Te Aka Tauira - Issue Four 2021

Issue 4

Te Aka Tauira

Inside:

Strong female characters Podcast with purpose Father, paramedic and med student

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WELCOME BACK From your OUSA Student President > Michaela Waite-Harvey

July News This issue: » Strong female characters » Sex education counts » Does this count as study? » A dream of being a doctor » Wellington’s undergraduates » Pics of the month » Key dates and events

Kia ora e te whānau. Welcome back to semester 2! I stuck it out in Dunedin over the break and I'm really stoked the place is busy again. We've been organising a range of great events for you to get amongst for Re-Ori week that I hope you'll all enjoy. One of my favourite times of the year is coming up in August, OUSA Elections! So, my word of wisdom is, if you are at all interested in advocating for students and making a change on issues for our generation, I'd really implore you to think about running. If student politics isn't your thing or you're not really sure what your thing is yet have a look at the clubs and societies on campus. That's a great way to find likeminded people or get out of your comfort zone a bit.

More importantly I want to make sure you are looking after yourselves and your mates this semester. If you are in need of support, Pūtea Tautoko and the OUSA Hardship Fund can help you out financially. OUSA Student Support and Student Health are there to help with all the things life can throw at you. I know it’s winter and it’s a little harder to get out of bed in the mornings but there is nothing better than being on campus, in class and connecting with your friends. So go get your OUSA provided free breakfast Tuesday-Thursday in Clubs and Socs and smash out this semester.

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Cover image courtesy of Otago University Review, September 1925 and Hocken Collections, from an Otago University Tramping Club album, 96-063-36, S15-592b.

In other news:

» Connecting with ancestry » Art Week 2021 » Re-shined Roots » Energy scholarships » Get Cooking Otago Series

Strong female characters What do you get when you cross the woman on the ten dollar note and punk rock? A musical of course.

That Bloody Woman is the story of Kate Sheppard and her pursuit to gain votes for women in 20th Century New Zealand. The show is staged as a rock concert for Kate and her ‘gang’ to tell the story of New Zealand’s own suffrage movement and echoes modern feminist struggles. It’s a cause which Otago students are supporting on the stage.

Bachelor of Performing Arts student Jess Clarke is portraying the role of historical figure Ada Wells and says that landing the role has been hugely important to her.

“My minor is in history so I’ve learned a lot about the suffragists, suffragettes and second wave feminism. I love that I get to combine my University knowledge with my passion for musical theatre.”

Bethany Cook who is in her final year of Bachelor of Arts and Science says the show has been on her wish list for a few years.

“I’m really excited to be doing this show. I saw it as 16-year-old with no idea what feminism meant and it blew my mind.”

That Bloody Woman will be staged by Taieri Musical Society this month

“This show is not only about women’s suffrage but New Zealand Women’s Suffrage and that is amazing.”

at The Mayfair and will run for eight shows.

Does this count as study?

Does this Count as Study? stars Henry Hollis and Kate Pitches who interview a different academic staff member each episode. Kate says the podcast has been in the works for a while.

“The idea stemmed from not being able to easily have casual conversations with our lecturers and wanting to create an outlet to do this. We interview them to find out what projects they’ve worked on, what they do in their role at Otago and learn more about the subject they teach.”

Henry says the series is gaining new listeners.

“Our mates have been listening and their mates have been listening too.

We have had listeners approach us to have a chat about it too. We are looking forward to getting questions submitted from other students on topics they want us to address or questions they want to ask.”

Henry and Kate have been recording the podcast series at Radio One thanks to the help of Programme and Promotions Manager and Otago The podcast is available on major streaming platforms Spotify and Google.

To submit an idea or ask a question, you can find Does this Count as Study on Instagram.

alumnus Tom Tremewan.

“What I liked about their pitch was they wanted to understand the people behind the work and talk more personally about it to bridge the gap between students and their lecturers. It’s been great to watch their progress, see them picking up new skills and developing those.”

PICS OF THE MONTH

Re-shined Roots win Best Pitch at the Audacious Showcase

Rosie, a regular Dunedin campus visitor

Students participating in Open Synthesis Network

Have an image to show off?

Southern Bell Frog - Zoology Department

Send it to: communications@otago.ac.nz

“To make change, I had to become a doctor.”

When dealt a second opportunity at a career with purpose, a

at how bad our health system is for Māori. I did what I could in

Nelson paramedic was ready to take the plunge.

the roles I had as a paramedic but what I realised is to really make

Originally from Ōpotiki, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of

change for people in certain spaces you must be a doctor.”

Surgery third-year student Carlton Irving plans to continue as he

With five kids, another one on the way, moving his family to Dunedin,

started, making a difference in Māori health. His career began as

choosing one of the hardest study paths and everything in between

an Intensive Care Paramedic and has led him down the path to

has kept Carlton more than busy.

becoming a doctor.

“Med School is a grind. Med school with a family is a grind on

The father of five went on to volunteer for the Ministry of Health Kia

steroids. It’s genuinely quite hard but if you know where it’s going

Ora Hauora programme which encourages Māori youth into health

to lead you, you can endure. When I’m not studying I chair the

careers. He then went on to complete a Post Graduate course to

Kaunihera Manapou (Paramedic Council) and still work on the

be an Extended Care Paramedic (ECP).

rescue helicopters back in the North Island. Over summer I worked

“As we did not have ECP roles in New Zealand I went to work overseas in Australia, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

on Project Kaia which is helping Māori communities to be more responsive to climate change. My days are full.”

While I was in Papua New Guinea, there was a massive earthquake.

Carlton is also chairman of Toko (Māori Medical Students

I spent time working with the locals, fixing water supplies and we

Association) where creating positive change for Māori students has

ran clinics to help people. While I was there it dawned on me - I

been an important goal.

wanted to be a doctor.

“One thing I noticed over at the Medical School is there wasn’t

“A few years ago I got debilitatingly sick. My family are carriers of a

a space set up for Māori students to gather. So the first goal we

particular cancer gene and I was preparing myself that my biopsy

had for Toko was to get a Māori health professionals space in the

results could come back with bad news.”

Hunter Centre, and now we have one. The way I see it, you can’t

Carlton took some time out to go to take what might be one final

look at a problem and then not be part of the solution.”

holiday with his wife and when the biopsy results came back cancer-

“We’ve also been running Tuesday night Te Reo classes for staff

free, he knew what was next.

and students. As an older student you need to role model what

“I got home and thought to myself an opportunity like this is a chance to assess what you want to do with your life. I wanted to be a doctor and make a difference to Māori health. I was frustrated

engaging Māori in a health space looks like, which is why I take time to teach Te Reo Māori. It’s important our health professionals know more about our culture. It’s an opportunity here to share with staff and students to help them understand us.”

STUDY TIPS FOR NEWBIES July Study Tips

Plagiarism

Semester 2 is around the corner, so now is a great chance to refresh before getting started. Academic integrity means being honest in your studying and assessments. An important part of achieving this is by avoiding plagiarism which can be hard with multiple papers, readings and when referencing texts.

Ones to Watch: Sunaina Born

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Clearly identify reference quotations, summaries or paraphrases, images, figures, and diagrams taken from another source

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Acknowledge other people’s texts or ideas

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Avoid “copy and paste” to take text from another source unless it is a direct quotation and you have put it in quotation marks and referenced it

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Include a complete and accurate reference list or bibliography of all work cited

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Submit a draft assignment through Turnitin

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Avoid using another student’s work, submitting someone else’s work as your own, or submitting work you’ve submitted in previous assessments

bodies, we still have a lot of work to do.”

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Ask for help if you are not sure

Sunaina says she can see how New Zealand is far ahead in many

You can find out more about academic integrity here.

Bachelor of Science and Arts student Sunaina Born is currently completing papers in Science Communication as part of her studies after returning from Vancouver where she studied acting.

At only 21 Sunaina has a wealth of experience to fuel her passion for her future career which she believes could be as a sex educator.

“I spent six months in Ghana as a volunteer and while I was there I realised how different the western world is for women and sexual health. In saying that, while contraception for women is available in New Zealand and has give us more control over our

things in the world but sex education itself is not one of those things. Her Science Communication training could help her make a difference there.

“Lots of people are embarrassed by what they don’t know and this gets in the way of learning more about a subject we shouldn’t be ashamed of.”

“The problem is schools are told to teach ‘some kind of’ sex education but they’re not regulated on what they should teach or how they should teach it. If we have public education then we can have a standard for sex education. Not talking about sex won’t stop it from happening.”

Sunaina hopes her recent studies will help her become part of the change needed in the education system to keep young people informed and safe.

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Here’s a few tips to help you avoid plagiarism:

It’s no secret that the Otago University Rowing Club is the envy of many others and attracts top athletes from around the country, including Ben Mason and Kobe Miller.

The pair train together at the University and represent New Zealand on different teams. Bachelor of Science (Sport and Nutrition) second-year Kobe says both students took up performance scholarships here at Otago.

“It’s awesome here - there aren’t many places in New Zealand which offer an opportunity like this. I was offered scholarships overseas but Otago has something unique.”

Kobe has had many successes in his rowing career so far, his most recent being offered a place in the 2021 New Zealand Under-21 Team.

Ben, who is studying Bachelor of Commerce (Exercise and Sports

“Wellington is the only place in New Zealand where you can study Radiation Therapy.”

If you ask a young person what their dream career is, it’s not

Science), also came away from the champs with an exciting new venture at the World University Rowing Championships.

“The support we receive at Otago University Rowing Club has definitely helped me develop myself as an athlete. We have great equipment and resources to utilise and better ourselves with. I’ve also learnt how to balance a fun, educated and athletic lifestyle while studying here at Otago.”

While the successes are starting to roll in, both Kobe and Ben will say it hasn’t been an easy road to success and like many things, these are goals that are worth the work.

often that you’ll hear the response “Radiation Therapist”. For

“Finding the balance can be a struggle but time management

Abby Grimaldi this is exactly where she sees her life heading.

helps,” Kobe says. “There are heaps of opportunities to balance

“I hadn’t known that Radiation Therapy was a career option.

It isn’t something that many people know about. In high

your time and the coaches are awesome, you just have to be focussed.”

school we took a trip to the radiation therapy department at the hospital to learn about it as a career, and that’s when I discovered what I wanted to do.”

“Wellington is the only place in New Zealand where you can study Radiation Therapy but it’s actually a really important line of work – it can take you anywhere in the country and almost anywhere in the world.”

“It’s such an interesting course. There is a lot of info to learn so it’s quite intense, but I love it. There’s so many things to discover, things that you haven’t heard before and the learning is relevant and real-life focussed.”

Abby says that the work is good for those who like working with other people, science and have a genuine heart for others.

“I see this as a way to look after the community and give to others. Because of the nature of radiation therapy, you’re working with people who are going through a lot. I would say that people who are interested in pursuing this line of work or study, you need to be very open-minded and empathetic.”

“There aren’t many places in New Zealand which offer an opportunity like this.”

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KEY DATES & EVENTS July | Hōngongoi 08

New Zealand International Science Festival (8 - 18 July)

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Semester 2 begins

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Last day to add semester 2 papers

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Bike Grab

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Last day to delete semester 2 papers with a refund of fees

August | Here-turi-kōkā 01

Applications for residential college accommodation open

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Art Week 2021

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Graduation

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Mid-semester break begins

Regular Events Career Development Centre Events and Career Expos The Health Sciences First Year Integrated Context Lecture Series (ICLS) Diversion Day

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