Andreas Neef

auckland.ac.nz/UniNews JULY 2021 ANDREAS NEEF Why we should research our holiday destinations to avoid heading to the dark side Page 8 GRADUATION SUCCESSES THE FACTS ABOUT GOUT GOING POSTAL Mother-of-six Paula Hughes is one of many Professor Nicola Dalbeth wants to dispel Associate Professor of Dance, Alys Longley, outstanding achievers in our latest cohort myths about a disease that attacks Māori felt like her hands were tied behind her of graduates and Pacific in high numbers back in lockdown, but delivered a creative solution Page 3 Page 6 Page 10 IN THE NEWS THIS ISSUE Just a few of the University of Auckland staff and student achievements in the Graduation stories 3 media recently. Email: [email protected] Good to Know 4, 5 Nicola Dalbeth 6, 7 Andreas Neef 8, 9 Art & Culture Alys Longley 10 Suresh Muthukumaraswam Gus Fisher Art Gallery 11 Architecture Biennale 11 PSYCHEDELIC OPPORTUNITIES Dr Suresh Muthukumaraswam told Newsroom Books 11 that New Zealand has the scientific expertise to hold clinical trials of psychedelic drugs, which Māramatanga: Robert Bartholomew 12 are touted as a promising form of treatment for people living with mental illness. He said the other advantage would be to attract venture Melani Anae capital and boost the economy. Link: tinyurl.com/newsroom-psychedelic HISTORY OF POLYNESIAN PANTHERS USEFUL Associate Professor Melani Anae and her early NEW APP experiences with the anti-racist group the Polynesian Panthers featured in a Stuff podcast The University to mark the Panthers’ 50th anniversary. Melani has a new app also commented widely on the government’s called UoA Alert dawn raids apology on RNZ, and in Canvas to keep staff and magazine, among others. students informed Links: tinyurl.com/RNZ-melani-anae of any incidents tinyurl.com/Canvas-Melani-Anae that may affect them. The app can Helen Murray send mobile notifications of emergency situations. Download it from the usual app stores by searching UoA Alert. BRAIN INJURY RESEARCH NEEDED Neuroscientist Dr Helen Murray told TVNZ a greater understanding of repetitive brain injuries is needed before a proper link between chronic EDITOR: Denise Montgomery traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and rugby [email protected] can be ascertained. CTE can ultimately cause PHOTOGRAPHY: Elise Manahan, Billy Wong dementia. DESIGN: Stephen Wang Link: tinyurl.com/TVNZ-helen-murray-CTE PRODUCTION: The University of Auckland Barkin Sertkaya Volume 51/Issue 5/July 2021 PUBLISHED BY: The University of Auckland Communications Office OLDEST MUSIC BROUGHT TO LIFE COVID-19 EXPERTS ON AIR Alfred Nathan House, 24 Princes Street Guitarist Barkin Sertkaya from the School Professor of Physics Shaun Hendy, a Covid-19 Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142 of Music talked to Jesse Mulligan on RNZ modelling expert from Te Pūnaha Matatini, talked Web: auckland.ac.nz/UniNews Afternoons about his recent recording of a to RNZ’s Checkpoint about the emergence of the composition inspired by the world’s oldest positive Covid-19 case in an Australian visitor to Something to share? Email: UniNews@ surviving piece of music, the Seikilos Epitaph, Wellington. And Professor Des Gorman (School auckland.ac.nz. Copy deadline is the 14th which is engraved on an ancient tombstone. He of Medicine) told TV3’s The AM Show that he of the month prior to publication. also gave a live performance of Koyunbaba, a believed the risks of keeping the Australian guitar suite named after a shepherd who lived in bubble open are great. When posted, UniNews is delivered in certified 15th-century Turkey. Des link: tinyurl.com/AMShow-Des-Gorman degradable EPI ‘plastic’ in keeping with this Link: tinyurl.com/RNZ-barkin-sertkaya Shaun link: tinyurl.com/RNZ-shaun-hendy University’s sustainability goals. 2 UNINEWS GRADUATION STORIES GRAD EXPECTATIONS The University’s June cohort of graduates is expected to play an important role in society using knowledge from their degrees. Here are a few of their stories. international borders. Unable to travel home, she Catholic School in Manurewa, not far from where has had to watch helplessly as her country has she lives, and says it’s great to have been able to been ravaged by the disease. study and work in her own neighbourhood. Divya’s prize-winning dissertation was on the “The South Auckland Campus being close to legalisation of same-sex marriage in India and she’s home, especially as a mum, was a big influence now beginning her doctorate, specialising in family in my decision to return to study, and the law, with particular focus on forced marriages. environment was very family-friendly. It felt like a “I have experienced freedom in an altogether warm, close community.” new light,” she says of her time in New Zealand. ■ Full story: auckland.ac.nz/paula-hughes “While women’s rights have come a long way in the past few decades in India, ground still needs to Callum Tokorangi (Global Studies) be covered. Drafting good laws is usually the first At his graduation, Callum Tokorangi wore a step, but what is more important is to see them collection of special shell necklaces passed on being effectively implemented. What matters most from his Cook Island nana to honour her memory, for women is a change in societal mindsets that and that of his Aitutaki whānau. have evolved from strong patriarchal traditions.” Callum was in the first cohort to graduate with ■ Full story: auckland.ac.nz/divya-rathore a Bachelor of Global Studies from the University. The programme was founded by the the late Dr Hilary Chung, as “a degree for people who want to change the world”, an idea that connected strongly with Callum. Callum majored in global politics and human Hanna Davidson (Engineering/Arts) rights and as well as paying tribute to his mum, Hanna Davidson could find herself working on dedicated his graduation day to Hilary, the person a construction project in France one day, after whose vision and belief in her students led him on graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) this path. and Bachelor of Arts (French). “It was Hilary’s ability to see the potential in me “The work of the late British-Israeli architect and others and call it out that drove me to pursue Zaha Hadid was what first sparked my interest this degree to its end. I will always strive to be a in engineering, with her structures having such change in the world and follow my passions as a Paula Hughes (Education) natural forms despite being constructed from testament to her input into my life.” Mother of six and mature student, Paula Hughes robust materials,” says Hanna. “She was also ■ Full story: auckland.ac.nz/callum-tokorangi (pictured above with Dean of Education and a great inspiration as an example of a woman Social Work, Associate Professor Mark Barrow) is succeeding in the construction space.” the first in her family to attend university, and has Hanna credits her passion for French to an done it in style. enthusiastic high-school teacher, who inspired her Paula graduated with a Bachelor of Education to keep studying the language. She took a gap year (Primary) from the University’s South Auckland in Europe to immerse herself in the language. Campus, Te Papa Ako o Tai Tonga, with a senior Hanna initially focused on maths and physics scholar award, having also been the top Pacific with the option to cross over to Engineering student in her first year. should the opportunity present itself. Five years For such a milestone, it was important to Paula later, she has achieved her goals and is working that both her elderly parents, her siblings and at WSP Global, an engineering consultancy, as a nieces could attend her honouring ceremony. bridge engineer. It was held at Te Tai Tonga the night before the ■ Full story: auckland.ac.nz/hanna-davidson official event at Spark Arena, where she was Divya Rathore (Law) joined by her husband and some of her children, As Divya Rathore stepped on stage to receive her as well as her parents by livestream. CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS ONLINE Master of Laws, her proud family were watching “As a first generation Samoan New Zealander, Photos of the June graduation her triumph via livestream from the Indian state of it was a very proud day for my family because it’s ceremonies: auckland.ac.nz/winter- Madhya Pradesh, 12,000 kilometres away. a Samoan parents’ dream for their children to do grad-photos and graduation stories: Divya, an international student at the Auckland well, especially at tertiary level,” she says. auckland.ac.nz/graduation-stories Law School, arrived before Covid-19 closed Paula already has a job teaching at St Anne’s auckland.ac.nz/UniNews 3 GOOD TO KNOW ARTS KAIĀRAHI Leanne Tamaki (Ngāi Tūhoe) becomes the new Faculty of Arts kaiārahi from 5 July. Leanne worked closely with the previous kaiārahi Hirini Kaa and Aroha Harris to embed te ao Māori into the Faculty. She has a decade of experience in the arts, culture and heritage sector, having worked on several national Vice-Chancellor Dawn Freshwater with Theresa Gattung (centre) projects before starting at Auckland in 2020. and Dean of the Business School, Professor Susan Watson. by a desire to help make New Zealand the best NEW MIGRATION BOOST TO EQUITY place to do business, particularly for women. Theresa was the first woman CEO of Telecom THEORIES IN BUSINESS New Zealand and over the years she has held Early Polynesians are likely to have arrived Funding from one of New Zealand’s leading multiple governance positions. in the southern Pacific from a range of routes businesswomen will go towards empowering “Improving women’s economic empowerment through Island Southeast Asia, mixing and other women to excel in business.

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