MasseyMThe magazine for alumni and friends of Massey University | Issue 34 | 2017 Minister of bling and everything Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett on women, leadership and juggling multiple portfolios + Researching Sa-moan youth gang culture + Cleaning up soil contaminants for future generations + Ma-ori visual artist’s prolific year www.massey.ac.nz | Massey University | April 2017 | MASSEY | 1 2 | MASSEY | April 2017 | Massey University Massey | 2017 5 13 15 20 Cover story People 6 The Westie deputy 18 Meeting Massey’s new vice-chancellor Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett has been Professor Jan Thomas is a high-flyer with equally saddled with a swag of portfolios but is confident lofty ambitions for the quality of the University’s that she can manage the load and defend the research and its workplace culture, and reinforcing Government’s record at the same time. connections with its alumni community. 20 Just call me Mavis Features Distinguished alumnus Mavis Mullins passes the first-name test in Ma-ori agribusiness circles, and after a year receiving numerous accolades for her 5 Reviving University Challenge work in the sector could soon be better known to Host Tom Conroy had always wanted to appear the general public too. on his favourite quiz show, and quirks of fate saw him lead the charge to bring the show back to New Zealand screens with himself in the hot seat Departments asking the questions. 13 The adventurous disrupter 3 Campus wide Linda Jenkinson has spent almost her entire adult A round-up of news from Massey’s three life building successful businesses in the United campuses and further afield. States. Now she is back home to show budding New Zealand entrepreneurs how to do the same. 25 Excellence Awards Contents Celebrating the achievements of Massey’s alumni 15 It’s all in the genes and staff. Genetic scientist Chris Rodley, who was named Massey’s top Ma-ori student in 2007, has spent 33 Alumni notes and news the ensuing decade honing his research skills and All about the Massey alumni community. encouraging more young Ma-ori to study sciences. 24 Press on Massey University Press has wasted no time As a future-focused university, Massey is mindful of both making its mark in the New Zealand publishing environmental and economic sustainability. scene. Less than two years after launching, by the Printing stories about our wonderful alumni is great to see, but with end of the year it will already have guided more rising printing and posting costs we would appreciate your feedback than 30 new works into print. on whether you might consider reading Massey magazine online next year. We are investigating easy online reading (ebook) options and encourage you to consider them. Website: www.massey.ac.nz Please email [email protected] if you would be happy to receive next year’s issue online. Editor: Kate Drury/Paul Mulrooney Many thanks from the Massey alumni team. Contributors: Sidah Russell, Jenna Ward, Paul Mulrooney, Jennifer Little, Ryan Willoughby, Sandra Simpson, James Gardiner, David Wiltshire Designer: Grant Bunyan Proofreading: Foolproof | Massey University | April 2016 | MASSEY | 1 First word Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas writes. Fit for the future eafing through the opening of Wildbase Hospital at pages of this year’s the Manawatu- campus, a facility Massey alumni funded by the Massey University magazine you will see a Foundation, hosting Minister of theme emerging of Finance Steven Joyce, a Massey women on the rise, alumnus, at the Finance 2017 achieving at the upper seminar in Auckland in February echelons of their chosen vocations. and attending the Defining enriched by the free movement of LFrom wool and agribusiness Excellence Awards in Auckland on academics and students and by sector leader Mavis Mullins to March 23. international collaborations in our serial entrepreneur Linda The annual awards celebrate the research. It has much work to do Jenkinson, Women’s Refuge Chief achievements of our alumni, top in the quest to find solutions to Executive Ang Jury and Deputy teachers and researchers and the pressing global issues. More, it is Prime Minister Paula Bennett – all partner organisations with which important that universities are graduates of Massey University we work. They have become an continue as beacons for human and all are leaders in their fields. important part of the University rights, academic freedom, Their stories of starting out life calendar. Two of the distinguished unfettered intellectual inquiry and with an idea or ambition and alumni I mentioned earlier have freedom of speech. I have a sense transforming it into effective been recipients – Mavis Mullins this of urgency about our collective action can help inspire today’s year and Linda Jenkinson in 2014. task globally. students and most recent You can read more about the Massey has a considerable track graduates with their time at awards night and the illustrious record as a leading international Massey and post-university life. alumni profiled within these pages. university and global citizen, and I am overwhelmed by the I was thrilled to discover that in we need to continue to play this warmth of welcome that I have late 2016 Massey ran its first phone role. The alumni community is a received at all our campuses since appeal to alumni. Many of you will vital part of any university, and I my arrival just three months ago. have received calls from students am looking forward to meeting as Massey is an outstanding in late December asking you to many as I can. With more than university with a proud history, contribute to the refurbishment of 140,000 of you, I acknowledge the and I feel very privileged to have the Refectory building or to challenge that presents. It is an been entrusted with the care of its scholarship. I was delighted to incredible footprint to have around growth and development in the discover that more than 1000 the world – individuals whose next phase of its life. alumni contributed a total in families, friends, workmates and As I said in the first alumni excess of $100,000 to the appeal. teammates may know about newsletter for the year, I look Contributions by alumni to the Massey because of the actions and forward to building on the work of foundation help to ensure achievements of our former my predecessors to make sure excellence at Massey and I am students. that Massey is fit for the future and humbled that so many of you give As I said when I was interviewed that it is ranked, as it should be, as so much to your alma mater. for this publication, you make us one of the best universities in the Like many of you, I have been proud and my commitment to you world. troubled by limits being placed on is to make Massey University the The start of my tenure has been individuals travelling to the United best it can be so that that pride is busy. Highlights are numerous but States and the general trend always reciprocated. include welcomes (po-whiri) on all towards stronger national three campuses, attending the boundaries. The global academy is Professor Jan Thomas 2 | MASSEY | April 2017 | Massey University Campus wide Massey welcomes new leaders The Auckland campus welcomed new College of Health Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane Mills and Assistant Vice- Chancellor Ma-ori and Pasifika Dr Charlotte Severne this year with a po-whiri. Professor Mills, whose most recent role was Professor of Clinical Sciences (Nursing) and the nursing discipline leader in the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne, started at Massey University mid- January. Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Ted Zorn said Massey was incredibly fortunate to have Professor Mills and Dr Severne join the University. Professor Mills, who will be based in Auckland, said her vision for the college was for it to be the leading place for public health in New Zealand. Dr Severne is the new Assistant Vice-Chancellor Ma-ori and Pasifika, replacing Dr Selwyn Katene. She will be based at the Manawatu- campus and joined Massey in November last year. She is of Nga-ti Tu-wharetoa and Nga-i Tu-hoe and is a geologist, former chief scientist for oceans and Ma-ori From left: Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Ted Zorn, Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley, former - development at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor College of Health Professor Barrie Macdonald, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Maori - and Pasifika Dr Charlotte Severne, Pro Vice-Chancellor College of Health Professor Jane Mills, Professor Research and, most recently, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Maori Peter Lineham and Head of the School of Nursing Dr Mark Jones. and Communities at Lincoln University. World-renowned professor appointed Finance 2017 The inaugural chair in consumer and sensory science has been It was an event of firsts at Finance 2017 in February. The established at Massey University. annual event is co-hosted by Massey University and the Professor Joanne Hort, from the University of Nottingham, is Auckland Chamber of Commerce and in recent years has a world-renowned expert in sensory and consumer science. Her become the chosen forum for the Minister of Finance to research focuses on using sensory science and instrumental deliver the year’s first economic statement. It was Steven techniques to understand how we perceive flavour. Joyce’s first appearance at the event as well as his first The chair has been established within the Massey Institute of speech in the portfolio, having succeeded Bill English as Food Science and Technology through the Riddet Institute Centre Minister of Finance, after the latter’s elevation to Prime of Research Excellence.