Te Aka Tauira – Issue 1, May 24

Te Aka Tauira

THISISSUE:

130 years of the Capping Show, learning in the dark with MAOR108, inside the Global Student Exchange programme, & more!

This month:

Seriously good fun: 130 years of the Capping Show

Teaching in the dark: MAOR108 more popular than ever

Deep Dive into ... The Otago Global Student Exchange

Plus:

- Photos of the month - A roundup of Otago news - A look at what’s coming up in May

Otago rowers victorious!

The rowing season ended on a high for Otago with both the men’s and women’s first eights winning their finals at the annual New Zealand University Games at Lake Karāpiro over Easter.

The Otago men’s first eight won the Hebberley Shield with the second eight coming third and the Otago women’s first eight won the Tamaki Cup with the second eight also coming third.

Otago was also awarded the Ashes Trophy for most overall points. The trophy is especially important as it contains some of the ashes of the club’s old shed, which burnt down in 1999. Otago has only ever not won it once.

Top: The Otago men’s first eight celebrates winning the Hebberley Shield, held aloft by Oscar Clatworthy, at Lake Karāpiro at Easter. Photo: @artofrowing.nz

Above: The Otago women’s first eight, who won the Tamaki Cup, pictured with coach George Bushell and coxswain Ella Hansen (left) and coaches Ellen Kirkwood and Lawson Morris-Whyte (right).

Serious fun at Capping Show

The Capping Show will mark its 130th anniversary this month with a show jampacked with singing, dancing and joke cracking, topped off with a zeitgeisty spoof of mega blockbuster Barbie. So, what goes into putting it all together?

Step aside Barbie and Ken, it’s time for Beezie and Ben – the stars of this year’s Capping Show.

Barbie-spoof Beezie will be the main sketch in the 2024 show. It follows Otago students Beezie and Ben as they go out into the ‘real world’ and end up on an epic journey to save Scarfieland from predatory landlords.

It’s classic Capping Show, OUSA Event Coordinator Dane Oates says.

“It’s sharing student stories and highlighting student issues in a way that only a cast and crew of students is able to do.

Beezie was written by Rāhiri Wharerau, Bronson Toghill and Mila McHardy, three recent Otago graduates who have a history with the show. Bronson was one of the leads in the 2023 show and Mila & Rāhiri were part of the core crew. Beezie and Ben

will be played by AJ Keable, who is in her 4th year of a BA in Psychology, and Jack Evans, a 3rdyear student doing an LLB and a BA majoring in Politics.

They’re part of the team of 6080 students who work to put on the show, whether they be performers, actors, writers or crew.

One of the great things about the Capping Show – and one of the reasons it scored a 93 per cent satisfaction rating in an OUSA student survey last year – is that it has a bit of something for everyone, Dane says.

As well as Beezie, the audience can expect comedy side sketches and performances by the Selwyn Ballet, the Sextet – a group of students in clown costumes who have been singing parody songs since the early 1900’s –

and the Sexytet, which started in 2001 as a female counterpart.

OUSA Promotions Coordinator

Kate Lewis, who is in the third year of her BA majoring in Psychology, will play Med Beezie in Beezie, as well as several characters in side sketches.

“It’s awesome to be a part of a cast and crew that’s so talented, genuine and kind. There’s nothing like making a whole crowd laugh or even just hearing them laugh to themselves.”

Capping Show audiences can expect some easy laughs, an affordable night out and the kind of jokes that don’t normally get played out on stage, she says.

“The kind of jokes that are shared between friends at the end of a drunken night on the floor of a friend’s bedroom … at least that’s how some of the sketches are made.”

• The 2024 Capping Show will be held at the College of Education Auditorium over 8 nights between May 16 and 24.

Read the full story

Right: OUSA Promotions Coordinator and actor Kate Lewis promotes Beezie, the main sketch for the 2024 Capping Show, which is sponsored by Wests.

Above: Jack Evans, who plays Ben in Beezie, as a villain in the 2023 Capping Show.

Kōrero by Laura Hewson

“Expect the kind of jokes that are shared between friends at the end of a drunken night on the floor of a friend’s bedroom … .”

– Kate Lewis

PICS OF THE MONTH

Right: Otago does Autumn.

Above: Adeleine Eli (left), Leah Faitonu, Loreal Urika-Filifilia and Abbiegail-Isabellarose Tevaga take part in a filming session at John Wilson Ocean Drive ahead of Samoan Language Week (26 May – 1 June).

Above: Otago rowing George with annual New

Left: Tumuaki Takirua of Te Rōpū Māori Gemella Reynolds-Hatem speaks at the Tuakiritaka launch on 1 May.

rowing captains Brooke Pitchford and Teddy with the Ashes cup for overall points won at the New Zealand University Games at Lake Karāpiro over Easter weekend.

Above: Students from Te Iho Whenua School of Geography, (from left) Sam Potter, Max O’Neill, Mia Des Forges and Tiana Brummitt Rodriguez, enjoy the Aurora Australis in the Mackenzie Basin as part of their GEOG201 week-long residential field trip. Photo: Sam Potter

Bright future for teaching in dark

Kōrero by Laura

Hewson

The stage is set to be packed for the MAOR108 concert this semester as the number of students enrolled in the paper reaches a record high.

MAOR108 Waiata: Te Tīmatanga is an introduction to various forms of waiata and haka. It culminates at the end of the first semester with a concert showcasing everything the students have learned.

While the paper typically attracts around 40-50 students, numbers have swelled to over 90.

The paper appeals to people for different reasons, MAOR108 lecturer Associate Professor Karyn Paringatai says.

International students love it because they get to take something tangible back home to show to their friends and families.

“For our domestic students, maybe they’re wanting to continue something they might not have been able to do at high school but absolutely loved at primary

school. For our Māori students, this is their release, a safe space.”

For Karyn, who received a Prime Minister’s Supreme Teaching Excellence Award in 2014, the biggest change to the paper has been the introduction of teaching in the dark in 2013.

Inspired by pre-European teaching methodologies and accounts of people learning waiata at night in bed at marae, they started teaching waiata in a dark room.

“Our original aim was just to improve pronunciation and the retention and recollection of knowledge. But there was a

whole lot more that we hadn’t banked on. We taught things much quicker than we anticipated so we were able to increase the number of songs we taught. And because they learnt the words more quickly, when they went to learn the actions they could concentrate fully on how to perform the items.”

“Often when you make mistakes in the light, people look at you... all eyes on you. So that means you retreat, and you don’t sing as loud and that’s not good for the overall volume of the class. In the dark, no one can see if you make a mistake.”

Right: MAOR108 introduces students to different waiata and haka, in the context of broader Māori society and culture. The paper culminates in a concert showcasing everything the students have learned during the semester.

Falling in love with waiata and haka

Karyn Paringatai has one major goal when teaching MAOR108.

“My job is to get my students to fall in love with haka and waiata the way I love haka and waiata.”

While the haka has been done by sports team for over 100 years, people still don’t understand what they’re about, Karyn says.

“Haka and waiata are expressions of emotions embedded in every single part of Māori society. Kapa haka teaches us about our histories, teaches us about our whakapapa, our values and our narratives, about prominent people in our histories, about our responsibilities and obligations.

MAOR108 introduces students to different styles of performance and the different reasons why

people compose items in the context of broader Māori society and culture.

“But there’s no exam at the end.

“Haka

when they’re performing and that’s tenfold when you’ve got a whole group of performers who are all radiating that energy.”

and waiata are expressions of emotions embedded in every single part of Māori Society. ”

The concert is their exam.”

Students receive a group mark for the concert, which is not so much an assessment of how well they’ve executed each item but of how much fun they’re having, Karyn says.

“I talk about the intangible x-factors of performance – ihi, wehi and wana. Ihi as this energy that radiates from the performer

Wehi is the response of the audience to the performance and wana is the combination of both.

“It’s the aura that sits over the whole entire performance. It’s something that’s only there in an act of performance and only really lasts for that time.”

Read the full story

Above: One of Associate Professor Karyn Paringatai’s favourite photos from a previous concert. “The girls are in genuine shock because they had no idea the boys were going to do that. We pulled a sneaky on them!”

DEEP DIVE: STUDENT SERVICES

Otago Global Student Exchange

Each month we’ll take a closer look at one of the student services on offer at Otago. This month we talk to a student who’s taken part in the Global Student Exchange Programme and answer all the big questions: Where in the world can you go? What does it cost? And what should you do before packing your bags?

by Laura Hewson

The chance to become fluent in Spanish was too good to resist for Otago student Caleb Lopez-Sanchez, who spent a semester at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC Chile) in Santiago, Chile, last year.

Caleb, who was in the third year of a Bachelor of Arts and Science, was helped on his journey with a Prime-Minister’s Scholarship valued at over $8000, which went towards living expenses, flights, insurance and visa costs.

Kōrero

Left: Completing the W-trek at Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia was a highlight for Otago student Caleb Lopez-Sanchez during his exchange to Chile last year.

Why Chile?

My whānau speaks Spanish but I hadn’t been in an immersive educational environment before. Chile is also quite famous for having a unique version of Spanish, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn how to “speak” Chilean!

Another reason is the diversity in the landscape. Chile is home to the world’s driest desert, endless coastline, the Cordillera de los Andes Mountains (including the Torres del Paine in Patagonia), and so much more. I hoped I would be able to visit all of these places. And I did!

What was UC Chile like?

UC Chile is considered one of the best universities in Latin America, which was reflected in the strong, but very supportive,

“Chile is home to the world’s driest desert, endless coastline, the Cordillera de los Andes Mountains … and so much more. I hoped I would be able to visit all of these places. And I did!”

academic environment.

I was able to study the indigenous cultures in Chile and Latin America, while also joining a research lab where we were undertaking novel research into the neurobiology of obesity.

UC Chile has three campuses across Santiago, and it was a new experience to have to travel between campuses on the metro. Many students travel up to two hours to their classes, while we often take it for granted that we can live next to campus at Otago.

What were the highlights of your exchange?

Meeting people from Chile and all over the world; attending events organised by the New Zealand Embassy in Chile; taking part in extra-curricular activities like beach volleyball and salsa dancing; complet-

ing the W-trek at Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia; and celebrating ‘Fiestas Patrias’, which marks the beginning of the independence process for Chile.

What would you say to anyone thinking of doing an exchange?

Do it! There are so many different countries you can go to and there are also scholarships available. I’ve gained so much more confidence in navigating new environments/situations and now consider myself fluent in Spanish.

Any top tips?

Take the leap and step out of your comfort zone! Have an open mind, be willing to experience new things, and be prepared for your plan to change!

• For more exchange stories and advice on applying, check out the full story

Get with the programme

• About 250 Otago students go on exchange each year.

• Otago has agreements with universities in 35 countries.

• Students are encouraged to factor in an exchange while designing their course, but will have to complete a full semester at Otago and have received at least a B average to be eligible.

• Students in the programme pay domestic fees to Otago and can still get Studylink. There are also a range of scholarships available.

• The International Office has advisers to help with the process.

• The International office is currently looking at applications for semester one, 2025.

More information about the programme.

Left:: Otago students can choose from universities in 35 countries across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region as part of the Otago Global Student Exchange.

There’s more where that came from:

Wellness prize for work on exercise support

Otago graduate Ella Creagh has been named a co-recipient of the Richard Kammann Wellbeing Prize for her research into how physical exercise support can impact marginalised community members.

Ella, who graduated from Otago with a Bachelor of Arts and Science majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience in 2022, conducted the research as part of a Summer Studentship project in 2021-2022.

“The project was about exploring the impact of physical activity support – in the form of subsidies and equipment – on the subjective health and wellbeing of marginalised members of the Wellington Community,” Ella says.

Full story

First DVC (Māori) to claim seat at table

A world of possibilities has just opened up for Māori at Otago, says new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Māori) Distinguished Professor Jacinta Ruru MNZM (Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui) .

“The creation of the DVC (Māori) office is something that as Māori academic staff we’ve been seeking for a long time. To have this investment into a Māori academic voice at this senior level is really significant and it will really help us as a place of learning and research excellence to be the very best that we can be.

Jacinta joined Otago’s Faculty of Law in 1999 and went on to become New Zealand’s first Māori Professor of Law.

Full story

Rebrand to reflect past, present and future

For the first time in 155 years, the University of Otago has significantly changed its visual identity.

The University launched its new brand on 1 May in special ceremonies at the Ōtepoti, Pōneke and Ōtautahi campuses.

The main changes include a new tohu (symbol) and ikoa Māori (Māori name), created in collaboration with mana whenua.

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka will replace Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo as our te reo Māori name. Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka is a metaphor for A Place of Many Firsts – referring to education and academic achievement, research and student experiences.

Learn more about Tuakiritaka

What lurks beneath the Geology building?

Spoiler alert... it’s bomb shelters.

Eugene Yeo, from our social media team, recently went below and beyond to film some bomb shelters that were rumoured to lie beneath the Geology Building.

During World War II, bunkers were built all around Dunedin in anticipation of an attack that never came.

Take a virtual tour and see the bomb shelter that started as a morgue for the Medical School and now serves as a workshop for the Department of Geology. Or check out the shelter that now comes with BBQ facilities.

Watch the video

What’s on in May?