Issue 138 – Wednesday 5 February 2025
Contents
HeadsUp
Welcome back to all! Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou! I trust the first weeks of 2025 have been good to you whether they have been mainly devoted to Annual Leave, research activities or teaching Summer School (or some combination). I have enjoyed encountering colleagues in meetings and along the corridors, catching up on grant-writing efforts as well as holiday adventures.
Now that its February its time for our boots to seriously grip the tracks. Our first staff meeting is 26 February (and please also mark your diaries for a welcome back to the teaching semester staff drinks on Monday 3rd March, 4pm).
Steering Group has already met to confirm our budget for 2025. Nothing too austere this year but some ‘nip and tuck’ has been needed to bring requests into line with what we have been offered. Thanks to Michael Groom for assistance with this process.
Early enrolment data looks promising for the first offering of our new Stage 1 courses. Two have already crested 100 students. Thanks to all for the efforts already undertaken and yet to come in their Semester 1 launch. The Waipapa Taumata Rau course we are so heavily invested in has crested 1,000 enrolments. This is entirely new territory in purpose and scale. Again, big congrats to all involved. Sadly some of our existing courses continue to languish at the margins of viability. Hard calls may yet lie ahead.
In other news, for 2025 we welcome back Jan Lindsay from her AD(Research) role and congratulate Jenny Salmond who is stepping in for Vivien Kirk as Acting AD (Postgraduate) (till mid-year).
By way of reminder, and as you’ll know after all the publicity, PeopleSoft functions such as booking Leave remain unavailable until late this month when the sparkly new Hono system goes ‘live’. If you are taking or booking Leave before then or have taken any leave that wasn’t entered in the system, please email Patricia so that she can submit a service request to get it entered in the system. Once Hono is live we will not be able to backdate any leave you have taken. More generally, in a ‘back to the future’ move, we’ll return to use of a ‘Leave Planner’ sheet this year in an attempt to establish an ethic of Leave Responsibility in the School. I know many became tired of me talking about Annual Leave last year but as a School we are seriously negligent in this regard. I have been told by HR that 36% of staff have unacceptably high Annual Leave balances. Ahead of receipt of your planner, if you currently have more than 80 hours/2 weeks Leave owing, start considering when in 2025 you will take this time.
We can look ahead to the year with both confidence and uncertainty. The churn of change is never far away. I am therefore grateful to all who have already stepped up into new service roles, new teaching areas and, more generally, adopted a forward-looking School-wide perspective. This is no time to circle the disciplinary wagons or operate out of a position of self-interest. 2025 will be, in large part, as good as we make it.
See you all soon – Robin Kearns
Announcements & Seminars
HONO – Go live is now Monday 24 February 2025 | Hono Overview
- Go live for all users: Monday 24 February 2025
- First pay run in Hono: Wednesday 5 March 2025
- Leave: if you are taking or booking leave before ‘Go live’ or have taken any leave that wasn’t entered in the system, please email Patricia so that she can submit a service request to get it entered in the system.
- Training will continue for all staff as planned
John Morris Afternoon Tea event
Date: Wed 19th February 2025 | Time: 2-3pm | Venue: Level 6 break out space
Click here to read the brochure Laboratory_Product Portfolio_NZ_Jan2025
Disaster Prevention and Management Seminar Series
Communities
Public Event held at the Auckland Art Gallery on 18 January 2025
A panel discussion on the role of art in inspiring hope and environmental action – featuring four current or former students (Anna Wang, Joshua Wang, Inka Pledis, and Georgia Mae Pringle) we ran at Auckland art gallery on 18 January.
What are the connections between creativity, hope and climate change? That is what four young people came together to discuss as part of an event “Imagining tomorrow: Creativity, Climate and Hope” hosted by Toi O Tāmaki”. A panel consisting of current and recently graduated University of Auckland students, who work in environmental and climate scientific spaces, were led through a series of questions by Dr Meg Parsons, to inspire and provoke thought in the audience gathered at the gallery. Inka Pleiss, Anna Wang, Georgia Pringle and Joshua Wang shared each how they were inspired to get involved in climate and environmental work, and how they stay inspired and hopeful even when times may seem dire, including actively searching out good news while still staying up to date with the not so good, and finding ways that your skills can help in climate and activism spaces instead of trying to fit a prescribed activist mold. For some this may look like painting posters and for others it’s helping out a local community group manage their volunteer database. Climate and environmental action looks different for everyone and each different skill set is needed for collective action.
A key message from the day was also what scientists and artists can learn from each other. Where scientists have lots of passion and know how, they occasionally lack the communication skills that artists hold central to their work. However, scientists regularly employ creative thinking to solve problems or design projects that will answer those burning questions facing us. The group also agreed the power of laughter and levity was not to be overlooked when having discussions around climate and environmental issues and how comedy can provide the relief you may need to buckle up the shoes for another day of hard mahi. Meg also adeptly led the group through her own reflections and experiences to highlight how positive reinforcement and imagery that provokes hope is a stronger motivator for positive climate actions, and how this was reflected in the work of Olafur Eliasson whose exhibition was the inspiration for the event. Olafur explores themes and imagery relating to climate change and other moments through his life without berating the viewer. It asks the viewer to explore and think while still inviting the potential for hope, action and positive change, a message that the panelists agreed was one to carry forward.
Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey runs at Toi O Tāmaki – Auckland Art gallery until Sun 23 Mar 2025. Special thanks to Ellie Lim for helping curate the event.
Health Safety & Wellbeing
Field Gear
Choosing the right field-gear helps reducing the risks to you while undertaking field activities, we will explore different items you need to consider. Today is rain protection.
Waterproof vs rain jacket
In a rain jacket, although you will be fine in a drizzle, in a heavy downpour you need shelter. That’s not the case with a waterproof jacket, because it truly holds water outside from coming in contact with your skin.
- Waterproof jacket:
- Durable Water Repellent DWR Coating: Application, Cleaning & Care | REI Expert Advice
- Impermeable membrane
- Lining
- Cinchable hood
- Zipper pockets
- Impermeable membrane
- Seam sealed zipper
- Rain Jacket:
- No seam sealed zippers
- DWR coating
- Breathable
- Nylon or Polyester
Funding
Funding Calls
| Marsden Fund 2025 | |
| The Marsden Fund aims to invest in excellent, investigator-led research aimed at generating new knowledge, with long-term benefit to New Zealand.
Three types of awards are offered: • Fast-Start: for emerging researchers to give an impetus to their careers by promoting them as sole Principal Investigators (PI) in their own research programme. • Standard: for established and emerging researchers. • Council Award: for projects that are interdisciplinary in nature, with larger teams. |
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| Value/Duration: | Internal Deadline |
| All grants are for a maximum of three years and are GST exclusive.
• Fast-Start: up to $120K p.a. • Standard: up to $220-$320K p.a. (varies by panel) • Council Award: up to $1M p.a. |
12pm, Monday 17 February 2025 |
| Further Information (funding call, guidelines, website):
· Website · Guidelines (Fast-Start, Standard) If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie) |
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| Spencer Foundation–Vision Grant | |
| This fund aims to fund the collaborative planning of innovative, methodologically diverse, interdisciplinary research on education that contributes to transforming education systems for equity. | |
| Value/Duration: | Deadline: |
| · Value: USD75,000 (circa NZD 120,000)
· Duration: up to a maximum duration of 12 months |
Two-stage Submission deadlines:
· EXTERNAL DEADLINE for Intent to Apply: Thursday, February 11, 2025 (12 Noon CT) · INTERNAL DEADLINE for Full Proposal: Monday, March 3, 2025 (12 Noon CT)
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| Further Information (funding call, guidelines, website):
If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST (Kelly or Sophie) |
|
| Marsden 2025 Updates |
| The Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology announced that the Marsden fund will be changing ahead of the 2025 round. Along with the announcement of the changes, a new Investment Plan (2025-2027) and Terms of Reference have been released by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.
Due to the changes announced by the Minister, the Royal Society have advised that the Marsden 2025 round will be delayed. At this stage, no new timeline has been provided and we are unsure of the extent of the delay. The most notable changes that have been announced are as follows:
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| Spencer Foundation – Research Grants on Education: Large | |
| This fund aims to support education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education. The research concept is “field-initiated” with the grant designed to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education. | |
| Value/Duration: | Deadline: |
| · Value: between USD125,000 and USD500,000 (circa NZD205,000 -NZD821,000), depending on the funding tier selected.
· Duration: up to a maximum duration of 60 months |
· External Deadline for Intent to Apply: 5pm, Thursday, 30 January 2025
· Internal Deadline for Full Stage: 5pm, Tuesday,14 January 2025 |
| Spencer Foundation – Small Research Grants on Education | |
| This fund is intended to support education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education. The research concept is “field-initiated” with the grant designed to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education. | |
| Value/Duration: | Internal Deadline |
| · Value: up to USD50,000 (circa NZD80,000
· Duration: up to a maximum duration of 60 months |
12pm, Thursday, 28 November 2024 |
| Further Information (funding call, guidelines website):
· Website If you are interested, please also get in touch with your FIRST. |
|
| MBIE 2025 Endeavour Fund (Research Programmes) | |
| This fund aims to support ambitious, excellent and well-defined research ideas which have credible and high potential to positively transform New Zealand’s future in areas of future value, growth, or critical need.
For the 2024 investment round, the Science Board will aim to fund at least 17 Research Programmes. |
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| Value/Duration: | Internal Deadline |
| · Total funding pool: $38 million
· Value: $0.5 million or more per year · Duration: 3, 4 or 5 years |
· Registration: 12 noon, Monday 25 November 2024.
· Full Proposal: 12 noon, Monday 24 February 2025. |
| Further Information (funding call, guidelines, registration info, templates):
· Website If you are interested, please notify your FIRST (research support) of your intent to apply for this scheme to receive important information and updates in relation to this fund |
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| New Horizon Europe Calls |
| In mid-April, the European Commission announced a new selection of funding calls covering the remainder of 2024. The funding call details here Horizon Europe Funding Call List on the Horizon Europe Support Materials page on ResearchHub.
New Zealand can participate in these calls on equal terms as our European counterparts. However, the targeted nature of most of these calls means that it is highly likely that it will be more appropriate for us to partner on these projects, joining European-led bids as a collaborator rather than developing a proposal as a lead. Anybody exploring these opportunities should contact International.Research@Auckland.ac.nz to arrange a discussion and explore additional support available. |