Michaela Gallear with her family, husband Simon and children Megan and Jack. Her parents in Turkey watched live as she graduated last week through Massey’s Graduation Live initiative.

From their home in Turkey, two proud parents watched live as their daughter crossed the stage at a Palmerston North graduation ceremony.

Michaela Gallear, of Tauranga, graduated last Wednesday with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in social anthropology.

Through Massey University’s Graduation Live initiative, all graduation ceremonies were streamed live on its YouTube channel, and Mrs Gallear’s parents in Turkey witnessed her milestone moment.

Her husband Simon and children, Megan, 13, and Jack, 16, were in the audience but she said her parents had also supported her as a mature student through five years of extramural study. Having them watch her graduate, from half a world away, made her feel connected and that they too were part of the celebrations.

Her parents Sandra and Robert Stables said they were thankful to be able to join in the happy day.

“Being quite literally a world away from family is hard enough every day but to know we miss such important events only make’s the separation even harder,” Mrs Stables wrote to Massey University.

“To two parents, living in Turkey, sitting in their PJs watching a very proud moment in their daughter’s life, it means the world.”

So far, the graduation videos from last week’s Palmerston North ceremonies have had more than 7000 views in more than 100 countries.

Prime Minister John Key with aviation students and instructors checking out a flight
simulator at the School of Aviation

College of Business Dean Professor Ted Zorn, Vision Manawatu's Elaine Reilly, James Watts of Inspire Net and University Chancellor Dr Russ Ballard.

Massey Pasifika Scholars, their sponsors and advisors. Back row: Paul Fitzmaurice (Careers Development Advisor), Rachael Leafe (Pasifika Learning Advisor), Kieran Stowers, Samantha Dennis, Deanna Riach (Campus Registrar), Tevita Ahoafi, Jessanah Betham, Colin Lewis (Nova Energy). Front row: Richard Wilson (National Bank), Parke Englebretsen, Sashi Meanger (Pacific Islands Education Foundation), Sereana Bebenisala, Kieran Williams (National Bank).

Six top Pasifika students were awarded scholarships at Massey University in Wellington last week.

Kieran Stowers and Samantha Dennis received Massey University E tu Pasifika scholarships, which go to students who are nearing completion of their degrees who have demonstrated a high level of commitment and success in their studies. Mr Stowers, who is Samoan from Palmerston North, is studying for a Bachelor of Design (Honours). Ms Dennis, who is Samoan/Maori from Wellington, is studying for a Bachelor of Nursing. Both are final year students.

E tu is a Cook Island term and is about rising up and standing tall. Massey University Pasifika Learning Advisor Rachel Leafe says the term “captures the progression of Pasifika students throughout their academic journey. It is an appropriate name, reflecting the pride we take into the achievement of our Pasifika students.”

Four students received Pacific Islands Polynesian Scholarships, which are awarded to Pasifika students based on academic merit and need. The scholarships are offered by Massey University in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, The Pacific Islands Education Foundation and corporate sponsors.

Bachelor of Design (Honours) students Sereana Bebenisala and Parke Englebretsen received National Bank Pacific Islands Polynesian Scholarships. Ms Bebenisala is Fijian from South Auckland, and in her final year of study. Mr Englebretsen is Cook Islands from Lower Hutt, and in his first year.

Meanwhile, Tevita Ahoafi and Jessanah Betham received Nova Energy Pacific Islands Polynesian Scholarships. Mr Ahoafi is in his second year of a Bachelor of Business Studies. He is Tongan from Auckland. Ms Betham is in her second year of a Bachelor of Communication. She is Samoan from Porirua.

Dr David Smith, after his fifth Massey University graduation ceremony on Monday afternoon, where he received his doctoral degree.

When Dr David Smith crossed the stage to receive his doctoral degree yesterday afternoon, it was the fifth time he had been capped at a Massey University graduation ceremony.

Dr Smith, who has been a lecturer at Massey for 12 years, also has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Mathematics, an Honours degree in Mathematics, a Bachelor of Business Studies in Accounting Studies, and a Master of Finance.

“Each time I finished my studies and went out into the workforce, I decided my career prospects would be improved by further study. Somewhere along the line I became an academic, and found I was both studying and working at Massey,” Dr Smith says.

His PhD thesis, which analysed the capital structure and financing arrangements of New Zealand firms,   took six years to complete.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to do my PhD, and Massey has been very supportive,” Dr Smith says. “It is something I’ve wanted to do since developing an interest in New Zealand corporate finance because there is so little published information on the subject.”

One of the most interesting things to come out of his research was the level to which New Zealand companies use debt to aggressively compete with rivals.

“I think this is probably the result of the more competitive trading environment we’ve had for the past 25 years in New Zealand since market deregulation,” Dr Smith says. “It is interesting when you compare New Zealand to countries like the United States where more firms issue equity to raise funds – here they tend to use debt instead.”

Dr Smith is keen to continue researching the corporate financing of New Zealand firms to “better understand the factors that drive the way they operate”, including comparisons to overseas companies.

He is also keen to marry his interest in finance with his love of history, the focus of his first degree – and he argues the two subjects aren’t as disparate as they might seem.

“I think we can learn a lot from financial history. Just take the global financial crisis, that’s history in action,” he says. “We don’t always take on board the lessons from the past, but we would be a lot more knowledgable if we did.”

In the meantime Dr Smith says he is savouring the experience of another graduation ceremony, and sharing the stage with some of his students.

“Yes, it’s been a lot of hard work, but I can really appreciate what the postgraduate students I supervise are going through now,” he says.

Dr Smith is one of 42 doctoral candidates who will graduate during Massey University’s five Manawatu campus ceremonies this week, where a total of 1326 students will be capped. He joins two other College of Business colleagues – Dr Warwick Stent and Dr Jeffrey Stangl – who both received their PhDs at the Albany campus graduation ceremonies last month.

Dr David Lyon at Massey University’s Milson flight training centre, just prior to his graduation ceremony. He is only the third person to graduate with a PhD from Massey University’s School of Aviation.

KPMG executive chair Ross Buckley and head of Massey University's College of Business Professor Ted Zorn, signing a research partnership agreement.

Massey University and professional services company KPMG have formed a research partnership to share knowledge and foster innovation. The agreement is the first private sector partnership under a new Massey initiative called the Auckland Knowledge Exchange Hub.

The head of the University’s College of Business, Professor Ted Zorn, says a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialisation is behind the new initiative, which will make it easier for businesses to develop strong research partnerships with Massey.

“The Auckland Knowledge Exchange Hub will build on the investment we have already made in the ecentre business incubator, the Innovator-in-Residence programme, and the Centre for Small and Medium Enterprise Research,” Professor Zorn says.

“It will provide a two-way link between the University and key stakeholders for transferring knowledge and ideas – and it is that exchange of knowledge that is critical for fostering innovation. Partnerships with major corporations like KPMG mean our research will contribute to New Zealand’s economic development.”

The agreement has already produced tangible results through KPMG’s annual Financial Institutions Performance Survey. This year’s survey contained additional analysis by Massey researchers, including a detailed forecast of the performance of the financial sector for the first time.

“Combining our resources with Massey has enabled us to combine business insights and academic rigour to deliver more useful thought leadership to our clients,” KPMG partner Ben van Delden says. “KPMG sees our partnership role with the Auckland Knowledge Exchange Hub as a critical contribution to fuelling prosperity for the Auckland region.”

The agreement will connect KPMG with the University’s top researchers, creating opportunities for Massey’s staff and students to work on applied, real-world research questions. The relationship will also open up pathways into commercial careers for students.

Professor in Innovation and Economics Christoph Schumacher, who manages the relationship with KPMG, says the partnership shows the importance of engaging with businesses.

“Companies have all these research questions they want answered and Massey has fantastic researchers. It is important to create two-way communication so you inspire and produce research that is useful and relevant to the business community,” Professor Schumacher says.

“This is very different to what a research centre does. A research centre focuses on a specific area; they do their research, and then disseminate the information.”

Professor Schumacher is a co-director of the Auckland Knowledge Exchange Hub and responsible for developing partnerships with the private sector. His colleague, Professor Paul Spoonley from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will lead the hub’s public sector engagement, and research has already been completed on ethnic precincts for the Auckland Council.

More than 1300 students will graduate at five ceremonies, followed by parades to The Square.

Virginia Goldblatt, Professor Laurence Boulle, and Christine Grice, New Zealand Law Society executive director at a Wellington reception after the first masterclass.

A series of mediation masterclasses by Professor Laurence Boulle of Bond University were so popular that discussions are already underway to invite the academic back to New Zealand.

Professor Boulle, an expert mediator and teacher with an international reputation, was brought to New Zealand by Massey University and the New Zealand Law Society to run two masterclasses for the Society’s Continuing Legal Education Programme.

The masterclasses represented the next phase of a long-standing partnership between the two organisations to offer mediation training for lawyers. This included the jointly-offered workshops Undertaking Mediation, and Mediation for Family Lawyers.

Professor Boulle is well known in New Zealand mediation circles and recently returned to Australia after two years as the Issy Wolfson Professor of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he was also the director of the Mandela Institute.  

He recently co-authored Mediation Skills and Techniques, and his masterclasses involved teaching and reflecting on some of the key skills outlined in his book. This included the handling of emotion, dealing with impasse, addressing power imbalances, and the vital skill of reframing.

Professor Boulle also drew on other professional disciplines to show how they can enhance the skills of the mediator and extend the horizons of the reflective practitioner.

Participants in the two masterclasses included some of New Zealand’s most senior lawyer mediators, and the most experienced practitioners in the room provided a valuable resource and created a stimulating workshop environment. Learning and teaching went hand in hand, as did theory and application.

Virginia Goldblatt, the director Massey University’s Dispute Resolution Centre, was instrumental in organising Professor Boulle’s visit. She was also one of Professor Boulle’s co-authors (with Wellington barrister Phillip Green) of the companion book on mediation in New Zealand, Mediation: Principles. Process and Practice.

Ms Goldblatt described Professor Boulle’s visit as making an important contribution to the international profile of the profession of mediation.

“Professor Boulle’s visit reinforces the strong commitment of both the Law Society and Massey University to the development and delivery of mediation education for lawyers, and its role in dispute resolution in New Zealand,” she said.

Dr Pushpa Wood, the new director of the New Zealand Centre for Personal Financial Education.

Dr Andrew Murphy, senior lecturer in marketing at Massey University, and sometimes fair trade coffee consumer.

While fair trade coffee results in more money in the pockets of coffee growers in developing countries, it can also bring better returns for cafés here in New Zealand.

Researchers at Massey University have found that customers of cafés that promote fair trade coffee in-store have higher satisfaction levels and are willing to pay more for their daily brew.

Dr Andrew Murphy, a marketing senior lecturer at Massey University’s Albany campus, says fair trade coffee is becoming a routine purchase for an increasing number of New Zealanders, both in cafés and in supermarkets.

“There are a greater number of cafés offering fair trade coffee, but it is still a premium product, not a mainstream one. If you talk to baristas, fair trade coffee does tend to be better quality, so it is one way for cafés to differentiate themselves if they want to attract a particular type of customer,” he says.

Research done by Dr Murphy and one of his students, Ben Jenner-Leuthart, showed that customers were generally supportive of fair trade principles and were willing to pay more for fair trade coffee, although not always as much as cafés tended to charge.

The pair also found that survey respondents were not always aware that their usual café sold fair trade coffee, or believed their café served fair trade when it actually did not, so more effective promotion had the potential to add value in both coffee sales and overall satisfaction.

Dr Murphy says that fair trade can be a useful marketing tool for cafés wishing to differentiate themselves, but to get the best results they must promote the product in-store.

“The imagery used around the café can connect the consumer with producers on the other side of the world – it gives them a picture of that farmer, along with the message that you can make a difference with your choice of coffee,” he says.

“Having baristas on message, so they can upgrade people to a fair trade coffee and be knowledgable about what that means, is also very important. When a customer asks, ‘Where does this come from?’, or ‘What difference does it really make?’, baristas can give a meaningful response that demonstrates the café’s commitment.”

The research also tested whether consumers would be more discriminating in their purchases if they were given more information about fair trade and its socially responsible activities. A focus group was asked to fill out the same survey before and after viewing Black Gold, a documentary about the inequities of the international coffee trade, to see if their attitudes changed.

“After watching Black Gold, the group seemed quite shocked by what they saw, and did genuinely seem to change their perceptions – and these were people who, by agreeing to participate, probably already had an above average interest in fair trade issues,” Dr Murphy says. “The group were certainly willing to pay a lot more for their coffee afterwards, and they also said taste became less important to them.”

While fair trade coffee can bring value to cafés that wish to differentiate themselves at the premium end of the market, the challenge for fair trade organisations is to grow the market while staying true to the values and principles of the movement.

“It is a bit like organics – as it becomes more mainstream, you get mainstream suppliers who want to come in and be a part of it. While this might lower price and thus attract a larger customer base, the danger is that you get someone like Nestlé or McDonald’s heavily promoting fair trade coffee, which might actually devalue the brand in the eyes of committed customers,” Dr Murphy says.

Dr Murphy and honours student Mr Jenner-Leuthart surveyed 150 customers from six Auckland cafés (three of which sold fair trade coffee), and outlined their results in a paper titled “Fairly sold? Adding value with fair trade coffee in cafés”, recently published in the Journal of Consumer Marketing.

Key findings included:

• Women rated having fair trade coffee present in a café as much more important than men.
• Customers who thought their café sold fair trade coffee were more satisfied than those who were unsure or believed it did not.
• On average, customers were prepared to pay 44 cents more for a cup of fair trade brew.
• A focus group were willing to pay an extra 50 cents for a cup of fair trade coffee after watching the documentary Black Gold; they were also willing to pay an extra 35 cents for a cup of non-fair trade coffee.
• The focus group also slightly reduced the importance it put on coffee taste after watching Black Gold, and dramatically increased the importance it put on a café offering fair trade coffee.
• Customers didn’t always know if their café served fair trade coffee.

A new style of television programme dedicated entirely to international news events launches this Sunday on TV3, in association with Massey University.

Called Three60, and fronted by TV3 news anchor Mike McRoberts, the half hour weekly programme will review the week’s key international news stories and feature a range of New Zealand based panellists, including a number of expert commentators from Massey University.

The programme will delve into the background of the major international stories and examine what that might mean for New Zealanders.

Assistant Vice-Chancellor (External Relations) Cas Carter says Massey’s new partnership with Three60 presents an excellent opportunity for the University to contribute strongly to these conversations.

“Massey’s focus is very much about the strength of our thought leadership and taking New Zealand’s ideas to the world.  We have a lot of people with huge knowledge and skills worth sharing, and this is an ideal platform”.   

TV3’s Director of News and Current Affairs, Mark Jennings, says the show will appeal to those who follow international events and appreciate the opportunity to have specialist commentators provide insights from a New Zealand perspective.

"It will be the place to go if you are interested in a deeper look at international news. We think there is a demand for a high-quality current affairs programme that looks at the big stories happening in the world."

Three60 screens every Sunday at 9am on TV3, from this Sunday.

Professor Ingrid Day, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic & International), Dr Zoe Jordens,
Dr Elizabeth Gray, Associate Professor Andy Martin, Liz Norman, Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey
and Professor Mark Brown, Director, National Centre for Teaching and Learning at the
teaching excellence award ceremony

Massey names its top teachers

The ICSB organising committee – Professor Claire Massey, Professor David Deakins,
and Dr Marco van Gelderen

Experts in entrepreneurship and small to medium-sized businesses will gather in the capital in June for the 2012 International Council for Small Business World Conference.

Massey University College of Business colleagues and PhD graduates
Dr Warwick Stent and Dr Jeffrey Stangl

Two popular College of Business lecturers truly shared the excitement of their students’ graduation ceremonies this week when they crossed the stage to receive their own doctoral degrees.

Dr Warwick Stent, from the School of Accountancy, and Dr Jeffrey Stangl, from the School of Economics and Finance, both achieved their PhDs after years of studying while also working as lecturers at Massey University.

The duo received enthusiastic ovations at their respective ceremonies from their colleagues, graduating students, and the audience.

Dr Stent, who has taught the School of Accountancy’s auditing papers since 2005 and began working on his doctoral thesis in 2007, says it is “nice to have such a long project completed”, and that he’s looking forward to working on some new projects and spending more time with his family.

Dr Stangl says he is also ready to move into new research areas, after working for more than six years on his doctoral thesis on political, business, and sentiment investor cycles. He says his real passion is for improving financial literacy, which he pursues as a board member of the New Zealand Centre for Personal Financial Education, a joint initiative between Westpac and Massey University.

“I see my future research following that passion,” Dr Stangl says. “I’m lucky that financial literacy is a hot topic, so it’s a very teachable moment. As universities are effectively government-funded organisations, I think we need to provide research that is of use to the New Zealanders who indirectly pay for it.”

Dr Stangl’s wife, Loren, is also a lecturer within the College of Business and in the final stages of completing her own doctoral thesis, so the couple’s two teenaged children were as happy as their father on his graduation day.

“I don’t think we have put them off going to university but both have said, ‘No way, I’ll never do a PhD,’” Dr Stangl says.

Both lecturers feel lucky to have been supported by Massey University while pursuing their post-graduate studies, and now look forward to feeding their research learnings into their teaching programmes.

Dr Stent, who researched the differences between early and late adopters of International Financial Reporting Standards in New Zealand for his thesis, says he now has plenty of interesting case studies to discuss in class.

“One example that always springs to mind is Tourism Holdings Limited whose profits went up 70 per cent in the year they adopted the new reporting standards,” Dr Stent says. “It’s important that students understand just how important disclosure information is, and what a big effect a change in accounting policy can have on financial statements.”

The process of studying for their PhDs has also confirmed for both their love of working in an academic environment.

“The calibre of people at the School of Accountancy and Massey University make it a very stimulating environment to work in,” Dr Stent says. “The long road to a PhD has much less uphill in a place like this and I am very grateful for that.”

Dr Stangl is looking forward to guiding more students on their own learning journeys. “I really enjoy dealing with the students. I find it gratifying when I see that occasional spark in a student’s eye, when you see that ‘I got it’ moment, and you know you have made a difference in their lives.”

Dr Stent and Dr Stangl are two of 32 doctoral candidates to graduate during Massey University’s six Albany campus ceremonies. More than 1000 students will be capped by the end of the week, with further graduation ceremonies to take place in Palmerston North and Wellington in May.

2012 Dean’s Scholars: Pouyan Nikrou, Duc Toan Do, Professor Ted Zorn, Ashney Govender, Michael Pearson

Best business students take a bow

Dean's List recipients with Professor Ted Zorn at the
Academic Excellence Awards 2012

The best College of Business students were recognised at the Albany campus’s Dean’s List presentation last night at the Bruce Mason Centre.

It was the first of three ceremonies to celebrate academic achievement over the past year, and presentations will also take place in Palmerston North and Wellington next month.

Across all three campuses, a total of 302 students made this year’s Dean’s List, and seven will be named Dean’s Scholars, meaning they achieved straight A+ grades for the year. Four of the seven Dean’s Scholars received their awards at the Albany ceremony.

Duc Toan Do, an international student from Vietnam, said his parents were extremely proud that he had been named a Dean’s Scholar in his first year at Massey.

“I think international students study particularly hard because there is such high expectations from family back home. My parents have given me an opportunity and it is up to me to pursue my dreams,” he said. “When I finish my accountancy and finance degree, I hope to stay in New Zealand to do post-graduate study at Massey.”

For Pouyan Nikrou, being named a 2012 Dean’s Scholar was the pinnacle of his academic achievement over the four years of his Bachelor of Business Studies degree, and marks his fourth year on the Dean’s List. Mr Nikrou, who emigrated from Iran with his family 12 years ago, is now working towards a Graduate Diploma in Science and Maths and hopes to pursue a career in quantitative finance or as an actuary.

Michael Pearson, who is studying for a Bachelor of Aviation Management through distance learning, said he was “surprised but thrilled” to be named a Dean’s Scholar. He is studying while working as a pilot for Air New Zealand and hopes the degree will open up additional career opportunities for him with the airline.

The fourth Albany Dean’s Scholar was first-year accounting student Ashney Govender. Ms Govender already has an engineering degree under her belt, but felt a business degree would help achieve her aim of becoming a project manager.

“There is so much competition out there, you really need to do something extra,” she says. “Hopefully, this award will also help.”

The Dean’s List was established five years ago to recognise excellence, and all undergraduate students who achieve an overall score of A-minus or better qualify for the accolade. Of the 302 students on the 2012 list, 22 are receiving their third award and six are receiving their fourth.

Professor Ted Zorn, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the College of Business, congratulated all this year’s Dean’s List students and encouraged them to build on their achievement.

“You already have the focus and determination to succeed, but to grow into a leader you need to take advantage of all the opportunities put in front of you,” he said. “Get an internship, stand for a leadership position, challenge yourself, and develop your leadership potential. This is just the start of a lifelong process.”

Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey told the Dean’s List students they were “high achieving, elite people” and he hoped they would use their talent in practical and meaningful ways.

“Get out there and make a real difference because there are real challenges that need to be solved,” he said. “Be the future leaders of this country, and make the world a better place.”

The other three Dean’s Scholars for 2012 are Robert Barr, Jessica Fraser, and Katrina Geerlofs. Dean’s List functions will take place in Manawatu on May 14 and Wellington on May 30. 

Sponsors of the Albany awards ceremony were 3M, ACCA, ASB Bank, Auckland Property Investors Association, BDO, Buildcorp, CCH, Cengage Learning, CFA New Zealand, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, CPA Australia, Deloitte, FINSIA, McGraw Hill, New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants, Pearson, Property Institute of New Zealand, Perceptive, and Westpac.

College of Business Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Ted Zorn, Finance Minister Bill English, Acting Chair of NZCPFE Suzie Marsden, Chair of Workplace Savings David Ireland and Retirement Commissioner Diana Crossan at the launch of the Retirement Expenditure Survey.

Board members Professor Ted Zorn, Suzie Marsden, Jeff Stangl, Sue Foley,
Dr Claire Matthews, Roy Thompson and Diana Crossan at the launch of
the Retirement Expenditure Survey.

 

Manawatu members of the Captains' Club - Back row: David Loye, Stanley Fraser, Anthony Bykerk, Pearce, PVC Ted Zorn, Prof Sarah Leberman, Prof Malcolm Wright, Jordan Caskey, Isaac Henderson & Bradley Peffer. Front row: Casey Glynn, Georgia Cooper, Anna Sanford, Bailey Doyle, Kerrianne Joe & Charlotte Graying.

Albany members of the Captains' Club – Chloe Archer,
Joel Carter, Avon Matchitt, PVC Ted Zorn, Jordan Miller.

Professor Ted Zorn, Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Business,
with Wellington Captain's Club members Andrea Ornido
(first year, Bachelor of Business Studies), Georgia Forrester
(first year, Bachelor of Communication) and Lauren Gibbs
(second year, Bachelor of Business Studies).

The newest members of the College of Business Captains’ Club received the combined wisdom of the college advisory board at a welcome function at the Albany campus on Friday.

After congratulating the students for achieving entry into the Captains’ Club, Pro Vice-Chancellor Ted Zorn handed over to members of the advisory board. Each gave their advice for achieving success in the business world beyond study.

The clear message to students was to do everything possible to distinguish themselves, to gain as much extra-curricular experience as possible, to know what they want to achieve, but to be open to new opportunities.

Advisory board chairman and Toyota New Zealand chief executive Alistair Davis encouraged Captains’ Club members to join clubs and take internships in order to “stand out from the crowd”.

“Think strategically as you’re doing your degrees about where you want to end up and plan ahead,” he advised.

There are 38 students joining the Captains’ Club across Massey’s three campuses this year. All have been selected for their leadership skills and sporting or cultural achievements at secondary school, and each will receive $5000 each towards course fees to support them in their studies.

New club members were welcomed at the Manawatu campus on Thursday, and a welcome function will be held for students on the Wellington campus on Tuesday. All will be encouraged to join the Student Business Group, the Beta Alpha Psi chapter for accounting, finance and information systems, and to take on internships while completing their studies.

“The college has the vision of creating leaders and transforming business,” Pro Vice-Chancellor Ted Zorn told the group in Albany. “Our hope is that the Captains’ Club will give you the opportunity to prosper and blossom in your leadership potential and, at the same time, help lift the leadership potential of the other students around you.”

Watch the Money Talks interview with Genevieve Westcott.

Professor Hamish Gow.

An open source Food Safety Knowledge Network devised by a Massey University Professor has won a major international award for improving food safety practices in developing countries.

Professor of Agribusiness Hamish Gow oversaw the development of the network that has been recognised with the international effective practice award by the Sloan Consortium.

He worked with a team at Michigan State University on the project that provides Third World food producers free and open access to best practice food safety guidelines.

“The project got started when I was director of Partnerships for Food Industry Development,” he says. “We needed a more effective and scalable model for reaching small and medium enterprises and farmers in developing countries with extension and capacity building.”

The network provides a set of steps that any producer can access that will take them from no food safety capacity to meeting international standards, Professor Gow says.

“We approached the Global Food Safety Initiative, a group comprising some of the biggest food producers in the world, and put together some technical working groups to create the competency requirements,” he says. “This involved four or five companies putting their food safety training manuals on the table. We built a set of training materials that are now available online and through regional and international consultants.”

The network appears to have had pleasing results, with anecdotal evidence showing there has been a big impact on food safety in some countries. “In Ukraine, I’m told, they have gone from 20 per cent compliance to 90 per cent,” he says.

Professor Gow says it is a model that is perfectly suited for knowledge transfer in the New Zealand agricultural sector. “This is a different type of model for engagement. It could help solve the extension problem with disseminating the latest research and best practices to farmers in an easily accessible manner out of Massey and other research organisations. It’s an advanced way of writing a textbook that has a lot more impact.”

Professor Gow’s work fits well with other projects at the University including the World Bank project that has seen public health and veterinary professionals taught master’s programmes through distance programmes devised and offered by Massey staff. The University has also begun offering short courses to Agribusiness managers in a joint initiative with Lincoln University.

The Sloan Consortium is an institutional and professional leadership organisation dedicated to integrating online education into the mainstream of higher education.

Students from Vietnam National University in Hanoi are welcomed to Massey to complete their four-year Bachelor of Business Studies

The first group of business students from the University of Economics and Business, part of the Vietnam National University in Hanoi, have been welcomed to Massey University with an orientation programme organised by the School of Economics and Finance.

The 15 students are part of the 2+2 Pathway Programme, a joint arrangement between the two universities where students study for two years in their home country, and then complete their degrees after two years of study in New Zealand.

The Vietnamese cohort began their study in Hanoi in 2009, and will complete their Bachelor of Business Studies, majoring in Finance and Economics, at Massey. Some of the students will take a bridging English course before joining their fellow students in semester two this year. 
 
The students were welcomed by Professor Martin Young, head of the School of Economics and Finance; Mr Bruce Graham, the Director of the International Students’ Office; and several members of staff from the School of Economics and Finance. 

Professor Young congratulated the group for making it to their second phase of study. “You will be taught and guided by some of Massey’s best teachers in both finance and economics, and you should make the most of this opportunity,” he told them.

Mr Graham encouraged the students to embrace the New Zealand’s culture and way of life, and to make every effort to give their full commitment in their time at the university.
 
The joint programme has been managed by a committee of enthusiastic staff members, including Drs Hamish Anderson, Jing Liao, Jing Chi, Carolyn Worth, and Mrs Ha Lien Ton. It has also received considerable support from staff in the International Students’ Office, International Students’ Support, Student Learning Centre, Accommodation Office, and PACE.

“Mrs Ha Lien Ton and I have been working on this programme for some years, and it is pleasing to see the first students arrive,” says Professor Young. “We all look forward to celebrating their achievement at their graduation in two years’ time.”

Professor Ted Zorn with College of Business faculty members, immediately after a powhiri to welcome him to Massey University's Albany Campus.

Professor Ted Zorn enters the Atrium building at Massey
University's Albany Campus for his powhiri.

The new Pro Vice-Chancellor of Massey University’s College of Business was welcomed to the Albany campus with a powhiri on February 28.

Professor Ted Zorn, who is a management communication, workplace wellbeing, and organisational change specialist, outlined his four priorities in a welcome address to staff.

They are: engage, research, focus, entrepreneurship.

“A priority for me is to engage – that is, engage staff and make sure we engage other priority stakeholders,” he said.

“You may know the Māori proverb “He aha te mea nui? He tangata. He tangata. He tangata.” It translates “What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.” That is nowhere more true than within universities.”

He said the College must retain, develop, support, and recruit outstanding contributors and build strong connections, focusing especially on our “natural” partners—for example, businesses and high schools who are linked by location, previous relationships with Massey,  or common interests.

Professor Zorn says the College will focus and refine its areas of excellence and research will be further aligned with teaching.  He is looking for opportunities to do research with the wider business community.

“At least as important is doing research that raises our profile in the business community and the wider community—research that makes people say: “That’s fascinating and useful. Come work with us.”

Professor Zorn’s said there were already some outstanding initiatives in the area of entrepreneurship and he wanted to ensure practices and policies continued to encourage entrepreneurial thinking and action.

He said the priorities were not proposed as “core values” but they were intended as action priorities for where the College would be focusing in the short and medium term.

Professor Zorn comes to Massey from Waikato University, where he was head of the Department of Management Communication. He was accompanied by staff from Waikato at the powhiri.

As Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Business, he will be based at the Albany campus, overseeing more than 300 staff there and at the University's Manawatu and Wellington campuses. He will be responsible for the teaching and research programmes provided for about 12,000 students internally and through distance learning each year.

Professor Zorn is from the United States and has worked in New Zealand since 1994. His PhD in communication (1987) is from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, as is his Master of Arts degree (1981). He has a BA in English from the College of Charleston, South Carolina.

First year students participate in team building exercises during Let’s Get Going at the Manawatu campus.

Students are welcomed to the new Student Central
at the Albany campus.

Creative Arts students and staff in the Museum Building’s
Great Hall at the Wellington campus.

Watch a video of the CoCA introduction.

The first semester is now in full swing at Massey with students back on all three University campuses.

Students returned to the Manawatu campus last Wednesday as the Let’s Get Going programme kicked off the academic year.

The programme offers first-years guidance to ease their transition to university life. It includes campus tours, information on support services, academic support, recreation and health.

Along with introductory seminars from each of the University’s academic colleges last week, students also got to have some fun at a comedy gala featuring Ben Hurley, Jeremy Elwood and Nick Rado.

More than 1250 students and family members attended the Welcome Ceremony at Arena 2 in Palmerston North, where first-year students were welcomed to the University by Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey and University Registrar Stuart Morriss.

Meanwhile, in Albany, about 500 new students and their families and friends were welcomed at the outdoor plaza of the stunning new Student Central building.

The crowd, including academic and general staff, as well as student Uni-guides, gathered in the late afternoon sunshine for an informal welcome, beginning in Mäori by campus kaiwhakaruruhau (regional adviser Mäori) Donald Ripia and the campus waiata group, followed by speeches from Assistant Vice-Chancellor and University Registrar Stuart Morriss, and Student Life manager Paul Fenton.

The new students then attended college presentations indoors, and campus tours with Uni-guides.

The $15 million first stage of the building, dubbed Student Central and designed by architects at Warren and Mahoney, will provide a campus heart and hub for students. It has a food hall, café and retail outlets as well as offices for the Albany Students’ Association, student services such as health and counselling, as well as space for student clubs.

Further south, it was standing room only at the powhiri for first-year students at the University’s historic Museum Building in Wellington. That evening, Campus Registrar Deanna Riach and Massey At Wellington Students’ Association president Ben Thorpe teamed up to serve dinner to the new students and their parents at Tussock Café in the Student Centre. This year’s intake includes international students from more than 20 countries.

On Thursday, individual colleges welcomed their students. Many of Massey’s Wellington offerings continue to prove popular and Pro Vice-Chancellor Creative Arts Claire Robinson says applications for 2012 almost met the record level of 2011 despite declining school leaver numbers.

On Friday, Wellington students attended “101” workshops on Massey, studying at university, critical thinking and problem solving, all designed to get their university experience off to a great start.

This week in the capital, Orientation is happening at some of Wellington’s off-campus venues, and there’s a special recognition lunch for those new students who won Massey scholarships.

Watch the NZTA drink-driving ad voted 2011's memorable quotes.

Massey University is asking New Zealanders to stop “internalising a complicated situation” and start nominating as it launches a search to find the New Zealand quote of 2012.

After the success of last year’s Top 10 Memorable Quotes of the Year competition, the University is inviting both students and the general public to nominate any interesting one-liners they hear throughout the year. Quotes can come from a variety of sources, including movies, advertising, speeches, comedy, or news reports.

Massey University speech writing lecturer Dr Heather Kavan says entries can be rousing, amusing, or memorable. “It’s a people’s choice vote, so we’re looking for quotes that are appealing. Some people were surprised Nek Minnit was not in the top 10 last year, but others were relieved.”

Last year the quote – "I've been internalising a really complicated situation in my head” – from the New Zealand Transport Authority’s anti drink-drive television advert was voted top.

Another quote from the same advert – "You know I can't grab your ghost chips!" – was the second most popular. In election year, it was no surprise that comments from MPs took third and fourth place, with Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker’s poignant post-earthquake speech to the Christchurch City Council in fifth place.

Dr Kavan says, as a lecturer in speechwriting, she is fascinated by the power of language and is always looking for great one-liners. “A good one-liner is brief, witty, and original,” she says. “We recognise a great one because we want to say it ourselves.”

There is a $100 prize for the first person to nominate the winning quote, which will be decided by public vote from a shortlist in December. To nominate a quote, visit https://masseyuni.wufoo.eu/forms/2012-quote-of-the-year-nomination and fill out the online form. Nominated quotes and other updates will be posted on Massey’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/masseyuniversity until nominations close on December 1.

A shortlist of the best 10 quotes will be decided by a panel of experts, including Massey University Vice-Chancellor  Steve Maharey. The shortlist will then be opened to public vote for three weeks, with the Quote of the Year announced on December 21.

The top 10 quotes from Massey University in 2011 were:

1. "I've been internalising a really complicated situation in my head." Actor Darcey-Ray Flavell in the NZTA drink-driving ad where a young man is pondering all the arguments for and against telling his friend not to drive.
2. "You know I can't grab your ghost chips!" Actor Darcey-Ray Flavell in the NZTA drink-driving ad where a young man imagines his friend dying in a car crash and returning as a ghost who offers him chips.
3. “Government is not there to make your life a better place necessarily.” National MP David Bennett.
4. "To have a cell phone, a dog and a ute.” Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson, on all a person needs to claim to be a builder.
5. "The real story of what has happened in Christchurch is the heroic story at the grass roots level, which is neighbour working with neighbour."  Mayor Bob Parker’s speech to the Christchurch City Council.
6. "The Government has banned Fijian rugby players with military connections, criminal convictions, or who are competitive at the breakdown." Jeremy Corbett on 7 Days.
7. “If we continue the bankrupt response of just paying young Polynesian, young Maori men in South Auckland, the dole to sit in front of TV, smoke marijuana, watch pornography and plan more drug offending, more burglaries, then we are going to have them coming through our window regardless if we live in Epsom or anywhere else in the greater Auckland." John Banks interviewed by Sean Plunket on The Nation.
8. "Naturally I finished my set." Sales representative Cameron Leslie who was at a gym in Oslo, Norway, when a fatal bomb went off 50 metres away recalls the incident to John Campbell on Campbell Live.
9. "It’s my heart Craig, not my gonads.”  Rhys Darby's character ‘Doug’ in the film Lovebirds.
10. "These guys have gone from the Stone Age to the space age in 150 years, and haven't said thanks." ACT party marketing director John Ansell speaking about Maori. He later resigned from his position.

Finance Minister Bill English, Massey Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey, Auckland Chamber of Commerce CEO Michael Barnett at Finance 2012.

Associate Professor Andy Martin signals the start of the I Tri’d the Tri event this week.

ICSB Conference team: Professor Claire Massey, Professor David Deakins, and Dr Marco van Gelderen.

The 2012 International Council for Small Business World Conference, being co-hosted by Massey University in Wellington in June, will include a session on indigenous entrepreneurship for the first time.

Indigenous entrepreneurship is a growing field of research and the conference provides an opportunity for scholars to showcase their work on an international stage. The best papers will also be published in a special issue of the Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues.

Indigenous entrepreneurship is one of 18 ‘tracks’ being covered during the 2012 conference. Others include entrepreneurship, education and training, social and economic development, small business management, new venture creation, and this year’s theme, ‘Leading from the Edge’.

The Leading from the Edge track will focus on pioneering entrepreneurial behaviour during challenging times. Both man-made ‘events’ and natural disasters can create new environments for entrepreneurial activity – an issue that is particularly relevant to New Zealand after the Canterbury earthquake last year.

The conference’s keynote speaker is Professor Saras Sarasvathy from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. She has been named one of the top 18 entrepreneurship professors by Fortune Small Business magazine.

2012 will be the first time the conference has been held in New Zealand, and more than 400 small business educators, researchers, policy makers and practitioners from around the world are expected to attend.

Massey University’s Centre for Small and Medium Enterprise Research successfully bid to host the conference, along with the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand, Wellington City Council, and Grow Wellington.

Dr Marco van Gelderen, Massey university lecturer, entrepreneurship specialist, and chairman of the conference’s programme committee, says the event will bring many international perspectives to New Zealand.

“The ICSB World Conference is looking to be a truly global conference,” he says. “There have already been abstracts submitted by authors from 40 different countries, and we expect many more in the coming weeks.”

Close up of a Massey School of Aviation student’s Wings brevet, presented after they complete pilot training.

Massey University’s Diamond aircraft fly over the Manawatu hills.

Massey University School of Aviation is marking a milestone this year when it celebrates 25 years of producing “aviators with a difference”.

Chief executive of the school Ashok Poduval says April is an ‘aviation’ month on the New Zealand calendar with the school’s silver jubilee, the 75th anniversary celebration of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Wings over Wanaka air show.

“We are extremely proud to have reached this milestone and even more proud of the achievements of our graduates who are employed in the industry all over the world,” he says. “The school is focused on contributing to the future of aviation through excellence in aviation education, training and research.”

Massey aviation students move on to careers as pilots, air safety investigators, airport managers, flight dispatchers and airline managers. The School of Aviation has recently been chosen by the national carrier Air New Zealand as a preferred training provider.

“Massey is making a global contribution from our base in New Zealand,” says Mr Poduval who has led the school since 2005. “We have networks with individuals and organisations around the world.”

Massey School of Aviation commenced in 1987 with 28 students on the first course. This year, 326 students are studying towards a Bachelor of Aviation Management, 130 are studying towards a Bachelor of Aviation – Air Transport Pilot, 37 are pursuing postgraduate degrees and six are working towards doctorates.

Mr Poduval says the school has since grown to occupy a unique place in New Zealand and globally. “Our school is one of the few tertiary education institutions in the world that provides professional training for pilots embedded in University accredited academic qualifications,” he says.

“We believe it takes more than stick and rudder skills and flying hours in the log book to produce a high-calibre aviator.”

The purchase of two twin-engine Diamond DA42 and 12 Diamond DA40 single-engine aircraft in 2009 established Massey at the forefront of professional pilot training in New Zealand. The first graduates to complete their training on these aircraft received their Wings in November.

The aircraft, which replaced the Piper Warrior single engine and Piper Seneca twin-engine aircraft, have state-of-the-art Garmin 1000 cockpit display systems to enhance safety and improve training quality.

“The Diamonds are technologically-advanced aircraft with digital instrumentation, moving map displays, terrain awareness warning and traffic avoidance systems,” says Mr Poduval.

They are also fitted with Spidertracks, a device developed with the aid of Massey University mechatronics graduate James McCarthy that enables real-time tracking of the aircraft position from the flight operations centre.

MBA graduates 2011

Sir Ray Avery speaking at the MBA graduation dinner

Professor Martin Devlin with MBA programme director Andrew Barney

Top student Laura Aileone with Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College
of Business Barrie MacDonald

MBA graduate Lynda Davison with her family

Directors, managers and senior staff from companies including Saatchi & Saatchi, KiwiRail, Fonterra, Telecom and the ANZ are among the 48 students who have graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Massey University this year.

The cohort, from around New Zealand, marked a milestone in their professional careers at a ceremony in Palmerston North.

Student Lynda Davison, a management consultant, was among ten who achieved a distinction – despite this being her first foray into tertiary education.

Ms Davison, who has no previous university qualification, says making the top grade was a perfect way to thank Massey for accepting her into the programme as an equivalent status student.

“It's great to achieve distinction, it certainly isn't an individual achievement though. Family, friends and a supportive cohort/study group are paramount,” she says.

Top student was Laura Aileone, a project manager at District Health Boards New Zealand, who received her award from Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Business Barrie MacDonald.

There were 17 students from the Auckland region, 12 from Palmerston North, 11 from Wellington and eight from Christchurch of whom four received a distinction.

Guest speaker at the graduation dinner was former New Zealander of the Year Sir Ray Avery.

MBA programme director Andrew Barney paid tribute to his predecessor Professor Martin Devlin, who was honoured with an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in June, and spoke about the programme extending into Southland.

The MBA graduates of 2011 join a Massey MBA alumni of 2,500 people in senior positions in New Zealand and around the world.

Kelly Weaver and Kelsy Lochead celebrate in the YMCA’s recreation area.

Students Kelly Weaver and Kelsy Lochead with Vaughan Dennison from YMCA Central.

Marketing students jumped to the task when they were asked to come up with a $10,000 marketing plan to help a not-for-profit organisation in Palmerston North.

In teams of three, they compiled comprehensive business plans for the YMCA Central – based on its recreation, youth development and education programmes – and presented them to the YMCA management for judging.

The winners were Luke Trim, Kelly Weaver and Jessica Rhodes whose detailed 70-page report focused on promoting the organisation’s current recreational services – including before and after-school care, holiday programmes, pre-school gymnastics and a climbing wall. They also came up with ideas for new initiatives that would make a profit that could be reinvested into programmes.

Their plan proposed marketing strategies and tactics to help the organisation grow its market share, improve brand awareness and achieve financial stability. The plan, based on research from more than 70 people, was presented to YMCA’s Operations Manager for Palmerston North Vaughan Dennison.

He says the report included “early pickings” of ideas they could use straight away as well as longer-term big visions for programme development that could bring in further investment. “I was very impressed with the report. Not-for-profits are challenged with their own internal resources and we will get a lot of value out of the strategy and ideas suggested by the students.”

Lecturer Pam Feetham, who teaches the 300-level paper, says the standard was so high this year there were additional awards given to Kelsy Lochead and Phoebe Lang, in recognition of their presentations.

Dr Winifereti Nainoca and Dr Adi Alisi Vudiniabola.

Mitchell Watson, Louis Chia, Elisha Lim, Matthias Guzy, Saga Witjaksono, Calum Burn, Kiran Parbhu and Jagdeep Kang.

Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey and Professor Ansary Ahmed  from Asia-e University after signing the agreement. Standing, from left, are: Bruce Graham, Professor Ingrid Day, Professor James Chapman, Professor Don Cleland, Professor Ian Maddox, Professor Chris Moore, Andrea Flavell, Associate Professor Mark Brown, Dr Abdillah Suffian (Asia-e University) and Shirley Carr.

Paul Kearney.

Paul Kearney (centre) with Civil Aviation Safety Authority flying standards branch
manager Roger Weeks (left) and authority director John McCormick.

The School of Aviation's approach to safety training for pilots has impressed members of the Australian aviation industry.

Deputy chief flight instructor Paul Kearney was invited by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority to give a guest speech National Chief Flying Instructors Conference in Canberra last month.

Mr Kearney says the school took the initiative to develop what is known as threat and error management (TEM) into its training programme when the new fleet of Diamond aircraft was purchased two years ago.

He says the principles of TEM were embedded in a number of existing procedures in the school and, working alongside the Air New Zealand Aviation Institute, the process was formalised. This predated the legislative requirement for TEM that took effect last year in New Zealand.

“While most commercial aircraft have a two-pilot operation, we had to develop this process and apply it to a single pilot model,” Mr Kearney says.

Standard operating procedures for all flight operations were published by the school, which introduced scenario-based training for every flight lesson and developed a model for “before start” and “top of descent” checklists.

A crew concept was also developed as a result of research by the school's chief flight examiner, Dr Ritchie de Montalk, who identified the need for "soft" skills such as teamwork, leadership and customer awareness to be taught during flight training because of their importance to the role of modern airline pilots.

Students fly in pairs like an airline crew and share the jobs such as checking weather, planning the flight, ordering fuel and doing a pre checks on the aircraft. It is used on all training flights.  

“Traditionally, when you teach someone to fly you will go through each procedure in turn so if you are showing them how to land you will show them and they will do it,” Mr Kearney says. “We take a scenario-based approach from day one. For example, an exercise might be that you are taking friends to a rugby match in New Plymouth, which will test your time management and fuel skills. When you are there you are told the weather closes in so you have to land back in Palmerston North using your instruments. This is the type of threat and error management we are including.”

Mr Kearney, who is also the school's quality assurance manager, says scenario-based training is little used in the Asia-Pacific and the delegates at the conference, including aeroplane and helicopter chief flying instructors, chief pilots and chief ground instructors, were very interested in Massey’s approach.

“The project has been an exciting challenge with encouraging results. I had several people come up to me after my presentation to comment about how much they enjoyed it, but more importantly to ask more questions about the great work we are doing with scenario-based training and threat and error management at Massey.”

Massey University Manager of Professional Programmes Frank Sharp with award recipient Tahlia Fisher and Manager of Aviation Safety Dr Ritchie de Montalk. Photo: Caroline Ducobu

Clip of the GEW launch on youtube.

Massey accountancy graduate and Engine of the new
New Zealand campaign star Sarah Gibbs is on the
panel at the Intrapreneurship Summit in Auckland
with Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey. The summit
is one of the events Massey University is involved
in during Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Professor Claire Massey speaks at the launch of Global
Entrepreneurship Week. (Photo courtesy of Neil Price).

An Intrapreneurship Summit to transform and revitalise businesses is one of a series of events Massey University is involved in this week as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW).

Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey and co-founder of skincare company Trilogy Sarah Gibbs, a Massey accountancy graduate and star of the University’s Engine of the new New Zealand campaign, are among those on a panel of experts who will share their ideas with the summit today.

The event, at Britomart in Auckland, is for ambitious business leaders who want to embrace innovation and “rewire their business for creativity”, allowing it to grow.

Massey has been a founding partner of GEW since it began in New Zealand. Professor Claire Massey, Head of the School of Management who spoke at the launch event in Wellington yesterday, says the University is proud to be part of the GEW ecosystem which reflects its platforms of innovation, creativity and connectedness.

“New Zealanders know we will never be the biggest in anything – but we can lead – by being first,” she says. “This has happened many times in the past, as evidenced by developments in medicine, science and technology. It will continue to happen in the future, so long as we have the people to do it.

“We need the people who will lead, who will take the bungee jump into entrepreneurship, the people who will follow, who will create clusters of excellence and industry sectors, and organisations that will play their part in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

In addition to the summit, the University’s ecentre, based on the Albany campus, will host a business case challenge today. Participants will put themselves in the shoes of start-up entrepreneur Enrico de Klerk, whose computer network search application company Hub9 is based at the ecentre after he won the Go, Innovate challenge for Massey students. He will be one of the judges alongside Sabrina Nagel, ecentre’s business strategist, and Chris Lock of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development.

Massey is also supporting events run at the University’s Bio Commerce Centre in Palmerston North and Vision Manawatu

Saskia Wallace, centre, celebrates the win with students and lecturers, from left, Kieran Hope-Wilson, lecturer Nick Kapica, lecturer Anna Brown, Elspeth Hoskin, Samuel Bonney, Professor Claire Massey, Associate Professor Chris Bennewith and Professor David Deakins, of the Centre for SME Research.

Saskia Wallace with her Bright Ideas Challenge award.

A wristband that uses Bluetooth technology to help parents track their children’s whereabouts was one of the winning entries in Grow Wellington’s recent Bright Ideas Challenge.

Massey University Bachelor of Design students Saskia Wallace and Pam Ward picked up the student award for their idea for a product called SafeSparrow that sends a signal to a parent’s smartphone if their child wanders too far away.

Based on the fact 3,000 children are reported missing in New Zealand each year, the team, called Appease, say the wristband or a badge would be attached to children up to the age of four to give parents peace of mind.

Appease was among three finalists from Massey University in the Bright Ideas Challenge which supports young entrepreneurs in developing innovative business ideas and attracted 925 entries.

Another finalist from Massey University, Bachelor of Business Studies student Sam Bonney won a $3,000 scholarship in recognition of his skills as team leader of Knife and Spork and his team has also attracted investment from a web development company. The concept of Knife and Spork is to cook extra portions and promote social eating through hosting paying customers in the home so they don’t eat alone.

Meanwhile, Bachelor of Business student finalist Rebecca Hoang and her team have now signed a memorandum of understanding to go into a business partnership with her idea for a Roger Road Assistant GPS application to help new restricted drivers learn New Zealand’s road code.

Staff from the School of Management teamed up with the College of Creative Arts (CoCA) to encourage business and design students to team up and enter the competition.

New Venture Project senior lecturer Dr Martina Battisti, of the Centre for SME Research, says the initiative was in collaboration with CoCA’s Associate Professor Chris Bennewith and lecturer Anna Brown, who leads the Creative Futures paper, as well as Head of School of Management Professor Claire Massey and the Grow Wellington team.

“The competition is a perfect complement to these papers because it gives Massey students the chance to network with business leaders and tap into the expertise they have to offer when they are putting together a business plan for their idea,” Dr Battisti says. “We are delighted that from 925 entrants, three Massey students groups made it to the last 29 and competed in the finals.”

Nigel Kirkpatrick, chief executive of Grow Wellington says the entrants in this year’s Bright Ideas Challenge were an impressive reflection of the aptitude and depth of Wellington’s entrepreneurial community.

“As a region, Wellington really is an entrepreneurial hub; the ideas that have been generated by the 2011 Challenge are a huge testament to that,” he says.

Baiduri Widanarko

Sarah Leberman

Ross Hemera

David Johnston

Subhas Mukhopadhyay

David Harding

Paul Kenyon

Six staff have been promoted to professor and 21 to associate professor in the annual promotion round. All the promotions take effect from January 1, 2012.

Professors

College of Business
A/Prof Sarah Leberman, School of Management - Manawatu

College of Creative Arts
A/Prof Ross Hemera, School of Visual and Material Culture - Wellington

College of Humanities and Social Sciences
A/Prof David Johnston, School of Psychology - Wellington

College of Sciences
A/Prof Subhas Mukhopadhyay, School of Engineering and Advanced Technology - Manawatu
A/Prof David Harding, Inst. of Fundamental Sciences - Manawatu
A/Prof Paul Kenyon, Inst. of Veterinary, Animal and Biomed Sciences - Manawatu

Associate Professors

College of Business
Dr Mike Brennan, School of Communication, Journalism & Mktg - Manawatu
Dr Peren Arin, School of Economics and Finance - Albany
Dr David Tripe, School of Economics and Finance - Manawatu
Dr Wendelin Kupers, School of Management - Albany
 
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr Angie Farrow, School of English and Media Studies - Manawatu
Dr Mark Henrickson, School of Health and Social Services - Albany
Dr James Watson, School of History, Philosophy and Classics - Manawatu
Dr Caroline Miller, School of People, Environment and Planning - Manawatu
 
College of Sciences
Dr Benoit Guieysse, School of Engineering and Advanced Technology - Manawatu
Dr Eva Heinrich, School of Engineering and Advanced Technology - Manawatu
Dr Brian Wilkinson, Inst. of Food, Nutrition and Human Health - Manawatu
Dr Shane Telfer, Inst. of Fundamental Sciences - Manawatu
Dr Shaun Cooper, Inst. of Information and Mathematical Sciences - Albany
Dr David Parsons, Inst. of Information and Mathematical Sciences - Albany
Dr Chris Scogings, Inst. of Information and Mathematical Sciences - Albany
Dr David Horne, Inst. of Natural Resources - Manawatu
Dr Mary Morgan-Richards, Inst. of Natural Resources - Manawatu
Dr Steven Trewick, Inst. of Natural Resources - Manawatu
Dr Brett Gartrell, Inst. of Veterinary, Animal and Biomed Sciences - Manawatu
 
New Zealand School of Music
Dr Paul Dyne, New Zealand School of Music - Wellington
Mr Norman Meehan, New Zealand School of Music - Wellington

Massey University lecturer Dr Sam Richardson

Tom Johnson is studying the All Blacks’ team culture for his PhD (Photo courtesy of Dominion Post).

MBA students with NZ Consul General in Sao Paulo

MBA Students at the European Union HQ, Brussels

Massey University MBA students recently investigated the management practices of businesses overseas during study tours of South America and Europe.

A group of 23 students went to Belgium, Holland and Germany while 25 others visited Argentina and Brazil to learn how businesses in different parts of the world handle strategic challenges similar to those faced in New Zealand.

MBA director Andrew Barney says what is learnt on tour often has a direct impact on students’ thinking about New Zealand.

“The MBA international study tours are an opportunity for our executive students to live and study together, in an environment where they are away from the routines and pressures of work and home.

“The tours are an educational highlight of the Massey MBA programme and serve to strengthen student networks by ensuring a good base of shared experience.”

Following their return, several students on the European tour have met to exchange ideas with Massey’s ecentre chief executive Steve Corbett. These students had visited European universities and institutions engaging directly with business to foster commercial research programmes.

“The enthusiasm the students have on their return is tangible. By sparking the imagination of a group of successful business executives, you can affect significant change within an economy,” says Mr Barney.

The European tour visited the University of Leuven Research & Development centre and the Creative Factory in Rotterdam, which is a not-for-profit incubator that supports entrepreneurs in the media, fashion, music, design and business services. They also visited Food Valley in the Netherlands, which supports collaborations between food companies, research institutes and Wageningen University. Their final stop was the Stuttgart Automotive University.

On the South American tour, the students teamed up with members of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to visit several Argentinean companies including one of the largest wineries in Argentina, Bodegas Norton. They also visited Wal-Mart, and Boca Junior Soccer as well taking part in a community development project delivering nappies to low-income families as part of a parenting project.

The focus of these visits was on strategic management and how companies overcame their challenges, for example the way South American politics plays havoc with long-term planning. In addition, Wal-Mart shared its sustainability strategy, while Boca Junior spoke about their marketing strategy and how to make the most of 18 million fans.

The South American tour then went on to Brazil where students visited a technology park, a dairy manufacturing centre, and had a meeting with the New Zealand Trade Consul. Later that week Fonterra’s Southern Cone General Manager Fabrizio Jorge spent half a day with the group talking about the Brazilian market and Fonterra’s South American strategy. They also visited the Port of Santos which handles 25 per cent of the container traffic in Brazil.

Mr Barney says both groups arrived back in New Zealand tired but very enthusiastic about their experience.

“While common overseas, study tours of this nature are extremely rare in New Zealand, due in part to the complexity and cost involved in running them. There is little doubt however, that the value gained from these tours make them well worth the effort, benefiting both the students and New Zealand enterprise generally.”

The growing height of the All Blacks from 1905 to 2005. Click image for larger version.

All Blacks’ changing weight over 100 years. Click image for larger version.

School of Sport and Exercise lecturer Jeremy Hapeta.

The iconic image of Sonny Bill Williams’ muscles bursting out of his jersey is a legacy from a Rugby World Cup where the spotlight has been on physique.

Now Massey University sport scientists have demonstrated visually how the All Blacks are much bigger with more muscle mass than their predecessors.

They have tracked the height and weight of our top players to create a display on behalf of the University entitled The changing physique of the All Blacks, 1905-2005, which is housed in the Rugby Museum in Palmerston North.

The data also shows a recent trend to the build of players becoming more uniform, regardless of their position on the field.

The information, which ranges from 1905 to 2005, was collected by a team from the School of Sport and Exercise led by Associate Professor Steve Stannard and lecturer and former Manawatu rugby player Jeremy Hapeta.

It shows on average, a team member in the All Blacks in 2005 was 187cm tall, or 12cm taller, than the ‘average’ 1905 Originals player. His weight, at 102.5kg, was some 7.5kg greater than the heaviest of the Originals. The lightest player in 2005, at 84kg, was still 3kg heavier than the ‘average’ Original.

Mr Hapeta says while the general population is getting bigger in terms of ‘quantity’ of mass, which is related to the global obesity epidemic, the All Blacks are getting better in terms of ‘quality’ – they are more muscly. While the average height of the 22-man All Blacks semi final squad that beat the Wallabies on Saturday was 187.5cm, their weight was 105kg with another 2.5kg of lean muscle compared to 2005.

The sport scientists estimated body shape through the Body Mass Index (BMI) calculation. Mr Hapeta says in 1905 the difference in BMI between players was small with their physical sizes and shapes all quite similar. “If a player mislaid his jersey, he could probably borrow a near fit from a team member,” he says Mr Hapeta.

In the 1985 ‘pre-pro’ and 1995 ‘semi-pro’ teams, the variance in BMI was more than double that of the Originals, meaning that players were much more varied in shape, probably due to positioning specialisation.  However in 2005 the variation in BMI is decreasing again with the build of the players becoming more uniform.

“Traditionally if you were short you were put in the backs and if you had a puku you were put in the forwards but that was the amateur game.  Now they want a prototype ‘robo’ rugby player. Guys like Sonny Bill Williams are evening things up again.”

Mr Hapeta attributes the reason for growth to fewer childhood illnesses and better nutrition during the last century, leading to better health and improved physical characteristics for future generations. But he says the professionalism of the game is a key factor in players getting vastly fitter and larger.

“They are paid to train and, perhaps more importantly, paid to rest,” says Mr Hapeta. “Without the competing demands of secondary employment, they train hard and recover well. They bulk up at the gym and the best of sports science and nutritional knowledge is applied to making them bigger, faster and stronger.”

Mr Hapeta says if the emergent trends are anything to go by, we are not yet approaching the limits of the possible.

“We are not going to see the growth spurts at the level we have seen from 1905 to 2005  – 12cm and 7.5kg – we will not see those sorts of leaps but we could see them growing by 1-2cm average height and 2-3kg average weight.”

“You can lay odds that the All Blacks jerseys of the future will come in yet larger sizes,” he says.

Manawatu and Wellington-based scholarship recipients at Wharerata yesterday. Details are in the story.

Albany Massey Scholarships:

Christine Read, School of People, Environment and Planning, sociology, Albany, doctoral scholarship, researching the role of schools in providing services and support to the wider community.

Siwen Pan, School of Management, economics and finance, Albany, masterate scholarship.

Anna Meissner, Institute of Natural Sciences, zoology, Albany, doctoral scholarship, researching the impact of tourism on bottlenose and common dolphins in the Bay of Plenty.

Yu Zhao, Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, computer science, Albany, masterate scholarship, researching gravitational microlensing events for astronomy discoveries such as new planets and dark matter in relation to high performance data management.

Krista Rankmore, Institute of Natural Sciences, zoology, Albany, doctoral scholarship, researching the abundance and health of common dolphins in the Hauraki Gulf.

Timothy Lyes, Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, computer science, Albany, doctoral scholarship, researching graphics processing units for rapidly processing large amounts of data.

Sadia Alam, School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, engineering, Albany, doctoral scholarship, modelling and analysis of aspects of brain function involving calcium and iron.

Cheryl Cross, Institute of Natural Sciences, zoology, Albany, doctoral scholarship, monitoring five species of dolphin in Queen Charlotte Sound and the impact of tourism.

Mitchell Johnson, Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, computer science, Albany, doctoral scholarship, researching fluid flow in real world situations, using graphics processing units to simulate waves and erosion.

Rashmi Ramesh, Institute of Natural Sciences, micro-genetics, Albany, doctoral scholarship, researching protein reactions in living cells using novel technologies.

Tess Chalmers, School of Psychology, clinical psychology, Albany, doctoral scholarship, researching the effectiveness of prison programmes for Maori inmates.

Judith Ward, School of History, Philosophy and Classics, history, Albany, Maori masterate scholarship, researching the original eye witness account by William Colenzo of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and comparing it with other accounts.

Kate Blackwood, School of Management, human resources management, Albany, Vice-Chancellor’s doctoral scholarship, researching workplace bullying as a facet of institutional behaviour.

Ian Hyslop, School of Health and Social Services, social work, Albany, doctoral scholarship, investigating social work knowledge in relation to cultural and economic influences with a view to the future of social work.

Mark Simpson, School of Education, e-learning, Albany, masterate scholarship, researching the use of e-portfolios and digital technology in presentations to create guidelines for educators.

Alwyn Husselmann, Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, computer science, Albany, Vice-Chancellors doctoral scholarship, using graphics processing units and super computers for modelling systems used in film industry, social sciences and finance sectors.

an oiled shag being cleaned by Massey University wildlife veterinarian Dr Brett Gartrell and Aimee Forster at the wildlife rehabilitation facility set up at Tauranga.

Brand specialist Professor Malcolm Wright

The Tauranga oil disaster does not yet pose a threat to the clean green image of New Zealand but the authorities need to act quickly or perceptions may change, says brand expert Professor Malcolm Wright.

Professor Wright, who heads Massey University's School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, says news coverage of the spill from the stranded container ship Rena can actually reinforce international understanding of New Zealand's pristine environment. Images of oil spilling into the usually clear-blue waters of Mt Maunganui and washing up on white sandy beaches would have sparked dismay around the globe, he says.

“When the Exxon Valdez disaster happened, people saw the dreadful oil spill but remembered the pristine Alaskan wilderness in which it had occurred, and there may be a similar effect here. It will make people think of New Zealand, and of the image of a spectacular environment that we project to the world. It is precisely because New Zealand has such wonderful beaches, wildlife and unique eco systems that the oil spill is a tragedy. Yet, in thinking about this tragedy, people are reminded of the beauty of the New Zealand landscape. So that could even slightly strengthen the country’s brand.”

However, he says, if authorities are not seen to be acting quickly it could then become reputationally damaging. “It depends how they handle this clean up. In other similar disasters oil companies have been involved quickly because their brand is at risk and there is huge interest in handling this well. Here we have a Greek-owned Liberian freighter. There is no money pouring in, no corporate brand at stake.

 “In the absence of an interested multinational, someone needs to seize the initiative to manage this situation and the Government hasn’t."

If the issue drags on, there is a risk that New Zealand starts to be associated with environmental disaster.

“We have had a bad run. Earthquakes, a coalmine explosion and dirty dairying issues. We need the authorities to show our brand is about responsible environmental management as well.”

Front left Associate Professor Sarah Leberman with interns (left to right) Hamish Hammond (CB Norwood), Jerram Tuck (Toyota), Patrick Bowra- Dean (One4All), Sam White (Arohanui Hospice), Steven White (Highden Estate), Jenny Larsen (Herb Farm), Nick Dow (Vautier Pharmacy), Kelsey Edlin (Spidertracks), Sarah Williamson (PNCC), Sarah Good (Toyota), Katja Braendlin (MASH Trust), Tyler Keenleyside (Toyota), Phoebe Lang (BCC), Megan Greenwood (Massey University), Lauren McWilliam (Spinning Planet), Teresa van Dugteren (Crombie Lockwood), Lucy Townend (Horizons) and Dr Annemarie Gillies of the University’s Maori Business Research Centre, front right.

CleanFlow co-founders Geoff Logan and Trevor Logan and product manager Phil Anderson at the opening of their new research and development facility in Albany. Geoff died shortly after and Trevor has paid tribute to his brother’s vision as the reason for the successful sale of the company.

Trevor Logan shows stakeholders around the new research
and development facility in Albany.

A high tech pipe profiling company that grew from Massey University’s ecentre has confirmed a multi-million dollar deal with a technology company in the United States.

Dr Sam Richardson

Albany campus challenge teams with teachers, mentors, ANZ and Massey University staff.

Kerri Thompson, of ANZ, presents the winner's trophy to  Max Olson,
Michael Prendergast and Jonny Martin.

Winners Macleans College team members Lingliang Zhang, Denny Zhang
and Jason Leung.

Winners Palmerston North Boys' High School students Sam Irvine, Sam Li,
Ed Krishna with Jason Willetts of ANZ and Massey University Associate
Professor Rukmani Gounder.

Students from the ANZ-Massey Economics Challenge on the Manawatu campus.

Runner up Danny Cloete, representing Albany Senior High School with the
judges Associate Professor Russell Gregory-Allen, a senior lecturer in
Massey University’s School of Economics and Finance, Department of
Labour principal researcher Jason Timmins, Ministry of Economic
Development head of economic research Philip Stevens and ANZ regional
general manager Craig Moffat.

A team of three students from Kerikeri High School triumphed in the ANZ-Massey Economics Challenge held in Whangarei on Friday.

They took top honours in the competition at Toll Stadium, which challenged students to tackle the New Zealand savings crisis. The school’s second team were runners up.

It was the first time Massey University and the ANZ had hosted the competition in Northland.

It was held simultaneously in Whangarei and on the University’s Albany and Manawatu campuses, where it has been an annual highlight on the College of Business calendar for the past three years.

Macleans College won the Albany event with Albany Senior High School runners up and Palmerston North Boys’ High teams were winners and runners up in Manawatu.

Each team tested their skills in a microeconomics quiz based on the NCEA curriculum, before making a “rocket” pitch on the topic Are Kiwis bad savers? Does it matter?

Eight teams took part in the Northland event. They were from Kaitaia College, Kamo High School, Pompallier Catholic College and Whangarei Boys' High School and two each from Kerikeri High School and Bream Bay College.

They presented their innovative ideas to a panel of expert judges including Whangarei District Council economic development manager Peter Gleeson, ANZ managing director retail Kerri Thompson, Otago University senior lecturer Chris Hajzler and Massey University senior lecturers Dr Otto Reich and Dr Brendan Moyle.

The winning Kerikeri team members were Max Olson, Michael Prendergast and Jonny Martin.
 
Kerikeri High School teacher Chris Bell says his students were excited about the opportunity to compete in the event, pitting their skills against their Northland peers and presenting to an expert panel of judges from the banking and academic sectors.

“These students are passionate about studying economics and always bring high energy levels and engagement to the teaching/learning interaction in the classroom,” he says. “Their positive attitude has assisted them greatly in developing their expertise. Both Kerikeri High School teams worked very hard to develop their presentations which reflected their individual views about the overall topic.”

Dr Brendan Moyle, who is based at the Albany campus and was Master of Ceremonies at the competition at Whangarei, says it was great to see the energy in the room.

“The students responded well to the challenge and stayed competitive right through the day. And it’s a good way for them to interact with experts and see how economics informs policy debates. I’d be happy to have any of them attending my economics classes next year.”

Each student in the winning team received $2000 towards full-time study in Massey University’s College of Business in 2012. Runners-up were awarded a scholarship of $1000.

In Albany the winning Macleans College team members were Lingliang Zhang, Denny Zhang and Jason Leung. In Manawatu the winners were Sam Irvine, Sam Li and Ed Krishna.

Professor Emeritus Tim Brown, master of ceremonies Associate Professor Peter Lineham, Manawatu campus registrar Dr Sandi Shillington,  contest winner Aamir Ghafoor, runner-up Dulantha Ulluwishewa, Professor Cynthia White and Palmerston North MP Iain Lees-Galloway.

Rosana Cooper, Zonta Club of Manawatu president Dr Jo Innes and club members Anne Weir and Anne Walker, who are both Massey University staff members.

Deacon Manu and Michael Foley. Photos courtesy of Fiji Rugby Union.

Top, Deacon Manu prepares with his Fiji team
mates under the eye of scrum coach Michael
Foley for the Rugby World Cup.

Massey student and Fiji rugby captain Deacon Manu landed in Auckland this week to lead his team in final preparations for the Rugby World Cup.

The 32-year-old has completed his Bachelor of Business Studies (Management) degree in the nick of time – handing in his last assignments a week before training commenced for the pinnacle of his sporting career.

Mr Manu says it fitted nicely into the time frame for this year. “Within a week of handing in my two assignments I flew out start to preparation for the Rugby World Cup.”

Mr Manu enjoyed a six-year career with the Chiefs, Blues and Waikato, before moving to Welsh side Llanelli Scarlets in 2006. He says he enrolled at Massey because of its reputation for distance learning.

“The fact that I could be living overseas as a professional athlete in a fickle sports environment gave me the flexibility to change my location if I changed clubs, without compromising my education,” he says.

“Whether or not you are a professional in sport, education and up-skilling is vitally important, as you are always one injury away from not playing rugby again.”

Mr Manu, who has now played more than 100 matches as prop for the Scarlets, expects Fiji to make it through to the quarter-finals, as they did in the last tournament.

“But we are in the pool of death and it provides us with more challenges than the previous world cup,” he says “Grouped with South Africa, Wales, Samoa and Namibia is a formidable pool but we need to qualify to enable us to replicate past achievements. Once you make the play-offs anything can happen and usually does.”

Mr Manu says it is tough for all island teams to prepare as players are dotted around the world – Fiji’s 30-man squad includes 21 overseas-based players. But he says the political situation is not a factor.

“Fortunately as players we need to control everything on the field and don’t get caught up with the politics off it. We are here to make Fiji as a nation proud and the only way as players we can do that is though being successful on the field.”

Mr Manu says the sports and psychology papers he studied in particular have helped him to become a successful leader.

“Having a captaincy role for my overseas club and for Fiji is important to me and, although leadership growth is gained by on field experiences, it is important for me to have the knowledge and insight that I have learning in my courses at Massey University.”

Mr Manu says his long-term goal is to work in environmental management, specialising in marine stability. “A far cry from the rugby field but something I have always wanted to do growing up,” he says.

Read a Q&A with Deacon Manu in the next edition of definingnz.

Dr Nhut Nguyen, of Auckland University, (left) with Massey University Associate Professor Nuttawat Visaltanachoti.

Massey University Associate Professor Ben Marshall.

New research from Massey and Auckland universities suggests traders of gold, livestock or energy could save money staggering deals over the course of an hour.
 
Massey’s associate professors Nuttawat Visaltanachoti and Ben Marshall together with Dr Nhut Nguyen, of Auckland, documented the costs of trading various commodities and quantified the benefits of splitting large trades into smaller components. They show splitting trades over one hour reduces costs by two-thirds compared to executing a trade immediately.
 
The researchers studied the 24 commodities in the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index, including agricultural, energy, industrial metal, livestock and precious metals.
 
They also found that the daily price change per unit of volume-traded measure does the best job of measuring variations in the actual cost of trading commodities. Knowing this simple-to-calculate measure is accurate makes it easier to study commodity liquidity over a long time period.
 
Their findings have recently been published in one of the world’s top finance journals, the A*-rated Review of Financial Studies in a paper entitled Commodity Liquidity Measurement and Transaction Costs.

“We hope companies looking to hedge their commodity risk will benefit from using their transaction cost numbers in their cost-benefit analysis. They should also be useful for investors when deciding whether it is worth diversifying into commodities,” says Dr Marshall, of the School of Economics and Finance.

Massey University has just been announced top in New Zealand for finance and accounting research over the past two decades in a paper published in the journal Accounting and Finance. The paper ­– An analysis of the accounting and finance research productivity in Australia and New Zealand in 1991-2010 – was written by academics from the United States, Taiwan and China and shows Massey has published in more high-quality journals than any other New Zealand university and over the past decade is in the top six in Australia and New Zealand combined.

Head of Massey University’s School of Economics and Finance Professor Martin Young says: “Our finance research is of the highest quality, is relevant to the business world and is having an impact on the global stage.”
 

Last year’s winners in the Manawatu competition were Spotswood College students Jacob Burton, Harry Graham and Hamish Crimp. They are pictured with ANZ regional manager Bernie Dekker, Palmerston North Mayor Jono Naylor and Associate Professor Rukmani Gounder.

Photos courtesy of Daniel Talbot: Dr Ritchie de Montalk, who won the Captain Greg Vujcich Memorial Award, with student Nick Jenkins.

 

The School of Aviation’s chief flight examiner has won an award for excellence in general aviation instruction and his contribution to the industry.

Dr Ritchie de Montalk received the Captain Greg Vujcich Memorial Award for his work mentoring and inspiring young aviators. He was presented with the award at the recent New Zealand Airline Pilots’ Association conference dinner.

Since joining Massey University in 1990 the former Royal New Zealand Air Force Pilot has applied himself to academic research and has gained a Bachelor of Aviation, a Master of Aviation with honours, and a Doctor of Philosophy awarded for the thesis Developing Proficiency in Air Transport Pilots: The Case for the Introduction of Non-Technical skills in Basic Pilot Training Programmes.

He is an advocate for broadening the base of pilot training beyond the technical skills needed to fly an aircraft. His research has not only contributed to professional knowledge surrounding pilot education and training, but represents a significant advance in the methodology of instruction.

He was nominated for the award by the University’s manager of professional programmes Frank Sharp who says notwithstanding his in-depth contribution, Dr de Montalk has never lost sight of the fundamentals of flying and the necessary common sense that accompanies that.

“Ritchie has a long and distinguished record in aviation, both as a flight instructor imparting knowledge and, latterly, in academic research to further the understanding of the skills and competencies that need particular attention during training of pilots preparing for careers as professional pilots,” he says.

“He has been passing on his knowledge in an enthusiastic, informative and lasting manner since he first qualified as a flying instructor in 1962.”

Greg Vujcich, for whom the award is named, was a well-respected instructor, Air New Zealand captain and association member who died suddenly in 2007.

Watch a video clip of Wings recipient Nick Jenkins who talks about his experiences at Massey’s School of Aviation click here

Wendy Pye with Associate Professor Sarah Leberman at the Achieving Career Excellence event

Photo captions: Top Steve Corbett, ecentre chief executive, with two of its founders Dr Brian Chrystall, (left) and Dr Chris Kirk.

Sir Stephen Tindall speaks at the ecentre’s ten
year celebration.

The University’s ecentre has marked a decade of supporting business innovation by showcasing some of its success stories at a tenth anniversary celebration.

The business incubator, which is based on the Albany campus, has helped more than 200 companies since it was founded in 2001.

Entrepreneurs including Sir Stephen Tindall together with visionary academics Dr Bryan Chrystall and Dr Chris Kirk – who are among the ecentre founders –were among the 120 guests at the celebration at the Takapuna Boating Club.

Among the ecentre successes are market research company Perceptive, web design company Zeald.com and 3D graphics specialists Marops, which was placed in the Deloitte Fast 50 last year. Cleanflow Systems, which has developed world-leading technology to assess water pipes, grew from the ecentre and now sells into 35 countries worldwide – employing nine Massey University graduates in the 13-strong firm.

Steve Corbett, chief executive of ecentre, said over the past three years ecentre companies had contributed more than $30 million to New Zealand in export revenue and creation of such successful technology companies would drive New Zealand business forward.

He said many companies had benefited from having access to Massey University experts and the ecentre was now managing commercialisation from the Albany campus.

The ecentre was established in 2001 with assistance from a loan from the Tindall Foundation. Sponsors such as Sir David Levene and Sir Stephen Tindall still work closely with the ecentre.

It is currently planning to expand the ecentreSprint programme, a 12-week programme that assists entrepreneurs to determine whether their business idea is workable.

Ann Edge, Professor Phillip Green and Professor Lawrence Rose sign the partnership at the AMINZ conference.

Dispute Resolution Centre director Virginia Goldblatt, AMINZ executive director
Deborah Hart, AMINZ president Ann Edge, Professor Phillip Green, who is an
adjunct professor at the Centre and College of Business Pro Vice-Chancellor
Professor Lawrence Rose.

The University has signed a partnership agreement with the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ) that cements the Dispute Resolution Centre’s place at the forefront of mediation education.

The agreement, which recognises the Dispute Resolution Centre as a college specialist centre, was signed by College of Business Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Lawrence Rose on behalf of Vice Chancellor Steve Maharey, and AMINZ president Ann Edge at the institute’s conference in Auckland last weekend.

Centre director Virginia Goldblatt, who spoke at the signing ceremony, says it was a great pleasure to have a long-standing relationship with AMINZ reaffirmed and to mark it at the national conference in front of high-profile guests. “The University and the Institute share an interest in the education and credentialing of dispute resolution professionals and also a commitment to the education of the wider community – we believe that an understanding of dispute resolution processes should be a core competency in business,” Ms Goldblatt says.

“We also believe that much more research into this recent field of study is vital and the role the University plays in the research environment has the full backing of the professional body.”

Deborah Hart, executive director of AMINZ, says the first partnership between Massey and AMINZ dated back to 1992 but the field of dispute resolution including mediation and arbitration had increased significantly since then. Legislation now includes specific reference to dispute resolution with employment, family, civil and public sector all expanding as areas of practice.

The Dispute Resolution Centre is part of the College of Business and is based at the Manawatu campus. AMINZ is the largest organization in New Zealand for dispute resolution professionals.