Te Pānui Taura

This issue: Love and other drugs, Sea life for the win, Tāwhaki a feature of new murals in the Link and much more!!

This month:

Love and other drugs

When she’s not working part-time as a hospital pharmacist, part-time as an equity pharmacist, or studying for her Masters, Tayla Cadigan (Ngāi Tahu Makaawhio) directs her attention to matters of the heart - offering her services as a marriage celebrant.

Sea life for the win

If you live by the ocean or fancy a swim in the sea, chances are you’ve encountered the 2024 Bulletin Photo Competition winners…or the creatures they’ve captured.

Digital natives favour in-person support

A young generation of digital natives show a clear preference for receiving in-person mental health support rather than getting help virtually, new research led by the University of Otago, Wellington, has found.

Plus

Staff become ‘spies’ for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

Trash gathering wins award

Winning pitch takes Otago alum overseas

Sad to leave ‘special part’ of Uni Tāwhaki a feature of new murals in the Link

266 podcasts

Open access week

Calendar

Staff become ‘spies’ for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

An Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago postgraduate tauira is hoping an innovative approach to a tricky subject will inspire the next generation of tertiary students.

Sequoia Short (Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Toa Rangatira), a PhD student within Te Kura Pakihi – Otago Business School, has developed an escape room centred on Indigenous data sovereignty.

The game sees players become spies on behalf of mana whenua and they are tasked with securing stolen data and intellectual property, such as mātauranga Māori, artefacts, and genetic sequences.

Whilst the game is filled with plenty of puzzles, hidden beneath the surface are important topics that lead to significant discussions once the game has finished.

Staff from throughout the University will be gave it a go as part of Te Wiki o te reo Māori,

helping Sequoia refine the game in the process. She has had huge support from the Te Maea Māori and Indigenous research theme.

Sequoia, who describes herself as a “bit of a puzzly, gamey person”, created the room in July and says it provides an opportunity to awaken people to the importance of data sovereignty.

“Trying to gameify the topic and get people learning about inaccessible aspects of research was really appealing to me,” she says.

“Science communication is a passion of mine – being able to simplify and communicate to any person the impact of your research, especially kaupapa Māori research – if you can’t take back what you’ve learned to your community, then there’s no point at all.”

A final refined version will be presented to tauira throughout schools in the Ōtākou Murihiku/ Otago Southland area towards the end of the year. The aim is to help year 9 and 10 students under-

stand more about the topic and develop positive engagements with the University. Sequoia says the camaraderie and competitiveness makes it a hit for older groups, too.

“I obviously set out to design this escape game with a purpose in mind – to speak to and engage with rangatahi. But others see a huge variation in uses for it, which is amazing, because realistically the more people who are engaged with it the better.

“Even non-puzzle people seem to like it which shows there’s mass appeal – not just for people like me.”

Whilst there has been a positive reception so far, the escape game is just one of the many hats Sequoia wears. With a PhD still to complete and ongoing teaching commitments, she understands the escape room has a limited time in more ways than one.

“I’m just trying to make as much impact in the little time I have.”

Kōrero by Claire Finlayson

Love and other drugs

When she’s not working parttime as a hospital pharmacist, part-time as an equity pharmacist, or studying for her masters, Tayla Cadigan (Ngāi Tahu Makaawhio) directs her attention to matters of the heart - offering her services as a marriage celebrant.

The union of these different worlds comes from her innate generosity and drive to help peoplewhether through physical healing or a loving connection.

The Hokitika-born wahine says her upbringing and personality, mixed with her ADHD diagnosis, means she just can’t help but busy herself with helping others.

This led her to pursuing a Master of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Otago, focussing on indigenous experiences of healthcare in rural areas, as well as her part-time role as an equity pharmacist, as both these roles involve her identifying and removing healthcare barriers for those most in need.

And she still manages to fit in a part-time role at Te Nīkau Hospital in Greymouth, where she is a rotational on-call pharmacist seven days at a time.

Her journey to ordination

began in 2021 at Otago’s Dunedin campus, while she was completing her Bachelor of Pharmacy, when a close friend asked if she would be her wedding celebrant.

“Since that very special experience, I’ve continued to marry people - averaging about four weddings per season,” Tayla says.

“I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many beautiful ceremonies and I’m looking forward to being not only the celebrant, but also a bridesmaid at a special wedding in the near future.”

Tayla says connecting and supporting people, whether in their healthcare, cultural identity, or marriage journey, comes from the same place – having a passion for giving.

“My love language is giving,” Tayla says.

As a Māori pharmacist, Tayla feels like she can truly give back to her community and the people who need it most.

Growing up she felt disconnected from her identity but this changed after she arrived at the University of Otago.

The Māori Centre – Te Huka Mātauraka reached out to her and, while she still felt out of place with her heritage being fair-skinned and blue eyed, she eventually felt more comfortable relating to her whakapapa.

She is grateful for the kindness the Centre showed her, especially during her first year in Health Sciences, and additionally thanks her current supervisors for the support they are showing her now - Dr Lisa Kremer, Associate Professor Alesha Smith and Dr Jo Hikaka.

Kōrero by Kelsey Swart

Trash gathering wins award

Winning an award that recognises her conservation efforts was a nice way for Kate Moss-Mason to wrap up several years of study.

Kate finished her Master of Science in Botany on August 10. Nine days later, she learned she had won the ‘Keep Dunedin Beautiful Pod Award for Individual Excellence, Commended’ recognising her years of work picking up rubbish.

“I have been picking up rubbish around Dunedin on and off for about four years through a group called ‘Let’s get Trashed’,” she says. “Picking up rubbish is a nice use of a few hours in the weekend, cool way to socialise with friends and show that we can all make a positive difference even if we pick up just one piece of rubbish.”

Kate didn’t found the group ‘Let’s get Trashed’, but wound up leading it along with help from Ashim GC, and Kelsey Porter of the Dunedin City Council (DCC).

Kelsey supplied Kate with reusable rubbish bags, rubbish grabbers and hi-vis clothing. Winning the award “felt great”, Kate says.

“I moved out of Dunedin and am living up in Tauranga for work, so unfortunately missed the ceremony.

“Luckily my good friends who I’ve picked up a lot of rubbish with, Tom Stewart, Jessica Paull and Sajini Dissanayake went to the ceremony in my place.”

The trio shared “really heart-warming” photos and videos of the evening with her.

The annual ceremony, run by the DCC, celebrates the cool work that a lot of different people and groups get done around the city, Kate says.

“It’s usually a really feel-good event. It can be a bit glum reading the news sometimes, so it’s cool to highlight all of the positive things people are doing around the city,

often in their spare time. “Together we can make a big difference.”

Kate’s master’s research focused on the use of native seeds for ecological restoration in Aotearoa New Zealand.

She looked at seed provenancing, and did some experiments priming native seeds and applying pre-treatments to overcome seed dormancy.

“This is a really important area of research because now, more than ever, we rely on ecological restoration to combat mounting environmental damage,” she says.

“There is a lot of emphasis on tree planting programmes in policy and in media, but not so much research into how to achieve these ambitious but important goals that we all benefit from. It’s cool to answer some questions and identify other areas that need future research.”

Sea life for the win

by Sandra French

If you live by the ocean or fancy a swim in the sea, chances are you’ve encountered the 2024 Bulletin Photo Competition winners…or the creatures they’ve captured.

A sunbathing blue cod caught the judges’ attention and won Judy Ormandy top spot in this year’s competition.

A Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health at the Wellington campus, Judy describes herself as an “avid, possibly obsessed scuba diver” who shares her passion for scuba diving through photography.

“I am lucky to live close to the Taputeranga Marine Reserve on Wellington’s South Coast. Marine life has flourished since the reserve was established in 2008.”

Blue cod rāwaru are abundant and often “cheekily interact” with divers, Judy says.

“I was diving the shallow Yung Pen shipwreck

and encountered this cod conveniently posing on a sun-drenched rock.

“A dome fisheye lens, patience, and slow, gentle movement allowed me to get close to this handsome fish and snap this photo.”

Third-year Marine Science and Ecology student Owen Dabkowski won second and third place with his entries featuring a yellow-eyed penguin and a hermit crab.

Owen’s photography is inspired by his love for nature and conservation, he says.

“I try to capture animals as they go about their daily lives. The penguin was snapped during a return journey from the ocean.”

While the yellow-eyed penguin is a local from the Dunedin Peninsula, the hermit crab lives on the shores of Tonga, Owen says.

See full story here

Kōrero

Winning pitch takes Otago alum overseas

Joseph Balfe’s passion for non-invasive wearable technologies to treat health disorders has won him a major award and a trip to Germany.

Joseph, who graduated from Otago last month with a Master of Science, was the overall winner in the 2024 Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand pitch competition, for his project that’s developing a wearable smart-device to detect and relieve asthma attacks.

He is proud to represent New Zealand at the Global Finale during the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin in November.

“I am really looking forward to spending the week mixing with global leaders in science and innovation, and I hope to build as many connections as I possibly can. This is an important event to showcase globally relevant innovations, and ultimately, to foster international collaboration in solving some of humanity’s pressing challenges,” he says.

The award recognises that Joseph’s project – which he started during his masters study - could make a real difference for society.

Every day, the lives of more than 1,000 people are cut short because of an asthma attack, and most of these deaths are preventable due to a simple delay in obtaining inhaled medications during the final attack, he says.

Joseph’s three-minute pitch explained how the smart, wearable, bronchodilator device he’s devel-

oping uses advanced technology to detect and rapidly intervene during asthma attacks through opening the lung airways with nerve stimulation.

Joseph graduated with a Master of Science with distinction in Neuroscience last month, after completing a Bachelor of Science in 2022 and a Bachelor of Music in 2019.

His passion for neuroscience was initially sparked by a concern for mental health, which was magnified through noticing mental health issues during his work as a sub-warden in the residential colleges.

“I started studying neuroscience to deepen my curiosity. Throughout my degree, I became particularly fascinated by the emerging field of non-invasive wearable technologies in treating disorders of the nervous system, as I recognised the limitations of many traditional pharmaceutical treatments.”

This led him to pursue his master’s study with Associate Professor Yusuf Cakmak from the Department of Anatomy.

“In our very first meeting, we discussed this idea of using neuromodulation for asthma by simply harnessing the interconnectivity of the nervous system. While it seemed a bold idea, I decided to take on the challenge and figure out how we could achieve this.”

Joseph conducted three human studies in his masters, all showing promising results for this novel approach to open the airways. Clinical trials to validate the technology are now planned.

“I’m committed to leveraging the therapeutic potential of neuromodulation technology to solve biomedical problems.”

See full story here

Kōrero by Claire Grant

At the Three Minute Thesis competition earlier this semester are, from left, Professor John Reynolds, Graduate Research School Senior Professional Practice Fellow Nick Baker, Professor Parry Guilford, Graduate Research School Administrator Susan Craig, DVC Research and Enterprise Professor Richard Blaikie and PVC of Commerce and Dean of the School of Business Professor Maree Thyne. Professor Reynolds was the MC for the evening, while Professors Thyne, Blaikie and Guilford judged the competition.

Sad to leave ‘special part’ of Uni

Susan Craig has been part of the Graduate Research School (GRS) – in its various forms – for over 17 years.

She says her official title has changed a few times, from Executive Assistant to Client Services Administrator to, lastly, Administrator, but “in reality, I’ve done the same job all along”.

Susan remembers feeling very proud when she walked through the big wooden doors of the Clocktower on her first day in June 2007.

“I had been a student at Otago in the 1980s and to have a role, with my own lovely little office, in the iconic Clocktower building, felt amazing.”

She enjoyed organising and co-hosting the annual Graduate Research Ball during her first few years in the role.

“They were held at Larnach Castle and the Dunedin Town Hall and were fabulous events.”

Being present to see friends and children of friends coming to submit their doctoral theses for examination has always been a real treat as well as going on to attend their subsequent graduations, she says.

“I would encourage every staff member to volunteer to work at a graduation ceremony at least once – it is the perfect reminder of what we are all here for.”

One particularly special job she loves is gifting chocolate fish to doctoral candidates who have submitted their thesis for examination.

“I must have given out thousands of fish over the years.”

Initially, doctoral candidates would receive a Cadbury chocolate fish upon submitting their soft bound theses, and then a Belgian chocolate fish when they submitted their hardbound thesis at the end of their journey, she says.

“Now, because there are no paper theses anymore, we give all our doctoral candidates a Belgian chocolate fish and card from the Graduate Research School team when they submit their theses for examination.

“They are also invited to ring the original University bell which is situated in the Quad – a tradition started by Professor Richard Blaikie, DVC R&E, a few years ago.”

Susan says she will “definitely miss” that aspect of her job.

“I get to know many of our candidates from when they first attend a Dean’s Morning Tea welcome event that I organise, through workshops they attend that we run, and then to see them come in for their chocolate fish is wonderful.”

A standout memory for Susan was giving the opening address at the 2023 Graduate Research Student Symposium and acting as MC for the Dunedin heats of this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition.

The 3MT® competition was held at Otago for the first time in 2009.

“It has always been a highlight of the graduate research calendar and working at the grand final is very exciting,” she says.

“There is so much work that goes on behind the scenes to pull this event together, from quite a small team, and to see it come to fruition is wonderful.

“I have seen so many extremely talented people present their research through this format over the years – it’s been a real privilege.”

Another important event for Susan is the OUSA Supervisor of the Year Awards which she organises.

“We have had so many worthy finalists and winners over the years, and some of the nominations we receive from our candidates are incredibly heart-warming.

“To see the look of surprise on our winner’s faces each year is just delightful. Again – it takes a lot of work to pull this event together

each year but is so worth it, and so important to recognise the efforts of our supervisors in getting our candidates across the line.”

When Susan started working at the University, many tasks were paper-based but now everything has been digitised with software such as Taleo and Finance One. She used to post out completion questionnaires to completed doctoral candidates and type up their responses, but this is now all done using email and Google Forms.

“There is software for just about everything,” she says.

dertaking research in every discipline imaginable, and seeing them complete their graduate research journey is wonderful.”

When Susan leaves the University on 27 September, having spent nearly a third of her life here, she says it will be both “very exciting and extremely sad”.

“After all this time I’m not really sure who I am if I am not ‘Susan from the Graduate Research School’.

The GRS now holds a larger range of workshops for doctoral and masters candidates, with specific events for Māori and Pacific Island candidates, something it did not used to do.

The GRS is a “really special” part of the University, she says.

“It is a tight team, and it always has been, even when we were a team of 20 staff members. Being such a tight knit team means we all look after each other – the level of support is amazing.”

Staff at the GRS also get to work with a fantastic sector of the University student population.

“Our candidates are un-

“Handing over all the things I do, many of which I have developed and fine-tuned over the years, and most of which I really enjoy, will be hard.

“But I have made some friends through this role who will be friends for life, and I know I will continue to see them after I leave – although I might stay off campus for a while.”

Susan is looking forward to some ‘Susan time’ before her husband, Owen, finishes work March next year.

“I am planning on doing lots of running, spring cleaning and decluttering our home, and even auditioning for a show or two.

“I won’t be bored – but I won’t be ‘Susan from the Graduate Research School’ anymore.”

Kōrero by Koren Allpress

Tāwhaki a feature of new

Kōrero by Gail Goodger

The new mural in The Link features the Kāi Tahu narrative of Tāwhaki, an atua (god) who sought wisdom and knowledge in an epic journey through dimensions, worlds, and heavens.

Working with mana whenua-owned organisation Aukaha, the University wanted to create a relaxed and welcoming space with a strong visual and cultural identity for students and staff alike.

Head of Campus Development Gordon Roy says the University’s Pae Tata Strategic Plan to 2030 envisages us having vibrant spaces that meet our students’ needs and contribute to their outstanding experiences at Otago.

“The space was quite cold and austere and our goal was to create more appropriate furniture solutions and a more welcoming environment.”

Aukaha says Tāwhaki is a semi-supernatural being associated with gaining knowledge, through his tenacity, adaptiveness and willingness to being guided by the advice of others.

new murals in the Link

During this journey to the heavens to seek knowledge, “he faces much adversity associated with strong natural elements like lightning and thunder and undergoes many challenges that rise from his relationships and those he encounters”.

Kāi Tahu artist Xoë Hall incorporated the narrative of Tāwhaki and mana whenua values in bold brushstrokes, reinforcing this ancestral narrative of journey and return, knowledge and wisdom seeking, whānau and relationship and making one’s way in the world as a navigator.

The giant mural is the anchor point in The Link refresh and by working with Aukaha’s Mana Ahurea design team, a Tāwhaki-inspired colour palette has also informed furniture decisions and the approach to recarpeting the space, Aukaha says.

Gordon says while most of the furniture has been installed, shipping delays mean the remaining chairs will be installed later in semester 2.

Aukaha says the Kāi Tahu narrative has given inspiration to designs and spaces across the campus.

Don’t miss all your postgrad news online:

266 podcasts

Dr Dave McMorran has just recorded his 266th podcast which features Geology PhD student Julien Eschenroeder talking about his research on the historical effects of climate on remote lakes in Fiordland.

Since 2010, the Senior Teaching Fellow in Chemistry has been talking with postgraduate students across the Sciences for his Science Notes show broadcast on Otago Access Radio (OAR).

Dave has a gift for teaching and supporting students through their learning journeys at Otago. In addition to two OUSA teaching awards, he won the 2016 Division of Sciences Senior Teacher of the Year award. In 2019, Dave was also recognised with an Ako Aotearoa National Teaching Excellence Awards for Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching.

See full story here

Open access week

Coming soon: International Open Access Week 2024 - Community over Commercialisation

Did you know open access publications far outstrip paywalled articles for citation counts? Did you also know that the Otago Library can support you with open access publishing for your manuscripts, journals, and even textbooks and monographs?

Join the Library for OA Opportunities @Otago to learn more about how open access to information has the power to transform learning, teaching and research. Featuring a trio of short talks for researchers showcasing the Open Access Toolkit, green open access with OUR Archive, and the Open Journal Systems (OJS) service.

When: 11am, 22 October 2024

Where: Online via Zoom

Check out this website for a wide range of International Open Access Week events from around the world.

Digital natives favour in-person mental health support over virtual bots

The researchers asked almost 1,500 people between 15 and 30 years of age for their views on digital mental health support via an online survey in 2022. The study was done in partnership with a group of youth co-researchers.

One of the academic researchers, Sue Garrett, from the Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, says technologies to provide virtual mental health support, such as computerised therapies, apps, websites and telehealth services, are increasingly suggested as a way of reducing the burden of mental distress in a cost-effective and accessible way, particularly for young people.

looked for mental health support online. Websites were the most commonly used digital medium, with 58 per cent of users finding them helpful.

A small group reported using other digital forms of supportengaging in performing arts online, such as skits or songs, or having video consultations with counsellors or therapists. Both were rated

listening to podcasts was the most popular, followed by phone consultations with a counsellor or therapist. Talking to a ChatBOT and watching or listening to performing arts online were the least preferred.

Sue Garrett says young people listed privacy concerns, technical issues, lack of quality and the need to be self-motivated as the drawbacks of using online support, while the benefits included ease of access, anonymity and a non-threatening starting point.

“Our findings show digital mental health supports for youth are never ‘one-sizefits-all’..”

highly, with 91 per cent saying watching performing arts online was helpful and 84 per cent saying a video consultation was helpful.

“However, the young people we surveyed had a strong preference for in-person mental health support. They also emphasised the importance of trustworthy, high-quality, tailored support and messaging, whether it was delivered in person, or online.”

The rates of mental distress among young people have increased rapidly in recent years, both globally and in Aotearoa. The New Zealand Health Survey for 2021/2022 showed that almost one in four (23.6 per cent) young people aged 15-24 experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress, compared to 5.1 per cent 10 years earlier.

Almost half of the young people surveyed (44 per cent) had

“In contrast, although more people had talked to a ChatBOT, or used text counselling or self-help apps, they were perceived as less helpful. ChatBOTs were regarded as least helpful.

“One participant specified the lack of connection as one reason for his dislike of ChatBOTs, noting ‘Being online, speaking to AI just doesn’t feel real, it’s hard to gain connection’.”

Online games designed to provide mental health support, such as the New Zealand-developed SPARX game, rated in the middle of the pack in terms of popularity. One young woman observed, ‘Games such as SPARX can be really helpful to redirect your attention when you’re struggling’.

Participants were also asked if there were other forms of digital support they had not yet tried, but would like to. Of the options,

“Respondents thought digital resources did have a place in mental health support, but more as an adjunct, or to complement in-person support. For example, they thought going online could be a good option for people beginning their search for mental health support, or to help them figure out what kind of support would suit them. They emphasised though that the actual support should be provided by a ‘real person’.” Sue Garrett says making a connection with real people was of greater importance than games or other online activities to the young people surveyed.

“Our findings show digital mental health supports for youth are never ‘one-size-fits-all’ and it should not be assumed that digital support or digital modes of publicising support will be universally effective for a generation of digital natives.

“Digital mental health support works best for young people when it is tailored to them. Our respondents wanted to see something relatable that would make them think, ‘oh, that’s me’.”

She says ensuring young people are involved in the design of digital support services would help make online platforms more relevant to them.

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