The UniversiT y of AUckl And Alumni mAgAzine | Autumn 2010 eyes on AvATAr Alumnus mark sagar recreates the human face helen clark honoured Tackling Auckland’s waterfront In this issue Ingenio – The University of Auckland Letters to the Editor 4 alumni magazine 5 Autumn 2010 ISSN 1176-211X University news Editors: Judy Wilford, Tess redgrave, helen Borne helen clark 5 Editorial advice and proof reading: Brilliance affirmed 7 Bill Williams Art direction/production: Brigid cottrell Design: vanda Tong Photography: godfrey Boehnke, kathryn Features robinson making faces for movies 8 Advertising manager: don Wilson Proof reading: danelle clayton, Pauline curtis Taking issue 10 insights from māori 12 Editorial contact details Ingenio learning science 16 communications and marketing The University of Auckland crime and prosecution 18 Private Bag 92019 Auckland 1142, new zealand distinguished Alumni Awards 20 level 10, fisher Building 10 18 Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland The busiest musician 24 Telephone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 84149 Facsimile: +64 9 373 7047 Email: [email protected] www.auckland.ac.nz/ingenio Regular sections How alumni keep in touch Alumni opinions 26 To ensure that you continue to receive Ingenio, and to subscribe to @auckland, campaign 29 the University’s email newsletter for alumni and 33 friends, please update your details at: Alumni achievers www.alumni.auckland.ac.nz/update Alumni news / noticeboard 34 Alumni Relations Office The University of Auckland Books 36 19A Princes street, Private Bag 92019 Auckland 1142, new zealand Art 37 Telephone: +64 9 373 7599 ext 88723 20 Email: [email protected] student life 38 www.alumni.auckland.ac.nz sport 39 Copyright Articles reflect personal opinions and are not those of The University of Auckland. no parts of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent of The University of Auckland. All rights reserved. ©The University of Auckland 2010 38 Cover photo Alumnus mark sagar by dean carruthers Ingenio is printed on 100% recycled, elemental chlorine free paper, using soy-based ink. 22 | The university of Auckland From the Vice-Chancellor Funding for quality over the last 18 months we have lived with wealthier overseas universities, particularly in can regularly send out raiding parties to the consequences of the global financial Australia, the United states and Asia. Just last capture our best and brightest. crisis and, in contrast to some universities, year for example, the University of Adelaide so the challenge for taxpayers is to weigh we have come through it pretty well. But offered all-expenses paid trips to new zealand up where funds allocated to tertiary education this experience has demonstrated that new students, hoping to convince them to study should actually go. students and their families zealand has to make some difficult choices. there. The Australian national University not only want access to universities but they one of the most important choices is how we advertised for professors from new zealand, also want to know that the universities they invest in our university system. offering to take not only the professors attend will deliver a quality education. for the first time in recent years, we are themselves, but also their entire research Although our leading the Way facing the rationing of access to a university groups. And our economics department lost philanthropic campaign is progressing well, education. The government, on behalf of the six staff in just that one year – all of them to it will produce only a fraction of the income taxpayer, is no longer prepared to financially foreign universities. for many, the offers are necessary to defend ourselves from the rapidly support every student who wishes to attend too attractive to turn down. escalating international competition for talent. university for however long he or she wishes While international experience is an We must ensure new zealanders are clear to attend. But further difficult decisions will important part of any education, we need to about what they want from their university be required if we are to maintain the quality ensure that new zealand universities attract system. Access is important, but if it comes at of our universities, of the education we offer and retain their share of the most talented the cost of reduced quality that will not be in and the research we undertake. in particular, staff and students. however, the current the interests of this country. we will have to ask ourselves about the balance of investment in the tertiary system appropriate balance between investment makes that extremely difficult, and we are at in the actual institutions that teach and risk of creating a system that is cheap but of research, and in the students themselves. declining quality. in terms of the total government funding it is important to remember that investment for tertiary education as a proportion of in a university education delivers a private GDP we are above the OECD average. as well as a public return. recent ministry StuarT mccUTcheon however, we have an unusual distribution of education statistics show that university of that expenditure. Across the OECD, an graduates have an average 20 percent higher average 18 percent of the total amount salary than non-graduates. in Australia, it each country invests in tertiary education has been estimated that having a university goes to support students and 82 percent to degree leads to higher lifetime earnings of funding institutions such as universities and about $1.5 million, and a similar figure is polytechnics. But in new zealand, 42 percent likely to apply here. What do you think? Respond to this editorial of the taxpayer investment supports students Australian research has also shown that by emailing the editor: while only 58 percent supports the institutions. universities generate a 14-20 percent return [email protected] The net result of this funding pattern, on the public investment in them. yet despite which has been evolving over the last two these benefits, and despite its high overall decades, is a highly efficient, value-for-money level of investment in tertiary education, new university system which is now under-funded zealand invests in its universities at a rate and under threat. well below the OECD average - a rate just 60 increasingly, our best and brightest – percent that of Australia and 40 percent that students and staff – are being lured away by of the Us. little wonder that those countries Ingenio Autumn 2010 | 3 Letters to the Editor christianity, because he does not consider Challenging Dawkins it worthy of serious engagement. But in that Professor Lynn Ferguson Professor richard dawkins is a passionate case, how is he different from those who replies: man, committed to defending the science of pillory biological history? The University biological evolution against its detractors. of Auckland must provide a culture of in response to neil Pryor’s letter i am pleased The Greatest Show on Earth is part of that academic integrity, which entails accurate to hear that he is supportive of my work. defence. Biological evolution provides a representation of empirical data, and of i wish to answer the questions as to unifying framework of the life sciences with perspectives with which one might disagree. whether i believe that chemical residues overwhelming evidential support. i and dawkins, no less than his creationist have the potential to cause cancer. of course fellow christians in the biological sciences opponents, fails this test. they can. it is essential that when permitted unreservedly support the promotion of A fully referenced copy of this letter pesticides are used, these are in the amounts evolutionary science. We also urge all is available on request to: g.finlay@ and times indicated by the scientific evidence. christians to be receptive to, and informed auckland.ac.nz however, residues of pesticides are not by, biblical scholarship. Genesis was never Dr Graeme Finlay, from the Department the only possible cancer cause, nor even intended to be a sourcebook of scientific data. of molecular medicine, was invited to write considered to be a major one (if at all). But histories other than evolutionary history this response to Professor Richard Dawkins’ my comments drew attention to the fact are also important for forming us as people. visit to the university in march. See how that some pathogens, especially fungal Another dawkins’ project is to preach an alumni responded to the controversial pathogens, may themselves produce potential exclusively materialistic world-view. in The scientist’s lecture on pages 26 – 27. carcinogens. indeed, aflatoxin B1 is one God Delusion he savaged the historical of the most potent carcinogens known, records of the christian faith. he stated that and is produced by a fungus growing on the biblical accounts of the life of christ were The odd one out stored nuts and grains. even washing will selected randomly from a large variety of it was heartening to read (Ingenio spring not remove the toxin, which penetrates into available “gospels”. however, the non-biblical 2009) of the cancer research being the tissues. furthermore, in the absence of “gospels” were remote from Jesus’ hebrew undertaken at The University of Auckland. exogenous pesticides, the plant will attempt context, lacked historical referent, and were it was also refreshing to find that lynn to stop the infection by producing its own products of the world-denying, dualistic, ferguson is making an effort to discover ways endogenous pesticides. These are more likely individualistic greco-roman religious scene. we can avoid getting cancer, even though in to be dangerous than those that are known, dawkins stated that the gospels were her words she sees herself as “the odd one regulated and controlled. severely corrupted by accumulated copyists’ out”. “odd” because she is looking for ways to And if there is, indeed, a good source of errors.