Please join us on Tuesday, March 25th, from 3 pm in MOKO 101, Ngā Mokopuna, where we will hear from the co-project manager of Ngā Mokopuna, Rhonda Thomson (Ngāi Tahu). 

We know that we need to make more conscious choices for the environment and for the legacy we’ll leave for our mokopuna. Māori are searching for initiatives that can support us to be who we are meant to be in our everyday lives, and businesses are begging to look at holistic, science-based models to address climate change, depleting resources and inequity.

In her kōrero, Rhonda will talk about some of Ngā Mokopuna’s (formerly known as the Living Pā) distinguishing features. Opened on 6 December 2024, this new marae whare was built to complement Te Tumu Herenga Waka (the wharenui) and to realise Māori values and beliefs. Aspiring to a Living Building™ sustainability rating, this beacon project is designed and constructed on evolving evidence of what’s possible for green buildings now.

To attend, please RSVP here

Maunuhanga - Wellington Postdoctoral Society welcomes our Postdoc and early career researcher community to our first major event of the year at the Hunter Lounge, Thursday 30th January from 4:30pm. This will be an informal get-together with Pizza and a chance to meet other Postdocs and Early Career Researchers from around the university.

All Early Career Researchers at VUW are welcome to attend. If you are a researcher with a PhD on fixed term contract (including research assistants, teaching fellows, research fellows).

To attend, please RSVP here

Join us for the second session in our newly curated series on teaching for early-career academics, hosted by the Maunuhanga—Wellington Postdoctoral Society. In this session, we will explore two of the three fundamental pillars of academic life—research, teaching, and service.

Professor John Randal will delve into the interconnected roles of teaching and service, shedding light on how these responsibilities overlap and complement each other in academic work. 

Whether you're a PhD student, postdoc, or early-career lecturer, this is a great opportunity to explore the various pathways in teaching, understand the key components of effective teaching, and gain valuable insights to navigate your academic journey with confidence. 

Date: Wednesday, 4 December 2024 
Time: 12:30 PM – 13:30 PM 
Location: RHLT3 (Pipitea Campus) & Online Streaming 
Zoom: https://vuw.zoom.us/j/96766595485 

If you would like to attend, please RSVP here
 
Speaker details  
Prof. John Randal  is partially seconded into a role as Director of the Teaching Intensive Academic Career Pathway, and also serves as the Associate Dean (Students) in the Wellington School of Business and Government.  

The Maunuhanga – Wellington Postdoctoral Society invites you to this Research Leadership Workshop for Early Career Researchers workshop. The focus will be on developing the art of giving and receiving feedback.

The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback workshop provides you with the opportunity to practice the BUILD model to give critical feedback respectfully and without judgment or criticism. You will also gain an understanding of the importance of praise through practicing the ‘ABC of appreciation’ to see and notice the specific things that people do that make a positive difference to us at work.

The event will be held in KK202.

What it’s about

We all want a great place to work. Yet, our ‘Your Voice Staff Survey’ suggests that not enough of us are having the experience we want to have – and that is why we created the Building Respect programme and resources. These are all designed to help us have more good days at work. Because we all have the “right” to have things be OK, but we also have the “responsibility” to help them be "OK” for others where we can.

Sometimes that can mean:

• being brave and sharing the gift of critical feedback with someone, or

• receiving feedback as a gift and being willing to modify our own behaviour, or

• helping someone else out who is not OK by being a good bystander.

• making sure that we let other people know when they are doing something that works – giving positive feedback.

Pre-work

Before you attend the workshop, we ask that you complete our e-learning module ‘Speaking up Safely with Build’. This e-learning module will give you the background to the BUILD and ABC models we will explore during our session. As this is a short workshop, we won’t have time to teach the models in any depth, so the e-learning is essential. The e-learning shouldn’t take more than 1 hour of your time. Here is the link - https://intranet.wgtn.ac.nz/staff/your-university/building-respect/using-abc-and-build/e-learning

The workshop

The focus for the workshop is an opportunity to discuss and practice some of the key skills in the art of giving and receiving feedback.

• Getting clear on the difference between facts vs judgements (an essential part of being able to deliver constructive feedback that will bypass resistance),

• Practising our Listening skills so that we truly understand the other’s perspective, and

• Talking about how to apply the skills into your own contexts.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP here

The Maunuhanga – Wellington Postdoctoral Society invites you to our next social event: an evening of mini golf! It's a tee-rific chance to unwind, make new connections, and engage in some friendly competition with fellow Postdocs. Afterwards, we'll head to Southern Cross for some drinks and nibbles.

Event Details:

• Date: 25 October 2024

• Time: 4:35-6.35 PM 

• Location: WellyPutt - 5 Wigan Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011

Please note that we are limited to 15 spots for this event. To secure your spot, please RSVP by October 18th. You can RSVP by signing up to the event here

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join the Maunuhanga—Wellington Postdoctoral Society and Centre for Academic Development (CAD) for the first session in our new series tailored for early-career academics. Whether you are a PhD student, postdoc, or lecturer, discover how to start your teaching journey and find the support you need.

Zoom link will be provided closer to the event date for those who wish to attend online.

Date: Wednesday, 23 October 2024

Time: 14:00 PM – 15:00 PM

Location: EA201 (Kelburn Campus) & Online Streaming

Speaker details 

Dr. Namali Suraweera is an Academic Developer at the Centre for Academic Development, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, where she supports the design, creation, and review of courses and learning experiences. Namali also engages in and supports projects aimed at enhancing learning, teaching, and research. She contributes to various professional development programs offered by CAD, including Orientation to Academic Life, Introduction to Learning and Teaching (TILT), the Victoria Early Career Academic Programme (VECAP), and Te Arawai Ako: Pathway to Learning and Teaching Fellowship (Staff and Student streams).

Please RSVP here if you wish to attend.

The Maunuhanga – Wellington Postdoctoral Society invites you to this Research Leadership Workshop for Early Career Researchers. The focus for this workshop will be developing effective conversation skills.

Effective conversation skills are useful for early career researchers when communicating with colleagues, collaborators, stakeholders, and students. As most early career researchers are still growing their networks, conversations with collaborators and stakeholders can be critical. We need to promote our research in both academic and non-academic contexts. Academically, we need to present our research to peer researchers and seek potential collaborations. Non-academically, we need to promote our research to industries, communities, and other stakeholders to seek cross-disciplinary collaboration and potential funding. Conversations with colleagues and students are equally important with more chances to practice it in our daily environment.

For more information and to register for this event, please click here

Join us for our regular coffee meetup at the Pipitea Campus. This a fantastic opportunity to gather, network, and catch up over coffee and cake.

We meet at the Lab, located on the ground floor of Rutherford House. Whether you are a regular attendee or new to the group, we look forward to welcoming you at our usual tall table towards the back of the venue.

Note: We would be happy to see fellow postdocs from Kelburn join us. This is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues across campuses!

Please RSVP here

Join us for a chat over coffee and cake. There will be a free tea or coffee for everyone who comes along. As usual, we will be at Milk and Honey sitting at the large table towards the back of the venue. Please RSVP here

For our final seminar in our Mātauranga Māori series for 2024 – The Kūaka research collective with Dr Billy van Uitregt (Ngā Rauru, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Tūhoe) will showcase how indigenous knowledge traditions can engage effectively with scientists and other researchers engaging from outside of ao Māori.

An uri-based research team from Whanganui are building global research collaborations with Indigenous peoples and knowledge traditions that are connected through Kūaka (bar tailed godwits) and other migratory birds. Local bird enthusiast and wildlife photographer, Paul Gibson, has documented the intricate behaviours of one particular Kūaka that has been visiting the Whanganui river estuary each year since at least 2008. Paul’s personal connection and knowledge of AJD, as he is known by his leg tag, has formed the foundation of the research team’s approach to activating our local, national, global community’s care for AJD, Kūaka and migratory birds more broadly, toward the protection of their critical habitats locally and globally.

This will be an in-person event held in AM101 from 3-5 pm, Wednesday 11th of September. Kai will be provided.

Unfortunately we have limited capacity for this event and it only works to run in person. To prevent people missing out, we have a waitlist once spaces are full. If you register and cannot attend, then please cancel using the link in the confirmation email or email sent one day in advance.

To attend, please register here

Please join us as Jacqueline and Tiopira of the Wellington Research Office assess and give advice on Rangahau Māori (Māori Research). This seminar will cover what you need to know about Mātauranga Māori, Vision Matauranga and Funders & Funds when planning your research. There will be time for Q&A.

The wvent will be at the Victoria University of Wellington Kelburn Campus in HM001 and available to access via zoom: https://vuw.zoom.us/j/99758152599

If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP here

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s Policy Hub connects New Zealand's academics with the policy community to ensure well founded evidence underpins key policy decisions.

The Policy Hub:

• runs workshops to explore nationally significant issues through a multi-disciplinary lens

• provides expert input into strategic foresight projects

• builds multi-disciplinary teams to deliver research on key policy issues.

We have organised this event to showcase some of the opportunities for ECRs to connect with government and policy through the Policy Hub. Andrew Jackson will introduce some of the latest projects policy hub is involved in and we will have time for a discussion on how the policy hub can work for ECRs. 

The seminar will be in LBLT118. Zoom link: https://vuw.zoom.us/j/91778577397

If you are interested in attending, please register here

We invite all Postdocs and Early Career Researchers to meet and chat over coffee and cake. There will be a free tea or coffee for everyone who comes along. As usual, we will meet at Milk and Honey and will be seated at the large table towards the back of the venue. 

If you would like to attend, please register here

Join us and delve into the "social styles" theory, focusing on how individuals naturally behave and communicate in collaborative settings. Participants will explore their personal social styles and understand how different styles complement each other. Early career researchers will also practice networking skills crucial for academic advancement, including sharing research, discovering funding opportunities, and fostering collaborations.

Spaces are limited, please RSVP using this link: https://vuw.libcal.com/event/5728953

Dr Taiuru (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Toa) is a leading authority and a highly accomplished visionary Māori technology ethicist specialising in Māori rights with AI, Māori Data Sovereignty and Governance with emerging digital technologies and biological sciences. He brings extensive expertise in IP, mātauranga, Tikanga Māori, te Tiriti and advocacy for digital Māori rights and data sovereignty and a profound understanding of the intersection between Māori knowledge and emerging technologies.

Please RSVP here

Please join us for our next event at the Pipitea Campus, which includes coffee and cake at the Lab followed by a special guided tour of the historic Old Government Buildings. This building currently houses the Te Kauhanganui Tātai Ture–Faculty of Law. This unique opportunity allows you to explore this iconic site and visit other often overlooked campuses.

Coffee and cake will be at the Lab, located on the ground floor of the Rutherford House. We will be at the tall table at the back of the venue.

Please RSVP via following this link: https://vuw.libcal.com/event/5727123

We're excited to announce the first Maunuhanga - Wellington Postdoctoral Society social event of year: an exhilarating Escape Room experience. Mark your calendars for July 5th - we will be racing to escape from the lair of one of the world's most deadly spies, likely followed by a debrief and refreshments at a nearby pub. If you have never done an Escape Room before, check out www.escaperoomswellington.com to get an idea of what to expect. 

Event Details:

Date: 05/07/24

Time: 4.15pm (or for those intending on walking from Kelburn Campus, meet at the TTR Building Tuatara Enclosure ready to leave at 3.50pm).

Location: Escape Rooms Wellington, entrance at 52 Vivian Street

If this sounds like something you're interested in, please RSVP using this LibCal event registration by June 21st - https://vuw.libcal.com/event/5726601 . The Escape Room activity is limited to 14 participants, however if all spots are taken you can join the waitlist and we'll let you know if one becomes available.

The Wellington Post-Doctoral Society and the Malaghan Institute are excited to present the second event in our Mātauranga Māori seminar series - a panel discussion featuring three Māori academics who successfully use and contribute to Mātauranga Māori in their respective fields.

Please join us in HMLT002, Kelburn Campus at midday on Wednesday, July 3rd. Or via zoom at: https://vuw.zoom.us/j/95254283642.

The panel will feature:

• Dr Tara McAllister (Te Aitanga a Mahaki) Kairangahau Matua, Te Manawahoukura, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Tara gained her PhD from the University of Canterbury in Freshwater Ecology. More recently, she was the recipient of the Te Kōpūnui Māori Research Award for her work on the underrepresentation and undervaluing of Māori academics.

• Dr Clive Aspin (Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Tamaterā), Associate Professor of Health Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, and Chair, Te Urungi Malaghan Institute. Clive is a public health researcher with an interest in Māori health. He is the 2023 recipient of the Te Rangi Hiroa Medal, awarded by the Royal Society - Te Apārangi for his national and international contributions to social and cultural diversity.

• Dr Sara Belcher (Te Arawa - Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāti Uenukukōpako) Senior Lecturer, School of Science in Society, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Sara has worked at the intersection of Mātauranga Māori and mainstream ‘Western’ science – developing a framework that links Mātauranga Māori and pūtaiao Māori concepts to scientific quantitative metrics.

Please RSVP to join us in person or online here – https://vuw.libcal.com/event/5727242.

This is the first time we are hosting an event at the Pipitea Campus. We are excited to meet the postdocs and early career researchers from the Pipitea Campus and beyond.

Please come along and join us for a chat over coffee and cake. We will be sitting in the Lab Coffeeshop and will communicate where to find us exactly closer to the date.

Join us at our seminar to learn about turning cool new tech discoveries into successful products. You will hear about how to protect your ideas, and tips for making it big in the business world. It is a great chance to get the know-how you need to make your mark with your inventions.

The event will be held at Kelburn Campus in room LB 118.

A regular event for postdocs and early career researchers to meet and chat over coffee and cake. There will be a free tea or coffee for everyone who comes along. As usually, we will be at Milk and Honey sitting at the large table towards the back of the venue. 

Maunuhanga - Wellington Postdoctoral Society welcomes our Postdoc community to our first major event of the year at the Southern Cross bar, Thursday 29th February from 4:00pm. This will be a fun get-together, a chance to chat with committee members and meet other Postdocs and Early Career Researchers from around the university. We’ll also fill you in on some of the things we’ve got planned for the year ahead. Snacks and drinks provided. 

All Early Career Researcher from VUW are welcome to attend.

We will be in the “Lounge” area of the Southern Cross (immediately on the right as you come in the main door). 

Join us at Milk and Honey for some free coffee and cake and meet up with all the others at the University

Join us at Milk and Honey for some free coffee and cake and meet up with all the others at the University

This session will explore how you can improve your research (both in terms of quality and impact) through an increased uptake in the use of digital research tools.