Annual Report
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Annual Report 2019 Contents 1 From the Chair 20 Wakefield Fellowship brings hope to sufferers of stroke 2 The Town Hall story A Christchurch dream renewed 22 The UC Māpura Bright Start Scholarship as the spark for future success 4 Rotary Youth Trust Scholarship supports software aspirations 24 Donation supports UC research into nutrition and mental health 6 Prize in legal ethics fosters academic and professional excellence 26 Final-year UC Engineering students get hands-on experience 8 Te Mātāpuna Mātātahi Children’s University opens doors for children and their whānau 28 Astronomy school exceeds students’ expectations 10 Bright ideas spark business success 30 Bequest supports young women to 12 Prominent alumnus supports emerging engineer a career entrepreneurs 32 Thank you to our 2019 donors 14 The University of Canterbury Students’ Association thanks you for Haere-roa 38 Thank you to our 2019 board volunteers 16 Research facilitates positive change from 39 Financial statements 2019 ‘brutal old days’ of rape trials 18 Bequest helps astronomer with stellar research From the Chair Thank you for your philanthropic support of Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) in 2019. Through your significant contributions to UC Tūmahana | University of Canterbury Foundation as alumni, friends and staff, you have helped to strengthen our mission of providing excellence in all aspects of research, teaching and learning. Your support for our students, researchers and the greater UC community shows that you understand the importance of higher education and how education can change lives. Thank you to those of you who have chosen to leave a gift in your Will and whom we have now welcomed into our Partners in Excellence programme. Your legacies will touch the lives of countless individuals – allowing UC to make a real difference to future generations of students and staff through scholarships, endowments, building improvements and equipment. I would also like to extend my thanks to those who contribute and freely give their time to the University through their involvement with internships, mentorships and advisory boards, and to our Trustees in Aotearoa New Zealand, the United States of America and the United Kingdom. In this report we are only able to bring you a few of the many stories about how your generosity is having an impact on our community in a great variety of ways. Thank you for your belief in us and that together, we can make and are making a real difference in the world. Barry Ramsay Chair UC Tūmahana | UC Foundation UC Foundation Annual Report 2019 1 The Town Hall story A Christchurch dream renewed From the tortuous beginnings of the It is fitting that, as an early advocate for repairing and restoring the building, former Associate Professor of Art History at Te original building project through to Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | the University of Canterbury (UC) the battle to save the complex after Dr Ian Lochhead edited The Christchurch Town Hall 1965–2019: A dream renewed. As early as 20 March 2012, he was expressing his the earthquakes of 2010–2011, a views in The Press in an article titled “Let our public living room new book, published by Canterbury live again”. University Press (CUP), captures When the facility opened to much fanfare and civic interest in 1972, the auditorium in particular was unlike anything seen in an intimate story of the Ōtautahi Aotearoa New Zealand before, Dr Lochhead explains. While Sir Christchurch Town Hall. Miles Warren led the creative architectural team (establishing the reputation of Warren & Mahoney nationally), it was Sir Harold Marshall who was responsible for the world-class A clear example of Ōtautahi Christchurch’s proud tradition of acoustics that changed the way concert halls around the world public architecture is one of the city’s favourite buildings – the were designed from that point on. Christchurch Town Hall. As the city’s ‘public living room’ for hosting celebrations, concerts and civic events, the Town Hall The quality of Sir Harold’s acoustic design attracted performers reopened triumphantly in 2019 after a successful campaign for of the calibre of Leonard Bernstein, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Carlos its restoration. 2 UC Foundation Annual Report 2019 Left: The Douglas Lilburn Auditorium looking towards the stage. (Duncan Shaw-Brown) Above: Miles Warren. South perspective with Limes Room and Ferrier Fountain. (MB 1421 Warren & Mahoney architectural drawings collection, Te Puna Rakahau o Macmillan Brown | Macmillan Brown Library, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury) Santana and, at the end of 2019, renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. UC returned to the Town Hall for its graduation ceremonies It also saw the Christchurch Town Hall recognised alongside in 2019. It was one of many key Christchurch organisations the great concert halls of Vienna, Boston and Lucerne. The to again use this much-loved space for their most important Philharmonie de Paris, which opened in 2015, took its design celebrations. cues from the Christchurch Town Hall, to the extent that The Christchurch Town Hall 1965–2019: A dream renewed, edited the French employed Marshall Day Acoustics, the practice by Dr Ian Lochhead, is available now in hardback edition established by Sir Harold in 1981. from the Canterbury University Press website or your local Details such as these make the book a treat for history lovers, bookseller (248pp, colour and B&W illustrations, ISBN: 978-1- architecture buffs and conservation advocates alike. The 98-850310-3). compelling story of the incredibly challenging restoration is recounted in chapters by Peter Marshall and John Hare as well as captured in photos by Duncan Shaw-Brown (a former UC Editor Ian Lochhead taught Art History at UC from 1981 to photographer) and Olivia Spencer-Bower. This book has been 2014. He has written extensively on the history of Aotearoa made possible through the generous support of The Warren New Zealand architecture from the colonial period to the Trust, Tonkin + Taylor, the Friends of the Christchurch Town Christchurch School. CUP published one of his earlier books, Hall Organ, Texco and the Christchurch City Council. A Dream of Spires: Benjamin Mountfort and the Gothic Revival, in 1999. The Society of Architectural Historians of Australia and New Zealand made him a life member in 2013. UC Foundation Annual Report 2019 3 I’m imagining the opportunities ahead of me and I plan to make the most of this scholarship and not treat it lightly,” 4 UC Foundation Annual Report 2019 About the Riccarton Rotary Youth Rotary Youth Trust Brian Moore, benefactor Trust Scholarship The Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust was initiated through the generosity of Mr Brian Moore. Born in 1923, Mr Moore became supports software a chartered accountant practising in Riccarton and joined the Rotary Club of Riccarton in 1956. aspirations His particular interest in youth motivated him to use some of his personal funds to create a foundation that provided financial support to youth in need. As outlined in the Naga Patelkhana was awarded foundation’s original documents, its main objective was the Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust “to promote and assist in the promotion of the education training advancement and benefit in life of children and Scholarship for 2019. young persons”. Many other members of the Rotary Club backed this philosophy through providing both financial and It will support her throughout her Honours Degree studies administrative support. in software engineering. The scholarship provides financial support to the value of $10,000 per annum. The first Trustees, in addition to Mr Moore, included two other members of the Rotary Club of Riccarton: Mr Richard “This scholarship has not only taken the stress off for me but Harrington (then Mayor of Riccarton) and Mr Lyall Hobson. also my parents who are not able to work,” says Naga. They Originally known as the Riccarton Youth Foundation, in 1999 it are very supportive of me doing a Bachelor of Engineering was renamed the Riccarton Rotary Youth Trust. with Honours but finding the financial means was proving elusive. My Dad was so happy for me being awarded this The Trust now distributes in excess of $150,000 every year. Of financial support, he was practically dancing. I’m imagining this total, around $100,000 goes in relatively small amounts the opportunities ahead of me and I plan to make the most of to children for such items as clothing, school trips and this scholarship and not treat it lightly,” she says. fees, which help these children to realise their ambitions. In addition, some $40,000 each year is provided in scholarships Naga’s family members tend to be interested in engineering for students attending the Universities of Canterbury and and her father was instrumental in helping her to develop her Lincoln as well as to Ara students. In recent years, the Trust mathematics ability over recent years. has given significant sums to Koro Care, to Hohepa and the “I’m considering what I can do with my abilities. At one point, Christchurch City Mission for vehicles, and to Endometriosis when I was younger, I wanted to be an inventor. I hadn’t New Zealand to produce a video for use in schools around the considered anything to do with computers until my cousin country. showed me what computers can do and it looked really cool. There is no doubt that the foresight of Mr Moore has added a Their versatility is exciting and I find learning about computer great deal to the lives of many children and young people. engineering and in particular software, very satisfying. My first semester is devoted to getting the foundations of Mr Moore died in December 2019, at the age of 96. engineering, mathematics and physics bedded down.