Latest news with #CanterburyUniversity
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Opinion: NCEA isn't perfect but New Zealand shouldn't forget why it was introduced in the first place
The reforms are meant to address long-standing concerns over how students accumulate credits to complete their qualifications. With the NCEA, students can opt out of assessments, including final exams, once they have accumulated enough credits. But as the Government seeks to address the 'gaming' of the system, it shouldn't lose sight of why the NCEA was introduced in the first place – and who it was designed to help. While the system has its flaws, a return to an exam-based model may not make the grade either. Addressing uneven achievement The NCEA was introduced between 2002 and 2004 to replace the School Certificate, Sixth Form Certificate and Bursary qualifications. Its aim was to broaden educational success, recognising diverse forms of learning as legitimate. The previous qualifications primarily valued traditional academic subjects because those were, in large part, the only ones available for assessment. The NCEA represented a shift away from viewing vocational learning – for example, in trades or creative subjects – as less valuable and not a viable path to formal qualifications. It also marked a departure from 'norms'-based assessment, which scaled student results to fit predetermined pass and fail rates. In contrast, NCEA was 'standards'-based: if a student could demonstrate the required skills or knowledge, they received the credits. But since the early days of the NCEA, there have been concerns students could achieve the qualifications without really having gained an adequate education. The flexibility of the NCEA – allowing schools, teachers and students to tailor learning pathways – is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. It has been criticised for being confusing, inconsistent and lacking credibility. Last year, Mike Grimshaw, an associate professor of sociology at Canterbury University, raised concerns that students were entering university 'functionally illiterate'. He said New Zealand was 'under-educating but over-qualifying'. Concerns such as this over the NCEA have fuelled repeated calls for reform. Whiplash for schools While few dispute changes are needed, the scale and pace of the Government's proposals are another matter. Schools have already contended with numerous policy shifts under this Government, including rapid curriculum changes and new assessments in primary and secondary schools. Now they are being told the entire NCEA framework will be replaced. The sheer volume and speed of these changes puts significant pressure on teachers. This is not the only concern. Under the NCEA, a Year 12 student who worries they might fail the calculus 'standard' can still do maths, knowing they have the option not to sit the calculus exam. Under the new system, this sort of flexibility disappears. Students will either take Year 12 mathematics – or they will not. This inflexibility raises the stakes. It may deter students from taking certain subjects altogether for fear of failure. The renewed emphasis on exams is also problematic. Research has shown exam outcomes can be influenced by gender, anxiety and even personal circumstances on exam day. In other words, exams are not necessarily the 'credible' measure of learning they are made out to be. There are also important questions that the Government's policy consultation proposal does not answer. What are the options for a student who fails the certificate on their first attempt? Will schools still be able to tailor internal assessments to suit their students? Room for some optimism There are, however, reasons for cautious optimism. The Government has promised to retain the NCEA standards-based approach. Preserving the integrity of whole subjects means students are more likely to learn topics, such as algebra, that keep academic options open but are often left out in the NCEA. But this will come at a cost. The stakes will feel higher and students will face greater pressure to succeed. The NCEA delivered on the promise that we shouldn't automatically assume half of our population will fail. Over the past two decades, more young people have left school with qualifications. But did they learn more? That remains an open question. The new system will likely bring consistency and arguably credibility to high school qualifications. But some students will pay the price of this higher-stakes approach to education. David Pomeroy is senior lecturer in Mathematics Education, at the University of Canterbury.
Otago Daily Times
03-08-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
$20k scholarship helps UC student study 'mischevious and cheeky' penguins
A love of sea life has inspired deeper conservation research for Alexandra Strang. The 24-year-old Canterbury University PhD student hopes to find out what the population of adélie penguins is in the Antarctic Ross Sea region. Adélie penguins are an indicator species, which means their well-being can represent the overall biodiversity and environmental health of an area. Using satellite imagery, Strang will monitor penguin colonies with the aim of getting an accurate population estimate – and discover whether it is trending up or down. 'When I started Antarctic studies I thought I'd end up in some type of field conservation job. I didn't know much about research or data but I had a passion for marine biology and it's just developed from there,' she said. Strang has received a $20,000 doctoral scholarship, which will enable her to use images from commercial satellites to monitor the population. She will also stay with an American conservation research team at the Ross Sea from October to February, where she will monitor how well penguins' chicks are doing as part of her broader studies. 'It will be really cool to see the penguins in their natural environment. They're a bit mischievous and cheeky and also a bit clumsy sometimes,' said Strang. About a third of the global adélie penguin population lives in the Ross Sea. While monitoring of adélie penguins was extensive from the 1980s to 2000s, recent changes have prompted a desire for a new population estimate. Declines in sea ice and the establishment of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area in 2016 make it timely to examine penguin population trends in the region. Strang will study population change across 15 colonies through satellite images from 2009 to 2023. Then she will see if there is a link to environmental change, with the aim of predicting future population trends based on observed changes. Strang also wants to help enhance the precision of high-resolution satellite imagery even further by providing feedback for satellite operators. This could help make future monitoring of penguin populations more accurate.
Daily Mail
25-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Tech geek student, 21, who sold phishing kits for fraudsters to scam victims out of £100million is jailed
A tech student who sold phishing kits for fraudsters to scam victims out of £100million has been jailed. Ollie Holman enjoyed a 'lavish lifestyle' as a result of selling the kits while victims, which included companies and charities across 24 countries, were targeted. The kits contained fake webpages to trick victims into sharing personal and financial information. The webpages, designed to look real, harvested information, including log-ins and bank details. The 21-year-old studying at Canterbury University shared the pages via Telegram, where he shared advice with others on how to commit fraud, Southwark Crown Court heard. Holman was arrested at his accommodation in October 2023. He admitted two counts of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence, two of making or supplying articles for use in fraud and transferring, acquiring and possessing criminal property. He was jailed for seven years and made subject to a serious crime prevention order at Southwark Crown Court. The charges followed an investigation by the City of London Police, supported by police in Switzerland and Finland. Sarah Jennings, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'By creating and selling phishing kits, Ollie Holman facilitated a widespread fraud which others used to exploit innocent victims on a vast scale. 'Holman acted with greed and profited handsomely from this illegal enterprise, funding his own lavish lifestyle at the expense of countless individuals and businesses who suffered devastating financial losses and emotional harm. 'The prosecution team, working closely with City of London Police and international partners, was able to build a strong case with clear, compelling evidence, resulting in the defendant's guilty pleas. 'I hope this case sends a clear message to those intent on committing fraud: no matter how sophisticated your methods, you cannot hide behind online anonymity or encrypted platforms. 'Fraudsters like Holman will be robustly pursued by law enforcement, prosecuted by the CPS, and brought to justice.' Holman, of Eastcote, west London, will now face confiscation proceedings.
RNZ News
24-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Proposed changes to forestry rules and the on-going problems
Parts of Tasman and Marlborough are still digging out from the silt that swept through homes and farms in the double whammy of two flood events. Areas were also swamped by mud and rivers barricaded with woody debris during Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, leading the government to amend the slash management rules under the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry. Now submissions are just days away from closing on more proposed changes with the government saying the earlier amendments have proved costly and not fit for purpose. The new proposal amends and repeals a number of provisions. The New Zealand Forest Owners Association says proposed reforms will go some way in addressing the challenges forest owners face due to variable and unjustified local council rules. But experts argue the proposed changes fail to address the core reasons for slash and sediment discharges. Kathryn is joined by Mark Bloomberg is an Adjunct Fellow at the New Zealand School of Forestry at Canterbury University and Elizabeth Heeg the New Zealand Forest Owners Association chief executive
Daily Maverick
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Inside the Trump administration's diplomatic vanishing act at Antarctic Treaty meeting
The 1959 pact — America's brainchild — may be humanity's greatest geopolitical feat, governing the only continent never to see war. Now, as China pulls ahead in polar science, the US may be sabotaging its role in the show that runs the snow. Washington was, for decades, the seemingly implacable keystone of Antarctic governance. But the US delegation failed to table a single discussion paper at the 47th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM). The Milan-hosted meeting — which deliberated the future of Antarctic science, conservation and tourism projects — was held between 24 June and 3 July. But the meeting is also about geopolitics, a continent carved up into territorial slices larger than Greenland. And it's about managing the expectations of the influential countries who made those claims, which remain frozen under the treaty. This dramatic drop in engagement — from contributing over 10% of working and information papers at the 2024 ATCM in India, to offering only the depository-state procedural note in 2025 — seems to mark a striking collapse in US participation in Antarctic diplomacy. Answers to our request for comment were not received by the deadline on Tuesday, 8 July. Virtuoso to metronome 'It has tabled only one paper. That paper is the one it tables every year as the depository, the responsible state for the 1959 treaty and the Madrid Protocol,' said Professor Alan Hemmings, an Antarctic governance expert at Canterbury University in New Zealand. 'This is done by a very professional part of the State Department for all the treaties for which the US is depository.' The meeting document database, locked during the Milan ATCM, flushes out what had been feared by observers ahead of the event. The US registered late and offered little more than that. 'If you want a comparison,' Hemmings proposed, 'at last year's ATCM in India there were something like 249 main papers, working papers or information papers. The US was contributing more than 10% of the total significant diplomatic papers for the ATCM.' Today there are 29 treaty signatories with vetoes at the decision-making table. To get there, you're meant to do a lot of science. But — once you're there — there is no legal obligation to keep doing a lot of science (there is also no agreement on what a lot of science is). Those signatories include Australia, China, Germany, the UK, Russia and South Africa. Watch: Antarctica's Precipice — Reimagining the South Pole without US Commitment In a webinar hosted by Daily Maverick ahead of the tightly sealed, closed-door meeting in the Italian fashion capital, Hemmings had warned of looming US dysfunction in the world's most prestigious scientific pact. With just two weeks to go, he said, he had heard from 'a considerable number of people' that the US had only just confirmed its delegation. Its agenda papers had been a no-show. Now available for public scrutiny, the meeting database confirms that Hemmings, a working scientist and academic in Antarctica since the early 1980s, was correct. The delegation had also not secured a bureaucratic green light essential to engaging meaningfully in treaty talks. 'It had not got the sign-off for its brief. So, what it is able to do without that is not at all clear,' he suggested at the time. Perpetual dissonance Hemmings highlighted 'chaos' stemming from the Trump administration's faltering approach to polar science, suggesting that the apparent dysfunction had trickled down to treaty preparations. 'On a positive note, there's a degree of consistency here,' Hemmings quipped. 'There's a sort of chaotic approach in relation to ice-strengthened and ice-breaking vessels. 'There's obviously chaos in relation to the administration's approach to science generally, including polar science in both polar regions, but significant in the Antarctic as well.' Asked why Donald Trump's 2026 financial year budget request seeks to cancel the lease for the Nathaniel B. Palmer, the only back-up to the Antarctic icebreaker Polar Star, fellow webinar panellist Professor Klaus Dodds noted 'you've got to find some third-party leasing pretty jolly quickly or else you're going to be in trouble in terms of supporting your polar programme'. The Royal Holloway, University of London, geographer is an expert in Antarctic geopolitics. 'You can't do these things on the fly,' Dodds pointed out. 'And my fear is that this is all part of engineering crisis, chaos and havoc. Of course, it then ushers in further cuts and reductions and you somehow blame it on those who've been given a terrible legacy to deal with.' 'Ghost in the machine' The discussion documents submitted ahead of the meeting may now be public. However, the minutes of the live closed-d0or talks will likely only be viewable in a few months. Perhaps more worrying than delegation's flagged meeting performance is its reported disengagement from the treaty's intersessional period — the months between formal meetings where much of the substantive negotiation and collaboration occur. According to Hemmings, 'the US has been largely absent from the intersessional discussions since the last ATCM'. Thus, a Western leader of the Antarctic Treaty System effectively absented itself from shaping the continent's future over the past year. The academic described the US as a 'major player in the history of the ATS ' — and now a fading 'ghost in the machine'. 'Poisoned chalice' Several factors appear to have converged to produce this diplomatic snafu. As Hemmings noted, the delegation in Milan was likely smaller than usual and stripped of its long-standing NGO participants — including, reportedly for the first time in nearly three decades, representatives from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (Iaato). Even the top US officials attending were relatively new to their leadership roles. Head delegate Ona Hahs, a lawyer by background, was only attending her second ATCM. The new US representative to the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) was doing so for the first time. 'These kinds of transitions happen,' Hemmings acknowledged, 'but in addition to all these other problems, there are these new people who have been given a poisoned chalice.' Missing section at the 'higher levels', sagging symphony Sustained disengagement by the US threatens to weaken the balance of power within the ATS. President Joe Biden's former Antarctic policy chief, William Muntean pointed out that 'no new administration has Antarctica high on its to-do list'. Yet, 'previous new administrations have allowed professional Antarctic experts to meaningfully engage on Antarctic issues. 'By submitting no papers to the ATCM, it appears that the higher levels of the US Department of State were concerned enough by routine action to block that normal engagement, but not interested enough to provide alternative positions.' Pianissimo on purpose: 'At the mercy of other countries' Now an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Muntean argued that the absence of papers did not mean the US no longer supported the treaty or Antarctica. 'However, if the US does not shift its Antarctica policy into gear, it will remain adrift and lose influence in the region and the ATCM, which will leave advancing its interests at the mercy of other countries.' According to a preliminary paper on 2025 Antarctic research trends — led by the University of the Arctic — China is now the world leader in south polar science. 'There's a considerable lowering of expectations,' Hemmings added. 'Good people hope the US doesn't try to say very much. And that tells you everything … He noted that 'so many' officials were 'anxious about not attracting the attention of people higher in the administration'. This year, silence may have passed. 'For now the US can get away with this,' Hemmings said. 'What will it be like next year?' DM
