Works are planned to lay high voltage cabling at the Auckland campus’s East Precinct, which needs to be done in advance of the construction of the innovation complex.
 
These works have commenced, but the majority of construction will occur during the Easter break. From Good Friday (March 30) until Easter Tuesday (April 3), there will be a number of buildings at the East Precinct that will not have power for extended periods of time, including the library and recreation centre. In most cases buildings without power will need to shut.

The power outages will not disrupt the University’s online services, including massey.ac.nz, Stream, the student management portal and MyHR. However, staff will not be able to remotely access their office computer if it is located in a building that is without power; once power is restored to the building remote access will be possible.

The University has chosen to undertake these works during Easter in an effort to minimise disruption.

In the lead up to Easter smaller works will take place on campus and should not cause significant disruption. At times, traffic management, resulting in minor detours on the campus roads, may be implemented.

Closure of facilities and services on campus

Library

The library will remain open during Easter, except on Good Friday (March 30) when it will close for the day. More information about the library opening hours is available here.

Recreation centre    

The recreation centre will be closed on Good Friday (March 30) and Easter Monday (April 2); it will be open as normal for the remainder of Easter. More information about the recreation centre opening hours is available here.

Cafes, food providers and other retail services

All cafes, food providers and retail services (including Orbit Travel, Bennetts Bookshop and Uni-Mart) will be closed during the Easter break, except for Food for Thought café, located in Student Central. Food for Thought will be open during the following times: Good Friday, March 30 from 5-7pm; Saturday, March 31 and Easter Sunday, April 1 9am-12pm and 5.30-7pm; and Easter Monday, April 2 and Easter Tuesday, April 3 from 8.30am-7pm.

Student accommodation

Arrangements have been made to ensure disruption to student accommodation is minimised and information has been shared with those residing in on-campus accommodation. Further enquiries should be directed to campus accommodation manager Kelly Manning.

A lingerie fashion designer, a blind acupuncturist who helps others with disabilities and a world expert in coastal sand dunes will be recognised with distinguished alumni awards from Massey University at a function in Parliament tonight.

Four graduates of the University will receive the awards. The top award, the Sir Geoffrey Peren Award, named after the founding principal of the former agricultural college in Palmerston North, will be presented to Jane Wrightson, of Wellington, the chief executive of New Zealand on Air, the Government’s broadcasting funding body.

Ms Wrightson, who in 1991 became New Zealand’s youngest – and first woman – chief film censor, graduated with a Master of Business Administration from Massey in 1994. She is known as a champion for diversity in local content and public media for New Zealand audiences and a passionate advocate for increased media access for those with disabilities, including the vision-impaired.

The Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Ivan Pivac who, despite becoming blind at age 12, worked for more than 40 years as an acupuncturist, graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Business Studies and has worked for years to help others with disabilities. Mr Pivac, from Auckand, has imported technology and equipment that help people with neurological disorders to communicate, products to help infants with cleft pallet deformities be fed and has personally designed devices such as a voice amplifier to help Parkinson’s Disease sufferers speak audibly.

Distinguished Young Alumni Award winner Chloe Julian is a 2005 Diploma in Fashion Design graduate who has quickly established an international reputation for lingerie, swimwear, loungewear and nightwear designs. She has worked for Bendon, designing the Hey Sister brand, then became lead designer in London for the company’s Stella McCartney brand at age 26. She later worked as head designer for David Beckham Bodywear and in the same role for cult lingerie brand Agent Provocateur. Ms Julian now lives in Auckland, managing a Los Angeles-based team for TechStyle Fashion Group and is vice-president for a new brand the company is launching this year.

The Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award will be presented to Hawera-born, Palmerston North-raised Professor Patrick Hesp, who became passionate about coastal dunes during summers spent at Waitarere Beach in Horowhenua. Professor Hesp, who gained Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from Massey in 1974 and 1976 is a Strategic Professor at Flinders University in Adelaide. His expertise in coastal dune geomorphology, dynamics and management is considered unrivalled and his surf-zone-beach-dune interactions model is the most widely cited of its type in coastal literature.

Massey University will also present awards to its top researchers and teachers as well as business partners at the function, which is co-hosted by Palmerston North MP Iain Lees-Galloway (Labour) and Rangitikei MP Ian McKelvie (National).

The University is one of New Zealand’s largest, with more than 30,000 students and 5000 staff at campuses in Auckland, Manawatū and Wellington. It has around 150,000 living alumni.

Dr Badenhorst says she can not remember much about the marathon leg of the race. “I think I must have been so focused on what I was doing that I suddenly realised I had two kilometres left to run.”

Setting the pace

After another swift transition it was time for marathon element of the race – the mammoth 42.2 kilometre run.

“The run in a long distance triathlon is where you find out if you have gotten your nutrition and hydration correct. By this point you’ve been racing for more than six hours and the saying ‘it is 90 per cent mental and 10 per cent physical’ could not be more true. I knew a strong biker in my age group was ahead of me but I had a set pacing strategy and I knew I could run the distance well if I stuck to my race pace and plan. I was surprised when I passed her four kilometres into the run then as I was rounding out the first lap of the three-lap course a friend on the side-line told me I was holding down the lead position in the 25-29 age group. I had two laps to go and knew that if I focused on the training that got me here, I would be able to hold onto the position,” she says.

“Ironman is incredible and the support you get from the side-lines from people you know and even those you don’t, can really carry you through those final stages of the marathon. In all honesty I cannot recall too much of the marathon – I think I must have been so focused on what I was doing that I suddenly realised I had two kilometres left to run.”

She says it was at this point, some advice her coach had given her came into her head.

“Run these last two kilometres as hard as you can. It is your choice to be either the sufferer or the demolisher. Be the demolisher Claire! And at the last aid station grab water and wash your face for the finish line – they take pictures! Nothing like a good bit of humour to drive you to the finish line!”

Dr Badenhorst says the finishing shoot of Ironman is something no words can describe. “You don’t feel much physically but you go through many emotions, including relief, happiness and excitement to name a few. To hear the words ‘you are an Ironman’ shouted over the loud speaker is truly amazing. I crossed the line in a time of 10 hours and 20 minutes and was caught by some of the amazing volunteers at the finish. I was then taken to recovery and had to spend a bit of time in medical after losing 4.5 kilograms on race day. After getting some fluid and solid food on board, I was able to reflect on my achievement of racing and finishing my first Ironman.”

The win also gave Dr Badenhorst the chance to compete at the World Championship Ironman race in Kona Hawaii in October, as well as picking up the National Long Course New Zealand Championship.

“I am very fortunate in that I have the support of a number of people and companies that have helped me to achieve this goal and will be there with me as I work towards Kona, including BlueSeventy Wetsuits, Shoe Science Albany and Massey University. Following some rest and recovery, I will start more structured training next month and look to build towards this race. Being a member of Triathlon New Zealand means that I will be representing New Zealand at this World Championship race, something I am very excited to do.”

Senior journalism lecturer Dr Catherine Strong.

Media publicity as a tool for social justice

The Young Labour camp incident is still playing out in the news, as more information comes to light, but basically four 16-year-olds were at a political party weekend. On the surface it is laudable that such young Kiwis are interested and involved in national politics. Note that the title of the weekend was “Young” so they should have easily fit in.   

But, as evidenced by a smartphone video doing the rounds of social media, some of it was a rather drunken, raucous event. Perhaps someone was emulating the American politician who used to host booze filled parties, brags about cramming his hand down women’s pants, and ended up getting elected as United States President. I shudder to admit that role-modelling runs deep. 

But back to New Zealand where one of the 16-year-olds took the politically astute step of contacting the well-placed Labour Cabinet member Megan Woods to report the incident.  

That is when there was finally some action to indicate to the teens that this was not acceptable. Media publicity was the other tool of social justice. Wide publicity and screeds of public comment on the incident over the past few days gave power to the voice that says teens shouldn’t feel they are vulnerable every time they leave home. The media has been a great help to focus on everyday problems for teens.  

Victims now need the media to give them space

My plea to the media now, however, is to leave the teens alone and don’t try to interview them. Let them work through this unnerving experience in their own time and own way. There are enough other people commenting on the issue in the media, and some are very knowledgeable and helpful. These stories will help others in this situation, or even prevent a repeat incident. When they feel they are ready, then give them media space. 

Remember in 2015 when four women MPs stood up and reported their personal experience with sexual attacks and walked out of Parliament’s Debating Chambers? The then-PM John Key dismissed their action as an easy thing to do, saying all victims would like to have a public stand like that. Well there are thousands of women around New Zealand who can refute Key’s assertion and point out they don’t want the spotlight around an unfortunate event and would rather the spotlight be on the perpetrator.  

Even the NZ Police say that it often takes women months or years to get the strength to make a complaint to police. It’s not an easy step, it takes time to work out your priorities. 

And all of this reminds me of the Labour Party’s 2014 proposal for a new justice system to deal with rape cases. The basic idea was that a complaint would be heard in something like a tribunal where both sides are heard equally. This would differ remarkably from the current system, where the attacked woman is automatically considered the fabricator and has to undergo aggressive accusations by defence lawyers. This new tribunal proposal got the thumbs up from Labour, Greens and various outside justice activists. 

Perhaps this Youth Labour Camp will put that idea higher on the agenda.   

Dr Catherine Strong journalism studies coordinator at Massey University

New research suggests increasing vitamin D intake could reduce the symptoms of chronic inflammatory skin condition psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a relatively common condition, affecting an estimated two to four per cent of the population. It is characterised by reddened, raised, scaly patches of skin, which commonly occur on the elbows, knees and scalp but can affect any part of the body. Psoriasis can develop at any age and tends to be a lifelong condition.  For many people, it fluctuates in extent and severity, and can be challenging to manage despite the array of treatments on offer.

The Massey University study aimed to determine whether vitamin D supplementation improves psoriasis when compared with those taking placebo capsules. Dr Michelle Ingram, who conducted the research as part of her PhD in Nutritional Science says, “This study was partly motivated by observations that some people with psoriasis report a reduction in symptoms during the summer months, when vitamin D production in the skin is usually at its highest. Vitamin D incorporated into a cream or ointment is also a relatively effective treatment for psoriasis, yet no one had looked into whether vitamin D supplementation might be of similar benefit.”

The main findings of the study were inconclusive due to an unexpected increase in vitamin D levels in the placebo group, probably from sunlight. However, Dr Ingram says further analysis across data from the 101 participants in the study showed strong evidence of a link between higher levels of vitamin D and less severe psoriasis. 

“Interestingly, this relationship was only found in about two-thirds of our participants, suggesting that vitamin D may be beneficial for some people with psoriasis, yet make no difference for others. It was not clear from our data why there might have been a difference in response – understanding the variability of response to psoriasis treatments in general is a long-term challenge and one that future research will hopefully be able to address,” she says.

Associate Professor Pamela von Hurst, who supervised the research, says the cause of psoriasis remains relatively mysterious, and treating this disease has long been a source of great frustration for patients and the medical profession.

“The range of treatment options are varied, impact different people in various ways and many of the complexities of the disease are yet to be uncovered,” she says. “Research involving vitamin D supplementation also poses some challenges, as vitamin D levels are primarily influenced by sun exposure. However, the collective impact of psoriasis, which is undoubtedly significant, meant it was important to go ahead with this research. While we could not confirm whether vitamin D supplementation is beneficial for psoriasis per se, we have shown that increased vitamin D levels, which can be achieved through supplementation or sun exposure, are related to less severe psoriasis. This indicates that some people with psoriasis might see an improvement in their symptoms from taking a vitamin D supplement, particularly in the colder months,” Dr von Hurst says.

The study, funded by a Lottery Health Research grant, involved participants with varying degrees of psoriasis, (mild, moderate or severe) and showed statistically significant improvements in the group taking vitamin D supplements, as well as in the group taking placebos, over a one year period. There was also a statistically significant relationship between higher vitamin D levels and PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score across the whole group of participants.

Oral vitamin D₃ supplementation for chronic plaque psoriasis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment last month. It was co-authored by Dr Michelle Ingram, School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, Massey University, Dr Beatrix Jones, Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Dr Welma Stonehouse, Food and Nutrition Flagship, Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, Dr Paul Jarrett, , Professor Robert Scragg, University of Auckland, Owen Mugridge, School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, Massey University and Associate Professor Pamela von Hurst, School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition, Massey University.