|
|
Aotearoa whanau whanui ki te Aonui
Global
Community of New Zealanders
From Brian Sweeney, Producer www.nzedge.com
Memo - 27 June 2007 Aotearoa whanau whanui ki te Aonui
Global Community of New Zealanders From Brian Sweeney, Producer www.nzedge.com
25
JUNE: NEW NZEDGE HERO -
SYDNEY SMITH - FORENSIC PIONEER
Roxburgh-born forensic science pioneer Sydney Alfred Smith (1883-1969)
achieved world renown through the application of science to justice.
From the edge of an Otago goldfield to the telling edge of a murder
weapon, Smith learnt to read the stories of dead men - and in doing so
changed the way crime was investigated and solved.
Acknowledged internationally as a groundbreaking
authority, he wrote a textbook, "Forensic Medicine: A Guide for
Students and Practitioners" (1925), which is still widely quoted
today (for example, in analysis of the Kennedy assassination). His
autobiography, "Mostly Murder", was acclaimed for the vivid,
vital language he used to describe his work, and went into numerous
editions. Smith was knighted in 1949 and received honorary doctorates
from the Universities of Edinburgh and Louvain. 3,200 words. Story by
Ingrid Horrocks.
22
JUNE: AMERICA'S CUP -
WHO HAS THE EDGE?
A principal interpretation of the edge metaphor is that of seeking
competitive advantage - in business, in technology, in creativity, in
sport. How to win, and how to sustain winning. Here's a sprinkling of
edge metaphors in media commentaries on the America's Cup, the finals of
which commence Sunday morning NZ time in Valencia, Spain, between the
holders, Alinghi of
Switzerland, and Emirates
Team New Zealand. "The America's Cup represents the leading
edge of yachting design." "It is the nature of the beast that
once that edge is gained - there is no second." "These boats
and crews have been honed to a razor edge in these trials." (And a
dozen more).
21
JUNE: GLOBAL HEADLINES
New Zealanders featuring in this week's survey of global media including
LA Times, Forbes, AdAge, New York magazine, Campaign
Brief, USA Today, Reuters, The Guardian, The Age, The Times and
National Public Radio include: Team New Zealand, the All Blacks, Xero,
Dave Jenkins of SurfAid, triathlete Samantha Warriner, singer Annie
Crummer, film star Witarina Harris (d. 101), late Balibo cameraman Gary
Cunningham, Janet Frame, novelist Lloyd Jones, director Jane Campion,
HBO humorists Flight of the Conchords, auto leader Wade Thompson, nude
Elave, NZ film, Antipodes water, pavlova, Nelson's Ngati Koata, NZ
dialects, Tourism NZ and Google Earth, Fletcher Building.
16
JUNE: PARK & GILLIES
June 15 and 17 mark the birthdays of two New Zealanders whose
international achievements influenced the course of history, and who
feature in the nzedge.com
Heroes section.
Born in Thames 115 years ago on June 15, and educated
at Otago Boys High School, Keith
Park was Commander of the Royal Air Force during the Allied
evacuation from Dunkirk, and led the defense of London and southern
England from German bombing raids during the Battle of Britain. Of Keith
Park, the Chief of the RAF said: "If any one man won the Battle of
Britain, he did. I do not believe it is realised how much that one man,
with his leadership, his calm judgement and his skill, did to save, not
only this country, but the world."
Harold
Gillies was born 125 years ago in Dunedin on June 17, was a
student at Wanganui Collegiate, and studied medicine at Cambridge
University. World War 1 was a challenge to surgeons and a new type of
surgery was needed. Realising this need, a young surgeon began
performing operations which involved rebuilding the face by taking
tissue from other parts of the body. This surgeon was Harold Gillies,
and by the end of the war some 11,000 patients had passed through his
hands. His 1920 textbook "Plastic Surgery of the Face" set
down the principles of modern plastic surgery which were adopted by
surgeons the world over.
13
JUNE: KEVIN ROBERTS' JUNE RUGBY POSTCARD
The pillage of our rugby players by the northern hemisphere is the
single biggest threat we have faced since the game went professional.
The NZRU's challenge now is to adjust to this new reality of
French/English clubs throwing money and lifestyle promises at our
players and to do this we'll need a combination of new revenue, new
strategy, new ideas, and new initiatives. An eight-point plan relating
to building annual revenue, new sponsors, new revenue models, new
marketing and merchandising, new competitions, skills and expertise,
squad development, and out-competing England and France.
11
JUNE: NEW RESEARCH TO HELP "REPATRIATES" FACE
"TRANSITIONAL DISTRESS"
The process of going and coming from New Zealand is a very individual
one that can often be fraught, as new research by Naomi Walter of
Waikato University reveals. Her paper An
investigation into travellers repatriating to New Zealand,
having completed their OE, "investigates the in-depth personal
experiences of returned OE travellers in terms of their transition to
home; explores possible explanations for the varying levels of distress
among repatriates; and considers how the transition from overseas to
home can perhaps be made smoother for future generations of returning OE
travellers." The paper explores "reverse culture shock" -
"the psychological, physical and emotional symptoms of feeling like
a foreigner in [one's] own country" (Hurn, 1999), and is generally
unanticipated by the returnee and those at home.
As the basis for another research project, Kaye Thorn
of Massey University says that up to 24 percent of New Zealand-born
people live in another OECD country. "Factors influencing a
decision to live and work in another place are multi-faceted and
complex. The factors involved are career, economics, cultural and travel
opportunities, the political environment, quality of life and
relationships." An online
survey taking no more than 20 minutes is seeking at least 1000
participants to drill into these factors. Respondees so far have
included New Zealanders living in Bermuda, Indonesia and Kenya.
8
JUNE: EDUCATION EDGE
The education resources and usages of nzedge.com; role modelling and
"virtual mentoring"; school kits on suffragist Kate Sheppard
and mathematician Alexander Aitken, homework on Katherine Mansfield, a
class study of Jean Batten, an essay on Ernest Rutherford; "Hi, I
am a 10 year old girl and I have found this site really good for class
assignments and for learning about the people who have helped make this
country respected around the world. Well done in doing this, you are
keeping the dream alive" (Christchurch).
4
JUNE: EXPORT EDGE
A drive through New Jersey triggers thinking about the success of
design-led Scandinavian countries; winning the world from the edge;
opportunities for New Zealand in food and beverage, fashion and apparel,
digital and web; exporting being New Zealand's sole economic imperative;
the need for New Zealand touchpoints in key global locations; Export
Decade; the need for a juiced-up integrated marketing campaign for New
Zealand trade in global business and consumer media; extreme export
stories; people as our greatest export; and international value-creation
wherever New Zealanders are, home and away.
SUNDAY
PICTURES:
Horizons at Mt Maunganui and Raumati South (left).
Good wishes to all nzedge.com subscribers throughout
the world and in New Zealand.
Brian Sweeney
Producer
THE NEW ZEALAND EDGE
http://www.nzedge.com brian@nzedge.com
|
|
