News archive
09 Sep 2022
He Kete Kōrero – Spring 2022
Welcome to the Spring 2022 edition of He Kete Kōrero with the latest news from the Wellington campus.
09 Sep 2022
$14.5 million funding boost for Otago research
Otago research has been given a $14.5 million boost with the announcement of two funding rounds this week.
09 Sep 2022
$14.5 million funding boost for Otago research
$14.5 million funding boost for Otago research
09 Sep 2022
'Great sadness' at Queen's death
'Great sadness' at Queen's death
07 Sep 2022
Respiratory diseases lower in homes with retrofitted insulation
Retrofitting home insulation can reduce the onset of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma by up to 10 per cent, n...
31 Aug 2022
Unique double honour for Pathology Professor
Unique double honour for Pathology Professor
28 Aug 2022
2022 Online information evenings | Postgraduate Health Sciences
We invite you to join us for a series of online events which outline opportunities for postgraduate study in the followi...
16 Aug 2022
Otago kaimahi and tauira recognised with Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa awards
Otago kaimahi and tauira recognised with Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa awards
15 Aug 2022
O-PAW improving parity, increasing communication, fostering community
The Otago University Postgraduate Association of Wellington is working hard to improve parity for students, improve comm...
09 Aug 2022
Interprofessional healthcare education boosts early career skills
Health professional students who attended a five-week interprofessional education programme in Tairāwhiti run by the Uni...
05 Aug 2022
Young people ask for help only once
Psychiatrists are concerned young people in Aotearoa New Zealand are missing out on specialist mental health care with p...
05 Aug 2022
What does poverty look like from a child’s perspective?
New research has revealed the “shameful” extent of child poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand.
04 Aug 2022
Health Delivery Research Activation Grant recipients
Three Otago researchers have received Health Delivery Research Activation Grants from the Health Research Council of New...
03 Aug 2022
Master’s degree brings personal and professional rewards
Master’s degree brings personal and professional rewards
28 Jul 2022
‘Amazing staff’ help navigate tough times
‘Amazing staff’ help navigate tough times
27 Jul 2022
New Bill marks the beginning of the end for cigarettes and tobacco in Aotearoa
Researchers from the University of Otago’s ASPIRE 2025 Research Centre, which carries out research to support the Smokef...
26 Jul 2022
Nominations open for the 20Twenties Young Alumni Awards
Nominations open for the 20Twenties Young Alumni Awards
20 Jul 2022
Better outcomes when police, ambulance and mental health services attend 111 mental health emergencies together
Having emergency services work together to attend mental health emergencies reduces the likelihood of the person in cris...
19 Jul 2022
Maple Goh - Scholarship winner, refugee advocate, violinist and podcast founder
Maple Goh - Scholarship winner, refugee advocate, violinist and podcast founder
14 Jul 2022
Vice-Chancellor and Chancellor formally welcomed
Vice-Chancellor Professor David Murdoch and Chancellor Stephen Higgs were formally welcomed at a pōwhiri at Ōtākou Marae...
12 Jul 2022
University's 2022 creative writing competition opens
2022 creative writing competition opens
06 Jul 2022
World-first studies point way to preventing rheumatic fever in Aotearoa and internationally
University of Otago-led research has uncovered the strongest evidence yet that household overcrowding is a major risk fa...
05 Jul 2022
Health research another way to contribute for new doctor
Health research another way to contribute for new doctor
30 Jun 2022
More income support needed for young people experiencing homelessness, study finds
Life improved for young people experiencing homelessness once they were housed through the Government’s Housing First pr...
30 Jun 2022
Positive reintegration of ex-prisoners’ focus of HRC grant project
Improving the health and wellbeing of Māori who re-enter society from prisons, alongside their whānau and communities, i...
30 Jun 2022
Otago researchers receive significant HRC funding
Twenty-two Otago researchers have received a share of nearly $34 million in Health Research Council of New Zealand fundi...
22 Jun 2022
University gathers to celebrate Matariki
University gathers to celebrate Matariki
21 Jun 2022
Cycleways and walking paths boost rates of active travel
Investing in cycleways and walking paths has boosted the use of active travel in two North Island cities, particularly b...
15 Jun 2022
Think outside the box on housing for sustainable future, researchers urge
New Zealand urgently needs to increase the diversity and quality of its housing stock if it is to meet its goal of reduc...
10 Jun 2022
Improving stroke care: what survivors say
New Zealand stroke survivors have told researchers a range of improvements to stroke care is needed, including better ac...
08 Jun 2022
Alumni recognised in Queen’s Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours
Alumni recognised in Queen’s Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours
01 Jun 2022
A career celebration in Wellington
A Festschrift was held on the Wellington campus on 29 May 2022 to celebrate the career of Professor Dawn Elder, on the o...
01 Jun 2022
Division of Health Sciences Accelerator Grants awarded
Division of Health Sciences Accelerator Grants awarded
31 May 2022
Huge interest in Long COVID symposium
Huge interest in Long COVID symposium
25 May 2022
Three Otago University medical researchers allocated portion of $100,000 in funding
Funding will got towards research on endometrial cancer and heart attacks, as well as travel to present research in Fran...
25 May 2022
Personal stories motivate Radiation Therapy scholarship winner
Personal stories motivate Radiation Therapy scholarship winner
17 May 2022
Long COVID could cast a decades-long shadow, symposium organiser says
The shadow of lasting illness could be with us for decades once the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, the...
12 May 2022
$900,000 funding for Otago health researchers
$900,000 funding for Otago health researchers
10 May 2022
Otago boosts economy by $1.79 billion
The University of Otago contributed $1.79 billion in total value added to the New Zealand economy last year, a new repor...
03 May 2022
Critic and Conscience of Society Award winner highlights vaping threat to health of young New Zealanders
Regulatory loopholes are contributing to increases in the number of young New Zealanders exposed to nicotine through vap...
03 May 2022
Janet Hoek wins Critic and Conscience award
Janet Hoek wins Critic and Conscience award
22 Apr 2022
He Kete Kōrero – Autumn 2022
Welcome to the Autumn 2022 edition of He Kete Kōrero, with all the latest news from the Wellington campus.
22 Apr 2022
Summer of research
It was a summer filled with research for 51 students from across the University who took part in the Summer Studentship...
13 Apr 2022
Changing spaces for Otago’s Wellington campus
Changing spaces for Otago’s Wellington campus
07 Apr 2022
Students shivering inside cold, damp homes, study finds
Tertiary students are more than twice as likely as the general population to be living in damp and mouldy homes, a study...
04 Apr 2022
Dying alone: heartbreaking stories of death during COVID‑19 lockdowns
Families have shared heartbreaking and poignant stories with researchers about the deaths of their loved ones in Welling...
30 Mar 2022
The price of keeping kids warm at night
The cost of heating a child’s bedroom through the night in a Wellington winter would run through 46 per cent of the gove...
18 Mar 2022
BBC shines spotlight on housing research
The work of housing and health researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington is being showcased in a BBC mini-docum...
18 Mar 2022
Otago student wins $160,000 at Māori Career Development in Cancer Research Awards
Otago PhD candidate one of three to win $160,000 at Māori Early Career Development in Cancer Research Awards.
04 Mar 2022
Nitrate levels in drinking water and bowel cancer
The formation of cancer-causing chemicals in the gut could be at the heart of understanding how high levels of nitrate i...
25 Feb 2022
Vaccination programme failing those with mental health and addiction issues
New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine roll-out is failing to reach those with mental health and addiction issues, despite their...
03 Feb 2022
Lack of support for women who have early miscarriages, study finds
Women are not being offered the mental health support they need after experiencing a miscarriage in the first trimester...
28 Jan 2022
Emma Wyeth new Associate Dean Māori for Health Sciences
Associate Professor Emma Wyeth has been appointed to the role of Manupiki Māori o Te Wāhanga Matua Mātau Hauora (Associa...
27 Jan 2022
Reimagining school uniforms
School uniforms need a radical redesign to better meet the needs of students, particularly for girls, who are often forc...
21 Jan 2022
Addressing inequities in cancer care
Three Otago researchers have secured significant grants for research aimed at addressing the stark inequities in cancer...
21 Jan 2022
Exceptional service recognised in New Year Honours
Exceptional service recognised in New Year Honours
20 Jan 2022
Artificial intelligence equal to diagnosing prostate cancer, study finds
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are able to diagnose prostate cancer biopsies with the same level of accuracy as sp...
19 Jan 2022
Otago study finds children exposed to a brand a minute
Attaching cameras to children has revealed they are exposed to 554 brands a day through marketing, a new study from the...
13 Jan 2022
Call to report bottled water quality results on labels
Bottled water is often perceived as clean and free of contaminants compared to tap water, but University of Otago resear...
21 Dec 2021
Discrimination placing LGBTIQ+ people at risk of homelessness
Discrimination in the housing market, as well as structural issues such as poverty, racism and instability, are placing...
20 Dec 2021
‘Breakthrough’ Otago research confirms skin infections as a cause of rheumatic fever
University of Otago researchers have made a major breakthrough in further understanding acute rheumatic fever, showing t...
17 Dec 2021
He Kete Kōrero – Summer 2021
In this issue we provide an update on our building situation and discuss our preparations for new ways of working across...
14 Dec 2021
Award for science communication for Baker
New Zealand’s go-to science communicator on COVID-19, Professor Michael Baker MNZM, has been awarded the New Zealand Ass...
10 Dec 2021
A marathon year for Wellington PhD Public Health grad
While most people might feel like they deserved a break after completing their PhD, Caroline Fyfe, who graduates in abse...
09 Dec 2021
New Smokefree Action Plan will transform tobacco policy, Otago researchers say
Researchers from the University of Otago’s ASPIRE 2025 Research Centre, which carries out research to support the Smokef...
02 Dec 2021
Wellington campus celebrates student success
Wellington campus staff and students gathered together on 19 November for an end of year Hui Whakanui Tauira to celebrat...
29 Nov 2021
Otago experts offer insight on pandemic in two-week Masterclass Series
As the COVID-19 pandemic races towards a two-year milestone, Otago researchers are now better placed to understand its i...
22 Nov 2021
Otago announces 28 new professors
Twenty-eight University of Otago academics are being promoted to the position of professor this year.
18 Nov 2021
Housing researchers win the Rutherford Medal, NZ’s top research honour
Distinguished Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman CNZM QSO FRSNZ and researchers at the He Kāinga Oranga - Housing and Hea...
16 Nov 2021
Psychiatric wards ignoring hospitals’ non-smoking policies, study finds
Staff on many psychiatric wards are ignoring hospital smoke-free policies, believing mental health service users will be...
15 Nov 2021
$2.9m HRC funding for Otago
Two Otago researchers have been awarded prestigious Sir Charles Hercus Fellowships in this year’s Health Research Counci...
08 Nov 2021
Nitrate in drinking water could cause up to 100 cases of bowel cancer in NZ
Nitrate contamination of drinking water could cause up to 100 cases of bowel cancer in New Zealand every year, leading t...
08 Nov 2021
Unique award for Wellington pathology professor
Professor Brett Delahunt has been presented with a unique Gold Medal from the New Zealand Society of Pathologists in rec...
22 Oct 2021
Clearing the air: make more outdoor pedestrian spaces smokefree, researchers urge
Creating large smokefree outdoor pedestrian spaces would aid the health sector’s efforts to help people quit smoking, re...
20 Oct 2021
Dr Erik Wibowo, Dr George Wiggins and Dr Tim Chambers: recipients of Accelerator Grants
In August this year, 15 early and mid-career researchers received an Accelerator Grant from the Division of Health Scien...
18 Oct 2021
Vaping with nicotine more common than smoking among NZ teens
More than a third of New Zealand high school students have tried vaping, with 10 per cent vaping regularly and six per c...
13 Oct 2021
Dr Simone Bayer, Dr Matthew Jenkins and Dr Mike Pankhurst: recipients of Accelerator Grants
In August this year, 15 early and mid-career researchers received an Accelerator Grant from the Division of Health Scien...
08 Oct 2021
Māori dished out pills to mask chronic pain, study finds
Māori adults who experience chronic pain are being prescribed painkillers at the expense of best practice treatments and...
30 Sep 2021
Urgent need to tackle smoking rates in Pacific adults and youth
New Zealand needs to take urgent action to reduce smoking in Pacific adults and youth if the country is to achieve its g...
21 Sep 2021
Wellington Activity Passport
The pocket-sized Pōneke Puka Mahi passport offers students the chance to tick off 32 of the capital’s best attractions.
17 Sep 2021
A road map to ending diesel vehicle pollution
Researchers have developed a road map to accelerate the removal of light diesel vehicles, including cars, utes and vans,...
09 Sep 2021
More innovative measures needed to achieve smokefree goal - study
New Zealand needs more innovative stop-smoking measures if it is to achieve its 2025 smoke-free goal, a University of Ot...
08 Sep 2021
He Kete Kōrero – Spring 2021
Welcome to the Spring 2021 edition of He Kete Kōrero with the latest news from the Wellington campus.
06 Sep 2021
Staff and students help in fight against COVID-19
The University of Otago’s staff and students continue to serve on the front lines of New Zealand’s COVID-19 response.
03 Sep 2021
Cataract surgery top target for reducing emissions in health care
When it comes to reducing the country’s carbon emissions, most of us will be looking to the energy and transport sectors...
20 Aug 2021
PhD research comes with a personal toll
For Brodie Fraser the hardest part of completing their PhD was how personal their topic was to their lived experience.
10 Aug 2021
Global eradication of COVID-19 should not be dismissed – new analysis
Eradicating COVID-19 across the globe is theoretically more feasible than for polio but much less so than it was for sma...
09 Aug 2021
Inaugural Division of Health Sciences Accelerator Grants awarded
Fifteen early and mid-career researchers (EMCR) have received a boost from the Division of Health Sciences after being a...
02 Aug 2021
COVID-19 border closures did not deter Brazilian PhD candidate
He might have “lost” a year of living abroad but for PhD candidate Renan Lyra starting his studies in a “safe spot” turn...
27 Jul 2021
Otago researchers receive more than $13m in Health Research Council funding
Investigating the impact of diabetes on access to cancer services, improving the health of Māori affected by psychosis,...
23 Jul 2021
Screening for Traumatic Brain Injuries: can blood biomarkers predict TBI severity?
For more than a year Dr Alice Rogan has been conducting a pilot study for her PhD with the University of Otago, Wellingt...
23 Jul 2021
Health Delivery Research Activation Grants for eight Otago projects
Eight University of Otago researchers are sharing more than $230,000 from the first round of the Health Research Council...
21 Jul 2021
Kaupapa Māori at the heart of new cancer screening research
A University of Otago researcher is using a kaupapa Māori approach to break down barriers surrounding access to gastric...
12 Jul 2021
Have doctor’s bag, will travel
Dr Jenny Visser has led the postgraduate interdisciplinary travel medicine programme from the Wellington campus since 19...
09 Jul 2021
Otago tops class for national educational performance
The University of Otago has once again topped the key Government indicators that measure the educational performance of...
01 Jul 2021
New Vice-Chancellor appointed at University of Otago
The University of Otago announced this morning that Professor David Murdoch will be its next Vice-Chancellor.
17 Jun 2021
A career that cares for others
If you ask a young person what their dream career is, it’s not often that you’ll hear the response “Radiation Therapist”...
16 Jun 2021
Shining a light on the shocking state of NZ’s acute mental health units
A series published by news and current affairs website Newsroom highlights the findings of a major research project led...
11 Jun 2021
$1.74 million for Otago feasibility studies
The University of Otago received a total of $1.74 million for projects ranging from anti-inflammatories and physiotherap...