Graduation

Congratulations to the thirty five Āwhina graduates who had their degrees conferred in person at the May 2009 graduation ceremony. Special congrats to the senior mentors who received their postgraduate degrees, including 2 PhDs.  This brings the total number of ‘Āwhina Doctors’ to 8.

Congratulations to our Āwhina December 2008 graduates!

Congratulations to our Awhina May 2008 graduates!

December 2007 Graduation

May 2007 Graduation
May, 2007

December 2006 Graduation
8 December, 2006

Awhina graduates got the December graduation ceremonies off to a good start with 9 being capped on Friday at Te Herenga Waka Marae. Congratulations to Adele and Danna who were ‘doctored’ (they’ve got the pancake trenchers), Joanne and Rangi who got their Masters, and Terina, Brigid, Erica, Lauren and Aiden who got their Bachelors.

The academic graduation gowns formed the backdrop for the contemporary Awhina korowai, designed and made by Te Taite Cooper. The stunning korowai was premiered by Adele who has been an Awhina mentor since 2000. Adele and Danna’s PhDs bring the total of Awhina doctors to five. The others are: Eli, Ocean and Kiri.

Awhina 7th Birthday Celebration 2006
9 October, 2006

The 7th birthday of Te Ropu Awhina Putaiao was held on 14th September at Te Herenga Waka Marae. The night was an incredible success with over 180 people in attendance. It was nice to catch up with old friends, make some new ones and reflect on the success of past and present Awhina students. Awhina has gone through many changes over the years but as Liz always says, "the students are the heart and soul of Awhina and the students are what make Awhina work".

The students in charge of organising the evening did a fantastic job. Many thanks to our MC, Ben; our Quiz Queen, Arama and our organising committee, Emma, Helene, Carrie and Clarissa. Special thanks to Michelle, Te Raina and Debbie who made sure things ran smoothly on the night. Highlights of the night included:

• Snazzy new Awhina hoodies.
• The annual mentor photo.
• Revival of the Awhina waiata.
• Presentations made by graduate Awhina Mentors; Tara (Architecture & Design) and Kirikowhai (Maths and Statistics).
• Presentations made by student representatives from each of the schools: Ray (Architecture and Design), Johnny (Psychology), Maciu (Earth Science), Kimberley (Biological Science), Nicholas (Computer Science), and Emma (Chemical and Physical Science).
• An acknowledgement made to our Awhina matriarch Liz Richardson was hilarious. Liz has been a wonderful mentor and friend to us all over the years and it was nice to see her get the recognition she so thoroughly deserves but always seems to manage to avoid!

Awhina has played a role in the success of many students over the years and we look forward to celebrating many more achievements and birthdays together in the future.
Report by Adele.

2006 ESR Porirua Pacific Islands Forum Gugumatua Award recipients
24 August, 2006

Undergraduate Awhina mentors and mentees were the recipients of the inaugural ESR Gugumatua Awards for Pacific students enrolled in science and technology undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. These Awards were funded by the Institute of Environmental Science & Research Ltd (ESR), based at the Kenepuru Science Centre, Porirua as part of its initiative, headed by Maui Hudson (Maori Development Manager), to build relationships with Pacific communities.

Recipients received their cheques and certificates from ESR Strategic Manager, Dr Val Orchard, at a Science and Technology Promotion evening hosted by the Porirua Pacific Islands Forum at Pataka. Over 100 people from the seven Porirua Pacific Islands communities attended to acknowledge and celebrate the successes of their students.

Staff and students from the ESR, Whitireia Community Polytechnic and the Faculties of Science and Architecture and Design at Victoria University of Wellington provided displays of their work and experiments that participants could do and highlighted career opportunities for Pacific peoples within their organisations.

Dr Val Orchard (back left) and Dr Ian Welch (front left) with eight of the Gugumatua Award recipients. Big smiles and thanks to ESR and the Porirua Pacific community.

Awhina Postgraduate Research Topics
23 August, 2006

The following list is the latest titles of research work that Awhina postgraduate students are doing. Other work is located on the Awhina Postgraduate Research for 2005/2006 page.

• Opioid receptor mRNA expression in the developing rat brain: a fluorescence in situ hybridisation study
• Malignant Hyperthermia ? If you can?t take the heat, get out the Dantrolene
• Quantifying undiscovered oil and gas in the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand
• Marine Science meets Gollum
• Exploring the Program Design Space using 3D visualization
• Stimulus Equivalence and Memory
• Schistosomiasis: Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water
• Why I take drugs even though I know they are bad for me
• Pollinator-plant interactions in Phormium sp.: the effect of an introduced pollinator
• The energy budget of Stichopus mollis for use in a semi-closed Polyculture system
• Exploring the concept of the virtual Iwi

Definitely some good work being done ... so if you are a postgrad make the time to get involved. You'll have fun, learn a lot and meet other Awhina postgrads.

Awhina Babies!
6 August, 2006

Jen's baby Abbie is nearly one year old.

Congratulations to Helen and Scott on the birth of their baby son Wiremu Tete Kura James Lenihan Hindman. Wiremu was born on Friday 3 February at Waitakere Hospital.

Those who remember long time Awhina mentor Eli maybe interested in knowing that he is now a Post Doc Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Eli was one of the origianl Awhina mentors, mentoring since 1999 right up till he graduated with his PhD.

Eli's son Luka. Perhaps a future PhD student too?

Awhina Putea and Pasifika Awards for 2007
30 July, 2006

The application forms for the 2007 Awhina Putea and Pasifika Awards are now available.

Recent Graduates
14 July, 2006

Here are some pictures of recent Awhina graduates from 2005 and 2006. Click on the pictures to see larger versions of the image.

2006
Colin, Carrie, and Alistair	Chris
Michael	Tara, Amiria, and Ruth
2005
Graduates from 2005

Victoria Science Experience 2006
11 July, 2006

Six Awhina mentors were team leaders to 90 Year 11 pupils - from schools within Wellington - for three days at the Kelburn Campus during the secondary school holidays in July. The pupils got to do interactive activities in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, and Computer Science. Click on the pictures to see larger versions of the image.

Pupils enjoying themselves.	Pupils doing a computer science problem.
Pupils doing a physics experiment.	A pupil doing a chemistry experiment.
The Centipede program which pupils got to use during the computer science sessions.

Students Speak Out!
6 October, 2005

Students Stacey and Atilua talk about their studies on camera at Victoria University of Wellington.

Scholarship Recipients
4 October, 2005

Awhina students, Shaun, Matthew, and Stacey have won the Unisys 2005 Scholarships in Computer Science for Maori and Pacific Nations students. Previous recipients were Nick, Tim, Ben, Atilua, Jeremy, and Mike.

The scholarships were established in 2003 to support Maori and Pacific Nations students enrolled in their second year of a computer science degree at Victoria University. The students were chosen primarily for their academic achievement, longer-term goals and aspirations, and community input.

The scholarships valued at $5000 each provided all recipients with financial assistance and encouragement. They also strengthen Te Ropu Awhina Putaiao, the Faculties of Science, Architecture and Design whanau support for their Maori and Pacific Nations students.

From left to right: Matthew, Shaun and Stacey - the 2005 recipients of the Unisys Scholarships in Computer Science for Maori and Pacific Nations students.