SPRING 2006 Gothic children’s literature Scent of the rhino Latin American connection Community presence Andrew (right) and Matt test the brick structure embedded with tyre strips. Used tyres go the extra mile It’s said you should never trust a Andrew says used tyres create a huge environmental used car sales rep—but used car problem by accumulating at approximately the rate of one used tyre per head of population per year tyres could be the structural saviour in so-called developed countries. It can cost up to of poorly-built earthen houses in $3 to dispose of a tyre in a New Zealand landfill. developing countries. “My vision is for tyre strips to be mass-produced Research by Associate Professor Andrew Charleson, in developed countries like New Zealand and then from the School of Architecture, and Master’s transported to developing countries, where, at no student Matt French, is looking at reinforcing adobe or minimal cost, villagers will incorporate them houses with strips of rubber cut from discarded tyres. into their houses,” he says. “This low-cost approach has the potential to reduce seismic vulnerability in developing countries and “This low-cost approach has help solve the ecological problem of used tyre the potential to reduce seismic disposal,” says Andrew. vulnerability in developing “As tragically witnessed after every damaging earthquake in developing countries, due to their countries and help solve the high mass and lack of tensile resistance, the seismic performance of these forms of construction, ecological problem of used and in fact any buildings lacking tensile strength, tyre disposal.” is very poor.” Andrew sees a day where a non-profit organisation The initiative involves horizontally embedding will establish a site where used tyres will be collected, strips of connected, 40mm thick rubber at regular processed, packed and shipped for use overseas. intervals into the walls of an adobe house. “The preliminary tests give grounds for optimism Pairs of vertical strips of rubber, anchored into and two very desirable outcomes eventuate. First, the foundations, rise up the walls and are nailed dwellings will be resistant to collapse during an Contact to roof timbers. Together, they provide strength earthquake, and secondly, the environmental [email protected] and stiffness to what is otherwise weak load- challenge posed by millions of used tyre casings +64-4-463 6222 bearing construction, and also prevents the roof is, at least partially, addressed.” separating from the walls. CONTENTS Education Review Research & Innovation 2 An exciting and diverse wealth of research From the Vice-Chancellor by staff and students. Reconnecting with our alumni and friends has been a major emphasis during 2006—whether in New Zealand or overseas. It’s been refreshing Politics & Policy 7 Politics and policy decisions in the tertiary to meet so many of you and to hear your stories sector and how Victoria is responding to them. and recollections. Another opportunity to meet is at our annual Alumni Dinner on October 12 in Wellington. This evening will be marked by the presentation of our Distinguished Alumni Learning @ Vic 8 Showcasing the quality of learning Awards. The process of selecting this year’s and teaching at Victoria. winners was a humbling experience as we reviewed the achievements of so many talented alumni. I look forward to next year’s nominations process. Gifting 12 It is not only our alumni who shine in their chosen Donations of funding, resources and time endeavours—staff have again received external from those who support the University. accolades. In our creative writing programme, Professor Bill Manhire won the Montana Book Awards poetry section for his collection, Lifted, Alumni News and Senior Lecturer Damien Wilkins won the What our graduates and members of the 14 reference section for his edited collection, University community have been up to. Great Sporting Moments: The best of Sport magazine 1988–2004. Both books were published by Victoria University Press. Town & Gown The best of both worlds—Victoria meets the 18 Each year since its inception in 2001, a Victoria community for activities, performances and staff member has won a National Tertiary Teaching the sharing of expertise. Excellence Award. This year was no exception with Dr Warwick Murray from the School of Geography, Environment & Earth Sciences becoming the seventh Victoria staff member to do so. And just last month Victoria researchers were given a significant funding boost, picking up funding worth almost $4.7 million for 11 new research projects from the highly competitive Marsden Fund. This equates to almost 12 percent of the available funding and is a significant increase from 2005 when $3.5 million was awarded to Victoria researchers. Victorious is published three times a year by Victoria University - All this highlights that we can be proud to be part of Wellington, Te Whare Wa-nanga o te Upoko o te Ika a Ma-ui, of the vibrant Victoria University of Wellington PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand. www.vuw.ac.nz community. To notify a change of address: Register for Life After Vic at www.vuw.ac.nz/alumni or email: [email protected] or call +64-4-463 6700. Editorial team: Rob Lee, Kate Doran, Amy Morley, Antony Paltridge, Lucy Smith, Jude Urlich. Pat Walsh Photographs (unless otherwise credited): Vice-Chancellor Image Services, Victoria University of Wellington. Cover Image: Dr Anna Jackson in Wellington’s Mount St Cemetery. Image: Robert Cross, Image Services. ISSN 1172-0387 © Victoria University, 2006 1 Research & Innovation Victoria’s academic staff are leaders in their fields of research expertise. If you have a project that requires the skills and knowledge of our staff, contact Professor Charles Daugherty. E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +64-4-463 5572. The ethics of aboriginal research Through the ages, research and ethics haven’t always been bed-fellows. But when it comes to contemporary, university-based research, ethics is a fundamental and vital component. Dr Bill Hipwell, Lecturer in Development Studies and Ethics Officer for the School of Geography, Environment & Earth Sciences, was invited to Taiwan in March to conduct a lecture tour on ‘University Research Ethics and Aboriginal Peoples’. Research ethics, as practiced in much of the world, are based on a set of prescribed procedures and policies. The Dominion Post “This usually involves obtaining informed consent from research subjects and assuring ethics panels, such as Victoria’s Human Ethics Committee, that research subjects won’t be harmed in the research Arcade analysis process,” says Bill. 1980s arcade games—the cause of many a misspent “However, in Taiwan, research ethics have received relatively little youth—are a dying breed, and there’s a risk an attention, particularly in relation to aboriginal communities. Given important part of our cultural history could be the Taiwan Government’s increasing use of aboriginal cultures to establish an identity separate from the People’s Republic of China, lost if nothing is done to preserve them. ethics is even more important.” Dr Melanie Swalwell, Lecturer in the School of English, Film, Bill says research ethics among aboriginal peoples is more Theatre, & Media Studies, has published a study on the history complicated as they are often marginalised and politically of New Zealand’s gaming culture, which she found was booming disempowered, so may lack the confidence to say ‘no’ to researchers. in the 1980s. “This creates a greater potential for harm, and makes it harder to She describes her interactive, web-based work as “part game and ensure they are truly giving their informed consent.” part exploration”. Players can retrace her discoveries by ‘talking’ On his five-day lecture tour, Bill visited three universities and three to figures in the game and following the resulting avenues of inquiry. aboriginal communities, discussing research ethics. “There’s a huge Melanie says computer games can tell a lot about New Zealand’s gap between ethical practice and research in Taiwan, and I wanted introduction to digital technology, as many people became familiar to close that,” he says. with it through playing computer games. In the aboriginal communities he visited, Bill encouraged people Her research uncovered the fact that a surprising number of arcade, to share their research needs, and explained how research ethics console, and computer games were produced locally, partly due procedures could help protect them. to strict import licensing restrictions making it difficult to import At the universities—Providence University, the National Kaohsiung video games. Normal University and National Dong Hwa University— “Games deserve to be recognised as historically significant artefacts he spoke with researchers about developing their own research but so little has been kept that if we don’t do anything soon to ethics committees. preserve them, a whole part of New Zealand’s history will be lost. “The Human Ethics Committee at Victoria is terrific, offering “My hope is that my research will contribute to a greater awareness guidance to staff and students, and administering the University’s of the early digital games material New Zealand produced, so work policy on research ethics. I think that universities in Taiwan should on its conservation can get underway. enjoy this kind of relationship.” “Consoles like the Sportronic (a Designmark award winner) and the entirely New Zealand-made arcade game, Malzak, are unique internationally.”