University of Otago

20/10/2026

Capturing small things lead to big wins ✍️✨

Ka rawe to the winners of the 2026 Otago Writer Competition 🥳

Judge Paddy Richardson says that this year’s prompt, ‘Small things – overlooked details and ordinary moments’, provided an array of fascinating pieces of creative prose and poetry and made choosing winners difficult 💫

🏅 Our winners:
Student poetry: Annie Hall for Begonia Boyfriends
Student fiction: Anindita Chatterjee for The Second Kettle
Staff poetry: Nat Christensen for The Only Copy
Staff fiction: Tino Mercado for Longganisa – a story of small things
Alumni poetry: Sarah Gallagher for Small
Alumni fiction: Nicki Macklin for Dear Josie

Read more about the winners here ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/writer-2026-winners-named

20/10/2026

New evidence for drinking guidelines 🍻

A collaborative study finds that Aotearoa New Zealand’s low-risk drinking guidelines from 2011 are outdated and no longer reflect what is known about the harms of alcohol use.

Lead author Dr Anja Mizdrak, of Otago's Department of Public Health (Wellington), says alcohol contributes to injuries, poor mental health, multiple cancers, and a range of other health conditions.

“In Aotearoa, our guidelines are currently no more than 15 standard drinks a week for men and 10 for women. Our results show risk thresholds for mortality are breached at around nine drinks per week,” Anja says.

Read more about the study here ⬇️

Aotearoa New Zealand’s low-risk drinking guidelines from 2011 are outdated and no longer reflect what is known about the harms of alcohol use, new research shows.

19/10/2026

Time for play, time for learning 💕

For the last six years, Otago’s School of Physiotherapy, in collaboration with the Little Miracles Trust, has been running a developmental playgroup for whānau and pēpi coming out of the neonatal intensive care and special care baby units 💫

It also provides Physiotherapy students with a meaningful clinical experience ✨

“Having somewhere safe to go after my boys were born was so important, and I wanted to be able to help provide that support to other whānau. Plus, as physiotherapy is a role that spans across the lifespan, having an opportunity for our students to interact with children and whānau is really important,” PhD candidate Donna Smith says.

Read more about this amazing group here ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/physiotherapy-putting-pepi-first

19/10/2026

The Royal Society recognises Otago kaimahi for their contributions to science 🧪

Professor Phillip Wilcox, of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the Department of Bioethics, and Dr Nils Birkholz, of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, have received highly prestigious awards from the Royal Society Te Apārangi ✨

Phillip won the Thomson Medal for outstanding leadership in genetics and genomics that has underpinned development of a system for ethical, collaborative and impactful genomic sciences in New Zealand. Nils was awarded the Hamilton Award, given to an early-career researcher for excellence in scientific research 🔬

Read more about their mahi here ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/otago-researchers-humbled-and-honoured-by-national-awards

18/10/2026

Transformative cancer care wins Otago kaimahi prestigious award ✨🏆

Professor Christopher Jackson has received the Health Research Council (HRC) Beaven Medal at the Royal Society Te Apārangi Research Honours event, recognising his patient-informed research, advocacy and leadership, which have driven some of the most important improvements in cancer care in Aotearoa.

“I realised that research alone wasn’t going to be enough. Being on government advisory committees wasn’t going to be enough. I had to combine clinical practice, research and advocacy. Bringing those things together became the catalyst that accelerated a broader programme of change,” Christopher says.

Read more about his award-winning mahi ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/otago-oncologist-honoured-for-transforming-cancer-care-in-nz

18/10/2026

Bringing mātauranga Māori to Microbiology 🔬

20Twenties Young Alumni Award winner Catrin Ogilvie graduated with a BAppSc in Molecular Biotechnology, with a minor in Māori Studies, in 2024, and BSc (Hons) in Microbiology this year. She was also awarded the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences Māori Postgraduate Scholarship to undertake her honours studies 🏅

Her honours project focused on tuberculosis (TB) in Māori communities. She now works in a scientist role at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, working on the NA Technology Platform to build Aotearoa’s capability in RNA research and technology. ✨

I’m really motivated by being able to support research that addresses real-world issues,” Catrin says.

Your dedication and mahi are incredible, Catrin!

Read the full kōrero here ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/researching-real-world-issues-and-supporting-maori-participation-in-science

17/10/2026

Kia Monuina e Faahi Tapu he Vagahau Niue - Happy Niuean Language Week! 🇳🇺

This year’s theme is “Gahua auloa ke fakaako fakamalolō e Vagahau Niue” – “Working together to diligently teach and strengthen Vagahau Niue.”
 
Fakaaue Lahi oue tulou to the team at ONSA 🇳🇺 ! 💛

17/10/2026

“Growth rarely happens without someone opening a door or offering a mirror.” 🪞

20Twenties Young Alumni Award winner Shania Fox distinguished herself both academically and through leadership and service during her time at Otago. She graduated with a BCom in Management and was the President of Te Tai Tuarā, which supports Māori Commerce tauira ✨

She is now Group Human Resources (HR) Manager at VIP Group in Christchurch and a Chartered Member of the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand.

“My own path was supported by mentors and lecturers who believed in my potential before I fully saw it myself, which is why developing and lifting up others remains a huge part of me,” Shania says.

Your support for others is inspiring, Shania 💕

Read the full kōrero here ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/earning-leadership-early-through-performance-and-trust

16/10/2026

“The next generation is our future.”

20Twenties Young Alumni Award winner Justin Havea balances a career in international trade with coaching rugby league. A Marketing BCom graduate, Justin is currently the Pacific Representative at Tropex Exports and coaches for junior Mangere East ‘Mighty Hawks’ Rugby League.

Juggling his passions is something that he says keeps him growing 🌿

“Having the opportunity to play even a small role in shaping and supporting the future of our community is incredibly rewarding,” Justin says.

Amazing mahi, Justin! 🏉

Read the full kōrero here ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/balancing-career-goals-and-community-commitment

16/10/2026

Interested in how we can make energy in Aotearoa more affordable and sustainable? ⚡️

Then next month's Otago Energy Research Centre (OERC) Symposium is for you! This year’s twentieth symposium theme is ‘Powering prosperity: An energy transition for people, business and environment'.

The symposium will showcase topics across finance, sustainability and physical and social science, providing holistic insights into the energy we use for our economic and social needs.

“Energy is quite multi-disciplinary, and having people coming in from their specialities and presenting in the same forum leads to a very rich experience,” OERC co-director Professor Michael Jack says.

Learn more here ⬇️
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/thorny-issues-and-potential-futures-to-power-discussion-at-energy-symposium