Issue 17 • June 2012 - Waiariki Institute of Technology

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News Snippets World famous in New Zealand For the past fours years Waiariki’s carpentry students and their tutor James Putoko have been filmed by Māori Television while they help restore or rebuild marae around the rohe. The footage is used in the TV show AIA Marae DIY with the most recent project at Motiti Marae where they guys built a new waharoa (entrance). These projects give students of the Certificate in Carpentry (Pre-trade) (Level 4) excellent hands-on experience while they assist local communities. Pictured: (back row) Steve Durkin (Tokoroa), Tama Rewiti (Rotorua), Dylan Ryan (Rotorua), Richard Pulma-Hicks (Rotorua), Tama Taupawa (Rotorua); (front row) James Putoko (tutor, Tokoroa), Chandu Grant (Rotorua), Levi Aki (Tokoroa) • Waiariki campus was abuzz with approximately 300 high school students competing in the regional section of the Ngā Manu Kōrero speech contest on June 13. • Semester 2 dates*: Term 3 runs July 16 to September 28; Term 4 runs October 15 to November 9 (*some courses start earlier, contact Waiariki to confirm). • Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week): July 23-29. “Arohatia te Reo”, or cherish the language, is the theme this year, encouraging everyone to show their love for one of New Zealand’s official languages. Visit www.korero.maori.nz for more info. • Open Day is Friday, August 10, 9am to 2pm at Mokoia Campus, a chance for high school students and advisors to learn more about Waiariki in a fun, casual atmosphere. Free transport is available. • Tickets are on sale now (Ticketmaster) for the Rotorua Wearable Creationz held at the Energy Events Centre, Rotorua. Shows run from August 16 through 18, times vary. • Friday, September 14: Cheer on the Bay of Plenty Steamers as they take on the Auckland Blues. Kick off is at 6.05pm, and tickets are available at the door ($20 for adults and $5 for children under 15). • It’s not too early to put the Waiariki Institute of Technology New Zealand Aria Finals Night, on your calendar. Tickets are on sale now (Ticketmaster) for this amazing event on Sunday, October 28, at the Civic Theatre, Rotorua. • Waiariki is hosting the annual New Zealand Association of Language Teachers conference July 1-4 and a French conference on July 5. PAGE 12 | Farm ownership in graduate’s future A Waiariki graduate has taken home two prestigious New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards. John Butterworth was named Central Plateau 2012 Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year in April, and in May followed that with second place in the national awards, plus went home with two merit awards: the Honda Farm Safety and Health Award and DairyNZ Interview Award. John says the prizes, including a ride-on lawn mower and cash, are great but they are not the reason for entering the annual competition. The reward for him is showing that his business plans are well conceived and robust, and that he not only has a good track record with his business finances but also in areas such as management and animal health. The work that went into the application was rigorous but as a result of his efforts, the 25-year-old can now forecast that one of his longtime goals should be reached in just seven years. “Generally, there are some parts of your business where you might not plan or go into in-depth, but this process makes you, so you’ve really got to get into it. That’s the best part that I liked. “Now I have a plan laid out for the future. It’s given me a huge amount of confidence and something to aim for: farm ownership. Because I’ve done that work, the budgets are now looking like 2019 is the dream, so it gives me something to look forward to. All the work I’m doing now, all the long hours, it’s going to pay off. It’s awesome.” John began his studies through AgITO at Waiariki when he was 19, earning the National Diploma in Waiariki has given students more reason to study locally following the purchase of the neighbouring Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park business. Waiariki’s acting chief executive Keith Ikin said the tertiary institute had been interested in providing an opportunity for quality affordable student accommodation for some time. John Butterworth with his Central Plateau 2012 Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year Award. Agribusiness Management in 2009. He recalls knowing his future career path while still quite young, following in his father’s footsteps. “I can remember being around 8 or 9, in school, doing a poster and it had everything about owning my own farm. It’s natural, I was always going to be a farmer.” He continues to live in Mamaku where he grew up and sharemilks 550 cows on 179 effective hectares in Mamaku for his parents, farm owners Jack and Shelley Butterworth. What this means is that John owns the cows and machinery and manages the farm. He has two employees, one of which is also a Waiariki graduate. The farm owners and John equally share the operational costs of the farm and Holiday park adds to student opportunity “Having our own hostel is hard to value. As a regional polytechnic our ability to serve our region as a whole has significantly increased with students from Tokoroa, Whakatane or Taupo now able to move to Mokoia to continue their studies,” Mr Ikin said. Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park, at Waiariki held a barbeque lunch and meet-and-greet for the institute’s newest colleagues at the neighbouring motor camp staff. roughly 12ha, currently has a range of accommodation in the form of cabins, flats and two-storey lodge with around 300 beds. The handover date was May 15 and the site is immediately adjacent to Waiariki’s Mokoia Campus on Old Taupo Road. It is believed the accommodation option so near to the main campus with relatively easy access to Rotorua central business district and increased campus green space will enhance the learning environment for all students. While the business and operational model is still to be formalised, Mr Ikin said the site had a large land area and some good facilities and supporting amenities (including swimming pool and accommodation blocks) which made it a very attractive site. “We will be looking to invest in upgrading the site but we want to take our time and ensure that we get the best benefit from it,” Mr Ikin said. Waiariki Today www.waiariki.ac.nz Photo courtesy of new Zealand Dairy Industry Awards receive 50 per cent of the milk cheque. John says owning his own farm “would be the pinnacle of my career.” He looks forward to making decisions without having to consult with partners, and to taking on the responsibilities and challenges that having sole charge of the business would present. He told AgITO, “Learning to deal with the issues that arise within a farming business would keep me challenged. All that I have learnt during my sharemilking years I can put into practice as an individual rather than having to answer to a second party.” Another bonus, he says, will be a bigger income. “The WHOLE milk cheque, not half!!!”
New technology for journalism students Rotorua Boys’ High School students thought Waiariki’s new journalism equipment was a real hit at the recent Rotorua Careers Expo. More than $50,000 has been spent on new equipment that will give Waiariki’s journalism students hands-on experience with the current technology used in the industry. While the curriculum for this new equipment is yet to be finalised, students are already getting familiar with the set up, use and take down of the cameras, lights, microphones, green screen and the myriad cords that link it all to a system (software and hardware) that records whatever they’re working on. “It’s essentially a portable studio, it takes what would take up three rooms’ worth of filming and editing equipment and put it into a large box,” says Leon Thomas, contract lecturer at Waiariki and multimedia designer. “The new studio equipment will provide the practical experience students need. Previously, there was no practical experience, just theory, as all equipment was basic but not industry standard. Now they’ll be up to speed technologically.” The NewTek TriCaster is the system that records the interviews or newscasts that students set up. It also has an editing program, Premiere, that can be used for edits on the go. “It’s definitely becoming the norm now,” Mr Thomas says. “In the last four years systems like this are coming out. This one is primarily made for schools.” Mr Thomas has been contracting for Waiariki for the past three years, teaching 3-D, computer-aided design (CAD) and digital photography. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom, has an extensive background in the film industry and has worked in Wellington with Peter Jackson on More than 25 years teaching English Noeline Lewis (centre, in blue) with a class of international students studying English. For more than a quarter of a century, Waiariki has been the go-to institute for people who want to learn English if English is not their first language. To date, more than 3,500 students have come from at least 50 countries to learn or improve their English speaking, pronunciation, listening and writing skills. Waiariki’s first overseas student was Nicole Oschger, who came from South Africa in 1986 and studied English before enrolling on a hotel reception course. A year later, the next international student arrived. This one came from Japan and, interestingly, she enrolled on a Japanese course in order to meet New Zealanders who were interested in Japanese. This was Noeline Lewis’ second year teaching at Waiariki and she recalls, “It was the best thing for me as I got used to having experts in my class while I was teaching!” A full-time Japanese programme ran several movies. “Now we can teach work flow and techniques that students can apply in a real-world situation. This is a massive step forward for the polytech and especially the journalism students. “The three rooms that are contained in this box represent what the students will be doing on the job. The big thing here is that this is the studio part, the live broadcast side of television. As far as this system goes, we can do both – live recording and transmitting – we could create a production live, a realworld work flow that is relevant to what they’ll do on the job.” While the curriculum is being developed, Waiariki is also looking to create a recording studio for permanent set up of some of the equipment, similar to the live radio studio already on campus. from 1992 to 2001. Ada Chen, now a Waiariki employee interim directing the International Centre, was top student 2001. In 1994, the Certificate in English was introduced at Waiariki and started with one tutor and three Japanese students. There were also groups of Japanese students joining the programme for two to three weeks each year during the first years. Student numbers – and the countries represented – have continued to grow ever since and the Waiariki campus has welcomed people from China, Thailand, Philippines, Korea, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Chile, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, various African countries, and so many more. Wanting to provide more services to our international students, Waiariki became an official International English Language Testing System (IELTS) site in the late 1990s. Students’ level of English proficiency is tested upon arrival to determine at which level to begin their studies. They can also use the test to provide proof of proficiency to meet study requirements for mainstream qualifications at Waiariki and other tertiary providers. Night with a Dame a chance of a lifetime When Dame Kiri Te Kanawa returned to the stage at Rotorua Convention Centre and thanked the crowd with her signature song Pokarekare Ana, a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for many was complete. Dame Kiri performed her one-off New Zealand concert with New Zealand tenor Ben Makisi and pianist Terence Dennis and it was an evening of glitz and glamour as Rotorua locals and people from further afield turned out for the black tie event. Among the audience were Waiariki and The Daily Post competition winners, mother and daughter Pauline and Olive Bushett. “I really loved the last song – and I want her dress!” 16-year-old Olive told The Daily Post on the night. Olive is an aspiring singer who sang Pokarekare Ana at her uncle’s wedding when she was just eight years old. Pauline had hoped the opportunity would renew Olive’s interest in singing following the death of her brother Tima in January. Olive sings classical and other styles and performs in two choirs at her high school, Western Heights. She’s also been involved in other musical ventures at the school but hadn’t been singing since her brother’s death. Dame Kiri certainly seems to have sparked something with Olive, one of many Rotorua hopefuls who turned out for the New Zealand’s Got Talent Rotorua auditions in late May. Waiariki Academy of Music and Singing students also took part in the auditions. The programme, hosted by broadcaster Tamati Coffey, will air later in the year. We will then find out just how far any Rotorua talent goes up against the rest of New Zealand. As part of further sponsorship, Waiariki Academy of Music and Singing manager Richard Anaru will offer an appropriate academy scholarship to Rotorua’s best-performing hopeful. Pauline Bushett (right) was the lucky winner of two tickets to Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s recent concert sponsored by Waiariki. Ms Bushett brought along her daughter Olive, who is an avid singer. 0800 924 274 Waiariki Today | PAGE 13
Page 1 and 2: WAIARIKI TODAY fROm WAIARIKI TO lOn
Page 3 and 4: London calling for Waiariki Olympia
Page 5 and 6: Charity House partnership for a bet
Page 7 and 8: The pressure cooker to national suc
Page 9 and 10: Sustain Waiariki By Steve Chadwick
Page 11: Waiariki provides doctors to Rotoru
Page 15 and 16: Waiariki Academy of Sport Flying th

Issue 17 • June 2012 - Waiariki Institute of Technology

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