Auckland Uni celebrates notable New Zealanders

23 February 2006

The University of Auckland celebrates notable New Zealanders

The University of Auckland will honour seven outstandingNew Zealanders in medicine, the arts, education, businessand law at its annual Distinguished Alumni Awards galadinner on Friday 3 March.

The awards, which wereestablished in 1996, celebrate the achievements of alumniwho have made significant contributions to theircommunities, New Zealand and internationally throughexcellence in their chosen professions. This year, for thefirst time, a Young Alumnus of the Year award will be made.

On Saturday 4 March, the Distinguished Alumni will givepresentations to which members of the public are invited.Details are:

Distinguished Alumni Presentations Saturday 4 March Old Government House WaterlooQuadrant

11 am Dr Judith Aitken: "EducationReform: where to now?" Vice-Chancellor s Suite, OldGovernment House

Dr Andrew Thomson: "Missionaries,mercenaries, and madmen -- a UN aid worker remembers" Lecture Theatre, Old Government House

Dr DavidSkilling: "The New Zealand economy: performance, prospectsand priorities" Federation Room, Old Government House

11.45 am Philippa Boyens: "Screenwriter? Is that anactual job? -- How to foster Kiwi filmmaking talent" Lecture Theatre, Old Government House

Mark Weldon:"The prophet in his own home -- why selling ourselves shortis replacing retail therapy as the new national pastime" Federation Room, Old Government House

Hon JusticeDavid Baragwanath: "Liberty and justice in the face ofterrorist threats to society" Vice-Chancellor s Suite,Old Government House

For further information contact: Bill Williams Public Relations Officer TheUniversity of Auckland Phone 64 9 373 7599 ext 87698 Mobile 027 248 0253 Home 64 9 480 7984

Biographical notes on 2006 Distinguished Alumni Awardwinners

Judith Aitken (Arts) BA (1971) Leadingeducationalist, Dr Judith Aitken, has had a distinguishedcareer as a public servant, author and community worker.

She has been Chief Executive of the Ministry of Women sAffairs (1988-91), where she provided strong leadership, andChief Review Officer of the Education Review Office(1992-2000). Under her pioneering leadership, ERO reviews ofschools became an accepted form of accountability, ensuringtransparent, public and student-focused evaluation. The EROreport published in 1996 on the state of schooling inMangere and Otara forced a response from the Ministry ofEducation and government that eventually led to the mostsuccessful school improvement initiative this country hasseen.

Judith attended The University of Auckland from1956-1958 and returned to complete her Bachelor of Arts in1971. In 1959 she attended Auckland Secondary TeachersCollege. Later she went to Victoria University where shetook a Masters in Public Policy and a PhD in PoliticalScience.

In 1997 she was awarded the QSO for services toeducation and in 1999 she was made New Zealander of the Yearby the National Business Review which described her as 'thebest thing in New Zealand education. Judith has alsopublished extensively, A Woman s Place: A Study of theChanging Roles of Women and Men in New Zealand (1975), beingher first major publication.

David Baragwanath (Law) LLB (1964) The Honourable Justice David BaragwanathQC graduated from Auckland with a Bachelor of Laws in 1964,also receiving the Cleary Memorial Prize for the New Zealandlaw graduate presenting the greatest prospect of servicethrough the legal profession. David gained a RhodesScholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, where he completed aBachelor of Civil Law degree (first class) in 1966. He wasgranted a Fulbright Travel Award to the University ofVirginia in 1983 to study freedom of information and an Innsof Court Fellowship (London) in 2004.

David became apartner in the law firm then called Meredith Connell & Co, abarrister in 1977 and was made a silk in 1983. Since 1995David has sat as a High Court Justice in the High Court andin Divisional Courts of Appeal and between 1996 and 2001 hewas President of the New Zealand Law Commission. He has alsobeen a part-time law lecturer in civil procedure andadministrative law at The University of Auckland

Heplayed a key part in radically altering the legal status ofMaori in New Zealand through his work as senior counsel forthe New Zealand Maori Council, and in securing a properplace for The Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand sconstitutional and legal framework. He has also providedoutstanding service to the university sector, notably in1988 when he acted as senior counsel for the Universities ofAuckland and Canterbury, which challenged Governmentrestructuring proposals and thereby helped preserveuniversity autonomy.

Philippa Boyens (Arts) BA (1994) Oscar winner, Philippa Boyens, is one of New Zealand smost internationally respected screenwriters. She completedher Bachelor of Arts (majoring in English and History) atThe University of Auckland in 1994, having studiedpart-time.

Philippa is best known as principalscript-writer, along with Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson, forthe screen adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien s Lord of the Ringstrilogy. This is the largest film project to date everundertaken in New Zealand. The script was honoured with anOscar for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards. In2004 Philippa won an Oscar and a BAFTA for The Return of theKing (Best Adapted Screenplay) and was nominated for both ofthese categories in 2002 for The Fellowship of the Ring. Hersuccess in adapting Tolkien s work to the screen has helpedbring international recognition for the New Zealand filmindustry and New Zealand in general. The script has beenhonoured with multiple screenplay nominations in variousinternational cinema awards. Philippa has more recentlyworked on Peter Jackson s script for the much anticipatedremake of King Kong released in December 2005.

Earlier inher career Philippa worked in theatre as a playwright, was ateacher, producer and editor, and was also the Director ofthe New Zealand Writer s Guild. In 2000 she was named byVariety magazine in its list of Ten Best Writers to Watch.

Jonathan Hunt (Arts) BA (1959), MA (1961)

Note:Award is to be presented in London on 20 March

The RightHonourable Jonathan Hunt ONZ is currently New Zealand HighCommissioner to the United Kingdom and Ambassador toIreland.

Jonathan attended The University of Aucklandgaining an MA (Hons) in 1961 before becoming a teacher atKelston Boys High School (1961-1966) and tutor in history atthe University (1964-1966). He was President of the PrincesStreet Branch of the Labour Party and he stood successfullyfor the seat of New Lynn in 1966, entering Parliament as thecountry s youngest MP. He held the seat until 1996 when hebecame a List MP.

Known as 'Father of the House ,Jonathan was the longest-serving Member of Parliament untilhe resigned in March 2005 to take up his current position.He served as Whip, Deputy Speaker and was a Minister in theFourth Labour Government from 1984-1990, holding theportfolios of Telecommunications and Broadcasting,Postmaster General, Tourism and Housing. He was leader ofthe House from 1987-1990. Jonathan was also the instigatorof the Adult Adoption Information Act 1985.

In November1989 he was appointed to the Privy Council. He wasunanimously elected Speaker in December 1999 and returned tothe position in 2002.

Jonathan was appointed to the Orderof New Zealand (the country s highest honour, restricted to20 members) for services to Parliament in the New YearHonours List 2005.

Andrew Thomson (Medical and HealthSciences) MBCHB (1988) Medical humanitarian, aidworker, peace keeper, human rights investigator, activistand author, Dr Andrew Thomson is highly qualified to receivethis award. Andrew s desire to serve humanity throughmedical practice was nurtured by missionary parents.

Whilst a student at The University of Auckland s Schoolof Medicine from 1981 to 1987 he befriended a refugeedoctor, one of about 60 doctors out of 600 who survived PolPot s killing fields in Cambodia. After graduating first outof a class of 140 and working briefly at Auckland Hospitalhe went to Cambodia to work for the Red Cross. He then spent13 years with the United Nations as a peacekeeper andmedical doctor in Cambodia, Haiti, Rwanda and Bosnia wherehe documented and investigated war crimes includingexhumation of mass graves, and regularly risked his life. Hehas made a positive contribution to conflict resolution andinternational war crimes prosecutions.

Andrew isco-author of the whistle-blowing book, Emergency Sex andOther Desperate Measures: A True Story from Hell on Earth,which recounts his professional life working for aidagencies. The book charges the UN with negligence,corruption and inadequate leadership and failure to preventgenocide. After the UN refused to renew his contract in 2004it was pressured to do so by an international firm oflawyers. Andrew continues to work for the UN as SeniorMedical Officer at its headquarters in New York.

MarkWeldon (Business) BA/BCom (1991), MCom (1993) MarkWeldon is a distinguished scholar, Olympic swimmer and asuccessful businessman, all before the age of 40.

Academically, Mark has a Juris Doctor degree fromColumbia University, New York, a degree in International Law(Hons) also from Columbia, a Masters degree (1st Classhonours) in Economics, and Bachelor degrees in Commerce andArts from The University of Auckland.

Mark worked as anattorney in New York, and then as senior adviser to CEOs ata number of Fortune 500 companies for McKinsey & Company.

Mark has been CEO of New Zealand Exchange since June2002. In that time he has led it through its transformationinto a mutual listed company, changed the exchange s overallapproach, and brought home the role and relevance of capitalmarkets to New Zealand s future to both the public andgovernment. Mark s leadership of the NZX has marked aturning point, creating investor confidence in the NewZealand market, and attracting both national andinternational buyers.

Mark swam for New Zealand at theCommonwealth Games in 1990 and at the 1992 Barcelona OlympicGames. He has recently joined the board of the New ZealandOlympic Committee, was an inaugural recipient of a PeterBlake Emerging Leader award, and is on the board ofSpringboard Trust which strives to improve capabilities ofcharities.

Young Alumnus of the Year: David Skilling(Business) BCom (1992), MCom (1995) Dr DavidSkilling is the founding Chief Executive of the New ZealandInstitute, a think-tank that has been established tocontribute new and creative thinking to the public debate onissues that matter for New Zealand s future. From the middleof 2003, David worked with a broad group of business,community, and education leaders (including our formerVice-Chancellor, Dr John Hood and Distinguished AlumnusChris Liddell) to set up the New Zealand Institute.

Sincethe public launch of the New Zealand Institute in July 2004,it has undertaken work on creating an ownership society,arguing for policies that encourage personal savings andasset ownership, and has recently launched a project thatlooks to increase the extent of international engagement ofthe New Zealand economy. The Institute produces high qualityresearch and publishes discussion papers to stimulate publicdebate and achieve real-world impact.

David waspreviously a principal adviser at the New Zealand Treasurywhere he worked primarily on economic growth issues. Davidhas a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and Financeas well as a Master of Commerce (Hons) degree in Economicsfrom The University of Auckland. In 1994 he received theFowlds Memorial Prize for the "most distinguished student inthe Faculty of Commerce". He also has a Master in PublicPolicy and a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard University.

He was a teaching Fellow at Harvard University for threeyears, and has also worked at the Organisation for EconomicCooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, at McKinsey &Company, and Deloitte. David has recently been appointed tothe Advisory Board of The University of Auckland BusinessSchool.

THIS ISSUE Lead NZ News NZ Politics World News FeaturesNew Zealand News RECOMMENDED AUDIO: Scoop Audio: On RadioLive Tony Amos, Selwyn Manning, &, Ben Thomas discuss: the PM's fund Labour campaign card fiasco; Don Brash and leader-in-waiting John Key; Nat-Attack on Winston Peters, eminent kiwis & TVNZ; and the rise and rise of the Unite Union movement

NEW ZEALAND LEAD: Wellington's 'Prisoner'-Style Giant White Dome Explained - There has been some consternation on the streets of Wellington over the appearance of a gigantic white dome on Waitangi Park. The 28-metre high bubble - kept round by internal air pressure - is the setting for French company Les Arts Sauts' new work Ola Kala ("All's Well" in Greek). It opens the Friday as part of the New Zealand International Arts Festival. See... Arts Fest Preview: Les Arts Sauts' Sara Sandqvist

Trans-Tasman: Downer Scheduled For Peters Meeting - Foreign Minister Winston Peters will host a visit later this week by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. Mr Downer is coming to Wellington for the six-monthly New Zealand and Australian Foreign Ministers' consultations. "The relationship between New Zealand and Australia is as close a relationship between countries as can be found anywhere in the world", said Mr Peters. See... Peters to host Australian Foreign Minister ALSO: Govt - Costello meeting to progress single market issues

Industry: Employers Say Strike Days Back To Mid-1990s Levels - The income value and number of work days lost due to union strike action is rocketing back towards the levels of the mid 1990 s, says David Lowe, Employment Services Manager for EMA (Northern). "Last year to September staff lost $4.5 million in wages due to strikes," Mr Lowe said. "Between March and June 2005 they lost $1.3 million, and between June and September $2.4 million. See... Wages, workdays lost to strikes rocketing

Scoop Column: A Week Of It -- Money Comes Money Goes - In this week's A Week Of It: What's the state of those anonymous political campaign donations - End of a journalistic era, the Listener makes Gordon Campbell redundant while those NBR-Types seem to be doing very fine thank you very much! - And Scoop Interviews foreign correspondent, Jon Stephenson, on his reporting of the Pakistan earthquake-zone relief operations... See... A Week Of It: Donations, Redundancies, Bravehearts

Sport: Balmy Day Sees Windies Fizzle - It was a scorching hot Saturday and what better way to spend it than heading down to Wellington's noble and rotund venue, the WestpacTrust stadium, to enjoy the spectacle of a one day cricket match. For those poor fools who had bought the cheaper Sky Sport package (UHF only), because they wanted to see the Black Caps in action, paying the admission fee would certainly have been the better option. Images by Ethan Tucker. See... Good Day At the Cricket -- Bad Day On The Couch

MORE HEADLINES:Bank Announces Home Loan Interest Rate Changes New Zealand's new coins introduced on 31 July 2006 Govt Says Pay Your Fines! Govt calls for further dialogue on climate changeSnoop Dogg Gets Ready to Tour New Zealand

Union News: Guerilla-Styled Wildcat Strikes Hit Starbucks - Two Starbucks stores in Auckland were closed Saturday for two hours after a lightening strike by Starbucks workers. Starbucks workers at 220 Queen St and K Rd were taking part in the next stage of industrial action in the SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign. Thirty minutes before the workers took industrial action, they sent out a txt calling for support and in half an hour the workers were joined by 40 supporters, customers and members of the public. See... Lightening Strikes Twice At Starbucks

Arts: Fringe Festival Hots Up - Enter the seductive world of Burlesque Circus, Dance and Cabaret, showcasing over 100 artists from New Zealand and overseas. Heavenly Burlesque transforms The Paramount into a world of live original performance and music limited to 3 weekends only. The performance world explodes with wild, fruity, ideas, dreams and images that collide and captivate. See... Heavenly Burlesque: a Fuse Production ALSO:Fringe Festival - Fringe is going off! (Week two events)FULL COVERAGE: Festival 2006

SCOOP REPORTS: Health: Throughout this week there has been a powerful media and political campaign pushing the benefits of the new cancer drug Herceptin. The editor of North and South magazine, Robyn Langwell, devoted her March 2006 editorial to outlining the plight of women who were attempting to raise enough money to undergo a course of Herceptin. Ms Langwell railed in her editorial at the 'tight fisted holders of the Pharmac purse' who she considered were responsible for cancer sufferers being forced to mortgage their homes and beg for money to fund their non Pharmac subsidised treatment. See... Scoop Report - Will Herceptin Media Blitz Help Or Harm Patients? ALSO:Advocacy Group Disappointed by PTAC Decision

MORE Scoop Reports:Alastair Thompson - Scoop Audio: Anderton Bottom Trawling Press Conf.Kevin List - Labour Outspends National By More Than $500,000Lyndon Hood - Rage Over Round-Ended Egg Opening Escalates Scoop Team - FULL COVERAGE: Prophet Muhammad CartoonsLyndon Hood - Wellington Sevens Fans Attempt To Steal The Show

SCOOP VIDEO & AUDIO: While you are here, take a look at Scoop's new advertisement! Don't Swallow Just Anything!

RECOMMENDED AUDIO: Scoop Audio: Selwyn Manning & Simon Pound discuss on 95bFM how the UN has urged the USA to get out of Guantanamo Bay. Scoop Audio: Selwyn Manning discussed on Radio Adelaide: Prime Minister warns Telecom to improve its broadband deals - National Party leader Don Brash tells PM to pay tax payers back for campaign card spend - Prominent Kiwis pressure government to reform TVNZ - Fairfax editors eat humble pie after Media/Muslim community meeting.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO: Video: Youth Workers Mobilised On Wage Campaign Trail - Political Movement 2006-Style: Over 1000 fast food workers, mobilised by Unite Union, supported by the CTU and affiliated unions, the Maori Party, Green Party - a burgeoning youth political movement is demanding that the minimum wage be increased to $12 per hour. The SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign began concentrating on fast food retailers and is poised to expand out into all low wage sectors. Scoop Video: Unite Mobilises Youth In Minimum Wage Push

Click here for Scoop's Audio and Video pageJOBS: The best are @ SEEKTarget 110 000 ConsumersNZ REAL ESTATE OnlineTRAVEL: Packages & Deals!Book Cheap FLIGHTS OnlineRETIREMENT CalculatorMORTGAGE Calculators #this_text { text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;}#this_text a { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 80%; color: #943517; text-decoration: underline;}#this_text a:hover { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 80%; color: blue; text-decoration: underline;}Education Jobs @ SEEK THE WIRES Scoops Parliament Politics World Business Sci-Tech Culture Education Regional Health SEARCH _m1svt='');

Source: scoop

All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.