An Informal Record of the BRP in 2009 As Told by Staff and Students the 2009 Yearbook
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
An informal record of the BRP in 2009 as told by staff and students The 2009 Yearbook This yearbook is an informal record of the BRP in 2009. It is always hard to live up to any successful endeavour and 2009 has shown we not only lived up to what was a very successful 2008 but even went one step better. 2009 was also the 30th year that the BRP has been offered at Massey University and we think this yearbook shows the degree as strong as it ever has been. We have celebrated this by using a pearl theme throughout the yearbook. 2 Contents First Years 4 Second Years 10 Third Years 16 Fourth Years 24 Graduation 36 Staff 38 Social Club 48 Flat Crawl 50 Planning Ball 52 Pub Crawl 60 Quiz Night 62 Netball 64 Contact Details 70 Credits: Collated, edited and designed by Ian Luxmoore Specific text contributions credited in text. Non-credited text written by social club. Images from staff and students. 3 First Years This year saw unusually large numbers in our first year papers, with 112 peaking at 70 of which at least 40 were BRP students. We hope to see most back with us in 2010! The David Spring 1st year planning prize went to Luke Place First Year Orientation Tour A new initiative this year saw the social club run an orientation tour for the first year BRP students. This gave them the opportunity to meet planning staff and to locate the facilities that they will use throughout their time doing the BRP. The tour guides were third and fourth year students and the tour finished with a BBQ next to GLB. 4 132.112 - Planning for Sustainable Development Taught by Christine Cheyne in first semester with a roll of 70 students, this paper is the students‟ first encounter with planning. 5 132.112 Fieldtrip around the Manawatu The highlight of 112 was a fieldtrip around the Manawatu which took place on 25 March on a glorious fine autumn day. The focus of the fieldtrip was planning for a sustainable city in Palmerston North and we looked at a range of issues: biodiversity, integration of landuse and transport, energy, urban design, heritage, and waste. From Massey we travelled to view work being done to restore biodiversity by the Green Corridors community group in the Turitea Valley. This was also a chance to learn about the site of the proposed Turitea windfarm, the subject of a resource consent that had been called-in by the Minister under the RMA. Highlights according to the students: “Recycling centre and Savage Crescent” “Getting to see the Green Corridors project and the lunch!” “The Great weather” “LUNCH!” 6 From the rural-residential Turitea valley we travelled through the new urban subdivision of Summerhill checking out integration of land-use and transport, green space and housing. En route to Ashhurst Domain we stopped at the site of the proposed new bridge over the Manawatu connecting Te Matai on the north with Staces Road on the south. In Ashhurst we gathered information about the wind farm developments from the information display at the Domain and then checked out some biodiversity initiatives followed by lunch which seemed to be particularly appreciated! The final two stops of the day were the Savage Crescent heritage housing precinct and Awapuni Sustainable Development Centre. Article by Christine Cheyne Advice from the students for next year: “Don‟t wear white shoes!” “Take lots of notes, wear sunscreen, and listen up!” Don‟t wear canvas shoes!” “Have fun!” 7 132.106 - Introduction to GIS Taught by Derek Williams and Rachel Summers with a roll of 62 students, this paper introduces students to Geographic Information Systems and spatial analysis. 132.111 - Planning and the Environment Taught by April Bennett in the second semester with a roll of 44 students, this paper develops students‟ knowledge of planning and local government. 132.111 Fieldtrip around the Manawatu The theme of the 111 field trip was Ki Uta Ki Tai: Mountains to the Sea. This involved the class travelling around the Manawatu District looking at issues to do with water. First stop was the Pohangina Wetlands, where we saw how two landowners have turned their cow paddocks into a series of vibrant wetlands. 8 From there, we headed uphill to see examples of hill country erosion and to talk to the regional council about the work they‟re doing with farmers to encourage land use change and soil conservation. Winding our way down through the Oroua catchment, we headed to the outskirts of Fielding to check out the new Kiwitea floodgate „in anger‟ (thanks to Rob for turning it on for us!), and then through town to consider cycle commuting to Palmerston North, heritage, and how planning impacts on marae and the obligations of tangata whenua. After a well deserved lunch break at Kowhai Park (note no tables – bad planning!), we travelled to the Feilding Wastewater Treatment Plant to view firsthand what happens to our waste and where it goes – not nice, but necessary! Then onto our final stop of the day, the beautiful Oroua River, where we heard about freshwater planning from two local scientists. 9 Second Years This year‟s second year papers saw 23-24 students on the rolls. Both first semester core papers are with Bruce Glavovic while second semester sees them with Caroline Miller and Ian Luxmoore. The Ken Nairn 2nd year planning prize went to Alana Standish 132.217 - Planning for Hazard Resilient Communities Taught by Bruce Glavovic in first semester with a roll of 24 students, this paper is all about hazards and preparing communities for them. 132.217 - Fieldtrip to Wanganui New Zealand hasn't experienced a major disaster in many decades but we do face floods on a fairly regular basis and their impact can be very significant. A fieldtrip to look at flood risk management issues in Wanganui and Palmerston North let students see how two different communities deal with flood risks. 10 It was a biting cold day as we gathered on the banks of the Wanganui River to hear what the local planner and emergency management officer had to say about the very real risk that flooding poses to parts of the Wanganui central business district. It was very sobering to see where the one- in-a-hundred year flood would reach under an anticipated climate change scenario some decades down the track. Palmerston North has chosen to upgrade its stop banks after coming perilously close to being flooded in 2004. Hearing firsthand from local planners and emergency managers was hugely helpful for us to understand the real-world challenges that communities face in dealing with hazard risks. Clearly, we have to work creatively with communities to design solutions that reduce hazard risks. Article By Bruce Glavovic 11 132.218 - Building Collaborative Communities Taught by Bruce Glavovic in first semester with a roll of 25 students, this paper focuses on the 'process' dimension of planning - how to engage the public in the planning process and of course this means learning how to deal effectively with public conflict. An extended roleplay is a core part of this course and is designed to provide students with a safe learning environment to develop skills in collaboration and conflict resolution. This year's class took to the roleplay with gusto and many students adopted their roles with enthusiasm and creativity. Nothing can prepare one for dealing with the reality of 'an angry public' - but at least this roleplay provides an opportunity to translate readings and lectures into practice. But whilst these are essential skills for every planner, hopefully our graduates don't get faced with too much conflict in their first few year of work as professional planners! 132.212 - Professional Practice I Taught by Caroline Miller in second semester with a roll of 23 students, this paper is all about getting to grips with life as a professional planner out in the workforce and covers all as- pects of planning. 12 132.213 - Policy Analysis and Evaluation Taught by Ian Luxmoore in the second semester with a roll of 22 students, this paper is about learning numerical and computer skills for planning. One of the practical exercises in the paper was to learn computer skills including using Photoshop and Google Earth. Some of the results of an exercise to redesign Stirling Grove in Palmerston North are shown below (original in the middle): 13 Second Year Class Roll Claire Rochelle Catherine Luka Averyll Baldwin Braithwaite Bryant de Jong Edgar Katrina Emma Alana Finbar Nick Ellis Farley Hawke Kiddle Law 14 Margaret Lisa Susan Rachel Alana Moody Orchard Rawles Slater Standish Nicole Andrew Hugh Sheena Dave Marshall Mason McCullough McGuire McKevitt 15 Third Years The third years came out of their shell this year and keep up good numbers from 2009. The J T Steward 3rd year planning prize went to Kate Pascall 132.305 - Heritage Policy and Planning Taught by Jeff McNeill in the first semester with a roll of 22 students, this paper develops students knowledge of natural and cultural heritage planning. 132.305 Fieldtrip The focus of this paper was a two day field trip around the lower Manawatu and Horowhenua that sought to provide concrete examples of ideas raised in class. The weather was rainy for the first day, as we looked at iconic Palmerston North Maori cultural sites around that have been updated as asphalt and concrete covered car parks. 16 Then we went to the Manawatu River where the concrete floodgates were examined, followed by visit to the controversial Foxton concrete seawall for lunch.