AUT - News
News
August 2010 New Study Opportunities for Hospitality Industry Professionals
August 2010 First Ever Access Tourism Conference in New Zealand
June 2010 AUT Expert Panel to judge Manaakitanga Awards
January 2010 Recognition for Maori and Pasifika students
November 2009 Patisserie students showcase their talents
March 2009 Ski-fields await snow bonanza
May 2009 Taking Event Management skills to the community
July 2009 A Leader of Leaders
New Study Opportunities for Hospitality Industry Professionals
AUT University is making it easier for managers with experience in the hospitality industry to study at a university level in 2011 with these two exciting opportunities:
The Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate in International Hospitality Management are undergraduate degree equivalents now offered online. Papers in strategic management, human resource management, financial management and professional wine studies are specially tailored to fit the needs of busy industry professionals. More information here.
A limited number of Postgraduate Fee Scholarships for part-time study in the Master of International Hospitality Management are available for experienced managers. The scholarship covers the full tuition and student services fee for up to four years part-time study. More information here.
If you are interested in gaining insights into areas that are applicable to your current workplace, which enhance your chance for promotion or help launch you onto a new career path, consider tertiary study at AUT.
Contact Jessica Yamamoto, Postgraduate Programme Administrator Phone: 09 921 9999 Ext: 8012 or email: jessica.yamamoto@aut.ac.nz
First Ever Access Tourism Conference in New Zealand, 4th October 2010
Access Tourism is a one day conference which will examine various aspects of tourism for people, with disabilities and seniors. A neglected sector in New Zealand, tourism for the disabled is predicted to become of major importance worldwide as Baby Boomers age and begin to experience increased disability.
Speakers at the conference include both national and international experts in various aspects of Access and tourism. Conference programme available here.
Registration is now open
Early bird registration on or before August 31: NZD $125
After 31 August: NZD $150.
To register click here.
The conference will be held at AUT University in the WA Building, Ground Floor conference venue, AUT University downtown. Map available.
For full details of the conference click here.
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AUT Judges Panel, clockwise from top left: David Williamson, Ray McVinnie, Lisa Harrop, John Kelly, David Cameron and Warren Goodsir. Not pictured: David Green, John Kelleher |
Expert panel from AUT to judge Manaakitanga Awards
An AUT panel of experts from the School of Hospitality and Tourism will be among the judges for the Manaakitanga Awards, New Zealand’s newest hospitality awards which in 2010 focuses exclusively on businesses in the Rodney District, north of Auckland. Outstanding Restaurant Experience, Outstanding Winery Experience, Outstanding Local Food Producer, Outstanding Local Supplier, Outstanding Hospitality Youth and Hospitality Personality are some of the categories the panelists are set to judge. The AUT School of Hospitality and Tourism judges collectively have over 100 years of front-line industry experience having managed hotels, bars, restaurants, cafes and resorts both here and overseas including Scotland, Singapore, Paris, Tokyo, London and Los Angeles. All senior judges, they have well established reputations in the New Zealand hospitality scene and have judged competitions for a large number of hospitality organisations.- Chief Judge and Panel Coordinator, David Williamson, is a senior lecturer and programme leader for the Bachelor of International Hospitality Management. He has 18 years experience in the international hospitality industry as a bar and hotel manager, and restaurateur.
- David Green is Restaurant Operations Manager at AUT. David’s family has been running hotels for over 100 years, he has owned a successful restaurant and food and beverage consultancy, and for last three years has been the Assistant Chief Judge for the Restaurant of the Year show.
- John Kelleher is a lecturer in Professional Cookery for the Culinary Arts Department. He has judged at the NZ Culinary Fare, the Auckland Regional Culinary Fare, and the Auckland Regional World Skills Competition. He has owned a Japanese restaurant and worked at Number Five Restaurant, Hammerheads and Seamart.
- John Kelly is Head of the Culinary Department and has worked in food and beverage management for the likes of the Hyatt and Marriott Hotel corporations.
- Gina Harrop is the Food and Beverage Training Manager at Sky City and lectures at AUT. She and her partner own ‘Indoor Dining’ a company that has been providing private house dining and consultancy for the last 15 years.
- Cameron Douglas (MS) is Australasia’s first and only Master Sommelier with the International Court of Master Sommeliers. He is the resident wine writer for Hospitality Magazine, the Senior Wine Judge for internationally renowned Cuisine Magazine, and a guest lecturer at the Professional Culinary Institute in California.
- Alan Brown is also a lecturer in Professional Cookery for the Culinary Arts Department at AUT. He has been the Chief Judge for the Restaurant of the Year competition for the last 10 years, as well as a judge for the NZ Lamb and Beef Awards and Montieths Wildfood Challenge.
- Warren Goodsir is a lecturer on strategic management and service management issues for hospitality organisations. He was an executive chef at the Parkroyal and Novotel hotels, and has competed in and been a judge for numerous hospitality competitions.
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Academic Equity Leader, Lisa Sadaraka (L) with School Tuakana and student, Heena King |
Recognition for Maori and Pasifika students
The success of Maori and Pasifika students in the School of Hospitality & Tourism was celebrated in December with speeches and performances.The achievements of Maori and Pasifika students thus far in their academic programmes was noted by the Dean- Nigel Hemmington, faculty staff as well as family and friends of the students.
Guest speaker for the evening was Uluomatootua (Ulu) Saulaulu Aiono- Chairman on the Pacific Island Chamber of Commerce, Founder of the multi-national Company, Cognita, AUT University Council Member and a member of its Ethics Committee and Member of Manukau City Tourism Forum.
Students' successes were celebrated in Patisserie, tourism, events management, culinary arts, travel and tourism, international hospitality management and Bachelor of Arts programmes.
Refreshments, singing and dancing rounded off the evening.
Patisserie students showcase their talents
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Busy student chefs have been mixing, baking, icing and decorating their way towards showcasing their end of year talents.
First year Diploma and Certificate Patisserie students in AUT’s School of Hospitality and Tourism showcased their baked offerings in a ‘Mad Hatters Tea Party’ display for friends, family and AUT staff earlier this month.
Second year Patisserie Diploma students had the trickier task of having to produce a buffet presentation consisting of seven components. These particular items had to relate to a theme each student had chosen for their presentation.
The showcase marked the end of a busy year for the Culinary Arts section of the Hospitality & Tourism School at AUT University.
In October AUT’s lecturer in gastronomy and food personality, Ray Mc Vinnie, was selected as a judge for the new TV ONE series of MasterChef. McVinnie will sit alongside Simon Gault of Euro Restaurant and Ross Burden, a finalist in MasterChef UK in 1993, to find New Zealand’s best chef in the series which will air in 2010.
"An ideal contestant on MasterChef New Zealand would be someone with a great love of food and eating, a well-rounded person who can appreciate and understand flavour, with a good grounding in cooking technique, who is modest and willing to learn, but with an unshakeable pride in themselves. Someone who is meticulous in their attention to detail, and has a great deal of stamina," says McVinnie.
Industry advisory boards and meetings with major players in the industry ensure that AUT is offering the most relevant programmes and equipping students with the skills that employers need and want. One such meeting with Dilmah Tea has led to discussions around AUT potentially including a ‘tea paper’ into its programme.
Dilhan Fernando, son of Dilmah Tea founder Merril J. Fernando, recently met with Head of Department- Culinary Arts, John Kelly, to talk about the possibility of AUT capitalising on the huge growth in tea drinking that New Zealand is seeing.
“Tea, is clearly in vogue again, and is a study area we are looking to focus on. We’re looking forward to working with Dilmah to possibly incorporate this into some of our programmes,” Kelly says.
Earlier in the year Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas hosted Bill Hardy of Hardys Wines for a wine tasting and blending session with his Professional Wine Studies students.
"It's important to take advantage of international experts like Bill while they are in NZ. I want people to be able to see how impressive his depth of knowledge is and then I want them to know that we can teach them some of that,” says Douglas.
Students themselves have also been in the limelight this year with Bachelor of International Hospitality Management graduate, Leo Xia, scooping the NZ Service Professional of the Year award at the National Culinary Fare.
Patisserie student, Sarah Harrap, picked up the coveted Weston Milling Trainee of the Year award at the annual competition in September this year. A Diploma student, Sarah competed in the Wellington final after beating 90 odd entries in the preliminary regional round to make the top 10 for the final.
For more pictures see the AUT News section
A Leader of Leaders
Sir Peter Blake was one of New Zealand’s most revered leaders and his skill in
assembling, managing and leading teams is discussed in Professor Mark Orams new book.Blake: Leader looks at Sir Peter’s successful style of leadership from Oram’s personal viewpoint. Sailor, marine scientist, environmentalist, adventurer, AUT Professor of Tourism and Associate Director, New Zealand Tourism Research Institute, Oram sailed around the world with Sir Peter and worked with him at Team NZ and Blakexpeditions.
The book provides insight from Oram and other crew mates and colleagues, who worked closely with Blake, with observations of his leadership before he was tragically killed in 2001. It book also includes a DVD of Sir Peter talking about great leadership.
The book will be officially launched on 3rd July to coincide with NZ Leadership week; an event started by the Sir Peter Blake Trust. Oram was the inaugural executive director of the Trust from 2004 to 2007.
Sir Peter attended AUT from 1966 and completed his Mechanical Engineering Degree in 1968. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2000. The book is available in stores now. For more information visit randomhouse.co.nz.
Taking Event Management skills to the community
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ocal Community organisation, Seido Karate has taken advantage of AUT University’s Event Production students, and the skills they have, to run their own event.
Every semester, the Diploma and BA in Event Management offers Event Production challenging students to create a plan and then design and produce a live event with no budget for a community organisation. This semester the project was a celebration for the 10th Anniversary of the Seido Karate’s Morningside Dojo.
The successful event attracted people trying Seido Karate for the first time as well as family and friends who already use the Dojo. “It was a wonderfully organised event,” says Helen at Morningside Seido Karate.
As part of the celebrations students organised for eight senior black belt practitioners to showcase basic techniques and educate guests that there is more to karate than self-defence. The showcase was rounded off with a demonstration of an exhilarating weapons display.
Seido Karate sees themselves as part of the wider community so AUT is perfectly placed to assign students to local organisations like this to help with the event and to ensure students get first-hand industry experience while still studying.
“It’s important that students can apply the theory they have learned to a real event and this is the perfect collaboration for that,” says Event Management lecturer Alison Booth.
Find out more about the Diploma and BA in Event Management in the School of Hospitality and Tourism.
Ski-fields await snow bonanza
The impact of a global recession on international tourism has sent shivers throughout the New Zealand tourism sector except, it would appear, in the ski industry. Skiers and snowboarders with "snow interwoven in their DNA" will limit any impact the recession will have on South Island ski-fields this year. The economic value of the southern ski-fields cannot be underestimated. A New Zealand Tourism Research Institute study on the economic benefits of the 2005 winter found an estimated $92.8 million was spent in the Southern Lakes region in that year's ski season, with a further $68.1m spent elsewhere in the country by those visitors. Read the full article here.