Latest news with #UniversityofOtago
Otago Daily Times
19 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Liquor store hit by students drinking less
A North Dunedin liquor store owner says his business has been hit by students consuming less alcohol. Leith Liquorland was up before a district licensing committee yesterday for an application to renew its off-licence. The application faced objections from police, Ministry of Health delegate Anthony Whipp, and Bede Crestani, the father of University of Otago student Sophia Crestani who died at a Dunedin flat party in 2019, over its proposed trading hours. The store is licensed to sell alcohol between 9am and 10pm, seven days a week, but the objectors wanted that to be reduced to 9pm. During the hearing, committee chairman Colin Weatherall said while he understood the need for the committee to focus on issues relating to alcohol harm, he felt there needed to be a wider discussion about issues such as drug-related harm. Leith Liquorland owner Chris Hart agreed. "It's a huge frustration as a retailer. "Five years ago, I didn't know what MDMA was." When the ODT later asked him to clarify his "frustration", Mr Hart said it was a frustration "that all these things get brought into the same conversation when they're totally different". Alcohol harm prevention officer Sergeant Steve Jones said the changing drug landscape was outside the remit of the committee's decision-making, but needed to be mentioned. "I think as a collective, the agencies and the licensed premises community, building awareness around the impact of drugs and providing education is the way forward." Mr Hart agreed and pointed to research that showed young people were drinking less. Asked whether the decline in young people drinking had led to a decline in sales, Mr Hart said this was the case. In his opening statement, Mr Hart told the committee he was a "safety first" retailer who cared about the community and viewed his liquor licence "as a privilege, not a right". He said he was a proactive retailer who took measures to minimise harm, such as not selling single-serve alcohol, and taking steps to remove all Nitro 1.5 litre drinks from the premises a few years ago due to health concerns. He said "75%" of alcohol at the store was sold in cans as opposed to glass bottles, while the staff had regular refresher training about their responsibilities. Asked about the potential for more harm if the store was open for longer, Mr Hart said he dealt with "more refusals" between 4pm and 7pm than he did from 9pm to 10pm. Serious incidents were dealt with, but "nine times out 10" these people did not cause much trouble after they were warned or refused entry. He did not operate every night until 10pm, he said. Mr Crestani told the committee recent emergency department data showed higher presentation numbers when off-licences were open for longer. He asked for a closing time of 9pm, but also said there needed to be a national approach to such issues, and more of a level playing field. "What I've seen in the applicant's document is that he is a good operator." Sgt Jones said there were "high levels of trust and confidence in the applicant". However, he said the area he operated in had "high vulnerability". The broader community had made it clear they had issues with broken glass, Sgt Jones said. He also focused on the proposed operating hours and hinted at the prevalence of alcohol-fuelled poor behaviour after 9pm. The committee reserved its decision.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Miss Universe entrant a mother
Miss Universe New Zealand finalist Dr Deborah Lambie and her husband David Cameron hold their now 5-month-old son Theodore Cameron-Lambie when he was born on January 4 this year. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED A former Dunedin resident and budding beauty pageant contestant will be competing for the elusive top spot in the Miss Universe New Zealand pageant five months after giving birth. Next week, Dr Deborah Lambie will take to the Miss Universe New Zealand stage in the hopes of representing New Zealand at the worldwide pageant in Thailand this November. If she takes the top spot on Tuesday, she will be the first mother to represent their country at the competition. While Dr Lambie said she was excited, she also had a healthy mix of nerves. "I'm just really focusing on trying to enjoy it, and not worrying about the outcome ... just being able to be a finalist at this stage in my life is amazing." Her son, Theodore "Teddy" Cameron-Lambie, was born on January 4, 2025. Becoming a mother was "so rewarding and amazing," but it was good for her to do something she loved to do, she said. Dr Lambie will be back competing in Miss Universe New Zealand five months postpartum. "I had thought that this chapter of my life was closed, and so to have the opportunity to open it back up is really, really nice. "We've never ever sent a mum to Miss Universe." Initially, she was worried whether she would be confident enough, or had recovered enough to cross the stage so shortly after giving birth, she said. "I was super lucky that I wasn't sick during my pregnancy, so I was able to just keep going with my normal exercise like walking, yoga and pilates. "I've been super fortunate during my pregnancy, which has meant I've been able to recover well — I'm so grateful for that because that's not the same for everyone." The pageant's preliminaries will be held on Sunday, and the Miss Universe Grand Finale would take place on Tuesday at the SkyCity Theatre, Auckland. When she was a medical student studying at the University of Otago, Dr Lambie found herself representing New Zealand at the 2015 Miss World competition in China. Back then, there were rules around eligible ages, whether people could be married or have children and the type of people who could enter, Dr Lambie said. "They have really taken a step forward in the right direction in my mind, and it's basically got rid of all of those rules. "I think it is a great step in the right direction of embracing a broader definition of beauty." She is now living in Auckland, but visits family in Dunedin regularly.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Continuing a legacy
Providing a green space in suburbia where birds and insects can flourish is the aim of an Opoho couple, Louise Frampton writes. Located up Signal Hill Rd, Marianne Groothuis and John Dodd's property is nestled unobtrusively behind a boundary of tall native trees. Entering the driveway, a feeling of calmness embraces you as the hum of traffic is replaced by the chatter of birdsong. The wide, sweeping gravel path, a former driveway, is bordered with tree ferns, astelia and rhododendrons and a lush green canopy of native trees provides a haven for the birds. Among the trees are Northern rātā, Southern rātā, lancewoods, kōwhai, kauri, rimu, pōhutakawa and nīkau palms, sitting side-by-side with rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. But when the house was built in 1932, a very different garden greeted visitors. Back then, a formal English garden was visible from the road. It had a circular pond with a fountain in the lower garden and stone steps, pillared by yew trees, leading up to the symmetrical flower and rose beds nestled in the expansive lawn above. A row of flowering cherries ran along the top of the garden in front of white-painted trellis. But all that changed in 1959 when the quarter acre (1000sqm) property was bought by Doug Campbell and his wife Ann. Campbell was a geologist and botanist at the University of Otago and put a lot of the natives and trees into the Opoho property, as well as at his holiday home in Warrington. "He was a passionate collector of rare native plants, but he hated the formality of the English garden," Dodd says. "He did his absolute best to subvert [the formality] without actually removing anything." Many of the remnants of the formal garden are still hidden among the natives, such as the sundial, stone steps and all of the long-lasting trellis. Many flowering cherries were removed, but a few remain among the rhododendrons. "He called the [flowering] cherries the 'poodles of the plant world'," Groothuis says. Among the natives the botanist planted is a kauri tree. Dodd says it was about 1.5m tall when he and Groothuis bought the property about 25 years ago. "Apparently it was gifted to Doug by a geology student who was working for a mining company in Coromandel. A road was going through and the little kauri was going to get ripped out so this student rescued it and brought it back to Dunedin for Doug. "It would be about 30-40 feet (9-10m) tall now." There is also a special scree garden where Campbell planted his cuttings and seedlings from his geology adventures. "He would gather scree from the area and place it around the plant," Groothuis says. Campbell is no longer alive, but an extract from his obit written in 2001 sums him up well: "Doug was less concerned about the appearance of his garden. His interest was in the plants themselves. Each one had a story, either related to where he had collected them on geology trips all over New Zealand, or [related to] a research question he had about the variation in leaf shape and size. He had speargrass, native brooms, shrubby coprosmas, little gunneras, and the occasional special celmisia. He wanted to bring tūī and bellbird around the house and was always on the lookout for good nectar-producing species." Campbell must have known his garden was in good hands when he sold the property privately to Dodd and Groothuis in 2000, especially since Groothuis is a curator at the Dunedin Botanic Garden, responsible for the camellia collection. Her love of camellias spills into her home garden as well, where some of her favourites are planted, such as Camellia transnokoensis, native to Taiwan, and Camellia yunnanensis, from China. She also has a hedge of 30 white-flowering Camellia 'setsugekka', which are coming into flower now. Also in her home garden is her "outdoor office", a special area nestled in the bottom of the section surrounded by natives, where she has a table to pot up seedlings and cuttings, for other areas of the garden, or to sell at the gate. Dodd is a talented double bass player as well as a guitarist and singer-songwriter. He plays in many different musical lineups, often touring the country. He's also a former music teacher at Logan Park High School and, like his wife, has a love for the garden. "This garden is my personality and John's personality, Groothuis says. "We both love it and we have firm discussions when something needs to be removed or planted." Dodd says there are always messy parts. "I would probably like it immaculate." But Groothuis likes the "scruffy" habitat that encourages the birds and insects. "We really love the birds and I really love the fact that it's scruffy enough to encourage lots of insects and wildlife," she says. She especially likes to keep the dying leaves facing down on the cabbage tree trunks – "it's something that cabbage trees only do in the colder climates to protect themselves", and she says it also makes a great habitat for insects. Since moving in, they have planted a mataī, a rimu, three nīkau, pohutakawa, kakabeak, the Chilean myrtle Luma apiculata, rata, kowhai and ''lots of tree ferns''. The couple say most of the work involved is getting the weeds under control, and pruning the trees to allow the light in. "We do get arborists in to help thin out the trees," Groothuis says. Their most treasured area is the window seat in the lounge. It gives a magical view of the entire front garden. Close to the window, a witch hazel is in flower and a Japanese pagoda tree has been trimmed back to create room to hang bird feeders from the trellis. The antics and interactions of the tūī, kererū, bellbirds and waxeyes can be admired close-up from the comfort and warmth of the lounge. "We've almost constantly got a bird [on show]. Our two kereru often sit there and just hang out," Groothuis says, adding the window seat is an ideal place for reading or recuperating. There are sometimes up to six tūī at the feeders. "You can just sit here for ages watching." As Dodd and Groothuis approach their 25th anniversary of owning the property in October, they say they are proud to have continued the previous owner's work. They have a huge respect for Doug Campbell. "He was in this [property] for about 40 years and his legacy is still alive," Groothuis says. "We really love that the garden is about big trees and natives and [we love] the joy that comes from it being a little [bit of] wildlife in suburbia." The garden is in good hands.
Scoop
a day ago
- Business
- Scoop
QS World University Rankings 2026: Academic Reputation & International Appeal Place NZ's University System 5th Globally
London, June 19th: Four of New Zealand's eight higher education institutions have improved their ranking in the QS World University Rankings 2026. All of New Zealand's universities feature in the top 30% of the 1,500+ institutions from the 106 countries and territories included in this latest ranking. New Zealand's performance in 2026 QS World University Rankings Rank in New Zealand 2026 Rank 2025 Rank Institution 1 65 65 The University of Auckland 2 =197 214 University of Otago 3 =230 =239 Massey University 4 =240 244 Victoria University of Wellington 5 261 =261 University of Canterbury 6 =281 235 University of Waikato 7 407 =371 Lincoln University 8 =410 412 Auckland University of Technology Professor Dawn Freshwater, Vice Chancellor University of Auckland, said: 'Retaining our 65th place QS World Universities Ranking is a tribute to the efforts of the Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland community and its pursuit of excellence in all it does. This ranking comes in a year of upheaval in higher education in some parts of the world, alongside rapidly improved performances from peers in other regions. The University of Auckland is particularly proud of its metrics in academic reputation, faculty citations, employment outcomes and sustainability. We are proud to be New Zealand's highest-ranked university and a popular destination for academics and students from around the world.' Stand-out achievements A reputation for academic excellence: Every institution improved its rank in the Academic Reputation indicator, while The University of Auckland, University of Otago, Massey University and University of Canterbury all improved their Citations Per Faculty ranking. While no NZ university features in the top 100 for Citations, The University of Auckland places 63rd worldwide for Academic Reputation. Home of diverse learning experiences: Reflecting a post-pandemic recovery in international student demand, all but one institution improved its International Students Ratio, with three in the top 100 globally and improving on their performance last year. Namely, Auckland University of Technology rose three places to 39th; Lincoln University improved 35 places to be ranked 53rd; and Massey University moved up 25 spots to 71st. That international attraction extends to academics, with all eight universities in the top 120 globally for the International Faculty metric, and six maintaining their place in the top 100. Among places with five or more universities in the ranking, only the UAE performs better in the International Faculty indicator with an average score of 100 (New Zealand's average score is 99.9). International Faculty Overall Rank Institution Score Rank Change =197 University of Otago 100 53 -3 407 Lincoln University 100 55 +6 261 University of Canterbury 100 73 +4 =410 Auckland University of Technology 100 76 -12 65 The University of Auckland 100 83 -7 =240 Victoria University of Wellington 100 96 -14 Sustained sustainability: New Zealand remains highly regarded for its research and programmes related to sustainability, with three institutions maintaining their top 100 position globally for this indicator that measures environmental, social and governance factors. Of the 17 universities across Oceania that featured in the top 100, the University of Canterbury was one of only two to improve its rank, climbing a further eight places to be 78th worldwide. This is an indicator that has seen some significant improvements by a number of countries and overall, only Sweden has a higher average score (84.5) in this indicator. New Zealand's average score of 82.5 reinforces this as a true strength of the sector. Ben Sowter, Vice President of QS, said: 'New Zealand is one of the few places on earth where all universities feature among the global top 500 in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. The breadth of excellence shown across the country's eight universities is testament to the work of students, outstanding staff and brilliant research carried out across New Zealand. With the University of Otago returning to the top 200 for the first time since 2022, the country once again has two institutions ranked among the very top tier of universities worldwide.' Challenges However, with a number of areas where global peers are improving at a rapid rate, there are some challenges evident for NZ's institutions. Employment challenge: While three universities (AUT, Lincoln and Massey) improved their reputation among global employers, five institutions fell again in the Employer Reputation indicator (contributing 15% to the overall ranking), while six fell in the Employment Outcomes indicator. Given the significance of employment outcomes in students' decision-making, this is an area that requires attention, however it should be noted this is a relative improvement on last year's results nationally, when all eight universities dropped on both metrics. Faculty student ratio challenge: While relatively small in overall size compared to some international peers, NZ universities perform poorly in terms of the number of faculty to students, with only Massey University (319th) ranked in the top 500 on this indicator. International Research: Despite attracting relatively large numbers of international academics to work on their campuses, NZ universities all declined in terms of their international network performance, with the exception of The University of Auckland which entered the top 200 at 194th. New Zealand's Universities improving in Employer Reputation 2026 Rank Institution Score Rank Change =410 Auckland University of Technology 22.5 587 +93 407 Lincoln University 10.7 1020 +34 =230 Massey University 24.1 558 +27 New Zealand's top five performance For a country with a relatively small population and higher education sector, New Zealand continues to outperform global peers in many areas. Among countries and territories with at least eight institutions featured in this year's rankings, New Zealand's overall average score of 51 puts the country fifth in the world for the overall quality of its higher education. Top 10 locations by average score per indicator and overall* Country/Territory No HEi ranked Academic Reputation Employer Reputation Faculty Student Ratio Citations Per Faculty Int'l Faculty Ratio Int'l Students Ratio Int'l Research Network Employment Outcomes Sustainability Overall Score Hong Kong SAR, China 9 57.8 40.3 62.6 71.6 98.8 94.7 50.1 50.8 65.7 61.8 Netherlands 13 55.8 49.8 39.7 73.1 89.7 77.5 87.9 53.9 72.0 61.7 Sweden 8 51.7 42.2 61.8 60.1 91.8 71.3 88.8 66.2 84.5 60 Switzerland 10 45.8 37.7 63.8 65.3 97.4 74.5 78.1 52.9 71.9 57.3 New Zealand 8 46.4 29.3 22.5 57.9 99.9 77.3 62.9 64.8 82.5 51 Australia 36 39.5 34.7 16.7 70.7 85.6 77.5 76.0 34.7 76.1 49.8 Belgium 10 38.1 26.5 33.1 51.6 78.5 58.2 82.5 50.6 74.6 45.6 Ireland 8 40.1 40.5 27.2 36.8 87.2 63.7 71.1 49.0 74.8 44.8 Canada 29 35.6 34.5 20.9 51.8 71.8 63.8 74.4 50.4 77.3 44.4 United Kingdom 90 34.0 34.8 26.7 39.2 82.0 83.5 72.9 31.8 67.7 42.1 *Note: only locations with at least eight universities feature in this chart Benchmarking against all countries and territories included in the rankings, New Zealand is placed for its Academic Reputation with an average score of 46.4, behind Hong Kong SAR (57.8), Singapore (56.9), Netherlands (55.8), Sweden (51.7) and Denmark (50.8). Only Singapore, Qatar, Brunei Darussalam, United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg and Macao SAR perform better in the International Faculty indicator, while New Zealand's average score of 82.5 is second only to Sweden's (84.5) in the Sustainability indicator. Among key English-speaking study destinations, New Zealand ranks lowest among global employers for its reputation but is highest in terms of Employment Outcomes. This suggests a need for New Zealand universities to build closer relationships with employers worldwide to ensure a match between the skills and knowledge their graduates are entering the workforce with and those that are sought, and that the providers of those graduates are recognised. With employment emerging this year as the key driver of student choice when choosing a destination and university, it is important that the strong outcomes are visible and New Zealand university qualifications recognised. English-speaking study destinations in 2026 Location No HEi ranked Employer Reputation Score Employment Outcomes Score New Zealand 8 29.3 64.8 Singapore 4 57.1 57.8 Canada 29 34.5 50.4 Ireland 8 40.5 49.0 United States 192 31.3 39.6 Australia 36 34.7 34.7 United Kingdom 90 34.8 31.8 Global context: a competitive landscape The QS World University Rankings 2026 evaluate 1,500+ institutions across 106 countries and territories. Global competition is intensifying, particularly across Europe, North America, and Asia: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology retains the top position for the fourteenth consecutive year, followed by Imperial College London in second place and Stanford University in third. The United States remains the most represented system, with 192 universities, and sees more institutions rise than fall in this edition. Germany sees more universities improve than decline, a reversal from recent years. Italy enters the global top 100 for the first time, with Politecnico di Milano ranked 98th. Mainland China continues its ascent. Peking University holds on to 14th place, Tsinghua University rises to 17th, and Fudan University climbs nine spots to 30th, signaling a strong research-led push and increased academic reputation. Hong Kong SAR is the world's second most improved higher education system in this edition, among those with five or more ranked universities. Only Ireland improves by more. These shifts underscore the growing importance of international visibility, talent attraction, and cross-border collaboration, all areas where New Zealand universities have traditionally been strong and must now focus on to remain competitive. QS World University Rankings 2026: Top 10 2026 Rank 2025 Rank Institution Location 1 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) United States 2 2 Imperial College London United Kingdom 3 6 Stanford University United States 4 3 University of Oxford United Kingdom 5 4 Harvard University United States 6 5 University of Cambridge United Kingdom 7 7 ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Switzerland 8 8 National University of Singapore (NUS) Singapore 9 9 UCL (University College London) United Kingdom 10 10 California Institute of Technology (Caltech) United States The QS World University Rankings 2026 is based on a weighted index of indicators listed below. For further details, visit the QS methodology page. Lens Weighting Indicator Weighting Research and Discovery 50% Academic Reputation 30% Citations per Faculty 20% Employability and Outcomes 20% Employer Reputation 15% Employment Outcomes 5% Global Engagement 15% International Faculty Ratio 5% International Research Network 5% International Student Diversity 0% International Student Ratio 5% Learning Experience 10% Faculty Student Ratio 10% Sustainability 5% Sustainability 5% The full QS World University Rankings 2026 is available at
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Otago returns to top 200 in world university rankings
PHOTO: ODT FILES The University of Otago has returned to the top 200 in the QS World University Ranking for the first time since 2022. Otago rose to 197th in the rankings, following last year's placing of 214th, finishing with an overall score of 55.8. It was one of four New Zealand universities to improve its ranking. More than 1500 institutions in 106 countries are ranked, based on measures including a survey of academic reputation, staff to student ratios and citations of lecturers' research. The University of Auckland was New Zealand's highest-ranked institution in 65th place, with the other seven universities ranked between 197 and 410. Massey, Victoria and AUT also improved their rankings. Considered as a university system, New Zealand's universities performed well, the ranking said. "Among countries and territories with at least eight institutions featured in this year's rankings, New Zealand's overall average score of 51 puts the country fifth in the world for the overall quality of its higher education," it said. Only Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland had better-performing university systems. The ranking placed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) first for the 14th consecutive year followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University. Other ranking systems last year placed New Zealand universities lower in their league tables. In the THE ranking they ranged from 152nd to a band of 501-600th place, while in the Academic Ranking of World Universities they ranged from a top placing in the 201-300 band to a bottom placing of 801-900. - APL/RNZ
