UCOL BLOG

Rugby World Cup fans at Party Central in Auckland will be able to play interactive electronic rugby games, thanks to the creativity of five Whanganui School of Design graduates.

Their company, Inc Creative is headed by Computer Graphic Design graduate and former lecturer Kai Teng Lim who has four other Whanganui UCOL design graduates on his five-person team. They are Kajun Brooking, Haley Armstrong, Michael Abernethy and Sam Kemp.

Inc Creative was hired to make the games by Orange Production, an Auckland event company working for the ANZ Bank, one of the Rugby World Cup sponsors with a presence at Party Central.

Kai says his team has used the latest technology to create and perfect the three games, ready for the launch at the ANZ Dome at in Auckland this week. Read More: “Whanganui UCOL Design graduates create virtual rugby games for RWC”…

Masterton’s new generation of Richie McCaws may just be out of nappies, but they are ready to take on the world.

A team of UCOL Kids will ‘represent’ New Zealand at a pre-school Rippa Rugby World Cup being held in Masterton on 6 September.

Aged 3 to 5 years, all the competitors had been training hard for the past couple of months and had greatly improved their skills heading into the tournament.

UCOL Kids supervisor Carolyn Brooks, one of the tournament’s organisers, says at first just getting the players to pass the ball proved a challenge. “They do like to hold on to the ball so we had to teach them about teamwork first.”

The Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Union was assisting with running the event and had provided coaches for the teams.

More than 300 people are expected at the event, with rugby legend Sir Brian Lochore officially conducting the opening ceremony.

The pre-school tournament will be held at Memorial Park on September 6, and features 12 teams representing different World Cup countries.

The opening ceremony is at 10am, with the first games kicking off at 10.30am.

The UCOL "All Blacks" team members Freddie Cohr (left, back), Lockie Cameron, Jonty Grove (Captain) Paris Rimene, Joulynn Parr, Kyan Kendall (front, left), Charlie McLeod, Kirsty Richardson, Jack Murray, Cayden Kawana.

UCOL Exercise & Sport Science students and staff are encouraging scores of local people to take a close interest in their own health and wellbeing.

The team of 28 third year Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science students and their lecturers are involved in the testing, and repeat testing, of 250 staff from businesses in the Manawatu over the next year. Initial testing has just been completed.

UCOL have been contracted by the MidCentral District Health Board to evaluate the Sport Manawatu iWorkWell programme, to determine the effectiveness of this programme on improving health. This research project is being led by UCOL researchers Dr. Lukas Dreyer and Dr. Sonja Dreyer.

The Sport Manawatu iWorkWell project is a comprehensive workplace wellness pilot project that works with workplaces to create environments that support staff to change their behaviour patterns and choose more healthy lifestyles.  With initial testing completed by UCOL, Sport Manawatu will now be working closely with those businesses who have signed up to be part of the pilot project.   Read More: “UCOL and iWorkWell together”…

Whanganui UCOL graduate Kris Sowersby is meeting international demand for his typeface designs.

Kris’s company Klim Type Foundry is based in Wellington but he is in Auckland this week as a keynote speaker at the two day art and design symposium, We Can Create.

Kris graduated from the Whanganui School of Design in 2003. After brief employment as a graphic designer he started the Klim Type Foundry in 2005. His first retail typeface, Feijoa, was released onto the international market in 2007.

His second retail release, won a Certificate of Excellence from the Type Designers Club, New York in 2008. Since then he has received two more Certificates of Excellence (Serrano, Hardys) and worked on various custom and retail typefaces including FF Meta Serif, the seriffed sibling of the renowned FF Meta.

Kris reputation for typeface design has led to his working with, and for, contemporary typographic leaders such as Christian Schwartz, Erik Spiekermann, Chester Jenkins, House Industries, DNA Design and Pentagram.

In 2010 Kris was named an ADC Young Gun, an international award programme.

Sowersby’s typefaces combine historical knowledge with contemporary craftsmanship and finish. The Klim Type Foundry.

Kris recently talked about his work in an interview on national Radio’s Arts on Sunday. You can download the interview at http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/artsonsunday

UCOL Hairdressing students from both the Palmerston North and Whanganui campuses brushed up on their competition skills last week.

The 17 budding stylists were competing in Shapeshifter an annual hair and fashion event for pre-apprentice students.

For the first time, the Shapeshifter competition was incorporated into Whanganui’s Regional Fashion Hair Design Awards.

Whanganui UCOL’s Deputy Principal HOS Vocational Education, Andrea Bullock, says the students were excited at the chance to rub shoulders with professional stylists and compete on the same stage.

“It was the perfect opportunity for them to be exposed to the industry, their potential employers and the public – their future clients,” she says.

The students competed in two categories, Shapeshifters Streetwear and Shapeshifters Long Hair. They were judged on the total look including hair, make up clothing and accessories.

The titles were shared evenly between the two UCOL campuses with Danielle Kuresa from Palmerston North taking out the Streetwear section, and Whanganui UCOL’s Avis Te Weri winning the Long Hair section.

Andrea says the students impressed the judges and audience with their skills and the standard of presentation.

“They performed very well in front of a huge crowd,” she says.

Whanganui UCOL’s main Open Day for the year is on this Wednesday and organisers are hoping that the Prime Minister John Key’s visit to the city will spur secondary students into action.

Open Day Coordinator Katarina Hina says Mr Key will be talking to Year 12 and 13 students at Wanganui City College on Wednesday morning, about making good choices for their tertiary education.

“That’s exactly what our Open Day is about,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for young people to get the information they need to make important decisions about their future.”

Katarina says although the focus is on information (and demonstrations) on the range of programmes available at Whanganui UCOL for 2012, there will also be plenty of opportunities to eat free food and have fun. This will include a student arcade theme, competitions and listening to two featured bands. Students from UCOL”s Contemporary Music programme will play, as well as the Wanganui City College band, The Dub Boys, winner of this year’s Smokefree Rock Quest.

There will also be mime dancing by Wanganui’s Kupe Renata, and activities organised by the Inspire Gym, formerly the UCOL gym.

Competitions include a ‘race’ for their fastest rower on the rowing machine, part of the Exercise and Sport programmes.

Amongst the displays, Katarina says the Open Day will also feature programmes not available in Whanganui but offered at the UCOL campus in Palmerston North, including Contemporary Music and Performing Arts. Katarina says: “We do this community a disservice if we don’t let them know about some of these specialist programmes only available at UCOL Palmerston North.”

Private training providers in Whanganui have also been invited to showcase their programmes.

The Open Day will be held on Wednesday 24 August from 10 am to 1 pm in the Whanganui UCOL Atrium and in Rutland Street where there will be a mini street party.