Selwyn Times: July 26, 2016

SELWYN TIMES Tuesday July 26 2016 5
News
Student UN-bound
• By Caitlin Miles
A BIZARRE question and
lost email led to a Lincoln
High School student heading
to the United Nations
headquarters.
Hannah Long has been
accepted to the United Nations
Youth New Zealand Global
Development Tour 2017.
Before being accepted she was
interviewed by the directors of
the United Nations Youth New
Zealand.
“The first question they asked
me was would I rather have
ramen for hair or mushrooms
for ears. I picked ramen, I got
the straight hair gene and I
have always wanted curly hair,”
Hannah said.
The moment she found out
she had been accepted to the
trip not as exciting as it was
stressful. The email notifying
her she had been accepted got
sent to her junk email.
“We got told we would be
notified by email if we had been
accepted, it had got to 11pm
and I didn’t think I had been
accepted, then I checked my
spam for some reason and it
was there,” she said.
Fellow Lincoln High student
Rafael Clarke has also
been accepted for the
programme.
It involves three weeks
travelling around Europe
before spending a week at
the UN headquarters in New
York to learn about global
development, international
cooperation, and the role the
UN plays in both.
Hannah has been a member
of the UN Youth New Zealand
for three years. She has
previously represented France
at a UN Youth conference. The
young people have to gather
information on the country
they represent and discuss the
issues with each other.
Hannah has been keeping a
keen eye on the news overseas
and while she is a little
apprehensive she is also excited
by the chance to be around so
much change.
There were 22 people
throughout New Zealand
selected for the trip.
Hannah has started a
Givealittle page titled Get
Hannah to the Global
Development Tour 2017 to
help her raise the $9000 to pay
for it before the tour starts next
year.
EXCITED: Hannah Long represented France at last year’s
regional UN Youth conference and she represented Singapore
this year’s event. She will spend three weeks travelling around
Europe before heading to the UN headquarters in New York
next year.
In Brief
COMPUTERS ON FARMS
Lincoln University’s role in
making the computer one of
the essential tools on the farm is
told in a new book by Dr Peter
Nuthall, an honorary associate
professor in Lincoln’s Department
of Land Management and
Systems. Dare to Compute. The
early years in the development and
uptake of farm computer systems
is written about the Kellogg Farm
Management Unit at Lincoln,
which Dr Nuthall founded and
was head of for all but two years
of its existence, from 1980 to 1995.
SKATE PARK SITE
The site of the former children’s
playground near the Springfield
donut is being considered as
a possible skate park location.
Local teenager Cohen Earl, 12,
recently suggested a skate park
for Springfield and his idea has
won support from the Malvern
Community Board and the
Springfield Township Committee.
ELECTION CANDIDATES
Nominations for candidates for
local elections in October are
open until noon on August 12.
Candidates must be nominated
on an official nomination form
available during opening hours
from the Darfield, Leeston and
Lincoln libraries and the district
council’s Rolleston headquarters.