Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
3 mins ago
EIT’s new Pouarahi Māori (Executive Director Māori), Layelin Stewart, with his wife Stella.
EIT has a new Pouarahi Māori (Executive Director Māori), Layelin Stewart, who brings a passion for Mātauranga Māori to the role.
Layelin (Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Maniapoto) was welcomed to EIT at a pōwhiri on the Hawke’s Bay Campus yesterday (Monday). He has been one of eight National Ako Directors at Te Pūkenga, responsible for Mātauranga Māori, since April last year.
Layelin says that he is pleased to be coming back to his East Coast roots.
“One of the really standout things for me when considering my application to the role was how vibrant the mātauranga Māori community is over there on the East Coast and Hawke’s Bay.”
“I think it’s a role of service to supporting and promoting success for Māori students and staff, as well as navigating the way in which EIT might support iwi aspirations.”
“Of equal importance is supporting our organisational understanding of Te Tiriti excellence and how we explore what that might look like. It is also about how I serve and support my fellow executive staff members, colleagues, and our broader EIT staff collectives , in their understanding of tikanga Māori and how mātauranga Māori or Māori ways of being, doing and knowing might serve as a bridge towards nationhood, albeit at the EIT local level.”
Layelin, 45, first came to Te Pūkenga as Senior Māori Advisor in the office of the Deputy Chief Executive of Academic Delivery Innovation. Before that he was involved in Māori education for more than 20 years.
His most recent role before Te Pūkenga was as Deputy Principal at Te Wharekura o Ngā Purapura o te Aroha in Te Awamutu from 2017 to Oct 2021. His career has seen him work as Kaiako in Kura Kaupapa Māori, Kura ā-iwi and Wharekura in Gisborne and Waikato, including his hometown of Te Kuiti.
He also had a stint as a radio broadcaster for Iwi Radio Station Te Reo Irirangi o Maniapoto between 2006 and 2009.
Layelin has whakapapa links to Te Kūiti, Ruatoki and Gisborne, but grew up in Gisborne, where he attended Gisborne Boys High, before finishing his last year at Te Awamutu College. He enjoys the outdoor life and spending time with his wife Stella and their blended family of six children and 2 mokopuna.
EIT’s Executive Director Kieran Hewitson welcomed Layelin, saying that he would add value to the Executive Team.
“We are pleased to have Layelin join the Executive team. Layelin brings insights and experience to this role that will advance our relationships with our Tiriti Partners and set the strategic direction for responding to the opportunities to deliver better outcomes for Māori.”
The shock find came only days after the discovery of a cluster of shortjaw kōkopu eggs in the first ever documented ‘nest’ from Northland.
Freshwater ranger Fern Donovan found the eggs after hours of intensive searching along the banks of a tributary of the Waipoua River. She set up a trail cam on the nest site and checked it daily.
Left: Fern in her waders, with a waterfall the fish travel up to get to the spawning areas | Sarah Wilcox, DOC. Top right: Shortjaw kōkopu nest site | Fern Donovan, DOC. Bottom right: Translucent shortjaw kōkopu eggs on the leaves and rocks beside the stream | Fern Donovan, DOC.
“Each day there were less and less eggs – I assumed they were getting washed away by rain, but when I saw the video my heart sunk, I felt really, sad as I’d spent so much time studying the fish and got to really care about them.”
She describes the eggs as “protein pearls” that would be particularly attractive to the rodents in autumn, with high rat numbers and food supplies starting to dwindle with cooler temperatures.
The rat (or rats) was filmed returning multiple times over several nights to clean out the nest. Within 10 days the only eggs left were unviable or mouldy, and clearly no longer appetising.
Fern’s trail camera captured a rat eating the shortjaw kōkopu eggs | DOC.
A partnership with Te Iwi o Te Roroa
The rohe of Te Roroa is situated on the Kauri Coast and includes the Waipoua Forest, home of Tane Mahuta. Taoho Patuawa, science advisor for the iwi, has been closely involved with the shortjaw research project.
“With the discovery of the eggs has come the discovery of the problem. It’s a clear demonstration of the impact that pests are having on our taonga species. The work that’s been done to get to the discovery has been fantastic, but it highlights the real struggles facing the largely unheralded species.”
Taoho points out that even in a forest with good habitat, there are no guarantees of successful breeding.
“The species is clearly at-risk at this critical part of their lifecycle because of the ongoing pressures we have from pests.”
A pool in Fern’s study stream | Fern Donovan, DOC Short jawed kokopu” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?fit=580%2C580&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button” data-id=”53871″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?resize=580%2C580&ssl=1″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-53871″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?resize=1536%2C1536&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?resize=2048%2C2048&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?w=1160&ssl=1 1160w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/5.jpg?w=1740&ssl=1 1740w” sizes=”(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px” data-recalc-dims=”1″/>A shortjaw kōkopu | DOC
DOC and Te Roroa, along with other organisations, have been working together to restore the Waipoua River from mountains to sea for more than 5 years.
“We’re walking this journey together. There’s a lot to do, but it’s the good people who make the relationship successful. We’re working with nature for the betterment of our people and the landscapes we live and work in.”
Bait stations deployed for autumn 2024
Video footage of the rat predation provided evidence for Te Roroa and DOC to put intensive predator control in place ahead of this year’s spawning season.
“We were able to move swiftly to put in a line of bait stations 50 metres apart along the stream margins, as well as another line further back,” says Fern.
The bait stations are topped up regularly so they never run out.
Triangles marking the bait line | Tom DonovanA rat caught on one of Fern’s trail cameras | DOC
“It’s a big forest so we’re assuming there will be constant re-invasion into the area. Especially at this time of year when rodent numbers are peaking.”
Tracking tunnels show that the strategy is working, with June 2024 results showing just 3% of the tunnels in the treatment area were visited by rats but 96% visited in the non-treatment area. At a control site (with no bait stations) in an adjacent area, shortjaw nests have been predated by rats.
2024 results looking promising
The 2024 breeding season at Fern’s study site got off to a great start.
“I’ve found three nests so far. The trail cam footage picked up rat predation at one nest but not all the eggs have been eaten – fingers crossed some of them make it. Hopefully they are finding the bait blocks more tasty!”
Shortjaw kōkopu eggs on leaves near the stream | Fern Donovan, DOC
She is also pleased to report that some of the eggs developed tiny black eyes.
“I’ve never seen that before – last year the eggs were all eaten before that stage. I’ve also set up drift nets in the stream so I am hopeful that we might catch some larvae as they’re washed downstream on their way to the sea.”
Fern is waiting for the next big flood to wet the eggs and trigger hatching.
A story that remains incomplete
Taoho says the innovative and dedicated work at-place has led to some pretty immediate conservation strategies.
“What Fern’s found is a neat piece of the puzzle, but the story is incomplete. We don’t know yet what success looks like for this species or what numbers should be present in the catchment.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing what we achieve this year and beyond. It’s good to have such a concentrated effort in our forest. What we’re finding out here will be really valuable for protecting this taonga species both here and in other parts of Aotearoa, and ensuring it can thrive.”
Fern’s story
Fern grew up as a ‘bush baby’ in Hokianga and spent a summer during her undergrad study working for her family business, Donovan Ecological Management.
“We surveyed the reaches of the Waipoua River looking for different fish species as part of DOC’s restoration work. It was an incredible opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful and remote places in the catchment.”
Fern (centre) with her parents Tom and Karina Donovan, getting ready for an evening studying the threatened fish | Sarah Wilcox, DOC
“Shortjaw kōkopu were the fish we saw least frequently. I didn’t have to dig too deep to see there was a whole lot that’s not known about them. I spoke to the DOC scientists who helped me identify the most important knowledge gaps, and these formed the basis of my Master’s research project at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.”
She intensively researched the population of shortjaw kōkopu in the Waipoua River and completed her thesis in early 2024. Fern was appointed to DOC as a freshwater ranger in September 2023.
Studying the nocturnal fish population | Sarah Wilcox, DOCA shortjaw kōkopu at the study site | Sarah Wilcox, DOC
The challenges of studying a rare, nocturnal fish
Shortjaw kōkopu are only found in Aotearoa New Zealand and are the rarest of six species of native fish caught as whitebait. Their conservation status is Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable. Until Fern’s discovery, spawning sites for this species had only ever been observed in Taranaki.
“The fish lay their eggs in moss or leaf litter just out of the water during a flood or high-water event. The eggs sit on the bank for at least 2–3 weeks to develop into larvae and are then carried downstream on the next big rain event. It’s the most bizarre life history with so much room for failure – the eggs could so easily dry out or be washed away before they’ve developed!”
Fern describes the searching as literally looking for a needle in a haystack.
“I go out when the water’s dropped and look above the waterline but below the wetted edge. I use a headtorch even in the daytime as the eggs are so tiny and hard to see – only 1-2 mm in diameter. To me they are like perfect pearls.”
Shortjaw kōkopu ‘nests’ are simply a collection of tiny translucent eggs | Fern Donovan, DOC.
“The searching is very intensive and quite soul-destroying. There are so many rocky crevices and patches of leaves to look at. You can only spend about 3–4 hours at a time doing it because it’s so intense. But when you do find the eggs, they’re really obvious – hundreds of eggs sitting there. It’s the most amazing feeling!”
Fern takes her cue to start looking for eggs by monitoring the adult fish in the stream. Because they’re nocturnal, the work starts 30 minutes after sunset and finish after midnight in the summer.
“We’ve been studying the fish here for a couple of years and we see the females getting heavier in autumn as their bellies become full of ripe eggs. If they suddenly lose weight and look skinny again, you know they’ve laid eggs, so that’s the time to go out looking.”
A shortjaw kōkopu from Fern’s study site | Fern Donovan, DOCA shortjaw kōkopu being measured | Fern Donovan, DOC
When nests are found, Fern takes 4–8 eggs from each site for DNA analysis to confirm their identity. She also records detailed information about the sites such as the location, slope, canopy cover and what material they were laid in.
“This is crucial information to inform our work to secure the species both in the Waipoua River and other catchments.”
The Waipoua River is also in DOC’s Ngā Awa river restoration programme, which is working in partnership with others to restore the biodiversity of 14 rivers from mountains to sea.
Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
3 mins ago
Hailey Keepa has worked and studied at EIT Tairāwhiti and is now in her first year of a Bachelor of Midwifery, through the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) where her study is a mix of classes based at EIT’s Tairāwhiti Campus and block courses in Hamilton.
Her personal experiences and working at EIT Tairāwhiti’s Hub Café has inspired a local woman to study a career preparation programme at EIT and now midwifery.
Hailey Keepa left Gisborne Girls’ High School in year 11 in 2002 and proceeded to do a number of jobs before starting her own cake business, which she ran for five years out of her registered kitchen from home.
However, circumstances changed when she and her whānau were unable to buy the house they had rented for 15 years. The loss of their home meant the loss of Hailey’s business and weeks later they also experienced the loss of their son Kyrei who was born stillborn. These life altering events that all happened within six weeks of each other, made her assess her life.
A job at the Hub Café on the EIT Tairāwhiti Campus, led her to realise that studying further was a way forward for her.
“Working there I met heaps of students, and especially adult students. It inspired me to realise that I could still study at my age, and that I was determined to do better for not only myself, but for my whānau.”
“I always thought I’d love to be a midwife, but I always put it in the too hard basket, as I thought that it would be terrible to go back to school as an adult student. But working at the Hub Cafe, meeting all those people, I was like, ‘man, I am actually going to do this’.”
Because she had been out of study for so long, 37-year-old Hailey first had to enrol in the NZ Certificate in Study and Career Preparation (Level 3 and 4).
“I didn’t think I needed to do the level three, but I’m actually so glad that I did it, it helped transition me into level four. These courses just prepare you so much more for further study in degree level. They take you back to the basics, which I needed as I wasn’t at school long enough to even learn those. I actually did way better than I thought I would academically too.”
“My tutors were amazing, and all the staff at EIT are so encouraging. It’s a very close-knit community at EIT.”
Hailey is now in her first year of a Bachelor of Midwifery, through the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec). And with her first semester completed she was pleased to announce she received straight A’s, and hopes to continue her learning journey at a high level.
Hailey, who is married and the mother to five children, says that her experience with her stillborn son Kyrei is a big part of her midwifery journey.
She says that while she realised that she wanted to be a midwife when her daughter was born 12 years ago, it was the birth of Kyrei that pushed her to make it happen.
“I always thought that it would be an amazing career to have and to be part of that moment in a woman’s life. What held me back was that I did not do too well at high school. School was never for me, I’m much more of a hands-on person.”
“But then after everything with Kyrei, I thought: ‘Gosh, how many women could I support through their healing process if I actually was in this career.”
EIT’s Study and Career Preparation programmes provided the foundation for Hailey to fulfil that ambition.
With three more years to go of her degree after this one, Hailey is keen to learn what is needed to become a midwife and to equally care for and work in partnership with all women, and give back to the Tairāwhiti community.
EIT’s Acting Head of School Education and Social Sciences, Mandy Pentecost, says: “Hailey’s story is a shining example of the way the Study and Career Pathway courses are doing a great job getting people ready to enter higher level study, and we wish Hailey every success as she continues to pursue her dream.”
Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
4 seconds ago
Left to Right: Melody Khan (Masters Student), Dr Sue Scott-Chapman (Secondary Supervisor), Associate Professor Anita Jagroop-Dearing (Principal Supervisor/Lead Researcher) and Associate Professor Rachel Forrest (Student Mentor).
An EIT research project addressing the epidemic of youth vaping among intermediate and high school students in Hawke’s Bay has been extended outside of the region following interest from a Bay of Plenty High School.
The extended out-of-region study titled ‘Vaping Landscape’ complements an existing study ‘Scoping solutions to address the epidemic of youth vaping in Aotearoa’ which is currently being conducted by a team led by Associate Professor Anita Jagroop-Dearing from EIT.
Vaping Landscape will focus on Pāpāmoa College and is being conducted by EIT Masters of Health Science student Melody Khan, who has been involved in the original study.
It is funded by a second grant from the Health Research Foundation Hawke’s Bay, which adds to the pool of funding for the project including grants from the Health Research Council and EIT.
Both studies hope to capture the stories, experiences and health awareness of e-cigarette vaping by youth. It will also make for a comparison of regional variations in vaping behaviours.
Anita says it will be the first comprehensive investigation into vaping among intermediate and high school students between two areas in New Zealand.
“We are working with a number of schools across Hawke’s Bay and additional funding has enabled the involvement of out-of-region schools.
“Pāpāmoa College approached us to say that they were experiencing issues to do with vaping in their school and that they would like to be a part of our study. After confirming the feasibility, obtaining the necessary ethics approval, and securing funding for an out-of-region school, we included them to conduct comparative studies.”
The college has more than 1700 students, of whom 28 percent are Māori and six percent are Pasifika.
“Previous data indicated higher vaping rates among Māori and Pacific students compared to their non-Māori and non-Pacific peers. Therefore, we aim to compare the vaping behaviours in this school with those in Hawke’s Bay.”
Anita hypothesises that there may be regional differences between vaping behaviours in youth with distinctions in narrative of experiences and self-awareness.
Melody previously graduated with a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science at EIT. After being displaced due to Cyclone Gabrielle, she was able to pivot and extend this study for her masters.
“Initially I started with nutrition. My original masters thesis was nutrition and nutritional labelling, but when this opportunity opened up, I jumped on it because it’s something that’s going to need further research and is becoming more prevalent.”
Pāpāmoa College Deputy Principal (Tumuaki Katiriwā) Ben Ormsby says when they heard about the study, they thought why not reach out and see if they could be a part of it.
“Like most schools, we have been seeing an increase in vaping related incidents. Our rationale was that, while we are trying to find ways to educate students, we might as well volunteer to be part of the study.”
Ben says that the feedback from their community has been really positive about them being involved in the trial.
“We would suspect that whilst schools are struggling with youth vaping, the wider community is also seeing the impacts. The feedback to date would suggest the community is glad we are trying to do something about it.”
They are now looking forward to seeing what comes out of the study.
“If the information our students give forward contributes to something positive to tackle youth vaping, whether that be strategies or messaging then we thought it will be well worth it.”
Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
8 mins ago
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst (left), Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds and Executive Director Region 2 – Te Pūkenga Kieran Hewitson at the EIT Hawke’s Bay Campus in Taradale.
Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds met with regional government, business and community leaders at the EIT Hawke’s Bay Campus in Taradale on Wednesday (3 July).
The purpose of the meeting was to hear what the region needed from EIT and to better understand the challenges the region faced.
Minister Simmonds has had a long association with EIT, having previously worked as Chief Executive of Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) for 23 years.
She says EIT has been a successful polytechnic all the way through, and has always had close connections with the community, and industries.
“EIT has been a real shining light in the polytechnic sector, particularly for regional polytechnics. There has been stable, sensible governance and management for not twenty years but decades.”
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said: “We told the Minister that we have been very proud of how EIT has served our regions of Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay over the years, providing quality education pathways under a sustainable financial model”.
“Our region has long faced challenges in reducing the number of youth not in employment, education or training, and the progress we have made has been in part due to the broad range of quality programmes on offer through EIT and their campuses.
“The transition to Te Pūkenga has been very difficult for the leadership and governance team, compounded by the cyclone from which the Taradale campus is still recovering.”
As a region, Hazlehurst says our councils will invest $4b over the next 10 years on infrastructure related to recovery and growth.
“More than ever, we will need a skilled workforce to complete this mahi, and many of these workers are yet to be trained.
They also stressed to Minister Simmonds that given the urgency of our recovery, Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay should be a priority to get a locally governed and led training institute working effectively for our communities.
The ministers visit precedes the start of consultation on the future state of vocational education and training following the post-election decision to disestablish Te Pūkenga. Minister Simmonds encouraged those in attendance to provide feedback to the consultation to ensure the regions education and training needs are best served.
Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
5 days ago
Scott Kyle, an auto-technician with the Notman Motor Group in Napier, has benefited from doing the NZ Certificate in Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering (Level 5) at EIT.
A Napier auto technician decided to complete an Electric Vehicle programme at EIT as he felt he needed to keep up with an ever-evolving industry.
Scott Kyle, who works for the Notman Motor Group in Napier, has been an auto technician for close to 25 years. He says that he has seen changes in the industry in that time, the most significant being the move to electric vehicles.
“It’s certainly a new style of vehicle to work on, with some big differences. It is not only the motor side of things, but also the systems that run alongside them.”
“I definitely enjoy it as the electrical aspect certainly appealed to me.”
Scott says that he realised that he needed to study further in order to keep up with industry changes.
He said that he was attracted to the NZ Certificate in Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering (Level 5) at EIT because he had done his pre-trade qualifications at EIT and he had heard good reports about one of the tutors Scott Cunningham.
“My employer helped me with funding to do the programme, which was a bonus, but you’ve got to keep up with the times and keep learning.”
“Working on electric vehicles every day means that you need to have a solid understanding of what you are working with.”
Scott, who completed the programme at the end of last year, says that attending classes fitted in well with his working schedule. He said he also enjoyed doing the practical block courses during the year.
“They go right back to step one of what you would need to know, you know, the basic electrical principles and then build that up slowly all the way through so you’ve got a really good understanding and a refresher of some of the stuff you probably haven’t looked at for a few years with electrics.”
“The best thing for me was that I went from where we had all these electric cars coming in and feeling that I did not have a full understanding of how all those systems worked, to feeling a confidence in working with them when I finished the programme.”
Scott says that another important part of the programme was learning about the safety aspect of electric vehicles.
He says that he has no hesitation in recommending the EIT programme to anyone who wanted to progress further as an auto-technician.
Automotive Tutor and Level 5 Electric Vehicle Programme Coordinator Scott Cunningham says having technicians like Scott step up to further their knowledge in our ever-changing industry is great to see.
“Electric and hybrid vehicles are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Technicians who are great in their field need to adapt and upskill to be able to safely diagnose and understand this emerging technology. Scott is definitely a student that absolutely exceled in this programme, now putting his newly gained knowledge to use in industry.
“Having developed a year long, part-time programme in conjunction with Otago Polytechnic, we have spent the past four years delivering this programme, adding content and resources each year to keep up with technology. Having our programme gain overseas recognition from America, wishing to implement our programme and training there speaks volume.
“We have even tailored our delivery to meet the demands for students in Rarotonga that have had an influx of EVs on the Island, and have realised they will have to upskill to meet the new demand. If you are considering upskilling in this area like Scott, I highly recommend you get onboard.”
Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
4 days ago
An Indigenous United States Lakota People contingent was recently welcomed to EIT’s Te Ūranga Waka on the Hawke’s Bay Campus.
An Indigenous United States Lakota People contingent was recently welcomed to EIT’s Te Ūranga Waka to discuss and celebrate te reo Māori.
A pōwhiri was held on Monday, 24 June for the group, which was accompanied by Sir Tīmoti Kāretu KNZM QSO CRSNZ, a leading New Zealand academic of Māori language and performing arts. The contingent visited Aotearoa to learn how te reo Māori has been and continues to be revitalised. They have experienced the breadth and depth of Māori culture during their tour of New Zealand which included visiting Auckland, Rotorua, Taupō and Hawke’s Bay.
Puti Nuku, Pouarataki – Te Ūranga Waka and Te Whatukura, says that it was a privilege of EIT to not only welcome the indigenous contingent, but also Sir Tīmoti, who is one of the country’s foremost proponents of te reo.
“It was a real honour to be included in the itinerary of the Lakota Peoples. We had a wonderful kōrero about the importance of indigenous cultures and languages.”
“They were most interested in hearing about how te reo continues to be revitalised. We were pleased to be about to show them the kaupapa we are involved in at Te Ūranga Waka,” says Puti.
The group left the country at the end of June.
Te Ūranga Waka Senior Kaiwhakaako, Hiria Tumoana, Sir Tīmoti Karetū and EIT Kaumātua, Matiu Eru during the visit by the Lakota People contingent.
Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
14 seconds ago
EIT tutor Andrew McCrory will run the notorious Death Valley in the United States to raise funds for children with Cerebral Palsy.
In doing so, the 50-year-old Services Pathway Tutor at EIT, and Hawke’s Bay reserve soldier will become just the sixth New Zealander to complete the world’s toughest footrace – the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon – across Death Valley in the USA.
The 135 mile (217km) race has to be completed within 48 hours and entry for the 100 runners is by invitation only.
Andrew has long had the dream to compete at Badwater. Since 2017, when he came across the fundraising page of a young girl named Liv, he has raised thousands and helped 10 children needing Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy Surgery (SDRS) in America.
SDRS is a spinal operation that can give children with cerebral palsy greater walking ability, muscle control and improved balance. Liv’s surgery was $150,000 and wasn’t covered by any government funding.
“It means a lot to me. I’ve seen the difference in the kids from before they’ve gone, to when they’ve come back. They’re more active and they can just do the day-to-day things that we take for granted a whole lot easier after the surgery.”
The road to selection was extensive, with an application that has strict qualifying requirements, and requires extensive details about a runner’s racing history and personal life. They are then selected to run in July of that year via a live Facebook announcement.
The only qualifying race in New Zealand is the Northburn 100 in Cromwell, which Andrew completed last year. He has also completed five ultra marathons over 100 miles, and ran the length of New Zealand – 2,060km – over Christmas and New Year 2021/2022.
“They’ve had people that have applied six, seven years in a row and never got in. And they’ve done far more than I have. But I think for me, why I was selected for one is because I’m from New Zealand and I’m only the sixth Kiwi to ever go and do it.
“And I think with all the fundraising, I’m not out there just collecting medals or ribbons or race numbers like a lot of people do. There’s no ego in it. I’m out there running for a good reason; helping kids.”
Andrew admits he is “pretty excited, but pretty nervous at the same time” ahead of the July 22-24 race.
“I just want to get over there and get it done but at the same time, it’s a lot of kilometres. It really is the heat that I’m sort of worried about. You know I’ve never been at 50 degrees before.”
The past four years has seen Andrew running consistently at the 162km (100 mile) distance.
“I’ve sort of bumped it up since February when I got accepted.”
His training has also consisted of using the Sports Science Lab at the at the EIT Institute of Sport and Health (EIT ISH) where he can run in a hot environment.
“It’s just about getting used to being in the heat and being uncomfortable. Building that mindset because I really hate being on a treadmill. It’s doing things that suck I suppose.”
He is bringing his wife Kathleen, a trained nurse, coach Neil Wagstaff, who crewed at the event in 2008 for Kiwi Lisa Tamati, along with two other mates.
Andrew is thankful to everyone for the support he has received.
EIT has gotten on board as a bronze sponsor, and several community fundraisers have been set up in his honour.
“A huge thank you to everyone that’s come out and supported me. I can’t afford to go and do it by myself. We don’t have that sort of money, and everyone’s just got on board. I’ve had donations coming in left, right and centre which is just amazing. We’ve got some really good sponsors on board as well.”
For more information and to donate, visit https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/running-badwater-135-for-kids-with-cerebral-palsy
Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
51 seconds ago
EIT Level 2 waka am tutor Roni Nuku (Ngāti Maniapoto) (right) will coach the NZ Elite Para Mixed Team at the 2024 World Sprint Champs in Hilo, Hawaii in August this year.
Experienced EIT Level 2 waka am tutor Roni Nuku (Ngāti Maniapoto) is putting her skills to practice by coaching the NZ Elite Para Mixed Team at the 2024 World Sprint Champs in Hilo, Hawaii in August this year.
The former Te Ūranga Waka student who is now a tutor is an experienced waka ama champion, having represented New Zealand for many years. She is set to start tutoring the level 2 waka ama programme in the second semester.
Roni says that she is looking forward to taking the team to Hawaii.
“What makes it more exciting is the people themselves and all the extra challenges they have. They don’t have the same physical abilities that we take for granted, so I enjoy trying to make sure that they all feel like they are competent because they are.”
“They’re competitive and they only want the best and they expect a lot from themselves.”
While the trip to the World Champs is a highlight, it is the day to day waka ama instruction that she enjoys. She is looking forward to tutoring the new programme.
“Now’s a good time for a beginner’s programme because it leads into the sprint season. This is for all those families who are thinking about wanting to compete at the national competition in January.”
“The programme will give them a really good basis of water safety, how to canoe a waka together, how to even hold events, which include tikanga, kupu, karakia and waiata.”
Roni says that the cultural component of the programme is open to anyone and not just Māori.
“On the last programme, about 50 percent of the students were not Māori, and what they loved was not only the reo, but also the history.”
“They were encouraged to learn about a waka, a contemporary waka, and most of them do a little bit of research on takitimi, so that becomes special for them.”
“So we’re learning all the time and gaining an appreciation of navigation and paddling and the whole waka journey and the history and then what that means in contemporary times and what that represents as a whānau being together because the waka ama is essentially an activity that the whānau do as one.”
Roni says that the programme is divided up between time on the water and in the classroom.
She says that last year’s programme went very well with about 14 students enrolled.
“We were able to take them away to a couple of regattas. We volunteered at a regatta in Rotorua to get an understanding of how regattas are, so they were able to go on the support boat and understand the safety aspects and help with registrations and cooking kai and even road management.”
Water safety is an important aspect of the programme.
“Living next to the water means that it is important to know everything there is about water safety.”
“One of the great things about the programme is that it is open to adults of all ages. One of our wahine last year was in her 60s, and she loved it.”
“One of the many things that I love about waka ama is that it’s a sport. So I can race with my children, and I can race with my grandchildren, if they want to race with their old nanny. And there’s regattas that are for all ages.”
Roni is also currently working on a Master in Māori Knowledge from Massey University. Her thesis will be on Māori Women Para-athletes.
Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
16 mins ago
Anthony Chiappin, a Graphic Communications Senior Lecturer, is also the programme co-ordinator for EIT’s suite of design offerings.
The experience of teaching an EIT programme in Digital Communications to Chinese students has stimulated an IDEAschool lecturer’s artistic research.
Anthony Chiappin, a Graphic Communications Senior Lecturer, is part of a team of three NZ Design lecturers that deliver EIT’s Bachelor of Creative Practice in China. His own qualifications are a Bachelor of Design and a Masters in Visual Art from Australia’s Monash University.
His dual focus these days is teaching EIT’s Bachelor of Creative Practice at Zhejiang Yuexiu University (ZYU) in China, and into the domestic programmes in New Zealand. The Chinese teaching has consisted of firstly online and now over in China, face to face with the students.
It was during his visits to China that Anthony, who is originally from Australia, felt his creativity receive a new lease on life.
“I’ve had two stints in China, a total of four and a half months.”
The last one was just over two months with him returning home in late April.
Anthony, who has been at IDEAschool for 13 years and a researcher for even longer, says research is very important to him.
“I call it the sacred feather in the boa of continuation and connection with things that are important to your teaching, but also important to your career and to the work that you’re doing.”
“It’s been an amazing journey. While I was in China, I took the opportunity to do some artwork and I really ripped into it. In the ZYU apartment I had room to work and it was the first studio that I’ve been able to work in since the cyclone.”
The work he produced there is his China “Episode” Series. He is hoping to get some funding to be able to exhibit the work in China next year.
Asked how Chinese taste in art differed from that in the West, Anthony said China has a very strong cultural base.
“Even in a contemporary sense. There’s a lot of dialogue around the state of China where it’s at currently, but there’s a lot of cultural significance within the work, whereas the Western model is quite different in that sense.”
He says his art form moves between figurative and abstract, with abstract currently taking hold.
“I call my paintings ‘Episodes’. I see them as an ongoing narrative, kind of like a comic book journey where I use superhero narratives within what I do, based on suburban mythologies.” This dialogue certainly comes to play a part within my teaching practice.”
“It was a fantastic eye-opener to be flung into the epicentre of a more provincial city like Shaoxing.”
A point of difference for this work is that he is using Chinese cardboard packing boxes with colourful motifs as the base for his paintings.
“It is quite powerful because the motifs are proudly ensconced within the work. I had worked on boxes in my master’s series years ago, but it just seemed like a natural fit to be able to grab these boxes from the supermarkets on campus, in particular, and use that as the basis to the work.”
“I used four of the paintings, where I call them ‘The Philosophers’. I was influenced by a lot of the works that I was seeing around Zhejiang province and Shanghai as well. But in particular, the beautiful ink paintings by some of the calligraphers and artists in that region from 200 years ago. It was a bit of a mishmash of all this influence being flung at me because China’s overwhelming.”
Anthony says that at present his main focus is China, be it writing, teaching or researching.
It has been a rewarding experience for him, as last year he won “The Overseas Teacher of the Year Award” along with seven other teachers in many other disciplines at the University.
Another project that he is particularly proud of is one involving his wife, Nikki Gabriel, who is a textile designer and holds a Masters of Art & Design from AUT and is a current PhD Candidate at RMIT University, Melbourne. Nikki has just had a book called Construction Knitting published by Bloomsbury Academic Press, London.
“It’s about designing, but knitwear design with geometric shapes is the premise to that. So it’s been an eight-year journey to get that to the point where it’s now published and out in the world.”
Anthony says he was responsible for the photographs and illustrations, with art direction and content by Nikki.
“That’s been a huge part of my research over many, many years. And now that it’s published, I can talk about it as a research project.”
Acting Head of EIT’s IDEAschool Sue Blackmore said: “EIT is encouraging and supportive of the research endeavours of all EIT lecturers and Anthony’s new series of work inspired by his time in China is very exciting.“
“The team of Bachelor of Creative Practice and Bachelor of Computer Science lecturers that travel and work in Shaoxing are amazing ambassadors for EIT and NZ in China.”
