Living in emergency housing did not stop social work student from studying at EIT | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

4 mins ago

Harata Gordon is in her fourth year of the Bachelor of Social Work at EIT Tairāwhiti.

Living in emergency housing with her two young children has not stopped Harata Gordon (Ngāti Porou) from pursuing her dream of studying at EIT Tairāwhiti.

Thankfully, Harata has recently moved into a Kāinga Ora home with her two children, but her hardships have not deterred her from continuing with her studies.

Having left Campion College in year 12, Harata enrolled NZ Certificate in Beauty Therapy (Level 4) at EIT. She spent a number of years after that working  in customer service and in a packhouse, however, she always wanted something more for her life and this has led her to pursue a career in social work.

“I’m a very simple person. Throw me in anywhere and I have the drive or the aroha to find a way to help.”

Harata, 29, is currently in her fourth year of the Bachelor of Social Work at EIT Tairāwhiti, but has decided to split the final year into two which means that she will finish up next year.

“Studying full-time made it a long year. It is just more manageable with my two babies as well. I can  re-set my goals, so it makes more sense and is more fitting for me now.”

The journey has had a few disruptions with Harata splitting the degree between EIT and Ara Institute of Canterbury falling pregnant in her second year, and dealing with COVID. She did her first year at EIT before moving down to Christchurch for personal reasons where she did her second year at Ara. She returned to EIT Tairāwhiti for the rest of her degree.

Harata says that she believes the tough times she has endured with her children recently will shine through when she becomes a social worker.

“I think that having lived the way I have for the last year will give me more appreciation and make me more understanding.”

“I hope that I can inspire or give hope to a mama who hasn’t got anywhere for her or her kids to live to realise that she can do something with her life.”

Harata is enjoying her studies, especially her placement at Ngāti Porou Oranga where she got work experience in the community.

“It was such a positive experience and I was able to make some great connections and have some good networking opportunities.”

While the degree is taking longer than she intended, Harata realises that she needs to be patient.

“I have the same passion, the same drive, the same fire inside. I will always love helping people.”

Harata acknowledges that she could not do what she is doing without whānau or as she puts it “my village sprinkles everywhere”.

Charlotte Chisnell, EIT’s Social Work Programme Coordinator, says: “Harata’s journey is a powerful example of resilience and determination. Despite the challenges of living in emergency housing with her two young children, she has remained committed to her studies and her dream of becoming a social worker.”

“Harata’s perseverance, even in the face of adversity, is inspiring. Her ability to balance her education with being a parent, while overcoming significant obstacles, highlights her strength and dedication. Her story will undoubtedly inspire others, showing that achieving your goals is possible with passion, patience, and strong community support.  Harata’s journey illustrates the profound impact that lived experiences can have in shaping compassionate and effective social workers.”

EIT journey starts as student and continues through to senior staff role | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

5 mins ago

Tash Hau was recently appointed as Assistant Head of Te Ūranga Waka.

Tash Hau’s journey at EIT began when she enrolled in the NZ Certificate in Te Reo Māori (Level 2) and 16 years later it is still going strong, with her recent appointment to Assistant Head of Te Ūranga Waka.

Since 2007, Tash (Ngātiwai) has gained much experience in the education sector, having recently returned to EIT after three years as Professional Learning and Development Facilitator with the University of Waikato. There she was responsible for supporting Kāhui Ako clusters, principals and teachers to deliver educational opportunities that accelerate success and support equitable outcomes for Māori students.

Prior to this, Tash worked at EIT as a Programme Coordinator/Tutor for more than 10 years. She is also a graduate of all the qualifications from all levels of the te reo certificate, Bachelor of Arts (Māori) and Bachelor of Arts Māori  (Honours)  as well as the Master of Professional Practice (shared with the School of Education and Social Sciences).

Tash, 44, who grew up in Wairoa, says that her interest in learning te reo was sparked when she was about 12 years old and attended a Kapa Haka wānanga at Rangiahua marae.

“Everyone had an opportunity to share with the group and as one of our elders spoke in te reo Māori, laughter filled the wharenui. I remember vividly wishing I was able to understand and it was at that moment I knew learning my native language was something I needed to do. I realise now, that was my tīpuna (ancestors) guiding me”.

“And although it took probably 25 years from where the journey actually started, during which time I had my children, that I realised what pathway I needed to take”

After finishing school at Wairoa College, Tash spent some time in Gisborne before she travelled to Australia for five years where she has family. Coming from a small town, she felt it was important to see “what else was out there”. It was there that Tash started her family.

Tash moved back to New Zealand with her two eldest children, Alayh and Ibanez which has been a rewarding decision.

“My two youngest daughters Kheyz and Jhrsey have both been part of the Te Ūranga Waka whānau, with Jhrsey accompanying me to classes during the certificate level from eight days old. I was really grateful that within te ao Māori our babies are able to be included and cherished. I believe that as māmā, we shouldn’t have to choose between parenting and education, we are most definitely capable of both”.

She says she felt a number of emotions when she started learning te reo.

“The journey of reclamation was a combination of feeling overwhelmed in the initial stages and a calm sense of being exactly where I needed to be, a healing journey I was unaware I needed.”

“I just fell in love with the place, the people and the kaupapa.”

She is also grateful for the support she had right through the levels of study.

“I have to acknowledge my peers and the tutors across the years who supported me to actually achieve all of this.”

The transition from student to part-time tutor of the certificate programme is something to this day she is grateful for as it presented a pathway to give back to the place that has given her so much.

“I am indebted to the belief that our special kui, Nan Materoa Haenga had in me to pursue this pathway”.

 “When we’re students, sometimes we can lack the belief in ourselves and our own abilities, but what I really appreciated was that as a kaiako, Nanny Materoa could see the potential in us and offered opportunities to nurture that.”

Being a Nan herself now to two beautiful mokopuna, Tash plans to continue sharing those teachings with them.

Since then it has been journey forward for Tash, with her efforts recently being rewarded with her appointment as Poutuara, Assistant Head of Te Ūranga Waka.

“EIT is home for me. I’m really invested in the people and the place. I’d like to thank my colleagues, friends, family and my partner Matenga for their ongoing support. It really does make all the difference.”

Pareputiputi Nuku, Pouarataki, Te Ūranga Waka and Te Whatukura, welcomed Tash back to her “whare”.

“We are so happy that Tash is returning to us not only with the amazing skills she left us with, but also the new knowledge and expertise she has gained over the past three years.”

EIT lecturer’s biomechanics research reaps rewards as shot-putter wins Olympic medal for New Zealand | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

9 seconds ago

Mike Schofield with New Zealand shot-putter Maddison-Lee Wesche, who won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris this year.

EIT lecturer Mike Schofield’s research into biomechanics is reaping rewards as the shot-putter he coaches recently won a medal at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Mike, who is a lecturer in strength and conditioning at EIT, was a high performance coach for track and field throws for Athletics New Zealand in Auckland.

It was there that he became coach for New Zealand shot-putter Maddison-Lee Wesche, who won a silver medal at the Olympic Games earlier this month.

Speaking from Paris where he has been supporting Maddi, Mike said that the journey to the Olympics has been “awesome”. He has been coaching Maddi for about seven years.

“I’ve been lucky enough to apply some of the research that I’ve done within Maddi’s programme over the years, and to see it come to fruition. It’s been neat.”

Mike, who is normally based at the EIT Institute of Sport and Health (EIT ISH) at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park in Hastings, says that this semester he has been teaching a course in innovation where he has drawn on his own experience for examples.

“Part of this is showing the students that I lecture what innovation is in sport in a real-world context, and so I’ve been lecturing online from over here for ten days or so.”

“I have been going through some of the innovative tools we use in training, and in an Olympic Games programme.

“It provides a little bit of context around the application of some of the theory that they learn, to try to bridge the gap between theory and performance. It is quite a cool scenario that probably very few people, and especially students in a degree course, get to see inside an Olympic campaign, and in real time.”

Mike says there are a number of programmes that are used.

“These are iPad-based programmes, a few little sensors and bits of tech that we attach to bars and to Maddi, to measure certain variables that we’re interested in, and we’ve covered that off in class.”

Mike says that for him personally it has been important to see his historical research being used in a real world context through Maddi’s training process.

“My area of research is biomechanics and it is about evolving a technical model from a theoretical basis. Obviously it seems to have gelled with Maddi’s abilities, traits and personality, which has been quite cool.”

“The biggest thing that I’ve probably learned is that performance is a little more complex than research allows you to see, and it’s a blending of multiple pillars of sports science.”

“That’s broadened my horizons to skill acquisition and the peripheries of human behaviour combined with strength and conditioning and biomechanics. So the experience of working with someone like Maddi has broadened my understanding of performance.”

While Mike has enjoyed being in Paris, he says that the Olympic experience for him is more about performance.

“I get a real buzz out of trying to figure out the puzzle of how we throw it further?”

He says that sport science is probably a pretty new science and it is evolving year on year.

“That’s the challenge for us as lecturers and researchers is to keep up with the science and the practice. What we know today might not be what we know tomorrow.”

Childhood dream of becoming a teacher on the way to becoming reality through EIT | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

2 mins ago

Ella Ralph is in her second year of the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) at EIT.

As a child Ella Ralph (Ngai Tahu) always dreamt of becoming a teacher and she is now on her way to achieving that through the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) at EIT.

Currently in her second year of the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary), Ella, 19, won a Year 13 Scholarship which paid for a year of her study at EIT. The Year 13 Scholarship, which is offered annually by EIT, covers one year of tuition fees.

The Scholarship supports school leavers across the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti regions to study any one of EIT’s degrees or selected diploma programmes that lead into a degree by providing one year FREE study.

Ella, who attended Napier Girls’ High, says that while the scholarship was an incentive to go to EIT, what sealed the deal was that the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) allows candidate teachers to spend two days per week at a partner school.

“I looked at a few different universities, but what sold it for me was that you actually work in a school for two days per week.”

Ella, says she also loves the programme.

“It’s really awesome. It’s heaps of fun and the lecturers make it really  hands-on .”

“When we are in our lectures, it’s almost like we’re in a classroom. They implement heaps of things that you could use in the classroom.”

Last year Ella was placed at Te Awa Primary and this year she is at Bledisloe School.

She says that apart from the placement she also enjoys the fact that the programme allows students to connect with the community.

“We do quite a lot with the community, including visiting maraes.”

As for the future, Ella says that she is looking forward to becoming a fully-fledged teacher when she finishes her degree, but also does have ambitions to one day become either a Principal or Deputy Principal or even to work for the Ministry of Education.

She is keen on staying in Hawke’s Bay, but also would like to travel as well. As for studying further, she has not ruled that out, but would like to spend a few years practicing her craft.

Associate Professor Emily Nelson, the Programme Coordinator for the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary), said: “We love the energy our students bring to our programme and our educational community as Candidate Teachers.”

“We are really enjoying supporting Ella along her journey and we are looking forward to seeing where teaching takes her.”

Thousands of New Zealanders failing to get proper bowel cancer screening, EIT-led research finds | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

4 mins ago

Dr Chey Dearing, a Principal Academic Staff Member (PASM) in EIT’s School of Nursing, has led research that shows that tthousands of New Zealanders, especially people of Māori ,Pacific, or Asian ethnicity are not getting proper bowel cancer screening.

Thousands of New Zealanders, especially people of Māori ,Pacific, or Asian ethnicity are not getting proper bowel cancer screening, EIT-led research has found.

The new research, led by Dr Chey Dearing, a Principal Academic Staff Member (PASM) in EIT’s School of Nursing, shows that in ten years more than 7,000 eligible people tried but failed, due to an error with the bowel cancer screening test or it not being done properly.

The research has just been published in the New Zealand Medical Journal with Dr Dearing as the lead author. The article is entitled Attempt to engage, yet failure to obtain successful bowel cancer screening: more likely in Māori, Pacific peoples, Asians, men and high deprivation areas. Other authors are Louise O’Connor, Gastroenterology Nurse, Gastroenterology Department, Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital; Georgia C Dearing, Health Science Student, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland; and Bernard McEntee, Consultant General Surgeon, Gastroenterology Department, Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital.

Dearing says the people who are most likely to miss out on proper screening are people of Māori or Asian or Pacific ethnicity. Males were also more likely to miss out.

In New Zealand, bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer (CRC), is the second highest cause of cancer death. The researchers sought to characterise a unique population, the individuals who attempt to engage one or multiple times with screening yet fail to ever obtain successful screening. They did this by analysing data from the New Zealand National Bowel Screening Programme from 2012 to 2022.

The research shows that more than 7,000 individuals (1.26% of all participants) have attempted but failed to be successfully screened in the national bowel screening programme. In the first place, many factors including ethnicity, gender, language barriers and socio-economic status reduce participation in such screening. Targeted interventions to improve Māori and Pacific peoples’ participation show modest 2–5% increases or even reduced participation.

Dearing says that 7,126 (1.26 percent) failed to get tested properly for a variety of reasons. Bowel cancer screening tests that were returned but were unable to be processed are known as “spoilt kits”.

“Spoilt kits are technical errors, including reasons such as consent forms not being signed or dated, barcodes not being attached to the sample, insufficient sample collected, kits being outside expiry dates and other similar errors,” says Dearing.

Further compounding the issue was that when someone submitted a first “spoilt” kit, even though they were sent another (with some even contacted directly) they failed to respond or sent a second faulty kit back.

Dearing says that there are important variations in the failure to successfully receive CRC screening by gender, age, ethnicity, deprivation level and screening year, but says there are some solutions available.

“We suggest drop-off location checking services for all participants are required at locations determined after consultation with stakeholders. This might be in high-deprivation areas, or where culturally appropriate, perhaps located on maraes and other community centres.”

Using exercise to improve mental health and tackle obesity persuaded woman to study sport and exercise science at EIT | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

2 mins ago

Toni Palermo is enjoying the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science at EIT.

Toni Palermo decided to change careers and enrol in EIT’s Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science in a bid to set an example that exercise can improve mental health and tackle obesity.

After years of working in finance and administration in Australia and New Zealand, Toni , 43, realised that she wanted more and to set an example for her children. This led her to enrolling at EIT.

“What prompted me to do it is probably mental health and my children. Over the last few years I really got into my exercise and I found it really good for mental health.”

“After seeing statistics on obesity among New Zealanders in general, especially children, made me think that maybe I could help change things. So, I’m trying to influence my children and prove that you’re never too old to do anything.”

“A bit of sport and exercise every day in anyone’s life is a benefit, no matter if it’s just a walk down the road or you’re playing hockey, netball or rugby.”

Toni, who had enrolled in the Certificate in Te Reo (Level 2) at EIT a few years ago, says she did some research on where to study, but chose EIT because it is close to home.

“I live in Waipukurau, so there’s a bit of travel each day, but it was the closest institute to home and this was the best option for my family.”

While Toni dabbled with pursuing a career in the police, she is now set on becoming a high school PE teacher after her studies.

She has no doubt that she is doing the programme for her, but it was an adjustment to begin studying again.

“To study so long after I was at high school has definitely been a huge change for me, but I love the content. I think that the programme itself is incredible and the opportunities we’ve had are really cool.”

“The tutors that I’ve had are amazing and they definitely care about everybody. They’ve been really supportive when I’ve had struggles. They have encouraged me to keep going and said that they see me as being quite an influence within the class.”

Dr Andrew Garrett, EIT’s Head of School, Health and Sport Science, says: “It’s great to see Toni’s return to study, as a mature candidate. With real and definitive goals of integrating exercise into people’s lifestyles to enhance their health and quality of life.”

Having an impact on people’s lives at heart of EIT educator’s philosophy | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

16 mins ago

Dr Gareth Allison is EIT’s new Head of the School of Business

An EIT educator who spent time working at an Indigenous tertiary institute in Australia’s Northern Territory, says that having an impact on people’s lives and in communities is key.

Dr Gareth Allison, who is EIT’s new Head of the School of Business, says that his job as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Tertiary Education and Research at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education gave him an insight into the role that education can play in people’s lives. He also spent part of his time there in the acting CEO role.

“What was great about the roles was what you were doing as an organisation was making a real impact on people’s lives. In that context it was changing the lives of people, families and communities that had been damaged by colonialism“

“We had a wide variety of offerings from very low level literacy and numeracy programmes delivered in the prisons, right through to postgraduate courses. I enjoyed my time there and it really was a place where I learnt a lot of lessons.”

Gareth, who joined EIT in May as postgraduate programme coordinator and lecturer in the Schools of Business and Computing, is looking forward to his new role heading the School of Business. He has also been appointed Head of the School of Tourism and Hospitality and the English Language Centre.

He is originally from Kaikōura and has worked extensively within the tertiary education sector since receiving his PhD from Lincoln University. He has worked at Lincoln University, Auckland University of Technology, Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai, the University of Canterbury and Ara Institute of Canterbury as well.

Gareth, who ran his own business in Christchurch for about a year after returning from Australia, says that he decided to come to EIT because it had always had a good reputation in the Polytech sector.

“I enjoy this sector a lot, its applied and real and I feel that you can make more of a difference.”

“I think that after what this community has been through, it’s a chance to make an impact and to do something meaningful, which is, to me,  quite important.”

Research has been an important part of Gareth’s career and he is enjoying connecting with EIT’s rich research culture. His own doctoral thesis examined Cross-cultural motivations for the consumption of luxury products, but his interests are now more about multicultural marketplaces, food marketing, and ethical consumption.

He says that he is looking forward to the challenge of being Head of three distinct schools (Business, Tourism and Hospitality and the English Language Centre).

“My job in that space is to help to grow those areas till they are sustainable and vibrant and doing all the things they need to do.”

He says that while an important part of the School of Business was the postgraduate programmes in Auckland which focused on international students, he is keen to grow the undergraduate offering in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, as well as postgraduate offerings for domestic students in Hawke’s Bay.

“What i’d like to see is for the business school as a whole to be more engaged with the region that we’re in, to be more relevant, to be more a part of the community that we live and work in, and to be a real contributor to the economy of this region in terms of developing skills and creating opportunities for businesses and for students.”

“I’d also like for us to be more connected to all of our stakeholders, including Māori, and to increase our relevance in that space over time.”

John West, EIT’s Executive Dean: Faculty of Commerce and Technology, says: “EIT is delighted to be able to appoint Gareth who brings a breadth of Australian educational leadership and management experience, and a deep understanding of delivering educational outcomes to learners that often find access and success at tertiary education difficult.”

Top Auckland car dealership chooses EIT for EV training | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

5 hours ago

A top Auckland car dealership chooses EIT as its preferred option to train its auto-technicians in the latest electric vehicle technology.

Andrew Simms Motor Group, which has six dealerships across Auckland, first began enrolling auto-technicians in EIT’s NZ Certificate in Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering (Level 5) last year.

Andrew Simms Group General Manager Aftersales, Travis Cross, said that his company had sent  members of their team to an EV programme at another provider in Auckland last year as well as sending three people to EIT.

“We just wanted to test the water with the offerings that were available. And from the response we got back, the offering from EIT was relatively more substantial and significant than what was on offer locally up here.”

“We made the choice based on that, that we’d actually support EIT by flying our team there, putting them up in accommodation for the night to get a better level of training out of the programme that was offered.”

Travis said that the setup of the programme was ideal for his team in that it combined online classrooms with three practical block courses at EIT in Napier during the year.

“The environment at EIT is quite intimate so our technicians have good access to the tutors.”

Travis says that EVs have changed the dynamics of the industry and it was important to have a training organisation upskilling their technicians.

Scott Cunningham, the Programme Coordinator for Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering [Level 5]  at EIT, said that creating a solid industry connection with Andrew Simms motor group has been positive for both EIT and Andrew Simms.

“The high number of trained technicians coming through our programme have been able to extend their knowledge in the EV and Hybrid sector and  successfully diagnose uncommon and complex faults in these vehicles. They also now have a greater understanding of how all the systems and subsystems function and operate in depth.”

“We have also been able to keep in touch with these technicians after the programme and have received feedback on late model vehicles they have successfully diagnosed and repaired with their newly gained knowledge.”

“Andrew Simms Motor Group has continued to enrol more technicians throughout the year and EIT appreciates the support and commitment to our programme.”

Cyclone Gabrielle experience motivates EIT educator to be even more positive | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

4 mins ago

Geoffrey Mather is EIT’s new Head of Computing.

A near-death experience during Cyclone Gabrielle has motivated Geoffrey Mather to be even more positive than before.

Geoffrey, who has recently been appointed EIT’s new Head of the School of Computing, says the Cyclone forced him to  reimagine his life and not “sweat the small stuff”.

“I don’t worry about a thing now, instead I just get on and do the best I can with what I’ve got.”

Geoffrey, who was the Assistant Head of the Schools of Business and Computing at the time, was living semi-rurally near the Napier Golf Club at Waiohiki. He says that he was fast asleep at about 5.30 am on the day the Cyclone hit last February.

“I was woken by this torrent of water and my mobile’s torchlight showed that there was about 2 foot of water in my bedroom.”

Wherever he went in the house there was rising water and Geoffrey realised that he needed to get out.

Attempts to break windows proved futile, so he made his way to the kitchen where there was a high window that he could climb out of.

“I pushed the window out and jumped into the torrent of water that by this time was running around my place.”

As he tried to make it to safety he came across his landlord and together they were able to make it to higher ground, eventually ending up at a neighbour’s house.

“About this time, I sent a message to John West, my boss, and it’s quite funny on reflection, but it said something like, ‘Hi John, I don’t think I’m going to be able to get into work today’.”

Having escaped with his pyjamas and his mobile phone only, it was the start of a period of rebuilding for Geoffrey and he credits John West and EIT for their understanding, support and compassion.

“When I did come back to work, I initially came back part-time, and also got some counselling through EAP, which I am also very grateful for.”

Since coming back to work, Geoffrey has been acting Head of School for Tourism and Hospitality, Computing and English Language.

He says this has helped him master the art of multi-tasking and ironically given him focus, but he has also benefitted from the counselling and has even created a podcast about his experience.

“My podcast is called Cyclone Gabrielle Smash-up. It’s six episodes and it’s just me sharing. The first episode is a slightly longer account of what happened on that fateful day.”

”I would like to find a way to create a platform where people can share from their experience what they went through, because something I have learned since Cyclone Gabrielle is that whether someone was impacted or not, everyone has a story.”

“I think it can be empowering, insightful, rewarding, not just for the person who’s sharing the story, but those who are receiving it. And I would like to create a way for those sorts of stories to be shared.”

Now living in Taradale, Geoffrey is looking forward to getting into his new role.

“I am excited by where computing and the school could go in the coming years. That excites me. And I’m eager to help make that a reality and propel the school forward.”

He says that his vision is for it to become EIT’s showcase and to deepen the connections and synergies between teams and communities.

“And not just in the Hawke’s Bay, Tairāwhiti and Auckland regions where we deliver programmes, but also internationally. And at the moment, we have a large project in China with Zhejiang Yuexiu University. And another reason why I look forward to working alongside the School of Computing whānau is before joining EIT, I worked in China for 12 and a half years.”

“I think I therefore have an interesting lens within which to grow and support our China-based programme.”

Geoffrey also looks forward to being reunited with his Malaysian-born partner Kenny.  They met 20 years ago in Shanghai and have been living a long-distance relationship for most of that time.  Post the Cyclone, they applied for a Partner Visa for Kenny and are now awaiting Immigration New Zealand’s decision.

John West, EIT’s Executive Dean: Faculty of Commerce and Technology, says: “EIT was delighted to have appointed Geoffrey when he started in April 2022. His subsequent appointment to Head of School reflects EITs commitment to empowering and growing managers.”

Top EIT researcher wins award from international organisation | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

7 mins ago

EIT Associate Professor Pii-Tuulia Nikula, has been awarded a prestigious Associate Editor of the Year award.

A top EIT researcher, Associate Professor Pii-Tuulia Nikula, has been awarded a prestigious Associate Editor of the Year award by the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA).

Pii-Tuulia is well known for her research on management, policy, and sustainability issues in international education, higher education, and the private sector.

Last year she co-edited two books – Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education and Sustainable Education Abroad: Striving for Change.

Pii-Tuulia is also an active peer-reviewer and holds editorial roles in international journals. She has contributed to the work of Higher Education Research and Development since 2019, initially as part of the College of Reviewers, and then, as an Associate Editor from 2020 onwards.

The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia announced last month that Pii-Tuulia is one of two recipients of the Associate Editor of the Year Award for 2023. The other winner was Sylvie Lomer of the University of Manchester in the UK.

The award was established to recognise the outstanding contribution made by the Associate Editors of HERD. Contributions of associate editors are assessed according to the following criteria: Timeliness, Commitment, Decision making, Quality of communication with authors and with the HERD editorial team.

Pii-Tuulia said that she was honoured to be recognised for her work by such an esteemed organisation.

“Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with numerous HERD authors, reviewers, and editorial board members, all passionate about making contributions to the field of higher education.”

“I am pleased to be able to play a role in ensuring these articles are published and contributing to the continuing success of HERD as a leading academic forum that informs and challenges researchers, administrators, and policy-makers concerned with the past, present and future of higher education.”

At EIT, Pii-Tuulia teaches courses in sustainable organisations and research methods.

Gareth Allison, EIT’s Head of the School of Business, congratulated Pii-Tuulia on the award.

“Pii-Tuulia is one of our most prolific and active researchers and this award is a testament to the high regard with which she is held in the industry.”