Kia ora and welcome to the July edition of We are OPAIC

In this month’s issue, we’ll share the stories of two students who are making the most of our sustainability initiatives here on campus and a graduate who is working as a marketing manager. We’ll also tell you about some research projects our Information Technology and Applied Management lecturers are working on.

Success Stories

Management student bound for Harvard

Applied Management student Karl Ipong has just been accepted into the Sustainable Business Strategy program at Harvard Business School.

Karl is completing the final study block of his Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Management with us. He’s enjoyed getting involved in sustainability initiatives on campus during his time here. Read all about him here.

Graduate putting lessons to use as marketing manager

Graduate Diogo Lara is enjoying his job working as Marketing Manager for a rapidly growing Kiwi company and is grateful for the hands-on education he received here at OPAIC.

He is now a marketing manager for a fast-growing Kiwi company expanding overseas, responsible for marketing and brand launches in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Read all about him here.

Student embraces sustainable practices

Jiawei (Vivi) Wang has embraced OPAIC’s sustainability initiatives during her time at the campus. Vivi has been interning at our Green Office Toitū. The office was set up in 2021 to promote and support sustainability initiatives.

During her internship, Vivi was responsible for event photography, editing newsletters, posting on social media, and conducting interviews for a sustainable development project on campus. Read all about her here.

Upcoming Events

Sign up for our Study Block 3 events

We’ve got a variety of events lined up for you this Study Block including an aquarium trip, a bowling night, and a library tour. Check out everything we’ve got on offer and register your interest here.

Talk of the Campus

English skills on show

Our New Zealand Certificate in English Language students had the opportunity to showcase their research and presentation skills at our first NZCEL Research Symposium recently. Nine students presented their work in front of their peers and teachers at the event. Presenters included NZCEL Level 4 and Level 5 students. The students spoke about real-world topics from obesity to traffic congestion, outlining problems and recommending solutions.

Researching indigenous communities and data

Information Technology HOD Farhad Mehdipour is part of a team working on a new research project focused on the challenges indigenous communities face when it comes to controlling their data and safeguarding their cultural and intellectual property rights. Read all about it here.

Merit award for OPAIC researcher

A Principal Lecturer has had his research around spirituality and service management recognised at an international conference. OPAIC Applied Management Principal Lecturer Edwin Rajah carried out the research alongside Xia Zhu of The Open University in the United Kingdom. The pair’s paper was titled Enhancing Consumption Value through inclusive spirituality: a relational approach. Read all about it here.

Lecturers present at Teaching Excellence Symposium

Information Technology Lecturers Waruni Hewage and Kathiravelu Ganeshan, as well as HOD Farhad Mehdipour, presented at the Teaching Excellence Symposium organised by OP and OPAIC recently. The team attended the hybrid event online and gave presentations and workshops on the following topics.

Improving learner experience: Collaborative learning facilitation - By Waruni Hewage, Farhad Mehdipour and Kathiravelu Ganeshan (presentation).
From tutors and lecturers to facilitators of learning - By Kathiravelu Ganeshan and Farhad Mehdipour (workshop).
Making learning fun by taking risks and being authentic - Kathiravelu Ganeshan (presentation).

Abstracts of each workshop and presentation are published in the Teaching Excellency Symposium - Book of Abstracts.

Employability Corner

Students starting their internships with accredited companies

In response to the recent shifts in immigration policies favouring employment with accredited companies, the Employability Centre has taken the initiative to stay ahead of these changes.

We have made it our mission to secure all applied management internship placements for this current block with accredited employers. This is a first for our campus and we are in the process of redesigning our programme to make sure this becomes standard practice moving forward. To all our students starting their internships this block, we wish you the best.

Feel free to get in touch with the AIC Employability Centre at opaicemployability@op.ac.nz if you are interested in learning more about our internship programmes.

Council career insights

We are thrilled to announce that the Digital Delivery Manager from Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Harman Singh and the Project Talent Acquisition Consultant from Auckland Council, Kennedy Sua will be on campus for a special Career Insight Seminar!

This is an exceptional opportunity for students and young professionals to gain first-hand insights into the vibrant world of digital delivery and talent acquisition, directly from the leaders of these domains.

Expect a dynamic and interactive discussion, where you can explore emerging trends, understand the skills needed to thrive in these sectors, and discover the multitude of career paths awaiting you. This is your chance to network, ask questions, and uncover the secrets of launching a successful career!

They will be joining us on Level 1 on Thursday 27 July at 12.10pm. Save the date. We look forward to seeing you there.

360 International Business and Leadership Forum Partnership

We are proud to announce that our campus has partnered with the 360 International Business and Leadership Forum (IBALF). This collaboration is a testament to OPAIC's unwavering commitment to nurturing global perspectives and strengthening industry connections. This is all in service of our vision to have New Zealand’s most employable graduates.

To officially announce this partnership, we are delighted to host the Auckland 360 IBALF launch event on Wednesday 26 July. This occasion will provide an opportunity for the OPAIC community to learn more about our collaboration with IBALF, and how this partnership can facilitate your career goals.

The launch event is designed to serve two major purposes - to formally announce our partnership and unveil the international VIP speaker who will be sharing their insights at the Auckland conference on the 9th and 10th of October.

For more details about the conference, please go to www.mhrj.org/Auckland.

Welcoming our New GOT Member

Green Office Toitū is happy to welcome our newest member to the team, Xinying Wang (Fiona). She will be working at the Green Office space on Level 1. Feel free to visit her and ask about the exciting things we are up to over there. Come and see us if you’re interested in taking part in sustainability activities.

If you’re interested in joining the GOT team, we always have internship opportunities available. You can send us an email at greenofficetoitu@op.ac.nz. Looking forward to chatting with you!

We also have plenty of volunteering opportunities available. Follow this link to sign up as a GOT volunteer.

Milestone for Carbon Footprint Project

We are delighted to share exciting progress on our campus Carbon Footprint project. During the holiday, our team was hard at work, compiling and analysing the critical carbon footprint report.

A massive thank you to everyone who contributed - the data you shared with us has been invaluable. These insights are guiding our path to reducing carbon emissions and making OPAIC a model of sustainability.

Above we’ve shared an in-progress graph showing the biggest contributors to our campus carbon footprint. More information will be shared once the report is released.
The completion of this report will bring us one step closer to understanding and diminishing our environmental impact. This is a milestone in our journey towards a greener, more sustainable future.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue making strides towards a greener OPAIC. We truly appreciate your continuous dedication and support in creating a more sustainable campus.