Two groups of Massey University researchers are teaming up to create PAWS (people • animals • wellbeing • surveillance), with the aim of helping protect both animals and humans from natural hazards, including those requiring immediate response like floods and earthquakes, to longer-term hazards like droughts and rising sea-levels.

The collaboration, between College of Health’s Environmental Health Indicators (EHI) team and College of Sciences EpiCentre, aims to give the multitude of people involved in safeguarding both animal and human health, the information they need to assess risks, prioritise where resources should be put and identify where communities are vulnerable.

PAWS co-director Professor Barry Borman from EHI, says an initial focus of the programme is to develop indicators of human and animal vulnerability to natural hazards.

“Protecting animal and human health from hazards is the job of national, regional and local government planners, district health boards, emergency managers and many more, but to make the best decisions about where to put their limited resources, they rely on solid evidence to inform their plans and priorities,” he says.

“The research will provide evidence-based, objective measures of population vulnerability to support public services and local communities that they can use in the event of a disaster,” Professor Borman says.

The EHI team has been funded by the Natural Hazards Research Platform to develop a set of social vulnerability indicators for flooding in the Porirua City Council area. This will involve looking at different factors that may influence how different people will be affected by the same event within a city – the demographics of households, their trust in public officials, their access to transport, their health before an event, and many more factors, Professor Borman says.

”We know from disasters overseas pets matter. One of the most powerful examples of this was Hurricane Katrina in the United States, when large numbers of people refused to evacuate because they could not take their pets with them. But it is not all bad news. Research has shown that after the 2011 Canterbury earthquake, dog ownership had a positive impact on health and wellbeing.

“Working together with emergency response planners, we can help make sure that the appropriate resources are in place to safely evacuate, house, and manage pets with their owners, especially since this can help improve resilience in the aftermath,” Professor Borman says.

The EpiCentre are conducting two PAWS related projects. One is to develop a statistical model to predict farm animal demographics from existing data sources, PAWS co-director Dr Carolyn Gates says.

“Collecting data on pet ownership is tricky because only dogs are registered and the registration and microchip databases are likely to be incomplete. In addition, not all pet owners take their dogs to a veterinarian. So the first project will be a survey of households to better understand the gaps in the existing databases. The second project involves develop of systems to automatically collate data from veterinary practises in a way that protects client privacy,” Dr Gates says.

The PAWS team will also further develop linkages between the various human and animal health databases and the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), using Massey’s new IDI lab in Wellington.

The two groups have previously successively collaborated in teaching a postgraduate online ‘One World, One Health’ epidemiology courses to students in South-East Asia, China and Mongolia.  The project was funded by the World Bank and European Union.

College of Health Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane Mills welcomes the new initiative. “The collaboration between the EHI team and EpiCentre is one of Massey’s unique contributions to New Zealand. It combines the skills and expertise of our human and veterinary epidemiologists and shows how academic research can be applied to the benefit of all New Zealanders,” she says.

College of Sciences Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Ray Geor says the directors of PAWS are to be congratulated on forming their exciting new collaboration. “It demonstrates Massey’s commitment to the concept of ‘One World, One Welfare’ both in research and teaching. All humans and animals are vulnerable to adverse effects of natural hazards and the research from PAWS will be important in mitigating these risks,” he says.

The Directors of PAWS are Professor Barry Borman and Associate Professor Deborah Read from the EHI team and Dr Naomi Cogger and Dr Carolyn Gates from EpiCentre.

North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, potential terror threats, and the security implications of climate change are among emerging issues relevant to New Zealand and the Pacific as discussion topics at a conference at Massey University this week.

Local and international experts will present on bio-security, drug-trafficking, cyber security and trade, the impact of a new government on policy, the roles of China and the United States in regional security and other hot topics during the April 5-6 conference organised by Massey’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies.

New government impact on policy?

Centre director and conference chair, Professor Rouben Azizian, says the timing of the conference is significant taking place a few months after a change of government. “Will this change lead to significant shifts in the country’s security policy and legislation or in its international security priorities? How will the new Government’s emphasis on climate change, ‘Pacific reset’ and socio-economic problems impact New Zealand’s national security and foreign policy?” are, he says, crucial questions for the conference.

“Will the new priorities side-line previous security and defence commitments? Has the Russia spy scandal damaged our relations with traditional security partners or confirmed our autonomous foreign policy reputation?” asks Professor Azizian. “The conference discussions should shed some light and hopefully provide some answers to these challenging issues.”

A speech by the Honourable Andrew Little, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) and the Security Intelligence Service (SIS), will focus on the tension between the need for public confidence in our security agencies through effective public engagement, and “the fact that the agencies need to operate out of public view.”

“The conference offers a great opportunity to front up and contribute to discussion of current security issues alongside recognised specialists in the field,” Mr Little says.

How safe are we from terrorism threats?

Massey terrorism expert Dr John Battersby will discuss challenges to what he sees as a New Zealand assumption that our small and size and distance from the rest of the world has meant we have been safe – and continue to be safe – from the impact of terrorism.  

“Our inability to legislate effectively against terrorism has meant that many instances of threatened or actual violence stemming from political motivations here have not been recognised as terrorism. We’ve tended to forget instances of might-be terrorism, and also have tended to forgive it.  As a result, New Zealanders often think we have never experienced terrorism and look overseas for the wisdom on countering terrorism now that concerns about radicalisation are surfacing here,” he says. 

“While we should definitely not ignore overseas developments, and our out-dated legislation needs to be aligned with global developments – our own past experience provides ample lessons for us to better assess our risk of terrorism.”

China’s growing influence

Asia security expert Dr Marc Lanteigne, also from the centre, will present on the recent changes to the structure of the People’s Liberation Army, as well as emerging security challenges the Chinese military will be facing in the coming years, such as maritime strategy (East and South China Seas), the Taiwan question, and the Belt and Road (a massive transportation, energy and infrastructure project linking China with 70 countries across multiple continents).

International guest speakers include:

• James Clad(American Foreign Policy Council): United States and regional security
• Dr Scott Hauger(Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, USA):  Security implications of climate change
• Andie Fong Toy(Former Deputy Secretary General Pacific Islands Forum): Security Challenges in the Pacific Region – what can NZ do?
• Dr Bryson Payne(University of North Georgia, USA): the role of cyber security in national security.

Other speakers include Josie Pagani, from the Council for International Development, on humanitarian challenges; Roger Smith, from the Ministry for Primary Industries, on bio-security; Dr Vangelis Vitalis, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on trade and security; Aliya Danzeisen, from the Women’s Organisation of the Waikato Muslim Association, on suspect communities; the Hon Mark Mitchell, National Party spokesman for Defence, Disarmament and Justice, on New Zealand security and defence challenges and priorities; and Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Massey’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, on New Zealand’s demographic and immigration trends, and implications for national security.

On Friday, attendees from diverse government, business, academic and community groups will participate in workshops on New Zealand’s security capabilities, international networks and reputation.

Professor Azizian says the conference agenda is broad, “but its focus will be narrow, as we’ll attempt to understand and assess the implications of various international security challenges for New Zealand.”

“The increasingly complex international security environment requires “more sophisticated and integrated responses to evolving threats, which can’t be achieved without a strategic security thinking and inclusive national participation.”

This is the second conference on national security organised the centre, with support from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Exploring forces and factors that shape individual and national identities in a globally connected world – from Aotearoa to Palestine – is the theme of a free public lecture at Massey University’s Auckland campus on April 5.

Well-known sociologist and commentator on immigration and population issues Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley will open the discussion with a focus on populist nationalism. 

He will be joined by colleagues, Dr Trudie Cain and Dr Rand Hazou in ‘Close Encounters in Cosmopolitan New Zealand’ – the second of ten in this year’s in the Our Changing World lecture series. The free 10-part series titled “Our Changing World”, held monthly from February to November at Massey’s Auckland campus, follows on from last year’s successful series coordinated by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Speakers bring their expert knowledge and astute insights to topics that are front of mind for many, offering fresh perspectives and analysis of some of the more complex, gritty questions.

Professor Spoonley says the modern era of identity politics has been defined by the rise of minority nationalist, linguistic and indigenous communities, the civil rights moment and feminism.  

“In the 21st century, there has been a considerable reversal as elements in white majority communities have reacted to minority and feminist politics – by actively rejecting them. Their reaction is often expressed along the lines of ‘Why should women, ethnic minorities or indigenous (non-white) groups ‘jump the queue’ for educational, housing or labour market resources and positions?  Why should they be able to make claims on a government?  Shouldn’t there be one law for all?  Shouldn’t being an American, Australian, British, New Zealander take precedence over all other identities?’”

Banksy in Palestine – irony or insult?

Theatre lecturer Dr Hazou will bring a global perspective to the border where identity politics and art intersect, with a discussion of a controversy surrounding UK street artist Banksy in Palestine.

In November 2017, Banksy marked the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration (in which Britain pledged to make Palestine a national home for the Jewish people) by hosting a party outside the recently established Walled-Off Hotel in Bethlehem. The party included an actor dressed as Queen Elizabeth II who unveiled the word ‘Er… Sorry’ carved into Israel’s Separation Wall, and children from the nearby Aida refugee camp were invited to enjoy a cake decorated with the Union Jack.

Dr Hazou says the mock celebration was gate-crashed by local Palestinian activists unhappy with the use of the British flags and the Palestinian children. An activist planted a Palestinian flag in the cake as the crowd cheered and shouted; ‘free Palestine’. Dr Hazou will examine the controversy, online and in the media, that Banksy’s intervention sparked, with numerous voices criticising the artist for profiting from Palestinian suffering and normalising the occupation. 

“Others insist that Banksy is deploying his celebrity and brand to shine a satirical light on the Israeli occupation and apartheid politics in Palestine. To what extent can Bansky’s intervention be considered a performance of international solidarity with the Palestinian cause? And how might the counter-intervention by the Palestinian gate-crashers be read as an assertion of Palestinian self-determination?, he asks. 

Sociologist and facilitator Dr Cain will link these topics to the central theme of the lecture – the impact of New Zealand’s increasingly diverse population and a recent surge in migrants from over 100 countries. She will explore such questions as; how well do we know and relate to one another in Aotearoa 2018? Are our core institutions adjusting to superdiversity? What about our local and national policies? What are the challenges ahead, and what is needed to ensure social cohesion – and not division – in our culturally rich, complex society? 

The lecture will be held in the Sir Neil Waters Lecture Theatre Building (SNW300) at 6pm.

For more information and to register go to: www.massey.ac.nz/ourchangingworld

April 5: Close encounters with cosmopolitan NZ

(Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley, Dr Rand Hazou, Dr Trudie Cain)

April 26: Flying under the radar: New Zealand’s fearless airmen of WWI

(Dr Adam Claasen) 

May 31: Can poetry save the Earth?

(Associate Professor Bryan Walpert, Dr Jack Ross, Dr Jo Emeney)

June 28: Watching over you: surveillance and security in New Zealand

(Dr Rhys Ball, Dr Damien Rogers)

July 5: Can China call the shots with North Korea?

(Dr Marc Lanteigne)

August 30: Whose community? What the Ancients can teach us about merging and mixing

(Dr Anastasia Bakogianni, Dr David Rafferty)

September 27: In the moment: Mindfulness for changing times

(Dr Heather Kempton)

October 25: Yearn to learn – how the digital revolution is sparking creativity

(Dr Lucila Carvalho)

November 29: In search of church – does religion have a future in godzone?

(Professor Peter Lineham)

 

An architect with a passion for social change has won the Creative New Zealand and Massey University Arts and Creativity Award at the 2018 Prime Minister’s Pacific Youth Awards.

John Belford-Lelaulu of Auckland was presented with his award at a special ceremony at the Fale o Samoa in Mangere that honoured a stellar group of young Pasifika leaders. Mr Belford-Lelaulu has been involved in local and international projects that use creativity, arts and design to target issues such as poverty, inequality, cultural deprivation and institutional racism.

This is the first year that Massey’s College of Creative Arts has been a sponsor of the Prime Minister’s Pacific Youth Awards and head of the School of Art Dr Huhana Smith, who co-presented the award with Creative New Zealand, says Mr Belford-Lelaulu was a perfect choice.  “He absolutely fits with our vision for the College of Creative Arts to produce creative thinkers, makers and innovators who make the world a better place and make us feel better about living in it.”

Mr Belford-Lelaulu is running a series of social design projects with tertiary and secondary students that range from designing and building outdoor furniture for the  Mangere East Village, to re-purposing ruins from the 2009 tsunami to build a new community hub in Samoa.

It will be up to Mr Belford-Lelaulu to choose how to use his award, which opens the possibility of continued post-graduate research at the College of Creative Arts or financial assistance to help grow his existing projects. He says he’s looking forward to exploring the opportunities the award brings.

Mr Belford-Lelaulu is also associated with Massey University through his social design practice the MAU Studio, which is part of the HATCH Programme run by the Pacific Business Trust in partnership with the Massey Business School.

 

 

Secondary school Spanish language teachers from across New Zealand are about to add a Colombian accent to their teaching techniques.

The group of eight teachers will fly to Colombia next week as part of a programme encouraging cultural connections between the two countries and will be accompanied by Spanish language lecturer Dr José Díaz Rodríguez, who is based at Massey University’s Auckland campus.

The month-long trip is funded by a Prime Minister’s Scholarship to Latin America awarded to Massey’s Spanish Language programme.

The Teaching Teachers: NZ Spanish teachers in Colombia programme, offers New Zealand Spanish teachers the opportunity to advance their prowess by immersing themselves in a Spanish-speaking context and join in classes and workshops with Colombian specialists in second language teaching.

The teachers – from schools in Waiuku, Napier, Hawke’s Bay, Havelock North, Lower Hutt, Christchurch and Dunedin – will be based until early May at the Universidad Nacional in the Colombian capital Bogota, which offers advanced Spanish language classes in the morning and cultural activities in the afternoons.

Senior lecturer in Spanish language at Massey’s School of Humanities, Dr Celina Bortolotto, says both Massey University and Universidad Nacional recognise the potential for training collaborations, exchange of expertise, cultural ties and strategic partnerships that will create economic and trade opportunities for both countries. She and Dr Rodríguez co-wrote the bid for the scholarship, which covers the cost of airfares, accommodation, travel insurance and a three-day trip to the Universidad Nacional campus in Leticia, on the Amazon River.

“Participant teachers will also be able to showcase their work and education among their Colombian peers and in the process highlight the potential for study in New Zealand and highlight the strengths of the New Zealand education system,” she says.

The programme is part of a goal to help Education New Zealand market New Zealand as a global education destination – estimated to have a potential market size of $5 billion by 2025.

“As part of this immersion training, New Zealand teachers will also act as cultural ambassadors and share the variety of their practices, the diversity of their challenges and the richness of their culture in Aotearoa with Colombian teachers and students,” says Dr Bortolotto, who is from Argentina. 

Each participating teacher has organised or been involved with activities promoting the teaching of Spanish in New Zealand over the past few years, many of them spearheaded by Massey’s Spanish Programme.

While in Colombia, the teachers will also be hosted on two educational field trips where they will meet different Colombian communities.

Dr Bortolotto says when they return, the teachers will be able to share their knowledge and experiences of Latin American culture, in particular Colombia, to a larger New Zealand audience. She hopes the programme will encourage further teaching and research collaborations between Massey and Universidad Nacional.

Dr Ralph Bathurst.

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Practice and preparation lead to the best performances

I am a musician – a violist – by trade and as a young person I spent many hours practising. I followed the same routine every practice session, beginning with warm-up exercises and then moving onto scales. The scale system devised by Carl Flesch is the one that string players prefer because it contains scales in all 24 keys, and I would spend one week in each key, following the Flesch system of major, melodic minor, harmonic minor, diminished, chromatic, double-stopped scales; single octaves, three octaves; quickly, and very slowly. After working through the key for that week, I would then play one of the 42 Kreutzer studies. Only when I had finished this routine would I then start practising the specific pieces I was studying.

I describe this in detail because here’s the thing: when performing on stage, a musician knows that there will be some difficult passages that they have to navigate. The hours of playing exercises, scales and studies means that all the potentially treacherous spots in a piece have been encountered over and over within the practice routine. Because they have spent all those hours, the most skilled musicians are able to get beyond their nerves and treat difficult passages with ease. Psychologists call this being in a state of flow. It is a mental state where people become less and less self-conscious, and more present to what is happening in the moment. This is the ideal state for leaders to work in.

Mistakes are more likely when you are under stress

It is vital for leaders to operate within their comfort zone because that’s when they are most at ease and can be in flow. Mistakes are more likely to be made when we are out of our comfort zone and full of anxiety and fear. Musicians know that nerves will make the muscles tense, and leadership is no different. 

The challenge for leaders is to continually stretch their comfort zone outwards, and that’s where development programmes can be very helpful. Courses can help leaders experiment with different ways of leading within the safety of a classroom and, in the process, acquire a larger repertoire of leadership skills.

Reacher dealt to the skinheads because he was comfortable with himself and had already practised the actions leading to his success. Leaders operating within their comfort zone make for healthy organisations. 

Learn about the Master of Advanced Leadership Practice