Latest news with #AvondaleCollege
Scoop
11-08-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Auckland Teens Flex Digital Muscle At Tech World's Olympics
Press Release – ACE Training Finn McGregor and Dominic Colaco both achieved top ten results worldwide, ranking 7th in PowerPoint and 10th in Microsoft Word respectively. Alongside teammate Karthik Padma, the trio represented New Zealand among 190 finalists selected from over one … ACE Training | 8 August 2025 Three Avondale College students have earned global recognition at the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championships in Florida—a high-profile competition often dubbed the 'Olympics of the tech world.' Finn McGregor and Dominic Colaco both achieved top ten results worldwide, ranking 7th in PowerPoint and 10th in Microsoft Word respectively. Alongside teammate Karthik Padma, the trio represented New Zealand among 190 finalists selected from over one million entrants across the globe. They were also among the competitions youngest competitors. 'Most of the others were in late high school or early university, which made being there feel even more awesome,' said Dominic, 14. Held at the Hilton Orlando, finalists were tested not only technical expertise but also creative problem-solving – tasked with developing solutions for Limbitless Solutions, a nonprofit that designs prosthetics for people with limb differences. 'They gave us a set of criteria, but left it vague enough that we could interpret it creatively,' said Finn. 'That made it really interesting.' During a nail-biting wait for results, the lucky students also had the opportunity to visit Universal Studios and toured NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where they saw the Atlantis space shuttle. The entire experience has given the team a boost in confidence and a clearer sense of what future competitions may involve. 'We can now pass that intel back to [Avondale's Innovation Technology teacher] Mr Prasad to help train the next cohort of Avcol students,' said Dominic. Zeph Morgan from ACE Training, one of Avondale's training provider partners, praised the students' efforts: 'These students put in the work to build their digital skills and well deserved their time in the world's spotlight. We have been cheering them on from the sidelines and couldn't be happier for them.' Background ACE Training in Hamilton is the New Zealand solution provider for Certiport. We support the education sector with growing digital skills through Certiport learn material, practice tests and certification exams, giving students the opportunity to gain internationally recognised certifications to assist them with their career paths. Certiport presents Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) competitions at both national and world levels. Three students from Avondale College, who we partner with, recently competed at the World MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) Championship as a result of their superior skills in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint during the National competition. About ACE ACE is one of New Zealand's most established training companies with over 35 years of specialist training expertise. We've upskilled more than 450,000 Kiwis, delivering personalised services that ensures our clients' training investments are in safe hands. Our mission is to make technology accessible and user-friendly, driven by our 'better every day' philosophy. This keeps us focused on what truly matters to our people and clients. With dedicated training centres in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch, along with our self-paced, online options, ACE delivers applications, technical training, and certification to world-class standards.
Scoop
11-08-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Auckland Teens Flex Digital Muscle At Tech World's Olympics
Three Avondale College students have earned global recognition at the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championships in Florida—a high-profile competition often dubbed the 'Olympics of the tech world.' Finn McGregor and Dominic Colaco both achieved top ten results worldwide, ranking 7th in PowerPoint and 10th in Microsoft Word respectively. Alongside teammate Karthik Padma, the trio represented New Zealand among 190 finalists selected from over one million entrants across the globe. They were also among the competitions youngest competitors. 'Most of the others were in late high school or early university, which made being there feel even more awesome,' said Dominic, 14. Held at the Hilton Orlando, finalists were tested not only technical expertise but also creative problem-solving - tasked with developing solutions for Limbitless Solutions, a nonprofit that designs prosthetics for people with limb differences. 'They gave us a set of criteria, but left it vague enough that we could interpret it creatively,' said Finn. 'That made it really interesting.' During a nail-biting wait for results, the lucky students also had the opportunity to visit Universal Studios and toured NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where they saw the Atlantis space shuttle. The entire experience has given the team a boost in confidence and a clearer sense of what future competitions may involve. 'We can now pass that intel back to [Avondale's Innovation Technology teacher] Mr Prasad to help train the next cohort of Avcol students,' said Dominic. Zeph Morgan from ACE Training, one of Avondale's training provider partners, praised the students' efforts: 'These students put in the work to build their digital skills and well deserved their time in the world's spotlight. We have been cheering them on from the sidelines and couldn't be happier for them.' Background ACE Training in Hamilton is the New Zealand solution provider for Certiport. We support the education sector with growing digital skills through Certiport learn material, practice tests and certification exams, giving students the opportunity to gain internationally recognised certifications to assist them with their career paths. Certiport presents Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) competitions at both national and world levels. Three students from Avondale College, who we partner with, recently competed at the World MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) Championship as a result of their superior skills in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint during the National competition. About ACE ACE is one of New Zealand's most established training companies with over 35 years of specialist training expertise. We've upskilled more than 450,000 Kiwis, delivering personalised services that ensures our clients' training investments are in safe hands. Our mission is to make technology accessible and user-friendly, driven by our 'better every day' philosophy. This keeps us focused on what truly matters to our people and clients. With dedicated training centres in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch, along with our self-paced, online options, ACE delivers applications, technical training, and certification to world-class standards.
Otago Daily Times
25-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: Maurice Gee
Maurice Gee was one of New Zealand's most decorated authors, his books for children and adults winning awards at home and abroad. For more than 50 years Gee wrote about ordinary people and ordinary lives, often with the narrator looking back at events that caused damage and unhappiness. "I don't deliberately set out to do this, but the stories turn in that direction following their own logic," he once said. "All I can do about it is make the narrative as interesting as I can and give those people lively minds." Born in Whakatāne in 1931, Maurice Gee was the middle child of the three sons of Harriet Lyndahl Gee (nee Chapple) — a some-time writer whose published work included a children's picture book — and carpenter Leonard Gee. Gee's grandfather, controversial minister James Chapple, was the inspiration for his grandson's most famous character, George Plumb. Gee was raised in the then rural Auckland suburb of Henderson — where, thinly disguised, many of his books were set. After attending Avondale College Gee went to Auckland University, where he completed a Masters in English. All Gee wanted to do was write — he had already had work published in magazines and journals before graduation — but, then as now, making a career as a full-time author in New Zealand was a fraught enterprise. He became a teacher but resigned in 1956 to dedicate himself to his craft. Grants in 1960 and '61 from the New Zealand Literary Fund kept the wolf from the door and in 1962 Gee's debut novel, The Big Season, was published. An unusual mix of rugby and crime, it was well-received, and helped its author earn the 1964 Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago. During that stint in the South, Gee wrote his second novel, A Special Flower, before he trained as a librarian — his day job for several years to come. Gee, who had a son from an earlier relationship, married Margareta in 1970, having met her four years previously at the Alexander Turnbull Library. They had two daughters. Gee's third novel, In My Father's Den, was published in 1972 and has proven to be one of his most enduring works: in 2004 it was adapted into a successful film. A collection of short stories, A Glorious Morning, Comrade, appeared two years later, and it went on to win Gee the first of many awards, the fiction prize at the 1976 New Zealand Book Awards. By the late '70s Gee was at the peak of his powers. In 1978 he published Plumb, which drew on Gee's ancestors for what was the first of a trilogy about three generations of a family. It won Britain's James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction in 1979, as well as another fiction prize at the NZ Book Awards. "I can't look at my books the way I read other books. I look at them quite differently," he once said. "I'm intimately connected with them and probably wouldn't be able to identify my voice in them, if someone asked me to." A year later Gee wrote Under the Mountain, his best-known and most-beloved children's work. An eerie sci-fi thriller about aliens slumbering beneath Auckland's volcanos, it was a popular book and well-remembered TV series, and was later converted into a stage play and feature film. In 2004, Under the Mountain was the recipient of the Gaelyn Gordon Award, awarded annually to a children's book that did not win an award at the time of its publication. "Children's writing seems to be easier than adult writing, because it's coming off a different level," he once said. "There's still some pleasure to be got from both and I try to do each as professionally as I possibly can, but the thing that really engages me fully is adult fiction." Whatever his level of engagement, Gee still wrote excellent work for children for many years, including a science fiction trilogy which featured The Halfmen of O, which won Children's Book of the Year. In the late '80s Gee struck up a relationship with Victoria University, being awarded an honorary doctorate of literature in 1987 and a writing fellowship to Victoria in 1989. Three years later Gee received one of New Zealand letters most prestigious prizes, the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship. There Gee wrote Crime Story, a stinging critique from a life-long lefty of the policies of the Lange Labour Government of the 1980s; it was later filmed under the title Fracture. In 1993 Gee published his most autobiographic novel, Going West, a book which has been recognised by providing the name for a long-running West Auckland literary festival. It also won Gee another NZ Book Award. The Fat Man was another Children's Book of the Year award winner, and in 1998 adult novel Live Bodies won the Deutz Medal at the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. In 2003 Gee began to receive awards which reflected his astonishing career. He was named as an Arts Foundation "Icon" and the following year received the rich Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement for fiction. More award-winning novels (Blindsight, Salt) followed, and in 2015 he was the subject of a biography by Rachel Barrowman, a book whose subject described it as "illuminating even for me". Three years later, Gee wrote his own memoir, Memory Pieces, a work which was shortlisted for the non fiction prize at the 2019 Book Awards. In 2020 Gee and Margareta settled in Nelson, as the author of many of New Zealand's favourite books retired from writing. Maurice Gee died on June 12, aged 93. — APL/RNZ
Scoop
16-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Kiwi Students Excel On The Global Stage
ACE Training is delighted to showcase the outstanding achievements of three talented students from Avondale College, who have earned their place at the 2025 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) World Championship, taking place this July in Orlando, Florida. These students demonstrated exceptional digital skills in Microsoft Office applications, achieving top scores in the national competition: Karthik Padma – 980/1000 in Microsoft Excel® (Microsoft 365 Apps) Finn McGregor – 957/1000 in Microsoft PowerPoint® (Microsoft 365 Apps) Dominic Colaco – 940/1000 in Microsoft Word® (Microsoft 365 Apps) The MOS World Championship, presented by Certiport, Inc., brings together students aged 13–22 from around the world to compete in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It's a unique opportunity to demonstrate real-world digital skills, connect with peers globally, and compete for scholarships of up to $8,000 USD. 'These students are a shining example of the digital talent emerging from New Zealand schools,' said Zeph Morgan, CEO at ACE Training. 'They should feel rightly proud of their achievements and the dedication they've shown in mastering these essential tools.' As a partner in education, ACE Training is committed to supporting schools like Avondale College, who are invested in fostering digital confidence and capability among their students. This collaboration reflects a shared belief in the power of technology to unlock opportunities and prepare young people for success in a tech-driven world. 'We are incredibly proud of Karthik, Finn and Dominic for earning their place on the world stage,' said Principal Lyndy Watkinson. 'Their success reflects not only their talent and dedication, but also the strength of the digital learning opportunities we're committed to providing at Avondale College.' This celebration of student success aligns with ACE Training's broader mission: to empower learners of all ages with the skills they need to thrive in today's innovation economy. About ACE ACE is one of New Zealand's most established training companies with over 35 years of specialist training expertise. We've upskilled more than 450,000 Kiwis, delivering personalised services that ensures our clients' training investments are in safe hands. Our mission is to make technology accessible and user-friendly, driven by our 'better every day' philosophy. This keeps us focused on what truly matters to our people and clients. With dedicated training centres in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch, along with our seamless Live Virtual delivery, ACE delivers applications, technical training, and certification to world-class standards.
Scoop
15-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Respected Kiwi Writer Maurice Gee Has Died, Aged 93
Respected Kiwi writer Maurice Gee - author of 'Plumb' and 'Under the Mountain' - has died, aged 93. Considered one of New Zealand's greatest novelists, his work extended over 50 years. He wrote about ordinary people and ordinary lives, often with the narrator looking back at events that caused damage and unhappiness. "I don't deliberately set out to do this, but the stories turn in that direction following their own logic," he said. "All I can do about it is make the narrative as interesting as I can and give those people lively minds." Maurice Gee was born in Whakatāne in 1931 and educated at Auckland's Avondale College in Auckland and at Auckland University where he took a Masters degree in English. He worked as a teacher and librarian, before becoming a full-time writer in 1975. He passed much of his childhood in what was then the country town of Henderson. The town, disguised as Loomis, and its creek are featured in many of his books. "I grew up alongside that creek in Henderson, and it seemed all sorts of exciting and dangerous things happened down there," he said. "You know, that creek I could plot its whole length pool by pool for a couple of miles even today." His reputation took an enormous leap in 1978 with the publication of 'Plumb', the first of a trilogy about three generations of a family. The novel won the British James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction in 1979. The character of Plumb was based on maternal grandfather Jim Chapple - a Presbyterian minister, who was ejected from the church, because of his rationalist beliefs and jailed for preaching pacifism during World War I. Gee inherited strong left-wing views from that side of his family and a burden of sexual puritanism, which he said caused him a tortured adolescence, although he denied claims of a strong authorial voice in his work. "I can't look at my books the way I read other books," he said. "I look at them quite differently. "I'm intimately connected with them and probably wouldn't be able to indentify my voice in them, if someone asked me to." He said his novel 'Crime Story' stemmed from his anger over the changes made in New Zealand by the Lange Labour Government in the 1980s, and politicians and businessmen are seldom portrayed favourably in his books. Gee's output included short stories and television scripts, and his children's fiction was highly regarded, although it was not his preferred genre. "Children's writing seems to be easier than adult writing, because it's coming off a different level," he said. "There's still some pleasure to be got from both and I try to do each as professionally as I possibly can, but the thing that really engages me fully is adult fiction." Written in 1979, 'Under the Mountain' was probably his best-known children's work, and was later converted into a film and TV series. He received many awards for his work, including the Burns and Katherine Mansfield Fellowships, honorary degrees from Victoria and Auckland universities, and the Prime Minister's Award for literary merit. He won the the Deutz Medal for fiction in 1998 for his novel 'Live Bodies' and the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Award for 'Blindsight'. "Sad to hear of Maurice Gee's passing," Arts, Culture & Heritage Minister Paul Goldsmith said. "Our thoughts are with his family. "He was a prolific and graceful author. 'Plumb' is my favorite, although thousands of Kiwis will have their own." "Maurice Gee was a real giant of New Zealand literature and so many people grew up reading his stories, including me," Nelson MP and Labour arts, culture & heritage spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. "Really sad that one of our beloved constituents has passed away. He was a private person - I didn't know him well - but he made a big contribution to Nelson, not just through his writing. "He was involved in groups like Friends of the Maitai, who do a huge amount of work to protect our river that runs through inner city Nelson. "Wonderful that he was able to live such a full life, but sad when we lose someone that has made such a significant contribution to our nation." Gee is survived by wife Margareta, their two daughters, and a son from an early relationship.
