Chloe McMillan.

Six freeskiing and snowboarding athletes with Massey connections recently took part in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Bachelor of Business student Chloe McMillan, Ngāpuhi, represented New Zealand in the women’s freeski halfpipe. She says the atmosphere was amazing despite daily COVID-19 testing.

 “It was a dream come true and being able to be one of a select group of Kiwis who gets to wear the fern as an Olympian was a feeling I'll never forget.”

The ability to study as a distance student was exactly what Chloe needed as a full-time athlete.

“From what I had heard, Massey had the best distance programmes in the country. Flexibility and help for someone who is also training in high performance sport was the top of the priority list for me, and before even starting my first ever semester I have had bucketloads of help.

“I got onto things prior to the Games, met my lecturers via email, figured out my timetables, ordered stationery and got all the e-books I needed. The day I got off the plane from China I went straight into studying, so being ultra-prepared was a must. I have also had a tonne of support from Tamara from the Academy of Sport, who has made doing all of the above a breeze.”

Chloe says her family have been her biggest supporters throughout her Olympics journey.

“Being a completely self-funded athlete, I wouldn't have been able to make my dreams possible without them.”

Freeskier Ben Barclay is studying towards a Bachelor of Business and is a 2022 Massey University Elite Sports Bursary recipient. He says being in the finals during his first Olympic Games was incredible.

“The Olympic Games was like nothing else I’ve experienced before. It wasn’t until we walked into the opening ceremony that I realised the true magnitude of the event and how much it can bring people together. Being in the start-gate with so many of my childhood idols and wearing the Olympic rings on my bib was something I will cherish forever.” 

Ben gives credits to Massey for giving him the support and flexibility to juggle both study and a professional sport career.

“I just fit study in whenever I have free time, whether that’s in the afternoons post-training, or on a plane to the next event. It means you have to make a conscious effort to manage your time to fit in both aspects of student-athlete life.

“Massey has been great in helping me keep sport a top priority while still planning for a future post-sport. Their flexibility has allowed me to focus solely on skiing when I need to and then shift to focusing on study. 

“I have a very long-list of people I would like to thank. Without so many wonderful and supportive people in my life I would not be able to achieve these childhood dreams.”

Bachelor of Science student Cool Wakushima also represented New Zealand in the women’s snowboard slopestyle.

High Performance Coordinator Tamara Scott-Valath says it was amazing watching Massey student-athletes compete at such a large international event.

“I’m fully aware of the efforts they put in to balancing their academic study and their sporting commitments, and seeing them achieve a major life-time goal of competing at an Olympic Games shows just how dedicated they are.

 “It’s really nice to know that Massey has been able to play a part in ensuring these athletes are able to work towards a qualification while still competing at the highest level in their sport.”

Massey University also wishes past student Corey Peters who is heading off to the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing all the best.

Massey University has been a key partner in the NZPA since it formed with funding under the Ministry for Building, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Enabling Technology platform in 2013. Since then, the NZPA has worked with around 400 companies, generating product revenues of approximately $175m - an excellent return on MBIE funding of $12.8m. In recognition of this impact, the NZPA was funded for a further four years in the 2019 Wellbeing Budget under the Industry Futures initiative.

Massey’s AgriFood Digital Lab is an industry-focused research centre with a wide research spectrum including horticulture, precision agriculture, robotics, advanced materials, sports analytics and biotechnology. A suite of advanced technologies including electronics, robotics, Information Technology, computer science, data science, 3D printing, material science, sensor development, machine learning, image processing, coding, and industrial design unite the research group. MAFDL projects focus on developing AgriTech solutions to overcome challenges across a number of industries.

MAFDL Director, Professor Andrew East is delighted the university is partnering with the NZPA to form the hub.

“Professor Johan Potgieter, a leader of the facility, is a founding member of the NZPA and has made significant contributions to, and benefited from, the collaboration and its connections, with many of the commercial projects undertaken by MAFDL emanating from the NZPA’s collaborative model. We see this hub as a natural extension of the MAFDL’s capability and an opportunity for Massey to lead the way in areas such as sensing and automation, for which Johan is so well known.”

Massey University Professor of Robotics Johan Potgieter says, “We have created a hub for some of the most outstanding innovation, robotics, IOT, and 3D printing supporting the newly established NZ Product Accelerator Agritech Hub.”

The NZPA Agritech Hub, located within “The Engine” on the AgResearch campus in Palmerston North will support companies and research to accelerate commercial opportunities into local and international markets. The Engine is a new initiative that combines the best of Massey’s academic abilities, along with expertise in the translation of those abilities, to support companies to solve problems and realise growth opportunities.

Associate Professor Mark Jones, co-director of the NZPA, says, “We have developed a ‘pull science’ model of assisting New Zealand companies with technology solutions by tapping into the collective capability in our network and across the New Zealand Research and Development community. Massey’s contribution has played a key role in our success.

“The NZPA core team is based at the University of Auckland’s Newmarket campus and the formation of another hub in Palmerston North formalises the relationship with Massey. This new hub will facilitate easier access to our New Zealand-wide network for companies in the central North Island,” he adds.

“We have another hub being established at Victoria University later this year and we are in discussions with some of our other partners for similar NZPA hubs throughout New Zealand. These hubs will play a major role in creating a more collaborative and expanded technology network for the benefit of NZ enterprises.”

The NZPA is a collaboration of New Zealand universities and Crown Research Institute GNS Science.

Supplementary rotary for research.

Overview of the dairy facilities.

Work is close to completion on Massey University’s Dairy 4 Farm, after the university partnered with AgResearch to boost on-farm research capability and facilities in the lower North Island.

The facility will enable greater interaction between staff and students of Massey and AgResearch, while also providing scope for a range of independent trials to operate at any one time.

The Dairy 4 Farm, adjacent to Massey’s Manawatū campus, has approximately 600 spring calving cows and is the largest of the university’s two farms.

Professor Paul Kenyon, Head of Massey’s School of Agriculture and Environment, says the new facilities will enable detailed research projects on the farm to be carried out at the same time as usual operations.

“The new facilities will boast two rotary milking platforms which will allow detailed research projects to take place alongside the farm’s daily operations. Other new facilities include a covered veterinary area for individual cow measurements and a multi-lane feed pad to enable differential feeding to various groups of cows. There will also be an effluent treating system, a data centre within the shed to store and manage research data, a teaching room and a biosecurity station.

“The partnership with AgResearch will help Massey build on its reputation of contributing world-leading pure and applied research, in partnership with industry, on matters that are of national and international interest including environmental impacts of climate change, biosecurity issues, animal welfare issues and economic threats posed by innovations in food production,” Professor Kenyon adds.

AgResearch Science Objective Leader and Principal Scientist Dr David Pacheco says it is rewarding to see the progress at the farm after the decision several years ago to invest with Massey in its development.

“With the expanded facilities available to us at the Dairy 4 Farm, we will be able to grow our science in critical areas such as greenhouse gas research, animal nutrition and health, through to finding ways to increase the value of New Zealand’s dairy products,” Dr Pacheco says.

“Our partnership with Massey means we can make the most out of combining our resources and expertise, while the close physical proximity of the farm to our respective facilities in Palmerston North makes everything simpler and more efficient. That close collaboration also means together we can develop the next generation of researchers to tackle the complex issues that New Zealand and the globe is facing.

“All of this benefits our dairy industry in New Zealand, and ultimately New Zealand as a leading international dairy producer.”

The Dairy 4 Farm is well known for its research into nutrient losses on heavy soils and recent collaborative work on partial housing systems for dairy cows. It has been operating for approximately 46 years and complements Massey’s Dairy 1 Farm - a 260 cow farm beside the Manawatū River.

Tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to study at Massey.

I am Pavinee Watson, a third year Animal Science PhD candidate. I originally enrolled in the pre-vet programme at Massey, with little intention of getting into veterinary science. This simply allowed me to try out the vet selection and have time to consider what I may want to do without taking a gap year.

Tell us about your journey at Massey so far.

After completing the initial pre-vet semester, I went on to study a Bachelor of Food Technology majoring in Food Product Technology. As part of this degree, you do an Honours project in your final year. Mine involved developing a pet food supplement which was very interesting. I travelled around the country to do summer practicums and ended up continuing with pet food research by completing a Master of Food Technology, which was funded through the Dick and Mary Earle Scholarship in Technology along with industry support from a New Zealand pet food company.

The question investigated in my Master’s project has been dissected further in my PhD, which is a project funded by Callaghan Innovation, AgResearch and a New Zealand-based pet food company. It’s great to see the importance of pet food research not only in academia but in the industry itself.

How would you describe your PhD and why you chose this area?

In my PhD project, I am looking to determine what is driving the preference for various meat ingredients in commercial cat food. This includes pulling apart a commercial diet and examining on a fundamental level, what may be responsible for cat food preference.

I chose this area of study because the New Zealand pet food industry utilises a large amount of meat by-products. As an agricultural nation, we produce a lot of lean meat for humans but compared to other countries, the consumption of organ meats is not considered the norm in New Zealand. Meat by-products can in fact make up a large portion of a carcass that would otherwise go to waste, but such ingredients are considered a great source of protein with high nutrient bioavailability, so its use in pet food not only provides quality nutrition but is also great in terms of palatability.

What do you love about studying at Massey?

I love receiving support from different experts for my PhD project. Although they specialise in different areas such as animal science, meat science, food technology, added value foods and bio-based products, it is exciting to see all the fields coming together and enabling my research to flourish.

Where do you see yourself after studying?

Just like at the start of my Massey journey, I am not sure what I will do after I finish studying. There are many options available such as doing a post-doctorate, working for a research company or going into the pet food industry and creating new products. At the moment, I will keep chipping away at my PhD.

Do you have any advice for other PhD students? 

PhD students can easily get tunnel vision and just want to keep going but it is important to take breaks, go for a walk, and look at those results after getting some fresh air. If you finish a trial that has been running for eight weeks, take a couple of days off. I remember after my first trial, I was so burnt out and felt immense guilt for taking a week to recover. Then I realised that I was working flat out for so long and needed to remember to look after myself. There is life outside of your project, just make sure you plan your project time wisely and always have time in there to do what you enjoy. That will help you focus in the office, lab, or out in the field.

Soochi's founders Margie, Naz and Tina.

Growing up on a dairy farm, food technology alumna Margie Hunt originally enrolled in a forensic science degree at Auckland University before realising her true passion.

“I started studying and actually didn’t enjoy the degree. It wasn’t until I did a biochemistry paper that I realised food science and food technology was this huge world of science, analytics, everything that I wanted but way more hands-on, way more exciting and way more focused.”

After transferring to Massey, working for a food technology start-up company and graduating with a Bachelor of Food Technology with Honours, the COVID-19 disruption brought Margie an opportunity to start her own company Soochi.

“Soochi started because I was contacted by Tina, Soochi’s Chief Executive, who knew people in my network that was looking for a food technologist. She wanted to create a product from a plant that grows really well here in New Zealand, is very nutritious but doesn’t taste great. It was a huge risk to take on.” 

Margie says the idea of creating a drink was based on a product she created during her study at Massey, a collagen drink.

“Soochi’s founding team included Tina, Naz and I. We all worked on improving the drink. We also added the gut health element because that was what the whole business stemmed from. What came out of it was a functional drink that doesn’t compromise on taste. Our products merge the science of nature, taste and innovation to deliver on functional benefits for skin, body and mind.

We started with drinks first instead of collagen powder as they are more accessible and mainstream for people who don’t have the mean to buy premium products.” 

Not only did her Massey degree offer practical knowledge and skills that she can apply in her business, but it also presented networking opportunities, she adds.

“This is a very practical degree. A lot of what I learned in my fourth year about product development has really helped now.

 I also really liked the fact that we had people who work in the food technology sector coming into class as guest speakers. As this is a small industry, it was a great opportunity to chat with them and ask them for help.”

Apart from Soochi, Margie is a member of the Asia NZ Foundation network. Established in 1994, the Foundation is a non-partisan and non-profit organisation dedicated to building New Zealanders’ knowledge and understanding of Asia. 

“It is all volunteer based. The point of this network is creating connections and bringing people together. I can see people in other countries who also work in the food technology space and connect with them. There are a few of us and we help each other out. I’m surrounded by some incredible people in that network.”

Margie’s best advice for food students would be finding networking opportunities while you still study.

“Get to know people in the industry as much as possible while you’re studying, get involved in organisations such as the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology because it’s such a small industry. If you need help with anything, everyone is so lovely and wants to help you out. It’s a really neat group.

At the end of the day, it’s not about how perfect your work is or how diligent you are, it’s about how you interact with others and network so that you can ask for help when you need it. You don’t have to have all the answers because you can’t be a specialist in every area. Just ask for help!”

Caitlyn and Fonterra staff planting trees on the Brightwater site in 2020.

Ben, Caitlyn and their dog Lincoln.

Caitlyn and Ben travelled through China during their breaks.

Growing up on a dairy farm, Caitlyn Poole always knew she wanted to work in the agriculture industry.

The 28-year-old holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a Master of Science (Animal Science) from Massey University’s Manawatū campus.

Throughout her studies she was awarded multiple scholarships which took her to China and Brazil before she returned home to New Zealand and began working for Fonterra.

“I was lucky enough to receive two DairyNZ scholarships during my studies. The support was amazing, especially from my master’s supervisor and mentor Dr John Roche.”

Massey was a natural choice for Caitlyn, with a good reputation for all things agriculture, and three of her siblings had studied there.

She’s now studying via distance toward a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management and is employed as an Environmental Manager based at Fonterra’s Te Awamutu site. Caitlyn has taken a break from her studies this semester to focus on her management role but is looking to pick it up again next year.

“My team manage the Biological Wastewater Treatment System for the site and ensure our final discharge is within our resource consent limits before it is discharged to the environment. Unlike many Fonterra sites, we don’t irrigate our treated wastewater. We have a major multi-million-dollar upgrade to our plant happening at the moment, so in a year, our discharge will be even more pristine than it currently is - it’s an exciting time for us! The upgrade will ensure we meet our new tighter Resource Consent limits.”

Caitlyn manages the environmental management system at the site, to ensure it meets international standards.

“This involves identifying and reviewing environmental aspects and impacts and ensuring the implementation of suitable operational controls. I’m a member of the Te Awamutu site leadership team and drive sustainability improvements on site. We aim to make year-on-year reductions in water, energy use and our carbon footprint as well as reduce the waste we send to landfill and are working to build our relationships with iwi.

“It’s been great to get experience from a manufacturing perspective - a change from the on-farm focus I studied. It’s pretty cool how under the right conditions, bacteria are able to break down the contaminants in our wastewater – a natural process can make it so clean! And it’s amazing to see how my team – Sinkie, Graeme and Sam, manage to keep these bacteria healthy on a daily basis.”

Brazil

During her second year at Massey, Caitlyn took part in a student exchange, which saw her move to the island of Florianópolis, in southern Brazil.

“It was the best year. I lived with a really amazing Brazilian family who had kids my age. Many of the papers I studied were cross credited to my AgriScience degree, so if I had come back as planned, I would have finished uni at the same time as everyone else. I stayed on a while longer and moved to Rio de Janeiro where I focused on Portuguese language studies for four months, graduating about six months after my peers.”

But the travelling, and love of learning new languages, didn’t stop there.

China

“I moved to Chengdu in China after completing my masters and interned for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in the New Zealand Consulate for six months. This was made possible by an Asia New Zealand Foundation Business Internship Scholarship.

“After that I joined my partner Ben at Chengdu University and we studied Mandarin for six months. We were both fortunate to receive the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia which funded this study.”

A key aim of the Prime Minister's Scholarship for Asia is to strengthen New Zealand's ability to engage with key Asian trading partners. Caitlyn’s interest in China and learning Mandarin was sparked by many discussions about China as an export market for New Zealand dairy products.

And home again

On her return to New Zealand, Caitlyn’s first roles with Fonterra were South Island based, and while it was an “awesome experience”, she’s enjoying being back on the family farm in Pirongia in the Waikato with Ben, and their pets – dog Lincoln and cat Steve.

“We love travelling around New Zealand – but during these lockdowns I’ve gotten into cycling around the Pirongia Mountain hills.”

Caitlyn’s looking forward to learning more at Fonterra. “We’ve got lots going on with the upgrade, and that will keep me challenged for the next few years. I’m really fortunate to work with a really cool team at the Te Awamutu site who have supported me so much already in the short time that I’ve been here. I’ve been able to learn from a few wastewater legends namely Ron Hamilton and Marc Carney and the Plant Operators Sinclair Watson and Graeme Jacobsen who are always there when we need them and keep things in control on a day-to-day basis.”

Dr Gregory Chawynski was presented with the LOTY prize at the awards ceremony, which has been held annually since 2005 on the Auckland campus to recognise teaching excellence and support academic quality. He also won the top award for his college.

Dr Chawynski says winning the 2021 LOTY Award was an amazing experience.

“To be acknowledged at this level has confirmed that all the extra work in preparing on-line classes and providing on-going support during COVID-19 has been greatly appreciated by our students. Thank you to all my students and colleagues and of course the award would not be possible without the hard work of Penny and the whole Albany Students’ Association team who do such a great job in organising this annual event and for their tireless support of students in the past 12 months.”

There were 136 lecturers nominated for the award this year. This shows how much students have appreciated the efforts of teaching staff who have gone above and beyond in 2021, especially during long periods without face to face teaching. Each nominee will be sent a certificate showing the positive comments that students included with their nominations and will also be the recipient of a branded LOTY 2021 face mask.

You can watch the online celebration here

Dr Sharon Crooks

Dr Crooks is a lecturer at the School of Psychology, whose research involved a multi-perspective, participant-led exploration of in/ex-clusion in New Zealand mainstream high schools, privileging the voices of senior autistic students.

Her study investigated identity acceptance, wellbeing and achievement. Her findings suggest that barriers to inclusion are typically framed by students to include autistic ignorance, compromised human rights, and neoliberal consequences, being the limited opportunities for teacher support and meaningful learning. In contrast, good interpersonal and caring relationships are at the heart of inclusion experiences.

Tertiary students, parents, and professional autistic ‘advocates’ also contributed to these discussions. Taken together, Dr Crooks’ findings speak to contemporary issues involving constrained educational and mental health resources.

Dr Crooks says her doctorate is the culmination of a long journey with Massey as a ‘distance student’, whilst being a mum to three.

“I’m most grateful to everyone who made it possible, especially extended family and great supervision.

Dr Kousar Sadeghzadeh

In her thesis There and Back Again, Research Assistant and Tutor at the School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing Dr Sadeghzadeh examined whether, when and how consumers’ engagement with fantasy stories told through servicescape atmospherics influences their emotions, behaviour, and brand personality perceptions.

As consumers’ responses to the same story differ depending on the story character they empathise with, her thesis further examined how empathy with positive versus negative characters influences consumers’ responses in fantasy designed servicescapes.

Her findings suggest that regardless of the character type highlighted by atmospherics, consumers equally engage with fantasy stories in servicescapes which increase their positive emotions and behaviour while decreasing the negative emotions. Brand personality is perceived positively when a negative story character is highlighted by the servicescape atmospherics.

She says her journey to the world of fairies has not yet come to an end. 

“There’s still much out there I love to explore, examine, and explain on bringing elements of fantasy into reality in the marketplace."

Dr Sadeghzadeh plans to bake delicious desserts and celebrate her fantastic achievement and cheer the unexpected adventures ahead with family and friends. She also looks forward to a magical feast at Hobbiton movie set once the travel restrictions are lifted.

Dr Abdelhamid Safa

Dr Safa is a teacher trainer at the Professional and Continuous Education and an Assistant Researcher in the Institute of Education with 21 years of teaching experience.

He investigated the impact of an exemplary post-graduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme, the Master of Education (Teaching and Learning) (MTchgLn), on beginning teachers’ professional preparedness to cater for diverse learners. His thesis investigated the programme’s effectiveness to prepare equity-oriented, knowledge-based teachers through the eyes of graduates and Lead Teachers.

The findings confirm the positive experience of the MTchgLn graduates to cater for diverse learners. Implications based on these findings are considered for ITE educators and education policy makers in Aotearoa New Zealand to respond to the challenges of today’s multicultural education by prioritising equity.

He says balancing coursework, teaching and parenting presented its own challenges.

“A PhD is never a solo affair; there’s a team aspect to it.”

He is very grateful for the endless support and constant encouragement from his family, friends, colleagues and his supervisors, Associate Professors Sally Hansen and Alison Sewell.

“It hasn’t been easy, but I knew this was what I wanted to do — and that helped me stay inspired and motivated. This is the beginning of another journey in my life. I feel very excited and happy!”

Dr An Le

Dr Le is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Built Environment, her thesis explored challenges in managing school buildings in New Zealand and developed a framework to help school stakeholders manage their property effectively.

Her study argued that all stakeholders are responsible for working closely as a team as they have both direct and indirect impacts on each other’s performance in managing school property. She conducted a mixed qualitative and quantitative study to develop the framework that enhances the collaboration of people involved in the process by a set of diagrams with inputs, outputs, controls and mechanisms of each activity in the management system.

The findings highlight the most needed improvement areas to increase the maturity level of New Zealand’s school property management. She is currently conducting research on exploring capacity and capability of the New Zealand construction sector, so that enables the stakeholders to avoid the lack of ability to deliver the future projects.

She says it is fantastic to have completed her doctoral thesis and “this is the beginning of another chapter in my life”.

Clockwise from top left: Dr Isaac Henderson, Dr Marianne Simon, Dr Heshani Edirisinghe and Dr Amarachukwu Nnadozie Nwadike.

Dr Isaac Henderson

Dr Henderson has been a lecturer in the School of Aviation since 2016. His thesis Re-thinking the brand concept for air transportation was initially meant to be research into airport branding. However, the study took a different turn within the first 12 months as it became obvious that the brand concept lacked conceptual clarity with competing definitions that were irreconcilable with each other. This lack of conceptual clarity has been imported into many other disciplines such as air transportation.

He undertook empirical work to assist in ameliorating the issues surrounding brand definition. This work supported a return to a Label and Associations Model of the brand, where the brand is a name or logo that is used to recall associations held in memory, known as brand associations. He then applied this model to study airline and airport brand choice and the creation of airport brands.

The results contrast with extant literature by suggesting that it is the tangible attributes of air travel products and services (e.g., price, reliability), rather than the abstract attributes (e.g., reputation, social responsibility), that matter to air travellers.

He says that while there were plenty of challenges throughout the doctoral journey, the most difficult was when his son Aidan was born only 2 and a half weeks before his oral examination. "Most of the defence was prepared while Aidan was sleeping on me so that my wife could catch up on sleep."

Dr Marianne Simon

Writing Consultant for the Centre for Learner Success Dr Simon takes great pride in being able to support students to be confident and independent learners. Her research examined how New Zealand schools enhanced teacher development and integrated the accountability and development requirements of teacher appraisal.

She found that adapting a coherent framework that aligns and intertwines multiple systems, people, and roles, within a culture that loves learning and enables teachers to flourish, was more likely to foster a developmental teacher appraisal approach. The study also discovered that having a developmental focus is not sufficient to make appraisal meaningful. It must be embedded amongst teachers and leaders who have a love for learning.

She says the research process has been a huge learning curve for her where it challenged and pushed her to build good skills and knowledge as a beginner researcher.

“I appreciate the support and encouragement from my family, friends, colleagues, and supervisors, Associate Professor Jenny Poskitt and Dr Peter Rawlins.”

She wishes she could celebrate this achievement with her family in Malaysia, but that is too difficult under the current border restrictions. Nevertheless, she is looking forward to celebrating with her husband, son, and friends over the Christmas holidays.

“Remember, that you can achieve anything you want in life if you put your mind to it”.

Dr Heshani Edirisinghe

Dr Edirisinghe is a part-time lecturer at the School of Natural and Computational Sciences. Her thesis investigated the biology and behaviour of New Zealand ladybirds, providing insights into the establishment success of introduced species.  

Assessing phenotypic variation in introduced species is key to understanding establishment processes and thereby improving the effectiveness of biocontrol and conservation programmes. Her thesis is the first study to compare phenotypic variation between introduced and native New Zealand ladybirds and the first molecular phylogeny to include native New Zealand ladybirds. Her research provides valuable insights into introduction biology and garners support for the hypothesis that high levels of intraspecific variation increase the establishment success of introduced species.

She says undertaking a PhD was a challenging but wonderful experience.

“I am extremely grateful for my amazing panel of supervisors, family and friends, for making my PhD journey special and memorable.”

Dr Amarachukwu Nnadozie Nwadike

Dr Nwadike is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Built Environment. He is working on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment funded study Creating capacity and capability for New Zealand construction sector.

He investigated the impacts of building code amendments in New Zealand and found that regular building code amendments were significant in reducing disaster impacts. The study also discovered that introducing a two-step consultation process would help present the right questions to the code users before the final amendment process.

Dr Nwadike proposed a three-year building code amendment interval while advising proactive training for building code users and regulators. From his findings, he developed an evidence-based framework that informs and guides the building code regulators in improving the New Zealand building code.

He says completing his doctorate degree at Massey University was the best decision he made.

“My doctoral journey was an overwhelming experience, especially graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic era.”

Dr Renata Muylaert

Village near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Photo credit: Professor Hayman

New research suggests cross-species transmission of pathogens is intimately linked to human and environmental health, meaning areas with poor or challenging living conditions may be particularly susceptible to endemic and emerging diseases.

School of Veterinary Science Disease Ecologist Dr Renata Muylaert and colleagues recently published the research paper titled ‘Community health and human-animal contacts on the edges of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda’ in the journal PLOS ONE.

This research began after School of Veterinary Science Professor David Hayman was granted a fast-start Marsden Fund Grant in 2015 for the Uganda-based project, entitled ‘Unpacking infection spill over dynamics’, with Ugandan collaborators Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), and colleagues from the United Kingdom and United States of America.

Dr Muylaert says many human infections have been transmitted or “spilled over” from wild animals. “At the same time, several pathogens from humans can bring diseases to wildlife, gorillas for example, who are vulnerable to diseases transmitted by people, including COVID-19.”

Professor Hayman says emerging infectious diseases such as Ebola, HIV and pandemic influenza are examples of such spill overs. “As well as being of major importance to human health, infections that cross species boundaries also affect animal populations, including apes, amphibians and bats.”

Dr Muylaert started working on this project in 2020 to investigate contact patterns and health using self-reported surveys in villages close to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Southwestern Uganda. The data was collected by the CTPH team and other collaborators along with Professor Hayman.

During these self-reported surveys with 100 participants, Dr Muylaert synthesised data on the habits of people and frequent symptoms, such as tiredness, headaches, and in less degree fever and coughing, as well as several other symptoms. Her analysis provided detailed information on the contacts with the mountain gorillas from Bwindi, as they are an endangered species. The team’s research also focused on discussing the veterinary interventions and conservation efforts in the region, as the remaining mountain gorillas of the world are confined to forest remnants by villages, agriculture and livestock areas surrounding their habitat.

“We found out that there is a lot of contact going on between humans and livestock, but as expected, more rare contact events occur between humans and wildlife,” Dr Muylaert says.

“People in the region reported a range of symptoms that are of concern from the perspective of infectious diseases, and by having information on symptoms and contacts, we can advance describing which microbes we can detect on people, livestock and wild animals in these regions.

“Contact with gorillas and their environment is to be expected given the local mountain gorilla conservation programmes and tourism. Also, some gorilla families have home ranges close to the park's perimeter, and so move out of the forest, spending time close to or at cultivated agricultural areas to feed on crops, such as sweet potato leaves and bananas,” she says.

“In our work we report just one contact between a human and a gorilla, and this person was solving a conflict, as part of the Human and Gorilla Conflict resolution team. We need to gain a better understanding of where this interface between people, livestock and wildlife may be most active. This will help determine the strategies that could be used to minimise the risk of disease transmission at this interface. For instance, goats have free range close to the border of the forest, and this hard edge is probably where goats and gorillas are more likely to share waterways and grazing areas. Cows are more likely to be tethered at night but like the goats, are walked to new grazing areas each day,” she says.

Professor Hayman says the key to the success of this project has been the excellent collaboration between CTPH, his team and the other researchers involved. This work is part of a larger project, developed with CTPH, that aligns with their aim of promoting biodiversity conservation by enabling people, gorillas and other wildlife to coexist through improving their health and livelihoods, recognising the interdependence of wildlife and human health.

The next step of this large project is to develop models to infer spill over events using genomic data on the microorganisms that are shared between humans, livestock and gorillas living close to the park. The team will test whether bacteria are more likely to share hosts than viruses, and whether viral spill over between hosts is made easier by their evolutionary relatedness.

You can learn more about the social and environment context on CTPH’s website. CTPH has a strong focus on education on the topics of forest conservation, risks of disease transmission among humans, gorillas and domestic animals.

You can read the article here

Collette Bromhead, David Hayman

The Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa killed thousands of citizens including doctors, nurses and midwives and now Massey is helping to design and facilitate online training for staff in Liberia so they can better understand emerging infectious diseases.

The World Health Organisation for Animals the OIE contracted Massey’s School of Veterinary Science in 2019 to design and facilitate training for laboratory staff in Liberia.

Group Leader in the School of Veterinary Science Professor David Hayman planned trips to and from Liberia, bringing groups to New Zealand for in-person training. In Early 2020, COVID-19 hit the world and travel and in-person training could no longer be provided.

Professor Hayman says the training involved emerging infectious diseases, a subject that is a contemporary issue in Liberia.

“Emerging infectious diseases pose, as COVID-19 has demonstrated, a huge threat to health and society. In West Africa, an Ebola virus disease outbreak that started in 2013 and continued until 2016 caused many deaths, along with social disruption. Liberia lost 8 per cent of its doctors, nurses, and midwives to Ebola virus disease. West African countries are some of the poorest and least well equipped to study and detect infectious diseases. Ebola virus disease is a zoonosis, meaning it originates in animals.

“The main hosts are thought to be bats, but other species have tested positive, and reliable data is lacking. It seems that increased forest fragmentation is increasing the risk of outbreaks. There are problems with capacity to study and detect these viruses in the countries at risk, which is true in the human health sector, but also and particularly in the animal and environmental sectors,” he says.

This EU-funded project, EBO-SURSY, paired different West and Central African laboratories with laboratories from wealthier countries to help develop capacity to study and detect Ebola virus disease and other viral haemorrhagic fever viruses in their animal hosts.

The COVID-19 pandemic then changed the teaching plan entirely and Professor Hayman sought help from the Activate team to deliver online learning.

“We were unable to travel because of flight and border restrictions and disease risk, so they only way to start delivering this material was remotely. However, the project was designed to include lots of in-person laboratory training. I had been thinking about what we could deliver through videos and online teaching, and approached the Activate team for help, and it went from there.”

The Activate team assembled a project team with curriculum developers, a learning technologist, and a multimedia developer to support the teaching staff including

Research Technician Matt Knox and Senior Lecturer Collette Bromhead, to identify the objectives of the training, review the original training design, and work through the options for offering an equivalent asynchronous learning experience tailored to the skilled, mature professionals that made up this cohort.

Activate Senior Curriculum Developer Catherine Stevens says the biggest challenge was identifying how to provide a relevant, engaging, and practical experience to laboratory staff.

“They had very limited computer access and different facilities to those available at Massey University. We were not after passive knowledge 'transfer'.  Rather, we set out to design a package that would support the Liberian team to engage with the content, apply their learning in their own laboratory, record and reflect on their results (including any challenges and limitations they encountered), and seek feedback from the teaching team back in New Zealand.  They were then supported to apply the feedback and reflections to their next phase of learning,“ she says.

David Hayman adds that the project team played a crucial role in achieving their deliverables and there has been interest in using the training material more widely.  

"The knowledge, technical expertise and support from the team allowed us to develop a really high-quality, professional product that will be useful for years to come. It would have been impossible for us to have met our deliverables without this. Our funders were impressed and are looking at how they can use our material to help improve training globally for those working on human, animal and environmental health.”

Head of the School of Agriculture and Environment Professor Paul Kenyon says they are grateful for the continued support shown by industry sponsors. “The level of support we receive matches the demand our graduates find themselves in once they graduate.”

Hope Mauchline was the winner of the Ravensdown Award for overall top third year student across agricultural, horticultural and agribusiness degrees. She also received the AgFirst Award for having the best practicum two report. Hope has undertaken her entire agribusiness degree as a full-time distance student, working from her new home near Whanganui. In May this year she also received the Lord Bledisloe Prize for excelling in the first two years of study.

Chelsea Hopkins and Bruce Donald, who come from a Feilding dairy farm and Ohakune beef farm respectively, were each presented with a William Gerrish Memorial Award for excellence in Farm Management. Chelsea is finishing the farm management major of the Bachelor of Agribusiness, while Bruce is completing the Bachelor of Agricultural Science.

Benjamin Crane was named the recipient of the Agriculture Student of the Year Award, sponsored by Bayer. The winner of this award is nominated by fellow students, who choose who they consider to have made the best contribution to the wellbeing and reputation of students in the agricultural programmes. Benjamin is a DairyNZ scholar, and has been instrumental in running career progression events for students, as well as showing leadership in his passion for agriculture and helping fellow students with their work.

Yeun An (top left), Troy Bosher, Sarah Ridsdale, Bruce Donald, Emma Ractliffe and Michelle Crawford.

The Zespri Prize for Excellence in Horticulture was awarded to Bram Paans, who grew up on a mixed organic and conventional market garden enterprise in the Wairarapa. Bram was the top student within the Bachelor of Horticultural Science degree. He has a particular interest in how to grow fruit and vegetable crops in areas not traditionally considered suitable for horticulture.

The Balance Agri-Nutrients Award for being the best second-year student across the agricultural, horticultural and agribusiness degrees went to Erika Lilley. Coming from Te Puke, Erica has an interest in both the dairy and kiwifruit industries, and is studying the Bachelor of Agribusiness in Farm Management.

The Southern Cross Horticulture Award for the best first-year student across the agricultural, horticultural and agribusiness degrees was shared by Yeun An and Sarah Ridsdale, who got identical grades. Yeun was born and raised in Auckland and initially began an engineering degree at the University of Auckland before realising that agriculture was where her true passion lay and enrolling in Massey’s Bachelor of Agricultural Science. Sarah is similarly doing the Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree, and is keen to learn more about sustainable agriculture.

The full list of award winners:

YFC Sally Hobson Award: Emma Ractliffe

AgFirst Practicum 1 Award: Michelle Crawford

AgFirst Practicum 2 Award: Hope Mauchline

Massey Equine Student of the Year: Joel Croucher

LIC Award for Excellence in 2^nd Year Animal Science: Alexandra Pearson

LIC Award for Excellence in 3^rd Year Animal Science: Kate Donald

Zespri Award for Excellence in Horticulture: Bram Paans

NZIAHS Leading Agricultural Science Student: Troy Bosher

Southern Cross Horticulture Awards for Most Proficient First Year Students:
            1^st equal: Yeun An and Sarah Ridsdale
            3^rd: Fabiana Paludo de Souza

Ballance Agri-Nutrients Awards for Most Proficient Second Year Students:
            1^st: Erika Lilley
            2^nd: Katie Ervine
            3^rd: Danielle Brown

Ravensdown Awards for Most Proficient Third Year Students:
            1^st: Hope Mauchline
            2^nd: Chelsea Hopkins
            3^rd: Troy Bosher

William Gerrish Memorial Awards: Chelsea Hopkins and Bruce Donald

Bayer Massey Agriculture Student of the Year: Benjamin Crane.

PhD student Nimeshika Pattabiraman and her supervisors Professor Steven Trewick and Professor Mary Morgan-Richards from the School of Natural Sciences co-wrote the research paper alongside former Department of Conservation scientist Ralph Powlesland. Despite more than 100 years of potential interbreeding, distinctive characteristics of two brushtail possum subspecies, Trichosurus vulpecula remain evident. These morphological differences suggest the two main forms are reproductively separate, but the new population genetic data show otherwise.

Professor Trewick says as New Zealand pursues the goal of predator pest eradication, this research is a significant step forward in understanding the reproductive behaviour of possums and the population’s genetic diversity.

“It is common to see black or grey possums that are descendants of the subspecies originally introduced from different parts of Australia. Anecdotal information suggests these different types of brushtail possum have different behaviours, including their responses to traps and poison and that they do not interbreed. If so, this would significantly amplify the difficulty of managing and finally eradicating this pest problem.”

“Our analysis of morphological and genetic data indicates that the different colour variants of brushtail possums in Aotearoa are, however, freely interbreeding. This means that fur colour is not an indicator of separate biological lineages, so the pest can be treated as a single species for management.”

Professor Trewick adds that each pest species targeted for control or eradication requires a specific strategy.

“Being confident that we are dealing with a single possum type will help in the development and application of eradication for the benefit of biological diversity and ecosystem resilience in Aotearoa.”

Along with mustelids (carnivorous mammals such as ferrets) and rats, possums are influential exotic mammal pests in Aotearoa New Zealand being targeted by the Predator Free 2050 initiative.

“Possums ravage the native fauna and flora and directly impact biodiversity resilience. They are also transmitters of bovine tuberculosis among agricultural animals,” Professor Trewick says.

Brushtail possums were originally introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand from Australia in the mid-1800s, with a view to developing a fur trade, but once released the feral population exploded and spread through the country in all types of habitats.

The benefits of eradicating possums are substantial considering the damage to ecosystems and lost earnings. More than $100 million a year is spent by Crown and private entities on partial and temporary regional population control.

You can read the research paper here

Professor Stockin with Cetacean Ecology Research Group postgraduate
students Emily Palmer and Rebecca Boys during a dolphin post mortem
examination.

Scientists have revealed emerging environmental contaminants of concern within New Zealand dolphins, with similar pollution levels to Japan despite government restrictions on the use of toxic substances.

In a new international study just published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, the authors report surprising levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (more commonly known as PFAS) in common dolphins examined post-mortem between 2019 and 2020.

PFAS are a large group of manufactured compounds that have been used since the 1950s to make products that are resistant to heat, stains, grease and water. Used in many different industrial and consumer applications, more than 4,000 such substances exist, grouped in various subclasses within the generic term PFAS. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are the most studied PFAS due to their known toxicity and are now listed under the Stockholm Convention. While PFOS use in New Zealand was phased out as of 2011, some applications of PFOA have remained possible until only recently.

Since late 2017, the Ministry for the Environment has been leading an all-of-Government programme including the Ministry for Primary Industries, Ministry of Health, Environmental Protection Authority, NZ Defence Force, Crown Law, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Local Government New Zealand to tackle PFAS within the environment and to assess risk posed. While of concern, the concentrations and extent of PFAS reported in the New Zealand environment from this earlier all-of-Government response suggested PFAS levels were low compared to similar sites in Australia and the United States.

However, new international research led by Massey University and its collaborators, the University of Auckland, University of Sydney, Centre for Environment and Food (CEFAS), Cawthron Institute, AsureQuality and others, highlights new insights about the prevalence of PFAS in New Zealand.  Scientists examined stranded dolphins post mortem and assessed a number of environment contaminants as part of their ongoing health and life history programme.

Massey University Professor Karen Stockin, Rutherford Discovery Fellow and study lead says, “We were surprised to learn PFAS in our dolphins aligned with levels recently reported in porpoises examined off the coast of Japan and other PFAS manufacturing countries in the past decade.

“We also note that the levels reported in New Zealand dolphins are higher than those of other indicator species recently examined during the all-of-Government response to PFAS,” she adds.

“Our findings highlight two important considerations. Firstly, the remarkable ability for marine mammals to act as sentinel indicator species, and secondly, the risk apex predators such as dolphins and humans endure due to their ability to accumulate such contaminants via the processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification.”

Dr Louis Tremblay, an ecotoxicologist at the Cawthron Institute and the University of Auckland stated: “This study confirms the persistence of this family of fluorinated pollutants. We don’t yet know the full extent of the risk these substances pose to humans or wildlife, but it highlights the need for a better management and stewardship of persistent chemicals to minimise their unintended impacts.”

Dr Shan Yi, an environmental biotechnologist and engineer in the department of chemical and materials engineering at the University of Auckland, commented: “The exposure of marine mammals is ultimately traced back to the contamination and persistence of PFAS in the aquatic environment.  From an engineering perspective, an important implication of this research is that we need efficient PFAS treatment technologies and to improve our knowledge of PFAS environmental fate and transport. Together, these technologies and improved understanding will better protect Aotearoa’s aquatic environment, communities, and unique endemic biota.”

• COVID-19 in New Zealand and the impact of the national response: a descriptive epidemiological study. Lancet Public Health 5, e612-e623.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30225-5
  
• COVID-19 vaccine strategies for Aotearoa New Zealand: a mathematical modelling study. Lancet Reg Health West Pac 15, 100256.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100256
  
• Genomic epidemiology reveals transmission patterns and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Aotearoa New Zealand. Nat Commun 11, 6351.
  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20235-8