From our Chapter President

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to this term’s edition of the Educate Plus NZ Chapter newsletter. We trust that the first quarter of 2022 has been a rewarding one for you.

Firstly, our thoughts go out to those of you impacted by the recent floods throughout the North Island, and especially in Tairawhiti and surrounding areas of the East Cape region.

Congratulations to Committee member Jennifer Roshan, Director of Community Development at Howick College, who gave birth to a little boy Leo on 6th March. Congratulations to Jen and husband Emil!

We have been a little quiet so far this year. We hope you share our anticipation and can spot a light at the end of this twisting and turning tunnel littered with mandates, lockdowns and outbreaks!

In case you missed it on Monday, we’re very excited to announce that a one day EDUCATE PLUS NZ CHAPTER CONFERENCE will be held on Friday 9th September at the Sir Owen Glenn Building at the University of Auckland.

Sincere thanks to Enquiry Tracker, University of Auckland and Giving Architects – already onboard as key partners. It’s definitely time to get-together and celebrate the hundreds of choices we’ve all made over the past two years to Adapt, Strive and Thrive!

As many of you will be aware, Chapter Conferences are usually held in alternate years to the International Conference but with the double postponement of the 2020 International Conference in Adelaide, and many New Zealand members confirming that they are not able to travel to Adelaide in May this year, we felt that we needed to deliver a mini-Conference and provide New Zealand members with a long overdue opportunity to connect this year.

We hope many of you will be in Auckland from the evening of Thursday 8th September for a casual gathering over drinks and nibbles. There will be an opportunity to apply for travel grants to help with travel costs. We really look forward to seeing you all in person and meeting the many new members who have joined in the past two years.

Do keep an eye on your Inboxes for dates of the upcoming round of regional networking events in May and June.

If you have any queries regarding your Educate Plus membership, please contact your local New Zealand Chapter Committee member:

Auckland – Nicole Bassett (Liggins Institute, University of Auckland), Robert Brooke (King’s College), Carolyn Prebble (formerly King’s School), Emma Zigan (Giving Architects)

Central North Island – Ross Scrymgeour (Whanganui Collegiate), Vicki Fowler (Tāwai Takapiri Connect Futures NZ Trust)

Wellington – Martine Foster (Samuel Marsden Collegiate)

Canterbury – Penny Curran (Lincoln University), Shelley Keach (Christ’s College)

Dunedin – Kirstyn Sandall (John McGlashan College), Graeme Mullin (University of Otago)

Ngā mihi māhana

Vicki Fowler, on behalf of the Educate Plus NZ Chapter Committee

Save the date! 2022 NZ Chapter Conference

In association with Enquiry Tracker, the 2022 Adapt, Strive and Thrive Educate Plus NZ Chapter Conference is being held on Friday 9th September in the international award-winning Owen Glenn Building at the University of Auckland.

This opportunity to meet face-to-face with fellow NZ members from across the country has been a long time coming! 

The conference has been designed to cater to our many members who are not able to attend the International Conference in Adelaide from May 31st to June 2nd.

For those who are registered for the Adelaide conference, we intend for this NZ Chapter one day Conference in Auckland to offer you an additional opportunity to connect with local members and perhaps also share your inspiring learnings from Adelaide.

Planning details

We recommend that out-of-town delegates plan to arrive in Auckland on the evening of Thursday 8th and take the opportunity to be part of a casual networking event prior to full day on Friday 9th September, concluding with drinks and nibbles until 6pm.

Why this conference?

Speakers will provide motivation; insights into leading practice and new techniques and share success stories from both the tertiary and school sectors.

You’ll be left inspired to challenge your own thinking on how your institution can Adapt, Strive and Thrive!

There is no other conference during 2022 that is designed specifically for Advancement practitioners in New Zealand education.

Who should attend?

Anyone who works in the education sector in the areas of:

• Marketing and communications
• Alumni, Community Relations/Events
• General Advancement and Leadership
• Admissions
• Fundraising
• Major Gifts, Stewardship and Annual Giving

Trade exhibitor opportunities will be available to sector partners and suppliers.

What’s next?

Further event information including programme details; social networking events; travel and accommodation options; earlybird registrations and Chapter Conference Travel Grant application information, will all be coming shortly.

In the meantime, lock the date into your calendar and we look forward to seeing you and your team on the evening of Thursday 8th and for a full day on Friday 9th September in Auckland!

Educate Plus NZ Conference Organising Committee

Carolyn Prebble, Nicole Bassett, Penny Curran, Vicki Fowler and Emma Zigan

International Conference update

The weeks are flying by and we’re getting very excited about the upcoming 2022 REIGNITE International Conference [30 May to 2 June]. If you would like to attend this fantastic professional development event, make sure you register by Thursday 31 March to benefit from the early bird rates.

epadelaide2022.edu.au/costtoattend

The 2022 conference in Adelaide will motivate and stimulate all who attend. With over 80 experts and thought leaders from Australasia and beyond (travel restrictions allowing), imaginations will be sparked with relevant topics, discussions and workshops.

Adelaide 2022 will REIGNITE ideas, passion and energy; highlighting new techniques, technology and approaches, preconceptions will be challenged and new thought processes will be inspired.

Thought Leadership

A Manager’s Guide For Creating A Hybrid Work Schedule

By Amy Rigby | Published on August 12, 2021 | 9 min read

I don’t know if anyone’s told you this lately—but you’re kind of a trailblazer. Through 17 months (and counting) of this global health crisis, you have led your team through uncharted territory, slicing through the vines of virtual meeting mayhem and wading through the muck of managing a workforce you can’t even see in person.

And now, you, brave soul, are tasked with paving the way once again as you prepare your team for the (at least partial) return to the office.

But even trailblazers need a little guidance sometimes. So I asked managers and leaders to share their best tips for the transition and gathered real-life examples to help you build the best hybrid work schedule for your team.

Read more

Small Wins, Big Progress

St Hilda’s Collegiate School in Dunedin continue to adapt their fundraising approach in the current Covid restricted with great success.

Article from Otago Daily Times | Raising funds for redevelopments by Wyatt Ryder

St Hilda’s Collegiate School director of development Amanda Burke said about three years ago the school chapel was assessed under new fire regulations and deemed unsafe to fit the 450 pupils and more than 60 staff.

Since then, pupils have had to split into two groups for chapel and use the school gym for school-wide gatherings.

The school had tried using the gym for chapel services, but the building was cold and unsuitable for regular use.

The chapel was “the heart of the school” and it needed to be able to function as one, she said.

The school’s Whitby Hall also needed work.

The hall was originally built as a gym, but would soon be transformed into a multi-layer facility with a library space for pupils to work, read, eat and host school events.

Close to $500,000 had been raised for the developments and the school hoped to raise another $50,000 with a final fundraiser, which would be held online due to Covid-19 restrictions….

Read More

Inspiration Corner

Alumni connections are literally in the foundations of Otago University’s newly-built BNZ Bloomberg Markets Lab Te Taura Takata.

Article from Otago University | New trading lab builds on enduring heritage

Alumni connections are literally in the foundations of the newly-built BNZ Bloomberg Markets Lab Te Taura Takata.

Situated on the ground floor of the Otago Business School (OBS), the state-of-art trading lab will provide students and faculty with access to real-time and historical financial data, news and analysis. It will be used extensively in Investment, Behavioural Finance, Corporate Finance and Banking courses.

It is one of the largest academic trading labs in New Zealand with 12 Bloomberg Professional terminals, giving students access to the same Bloomberg trading platform used by the world’s leading investment companies, banks, corporations and government agencies.

Teaching in the Lab began over the summer and an official opening will be held at a future date.

Director of the Lab, Dr Muhammed Cheema, says the Lab’s materials will help students with their assignments, as well as their honours and master’s theses. “The use of the terminal is a major asset for students in the job market,” says Cheema.

Honouring the strong links the OBS site has to Dunedin’s trading history, the Lab is the first trading room in the country to include a cultural narrative in its design that reflects the historical importance of the site to both Māori and settlers.

“Before the extensive land reclamation around Otago Harbour Te Awa Moana Ōtākou, the setting of the Otago Business School would have overlooked the water,” says Jennie Henderson, Prospect Researcher in the Development and Alumni Relations Office.

“The harbour has always been rich in resources and underpinned significant economic activity where, in the early 1800s, local Kāi Tahu traded pigs, flax, potatoes and other resources with European sealers and whalers.”

The 1848 Scottish Free Church settlers also traded with Kāi Tahu nearby, to the south of the OBS, in the present-day Exchange area. This site was an important tauraka waka (landing place) and mahika kai (food gathering area) for local Kāi Tahu. It became a busy site of intercultural and economic exchange.

Later, as the location of the BNZ building and the Stock Exchange building, along with other banks and businesses, this area was the economic centre of early Dunedin.

Gifted the name Te Taura Takata (The Ties That Bind) by the University’s Office of Māori Development, the design elements of the trading lab space work to illustrate the past, present and future significance of the room.

Artist Madison Kelly (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe), had the challenge of capturing this visually.

“The design for this trading space speaks to a meeting of two fishing lines – one of iron and one of bone – across a dynamic whakapapa of moana, whenua, kaimoana and people,” says Kelly.

Lab continues financial and alumni connections

As well as reflecting Dunedin’s trading history, the Lab continues historical connections between the University and Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) and New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX).

Read More

Bequests leaving lasting legacies

Generous bequest results in new Auckland Bioengineering Institute scholarship

The legacy of a remarkable couple with ‘uncommon courage’ will help Professor Thor Besier and other researchers improve the lives of those with movement disorders.

Carlo Fiorentino and Julie Thornley, who were both born with cerebral palsy, have left their estate worth $1 million to the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI).

Article from University of Auckland by Margo White

This is the first bequest made to the ABI in its 20 years. It was made after Carlo heard Professor Thor Besier interviewed on RNZ’s Nine to Noon about the ABI team’s research into the musculoskeletal system and disorders that affect it. He asked to meet Thor, which he did in 2020.

“It was such a privilege to meet and spend time with Carlo,” says Thor. “His attitude towards living a full life was inspirational. He particularly enjoyed the enthusiasm of the early career researchers and postgraduate students who are wanting to make a difference for people like himself.”

Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to parts of the brain before, during and after childbirth, and it affects a person’s ability to control movement, balance and posture. The lesions that cause the disease are static, but the musculoskeletal systems of those with the condition worsen over time and impairs their ability to walk.

Using imaging techniques and computational modelling, Thor and the team aim to better understand how and why this happens. This will help them identify what interventions could be made to lessen or prevent that progression.

Jane Carrigan was Carlo and Julie’s friend and disability advocate for more than a decade and, recently, the executor of their will.

“Carlo and Julie lived uncommon lives, with uncommon courage,” she says. “They did so with dignity and joy, notwithstanding, in their later years, their almost complete dependence on third parties.”

Carlo was born in Nelson in 1949, and Julie in Wellington in 1953. As young children they both spent time at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in a specialist cerebral palsy unit at Rotorua, although they didn’t meet till later at the Pukeroa Home for disabled young people in Hawke’s Bay, when Carlo was 18 and Julie was 14.

Read More

Upcoming Networking and PD Events

It is so wonderful to be able to network again face to face. Hopefully you have already saved the date for our NZ Chapter conference but it’s not too late to also register for the events below;

Educate Plus International Conference | May 30 to June 2

Find out more…

On Track – New Member Mentoring Program

Find out more…

Welcome to our new members!

A very warm welcome to our latest members. We are thrilled to have you as part of our NZ Chapter community. Please feel free to reach out to your Chapter Committee members with any questions.

Click here to view our new member page which contains information on all member benefits.

Stay Connected

Social Media

We value open communication and want to keep you up-to-date on what’s happening in our Chapter. We encourage our communities to use our platforms to ignite conversation and stay connected. Especially in these unprecedented times.