Back to Staff Newsletters

• From the Top
• NMIT Council Chair Retires
• My Time as a Kakapo Recovery Volunteer
• Pay and Employment Equity Project
• An Impressive Achievement
• Training and Development
• Library Learning Centre Orientations 2009
• NMIT Touch Team Takes on Motueka High
• New NMIT Online Purchasing Systems
• Performance Appraisal
• Bike Wise Month 2009
• NMIT Joins Tenth Annual Tug of Peace
• Te Reo
• Hellos and Goodbyes
• Classifieds

From the Top

Welcome back. I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing break.

The year couldn't have started better than with the blessing of the new Tourism, Hospitality and Wellbeing building on 19 January. This state of the art facility will not only be of significant benefit to those studying tourism, hospitality and wellbeing programmes, but is also a resource that can be used by staff and students across NMIT. I urge you to make time to go and see the superb facilities this building offers if you haven't already seen it. There will be an official naming ceremony held later in the year.

The next stage of the campus redevelopment plan is progressing (as at the end of 2008), with the design competition for the first stage design of the proposed Arts and Media building completed. We hope to have final designs signed off by the end of the first semester and, if all goes well, the building will be underway by the middle of the second semester and due for completion by the end of 2010. Staff and students will be able to view the plans in the student centre from the beginning of the new academic year.

At the time of writing, student recruitment looks to be variable, and what would appear to be the result often seen in tertiary institutes of growing rolls in the face of unemployment and economic recession has not at this stage impacted on our student recruitment for 2009. In discussions with a range of agencies in the Top of the South (EDA, MSD, DoL), the view is that the recession hasn't yet impacted and is unlikely to do so until the end of the tourism and fruit harvest seasons.

We are presently working through the process of reviewing the Director of Education, Planning and Investment role and, while NMIT will miss Caroline Seelig's contribution, her leaving also provides with the opportunity to review our management structure.

Finally, I'd like to let you know that I am hoping to start a blog on the NMIT website shortly, with the intention of it being another opportunity to have regular communication with staff. There will be one for staff, and one for students will be introduced at a later date. these will be in addition to the other communication vehicles such as staff briefings, forums and CEO chats.

Best regards,
Tony

NMIT Council Chair Retires

Retiring NMIT Council chair Dr Brian Rhoades says he is delighted to be seeing the renewal of NMIT's Nelson Campus with some fantastic new facilities, as he steps aside from the seat he has held for the past eight years.

The Nelson-based business adviser and company director joined the NMIT Council in 1999 and became the chair in 2000. He initially said 'no' to joining the council, believing it would be 'too large and bureaucratic' but was persuaded to join by then chief executive Dr John Cretney and National MP Nick Smith.

When Dr Rhoades joined the NMIT council, the institute was struggling financially and was under review. Dr Rhoades says, while reviews are never easy, they are also part and parcel of today's business environment.

"Change is a way of life for most businesses. Organisations that don't change don't survive. While each one (review) was painful, I think there's a growing acceptance of the need for change," he says.

Dr Rhoades says the NMIT he sees today is a profoundly different environment to that of nine years ago.

"Despite huge internal and external changes that have taken place, NMIT today is thriving, with a much greater sense that everyone is pulling together. This is reflected in a supportive community and Council, and the capital we've received for new facilities. I feel very proud to have been part of it," he says.

Dr Rhoades has recently moved back into a full time role as chief operating officer of Nelson Pine Industries. He holds BE (Hons) and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Canterbury, and is a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors. He spent nine years as a lecturer at Canterbury University before progressing through management positions within the AHI/Carter Holt Harvey Group, and was chief executive of Sealord Products Ltd from 1985 to 1994.

Dr Rhoades has a broad spectrum of industry experience as director or chairman of a wide range of organisations. He was appointed Tertiary Education Commissioner from 2006 to 2008.

 

My Time as a Kakapo Recovery Volunteer

By Alan Ross SBCT

Boots soaking in disinfectant and now clothing searched for seeds, then everything sealed into rat proof bags. Into the van and don't get out until you walk to the plane. That's how you pass island quarantine before flying to Codfish Island (Whenua Hou), the DOC island where 89 of our endangered Kakapo live.

The phone call from Tristan asking if I could fill a sudden cancellation was unexpected. As one of NMITs  Environment Science and Trainee Ranger graduates now working as a Kakapo Protection Officer, he was offering me a chance to join Triona (previously SBCT Tutor) and her husband Bruce as a DOC volunteer for a fortnight on Codfish Island.

89 of New Zealands 91 remaining kakapo live on this (now) predator free island three kilometres off the coast of Stewart Island, along with other rare bats, penguin species, mutton birds, seals and sea lions. The kakapo raised in Nelson during the summer are back there now too.

Landing on the islands beach in a small plane filled with fresh food and supplies was an exciting start, certainly shorter than Invercargill airport where we had departed 30 minutes before. Not much time for talk as the plane was quickly off again, loaded with the volunteers going home.

The two weeks were filled with variety: woken in the bunkroom by the dawn chorus (ours was a bit squarky as it was mainly penguins and kaka), getting gear ready, weighing out the food for supplementary feeding and then 4 or 5 hour tramps on the island. The weather lived up to the reputation of the southern ocean in winter; mostly wet, cold and windy with the odd bit of hail, lightning and a little sunshine, but good outdoor gear and the climb up to the top of the island on tracks ranging in quality  from boardwalks to knee deep mud quickly got the blood flowing.

Add to this meeting specialists working on the power system (mini-hydro and solar PV), meeting staff from other wildlife reserves, late night bush-bashing trips to weigh birds and learning about all the science, databases and techniques being used in the recovery programme and the trip was, for me, about as good as it gets.

The recovery programme for the kakapo is a world leader (typical Kiwis) that starts with winter feeding and radio tracking. Then in breeding years, as the booming starts, birds, mating and nest sitting are also monitored. Finally, possible AI, incubating, hand rearing and supplementary feeding are all underway during the January to March breeding season. With up to 30 staff and volunteers on the island during this time it's all full on.

Birds only breed in years when the rimu trees fruit, so with a bumper crop of berries already growing on the trees the 2009 program hopes to be a huge season with perhaps up to 60 chicks produced.

Thanks to everyone who made it possible for me to go at such short notice, especially the tutors who covered for my classes. 

 

 

Pay and Employment Equity Project

By Don Smith, Project Manager

The Pay and Employment Equity project group has been working since August when the project management training began. Since then the group, comprising Adrienne Sargent, Gary Cox, Jude Douglas, Linda Liddicoat, Monique Day, Nick Tilly and Pauline Carson, has met a number of times to look at various sets of data. As well as analysing the situation as it exists within the institute, we have been able to look at the views staff have expressed through the recently completed survey. It has proved a useful model of the institute working with both TIASA and ASTE on a topic of mutual interest.

Having encountered one or two initial problems, we have now started the task of drilling down to the detail. Whilst it is too early to presume what the recommendations of the group may be, a number of evolving themes are apparent. These include the concentration of women in lower paid roles, a concentration of women in part time roles, and a concentration of men in the higher paid technical specialist roles. The group was due to meet again during the last week in November before concentrating on the production of the full report that will contain recommendations to the Directorate for implementation over the coming year. The full report will be shared with staff with an opportunity provided for suggestions as to how to address the issues identified by the research. In addition an executive summary will appear in a forthcoming edition of MINT.

An Impressive Achievement!

Congratulation to Jill Clendon and Karen Monahan from the School of Health and Social Services, who competed as a team in the 2008 Source to Sea 160km road bike race on Saturday 9 November and placed first in the women�s 30-39 category in a time of 5 hours 33 minutes. They say they had excellent fun!

 

 

Training and Development

By Don Smith

As we move into the first few weeks of the year I thought it would be interesting to round up the extent of the activities that have staff have undertaken as professional development. The range is remarkable: from hairdressing to bar management, from patient handling to chainsaw maintenance and from GST accounting to garageband3 software management. All of these activities illustrate what a diverse and constantly learning organisation we all work within. By mid-November, over 300 activities had been attended, while a significant number of activities, including all the Learning for Living sessions, have yet to be captured. Included within this figure are a number of colleagues who are receiving support for further study towards masters` degrees and doctorates.

All teams within the institute have taken advantage of professional development. Some have used team-related activities to improve communication and share goals and objectives for the future. Others have adopted a more individual approach and allowed professional development to grow from the needs of each team member. Whichever strategy has been used there is no doubt the institute has benefited from the learning that has taken place. Informally, many staff share their learning with colleagues, either at a team meeting or through established networks. This is often the most appropriate means of communication because the topics are specialist and would only appeal to a specific group. However, in 2009, I would like to establish a monthly lunch-time seminar series that provides an opportunity for colleagues who have attended training that has a more generic appeal to host a discussion about their new learning. Are there any volunteers out there such as Second Lifers, Learning for Living converts or flexible learning advocates who want to start? Please get in touch at don.smith@nmit.ac.nz or on ext 833.

 

 

Library Learning Centre Orientations 2009

 

Attendance at a Library Learning Centre (LLC) orientation is an important aspect of starting a course at NMIT. It is an effective way of introducing students and tutors to the resources, services and facilities the LLC can offer.

It is essential that you book a class visit to the Library in advance. We only have one teaching room and, so that you get the date and time which best suits you, please book as soon as possible.

Orientation tour and introduction to the Library catalogue
During the tour the LLC resources, services and facilities will be outlined. This will be followed by a hands-on session on searching the online Library catalogue, which will enable students to find Library resources needed to support their study. Tutor involvement is welcome, so that we can modify the content to suit your specific needs. Total duration is 45 minutes.

Information and Research
We offer classes on information retrieval and research skills for all subjects, and give instruction in using databases, �APA style referencing�, �RefWorks� and �Internet searching�. To gain the most benefit, it is ideal to offer these at a time which corresponds with a specific student assignment. It is helpful for us to know in advance the nature of the assignment so that we can customise the presentation if necessary.

Information Desk
Library staff are available for drop-in sessions with students individually or in small groups to look at specific information and research needs. Students can either make an appointment at the Information Desk or ask the staff member on duty for assistance.

Skills for Success
These sessions are offered at the beginning of the semester and cover a range of topics including �Internet Searching�, �Getting started with Word processing�, and �APA style referencing�. These workshops are held during the lunch hour and are free to all enrolled students.

Please contact information librarians Adrienne Sargent or Sarah Taylor on ext. 685 or by email, to discuss and make a class booking.

Academic year 2009 begins Monday 9 February. Library hours will be as follows:

• Monday � Thursday -   8am - 8pm
• Friday - 8am - 6pm
• Saturday - 9am - 1pm

 

NMIT Touch Team Takes on Motueka High

On Friday 7 November Grant McNeill and students studying Fitness and Exercise Science took on the National Touch champions from Motueka High School in what is to become an annual challenge.

Up for grabs was the Trevor Morris Touch Trophy. Trevor Morris was an ex-All Black and teacher at Motueka High School. We are pleased to announce that we must be doing something right as the NMIT team won 7-6. We are looking forward to the rematch next year.

 

New NMIT Online Purchasing Systems

By Helen Howard

As part of NMIT�s Strategic Objective 4, Spend Every Dollar Wisely to Meet Our Goals, NMIT has looked at streamlining the ordering and purchasing systems being used for purchasing branded stationery, office products and paper, with the result of new or improved online ordering systems being set up.

Printhouse:
NMIT put their branded stationery up for tender and the successful company was Printhouse of Nelson. All dedicated school and team administrators are now using the online purchasing system to purchase all their branded stationery, including envelopes, letterheads, business cards, enrolment forms and certificates.

OfficeMax:
NMIT has agreed with OfficeMax initiatives to improve purchasing efficiency and to reduce unnecessary spending by being part of the OfficeMax/GSB GainShare programme by:

• Placing 75 percent or more of our orders via OfficeMax�s internet ordering system
• Reducing the number of small orders placed that total less than $40 (ex GST) to less than 10% of the total orders placed
• Increasing our use of OfficeMax private label products to reach or exceed 40 percent of our total spend with OfficeMax

The GainShare Programme tracks and compares NMIT�s procurement record in each of the above areas. As we meet and exceed these targets, OfficeMax automatically reduces our overall pricing by approximately 1 percent for each area.

A core range of items (based on a 12 month period of purchasing) is being set with lower cost alternatives being used where appropriate. Dedicated administrators are now placing all orders online and orders are now set to a minimum of $40+ (excluding GST).  

Xerox Direct:
With Fuji Xerox having won the tender to supply NMIT with printers and copiers they have also offered NMIT a very good package for paper goods which could not be ignored!

Fuji Xerox has an online ordering system and all dedicated administrators have been set up to use this. All orders are now being placed for A4 and A3 white and coloured paper. A limit of $100+ (excluding GST) per order has been set to avoid delivery charges.

 

Performance Appraisal

The Performance Appraisal process has been ongoing in teams and schools for the last six months and as of the beginning of November 46 percent of full time staff have been appraised. All teams across the institute have been involved. Many, such as the School of Tourism Health and Wellbeing, the Marlborough Campus, Marketing, Facilities and Customer Care, were very quick to complete. Others such as Finance, Aviation and Te Tari M?ori were slow to start but completed more recently. For other teams the task continues.

Whilst it may be premature for those yet to complete the process to comment, the HR Team would appreciate feedback from both appraisers and appraisees who have participated so far. All comments are welcome but those most useful will be constructively critical suggestions as to how the model can be improved. Processes need to change to adapt to prevailing circumstances and remain relevant. This is an opportunity to comment on a central procedure that potentially affects us all. Any comments can be sent to hradmin@nmit.ac.nz.

 

Bike Wise Month 2009

Bike Wise is a nationally coordinated event that promotes safety and biking as a sustainable, fun, healthy and enjoyable means of transport. Funded by the NZ Transport Agency and the Ministry of Health, it is the only nationwide programme of cycling events.

The Bike Wise programme is characterised by three major events: 'Go by Bike Day', the 'Mayoral Challenge' and the 'Bike Wise Battle', during which thousands of New Zealanders take part in cycling events held throughout the country.

In 2008, approximately 100,000 people took part in hundreds of cycling events and activities across the country, with a similar number expected to take part this year. If you would like to get involved, contact Kevin Roughton for more information.

 

NMIT Joins Tenth Annual Tug of Peace

Kupu Hou - New Words

New M?ori words for this issue are:

• Kaua - Don't
• Noho - sit
• Runga - on
• T?pu - tables!

Back to Top

Hellos and Goodbyes

Hello to:

• PJ Devonshire - Director of M?ori Education
• Angela Craig - Flexible Learning Assistant
• Evan Robinson - Tutorial Assistant/Technician, Aviation
• Michael Stachurski - Assistant Librarian
• James McPhie - Finance Analyst
• Valerie Downey - Graduation Database Tracker
• Richard Bennenbroek - Team Leader, Aviation
• Janeen Batchelor - School Administrator, Arts and Media
• Ana Neru - Temporary Data Entry, Customer Relations

Sorry to see you go:

• Adrienne Gorrie - Assistant Librarian
• Eva Virtue - Academic Staff Member, Tourism
• Pamela White - PA to Caroline Seelig and Project Coordinator
• Joanne Boekholt - Office Administrator, Marlborough
• Angela McAlpine - Cafe Assistant
• Jocelyn Shurey - Aviation English Administrator
• Caroline Seelig - Deputy CEO

Classifieds

For Sale
Whitebait. $30.00 per pound. Phone Frank on 03 548 0636 or 027 227 1759.

Wanted
Lawnmower. Petrol or electric is fine as long as it cuts grass well. Contact Pamela on 03 548 2532 or 021 766074.

Need a Housesitter?
Respectful local professional female offers quality care of your home, garden and small pets. Excellent references, Prefer long term. Ph: 021 145 3027.