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Wednesday 25 March 2020

Carl Shuker Ockham NZ Book Awards finalist: Otago alumnus Carl Shuker’s novel A Mistake has just been shortlisted for the 2020 Ockham Book Awards $55,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction. Carl graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health (DPH) from Otago in 2019. Also shortlisted for the 2020 fiction award is the novel Pearly Gates by 1992 Robert Burns Fellow . Carl Shuker Photo courtesy of Ebony Lamb Read more on www.rnz.co.nz

Kendall Flutey on Government’s Digital Council: Otago alumna Kendall Flutey and Professor Colin Gavaghan have been appointed to the Government’s Digital Council for Aotearoa. Kendall was named Young New Zealander of the Year in 2019 and is co-founder and CEO of Banqer, the EdTech start-up that teaches young Kiwis about money and personal finance. She has a BCom, DipGrad and Master of Entrepreneurship from Otago. Professor Kendall Flutey Gavaghan is the Director of the New Zealand Law Foundation Centre for Law and Policy in Emerging Technologies. Read more on www.stuff.co.nz

Playwright Emily Duncan: Emily discusses her year as Robert Burns Fellow and plans for the future. Read more on www.odt.co.nz

Coronavirus breakthrough: Otago microbiology and medicine alumnus and Deputy Director of Melbourne’s Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity Dr Mike Catton was part of a team of researchers that successfully developed a lab-grown version of the new coronavirus in January, which will provide international laboratories with crucial information to help combat the virus, and could speed up the creation of a vaccine. Read more through unimelb.edu.au

Venture capitalist joins company TracPlus: Auckland-based Commerce graduate Bridget Unsworth has joined the board of tracking and communication company TracPlus. The move follows nine years as an Investment Director for the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund and Bridget is also part of the leadership team of the Angel Association. Read more on www.odt.co.nz

New Year Honours 2020:

Congratulations to all University of Otago alumni and staff who received New Year Honours: Dr Anna Crighton QSO JP was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to heritage preservation and governance. You can read more about Dr Crighton's heritage work here.

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit CNZM: Ms Helen Heffernan for services to health; Mr Donald MacCormick (Murray) for services to health particularly surgery; and Dr Edward Ward for services to intensive care practice.

Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit ONZM: Ms Priscilla Askew for services to music; Ms Jan Bolwell for services to dance and theatre; Dr John Delahunt (Senior Lecturer in medicine at University of Otago ) for services to endocrinology and the transgender community, you can read more about Dr Delahunt's work here; Mr William Gosden MNZM for services to the film industry; Ms Susan Kedgley for services to women and governance; Ms Annette Milligan for services to health, particularly nursing; and Mr Shayne Walker (Senior Lecturer in Social Work at University of Otago) for services to fostering children and social work.

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit MNZM: Ms Gillian Bibby for services to music education; Mrs Judith Geare for services to language education and New Zealand-Germany relations; Professor Ngaire Kerse for services to seniors and health; and Mr Gordon Wilson for services to education.

Queen’s Service Medal QSM: Mr Norman Crawshaw for services to the community and sport; Dr Alison Gaston (former University of Otago staff member) for services to health and health education; Mr Kenneth Hamilton (Alan) for services to athletics and youth; Mrs Beryl Maultby (former University staff member) for services to the community; Mr Terence O’Neill for services to sports journalism; and Mrs Rosemary Stott for services to music.