertiary institutions and central government agencies on a range of international education projects.
Mr Goldsmith announced 12 other appointments and reappointments at tertiary education institutions around the country today.
“I welcome the essential skills and experience that these appointees will bring to the leadership of their institutions” says Mr Goldsmith.
Dr Barns will replace John Christie on Otago Polytechnic’s Council.
“I want to recognise and thank the outgoing members for the valuable service, commitment, and contribution they have made to tertiary education in New Zealand” says Mr Goldsmith.
Read about the Council Members at Otago Polytechnic.
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Alumni feature in inaugurual Cleveland National Art Awards (May 1 2017)
The Otago Art Society has announced the winners of the Cleveland National Art Awards. Justin Spiers received the $4000 supreme award for his work "The Garden", Blue Black received an Excellence Award for "Repotted" and Rachel Hope Allan received a merit Award. Congratulations to all the award recipients. Read more in the Otago Daily Times .....
To see more about the awards please visit the Otago Art Society facebook page.
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Games gypsy, a life of travel and sport (April 28 2017)
If you love sport and want to experience the biggest, best events in the world, then you'll think Otago Polytechnic graduate, Matt Cullen, has the perfect job!
He's a professional sporting event administrator. He travels between major sporting events around the world, ensuring they run smoothly.
The Otago Polytechnic Tourism and Travel graduate began by volunteering. He started his paid career when he landed the job of resourcing assistant with the London Olympics in 2012.
He progressed to training event leader, then workforce and business coordinator at the games.
Matt continued his career path, moving to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Baku 2015 European Games and now the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Read more about Matt's chosen career in this NZHerald article.
Read more about Business and Tourism at Otago Polytechnic.
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Modelling health education (April 28 2017)
Transforming a makeshift cardboard model into a professional 3D-printed product could revolutionise the way diabetes is explained in the Southern District.
Marryllyn Donaldson, WellSouth’s Long Term Conditions Community Nurse, approached Otago Polytechnic’s Product Design Lecturer, Andrew Wallace, with a problem. She teaches people about Type 2 Diabetes and had made a cardboard model using tape, glue and red paint to illustrate what insulin does and how it helps sugar get into cells.
“But my cardboard model had seen better days, I really needed something more permanent!” Marryllyn says.
Using Marryllyn’s model as a base, Andrew designed a new version – 3D printing a blood vessel and cell, as well as the sugar and ‘trapdoor’ that illustrates insulin allowing sugar into the cell.
“I could see how product design would add real value both in education and in health” he says.
“I’m absolutely blown away with this partnership” says Marryllyn. “Andrew sees my vision, and has done the research and design for free, which means I can get this out to the community now.”
Marryllyn’s job is to show people how they can self-manage long term conditions by changing their behaviour. But explaining how insulin works has always been difficult.
“We’ve tried pamphlets, videos and workshops, but many people just don’t understand until they get this in their hands and can actually visualise how insulin works. It works for all ages, all ethnicities and all cultures.”
Marryllyn also teaches and upskills health-care professionals. The 3D-printed model, which is easily replicated, can now be sent around the region to help more people understand their condition.
Marryllyn and Andrew are now working on the next model for early kidney disease. Currently, Marryllyn uses measuring cups and beads to illustrate protein in the kidney. Andrew is keen to involve his students studying a degree in product design.
Marryllyn’s vision is to have a case filled with various models that educate and illustrate diabetes, asthma, heart failure and early kidney disease.
Read about this story in Educators-Technology.
Read about Product Design at Otago Polytechnic.
More Design programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
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Brittany Arthur legacy (April 27 2017)
“The fact that it was awarded by parents who’ve lost a child. They don’t know how humbling that is”.
Ann Gutsell, a mother herself, contemplates what it means to be awarded the inaugural Brittany Arthur Memorial Scholarship.
20-year-old Brittany Arthur was facing a bright future in nursing when she succumbed to meningitis in August of 2016. She had recently completed her studies at Otago Polytechnic, and was looking forward to her transition to practice placement.
In memory of their caring and generous daughter, Brittany’s parents, Jose and Donald, created a scholarship in her name. Four graduates received $2,500 to assist their transition to registered nurse practice. The scholarship is also an acknowledgement of the nurses that cared for Brittany, and will continue to be offered to four graduates for another four more years. There are no conditions on how the money is to be spent, and each recipient has made very personal choices.
Ann Gutsell is now working for Te Ara Hauora (Maori Liaison Services) at Dunedin Hospital. She is incredibly thankful for the scholarship which she has used practically - to pay for a good pair of nursing shoes, and a bike.
“After studying for three years, it’s such a blessing to not have to worry about waiting for when pay comes in. I could purchase them straight away”.
Jodine Keeley spent the last four years working part time while studying for her degree. She’s now the sole nurse at Geraldine Retirement Home.
“It was such a privilege to get this scholarship. Mine has gone straight towards a deposit for a house – it’s helping set me up for a secure future.”
Natalie Kannemeyer was moved by Brittany Arthur’s love for her family, so decided use the money to visit her own relations in South Africa.
“Many people know where they come from, yet I hadn’t been back to South Africa for 16 years. Most importantly, I got to spend time with my grandparents who are in their 80s. I’m really, really grateful for that opportunity.”
Teodoro Bulatao studied via the Timaru co-hort. He is working with Community Mental Health Services in Timaru, and is using his scholarship towards further studies.
“I am doing two post-graduate papers, and the money will definitely help with costs around those. This is a very special honour, and I want to use it wisely” he says.
None of the graduates were aware of the scholarships at last year’s graduation.
“It was totally unexpected. I was just sitting in the audience when my name was called. It is such a privilege” says Natalie.
The four chosen nurses are especially caring and generous, they were picked for their empathy, compassion, aptitude and attitude … mirroring the special young woman who their scholarships honour.
Pictured: Natalie Kannemeyer, Teodoro Bulatao and Ann Gutsell.
Read more about the Bachelor of Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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Our Holly and Gina up for Sportswoman of the year (April 26 2017)
Otago Polytechnic graduates, Holly Robinson and Gina Crampton are two of the three finalists for Otago Sportswoman of the year.
Holly Robinson is a 2016 Paralympic silver medallist and Gina Crampton is a Southern Steel and Silver Fern netballer. They're up against International cricketer and last year's winner, Suzie Bates.
In the sportsman of the year category, Olympic champion Hamish Bond is up against test cricketer Neil Wagner and bowls veteran Mike Kernaghan.
The judging panel includes Otago Polytechnic's head of Institute of Sport and Adventure, Megan Gibbons.
The winners will be announced at the Otago Sports Awards at the Dunedin Town Hall on May 19.
Read more about Holly Robinson.
Read more about the Otago Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health.
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Weaving through a lens (April 26 2017)
‘The most powerful way to reduce poverty is to give women access to income.’
That’s the motivation behind Awamaki, a Women’s Cooperative Programme run for Andean women in Peru. It helps women start and run their own business – creating artisan products from alpaca wool.
Otago Polytechnic alumna and former photography lecturer, Emily Hlavac Green, is about to fly to Peru with ‘Photographers Without Boarders’. Her aim is to document the whole process that Awamaki supports, from shearing to spinning, to weaving and finally selling. In doing so, she hopes to promote the skilled work of the Andean women.
“They’re building a support system that harbours both creativity and business which I can identify with as a woman pursuing creative projects.”
She wants to use her creative skillset to fight for a cause she believes in.
“By using my camera as a tool to relay their work to the world, I hope to help Awamaki reach a wider global market and grow their creative business. In turn, helping them educate and inspire people to be mindful of the origins of what they buy.”
Emily says Awamaki is educating and empowering Andean women in unique and hands-on artisan practices while strengthening a whole community.
“Living in New York City I’m feeling, more than ever, the global impact of consumerism and the significance of supporting small ethical businesses”.
Photographers Without Boarders fundraising page for Emily Hlavac Green is: https://grouprev.com/PWBFundraiser-awamakiperu
Emily’s website is: http://www.emilyhlavacgreen.com/
Awamaki’s website is: https://awamaki.org/about/
Read about Emily in the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about the Dunedin School of Art at Otago Polytechnic.
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Tōfā Soifua Tasi (April 24 2017)
One of our longest serving, best loved staff members retired at Easter after 30 years at Otago Polytechnic.
Tasi Lemalu, Otago Polytechnic's Pacific Island Cultural Advisor / Community Liaison Officer, has worked tirelessly to support Pasifika students at Otago Polytechnic.
Tasi was born in Western Samoa, and moved to Wellington in 1955, aged 17, for her education. Before returning to Samoa, she decided to see the South Island. When she got to Dunedin, Tasi decided to stay after meeting a group of fellow Samoans through church … and her future husband, High Chief Lemalu-Nanai Foalima. They married in 1970 and had two children, IT specialist Selena and renowned bass-baritone opera singer, Jonathan.
In 1982 Tasi was appointed as the inaugural chairperson for the Education Committee responsible for gathering the Pacific Island communities together in Otago for the purpose of further education at Otago Polytechnic.
One of the barriers to education for Pasifika residents was childcare – so Tasi set up the first Pacific Island Childcare Centre in Otago … free of charge.
She says graduations are always the highlight of her year.
“Every time I see a student walk across the stage, I tell myself that all of the work I’ve done over the years has been worth it.”
Photo: Takiwai Russell-Camp
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Art with confidence in Wanaka (April 24 2017)
Wanaka residents can now develop their creative flare with the start of night-time art classes, thanks to Otago Polytechnic.
Steev Peyroux, Technical Teacher at the Dunedin School of Art, says this is the first time Otago Polytechnic has offered art night classes in Wanaka.
“We are really excited to provide this creative education for the Wanaka community. It’s particularly exciting that the tutor is of such a high calibre”.
That tutor is Jenny Sutherland - a graduate of Otago Polytechnic and an experienced teacher. She aims to provide a relaxing and resourceful introduction to drawing.
Students will learn to draw with various mediums, learn about methods and media, new skills and how to develop creative ideas.
The course starts on May 1 and runs through to June 23.
Read more about Drawing With Confidence.
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Foraging for fine food (April 24 2017)
Mouth-watering mushrooms, tantalising thyme, flavoursome figs … they’re all there for the foraging in the latest project for Otago Polytechnic’s Central Campus cookery students.
The Diploma in Cookery class recently partnered with Amisfield Bistro to learn which wonderful weeds are worth foraging for – then they created a four course fine dining experience to match selected Amisfield wines with their produce.
Peter Langlands, an expert on native flora, fauna and marine life, shared his knowledge with the group.
The class foraged for two days then created a menu including a local protein (like rabbit or venison) to finish the dish.
Chris Smith, Cookery lecturer, says the project aligns perfectly with Otago Polytechnic’s ethos.
“We focus on ‘paddock to plate’, and this is exactly that. It’s getting back to the fundamentals of cooking – using what is around you and in season. It’s all about sustainability” he says.
Amisfield’s food philosophy echoes that sentiment. They serve the best of what is fresh, local and in season. Spokesperson, Larni Wedd, says the company wanted to share their knowledge, so asked Otago Polytechnic Central students to join them.
“We are fortunate to have the Culinary School in our back yard. With the desire to inspire the up and comers in our industry, we have invited them to come and be a part of our journey” she says.
Check out the video of Central Campus' Foraging Event.
Watch Channel 39's story on the event.
Learn more about Cookery at Otago Polytechnic's Central Campus.
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Chairs to that! (April 13 2017)
A group of Central Otago Secondary school boys has joined their collective talent to raise money for New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation’s Pink Ribbon Campaign.
The group of 14 are studying Level 2 Carpentry at the Otago Secondary Tertiary College (OSTC) at Otago Polytechnic’s Central Campus. This helps them achieve NCEA and aligns them with a vocational pathway into further education, industry training or employment. They meet every Friday, and have recently made outdoor benches which they’ve decided to raffle to raise money for the charity.
Lecturer, Grant Beel, says the young men love their Friday lessons.
“They’re supposed to start at 9am, but they’re always there by 8:15. I have to make them break for lunch, they’re just loving the hands on learning” he says. “It’s great that they want to use their new skills to raise money for charity”.
The raffle will be drawn at the Pink Ribbon Breakfast in Cromwell on Wednesday 26. The raffle cards are nearly all sold – with $400 raised for the charity.
The first prize is an outdoor chair, second prize is a breadboard and spatula, and third prize is a wooden kiwi. Dunedin OSTC is holding the same raffle, for an identical set of prizes.
Read more about the Otago Secondary Tertiary College.
Read more about Construction at Otago Polytechnic.
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Prime Minister helping with international fashion (April 12 2017)
Ten Otago Polytechnic Design students are off on the journey of a lifetime to work on collaborative projects with students in Shanghai, China.
Communication Design student, Jack Weily, was ecstatic when he was accepted to go.
“I’ve collaborated with others around the world, but never where I’ve been the exchange student! This is a reverse role, and it’s going to be such a good experience.”
The group has been awarded the prestigious Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) and will embark in May for the truly international design metropolis.
The Fashion and Communication Design students will travel to three Chinese institutional partners over six weeks, visit design studios in the city of Shenzhen, and attend China’s Graduate Fashion Week in Beijing with their Shanghainese colleagues.
Fashion student, Brittany Cadogan, is thrilled with the opportunity.
“It’s such a great opportunity. Not many people can say they’ve done this! I’m really grateful for the funding that allows us to do this.”
Doctor Margo Barton, Otago Polytechnic’s Fashion Design Professor, is delighted.
“These Prime Minister’s Scholarships will create so much opportunity for our students. In the fashion industry, you hardly ever work by yourself, so it’s really important to learn how to engage with different people. I hope this will have an impact on the design industry in the long-term – these relationships will have meaning well into the future,” she says.
The six-week trip will constitute a 15-point paper, and will include all aspects of fashion and communication design.
“We’ll be focussing on sustainability – not just for educating our students, but also including students from the Shanghai Universities as well” she says.
To wrap up their visit, the students have been invited to create their own pop-up display as part of the Dunedin City Council and Otago Polytechnic collaborated exhibition “Anything Could Happen”. This is being held at the Yu Gallery in the Yu Yuan Gardens - one of Shanghai’s most visited tourist destinations.
Read more about Design programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
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Dunedin artists' work to Shanghai (April 12 2017)
Some of Dunedin's top artists will soon receive international recognition when their works are viewed at the Yu Gallery in the Yu Yuan Gardens, Shanghai. About 6 million people visit the gardens each year.
Artists and designers selected for the Anything Could Happen exhibition, are Rachel Allan (photographer), Jane Avery (design), Ariane Bray (design), Louise Clifton (shoe-maker), Moira Crossman (weaver), Anita De Soto (art), Inge Doesburg (art), Tara Douglas (photographer), Alan Dove (photographer), Craig Easton (sculpture), Kirsten Ferguson (art), Kate Fitzharris (ceramic), Guy Frederick (photographer), Emily Hlavac-Green (art), Rowan Holt (art), Jay Hutchinson (sculpture), Alexander Kennedy (art), Ewan McDougall (art), Victoria MacIntosh (jewellery/sculpture), Phillip Madill (art), Mary McFarlane (sculpture), Juliet Novenna Sorrel (sculpture), Jenna Packer (art), Steev Peyroux (art), Abby Pullar and Emilie Van Schreven (design), Amanda Shanley (ceramics), David Shields (photography), Holly Simpson-Howe (jewellery), Donna Tulloch (design), Fiona Van Oyen (art), Jane Venis (sculpture), Yonel Watene (art).read more in the Otago Daily Times....
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/dunedin-artists-work-bright-lights-shanghai
image by Rachel Hope Allan
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Anything Could Happen has started happening! (April 11 2017)
Dunedin’s reputation as a centre of artistic excellence will soon receive international recognition with an exhibition at the prestigious Yu gallery in Shanghai.
‘Anything Could Happen’ is a collection of art and fashion that has been inspired by Dunedin.
Artists and designers with links to the city were asked to submit works and now the successful applicants have been chosen.
Forty-five works from 32 artists will arrive at Otago Polytechnic today (Monday) – ready for the exhibition to be mapped out in the Dunedin School of Art tomorrow (Tuesday). On Wednesday, the works will be photographed for the catalogue and repackaged, then on Thursday, they’ll be collected before being freighted to Shanghai at the end of the month.
Antony Deaker, Dunedin City Council Ara Toi project coordinator, says the selection panel had a tough job.
“We had to choose from nearly 200 art pieces for this exhibition and all were of an incredibly high standard.”
Professor Margo Barton, Otago Polytechnic’s fashion academic leader, says this is a wonderful opportunity.
“Otago Polytechnic is delighted to be collaborating with Enterprise Dunedin and Dunedin City Council on this project. The exhibition gives designers a rare chance to promote their work to an international audience at one of Shanghai’s leading tourist spots.”
The Yu Gallery is at the Yu Yuan Gardens which are more than 400 years old. Six million people visit them every year.
Mr Deaker says the exhibition is an incredible connection for Dunedin-related artists with their sister city in China. He says the project is a real export opportunity that promotes Dunedin and its quality of creativity and education.
“We hope to introduce our exhibitors to Shanghai artists, designers and event organisers for possible future collaborations. We’ll also introduce them to dealers and agents which will hopefully support sales”.
‘Anything Could Happen’ runs from May 7 to June 9 and has exclusive use of the gallery.
Photo: Jane Venis stands in front of artworks with her own contribution 'You Saxy Thing'.
Anything Could Happen is in the ODT and on Channel 9.
Read more about Design programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
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Relay for life (April 10 2017)
Otago Polytechnic and University students have raised nearly $100,000 in the Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
New Zealand's only student-led Relay for Life was held on Friday night (April 7th) around Otago University's clocktower.
At midnight, students held a candlelight ceremony remembering friends and family members who have had a cancer diagnosis".
The event ran for 12 hours through cold, drizzly conditions - but nothing dampened the students' spirits.
Read more about the Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
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Constructing an apprentice challenge (April 10 2017)
"I'm just really, really stoked!"
Apprentice, Chris McLean, sums up winning the Otago regional final for the 2017 New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge on Saturday, hosted at Otago Polytechnic.
Chris, along with four other competitors, had to make an outside table and bench seats in eight hours.
They were given enough timber for the job ... the rest was up to them.
They were judged on their plan reading, health and safety, and their attention to detail - every millimetre they missed was a point off their overall score.
The event was one of 14 held around the country - the winners will all attend the national final in Auckland from May 25-27.
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Campus Development Plan (April 10 2017)
Otago Polytechnic has started planning for the future - and has called for tenders on its Campus Development Plan.
Chief Executive, Phil Ker, says the plan will allow for growth at the polytechnic and bring the ageing infrastructure into the 21st century.
He says it could cost about $60 million dollars and take at least five years to complete.
Chief Operating Officer, Philip Cullen, says the campus development plan is primarily for the Dunedin campus, and has several objectives. These include co-locating like schools and activities to the Forth Street and Anzac Ave sites; catering for expansion; refurbishing and modifying existing buildings so they're fit for purpose; and, in due course, enable Otago Polytechnic to exit leased sites.
Mr Cullen says the plan is still very much just that. The polytechnic has called for tenders to research and plan what actually needs to be done and the sequence in which it should be done.
Read the Otago Daily Times article on this subject.
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Stitch it, mend it, sew it, SAVE IT! (April 6 2017)
Stitch it, mend it, fix it sew it ... whatever it takes, the crew at 'Unstitched' will teach you how to revigorate old fashion.
Unstitched is Dunedin's answer to the global drive to revolutionise fashion.
It's organised by Dunedin's ethical fashion hub 'Just Atelier'. Otago Polytechnic fashion graduate, Fiona Clements is a founding member, and is deligted to be promoting her dream of fashion sustainability.
"Every year, 4,000 tonnes of textiles end up in Dunedin's landfill. We want to educate consumers where their clothes are coming from and ending up, We want to empower them with the skills to mend, fix or alter their own fashion" she says.
All ages and all levels of experience are welcome at Unstitched, which will run until the end of April at 23 Princes Street, Dunedin.
Local artists, designers and crafters will lead workshops which include mending, making t-shirts, op-shop tours, upcycling, and so much more.
View Channel 39's take on Unstitched.
Read more about the Bachelor of Design (Fashion) at Otago Polytechnic.
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International fashion designer on Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, and iD Fashion (April 6 2017)
This year's international guest designer at iD Fashion Week was full of praise for Fashion Design at Otago Polytechnic.
Paulo Melim Andersson lectured at Otago Polytechnic in 2005, so knows the school, and its academic leader well.
His retrospective show at iD Fashion was full of floating and tailored looks that revealed a very real signature from his life time of work
Read more about Paulo Melim Andersson and his visit to Dunedin in Lucire magazine.
Learn more about studying Fashion at Otago Polytechnic.
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Cricketer of the Year for Otago Polytechnic Student (April 6 2017)
An Otago Polytechnic student has been named the NZ Secondary School Girls Young Cricketer of the Year 2016.
Bella James is now studying for a Certificate in Applied Sport and Exercise Studies (Level 4) (Specialty) at Otago Polytechnic.
She led St Hilda's to their first NZCT Secondary School Girls title in 2016 and was named player of the tournament.
Bella received her award at the New Zealand Cricket Awards last week.
Read more about Bella's cricket journey.
Read more about the Physical Activity and Wellbeing programmes.
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Time to break bread (April 5 2017)
Sara Ebadi is a student with the Food Design Institute at Otago Polytechnic.
In this Otago Daily Times Lifestyle article, she shows how to make Argentinian flat bread with chimichurri dressing.
Read it, make it, love it!
Read more about the Bachelor of Culinary Arts at Otago Polytechnic.
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Midwife Vanuatu bound (April 5 2017)
An Otago Polytechnic Midwifery Student will draw on all her knowledge when she spends five weeks in Vanuatu on placement in September.
Kayla Hazeldine is well aware that Vanuatu won't have the same equipment that midwives enjoy in New Zealand - so the care will rely completely on her.
"I think it will be a whole skill set that you rely on - just your knowledge and what you've got, rather than here with all the resourecs in the hospital" she says.
Kayla is studying Midwifery through Otago Polytechnic in Palmerston North, and is currently on placement in Hawera.
Read more about Kayla's story in the Taranaki Daily News.
Read more about Midwifery at Otago Polytechnic.
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Building an apprenticeship challenge (April 3 2017)
Timber will fall and sawdust will fly at this year’s Apprentice Challenge for Otago.
Six contestants will line up for the coveted top regional spot and a chance to fight for the National title.
Tensions will be high as apprentices are only given the details of what they’re to build one week before the competition. They’ll be supplied with enough timber to complete the job … the rest is up to them.
Otago Polytechnic is proudly hosting the event in Dunedin. Carpentry Lecturer, Kevin Dunbar points out that all six of the apprentices, who were chosen from around Otago, have either studied or are currently studying at the polytechnic.
“It’s good for us to support both the apprentices and the industry by encouraging the young talent coming through” he says. “The competition shows how they can work accurately, under pressure with time constraints and judging. They’re also judged on their plan reading and health and safety.”
The winner of the event will compete in the New Zealand competition in Auckland from May 25-27. Mr Dunbar says Otago apprentices usually do very well at the national level.
“I attribute that to the local trade training they receive and the high quality of local industries” he says.
There’s also a top prize pool sponsored by ITM:
First Place: Makita Drill/Driver Combination Kit & $300 ITM Gift Voucher
Second Place: Makita Job site Radio & $200 ITM Gift Voucher
Third Place: Est Wing 20oz Hammer & $100 ITM Gift Voucher
Two Otago Polytechnic students enrolled in the Managed Apprentice scheme at Central Otago campus are competing in the Central Otago Apprentice Challenge. That will be hosted by ITM in Cromwell on Saturday. Four apprentices will compete for a chance to attend the nationals and the same prizes as in Dunedin.
The events are part of a national competition organised by New Zealand Certified Builders and sponsored by ITM, and will be held on Satuday 8 April.
Read about Construction at Otago Polytechnic.
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The History of Art (March 31 2017)
For nearly 150 years, Dunedin School of Art has fostered outstanding artists, resourceful graduates and versatile individuals.
Otago Polytechnic is now celebrating the institution that supported that talent with the launch of Dunedin School of Art: A History.
New Zealand’s oldest art school was established in 1870. DC Hutton, the school’s founder and first principal (1870-1908), still observes the halls from his portrait on the wall.
Jim Tomlin was Head of the School for three decades leading up to the 21st Century. Under his guidance, a degree and later the much celebrated Master of Fine Arts were instigated. Upon retirement, Jim realised the importance of recording the life and times of art education in Dunedin. So, in a labour of love, he researched, documented and wrote the text, capturing a comprehensive history of the Dunedin School of Art.
The outgoing Head of School, Leoni Schmidt, says the journal is extremely well documented and written.
“This account will be very important to anyone interested in the history of art in New Zealand, particularly the history of art education and how it fits into the wider education context. I’m amazed at how many people have contacted me wanting a copy. That really illustrates the mana that Dunedin School of Art has in the art world”.
The journal will be launched next Tuesday (April 4) at the Dunedin School of Art. Jim Tomlin will be present.
Pictured: Leoni Schmidt with the special edition of Scope: Dunedin School of Art: A History in front of DC Hutton's portrait.
Read more about studying Art at Otago Polytechnic.
Dunedin School of Art: A History, by Jim Tomlin available for download at http://www.thescopes.org/home/art-and-design-12/
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Making a job of farm succession (March 30 2017)
An Otago Polytechnic student is helping farmers with a complex and emotional subject - farm succession.
For her final year in the Bachelor of Applied Management (Accounting) degree, Ashley Hart compiled an information sheet for farmers on how to get the basics right when it comes to farm succession.
She worked with AbacusBio farm consultants Simon Glennie and Bruce McCorkindale who introduced her to the concept of farm succession, and people that were dealing with the issues.
Ashley interviewed many families, and produced an easy-to-read publication to get people thinking about the farm succession process.
During her research, Ashley also worked with accountancy firms ICL and Harvie Green Wyatt.
The latter has now offered her a job.
Read more about Ashley's project.
Read more about the Bachelor of Applied Management (Accounting).
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Nine creatives inspired by Otago Museum’s textile collection. (March 29 2017)
The Greeks and Romans believed that creativity came from divine spirits.
The latest findings in neuroscience suggest new ideas are the result of networks of neurons firing in sync in the brain.
Inspiration is a force both serendipitous and searched for, that starts with a spark and builds into a bonfire.
At the end of 2016 nine creatives were invited to produce new works of art inspired by objects from the Museum’s textile collection.
They are linked by their contemporary approach to their diverse practices.#Currentexhibition featuring new work by Devon Smith, Flynn Morris-Clarke, James Bellaney, Kelly O'Shea, Rachel Blackburn, Elise Johnston
18 March – 2 July 2017
Otago Museum
1877 Gallery
FreeFor more information about the artists see here: http://otagomuseum.nz/current/#!/artists
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Phenomenology of perception and the materiality of light (March 29 2017)
David Green's recent MFA Exhibition, Emergence, at the Dunedin School of Art sparked two collaborations with Trevor Coleman who recently completed his PhD at the Otago University School of Music. Coleman's research includes creating, developing, and performing polyrhythmic compositions. Green's research considers the phenomenology of perception and the materiality of light, while his art practice operates in the field of expanded cinema. One resulting collaboration was a live performance by Coleman in the Dunedin School of Art gallery space at the closing of Green's Exhibition and the second was the video piece 'Spiral Requiem' shot and edited by Green.
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The value of international students. (March 28 2017)
Every year, Otago Polytechnic is pleased to welcome students from all around the world to our campuses in Dunedin, Central Otago and Auckland.
Students enjoy our practical approach to programmes from undergraduate certificates, diplomas and degrees, through to postgraduate masters’ degrees.
International students come here to prepare for a career, improve their English and enjoy the fun and safe New Zealand lifestyle.
The quality of our programmes, and the work-readiness of our graduates, is recognised far and wide, making us one of New Zealand's best and most preferred tertiary organisations.
Because of all these reasons, the number of international students at Otago Polytechnic continues to increase year on year.
In 2015 our Auckland campus had 540 international students, last year that rose to 766.
Dunedin's campus has also enjoyed an increase from 425 in 2015 to 513 in 2016.
Central Campus in Cromwell has risen from 90 to 113 last year.
Read more about the Otago Daily Times editor's view on the value of overseas students to our country.
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Buster breaks free! (March 28 2017)
Buster, the busted up penguin, has more than a fighting chance now that he's been released back to the wild.
The yellow-eyed penguin was first seen by wildlife vet, Lisa Argilla, two years ago when he was flown to Wellington with a lacerated foot.
Dr Argilla amputated his toe, patched him up, and sent him home again.
You can imagine how surprised she was to meet the feisty bird once again when he was brought to her at this year's Pop-up Penguin Hospital housed at Otago Polytechnic's School of Veterinary Nursing.
She was sad to see he'd suffered lacerations across his midrift ... probably after a fight with a shark. But the good news: his amputated toe didn't seem to be affecting his life back at sea.
Dr Argilla operated on, then patched up the thankless bird (he's called Buster for a reason) before sending him to Penguin Place for rehabilitation.
Yesterday, Buster the penguin was released back to the wild by the man who found him after his shark fight, Shaun Templeton from Elm Tours.
Read more about Buster in the news.
Read more about the School of Veterinary Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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OP at iD (March 27 2017)
Otago Polytechnic student takes out the People's Choice Award at the iD International Emerging Designer Awards.
Laura Bennett describes her collection, 'A lucid Distraction', as "an invitation to escape the digital realm into the solace and wonder of nature".
The collection features a kaleidoscope of colour that draws a hearty smile and leaves a fun impression of pom poms and flowers.
The People's Choice Award was proudly sponsored by Otago Polytechnic, and was decided by a text vote.
Otago Polytechnic is proud to be a sponsor of the iD Dunedin Fashion Week, which was a great success.
One of our favourite events is, of course, the iD International Emerging Designer Awards.
In this coveted competition, students from Otago Polytechnic compete against others from around the world - this year there were 33 finalists from 12 countries.
It's Australasia's largest emerging fashion design competition, and this year was held at Dunedin's historic railway station.
The students' garments were judged by a panel of top fashion industry folk, and were displayed down the 86m catwalk in a big awards evening on Thursday 23 March.
The overall winner was University of Technology Sydney's Nehma Vitols.
The iD Dunedin Fashion Week, and Otago Polytechnic's support of it, were prevalent in local and national media. Some of those are:
- The must see events for the week were outlined in Fashion Quarterly.
- Otago Polytechnic's Dr Margo Barton and Dr Jane Malthus joined a panel to choose "Current", a costume and textile collection at the Otago Museum. Read more about it here.
- The couture catwalk of the iD International Emerging Designer Awards is discussed in Thread.
- Laura Bennet's People's Choice Award is explained in more detail in this Otago Daily Times article.
- Otago Polytechnic Fashion graduate, Fiona Clements, is profiled in The Women's Weekly.
- There are some great Faces in the Crowd in this Otago Daily Times photographic account.
- Otago Polytechnic fashion students help out back stage, as illustrated in this article in Stuff.
- Account of the iD Dunedin Fashion Show 2017 in Thread.
- Margo Barton helped organise the Metamorphosis Symposium at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, as detailed in Newsie.
Read more about Fashion Design at Otago Polytechnic.
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Supporting Kowhai Grove (March 27 2017)
Kowhai Grove is a community garden on the Taieri. It grows vegetables, nurtures young people and promotes resilience.
Otago Polytechnic supports this venture, both with funding and volunteers.
Read about the initiative and how it's helping young people from Otago.
Read about Otago Polytechnic student Luke Facer and why he's helping at Kowhai Grove.
Learn more about Horticulture at Otago Polytechnic.
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Mastering the Arts (March 27 2017)
Clive Humphreys is the new interim head of Dunedin Art School. He talks to Bruce Munro from the Otago Daily Times about rubbish trucks, art in these turbulent times and the need for the school to maintain its disciplines.
Last year Clive received recognition from AKO Aotearoa for sustained excellence in teaching. Clive’s teaching has a philosophical foundation in stimulating, challenging and provoking public thought through the work of his students. He expects graduates to be ‘change-ready’, not merely work-ready. He challenges them to develop an “analytic instinct for the pulse of social and cultural currents” and to truly make a difference.
Professor Leoni Schmidt has accepted the role of Director Research and Postgraduate Studies, and will also be continuing with students in that role at the Dunedin School of Art.
Ready more in the Otago Daily Times.... https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/mastering-arts
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Onwards and upwards for student accommodation build (March 27 2017)
The construction of Otago Polytechnic's student accommodation continues on time as the structure really starts to take shape.
The focus continues on the erection of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels and the construction of the light timber frame walls.
At times, two cranes are on site to ensure panels are erected as they arrive.
The construction of the CLT panels is scheduled over 11 stages. This week sees the start of stage four.
The first fix for the service trades is underway, as the internal walls progress and the rooms take shape.
External drainage around the building is nearing completion.
Sustainability is a key factor with this build.
Otago Polytechnic’s aim is to have a buildings that teach within the framework of the Living Building Challenge™.
Some of the sustainable elements in the student accommodation build are:
- Heat recovery ventilation system - Fresh air will be delivered constantly to every room providing optimum conditions for concentration.
- High level of insulation - Very little heating required in winter months.
- Low-flow water fixtures - Helping to conserve water.
- Energy efficient appliances - Helping to conserve electricity.
- LED lighting - energy efficient (less electricity used), no toxic elements, a longer lifespan.
- Good daylighting levels – Helping to reduce the need for artificial lighting (less electricity used)
- Double glazing with thermally broken, Low E, Argon fill window joinery - Superior insulation.
- Only Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) timber is used - Certified timber that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests.
- Timber structure – helping to reduce the ecological carbon footprint of the building.
- Facilities for waste recycling
- Bike store – to encourage transportation for health and wellbeing.
- Edible gardens – as part of the wider polytechnic Living landscape for food production for the use of the students.
Read more about Otago Polytechnic's student accommodation build in the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about sustainability at Otago Polytechnic.
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Innovation, creativity, opportunity at Otago Polytechnic (March 23 2017)
Wunderbar! Grande! Eccezionale! Superbe!
It was a multicultural feast of exclamations when four European Journalists visited Otago Polytechnic today.
The journalists from Germany, Italy and France, were invited by Education New Zealand.
Senior Market Development Manager for Europe, Ute Haug, says ENZ’s main focus was to give European journalists an opportunity to see what New Zealand is really like.
“They need to see it’s not only about Hobbits, it’s about education too!” she quips.
Journalist Karl Jurczyk, from Funke Mediengruppe in Germany, says education in New Zealand is very different from his experience in Europe.
“It’s so much more open and innovative here. The Polytechnic is very creative and students get as much opportunity as they wish. The teachers are very interested and very engaged in the job” he says.
The group has spent the week visiting education providers in Auckland, Hamilton, Nelson and now Dunedin. They timed their southern visit to coincide with tonight’s Emerging Designer Awards. Tomorrow, they’ll visit St Hilda’s High School and Otago University.
Pictured: Karl Jurczyk - Germany, Alessandro Crisafulli - Italy, Marie-Anne Nourry - France and Francesca Barbieri - Italy.
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Sustainable mowing (March 23 2017)
Otago Polytechnic’s Living Campus team is heading back to basics with a non-motorised push mower.
Horticulture Lecturer, Kim Thomas, says the mower has many advantages for maintaining high traffic areas.
“It reduces noise pollution and emissions and it’s a good work-out for the user. It’s safer to use around people and it fits in with our principles around sustainability.”
The Campus Living team of five former students is keen to teach others about the Living Campus gardens. They’re more than happy to answer questions regarding horticulture and which foods are ready for harvest.
At the moment, hazelnuts, herbal teas, beans, parsley, celery, lettuces and kale are all ripe for the picking.
One of the team is usually around on Mondays or Thursdays. but the produce is there 24/7 and people are welcome to take it.
The Living Campus Team (pictured) are Tracey Frisby, Amber Lewis, Michael Gaffney, Paula Griannah and Jeanette Spooner on the push mower.
Read more about Horticulture at Otago Polytechnic.
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Edible weeds and so much more (March 19 2017)
You too can forage around Dunedin for all things edible and nice now that a group of Otago Polytechnic students is on the case!
The Communication Design students are creating a 'foraging map' that will illustrate all the edible weeds and surplus produce around Dunedin.
The students hope the map will encourage people to interact over a city asset.
The resource will highlight which weeds are edible and pinpoint roadside fruit trees and community vegetable gardens.
The map will, of course, include Otago Polytechnic's Living Campus garden, where everyone's welcome to collect and eat the produce.
If residents want to add a foraging site or community garden to the map, email danieljh@windowslive.com.
Read more about the project in the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about the Bachelor of Design (Communication).
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International student numbers rise at Otago Polytechnic. (March 19 2017)
Otago Polytechnic's international students contributed nearly $17 million to the Otago economy last year.
The polytechnic's international student numbers have continued to increase, with a 32% rise across all three campuses in 2016 compared with 2015.
Education New Zealand has just released figures for 2015, and reveal that international students contributed $142 million to Otago's economy, of which $117 million was in Dunedin and $23 million was in Central Otago.
Based on the Education New Zealand workings, each student contributes more than $27,000 each year.
That means, in 2015, Otago Polytchnic's 515 international students based in Otago, contributed nearly $14 million to the Otago economy. That figure increased to nearly $17 million in 2016 (with a rise to 626 international students across the Dunedin and Central campuses).
Read more in the Otago Daily Times.
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Work ready for Dunedin (March 19 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is in partnership with the Dunedin City Council and University of Otago to help students fine employment here.
The Work Ready Programme educates international students on New Zealand culture, particularly in the work environment.
The programme also links them with businesses and helps them find jobs in the city.
Read the Otago Daily Times article on Denise Narciso, a former Otago Polytechnic student from the Philippines, who's now working at the Otago Polytechnic School of Design.
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Otago Polytechnic supports predator-free pledge (March 19 2017)
Otago Polytechnic has signed a Predator Free Dunedin Memorandum of Understanding with 18 other organisations.
The memorandum aims to create a haven for wildlife in the wider Dunedin area.
Signatories agree to work co-operatively to develop a city-wide management plan that aligns with the Government’s Predator Free 2050 target.
Conservation Minister, Maggie Barry attended the signing.
“Predator Free Dunedin is based on the concept of a city as a ‘living restoration laboratory’, linking research and education with action and connecting and supporting communities to restore the health of our natural environment" she says.
Read more about the venture here and here in the Otago Daily Times.
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Successful Penguin Hospital (March 17 2017)
The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust is celebrating the success of its temporary Penguin Hospital this summer.
The pop-up hospital, funded by the Trust and housed at Otago Polytechnic for the last nine weeks, closes today (Friday 17th March). In that time, wildlife vet, Lisa Argilla, has saved 34 yellow-eyed penguins. With only 250 breeding pairs on the mainland, that’s a considerable contribution to the population.
“These birds require intensive hospitalisation. It’s been fantastic working from Dunedin, I truly believe we’ve made a real difference to the success of care this season” says Dr Argilla.
Sue Murray, Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust General Manager, is delighted with the hospital’s outcome.
“We normally have to send injured yellow-eyed penguins to the North Island. One of the main problems faced is infection. By having immediate treatment, we’ve been able to save more birds. Our members helped fund this project, so it’s great to report on its success” says Mrs Murray.
Dr Argilla will stay on for a few days to care for the remaining birds, but any newly injured birds will now be treated by local vets, or flown to Wellington or Palmerston North for care.
Francesca Brown, Otago Polytechnic School of Veterinary Nursing Programme Leader, says it has been a delight having the penguin hospital onsite.
“It’s great these birds could be treated locally, and we’re so pleased that Lisa and her team of volunteers have done so well. It was a real honour for Otago Polytechnic to be involved with this project.”
Read more about Veterinary Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
Read about the Penguin Hospital in the NZHerald, The Otago Daily Times, and TVNZ.
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Tech Girls are SUPERHEROES (March 14 2017)
Forty Dunedin high school girls have just found out that tech is best!
Year 8 and 9 girls from around Dunedin were invited to attend a morning tea with the self-proclaimed geek-girl herself, Dr Jenine Beekhuyzen. She has spent her life studying Information Technology and how it is delivered, and has now devoted her energies to the Tech Girls Movement.
The IT industry is the third most valuable sector in the New Zealand economy. Women make up more than 50% of the population, yet less than 15% of the IT industry. Research shows that women have plenty of ability for IT, but are locked into a stereotype that IT is for boys.
Dr Jenine Beekhuyzen wants to change that! Her aim is to show girls that IT is fun and motivate them to think about a career in IT.
“I could see some sparks, and I guess there’s certain things that appeal to different girls. Whether it’s the business side of things, the technology side, or the social side - it’s about thinking where their place is in that, and there’s a place for everyone.”
Lesley Smith, Head of Enterprise and Development at Otago Polytechnic, hopes Jenine, and her alter-ego avatar Jewella, will inspire girls to consider IT in their future learning.
“The IT industry is screaming out for skilled people and that will only increase as the world continues to grow and develop technology. Otago Polytechnic absolutely supports more women in IT. This year we started a scholarship, and we are holding this morning tea event to encourage young women into the industry”.
Each girl received a free copy of Jenine’s latest book: “Tech Girls are Superheroes”.
Read about Jenine Beekhuyzen's visit in the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about Computing and Information Technology at Otago Polytechnic.
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Kobe and Osaka visit (March 14 2017)
From the Land of the Rising Sun, to the Land of the Long White Cloud, a group of 40 students from Kobe and Osaka in Japan are visiting Otago Polytechnic for the next two weeks.
The students are studying a combination of English and Engineering, focussing on project-based work.
Kobe Kosen have visited Otago Polytechnic previously, but this is the first time that Osaka has joined them.
Richard Nyhof, Acting Head of Architecture, Building and Engineering, hopes the visit leads to a long term relationship with the kosens (polytechnics).
Read more about English, and Engineering at Otago Polytechnic.
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Student Accommodation update for March (March 13 2017)
The construction of Otago Polytechnic's student accommodation continues to bowl along.
The last of the concrete foundations and slab were poured last week, so now it's all hands on deck to erect the Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) framing. CLT is the generic name given to structural building panels made from wood elements glued together in layers. It’s the tallest and largest (by volume) CLT building in New Zealand.
Jason Tutty, Naylor Love's Project Manager, says nearly 60% of the timber structure is now up in the west wing, and internal framing will start this week. The first of the fit-out contractors are due in a couple of weeks. Mr Tutty says the beauty of framing and building in wood means they don't have to wait for concrete to cure, and move in to fit out. He expects the west wing structure will be complete by the start of June.
The Student Accommodation village is the first fully owned Otago Polytechnic residence, and will have 231 beds. These will be single dormitory rooms, studios and four-bedroom apartments. All meals will be provided for dormitory residents. The accommodation will be finished prior to January 31st 2018, in perfect time for the students to arrive.
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Analysing Netball (March 13 2017)
Otago Polytechnic sports analysts are taking over the ANZ Premiership!
Of the six teams in this year's national netball competition, four are being analysed by students that are studying or have studied at Otago Polytechnic.
Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Performance Analysis) graduates, Joanna Horan (Pulse), Anna Cave (Mystics) and Jess Souchon (Stars) are pictured with Waikato Analyst Shannon O'Donnell at the ANZ Premiership preseason tournament at Otaki.
A group of Graduate Diploma students from the Institute of Sport and Adventure have been contracted to analyse the Southern Steel this season.
Read more about the Graduate Diploma (Specialty).
Read what the Otago Daily Times had to say.
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Graduation success (March 13 2017)
Otago Polytechnic enjoyed another successful graduation on Friday.
Nearly 400 graduands turned up to be capped, with 480 graduating in absentia.
After pre-graduation gatherings through the week and in the morning, graduands gathered outside Dental School for their traditional Graduation Parade.
Veterinary Nursing graduate, Teresa Hardegger, said it was an incredible day.
"It's been amazing. it's been a lot of mud sweat and tears going into the courses but it's well worth it."
Check out our Graduation Polaroid albumn on Facebook.
More in the Otago Daily Times.
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A sustainable Quarantine (March 10 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Sustainability students recently helped plant natives on Quarantine Island in Otago Harbour.
The group of six spent the night on Kamau Taurua (Quarantine Island), helping out with the revegetation programme. They cut back long grass that would otherwise smother native seedlings.
The students explored the island, learnt about his history and ecology, and experienced some wild, windy weather – with winds reaching 50 knots!
They also took part in a community open day, discussing how to minimise plastic waste, especially single use items.
Learn more about Sustainability at Otago Polytechnic.
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Recognition where it’s due (March 9 2017)
Experienced veterinary nurses without a formal qualification now have the opportunity to gain one based on their knowledge in the field.
Otago Polytechnic ‘s Capable NZ is now offering the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Technology (Veterinary Nurse Assistant). Veterinary nurses with more than five years’ experience can apply. Their previous experience will be robustly investigated, and if their knowledge is at a high enough level, they can sign up for this alternative pathway of study.
Francesca Brown, Programme Leader for School of Veterinary Nursing, says the process recognises their input into the industry and their job.
“It shows that they have reached a certain level of knowledge, and their work-based learning is valued.”
Applicants will still be expected to study – to fill in any learning gaps, and they will need to showcase their learning through case studies. This allows them to graduate with the most up-to-date qualifications.
“Now that voluntary regulation is here for the allied veterinary professional industry, veterinary nurses are realising they need qualifications for their role. This is one way experienced practitioners can gain a formal qualification without having to start from the very beginning” says Ms Brown.
Read more about the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Technology (VEterinary Nurse Assistant).
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Engineering Scholarship announced on International Women’s Day (March 9 2017)
“I feel alive every single day!”
Charlotte Flaherty’s decision to leave full time work, and sign up for a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Mechanical) took a lot of soul searching, and a long time to resolve. So she’s delighted with the news that she is Otago Polytechnic’s inaugural winner of the Women in Engineering Scholarship.
“I gave up full time work to do this. My self-image and status was tied up with my job, and obviously, I’ve taken a drop in income, so winning this scholarship validates my choice.
The 54 year-old has been a journalist at the Daily Telegraph in the UK, a Safer Journey Coordinator at the Dunedin City Council, and (is still) a mother of three. But after studying a couple of civil engineering papers five years ago, she got a taste for engineering.
“I saved for three years for the fees, but I didn’t quite have enough, so this scholarship is just perfect.”
Through the scholarship, Charlotte will receive $1000 towards her fees for each year of study.
“I’m moderately geekish. I really want to speak fluent maths, and I have a real desire to understand how structures and systems work and react.”
Charlotte’s no stranger to study. She has a CapableNZ degree in Business Transformation and Project Management. This was gained by studying part time while working full time. But she’s decided it’s time to focus solely on her education.
“I am so happy - I’m absolutely loving the study. I really believe it’s the right choice and career move for me.”
Read more about Charlotte in the ODT.
More about the Bachelor of Engineering Technology, and other Engineering programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
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Alzheimers inspires award winning work (March 8 2017)
A mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease is the inspiration behind a winning art work.
Otago Polytechnic Master of Fine Arts student, Fiona van Oyen, has just won the inaugural Zonta Ashburton Female Art Award with her largescale lino print I think this is part of our garden.
The work is one from a series of prints that will make up Fiona’s Masters exhibition/examination in the Dunedin School of Art Gallery from April 3-6. It is inspired by Ngaire, her mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
Fiona was announced the Premiere award winner on Friday, ahead of 42 other finalists. The award was presented by the Zonta Club of Ashburton in partnership with the Ashburton Art Gallery.
The award seeks to raise the status of female visual artists working in the wider Canterbury area and acknowledges excellence in emerging and mid-career female artists.
A panel of three judges selected Fiona’s work. “This work impressed us with its ambition, its sense of discovery and its strong visual push and pull. Starting with something familiar and domestic, the artist thoroughly destabilised the original imagery, leaving us with something much less certain and much more powerful” said judge, Felicity Milburn.
Fiona won a cash prize of $3500 and a special opportunity to hold a solo-exhibition at the Ashburton Art Gallery in March 2018.
“Winning this award means so much to me as practically, it will help to fund the making of new works. But also, it’s particularly poignant to me that Zonta has made this gift, as mine is a woman’s story” she says.
Read more about Fiona's journey at Otago Polytechnic.
Read more about the Masters of Fine Arts.
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Journey of a lifetime in our own back yard. (March 8 2017)
A group of 17 Logan Park High School students are on the journey of a lifetime … in their own back yard!
The group of year 12 and 13s are part of a programme run by the Diploma in Outdoor Leadership and Management students from Otago Polytechnic.
They left Otago Polytechnic at 10:30am on Tuesday after a karakia in the courtyard, and a visit from Horticulture lecturers to discuss the living campus gardens.
The group then biked up North East Valley, stopping along the way – including at the Dunedin Botanic Gardens (pictured) and Baldwin Street - the World’s Steepest Street. They then camped at Bethune’s Gully overnight.
Today, they’ll tramp over Mt Cargill and the Organ Pipes, down to Port Chalmers – staying in the Port Chalmers Hall overnight.
Thursday will see them paddle across the harbour (via Quarantine Island) to Portobello where they’ll stay at Harwood Hall.
On Friday, they’ll bike back around the harbour to Logan Park School.
Andy Thompson, Principal Lecturer for Sport and Adventure, says the journey is about taking the students into their own local environment, and increasing their engagement with what’s happening there.
Photo: Andy Thompson Photography NZ. www.andythompsonphotographynz.co.nz
Find out about our Physical Activity and Wellbeing programmes.
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Literally moving home (March 7 2017)
When Sasha and Shane Turner move home ... that's exactly what they do!
The couple bought last year's Otago Polytechnic Charity House at auction in November.
Yesterday, the four bedroom home was shifted from Otago Polytechnic to Brighton's Big Stone Road.
Fulton Hogan Heavy Haulers left at about 3am, and slowly made their way to Brighton.
After removing a fence, and a couple of trees, the house was placed carefully on its foundations in its new residence.
The Charity House project has been operating for ten years now, and has raised more than $900,000 for charity.
This house was sold for $209,000 - the first time a Charity House has reached more than $200,000.
The house was built by Otago Polytechnic building students under the tutelage of lectureres, and took ten months to build.
About 25 sponsors helped with material costs, a number of these provided materials and labour at no cost.
Otago Polytechnic expects that this year's Charity House will raise enough to push the overall amount raised to more than one million dollars.
Read more about the mammoth task of moving the home.
Read more about Construction programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
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Otago Polytechnic helps with National Farmers' Market awards (March 7 2017)
Otago Polytechnic was congratulated for its help with the national Farmers' Market awards held in Dunedin this month.
The winners of the supreme overall summer produce award were Wayne and Lynne Norris from Hexton, near Gisborne.
Their New York Muscat Table Grapes were chosen because they were "sweet and tasty".
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Postgraduate Exhibitions - 2017 Season (March 6 2017)
21 FEB - 7 APRIL, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART GALLERY and other venues
Main venue: DSA GALLERY Ground Floor, P Block, Riego Street (off Albany St)
GALLERY HOURS: Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm(web image: Hannah Joynt - detail)
David Green - Emergence
Opening: Tuesday 21st February 5 - 7pm
Exhibition: 20th - 24rd February
Michael Greaves - Excessive Memory
Exhibition: 28th February - 2nd March
Opening: Tuesday 28th February 5 - 7pm
Exhibition: 28th February - 2nd March
Ruth Evans - Go Mine: A tabletop game based on New Zealand’s mineral extraction industries
Game and Zine Launch 2nd and 3rd March
** Dunedin Gasworks Museum - Fitting Shop, Braemar St, South Dunedin
Thursday 2nd March 2 - 8pm
Friday 3rd March 5 - 8pm ( with live music)
Victoria Stevens - Ninety
Exhibition: 6th - 9th March
Closing: Friday 10th March 5 - 7pm
Hannah Joynt - A Trick of the Land
Closing: Friday 17th March 5 - 7pm
Exhibition: 13th - 16th March
Stacey Butler - Yarns over the Farm Fence
*Eastern Southland Gallery, Gore, Southland
Exhibition: 25th February - 7th April
* Eastern Southland Gallery, Gore, Southland
Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday 10am – 4.30pm
Weekends and Public Holidays 1- 4pm
Sue Pearce - Tactile Ecology
Exhibition: 21st - 23rd March
Closing: Friday 24th March 5 - 7pm
Kiri Mitchell - Milk
Exhibition: 28th - 30th March
Closing: Friday 31st March 4.30 - 6.30pm
Fiona Van Oyen - Landskin
Exhibition: 3rd - 6th April
Closing: Friday 7th April 5 - 7pm
** Dunedin Gasworks Museum - Fitting Shop, Braemar St, South Dunedin
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Public Seminar: Revisiting the Present - Adrian Hall (March 6 2017)
9 MARCH, P152, 12.00 - 1.00 PM, DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART, RIEGO ST
Revisiting the Present: An Existential Dilemma.
I have had a long, continuing, career as an artist and have presented scores of talks on the need to argue the case for artists everywhere, to recognize the importance and significance of their own persisting courage, skepticism and invention.
I now feel the need to scream this thesis again into the face of a seriously skewed reality - the like of which he has never before seen - even as a realist-pessimist. I shall attempt to review my own history, and strive to articulate the circumstances which insist, at this time, that I continually revisit the present.Adrian Hall has lived and practiced as an artist in several countries, left residue in some five international collections, and private collections all over. He holds postgraduate degrees from the Royal College of Art and Yale University School of Art and Architecture, and holds a lifetime Associate Professorship at the University of New South Wales. His practice has encompassed a spectrum of media and situations. Adrian is currently an artist-adjunct at the Dunedin School of Art at Otago Polytechnic.
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Living the public service dream! (March 6 2017)
Otago Polytechnic graduate, Jacob Ong, has been selected out of 460 applicants to participate in the new GovTech Talent Graduate Programme.
The cross-agency pilot scheme aims to build the Government’s information, technology and digital talent pipeline.
Fifteen top graduates were chosen for the programme. Recruitment started last year, using an innovative digital campaign to reach tertiary students and recent graduates. They participated in several stages of selection, including an online game to identify key behavioural traits such as motivation, persistence and risk propensity.
Jacob, who has a Bachelor of Information Technology and a Diploma in Accounting* from Otago Polytechnic, can’t wait to get started.
“The best thing about this opportunity is the variety - we work in three different government agencies for eight months each. So, we get to experience how the different departments work, contribute our expertise and be part of digital transformation across the public sector.”
The Department of Internal Affairs co-designed the GovTech Talent Graduate Programme with six other agencies – Inland Revenue, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Primary Industries, NZ Transport Agency and Statistics NZ.
*Now replaced by New Zealand Diploma in Business (Level 5)
Read about the Bachelor of Information Technology.
More about Business, Tourism and IT at Otago Polytechnic.
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Funding drawing to an end for penguins (March 6 2017)
The Penguin Hospital, housed at Otago Polytechnic, will close its doors in mid-March.
The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust has funded the daily running of hospital, and the money is running out.
Thirty penguins have now been saved at the hospital - that's about 6% of the adult breeding population.
Coordinator, Dr Lisa Argilla says once the hospital closes, injured birds will have to be flown to Wellington for treatment, which could lower rates of survival.
Read more about the story in the Otago Daily Times and the NZ Herald.
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Spreading the word on leprosy (March 3 2017)
While most of us were recovering from Christmas overeating and enjoying the summer break, an Otago Polytechnic nursing student travelled to Nepal to investigate leprosy.
Anna Watkins is driven by her desire to help people, and there was no hesitation when the twenty-year old applied for a scholarship with Leprosy Mission NZ.
Anna and eight other youth advocates from around New Zealand stayed in Nepal for two weeks, observing the work being done there to care for people with leprosy. They’ve now returned home with their own mission - to raise $30,000 for an Xray machine at Leprosy Mission Nepal’s hospital, Anandaban Hospital.
Anna’s still developing her fundraising plans, but is hoping to start with bake-stalls at Otago Polytechnic.
Nepal wasn’t the first mission for the third-year nursing student. Two years ago, she helped at the Watoto Baby-home in Uganda.
“Mission work is very important to me. I want to make sure healthcare is available to people that don’t have easy access to it. I’m interested in continuing this work when I finish my degree, but I know I’ll need to consolidate my skills in New Zealand first”.
LEPROSY FACTS:
- Leprosy is curable with multidrug therapy.
- The disease mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, the upper respiratory tract and the eyes.
- The incubation period for the disease is about 5 years on average.
- Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae.
- Leprosy is not highly infectious. It is transmitted via mouth and nose droplets during close and frequent contact.
- Untreated leprosy can cause progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes.
Leprosy kindles efforts to help - the Otago Daily Times.
Read about the Bachelor of Nursing
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Otago Polytechnic enrolments continue to rise (March 3 2017)
Otago Polytechnic continues to welcome an increasing number of students to tertiary studies, enjoying a 2.3% gain on enrolments from 2016.
Overall, enrolments are sitting at 3995 EFTS for the first semester – 107 EFTS up on the February budget.
Chief Executive Phil Ker says the figures are very pleasing, given the softness that is being reported across the tertiary sector.
“We are particularly delighted with the response we’ve had for the new Bachelor of Architectural Studies, it was so popular we doubled the class size. This degree was generously shared with us by our TANZ partner, the Ara Institute of Canterbury.”
Mr Ker says trades are also doing well. “The strength in these areas bodes well for the construction industry and the development that is going on in the region.”
The growth in International student numbers is encouraging for all three of Otago Polytechnic’s campuses. International EFTS enrolments are 26% ahead of budget, and 44% up on the same time last year.
“The number of International students enrolled in Dunedin for a Graduate Diploma in Applied Management has doubled this year” Mr Ker says. “The practice of completing an industry project is a strong draw card, and we’re seeing real growth because of it”.
“Otago Polytechnic is delighted that our student numbers continue to grow in a very competitive market” Mr Ker says.
Read the Otago Daily Times report here.
Channel 39 cover the story here.
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Otago Polytechnic leads the world with sports technology (March 3 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is the first organisation in the world to use the newest sports GPS technology.
GPSports has designed the micro-sensor technology and is working in partnership with the polytechnic’s Otago Institute of Sport and Adventure. A certificate on how to use, monitor and analyse the units has been built into the Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Analysis and Conditioning Specialties).
The technology, and resulting analysis, helps coaches and teams to manage training loads, and minimise risk and injury to athletes during conditioning and training sessions.
Some of the world’s leading sports teams are on the waiting list to receive the devices - including the Wallabies, Chelsea Football Club and Real Madrid.
Damien Hawes, GPSports Commercial Director, says GPSports has a decade-long relationship with Otago Polytechnic, and is pleased to be working with an academic team that can produce real-world applied research.
“Every single sport with a high performance programme has our technology. If you want to be employed in the industry, you have to be competent with using it and analysing the data” says Mr Hawes.
World Rugby is currently finalising its regulations on the dimensions of units approved for game use which will come into effect in June 2017.
GPSports will upgrade Otago Polytechnic’s equipment during May 2017, making them the first in the world with the approved technology.
Mat Blair, Senior Lecturer, says the new micro-sensor technology shows Otago Polytechnic is world leading.
“Our students will learn the best monitoring and analysis techniques with the latest technology. It’s exciting to be at the forefront in this area of sport science.”
The Otago Rugby Team, and players in the development squad, will also benefit from Otago Polytechnic’s new technology. Students will use it to study and provide feedback from the rugby players during training and in games.
Read about the GPSports collaboration in Educators, bizEDGE and wn.com
Read about the Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Specialty).
More Physical Activity and Wellbeing programmes.
Read more about GPSports
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SIGNAL opens its doors (March 2 2017)
There were smiles all around as SIGNAL - the ICT Grad School for the South Island - opened its doors to sites in Dunedin and Christchurch this week.
After two years of collaboration, hard work and complex challenges, SIGNAL director, Stuart Charters, says it’s no mean feat to bring five institutions together in pursuit of an IT education disruptor.
SIGNAL is a partnership between Otago Polytechnic, Ara Institute of Canterbury, Lincoln University, the University of Canterbury and the University of Otago.
“This is a New Zealand first. We were charged with building an ICT grad school where we all worked together. And we’ve done it; all institutions are collaborating across a selection of industry-driven programmes committed to building the IT workforce of the South Island.
With more than 40 students already signed up for SIGNAL’s programmes, the effort has been worth it.
“SIGNAL as an entity, is both agile and disruptive – it has to be to meet the very real and urgent needs of industry. But it also has the experience and teaching excellence of the five institutes behind it.
“And the timing of the ICT grad school couldn’t be better – businesses all over the south are challenged with how they keep up with tech which continues to gather speed.”
SIGNAL’s four keystone programmes cover the range of IT needs: Educate for school teachers; Shift for those from other backgrounds wanting to move into the IT sector; Accelerate to supercharge recent grads’ skill set, and Xtend, working with tech leaders to ensure businesses are future-proofed
Dunedin’s SIGNAL site at 123 Vogel St is hosting its first cohort of Shift students from February 27th, Christchurch and Dunedin sites will host introduction Xtend and Accelerate workshops in March and Educate has its first boot camp at 181 High Street, Christchurch in April.
SIGNAL will also offer short-form courses.
Enrolments are open for our second Shift cohort to start in Christchurch in June.
To find out more about SIGNAL, visit signal.ac.nz or contact info@signal.ac.nz.
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Laid back design success (March 2 2017)
Otago Polytechnic student, Jeremey Metherell, had a good excuse for lying around all summer.
He calls it product testing … but the reality is he deserved a relaxing break after spending all of last year designing a hammock for the New Zealand brand Cactus Outdoor.
It’s unusual for a student to successfully take a product to market while still studying. The first two batches of hammocks quickly sold out, and Cactus Outdoor is now onto its third.
Daryl Warnock, Cactus Outdoor General Manager, says the hammocks are still in production, and will have another push next summer. “We’re getting great feedback from our customers” he says.
Jeremy’s stoked that people are enjoying his hammocks.
“I really couldn’t have asked for a better result, I’m so glad I took on the project.”
Tim Armstrong, Otago Polytechnic Design Lecturer, says Jeremy’s perseverance helped him succeed. He refined his hammock 12 times before it was ready for market!
“He also has strong sustainability and social ethics in design – so a similar ethos to Cactus Outdoor” Tim says.
Jeremy’s back at Otago Polytechnic this year studying for his Bachelor of Design (Honours) degree. He says he’s keen to continue designing and even bought an industrial sewing machine.
“I really enjoy the outdoor market, so that’s where I’ll put my focus.”
Read more about Jeremy's learning journey at Otago Polytechnic.
Jeremy and his hammock in NZ Business and the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about Bachelor of Design (Product).
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Making Monopoly look like child's play (March 2 2017)
Create and export shipments, bribe politicians and mine Earth of its resources.
It's the stuff of despots ... and a Master of Fine Arts student at Otago Polytechnic!
Ruth Evans has a background in activism and protests, so when she came to choose her masters project, a board game about taking over the mining world seemed an obvious step.
'Go Mine' is a tabletop game, a collection of zines and a selection of folk songs, created in relation to New Zealand's mineral extraction industries.
Players act as corporate tycoons, intent on mining the planet for resources.
There are conference calls, democratic rule changes and bribes ... "It's a mirror of the way the system operates" Ruth says.
Ruth ran a 'Boosted' fundraising campaign, raising more than $2000 to manufacture her boardgame which includes aluminium dice (symbolising the Tiwai Aluminium smelter and its associated electricity use) and Matauri Bay clay card holders
Read more about Ruth's story here in the Otago Daily Times.
Read more about the Master of Fine Arts.
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5 percent of YEP population saved at Otago Polytechnic (March 1 2017)
The Penguin Hospital housed at Otago Polytechnic’s Veterinary Nursing School has had 24 yellow-eyed penguins through in the last six weeks.
With only 250 breeding pairs in the wild this year, that means that wildlife vet, Lisa Argilla, has saved five percent of the breeding population.
“Yellow-eyed penguins are one of the rarest penguins in the world, and are unique to New Zealand. If we don’t look after them now, they will die out” Dr Argilla says.
The ‘Pop-up’ Penguin Hospital has been funded by The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust. They realised that flying the rare birds to Wellington for hospitalisation wasn’t ideal.
“One of the main problems we face is infection from wounds” says Dr Argilla. “Here, in Dunedin, we can start intravenous antibiotics within 24 hours. Because of that, our success rate of saving birds is much higher.”
Dr Argilla has had a lot of interest in ‘Buster’ – the boomerang penguin. She amputated one of Buster’s toes two years ago in Wellington. He was brought back for care two weeks ago from Papanui Inlet with abdominal injuries – possibly from a blue shark.
Buster has now been taken back to Penguin Place Conservation Reserve where he will be fattened up before returning to the wild.
“It’s satisfying to see the birds make it through hospitalisation so successfully” Dr Argilla says. “I already have ten penguins in the hospital – six newly injured birds came in this week.”
The Penguin Hospital, housed at Otago Polytechnic's School of Veterinary Nursing, has enough funding to last until mid-March.
Read about Buster in the Otago Daily Times.
Read about the New Zealand Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (Level 6)
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Naturally sweet for culinary student (March 1 2017)
In 101 cooking with the Otago Daily Times this week, second year culinary arts student, Sophie McLennan shows how to make a walnut cake using honey as a sweetner.
It looks devine ... and tastes even better!
Read about the Bachelor of Culinary Arts.
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Three Cups of Tea for me please! (March 1 2017)
A former Otago Polytechnic art student and her mother have kickstarted their ceramics business by joining a co-operative.
Elise Johnston and her mother, Karen Taylor-O'Neill are behind 'Three Cups of Tea' - artisan ceramics which they sell at a not-for-profit design store 'Guild' in Moray Place, Dunedin.
Guild has just celebrated its second year, and offers Dunedin designers an opportunity to reach customers in a comptitive commercial market.
Read more about Elise and Guild in this Otago Daily Times Article.
More about Art programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
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Orokonui Ecosanctuary MoU (February 28 2017)
Sustainable practice, community engagement, support for like-minded entities … they’re all embraced by the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Otago Polytechnic and the Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
The MoU extends the development of the Ecosanctuary as a place of learning. It is centred around fostering research and management for the conservation of indigenous biodiversity.
Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive, Phil Ker, says the MoU enhances a mutually beneficial relationship.
“We expect Otago Polytechnic students will grab the opportunity to learn at the Ecosanctuary on substantial development projects” he says. “Orokonui’s philosophies around sustainability fit well with Otago Polytechnic, and it’s a relationship that I’m sure will continue to grow.”
Read more about Sustainable Practice at Otago Polytechnic.
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Bachelor of Architectural Studies at Otago Polytechnic (February 28 2017)
The first architect to live and work in New Zealand was from Dunedin. So it’s fitting that, more than 150 years later, the city is offering architectural studies again.
The Bachelor of Architectural Studies at Otago Polytechnic was recently approved by NZQA for 2017, and none-too-soon. The burgeoning construction industry is causing an increase in demand for industry-associated professionals, including architects.
Otago Polytechnic’s three-year degree offers two specialisations: Architectural technologies and Interior Architecture. On completion, students can then go on to study their Master of Architecture (Professional).
Tobias Danielmeier is the Programme Manager of the Bachelor of Architectural Studies. He says the programme quickly filled up … twice, with others already signalling their intent to start next year.
“A new generation of architects will now learn in the birthplace of New Zealand architecture. It has been a long time coming to have architectural education in the south, and Otago Polytechnic’s delighted to offer it for 2017.”
ArchitectureNow magazine covered this story.
Read about the Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Architectural Technology) or (Interior Architecture).
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Kaz's 4.5m steps (February 28 2017)
Otago Polytechnic nursing student, Kaz Noiri, spent nearly 70 days walking the length of New Zealand at the end of last year.
He walked 4,488,400 steps, and raised more than $10,000 for Arthritis NZ along the way.
This is Kaz's journey in 3 minutes 29 seconds. It's guaranteed to make you smile!
Read more about the Bachelor of Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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Designing a whopper of a sale! (February 28 2017)
Otago Polytechnic's Hub was a live with designer clothes lovers and bargain hunters this weekend for the iD Dunedin Designer Sale.
The sale featured 14 stalls from designers in Dunedin and around New Zealand, and was brought forward from its usual Fashion Week date to serve the fashion conscious students in O Week.
iD Dunedin Fashion week runs from March 18-26.
Otago Polytechnic is sponsoring the week, with a real focus on the iD Dunedin International Emerging Designer Awards on Thursday March 23.
Read more about the Design sale.
Read about Otago Polytechnic Fashion Design programmes.
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SIGNAL ready to disrupt (February 28 2017)
SIGNAL, the newly-opened South Island Graduate Network and Laboratories, is described as a 'disruptive ICT grad school' by director Dr Stuart Charters.
SIGNAL was established in response to the Ministry of Education's call to establish ICT graduate schools.
The initiative is a collaboration of five educational institutions - Otago Polytechnic, the University of Canterbury, University of Otago, Ara Institute of Canterbury and Lincoln University.
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Pieces of the Student Accommodation puzzle. (February 28 2017)
Otago Polytechnic's Student Accommodation is really taking form now, with the wall panels clicking into place.
The most complex part of the building, from a setout point of view, is complete, and now two large cranes are on site lifting the wall and floor panels into place.
Deliveries of the wall panels from Nelson are stepping up, and it's expected at least two truckloads a week will be delivered.
The project will cost more than $20 million, and is due to be finished in January 2018 - just in time for next year's students!
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Taking a swing at education (February 27 2017)
Dunedin Businesses lined up to take a swing at education on Friday!
Twenty-four teams of four took part in The Otago Polytechnic Education Golf Open.
The tournament raises money for the Otago Polytechnic Education Foundation which funds opportunities for students and staff to work on community projects.
One of last year’s recipients, Nicole Herron, studied strength and conditioning at La Plata Rugby Club in Argentina on a six-week work placement. She says the Education Foundation funding was a tremendous help.
“It meant I could concentrate on learning; I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to pay for my travel”.
Mike Waddell, Director of Communications, says the Education Open is a particularly important day on the Otago Polytechnic calendar.
“The funds raised at this event mean our staff and students can continue to explore extended areas of their chosen fields. It helps us to find a solution when they want to take a further educational step and become even more involved in the world.”
The amount of money raised will be known later this week.
Click here for more photos of the day.
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Ceramics in Back Beach Poetry Trail (February 27 2017)
Peninsula Beach Road, near Port Chalmers, is as beautiful as the words it inspired.
And those words are now printed in perpetuity - scattered along a two kilometre stretch are 11 plinths, bearing short poems on ceramic tiles.
Local poets, in the 'Back Beach Writers' Group', offered their inspirational poems for the project.
Ceramicist, Tina Grubba, created the ceramic tiles at Otago Polytechnic's School of Art.
She used a technique she developed using clay from Driving Creek Railway.
Tina hopes the poetry will open walkers' minds to creativity.
Read more about the project here and here.
Read about Dunedin School of Art.
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Orientation breaks the ice (February 24 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Students' Association President, Dylan Mead, says OWeek is an opportunity for students to get to meet each other and break the ice.
Dylan is studying a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Specialty) through the Otago Institute of Sport and Adventure. He says OPSA's aim this year is to bring all Otago Polytechnic schools together and create a comradeship.
Read more about Dylan's thoughts in this article from the Otago Daily Times.
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Get on your bike and ride! (February 23 2017)
I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike!
Otago Polytechnic has gone all spokes and handlebars this month with the Aotearoa Bike Challenge.
Staff taking part in the Aotearoa Bike Challenge only have to cycle once for ten minutes during February to go in the draw to win a trip to Croatia!
There have already been several cycling events at Otago Polytechnic, including bike clinics for a free bike service, electric bike trials, and a leader training day where people learnt to safely lead group rides.
Events still to come:
- Thursday 23 February – Off road at Signal Hill
- 4:30pm start
- 1-1.5hr ride
- Tuesday 28 February – Cuppa, Cycle and Conversation
- Local Café ride
- Meet at 12noon outside F Block on Forth Street for a 45min ride and complimentary cuppa
Click here for more information on the Aotearoa Bike Challenge.
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Taking a swing at education (February 22 2017)
Dunedin Businesses are lining up to take a swing at education! Twenty-four teams of four are taking part in The Otago Polytechnic Education Golf Open this Friday.
The tournament raises money for the Otago Polytechnic Education Foundation which funds opportunities for students and staff to work on community projects.
One of last year’s recipients, Nicole Herron, studied strength and conditioning at La Plata Rugby Club in Argentina on a six-week work placement. She says the Education Foundation funding was a tremendous help.
“It meant I could concentrate on learning; I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to pay for my travel”.
Mike Waddell, Director of Communications, says the Education Open is a particularly important day on the Otago Polytechnic calendar.
“The funds raised at this event mean our staff and students can continue to explore extended areas of their chosen fields. It helps us to find a solution when they want to take a further educational step and become even more involved in the world.”
For more information about Education Open 2017 >
Thank you to the following businesses for getting behind the Education Foundation and make a difference to our community!
Platinum Sponsors
Golf Hole Sponsors
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Delivering an international midwifery connection (February 22 2017)
Otago Polytechnic’s midwifery programme is well known throughout the world. This international recognition was celebrated this week with the visit of 12 Japanese midwifery students two teachers and two interpreters.
The group is here to experience midwifery education in New Zealand. They got to see what the differences are, and the different systems used in education.
The group spent time with Otago Polytechnic Bachelor of Midwifery students, and learnt about the online Post Graduate study that Otago Polytechnic offers.
Jean Patterson, Otago Polytechnic School of Midwifery Principal Lecturer, says the visit is a wonderful opportunity.
“It shows our students how midwifery education is delivered in other countries, and also gives us an opportunity to share knowledge of our programmes, for them to take ideas back to Japan.”
One of the interpreters coming with the group is Keiko Doering, a graduate from Otago Polytechnic’s Master of Midwifery.
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Friendly city celebrations with Qingyuan Polytechnic (February 22 2017)
The Qingyuan Education Commission and Qingyuan Polytechnic recently visited Otago Polytechnic.
Following the signing of a 'Friendly City Relationship' with Dunedin, the group wants to set up a five-year English language teacher training project with Otago Polytechnic.
After a mihi whakatau, the group met with Chris Morland, Director of Learning Experience, Jo Brady, Director of People, Performance and Development and John Findlay, Business Development Advisor.
Read more about International student life at Otago Polytechnic.
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Giving back to the community (February 22 2017)
One of Otago Polytechnic's new Occupational Therapy students, Bailley Unahi, is giving back to the community that stepped up for her when she needed it.
The 19 year old from Winton, Southland, recieved spinal injuries in a balcony collapse at a Six60 concert in Dunedin in March 2016.
A Givealittle page raised thousands of dollars for her, and now Bailley's raising money for the Winton Community Pool.
She's taking part in Winton's fun run on her new wheelchair cycle on March 5. The 'Stricker' hand cycle from Germany clicks onto her wheelchair.
Bailley was a keen swimmer in her youth, so it was an easy decision to take part.
"The pool is really important to Winton, not many small communities still have their own pool and I'd like to see ours retained."
If you'd like to donate to Bailley's cause, you can pay directly to Central Southland Swimming Pool: 03-0960-0073725-00.
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First polytechnic with Rainbow Tick (February 21 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is gearing up to celebrate its Rainbow Tick.
It is the first Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) in New Zealand and one of the first organisations in the South Island to gain Rainbow Tick certification.
The Rainbow Tick accreditation allows organisations to understand what they are doing well in regard to their Rainbow personnel (LGBTTIQ: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, takatāpui, intersex and Queer). The programme also offers ways to improve.
To gain certification, Otago Polytechnic showed, against a number of criteria, that it is diverse, open and inclusive as an employer. That includes strategies and policies that specifically mention inclusion; reporting on inclusion at all levels, including governance; and training offered to staff.
Stuart Terry, Otago Polytechnic Organisational Researcher, says Otago Polytechnic has great employment opportunities, and now everyone knows they’re welcome. “This certificate tells us what we already know – Otago Polytechnic is a wonderfully inclusive place to work and has been for years. The Rainbow Tick is about showing we are welcoming, regardless of your background or culture. We are leading the way in the south.”
Read about the Rainbow Tick in the news: in the ODT, gaynz.com and on Channel 39.
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Lifestyle learning at Central campus (February 21 2017)
The picture-perfect scenery and work-perfect study at Otago Polytechnic's Central Campus are drawing more and more people seeking a lifestyle change.
Student numbers are increasing steadily year on year, with 110 onsite students this year, plus another 40 distance learners.
Another 65 people will study with the Seondary Tertiary College - where senior high school pupils study at the polytechnic one day a week.
In this Otago Daily Times article, Marketing Manager, Melanie Kees, says the international student programme continues to thrive, accounting for 27% of the Central Campus students.
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Central campus offers a welcome scenic change (February 20 2017)
Paul Newman was over Auckland's fast-paced life. He needed a change, and decided that would be at Otago Polytechnic's Central Campus.
The 59 year-old geologist and IT specialist has moved to Bannockburn, and will study the two-year New Zealand Certificate in Stonemasonry (Level 4) (Construction Stonemasonry).
More and more people are opting out of big cities for a quieter life, and Otago Polytechnic offers further training and education to fit around lifestyles.
Read more about Mr Newman's move south in this Otago Daily Times article.
More about the New Zealand Certificate in Stonemasonry (Level 4) (Construction Stonemasonry).
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Otago Polytechnic Central Campus leading by example (February 20 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Central Campus Marketing Manager, Melanie Kees, is leading by example, and is hitting the books ... again!
Melanie already has a New Zealand Certificate in Tourism (Level 4) (Operations) and a Bachelor of Applied Management, and now she's enrolled for a Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Practice.
In this Otago Daily Times Article, Melanie explains that she is part of one of the target markets for Otago Polytechnic Central Campus, and she praises recognition of prior learning.
Read more about the Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Practice.
Read more about Otago Polytechnic Central Campus.
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Penguin hospital vet (February 20 2017)
For six weeks a year, Dr Lisa Argilla practically lives at Otago Polytechnic's School of Veterinary Nursing, tending to sick and injured yellow-eyed penguins.
The wildlife vet runs the penguin hospital - caring for, and saving, the precious birds.
She is funded by The Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust.
There were only 200 breeding pairs last season, so every single bird counts.
In this article, the Otago Daily Times follows "A Day in the Life" of Dr Argilla as she strives to save the future of this endangered species.
Read more about Veterinary Nursing at Otago Polytechnic.
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Students bring life back to Dunedin (February 20 2017)
February always brings an influx of students to Dunedin, and the locals are revelling in the vibrancy.
North Dunedin is alive with smiling students lounging on couches outside their front doors, enjoying the lull before lectures start.
Otago Motel association commettee member, Jay Nixon, dubs this as "Mad Weekend" because of the sheer number of students and their parents arriving and booking city accommodation.
The impact students have on Dunedin is explained in this Otago Daily Times article.
More than 7,000 students will attend Otago Polytechnic this year, and those starting the year at the Dunedin campus are already in the throws of orientation.
Otago Polytechnic Students' Association president, Dylan Mead, describes, in this article from The Star, how Polytechnic students often get the best of both worlds - attending the two orientations run by Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago.
In this editorial from the Otago Daily Times, the author questions the applicability of tertiary studies.
From carpentry to automotive engineering, Information Technology to nursing, Otago Polytechnic offers hands-on training as well as important academic learning in a wide range of trades and subjects,
Otago Polytechnic prides itself with providing career-focused education.
Read more about what Otago Polytechnic offers.
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Leading my father where I didn't want him to go (February 17 2017)
Josie Crawley, Senior Lecturer of Nursing at Otago Polytechnic, recently wrote an article that beautifully captures the heartbreaking reality of losing her father.
It appeared first in Kai Tiaki Nursing Magazine, then was picked up by various other media including the Sunday Star Times and Stuff.
Read Josie's story here.
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Staff Excellence Awards (February 15 2017)
Every year we celebrate the achievements of Otago Polytechnic staff with our Staff Excellence Awards.
Each winner is awarded a trophy and a professional development grant of $2000. This year, the awards were presented during our annual Staff Development Day, which also featured a presentation by Canadian Futurist Ken Steele.
Staff members nominate their peers for the awards. The rigorous nomination process includes customer, peer and student feedback, along with other supporting evidence.
Congratulations to the Otago Polytechnic staff who won awards this year, and to the others who were nominated.
And the winners are…
Excellence in Teaching
Matt Galloway, Design Lecturer
Jenny Rudd, Health Science Lecturer
Julie Notman, Business Lecturer
Anne McLeod, Business Lecturer
Excellence in Research & Enterprise
Emma Collins, Nursing Lecturer
Mary Butler, Occupational Therapy Lecturer
Clive Humphreys, Art Lecturer
Rachel Allan, Photography Lecturer
Excellence in Service Provision
Emma Morey, Student Practice Coordinator
Kathryn van der Vliet, Placement Coordinator
De-Arn Buchholz, School Operations Coordinator
Excellence in Leadership
Jasmin Lamorie, School Operations Coordinator
Katie Wise, External Communications Team Leader
Rob Cloughley, Programme Coordinator
Excellence in Sustainable Practice
Food Design Institute Team, (Mark Lane, Tim Lynch, Ashleigh Hayward, Timothy McRobbie, Lorraine Hook, Kelsi Ferguson, Anna Soo)
Kim Thomas, Horticulture Lecturer
Excellence in Health & Safety
Mereana Rapata–Hanning, Nursing Lecturer
Jean Ross, Nursing Lecturer
Sherry Lilley, Head of School (Nursing)
Excellence in Implementation of the Māori Strategic Framework
Mereana Rapata-Hanning, Nursing Lecturer
Rebecca Swindells, Kaitautoko
Catherine Lindsay, Administrator
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Living Gardens keep on giving (February 15 2017)
Otago Polytechnic's Living Campus is the first of its kind in Australasia. No wonder it draws so much attention!
Through Living Campus, we hope to raise awareness and change attitudes towards how we use land by creating a visionary hub and offering educational tours and workshops to inform people about how this can be done.
Living Campus includes the whole campus green space and shows elements of sustainable operations that guide us to care for our earth and people.
Read what the Otago Daily Times reported about our progressive green space.
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Rainbow tick for Otago Polytechnic (February 15 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is proudly flying the rainbow flag.
It is the first Institute of Technology and Polytechnic (ITP) in New Zealand and one of the first organisations in the South Island to gain Rainbow Tick certification.
The Rainbow Tick accreditation allows organisations to understand what they are doing well in regard to their Rainbow personnel (LGBTTIQ: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, takatāpui, intersex and Queer). The programme also offers ways to improve.
To gain certification, Otago Polytechnic showed, against a number of criteria, that it is diverse, open and inclusive as an employer. That includes strategies and policies that specifically mention inclusion; reporting on inclusion at all levels, including governance; and training offered to staff.
Stuart Terry, Otago Polytechnic Organisational Researcher, says Otago Polytechnic has great employment opportunities, and now everyone knows they’re welcome. “This certificate tells us what we already know – Otago Polytechnic is a wonderfully inclusive place to work and has been for years. The Rainbow Tick is about showing we are welcoming, regardless of your background or culture. We are leading the way in the south.”
Otago Polytechnic will have a celebratory launch of its Rainbow Tick certification on Wednesday 22 February 2017.
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Otago Polytechnic "about as perfect as you can get" (February 14 2017)
Have you ever stopped to wonder why you work where you do?
What is that gets you up each morning, out the door, and to your place or work? Money? Professional Development? A great staff cafe?
Well, Otago Polytechnic works hard to ensure its employees have a good reason to turn up and enjoy each day.
When HRM Online approached us wanting to cover a story on employment, it was easy to respond.
Read the first of two articles on why Otago Polytechnic is "about as perfect as you can get".
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Welcome to our Interns (February 14 2017)
Dunedin is building on its reputation as being a global centre for education, welcoming interns from Europe.
The students are from several universities in Europe, and will spend 12-15 weeks gaining work and life experience in New Zealand.
13 students will be in Dunedin, and two in Queenstown.
6 of these students will be at Otago Polytechnic, working in areas such as:
- Marketing research
- Veterinary Nursing (looking at the global potential of the Otago Polytechnic programme)
- Marketing for the School of Design (Fashion)
- IT – working on a new Smart-phone project
Other students will be learning/gaining work experience at other organisations around Dunedin, including The Otago Museum and Dunedin Chamber of Commerce.
Marc Doesberg, Director of Internationalisation says the interns will offer Otago Polytechnic an international perspective on our practices. "They offer an opportunity to look through another culture’s framework at how we operate. Otago Polytechnic will be learning from them, as much as they will learn from us."
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Nothing OTT about OT (February 14 2017)
"Teacher didn't appeal and physio seemed too functional - I'm a people person and I wanted a job that helped people so I decided to find out more about occupational therapy".
As a year 12 Whanganui High School student, Amber Ward didn't really know where her life was heading. But a meeting with a careers advisor put her on the right track - all the way to Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin.
Her three year degree included six different placements throughout New Zealand and the Cook Islands.
Amber now works for Active Plus in Whanganui, assessing and treating people who, because of illness, injury or circumstance, have limited ability to carry out everyday activities.
"One day I could be out with a dairy farmer, another day I could be out in a forestry gang or helping with a desk set-up - every day is different which I love."
Read more about Amber's journey in this Whanganui Chronicle article.
Read more about the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy.
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Nanjing Institute of Technology at Otago Polytechnic (February 10 2017)
Eleven staff and students from Nanjing Institution of Technology in China are spending four weeks on a study short course at Otago Polytechnic.
They’re studying Intensive English, Design and Engineering.
The group will spend three weeks at the Dunedin campus, a week at Otago Polytechnic’s Central Otago campus, and they’ll wrap their tour up with a weekend in Queenstown.
Nanjing Institution of Technology and Otago Polytechnic established the partnership in 2015. This is the second group of students to visit Dunedin, and one Dunedin delegation visited Nanjing, China in 2016.
International Relationship Developer, Yuan Pei, says the relationship offers a wonderful opportunity for students from both institutes.
“These visits allow students to experience the New Zealand education system, as well as Kiwi family life as they’re all billeted with Dunedin families. Throughout the programme, they also get to go sightseeing around our beautiful region.”
In the future, the short course programmes will also visit Otago Polytechnic’s Auckland campus.
Read more about Otago Polytechnic's International opportunities.
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Women in IT scholarship announced (February 10 2017)
Otago Polytechnic has awarded its inaugural “Women in IT” scholarship to a self-leading and motivated student.
Isabel Ryan is studying for a Bachelor of Information Technology, and is delighted to be the first recipient of the scholarship.
“It’s really nice to know that I was chosen. I really feel like I’m in the right place!”
Ms Ryan says the scholarship, which is worth $1000 for every year of study, will be a massive help with her student loan.
She’s pleased Otago Polytechnic recognises that women are under-represented in the IT industry.
“It’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to, so it’s great to know that the place I’m studying also acknowledges it. I studied at Otago Girls’ High School, so coming from that into an environment where women are supported is really important to me” she says.
Ms Ryan plans to graduate in 2019, and hopes to then start her own business.
Director of Communications, Mike Waddell, says it’s important to promote inclusion in all programmes. “Otago Polytechnic values our responsibility in society. If we can support women into under-represented areas of study, it’s better for the community as a whole.”
IT is on New Zealand Immigration’s skill shortage list for long term shortages.
Otago Polytechnic has also created a ‘Women in Engineering’ scholarship. That is due to be announced on 24 February.
Read more about the Bachelor of Information Technology.
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Polytechnics satisfyingly successful (February 9 2017)
An impressive majority of graduates from Otago Polytechnic are satisfied with their outcomes from the institution. 94% were satisfied with the quality of the programme they undertook.
Otago Polytechnic’s Graduate Outcome Report for 2015 has just been released and shows that 75% were in employment six months after they graduated, earning a mean annual salary of $41,200.
Chief Executive, Phil Ker, says the report is an endorsement of the value of learner-focused education.
“An overwhelming majority (94%) of our graduates are either working or in further study, and 89% considered their programme represented good value for money. Student satisfaction is very important to Otago Polytechnic, so these figures are heartening.”
The Graduate Destination Report 2016 compared the graduate outcome measures (satisfaction, employment, salary and further study) between Otago Polytechnic, Eastern Institute of Technology, Southern Institute of Technology and Wairaiki Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. It found a notable consistency in satisfaction across all four providers.
“This shows that prospective students can be assured of the high quality of education they’ll receive at polytechnics” Mr Ker says.
Unlike other polytechnics, Otago Polytechnic has a high percentage (45%) of graduates working out of the region, showing that it is a truly nationwide education provider.
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Buster busted up again! (February 9 2017)
The Yellow-eyed penguin hospital at Otago Polytechnic’s School of Veterinary Nursing is full with healing hoiho, one is even back for a second visit with Wildlife Vet Lisa Argilla!
Dr Argilla recognised the unlucky penguin while checking huge gashes across his abdomen and right foot. She last treated him in 2015 when he was flown to her at Wellington Zoo for treatment. At that time, she had to amputate his right toe. She nicknamed the bird “Buster”, and hoped that was the last she’d see of him. But he was recently found injured at Papanui Beach on Otago Peninsula.
“I am pleased to report that the amputated toe is looking terrific and he’s coping well. He also has chicks so is able to reproduce. This is the best result as it was, of course, risky removing the toe but it seems the risk was worth it. It’s unfortunate he’s now been attacked by something else – I suspect a blue shark based on his injuries.”
Sadly, the snares crested penguin, that has been at the hospital since day one, died yesterday. He had a large injury to his abdomen, and unfortunately died when coming out of anaesthesia.
“This is a very sad outcome as after today’s surgery, the wound looked perfect and I was confident he would have been able to survive once he moulted and re-grew his feathers” Dr Argilla said.
There are currently six yellow-eyed penguins at the hospital. Their injuries range from fractured bones to bite wounds and lacerations.
Once Dr Argilla has treated them and the birds are stable, they are taken to Penguin Place on Otago Peninsula for rehabilitation before being released to where they were found.
Dr Argilla is running a penguin hospital at the Otago Polytechnic School of Veterinary Nursing for the summer. She has found that by being close to the injured birds they have a better chance of survival. Previously, they were flown to Wellington or Palmerston North for vet care.
Dr Argilla’s time in the south has been funded by the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust.
Read more about Buster on Newshub and The Timaru Herald and Channel 39.
Find out about Otago Polytechnic's Veterinary Nursing Programmes.
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Calling all Dunedin artists (February 8 2017)
The word is out for all artists and fashion designers with a connection to Dunedin. Here’s a chance to exhibit in the prestigious Yu Gallery in Shanghai, China.
Otago Polytechnic is contributing to the Enterprise Dunedin led project to produce an exhibition of art and fashion at the Gallery. It is called ‘Anything Could Happen’, and everyone with links to Dunedin is welcome to submit their work.
Antony Deaker, Dunedin City Council Ara Toi project co-ordinator, says it is an incredible connection for Dunedin-related artists with their sister city in China.
“This is creating an amazing export opportunity to Shanghai for Dunedin and our artists. We are celebrating our creative city and celebrating the quality of art and design education here” Mr Deaker says.
Margo Barton, Otago Polytechnic fashion academic leader, says this is an incredible opportunity.
“This will help to develop international connections for Dunedin artists and designers. The Gallery is at the Yu Yuan Gardens which are more than 400 years old. 6 million people visit them every year and we get to exhibit there for an entire month!” she says.
Entries close on February 17th. The application form can be found here.
The exhibition runs from May 8 to June 9, and has exclusive use of the gallery.
Read more about Design programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
More about Otago Polytechnic's School of Art.
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Ni-Vanuatu building skills (February 7 2017)
Otago Polytechnic Senior Lecturer in Carpentry, Brian Turner, spent every weekend at the end of last year, teaching local orchard workers from Vanuatu how to build.
In March 2015, Cyclone Pam levelled many homes in the Pacific Island nation.
Locals are still rebuilding their lives, and Brian, who's visited Vanuatu since the cyclone, wanted to help.
He taught the workers at Otago Polytechnic's Central Otago Campus.
They concentrated on techniques and skills they could use with limited resources.
The scheme was a collaboration between Otago Polytechnic and local vineyards and orchards.
Read more about carpentry and construction at Otago Polytechnic.
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Tiny houses for a healthy future (February 7 2017)
Otago Polytechnic students are investigating how to future-proof Dunedin. The Climate Safe House Project is a multi-decade project addressing housing and vulnerable populations as coastlines change due to climate change.
Scott Willis, Project Manager of Blueskin Energy Ltd, is impressed by the house designes by Otago Polytechnic design students.
Their climate safe house designs were delivered at Excite 2016, and will be exhibited at the Gallery on Blueskin in Waitati from Sunday 19 February.
Read more from Scott Willis and Blueskin Bay's vision here.
Read more about Design Programmes offered at Otago Polytechnic.
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Emerging designers about to make their iD mark (February 3 2017)
Chip bags and softdrinks, fishing tackle and perspex, these items don't usually conjure up ideas of fashion. But the textiles at this year's iD International Emerging Designer Awards are as creative as ever.
The finalists have been announced, and Otago Polytechnic is proud to reveal that three of our fashion graduates have been chosen to compete.
Cecile Reed, Letitia Powell and Laura Bennet will line up with 36 other emerging designers from around the world.
Twelve different countries are represented, including Spain,Switzerland and China.
This year's selection committe of New Zealand fashion designers Tanya Carlson, Sara Munro (Company of Strangers) and fashion editor San Ahwa had their work cut out for them. They had to sift through 150 entries for their final 36!
Tanya Carlson says the designers' commitment to sustainability featured in all the designs.
"These are fashion graduates who believe in making a difference within the industry", she says. "Almost every entry explored the importance of the slow fashion movement, but in very different ways. The finalists we chose all stood out for their innovation and exceptional creativity."
Prizes include the H&J Smith First Place ($6,000), L'affare Second Place ($4,000) and Gallery de Novo Third Place ($2,000).
Winners from the awards will show their collections at the iD Dunedin Fashion show held at Dunedin's Railway Station on Friday March 24 and Saturday March 25.
Read about our designers in in the news: ODT, The NZ Herald, LiveNews.
Tickets are now available for the iD International Emerging Designer Awards.
Read about Fashion Design Programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
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Otago Polytechnic Midwifery in the Huffington Post (February 3 2017)
A centuries old Māori tradition may be the answer to saving lives.
Research by Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago has found that infants sleeping in wahakura (flax bassinets) are relatively safe when compared with bassinets.
The researchers, led by Associate Professor Sally Baddock of Otago Polytechnic and Professor Barry Taylor and Dr David Tipene-Leach of the University of Otago, concluded there were no significant differences in risk behaviours in wahakura compared to bassinets and there were other advantages, including an increase in sustained breastfeeding.
The paper was recently published in leading scientific journal Pediatrics.
The research has since been reported on various media around New Zealand and online, and recently made it into interional news in The Huffington Post.
Major New Zealand articles are: Maori TV, NewsHub, NZ Herald, Live News, Stuff, NZ City, TVNZ.
Read about Midwifery programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
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Dry stone walling short course 1&2 April 2017 (January 31 2017)
Build a free-standing wall from foundation to capping using schist stone and basic masonry tools in this weekend course.
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Working with food? (January 31 2017)
Our next Food Safety course runs on 9 March 2017. This unit standard is a legal requirement in some workplaces and is recommended for ALL people working, or preparing to work, in a food business.
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Barista Skills Short Course (January 31 2017)
Next course 21 February 2017. Enrol today, spaces are limited.
Gain a certificate as evidence of your barista skills.
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Collage artist "Cuts to the Chase" (January 31 2017)
Gemma Baldock, Otago Polytechnic art graduate, has a solo exhibition at the Otago Art Society's gallery at the Dunedin Railway Station.
There are 11 works on display, collectively entitled "Cut to the Chase.
Gemma says they express themes around relationship, and include simplified figures of people and animals that are part of her world.
Gemma's artistic career started many years ago when she won her first art prize at the tender age of three. At 16 years, she was the youngest member of the Otago Art Society. It made sence then, that she studied a Bachelor of Visual Arts at Otago Polytechnic.
"Cut to the Chase" is at the Otago Art Society gallery at the Dunedin Railway Station until Sunday 5 February.
Read more about Gemma Barltrop.
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Otago Polytechnic contributes to Dunedin building boom (January 31 2017)
Otago Polytechnic's new $20m+ Student Accomodation is contributing to a building boom in Dunedin.
The city has consented more tha $400million worth of construction in the last year. That figure is the highest it's been in six years.
DCC General Manager Community Services, Simon Pickford, says staff issued 18% more building consents last year than in 2015.
"This is great news for the city, and reflects the work we have been doing across the DCC to support and encourage economic development" he says.
The build of Otago Polytechnic's Student Accommodation is well underway, with the CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) wall pannels on site, and ready for construction.
The building will be completed by January 2018, just in time for Otago Polytechnic's new cohort of students.
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Distinguished Alumni Awards (January 30 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is calling for nominations for the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Awards.
The Awards celebrate Otago Polytechnic graduates who have made outstanding contributions in their careers or communities.
Distinguished Alumni for 2016 included Australia's Young Businesswoman of the year, 'Kester Black' founder - Anna Ross; Co-founder and Managing Director of Arrow International - Ron Anderson; Emerson's Brewery founder - Richard Emerson; and Co-founder and Chief Executive of Escea Gas Fires - Nigel Bamford.
Find out more about the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Awards.
Download a nomination form for the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Awards.
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Free Student Parking at Forsyth Barr Stadium (January 26 2017)
FREE parking for Otago Polytechnic students is available at Forsyth Barr Stadium car park during 2017. The car park can be accessed from Anzac Ave and 75 spaces are available for the exclusive use of students from 7.30am to 7:30pm Monday to Friday.
Users are required to display a valid permit in the windscreen of their vehicle at all times in the car park. This is a first in first served basis and permits for this parking are over allocated so an available space is not always guaranteed.
There may be times when the car park will be required for special stadium events and you will receive suitable notification when this is necessary.To obtain a permit please come to Campus Services in S Block (located on the corner of Union St and Harbour Terrace) anytime from Monday 30th January 2017, we will require your contact details including your car registration number.
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Campus upgrade for safety (January 20 2017)
Otago Polytechnic is collaborating with Otago University and the Dunedin City Council to plan for safer streets around Dunedin's education campuses.
The emphasis is to improve pedestrian and cycle routes, establishing North Dunedin's tertiary area as a destination, not a through route.
Read more about the report in the Otago Daily Times.
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Otago Polytechnic's student accommodation about to take shape (January 18 2017)
Otago Polytechnic’s new 20 million-dollar student accommodation village is about to take form with the delivery of the first truck-load of timber structure.
Columns and beams for the west wing will be erected this week, as foundation work continues. Early next week, the structure will really start to fill out with floor and wall panels going up.
Tracey Howell, Otago Polytechnic Campus Project Manager, is eagerly watching the building site, thrilled that it’s running on time and on budget. “There has been a lot of work on the foundations – 700 stone columns were drilled into the soil before the foundation slab could be poured. It’ll be really exciting to see walls go up so we can get a real sense of its size” she says.
Jason Tutty, Naylor Love Operations Manager, says the construction industry is also excitedly following the build. “It’s the first time this type of product will be used in Dunedin, and it’s the tallest in New Zealand. We’re really pleased with how it’s progressing so far.”
The material is called cross laminated timber (CLT). This is the generic name given to structural building panels made from wood elements glued together in layers. It’s the tallest and largest (by volume) CLT building in New Zealand.
The timber construction will go up in 11 stages over 90 days encompassing columns, beams, floors and walls.
The Student Accommodation village is the first fully owned Otago Polytechnic residence, and will have 231 beds. These will be single dormitory rooms, studios and four-bedroom apartments. All meals will be provided for dormitory residents.
The accommodation will be finished prior to January 31st 2018, in perfect time for the students to arrive.
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Hoiho hospital (January 17 2017)
This summer’s looking a lot brighter for the south's yellow-eyed Penguins/hoiho. They now have their very own local hospital set up at Otago Polytechnic’s School of Veterinary Nursing.
The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust successfully raised enough money to contract wildlife veterinarian, Lisa Argilla, for a second year. She has moved to Dunedin for the summer to care for injured penguins and says she couldn’t do it without the facility at Otago Polytechnic.
“These birds require intensive hospitalisation. I need access to the right equipment and a sizeable facility” Dr Argilla says.
Previously, injured penguins were sent to Wellington or Palmerston North for care. “One of the main problems we face is infection from wounds. Here, in Dunedin, we can start intravenous antibiotics within 24 hours. Because of that, our success rate of saving birds is much higher” she says.
For the past four years, barracouta fish attacks have been a real issue. Dr Argilla believes a change in feeding conditions has forced the fish to compete with penguins for food closer to shore. “Penguin chicks are about a month away from fledging, so their parents are spending a lot more time back and forth between the ocean and nest to feed them” she says.
Sue Murray, Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust General Manager, is delighted to have Lisa back for the summer. “We really need her expertise to help at a time when the yellow-eyed penguin population is at such a critical level” Mrs Murray says. “There are only 226 breeding pairs left on mainland New Zealand – that’s the lowest it’s been for twenty-five years.”
Barbara Dunn Senior Lecturer at School of Veterinary Nursing says Otago Polytechnic is pleased to support a local charity and southern wildlife. “We highly value the job that Lisa and her team are doing to help NZ wildlife, especially enabling the yellow-eyed penguins to be treated locally rather than having to travel long distances for care” she says.
Although yellow-eyed penguins/hoiho are the focus, Dr Argilla, who is New Zealand Veterinarian Association’s Wildlife Society President, is prepared to help any rare seabirds that get into trouble.
NewsHub has a fun video of the snares crested penguin.
Channel 39's account can be viewed here.
Read about it on STUFF (with video).
Read about Otago Polytechnic's Veterinary Nursing programme.
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On the right foot (January 16 2017)
Southern United football team is aiming for its third consecutive win.
Player, and Otago Polytechnic graduate, Ross Howard, is determined to help them do it.
The team had a sound 4-0 win over Hamilton Wanderers last week, and are now hoping to match it in Canterbury.
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Running Hawker's vegetarian spring rolls (January 11 2017)
Running Hawker is a mobile culinary business set up by three former Otago Polytechnic students; Mica Doc (from Manilla), Lucy Lu and Wenting Mere Cheung (both from China). They experiment with traditional Asian street food to create a fusion of tastes.
The three women have seen great success in Otago, including the Noodle Market in Queenstown, the Vogel Street Party in Dunedin, and the Great Kiwi Home and Living Show at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
In today's ODT, they present their delicious recipe for vegetarian spring rolls.
Click here for their recipe.
Learn more about Culinary Arts at Otago Polytechnic.
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Wahakura safety endorsed (January 9 2017)
Infants sleeping in wahakura (flax bassinets) are relatively safe when compared with bassinets, according to a joint study between Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago.
The researchers, led by Associate Professor Sally Baddock of Otago Polytechnic and Professor Barry Taylor and Dr David Tipene-Leach of the University of Otago, concluded there were no significant differences in risk behaviours in wahakura compared to bassinets and there were other advantages, including an increase in sustained breastfeeding.
The paper was recently published in leading scientific journal Pediatrics.
The study finds evidence that wahakura are relatively safe and can be promoted as an alternative to infant-adult bed-sharing, say the researchers.
“The study was motivated by the concern that Māori and other indigenous populations have greater rates of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI). This is likely due to the high prevalence of bed-sharing where there has been smoking in pregnancy – a combination that is a major contributor to risk,” Professor Taylor, who is also Head of the Dunedin School of Medicine, says.
Both bed-sharing and smoking have proved difficult to change and thus the wahakura (flax bassinet) was developed as a culturally appropriate alternative to direct bed-sharing.
Dr David Tipene-Leach says: “The wahakura is promoted to provide a separate and safer sleep space for baby that can be used in the shared bed and therefore that allows the valued close proximity for mother and baby.”
While wahakura are used by many, to date there has been no direct evidence about their safety.
Researchers recruited 200 predominantly Māori pregnant women from deprived areas of New Zealand as measured by the NZ Deprivation Index. They provided the women with either a wahakura or bassinet during pregnancy and then later compared the risks and benefits of infants sleeping in either device. They investigated breastfeeding, infant sleep position, the amount of infant head covering during sleep, the amount of bed-sharing (without the device), and maternal sleep and fatigue.
Associate Professor Baddock, who is also Co-Head of Otago Polytechnic's School of Midwifery, says mothers were asked to sleep babies in either a bassinet or wahakura from birth. At 1, 3 and 6 months mothers completed questionnaires about babies’ sleep and at one month infra-red video was used to record the baby’s overnight sleep.
“Overnight video of the babies sleeping in the devices identified no increase in head covering, prone/side sleep position or bed-sharing (without the device) in the wahakura group, either when analysed according to allocated device or when analysed according to the device baby slept in on the study night,” she says.
When the groups were compared according to allocated device there were no differences at 1, 3 and 6 months in infant-adult direct bed-sharing, but at the six-month interview the wahakura group reported twice the level of full breastfeeding (22.5% vs 10.7%, p=0.04).
Maternal sleep and fatigue were not significantly different between groups. The researchers concluded there were no significant differences in infant risk behaviours in wahakura compared to bassinets and there were other advantages, including an increase in sustained breastfeeding. This suggests wahakura are relatively safe and can be promoted as an alternative to infant-adult bed-sharing. Policies that encourage utilisation are therefore likely to be helpful in high risk populations.
“These findings will give comfort to health workers who will be able to confidently promote a device that encourages a form of bed-sharing that increases safety for infants,” Dr Tipene-Leach says
The Ministry of Health is currently developing a national Safe Sleep programme and this study provides much needed evidence about the wahakura.
The study was funded by a grant from the Health Research Council of New Zealand and a University of Otago Research Grant.
This story is in the news: Maori TV, NewsHub, NZ Herald, Live News, Stuff, NZ City, TVNZ.
Read about Midwifery programmes at Otago Polytechnic.
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Director for SIGNAL (January 9 2017)
SIGNAL’s new interim director, Dr Stuart Charters, today begins leading the South Island ICT Graduate School.
HIs ultimate goal is to guide New Zealand to a more tech-savvy future.
Dr Charters has been involved with the development of New Zealand’s newest ICT grad school since its inception and, as Head of Informatics and Enabling Technologies at Lincoln University, he is well placed to direct the school.
Dr Charters is enthusiastic about leading SIGNAL as it begins delivery of its programmes in February 2017.
“I’m looking forward to working with SIGNAL, which is the first of its kind as a collaboration between the leading tertiary institutions across the South Island in partnership with industry. This school is a direct response to the rapid growth in IT roles across all sectors, where thousands of new jobs will be created in the next ten years.
“Through disruptive innovation in the IT education space, and working in deep partnership with industry, we are gearing up to become an essential part of the tech ecosystem in the South Island.”
Recently appointed SIGNAL chair Dr David Band says Dr Charters is perfectly placed to take on the director role having been a key part of the team that created the SIGNAL programmes.
“From the beginning, Stuart has been involved in the management group and convening the Academic Working Group which developed the SIGNAL academic programmes, alongside the Christchurch and Dunedin ICT sectors,” says Dr Band.
“Stuart is not only deeply knowledgeable about SIGNAL, he is also passionate about the value it can add to South Island business and education.”
Dr Charters studied Computer Science at St Chad’s College, Durham University, graduating with a PhD and working as a post-doctoral researcher. He moved to New Zealand in 2006 to lecture at Lincoln University in the then Applied Computing Group. Most recently Stuart has been Senior Lecturer and Head of Department, Informatics and Enabling Technologies. Stuart has research interests in Evidence-Based Software Engineering, eResearch and Precision Agriculture technologies.
SIGNAL stands for South Island Graduate Network and Laboratories. It is the first collaboration of its kind partnering five South Island tertiary institutes – Ara Institute of Canterbury, Lincoln University, Otago Polytechnic, the University of Canterbury and the University of Otago. As well as producing highly-skilled IT graduates with work-relevant skills, SIGNAL will provide more effective pathways for graduates from IT education into employment.
Read about this in the Otago Daily Times.
For more information on SIGNAL, visit: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
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Ethical accreditation leads to business success (January 6 2017)
Otago Polytechnic fashion graduate and distinguished alumni, Anna Ross, is shining brighter than her ethically produced nail polish in the business world.
The entrepreneur was named Australia's 2016 Young Businesswoman of the Year.
After graduating from Otago Polytechnic with a Bachelor of Design (Fashion) in 2008, she moved to Melbourne where she created a line of cruelty-free, vegan nail polish.
Her desire to produce an ethically conscious product came naturally ... but soon developed into her most powerful selling point.
Read more about Anna and her nail polish Kester Black.
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Midwife Leader off to The Hague (January 5 2017)
Sally Pairman, former Otago Polytechnic Director of Learning and Teaching and Co-Head of the School of Midwifery, has been chosen to head the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) in The Hague.
New Zealand's midwifery profession has helped shape best practice internationally, and Dr Pairman has been instrumental in that influence. She was involved with the campaign that led to the Nurses Amendment Act 1990 which allows midwives to practise autonomously; she was a founding member and President of the New Zealand College of Midwives; and she was the first Chair of the New Zealand Midwifery Council.
Dr Pairman's contribution to midwifery education has been immense. She helped design New Zealand's first undergraduate and masters degrees here at Otago Polytechnic. In 2008, she was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to women's health.
The ICM is made up of 130 midwive's associations in 113 countries, and represents about 400,000 midwives.
Read more about Dr Pairman's achievements and new post in the news: here and here.
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Art graduate sailing into artistic freedom (January 4 2017)
Dunedin School of Art graduate, Joshua Weeks is about to exhibit at Tennyson Gallery in Napier - depicting the town just after the devastating earthquake in 1931.
He talks to Hawkes Bay Today about his life in the studio and on a yacht.
See more of Joshua's works on his Facebook page.
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"EYE T" software accessible for all (January 4 2017)
Software, developed by Otago Polytechnic IT students and their lecturer, David Rozado, could make a world of difference to people unable to use their arms.
The 'Gaze Control' programme allows users to control the computer with just their eyes - perfect for those who have no use of their arms.
Software is also being developed allowing users to control their computer by facial movement, and sounds.
Visit Otago Polytechnic's Accessibility Hub website to access the free technology.
View TVNZ's news story.
Read about the Bachelor of Information Technology.
More about Computing and IT at Otago Polytechnic.
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Cooking up a storm at sea (January 4 2017)
Everything's huge about the largest cruise ship to ever visit New Zealand, The Royal Carribbean's Ovation of the Seas.
It can host nearly 5000 passengers, has 18 decks and cost 1.4 billion dollars to construct!
It also has 21 restaurants ... all under the control of executive chef, and Otago Polytechnic graduate, Mark Wilson.
With 282 cooks to manage, and 18,000 meals a day, Mr WIlson has his work cut out for him!
Read more about what it's like to cook for about 30 different nationalities on a typical 14-day cruise.
Read more about the Bachelor of Culinary Arts at Otago Polytechnic.
More about courses offered at Otago Polytechnic's Food Design Institute.
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O come all ye foragers! (December 22 2016)
Otago Polytechnic is keen to invite people to forage and harvest food from the Living Campus gardens over the holiday season.
The Living Campus is comprised of ornamental and edible gardens that are enjoyed by staff, students and our training restaurant on a daily basis. However, with most staff and students on holidays until February, Otago Polytechnic would like to remind our wider community that they are welcome to come and harvest fresh lettuce, herbs, silver beet and various other vegetables.
Jeannette Spooner a Living Campus gardening team member says, “We will be in sporadically over the holidays, so if you are not sure what is available just ask and do not forget all the lovely edible flowers that can really add a little pizzazz to a summer salad! Flowers such as calendula petals and nasturtium flowers with their peppery leaves can add a really nice kick.”
Paula Griannah – also part of the gardening team says, “Fresh is best! So forage for what you can eat on the day or perhaps collect and prepare for a neighbour or friend who may not have access to the Living Campus.”
Sophie Carty from WellSouth Dunedin will be sending out a pānui (public notice) to the many services around Dunedin that may want to collect fresh produce over the holiday period. “I will be contacting all of the food banks, Foodshare and the night shelter on Otago Polytechnic’s behalf. Please have a look at our Low Cost Food and Transport Map for more detail about the many services dedicated to supporting our community.”
Kim Thomas, Otago Polytechnic Permaculture Lecturer, says the edible gardens are governed by permaculture principles so they are not certified organic. “We do not use insecticides and minimal herbicide is used on paths and hard surfaces, so the food is spray free.
“People may also notice some plants are left to go to seed. If not all the produce is collected, then we are just as happy to allow the natural cycle of self seeding to occur and then when we make room for new seedlings. Older plants are composted so there really is no such thing as waste in a permaculture system - it is a beautiful and natural cycle that mother nature has been doing for quite a wee while now” she says.
Start your foraging adventure at the terraces on the corner of Harbour Terrace and St. David Street and then continue onto the main campus.
In January and February make sure you sample the delicious berries and fruit as they ripen.
Read more about the Living Campus Holiday invitation in the news.
Want to study Horticulture? Check out Otago Polytechnic's opportunities.
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Personal Success in Personal Training (December 22 2016)
Matt McKay’s had about four hours sleep a night for the last month … there’s simply too much to do.
“When I started my personal training business, I knew it would be busy while I completed my degree at Otago Polytechnic - particularly over exam time. But I found the more I learnt, the more confident I got, and the more the business grew.”
It was all worth it for the brand new graduate, especially when he was announced the Exercise Industry Awards 2016 Up and Coming Personal Trainer of the Year. The award recognises Matt’s excellent teaching techniques, and the natural rapport he has in building skills and the trust of his clients.
Personal trainers can apply for the award within the first two years of their career. Matt won it after only six months in the business.
Matt runs his business through Dunedin company ABSolute Health and Fitness. “It’s a great environment there that really breeds success” he says.
Matt’s personal training future is bright. He’s developing an 8-week challenge, and wants to do more online coaching in order to help people all over New Zealand.
Then there’s always the next award to apply for. “I want to push myself even harder. I’ll apply for the Personal Trainer of the Year within the next couple of years. I’m really competitive.”
Read more about the Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Activity and Wellbeing)
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Noisy artistry (December 22 2016)
Dunedin School of Art Masters graduate, Charlotte Parallel, has received a 2017 Asis New Zealand Creative New Zealand residencey at Instinc Gallery in Singapore.
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Kaz has hit the Cape! (December 21 2016)
Kaz has hit the Cape!
Otago Polytechnic student, Kazushi (Kaz) Noiri has completed his 2244km walk from Bluff to Cape Reinga.
The 29 year-old nursing student arrived at the tip of the North Island on Friday 16 December after 66 days on the road. He walked 4,488,400 steps and raised more than $10,000 for Arthritis New Zealand along the way.
Kaz surpassed his initial goal of raising $5000, then, on the day he returned to Dunedin, his boxing coach donated more than $4000 to bring the total up to $10,000 - all for Arthritis NZ.
“I'm currently a volunteer for an aged care organisation and I understand how hard everyday life can be with arthritis,” says Kaz, who is originally from Japan. “The more people know about Arthritis New Zealand, the greater their impact.”
There are more than 140 different types of arthritis, and 620,000 New Zealanders have a diagnosis of the chronic condition – including 1000 children.
Kaz arrived back at Dunedin airport on Monday 19 December to a loud welcoming committee from Otago Polytechnic.
If you'd like to donate money to Kaz's cause (Arthritis NZ), click here.
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Hospitality sector screaming out for employees (December 19 2016)
Hospitality is the way to go, with restaurants desperate for staff.
The serious shortage has seen renowned Moeraki restaurateur, Fleur O'Sullivan, washing dishes herself!
Chris Smith, cookery lecturer at Otago Polytechnic's Central Otago Campus, says he's getting multible calls from Otago managers looking for staff.
Read more about this issue in the news.
Find out what Otago Polytechnic has to offer in hospitality training.
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Arohanui from Otago (December 19 2016)
The prospect of a bleak Christmas has turned into one to remember for the 650 children of Kaikoura.
Earthquakes isolated their town, and cut off their physical link to the outside world.
But a community Christmas party held on Monday 19 December has cheered them all up, and let them know the rest of the country is thinking of them.
Otago residents helped ensure their Christmas is one to remember by donating gifts for the fun day.
The School of Social Services at Otago Polytechnic ran “Arohanui from Otago”.
The public were invited to bring in wrapped Christmas gifts, which were sent up to the children of Kaikoura.
Erin Marlow, School of Social Services Operations Coordinator, is amazed at how generous the Otago public has been. “We’ve collected more than five hundred gifts for Kaikoura kids this Christmas. Santa will hand them out at a community Christmas party on Monday. It’s amazing how Kaikoura has come together to celebrate this”.
The Otago Polytechnic went to Casebrook Intermediate in Christchurch, where two pupils, Kohana Bourke and Mia Ormsby, organised a main collection point. They received gifts from all over the world and filled a 200 foot shipping container. Kohana’s father owns 4D Freight, he has trucked the gifts into Kaikoura ready for the community Christmas party.
The Kaikoura Christmas party included bouncy castles, fairy areas, and of course, Santa’s grotto. Every child received at least two gifts.
Have a look at the delight of some children when they received their gifts:
Read about Otago Polytechnic's collection in the ODT and Diesel Talk.
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Coaching, playing, graduating ... all in a day's work. (December 19 2016)
Dayna Turnbull graduated with a Diploma in Applied Sport and Exercise Leadership (Level 5) in Sports Management and Coaching in December 2016.
It has been the perfect qualification for Ms Turnbull – she’s a former NZ Women’s basketballer, a current member of the New Zealand Women’s Touch Black team and coaches the New Zealand U20 Women’s Touch Rugby team, as well as the Otago Women’s Touch Rugby team.
Ms Turnbull is looking forward to putting her qualification to good use. “I’d love to be a sports coordinator with school children. I love working with kids, managing and coaching teams. I’ve helped a lot with basketball and touch rugby junior development … I’m keen to help children with any sport”.
Ms Turnbull has had a hectic year. She studied full-time, worked nearly full-time as a bar manager and played and coached top level sport. She’s travelled to Auckland for the last eight weekends to play touch rugby … but she wouldn’t change it for the world. “If you want it, you have to work hard for it. Then you can achieve anything”.
Read more about Dayna's achievements here.
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Personal success in personal training (December 16 2016)
Matt McKay’s had about four hours sleep a night for the last month … there’s simply too much to do.
“When I started my personal training business, I knew it would be busy while I completed my degree at Otago Polytechnic - particularly over exam time. But I found the more I learnt, the more confident I got, and the more the business grew.”
It was all worth it for the brand new graduate, especially when he was announced the Exercise Industry Awards 2016 Up and Coming Personal Trainer of the Year. The award recognises Matt’s excellent teaching techniques, and the natural rapport he has in building skills and the trust of his clients.
Personal trainers can apply for the award within the first two years of their career. Matt won it after only six months in the business.
Matt runs his business through Dunedin company ABSolute Health and Fitness. “It’s a great environment there that really breeds success” he says.
Matt’s personal training future is bright. He’s developing an 8-week challenge, and wants to do more online coaching in order to help people all over New Zealand.
Then there’s always the next award to apply for. “I want to push myself even harder. I’ll apply for the Personal Trainer of the Year within the next couple of years. I’m really competitive.”
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Art, love and friendship (December 15 2016)
Otago Polytechnic Art students, Holly Tatom-Cross and Bella Bollinger, have been friends since they were children.
They're both creative; went away to study in Wellington together; returned to study at Otago Polytechnic; and now, they're holding their first exhibition together.
The Otago Daily Times featured the friends and their exhibition inspired by love.
Photo provided by the Otago Daily Times
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Graduating Students Exhibition: SITE 2016 (December 15 2016)
At the end of this year – 2016 – the Dunedin School of Art will be 146 years old. The Dunedin School of Art: A History by Jim Tomlin is currently in press to celebrate the achievements of the School over these many years. Looking at the work of our completing undergraduate students on our SITE exhibition this year, I am struck by how our students have risen to the challenges of our time: of the here and now. It is also wonderful to see that no ‘house style’ has been imposed on our students by staff; each student is offered the freedom to choose their own project and to progress it throughout their senior studies. Concerns for our planet in the age of the Anthropocene are addressed in a range of projects focused on human impact on nature and the endangerment of species, or on the machinery of power relationships, media deceit, and the effects of rampant consumerism.
My sincere congratulations to all the completing Bachelor of Visual Arts and Graduate Diploma students whose work was represented in SITE 2016. You have done the Dunedin School of Art at Otago Polytechnic proud. Thanks fo Jodie Gibson one of our graduating students for the SITE photo album on flickr - enjoy.
Prof. Leoni Schmidt, Nov 2016 -
Congratulations to our Graduates (December 14 2016)
Central Campus staff would like to say "Well done" to all our students who have Graduated this year!
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Insects for dinner (December 14 2016)
Fancy a cricket canape? A locust latte? Or perhaps some al dente ants?
Protein-filled insects are becoming the new super food, and Otago Polytechnic student, Finn Boyle, and his coffee ice cream with caramelised baby locusts in a cricket-flour cone, has been collared as a rising chef in the arthropod culinary world.
Read more about Finn and this growing food universe in Fashion Quarterly.
Check out the ODT for a recipe of Finn's insect ice cream
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Otago Polytechnic helping to keep footballers in the south (December 14 2016)
Southern United Football Club is determined to keep talented footballers in the south by offering scholarships at Otago Polytechnic and Otago University.
The six Otago Polytechnic scholarships will pay full course fees.
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Otago Polytechnic Student Village update (December 12 2016)
The construction of Otago Polytechnic’s new 20 million-dollar student accommodation village is running on time, and will soon take form.
The village already has a solid foundation, with 700 stone columns of stone chipping drilled into the soil.
Naylor Love Construction, the main contractor, will start laying the concrete slab this week, finishing it in early January.
Then, the first of the timber will arrive. This is a relatively new material called cross laminated timber (CLT). This is the generic name given to structural building panels made from wood elements glued together in layers. It’s the first time CLT will be used in Dunedin and it will be the tallest and largest (by volume) CLT building in New Zealand.
The timber construction will go up in 11 stages over 90 days encompassing columns, beams, floors and walls.
The Student Accommodation village is the first fully owned Otago Polytechnic residence, and will have 231 beds. These will be single dormitory rooms, studios and four-bedroom apartments.
All meals will be provided for dormitory residents.
The Village will be finished prior to January 31st 2018, in perfect time for the students to arrive.
Read about it in the news.
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The WORLD at her fingertips (December 12 2016)
An Otago Polytechnic fashion student has been chosen for a new, paid internship at WORLD – New Zealand’s most progressive and philanthropic fashion brand.
Ivy Jackson-Mee, a final year student of the Bachelor of Design (Fashion), is delighted to have been chosen for the internship. “I’m completely overwhelmed! This means everything to me. WORLD’s such a successful business, and I’ll learn such valuable skills. It will set me up for life!”
Professor Margo Barton, from the School of Design, says Ivy’s philosophy is that fashion’s for everyone. “Her designs aren’t only for slim 18 year-olds, it’s for any shape, size and age. It’s a really beautiful match with WORLD”.
Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, WORLD Director, says the ‘WORLD person’ is “forward thinking, unafraid, a boundary pusher and happy in their own skin.” She says WORLD chose Ivy because her end of year capsule was a good insight into what she does. “We felt her collection was totally wearable for the ‘now’ consumer and could be adapted in many different ways.”
The role is a collaboration between WORLD and the Newmarket Business Association, and is worth $5000 over two months.
Ivy’s internship will start towards the end of January 2017.
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New graduate's living the dream (December 12 2016)
For 18 years, Paul Christensen worked at Hillside Engineering. He started straight out of school as a labourer, and worked his way up to team leader.
But Paul wanted more out of life, so after Hillside closed, he decided to study ... and found he quite liked it!
Paul's just graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Activity, Health and Wellness).
Here's an account of Paul's journey to a new life.
Read about the Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Activity and Wellbeing).
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Huge success for Graduation 2016 (December 12 2016)
Otago Polytechnic has more than 1400 new graduates after Friday 9 December's double graduation.
For the first time, the Polytechnic held two graduation ceremonies. 240 graduands walked onto the Dunedin Town Hall stage at 12:30pm, and 440 accepted their accolades at 3:30pm. Another 750 graduated in absentia.
Splitting the group means more whanau and supporters could attend.
Those students graduating in person paraded down George Street on Friday morning.
See Otago Polytechnic's Facebook page for some wonderful photos, and a fantastic video!
Watch a video from the Otago Daily Times and see some photos of the Otago Polytechnic graduation parade.
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NEW Level 4 Cookery Qual for 2017 (December 8 2016)
Enhance your career in hospitality in 2017. Check out our NEW Level 4 Cookery qualification
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NEW Level 3 Cookery Programme for 2017 (December 8 2016)
Learn the basics for your career in hospitality with this NEW Cookery Qualification. New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 3
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Dunedin Art School graduate's exhibition of vitality (December 8 2016)
Ceramicist Yi-Ming Lin graduated from Dunedin School of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998. He immigrated to study here from Taiwan, and although he's since left, Dunedin is still where most of his exhibitions are held.
Yi-Ming's latest works, labelled 'Vitality', are currently on display at Moray Gallery. They are 28 ceramic sculptures, embracing flora and equestrian themed vases, books and paintings.
See Yi-Mings works at Moray Gallery here. The exhibition is on until 23 December.
Read more about Yi-Ming's exhibition.
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Record graduation for Otago Polytechnic (December 8 2016)
Otago Polytechnic will have a record number of students graduate in person this December.
About 680 students will graduate in two ceremonies at the Dunedin Town Hall – 240 graduands at 12:30 and 440 at 3:30. Another 750 will graduate in absentia, making for 1430 new graduates overall.
Splitting the group into two, means more whanau and supporters can attend.
Ian Griffin, Director of Otago Museum, will address the first ceremony, and Otago Polytechnic graduate and registered nurse from Otago Community Hospice, Louise Cross will address the second ceremony.
All 680 students will parade down George Street at 11:00am.Read more about graduation offering a welcome boost to Dunedin. Find out about the December 9 graduation.
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Boosting Pacific Island Rugby (December 5 2016)
Otago Polytechnic has awarded two scholarships to training members of the Tongan national rugby squad, hoping to boost the game in the islands.
Tongan lead strength and conditioning coach, Semisi Fonua, will study for a Master of Professional Practice; while analyst, Joh Fifita, will study for a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Specialty).
Read more about the scholarship here.
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Queen honours Sticks 'n' Stones (December 5 2016)
Otago Polytechnic nursing student, Ashleigh Smith, will receive a New Zealand Queen's Young Leader Award for her work with an anti-cyberbullying group.
Ashleigh is co-leader of Sticks 'n' Stones, a student-led group that takes positive action online to reduce cyberbullying.
For her award, Ashleigh receive a package of training, mentoring and networking, as well as a trip to England in June to receive the award from the Queen.
Read more about Sticks 'n' Stones.
Ashleigh made the news.
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The Burning Hours for Kushana Bush (December 1 2016)
Dunedin School of Art graduate, Kushana Bush, is looking forward to her first major solo public gallery exhibition: The Burning Hours.
Kushana's paintings are known for their mediculously detailed composition and multi-ethnic characters.
The Burning Hours focuses on works made between 2014-2016, and is filled with references to Persian miniatures, European art history and the modern day.
The exhibition is complemented by a hard cover catalogue, and runs from 3 December 2016 - 2 April 2017 at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
Read more about Kushana's exhibition.
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Exhibition: Kushana Bush at Dunedin Public Art Gallery (December 1 2016)
Kushana Bush completed a Bachelor of Arts in painting at Dunedin School of Art in 2004. She has seen developments in her work, which all start with the influence from a historic art work or image, since completing her Frances Hodgkin's Fellowship project in 2011. This week she opens with a new exhibition and book launch at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
The Burning Hours pulls audiences into the wonder of Kushana Bush’s labour and imagination. She is known for producing paintings with meticulously detailed compositions, multi-ethnic characters and open-ended narratives – elements that combine to create a unique visual language. The Burning Hours focuses on works made between 2014 – 2016, showing audiences what happens when Bush pushes her compositional limits and uses the entire surface of the paper. Each surface is filled with references to illuminated manuscripts, Persian miniatures, European art history and the modern day. By blending the historical with the contemporary Bush explores what ritual and community might mean to us in the twenty-first century. Read more on the features page at the Otago Daily Times ...
This is the first solo exhibition by Dunedin artist Kushana Bush at a major New Zealand public gallery. All welcome
Join artist Kushana Bush and curator Lauren Gutsell in conversation in the exhibition The Burning Hours, December 3, 3PM.
KUSHANA BUSH
The Burning Hours
3rd Dec 2016 - 2nd Apr 2017
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Tiny library becomes giant donation (November 30 2016)
Midwifery students at Otago Polytechnic have come up with a tiny solution to a mammoth problem at Dunedin Hospital’s ante-natal ward.
Boredom is often an issue for long-stay mothers-to-be in the ward, so the Polytechnic students are giving the ward its very own library … albeit of Lilliputian dimensions.
The students have painted up a cupboard-sized ‘Lilliput Library’ and filled it with books for expectant mums to while away their time.
Lilliput Libraries are popping up all over Dunedin neighbourhoods, and now, the “Mothers’ Nest” in the ante-natal ward will have its own. They operate on a ‘take a book now, return or donate one later’ basis.
Kerry Adams, Senior Lecturer at School of Midwifery, says the students wanted to give back. “Dunedin’s expectant mothers are very generous with their time and allowing our students to be part of their pregnancy journey, so this is a small way our students can give back to the community. Midwives are avid readers too, so we expect they’ll want to use the library as well!”
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Otago Polytechnic student makes Black Sticks (November 29 2016)
Otago Polytechnic student, Ginny Wilson, has just been named in the Black Sticks.
The 21 year-old has just finished her Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Activity, Health and Wellness), and is rearing to show her worth in the national hockey side.
It's been a long time since any southern player has been chosen for the Black Sticks.
Read more about Ginny's selection.
Read more about Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Activity and Wellbeing).
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Kester Black shines from strength to strength (November 28 2016)
Otago Polytechnic alumna, Anna Ross, is in the news again. She has just won 'Young Australian Businesswoman of the Year" with her business, Kester Black.
Anna graduated with a Bachelor of Design (Fashion) in 2008 and went on to create "Kester Black", an ethically produced, vegan, cruelty-free skincare and nail polish line.
From just six nail polish colours in 2012, Kester Black now boasts a range of 60 colours. It is one of Australia's most recognised independent cosmetic brands, and is sold internationally in the US, Malaysia and Japan.
Earlier this month, Anna, who now lives in Australia, was presented the 2016 Young Victorian Bussinesswomen's Award. Now, she's taken out the national title.
Anna is delighted with the award. "I was very lucky, the other girls were all awesome, but I had my fingers crossed a little tighter!"
To read more about Anna's success click here for the ODT article on her award. Click here for the Southland Times article.
Read more about the Bahelor of Design (Fashion).
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Nurses gather after 30 years (November 28 2016)
Otago Polytechnic’s School of Nursing has celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in style with a reunion of its very first graduates of 1986.
Of the 45 nurses that graduated in 1986, 36 travelled to Otago Polytechnic for the reunion. 80% of them are still nurses.
There were also eight staff from the era, including the three main Heads of School, Leonie Clent, Dr Alison Dixon and the present head, Linda Kinniburgh.
Ms Kinniburgh says the biggest task was locating everyone, but social media helped.
“This reunion was driven by the graduates themselves. They decided to come back to their school of nursing and share their pathways since studying nursing. It will be absolutely amazing to meet these graduates again and listen to their stories”.
Nursing was a hospital-based programme before it transitioned to the education sector in Dunedin in 1984. The school was based in York Place, and was a three-year diploma until 1992 when Otago Polytechnic was awarded degree status for nursing.
The reunion included a tour around the School of Nursing, and a chance to share their stories.
Otago Polytechnic offers a three-year Bachelor of Nursing degree in Dunedin or Timaru.
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New chairman for SIGNAL (November 25 2016)
A chairman has been named for the new South Island ICT grad school that Otago Polytechnic is collaborating on.
Dr David Band comes to the role with 30 years of experience in global consulting firms, running large business schools, and directing and investing in technology-based companies.
Dr Band describes his new role with SIGNAL as both a challenge and a great opportunity.
“It is a challenge to New Zealand higher education to think in terms of – and to deliver – return on investment to New Zealand. And it is a huge opportunity for local businesses, students and educators to help us all make giant strides towards being a truly competitive knowledge economy,” he says.
“As with all great ideas, the success of SIGNAL and other ICT Grad Schools will be determined by how well we execute those ideas. What will this require? Many things, but in particular, an unrelenting focus on outcome and a determination to be driven at all times by the needs of our customers – business and students.”
The interim chair of SIGNAL, the University of Canterbury’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Business and Law Professor Sonia Mazey, says to have someone of Dr Band’s experience and industry knowledge joining the SIGNAL board is a tremendous coup.
“David brings SIGNAL the wealth of his contacts and experiences, plus a real focus on outcome. He is a terrific asset to our new grad school.”
SIGNAL – the South Island ICT Grad School – is a collaboration between Otago Polytechnic, Ara Institute of Canterbury, Lincoln University, the University of Canterbury and the University of Otago. The grad school, funded by TEC, is also closely aligned with industry and is tasked with meeting the technology sector’s growing demand for highly-skilled ICT professionals.
SIGNAL in the media: Otago Daily Times, Livenews, voxy.co.nz, stuff.
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Otago Polytechnic links with Japanese Kosens (November 24 2016)
Otago Polytechnic is delighted to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Hachinohe College from Japan.
This week, Otago Polytechnic welcomed visitors from Japanese Kosens (Engineering Colleges).
The visitors represented Kosens from 3 different regions in Japan along with a representative from the National Institute of Kosens governing body:
Professor Abe, Hachinohe College
Professor Hashizume, Toba Kosen
Professor Mitsunaga, Kumamoto College
Mr Maeda, Deputy Manager, International Affairs Office, National Institute of Kosens
Marc Doesburg, Director of Internationalisation, says Otago Polytechnic is very pleased to sign the MOU with Hachinohe College. “We’re very much looking forward to further developing our relationship and welcoming Kosen students to Otago Polytechnic to pursue studies with an applied English and engineering focus.”
The Kosens are responding to the Japanese Ministry of Education’s directive for education providers to actively promote global human resource development, and therefore prepare the younger generation to improve global competitiveness and enhance ties between nations.
“We welcome this interaction as it helps us internationalise Otago Polytechnic and prepare our students for the global workforce” Mr Doesburg says.
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Speedway to success (November 23 2016)
It's all about the speed for Otago Secondary Tertiary College student, Brooke Helms.
She's just finished building a car from scratch at the National Certificate in Motor Industry (Foundation Skills) (Level 1) at Otago Polytechnic's Central Otago campus.
The programme is for year 11-13 Otago Secondary School students.
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The Otago Preservation Pantry (November 23 2016)
Otago Polytechnic's third year Bachelor of Culinary Arts student, Nicky Keith, is going strong with her company The Otago Preservation Pantry.
Ms Keith intertwines her heritage with sustainably produced local products.
Check out her succulent pork roast recipe.
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Shool of Veterinary Nursing claims national award (November 23 2016)
Otago Polytechnic’s School of Veterinary Nursing has been presented a national award recognising their ethical care of animals.
The 2016 National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee (NAEAC) 3Rs award recognises strategies which replace, reduce and refine animal use.
Otago Polytechnic School of Veterinary Nursing uses mannequins, models and videos to reduce animal use for teaching.
Students demonstrate their competency via video, which allows for a less stressful, non-classroom environment for the animal.
Barbara Dunn, senior lecturer of Veterinary Nursing, says the lecturers also teach low-stress handling techniques.
"By prioritising the 3R’s in evaluation of animal use in teaching over a significant period of time, and by challenging past practices the staff at SVN have continued to further reduce, replace and refine their animal use in teaching. A commitment to finding innovative alternatives, which enhance the student’s learning experience and improve the welfare of the animals involved protects educational outcomes and so maintains the quality of graduates.”
The school of Veterinary Nursing offers programmes from certificat to diploma level, including the NZ Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (Level 6).
Click here to see Channel 39's take on dog decoys. The Ministry of Primary Industries release can be viewed here.
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Charity House makes a happy family (November 21 2016)
The Turners are a very happy family, thanks to Otago Polytechnic's Charity House.
The family nervously bid on the four-bedroom home, and thought the price was rising too quickly for their limit.
But when the hammer came down, their's was the final bid at $209,000. They'll now move it to their section in Brighton.
This is the tenth year that Otago Polytechnic construction students have built a charity house.
Over that time, the charity houses have raised more than $900,000 which has been donated to charities throughout Otago.
The construction students also built two other houses - a three-bedroom house which sold for $132,500 and an unfinished four-bedroom home which sold for $182,500.
Read more about the Charity House and its happy owners here.
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Fashion scholarship excites (November 21 2016)
Collections 2016 - the 25th anniversary for the Otago Polytechnic Collections show - was a superb evening, showcasing the very best talent from Otago Polytechnic's fashion school.
The audience sat enthralled with the designs, and one audience member in particular was very excited to be there.
Seventeen year old Clara Bosshard was awarded the inaugural iD Dunedin Fashion Scholarship at the event.
The award will pay for her first year of fees for the Bachelor of Design (Fashion).
The former Wellington High School student will also attend iD Fashion Week next year.Click here and here to find out more about Clara and the award.
Read more about Bachelor of Design (Fashion).
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Otago Polytechnic supports youth employment (November 21 2016)
A youth employment campaign, supported by Otago Polytechnic, could go nationwide.
Funding is being sought to take YES (Youth Employment Success) to the rest of the nation.
The scheme was started in Dunedin by the Ministry of Social Development and Firebrand. It also involves Otago Southland Employers’ Association, Otago Polytechnic, the University of Otago and the Otago Chamber of Commerce.
The programme aims to connect young people with employers. It may be a job, a chat about the industry or a mock interview - the idea is to engage young people in a future of employment.
To read more about the drive to take the scheme nationwide, click here.
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Otago Polytechnic helps organise mental health national forum (November 21 2016)
Otago Polytechnic staff helped organise a two day forum over the weekend for more than 100 mental health and addictions nurses.
The event, held at Knox College, addressed the use of technology in mental health, and the ethics of enforced treatment.
Click here for more detail.
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Urban Dreaming for fashion graduate (November 18 2016)
Otago Polytechnic fashion graduate, Julia Palm, is exhibiting in Dunedin city, thanks to the Urban Dream Brokerage project.
Her exhibition "JPalm Presents" is a showcase of Dunedin-based artists including jeweller Kelly O’Shea, film-maker Ted Whitaker and artists Ella Harrington-Knapton and Esta de Jong.
There's everything from photography to film to fashion.
Read more about Julia's venture here.
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Footy and nursing - the perfect mix (November 18 2016)
Holly Johnstone is about to embark on two careers - national league footballer and nurse.
The 18 year old starts her nursing degree at Otago Polytechnic in 2017 ... football isn't quite so new - she's been kicking the ball around since she was just four years old.
This year, Holly won a scholarship through Football South, partnered with Otago Polytechnic and Otago University.
Read more about Holly Johnstone here.
To find out more about Otago Polytechnic's Bachelor of Nursing here.
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Open Day at Central Campus (November 17 2016)
Join us at our campus open day on 23 January 2017(4pm-6pm). Meet the staff, talk to the tutors, experience our unique learning environment and discover what you could study in 2017.
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fEATure delights with spring and sweetbread. (November 17 2016)
Students from the Otago Polytechnic Food Design Institute delighted all tastebuds at 'fEATure', this year's end-of-year showcase.
Students experimented with the theme 'Spring Fete', to produce everything from pureed cauliflower to chilli chocolate macaroons.
Check out more here.
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Otago Polytechnic addresses inequality (November 16 2016)
Otago Polytechnic has come up with a boost for women wanting to get into the male-dominated fields of engineering and IT.
Recognising that women are under-represented in these industries, Otago Polytechnic has created two scholarships, each worth $1000 for every year of study.
Director of Communications, Mike Waddell, says it’s important to promote inclusion in all programmes. “Otago Polytechnic values our responsibility in society. If we can support women into under-represented areas of study, it’s better for the community as a whole.”
Both the IT and Engineering industries are on New Zealand Immigration’s skill shortage list for long term shortages.
Waitaki District Council Asset Manager, Caitlin Donovan, graduated from Otago Polytechnic in 2011 with a NZ Diploma in Engineering (Civil). There were only two women in her class, but she says that didn’t affect her studies or desire to enter a career in engineering.
“It ticks all my boxes. It’s a great job, and one of the higher paying industries. There are plenty of opportunities going forward too” she says.
According to IPENZ (Institution of Professional Engineers NZ), female representation is increasing in very small steps. When a Diversity and Inclusion programme was launched in 2011, only 11% of members were women. Now it’s at about 14%.
Caitlin Donovan sums it all up in one sentence. “Just because there aren’t many women in the industry doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be!”
Applications for the IT scholarship close on January 20th 2017. The Engineering scholarship applications close on February 7th 2017.
Find out more about the Otago Polytechnic IT and engineering courses on offer.
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Stepping up for cybersecurity (November 15 2016)
Otago Polytechnic applauds the government’s announcement to establish a Cyber Security Skills Taskforce. Its aim is to address the shortage of cyber professionals in New Zealand.
Otago Polytechnic already provides security studies within its Bachelor of Information Technology, and has just employed a forensic specialist to further develop the course.
The government says cyber-attacks cost the New Zealand economy $257 million a year. It’s predicted there will be a global workforce shortfall of up to two million positions by 2019.
Lesley Smith, Head of Otago Polytechnic’s College of Enterprise and Development, says the government’s focus is necessary. “With a global shortage of cyber security professionals, it’s paramount that we train our own experts here in New Zealand. Otago Polytechnic has the knowledge and expertise and is willing to provide future professionals in the cybersecurity space.”
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Fingertip success (November 15 2016)
Anna Ross has just won the Young Telstra Victorian Business Women’s Award 2016.
Anna graduated with a Bachelor of Design (Fashion) from Otago Polytechnic in 2008. She then went on to create ‘Kester Black’ – a brand of ethically produced, vegan, cruelty-free skincare and nail polishes. Four years on, the brand is one of Australia’s most recognised independent cosmetic brands, and is sold internationally in the US, Malaysia and Japan.
One of Anna's aims is to bring the products to consumers who might otherwise be marginalised by the beauty industry, like vegans and Muslim women. Muslim women are unable to wear normal nail polish because of the washing involved in daily prayers. But Anna’s polish is water permeable, which allows water vapours to pass through to the nail.
Read more about this Otago Polytechnic alumni here.
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The future's history (November 14 2016)
The history of Dunedin’s future has been captured forever by an enthusiastic group of young Otago Polytechnic photographers.
Twenty-five students completing the Certificate and Diploma in Digital Photography are shooting ‘A Day in the Life of Dunedin’. Their best images have formed a photographic digital essay, and is displayed at the research centre at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.
Photography Lecturer, Chris Gable says the project is an archive for the city, much like the photos taken by early settler Daniel Mundy in 1864. “The real benefit will be not today, not tomorrow, but in 100 years’ time, when we can look back and see what Dunedin was like”.
Kirsty Glengarry, the Visitor Experience Manager for Toitu says “We’re excited to see the latest selection of work from the students. It’s a really interesting way for us to show contemporary history”.
To see Channel 39's coverage, click here. For ODT/The Star story, click here.
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Dreaming of a better future (November 11 2016)
For Excite 2016, Otago Polytechnic Social Services students transformed the hub into a celebration of local charities.
Students came up with "Kiwi Dreams" - projects to recognise social needs or issues in the community.
Read more here.
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Defying the laws of gravity (November 10 2016)
Make water run uphill? Engineering student Pat Wall thumbs his nose at the laws of gravity with his hydraulic ram water pump.
Pat is part of the Future Engineers Showcase at the 2016 Otago Polytechnic EXCITE.
His pump pushes water upwards without any electricity.
Find out more here.
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Fashion in the real world (November 7 2016)
Second year students at Otago Polytechnic's Fashion Design School got a taste of how their designs would fare 'in the real world' for their final end of year assessment.
Local fashion stores were invited to view and critique their collections, with some very positive results.
Read more about it here.
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A gorilla, walrus and rhino walk down George Street ... (November 4 2016)
It sounds like the opening line to a wildlife joke, but there's nothing funny about Dunedin School of Art Student, Stephanie Cossen's reason behind her performance art.
Five women wore five large animal busts down the main street of Dunedin on Thursday Nov 3rd to highlight animal and women's rights.
Her menagerie of a gorilla, bear, shark, walrus and rhino drew more than just a few stares.
View the stampede it here, and read about it here, here and here.
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Paralympians Grimaldi and McSweeney inspire the young (November 4 2016)
Annna Grimaldi and Rory McSweeney are inspiring the next generation, visiting St Mary's School in Dunedin.
The medal-winning paralympians both have a long association with Otago Polytechnic.
Grimaldi is studying for a National Diploma in Quantity Surveying and Construction Management, and McSweeney has a Bachelor of Engineering Technology.
Grimaldi won gold in teh women's long jump T47 at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, and McSweeney took bronze in the men's javelin throw T44.
The two have also been invited, along with graduates Holly Robinson (silver, women's javelin T47) and Raylene Bates (Coach), to Otago Polytechnic for an afternoon tea on November 8th.
Read more about their school visit here.
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Pacific Island Scholarships Awarded (November 2 2016)
Otago Polytechnic Community Pacific Island Scholarship and Secondary School Recognition Awards 2016
Date: Wednesday 26 October, 2016
Venue: The Hub, Otago Polytechnic
Special guests representing our sponsors: Kathy Grant (Chair of Otago Polytechnic Council), Phil Ker (Chief Executive Otago Polytechnic), Barbara Bridger (Chief Executive Otago Community Trust), Ross McRobie (Board Chair Otago Community Trust), Gina Huakau (Pacific Island Polynesian Education Foundation (PIPEF) board member), Aleni Viggo (from the now defunct Dunedin Pacific Island Advisory Committee) and other members from Otago Polytechnic Leadership Team.
About 200 people attended the event which started with an initial welcome from Tasi Lemalu (Pacific Islands Cultural Advisor) and Sue Thompson (Director: Quality). Phil Ker and others then presented 34 students with fees contribution scholarships. Each of the Otago Polytechnic recipients spoke briefly of their study journey and their thanks for the award. These responses demonstrated both humility and pride in their achievement to date.
Phil Ker then also presented Recognition Awards to 24 high achieving students from 12 Dunedin seconday schools. Two nominees from each secondary school (one junior, one senior) received a certificate and cheque. The senior student also received a scholarship offer.
A special thanks goes to our sponsors PIPEF, Otago Community Trust, Dunedin Pacific Advisory Committee, and Otago Polytechnic for the generous support of such well deserving students and we hope that we can continue this initiative in the future.
Congratulations to the following recipients:
2016 Secondary School PI Students Recognition Awards Years 9-10
Ioane Matheson, Bayfield High School; Ana Tarapi, Columba College; Tevita Schaaf, John McGlashan College; Jasmine Ngatae, Kaikorai Valley College; Sofiana Elisara, Kavanagh College;
Solomon Filipo, Kings High School; Sujata Ritchie, Logan Park High School; Masyn Opetaia, Otago Boys High School; Moli Ahokovi, Otago Girls High School; Tiare Beale, Queens High School;
Eva Meeuws, St Hildas; Meara Acheson-Kappely, Taieri College
2016 Secondary School PI Students Recognition Awards Years 11-13
Steven Dewe, Bayfield High School; Rileigh Fields, Columba College; Seamus Leahy, John McGlashan College; Caleb Vuli, Kaikorai Valley College; Liliana Lam Cheung, Kavanagh College; Setu Setu, Kings High School; Phillip Nelson, Logan Park High School; Mamea Taimalie, Otago Boys High School; Susana Tulafono, Otago Girls High School; Ana Halalilo-Rouvi, Queens High School; Amelia Knott, St Hildas; Tama Merota, Taieri College
Otago Polytechnic 2016 Pacific Island Students Community Scholarship recipients
Joy Breward, Bachelor of Social Services; Bridget Cudby, Bachelor of Occupational Therapy; Merewai Durutalo, Bachelor of Design (Fashion); Leina Fofoa, Bachelor of Social Services; Madrid Helu, New Zealand Diploma in Engineering; Taloi Hotesi, Certificate in Health; Phillippa Laufiso, Bachelor of Design (Honours); Finau Mafi, Bachelor of Social Services; Miimetua McFelin, Bachelor of Occupational Therapy; Tiperia (Ria) Muaimalae, Certificate in Health (Level 4); Mohinish Naicker, Bachelor of Applied Management; Famisha Naz, Certificate in Health; Aisea Nelson-Latu, Certificate in Applied Sport and Exercise Studies (Level 4) (Specialty), Sylvia Ayana Nikolaison, Bachelor of Social Services; Roy Nukanuka, Bachelor of Information Technology; Jarod Penaia, New Zealand Diploma in Engineering and Certificate in Foundation Studies (Level 3); Malaefou Pouli, Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Activity, Health and Wellness); Elizabeth Quensell, Bachelor of Nursing; Zaa-Id Shah, Bachelor of Engineering Technology; Melanie Su'a, Bachelor of Nursing; Zoe Sutherland, Bachelor of Information Technology; Peka Talu-Komiti, Certificate in Human Services (Level 4); Mereana Taripo, Certificate in Fashion Studies (Level 4); Daniel Tautua, Bachelor of Culinary Arts; Christina Tofilau, Bachelor of Applied Management; Loisi Tohi, Bachelor of Social Services; Iliseva Vakalala, Bachelor of Information Technology; Sepiuta Vea, Bachelor of Applied Management; Kim Lui, Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Activity, Health and Wellness); Mary Dewe, Diploma in Business; Tane Leilua, Bachelor of Engineering Technology; Mickayla Meredith, Bachelor of Nursing; Lionel Singer, Bachelor of Design (Communication); Jacob Viggo, Diploma in Applied Sport.
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Otago Polytechnic best in the land (October 31 2016)
Otago Polytechnic is leading the country with the percentage of students who successfully complete their studies.
A report, released by The Tertiary Education Commission, compares 18 of New Zealand’s Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics for 2015.
It found that Otago Polytechnic leads in the percentage of students successfully completing qualifications (90%) and courses (84%).
The Polytechnic is second in the country for Students Retained in Study (76%) and fourth for Student Progression to Higher Level Study (44%).
Phil Ker, Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive, is delighted the Polytechnic is doing so well. “Our vision is to be recognised nationally and internationally as New Zealand’s leading polytechnic. We work extremely hard to improve year on year, and provide our learners with the very best opportunity to succeed in their study and secure employment.”
The Otago Polytechnic Annual Report 2015 revealed that 98% of its graduates are in work or further study.
Read what the ODT said here, and view Channel 39's coverage here.
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American Search & Rescue team train in Central Otago (August 18 2016)
An American search & rescue team affiliated with the US Air Force has spent two weeks in the mountain ranges of Central Otago on a customised avalanche safety course taught by Otago Polytechnic’s Avalanche Safety & Snow Sport programme manager Peter Bilous.
The team, who were looking at avalanche safety training options during the months of July and August, found the programme offered by the Central campus online. They made contact and were impressed with Central’s proposal, which included a professional training plan and a day to day schedule that really stood out as being a well-planned and tailor-made mountain safety programme, perfect for what they were after.
Ryan the team commander said, “We were impressed from the onset with the team from Otago Polytechnics Central campus and the effort they put into making this work for us. They made sure the training was maximised and met our budget. They were also really good at communicating with us to make sure the customised programme would meet the team’s objectives.”
He also said one of the highlights of the programme was spending three nights in the Bob Lee hut on the Pisa range, “Being able to spend time out in the mountain environment and apply our avalanche rescue skills was not only critical to our learning of the material but also a great opportunity for the team to bond together.”
The team of 13 spent time at Cardrona, Mt Pisa range and took part in some glacier based training on the Mt Cook glaciers under the guidance of respected mountain guide Hugh Barnard.
The team will apply their training in a search and rescue capacity when responding to avalanches, or to move safely across avalanche terrain in mountain environments, and hope that the programme could become a regular part of their training.
Ryan added that they will definitely be recommending Otago Polytechnic training to other teams also, “The entire experience has been fantastic, the training Peter gave us was phenomenal, and we are very pleased we chose this programme. Peter has so much knowledge to share and all members of our team have left with much more confidence in their avalanche rescue skills and using these in real world situations. Massive thanks goes to Peter and the staff at Otago Polytechnics Central campus, it has been a wonderful and worthwhile experience for us all.”
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Avalanche Awareness (June 28 2016)
GREAT SERIES ON AVALANCHE SAFETY
Episode 1: Avalanche awareness and planning.
