Category: Education

Professor Craig Johnson, a veterinary researcher, has been appointed as Massey University’s director of ethics.

In his new role, Professor Johnson will have overall responsibility for the University’s ethics and responsible researcher conduct, working closely with the Human and Animal Ethics Committees and Ethics Team.

Professor Johnson has been a member of Massey University’s Animal Ethics Committee for twelve years, chairing the committee for the previous six years. He is also deputy chair of the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee and the Australia and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals used in Research and Teaching.

Dean, research Associate Professor Tracy Riley says: “As a Professor of Veterinary Neurophysiology and co-director of the Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, Professor Johnson brings immense experience to the role, especially as Massey’s first Director with animal ethics expertise”.

Professor Johnson joined Massey in 2001. He holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from Liverpool University (1989) and doctorate from Cambridge University (1997). His research interests include pain relief in animals and the welfare of animals at slaughter.

He commences in his role new next week.

We are all affected by planners and planning regulations, whether doing up or building a home, to council decisions about public spaces and facilities.

Associate Professor Caroline Miller, based in the School of People, Environment and Planning, is the co-winner of the John Mawson Award of Merit for a book, Planning Practice in New Zealand,(published by Lexis Nexis). A co-editor with Dr Lee Beattie, she wrote several chapters for the book – an up-to-date and broad discussion of the practical issues and challenges faced in the application of planning law in New Zealand. 

The award was announced at the New Zealand Planning Institute’s  2018 conference recently.

Dr Miller, a former planning practitioner with 20 years’ experience and a particular interest in the Resource Management Act, says she and her co-editor realised there was a need for a book on day-to-day planning practice, covering the gamut from rural planning to heritage and professional ethics.

“We saw it as a book that would complement the legal perspectives while bridging the gap between theory and practice,” she says.

Creating a book, which comprises 21 chapters, was “challenging” in that it caters for a diverse audience, she adds.

Parts of the book reflect Dr Miller’s strong research interests, such as the involvement of Māori in planning processes, the development of the planning profession, and professional conduct and practice.

The work begins with an introduction to the New Zealand planning process and relevant legislation before discussing the implementation of the Resource Management Act and examining topics such as the Local Government Act; natural hazards; urban design and heritage design, and transportation planning. 

Written by leading academics and planning practitioners – including a number of former Massey students – the publishers describe the book as; “a unique and invaluable resource for all those involved in New Zealand planning practice including planners, planning advisors and consultants, architects, heritage consultants, compliance managers, resource officers and legal advisors.”

“Planning Practice in New Zealand is already proving to be an important resource for students and professionals alike, and this award is well-deserved recognition from your peers for your efforts and passion in this important work,” said Chris Murray, Head of content management, LexisNexis New Zealand Ltd.

Dr Miller, who is based at the Manawatū campus, is a former board member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and received a Distinguished Service Award from that Institute in 2007. 

Beginning with a two-person team eight years ago, Massey University’s Associate Professor Louise Chilvers has been visiting the island each year to make pup counts.

“Getting up to 55 pups this year was an exciting find for us, but it doesn’t make up for the 1500 pups that are no longer born at the Auckland Islands. The main human impact at the Auckland Islands is local fisheries interaction, so the establishment of this new little population away from that interaction is so important for the endangered New Zealand sea lion.”

“When it comes to the five sea lion species of the world, ours is the least abundant. South American, Californian, and Steller sea lion populations range in the hundreds of thousands, while the New Zealand and Australian barely break 10,000. These pups and colony are extremely special, so hopefully now there will be an increase in efforts to ensure their protection, and that of the others in the south, and that means not only DOC, but all of New Zealand.”

“These are our own New Zealand sea lions, only found here and they are unique. Take their forest-dwelling for example, none of the other sea lion species around the world do this. The more we know, the more we can do to protect them.”

Dr Chilvers recently returned from undertaking the count on Stewart Island, working with a team of five from the Stewart Island and Southland Department of Conservation areas and Auckland Zoo.

“Stewart Island is an important place to focus efforts on research to better inform their management, as has been outlined in the DOC Threat Management Plan, but equally sea lion populations around the rest of New Zealand’s mainland and the sub-Antarctics are still threatened by human activity.”

“Last year we tagged the pup of a female that we tagged as a pup on Stewart Island from five years previously. It was pretty special to see the generations are staying in the area.

“This work is pretty full-on though, and over the eight-day trip we were working very hard. Sea lions can grow to weigh around 400-500 kilograms, as pups at the age we are tagging them they are 30 to 50 kilograms so not an easy task. But we would never have even been there to do the work if it wasn’t for the community’s help in the beginning.”

That community help came in the form of sightings and photos eight years ago. There had been reports of sea lions breeding on Stewart Island, but never any photos to confirm pupping. So information sheets were sent out with hunting block permits for the island because people would often spot the sea lions when hunting or hiking on the island.

“This wasn’t intended to be an accurate count because females actually raise pups mostly in the forest, not the beaches like people assume. It’s also hard to tell the difference between a juvenile male and an adult female, so we needed to go ourselves – but we could only make the trip if we knew they were there. “In the end, people sent back information about sea lions they saw – and we had three females and five pups reported and shown in one photo, so that gave us all the information we needed to start the counts and research.

“That community engagement was so crucial for us to make a case about heading to Stewart Island and it has resulted in this exciting announcement eight years on of the first New Zealand sea lion colony on the New Zealand mainland in over 150 years.”

Sea lions on the beach.

Massey University researchers are investigating limb injuries in race horses by capturing the 3D movements of their limbs on camera and modelling it on computers.

Massey Equine Group’s Dr Bob Colborne and PhD student Alienor Bardin, a mechanical engineer, have funding from The New Zealand Equine Trust to attack this problem.

“The various equestrian industries in New Zealand make up about 2 per cent of the country’s GDP, and about a third of horses that start training and racing are retired and lost due to injury. About three-quarters of these are musculoskeletal injuries. These injuries, therefore, cause a fair amount of wastage, both in terms of the welfare impact on the horse and secondly, to the income potential. The purpose of our work is to assess the effects of variable ground surfaces on the forces applied to the limb during gait.”

The experimental work involves having the horses trot and canter along a runway in a sand arena over a force platform embedded in the surface in front of six infrared cameras that record the 3D movement of the horse’s limb segments on a consistent surface.

This baseline data allows the limb segments to be modelled and animated and allows an estimation of the forces applied to the ligaments and tendons. It can then be used to test the strain in ligaments and tendons when the limb is perturbed with variable footing and ground reaction forces – a softer, or harder than expected surface in the limb’s stance phase.  

This will allow the researchers to determine whether horses are capable of responding to a sudden change in ground condition during the perturbed stance phase, or if the response is not until the following stance phase, at which point the ground surface may have changed back.

“The physical properties of equestrian riding and racing surfaces have been associated with limb  injuries in horses, and most of the research in this area has focussed on quantifying the surface’s ability to absorb the concussive landing and shear forces between the hoof and ground.”

“On soft ground, the surface absorbs the landing forces, and so the limb can afford to be relatively stiff. On a harder surface, the limb becomes more compliant so it can attenuate the concussive impacts and reduce the impact shocks to the limb. However, this compliance may come at a cost… if the distal joints are less supported by tendon tension, then disruptive perturbations caused by hard uneven ground may cause the hoof to twist on impact and result in ligament or joint damage.”

They were among 150 young people at a national hui on youth leadership at the Manawatū campus last weekend.

Facing an uncertain future – from finding meaningful work and a sense of identity, to coping in a world affected by climate change – can be daunting for many young people. Aspiring youth leaders shared their hopes and ideas for change and met others from throughout the country confronting a variety of similar concerns and issues for their generation. 

Iraia says his aim is to inspire rangatahi in his community to “be the best that they can be” and to “realise there are no boundaries to achieving this if they have the motivation”.

Boredom, and the negative behaviour this can lead to, is a big issue he thinks needs addressing. His dream is a properly funded and resourced youth centre in Kawerau, “where youth can relax and be safe, whether to learn a new skill or hang out with friends, and a have a space where they feel valued”. 

He says the weekend, hosted by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in partnership with the charitable trust Inspiring Stories, which runs the Future Leaders initiative, was “one of the best things I’ve ever done”. He says he is keen to take his new knowledge and insights back to the young people in Kawerau.

Iraia Nuku shares his dreams for the youth of Kawerau where he comes from.

Youth voices need to be heard by those in power

Serena says she wants to bring about change in her community, as “it’s really important for young people to have their voices heard.”

Many young people feel oppressed, she says, and feel a lack of opportunity to express their needs and views because older people mostly hold positions of power. Encouraging a sense of belonging and value is a big issue for youth in her community as many just want to leave, she says. 

In a move befitting a Tiriti-led institution, Massey University will break with tradition at all graduation ceremonies this year, replacing the ancient latin anthem Gaudeamus Igitur” (“So Let Us Rejoice”) with the Massey waiata Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa.

Vice Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas asked the University Council to make the change in a bid to have the ceremonies better reflect Aotearoa New Zealand.

Gaudeamus Igitur dates from a 1287 Latin manuscript and is sung at University graduation ceremonies around the world, despite its roots as a student drinking song.

The waiata Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa was composed for Massey in consultation with Māori staff and consolidated by Professor Emeritus Sir Mason Durie and Jacob Tapiata. Its tune comes from the 1949 hit song Blue Smoke written by Ruru Karaitiana who was a member of the 28th (Māori) Battalion and it was gifted by his whānau to the University.

Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa is the Māori name for Massey emphasising the pursuit of learning as an endless journey – literally, “from inception to infinity”.

Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa

Nei rā te reo karanga e tau atu nei
Ki te hāpai ake i te rau tāngata
Whakaako, whakaeke ki te kōmata.
Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa.

Te ara mātauranga
Ka whakarewa e
Te māramatanga ka kitea e
Kimihia, rangahaua kia whita e.
Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa!

The English explanation is as follows:

Hear the call, the message
To uplift the diverse human nature
Learn and aspire to reach the pinnacle.
This is the message from Massey University.

The pathways to learning
Can be inspirational
And deeper understanding can enlighten
Therefore, seek out and grasp knowledge
This is the message from our University!

Staff are being encouraged to join in singing the waiata and a recording can be accessed here.