Te Aka Tauira - Issue Eight 2021

Issue 8

Te Aka Tauira

Inside: Students shave for a cause “Sleep doesn’t happen often” Student president passes the torch

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Wrapping Up at Otago Farewell 2021 > OUSA President Michaela Waite-Harvey

October News This issue: » Blues & Golds 2021 » Students shave for a cause » Study tips for exams » Pics of the month » Key dates and events » Peer Assisted Study Sessions » Business from a Māori perspective » Ones to Watch: Taikawa Tamati-Elliffe

Kia ora e tauira ma It’s hard to believe it’s already second semester exams. I wanted to wish you all good luck for exams, I know it’s a stressful time and balancing that with the uncertainty of the current COVID-19 outbreak doesn’t help the situation.

With online exams comes some adaption from what we’re used to, your paper co-ordinators should have provided you with instructions and advice for online exams to help you navigate this change. If this hasn’t happened yet I encourage you to reach out to them for this information, you can find your paper co-ordinators contact through Blackboard. There are also plenty of support services around campus, OUSA Student Support provide free and discrete support for anything life is throwing at you.

In terms of my own advice, the best study skill I developed was finding groups to study with - trust me it’s better to suffer together than alone. As the year is winding down and these newsletters are printing their last issue I just wanted to say it’s been an absolute privilege to be your OUSA President this year, so good luck for exams and karawhuia!

Ngā mihi, Michaela 2

» Wrapping up at Otago Cover image: Students at the Vaccination Village in October

In other news:

» Student leaders talk about getting the vaccine » Student-led te reo Māori » Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships » Book prize highlights Pacific student achievement » From humanities event to nationwide lockdown » Ones to Watch: Indira Fernando

Blues & Golds Awards 2021 The Blues and Golds Awards are an annual event of significance recognising sporting, cultural and community achievements. This years ceremony looked a little different under Alert Level 2 guidelines, but they definitely weren’t any less exciting.

Adapting a highlight of the University calendar to meet social distancing requirements is no easy feat but Events Coordinator Bailey McLean says her team well and truly rose to the challenge.

“Sadly it couldn’t go ahead as planned but we are excited to be able to give the students the opportunity to accept their awards in person, such a cool achievement!

“We had the students come and collect their awards throughout the day, take a photograph and collect a voucher and cookie. We were so sad this event could not be held in person, but we tried to still use elements from the award ceremony such as an amazing blue & gold photo wall and decorated cookies. The students will receive their photographs in an email the following day with a video package saying ‘congratulations’ from Acting Vice Chancellor and Radio Ones Music Director, Dave Borrie.”

The event recognises the significant successes of students across the board

“We were excited to be able to give the students the opportunity to accept their awards in person, such a cool achievement.”

despite what has been a tumultuous year.

Students shave for a cause This year, ten students took on the Shave for a Cure campaign, saying goodbye to their locks and raising more than $18,000.

Despite being in lockdown the students saw through their decision to say goodbye to their hair for the cause. The event was livestreamed to ensure participants were within Alert Level 2 and 3 guidelines and they successfully reached more than 70,000 people on social media.

Health Sciences First Year student Jack Kininmonth says the big event has been on his bucket list for quite some time and sharing it with other students was special.

“We started with two of us and grew to 11 students in total. There were good vibes all round and the fundraiser really took off. Now we’re getting lots of head pats!”

Marketing and Pharmacology student Amber Harrison, who is rocking her new look with style says the decision for her was made quickly.

“I was terrified at the start thinking ‘what have I signed myself up for?’

Your hair is something that will grow back but the impact we have had for other people will last so much longer.”

Health Sciences First Year student Tessa Worthington was thrilled to see so many people show their support and says the whole event has been both empowering and a little anxiety inducing.

“The event was weirdly apocalyptic. Everyone around me was in a mask and my hair was being shaved it was so surreal to watch in the mirror. We started with a target of $5000 but quickly raised more. Even people we don’t know donated which was awesome, they see the value in the cause.”

PICS OF THE MONTH

Malaysian Students Association at the Blues & Golds Awards

OUSA cooking up a treat at the recent vaccination clinic

Global Studies 201/301 Cultures of the Environment Expo last month

Have an image to show off?

Students taking part in Shave for a Cure with Alert Level restrictions

Send it to: communications@otago.ac.nz

“Sleep doesn’t happen often.”

“Sleep doesn’t happen often” laughs third-year student Taikawa

“From that idea came meeting other players who wanted something

Tamati-Elliffe as he reflects on what has been a busy year so far with

similar and saw an interest in what we were doing. We started a

many achievements.

community on Discord aimed at gamers. We now have more than

Not only is he completing Māori Studies and Entrepreneurship,

550 members in our community.”

he’s a dad, a business owner and has two jobs. With all of these

When Taikawa returned to University earlier this year he took up a

commitments, he is having a positive impact on the future of Māori

development opportunity through Audacious at Start Up Dunedin,

in the tech world.

which has been another important stepping stone in getting set up.

“It’s been a busy time. Just before our first lockdown my son was

“I saw it as an opportunity to learn more about business. I won the

born. I went on parental leave, was back at work for one day and then

Best Social Impact Award in semester 1 which gave me some funding

we went into Alert Level 4.

to kickstart my journey. The business continues to grow and we have

“One of my jobs is as a Kaiāwhina or Māori student support. Every

some big goals for the future.

Māori student in the business school who comes in, I look after. It’s

“Currently our community meet regularly on Discord we have voice

busy, especially during lockdown. We were making welfare phone

channels which people drop into daily and play games while sharing

calls and checking in on students.

discussions. We’ve really made it a safe space to ask questions and

“My other job is Māori Partnerships and Pathways Manager for Centre of Digital Excellence (CODE). My role is ensuring games funded

I’ve noticed it helps those with anxiety to feel they can ask questions without judgement.”

by CODE have Māori content. There is very little Māori influence in

As part of the work Ngāti Gaming is doing, Taikawa says they’ve also

the game development industry, so we are creating a fund to assist

been offering te reo classes online every fortnight which is run by a

whānau who are interested access the right technology to then

qualified te reo teacher and now the business, which started as two

pursue those pathways.”

people, has grown to a larger team of 12.

As well as his two busy roles, Taikawa is the proud co-founder of

“We now have a team of content creators, social media managers,

Ngāti Gaming which supports other gamers on their journey with Te

our Māori teachers and even mental health and wellbeing support.

Reo Māori and Māori culture in general.

We really aim to look after our community. Community is really at

“At the end of last year my cousin and I started Ngāti Gaming. The

the forefront of what we do.

idea came about when he wanted to learn more Māori. I decided

“On the horizon we have a goal to host the world’s first Māori vs

we could be creative with this. We game a lot and I decided to flip

Aboriginal gaming event. It is the result of changing times. I do feel in

the whole vocab of a game we play often. I was rough, I didn’t speak

the last few years we have begun to address our need to learn Māori

English to him unless he really needed me to explain something to

language and history and this is part of the work to be done.”

him.

STUDY TIPS FOR NEWBIES October Study Tips

Exam Prep

It’s exam time already. During these challenging COVID‑19 times, the University continues to provide teaching and assessment, including exams and final assessments, but much of this work is now online. As you prepare for your final assessments, take a minute to reflect on how studying and revising for your final assessments can support your goals. We’ve put together a few tips for on-the-day exam prep.

Peer Assisted Study Sessions Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) and Peer Assisted Numeracy (PAN) are weekly interactive study sessions aimed at supporting student success, facilitated by second or third-year students.

The programme typically targets papers which are perceived as difficult or competitive limited entry courses.

Aprille Mincher (Te Aupōuri) has been involved in PASS for seven years, starting as a student in 2015. She then became a PASS facilitator in 2016 and a PASS mentor in 2018.

After completing her Bachelor of Physical Education with Honours in 2018, Aprille began her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, which she is now in her third year of.

“Very quickly it became something that I really enjoyed going to.

From there it just really snowballed into being able to give back to the group that gave a lot to me,” she says.

“Even though there’s been so many people go through the programme there’s always been that really strong love for learning and commitment to supporting the students and getting out what’s best for them which has been awesome to see.”

Sixth-year medical student Shreya Bir joined PASS as a student in 2016 and became a facilitator the following year.

“This is something that I can do for other people, it’s great for me because I can revise and hopefully it could help me learn to speak up and become a bit more confident as well.”

“I think the biggest benefit of PASS is actually in the students’ growing self-confidence. A big part of PASS is that we are facilitators and we’re there to help but we aren’t there to give them 6

the answers. It’s a lot of self-empowerment.”

Check you have everything in place to sit your exam in your space » Put an “In Exam” sign on the door » Get rid of all distractions (shut the curtains, have a clear desk except for the resources you are allowed, put your phone on flight mode) » Have your permitted resources ready and available. If allowed, also have paper and pen ready to draw and make notes as you read the question to help organise your ideas » Re-read the instructions for the exam » If you need to download your exam or sit your exam online at a specific time, log on to the site at least 10 minutes before the set time to check everything works » Close all unnecessary tabs on your internet browser before starting the exam » Get your timer sorted with an alarm set to go off 15 minutes before the time is up » Have the AskOtago number (0800 80 80 98 or +64 3 479 7000) handy for any computer, internet or exam issues To find out more about preparing for an sitting your exams, check out our website.

Business from a Māori perspective Te Manawa Tītī, meaning the heart of the Mutton Bird, is a programme specifically for Māori business students and provides the opportunity to work alongside Māori businesses in Otago.

Senior Research Fellow and Associate Dean, Katharina Ruckstuhl says that for Māori employees, it can be the case that an employer will look to an individual to supply the ‘Māori perspective’.

Passing on the torch OUSA president-elect Melissa Lama is currently working in her role as the President of the University of Otago Pacific Island Student Association (UOPISA) but is preparing for her term as the first Tongan OUSA President with the help of her predecessor Michaela Waite-Harvey.

“This is the first year we have run the programme and our focus is on endurance, planning for the long haul of your career and growing our leaders. The students recently took a trip to ‘Rongo’, which is the memorial site to prisoners from Parihaka who literally built parts of Dunedin. We want to understand different forms of leadership by learning from past inspirational leaders such as Te Whiti and Tohu and their response of passive

Michaela’s desire to be OUSA’s first Pasifika president back in 2020 stemmed

resistance. Learning from Māori models can provide

from her passion for leadership.

inspiration for new ways to do business.”

“As it got closer to the elections, I realised that I had ideas and I could see myself

For student Sam Kenneally the programme has been

as someone who could lead other student leaders. OUSA used to be a male-

an enlightening experience with valuable lessons so far.

dominated space so being able to guide other female leaders and other women of colour was something that I was very interested in.”

“I found the field trip to explore Parihaka and its significance in Dunedin to be quite eye-opening. I try

Over the year, Michaela has wasted no time making effective decisions about

to consider myself as well read and knowledgeable on

pressing matters. Being a member of the queer community herself, Michaela is

the history of New Zealand and specifically Dunedin

particularly proud of her contributions to Queer Space on Campus.

as I’ve resided here for the last five years but this trip

“It’s the tangible initiatives that I am the most proud of. They involve a lot of

highlighted how wrong I was in this assumption.

actual mahi like painting walls and moving furniture. If you don’t do those

“I think that to be a well-rounded future leader of Māori

tangible initiatives, it can kind of feel like an admin job where you’re just sending

heritage one must know of the past wrongs committed

emails and that isn’t really fulfilling in a representative lobbyist role.”

against our people and other marginalised groups.

Michaela offers some advice to her successor as she navigates her presidential role.

“I think specifically for women of colour in the role, it’s very important to be protective of yourself and be firm in your beliefs and opinions so that you don’t get side-lined, minimised or criticised.

These past events can act as a driver for a future where race, religion and ideology are not precursors to how people should be treated. Instead, these factors should be desirable as they allow more diversity of perspectives and ideas that have been moulded by the experiences these groups have had.”

“I lean on a lot of people to make sure that I’m double-checking the decisions I’m making. In this role you have to ensure that your decision-making reflects the collective voice.”

Melissa has been involved in a number of community-based projects, including the Tongan COVID Response Group which she co-chairs. During her time in Dunedin, Melissa has felt well supported by the different communities she is a part of.

“The members of these communities show their love and support to students who aren’t even their kids. These groups help retain our Pacific students at the University. I want our students to feel that if they come to us, they will be heard.”

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KEY DATES & EVENTS November | Whiringa-ā-rangi 07

2021 Sunshine Concert

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Semester 2 exams end

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Pre-Christmas Summer School begins

December | Hakihea 11

Graduation Ceremonies

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Graduation Ceremonies

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Graduation Ceremonies

January | Kohitātea

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University reopens

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Summer School classes begin