Mid Year Update 2017
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Meade
2017 started off with its usual academic frenzy completing the three week Nature Science in New Zealand program which had 19 students from Michigan State University running all over our hallowed lands learning the ins and outs of our culture and natural geography. It's a course that I have been helping teach over the past 6 years merging academics with my passion for adventure with students from all types of course disciplines - (e.g. business, science, advertising, arts). The eye opening experience taking them onto sacred Maori sites, majestic beaches, geothermal wonderlands and blue-ice glaciers really tests the students' comfort zones given many of them are traveling overseas for the very first time. I find it such a key way of educating our youth to open them up to other cultures and the growing necessities of sound environmental stewardship. A mindset running contrary to the prevalent right wing ideology in US and British politics these days - but given the absolute disaster of the first 100 days of the Trump Presidency and the recent rejection of the mega right wing in recent European elections such as in France and the Netherlands, it may actually have been a cunning, in fact ingenious plan from the Trump Administration to turn the world away from conservative - republican based thought given the obvious disaster this is causing to America in front of the eyes of the world. (Despite my 'unique prognosis' I really struggle to give his Administration that kind of credit given the way the idiocracy seems to shamelessly manifest itself these days.)
A week after this first course, (the gap filled with my usual tourism role guiding on the Seal Coast Safari in Wellington), it was time to head straight into the 80 day Conservation Medicine in New Zealand program.
Created by double PHD extraordinaire Dr, Dr Jeanette McGuire, this course provides the opportunity of a life time to a group of committed science undergraduates taking them all over New Zealand to experience our spectacular geography and the ways we conserve this as well as what unique compounds can be generated from the special ecosystems all over the land. This included securing soil samples from all over the North Island to take to the labs in Victoria University where our students were taught by experts to break down their core components to see if there were any potential antibiotics that could be used in the fight to stave off diseases into the future. Further to this the students were able to assess their mitochondrial DNA to help determine their genealogical links from around the world. (i.e whakapapa lineage pathways passed through the Mother's line as analysed from cells collected from within one's mouth.) They were also involved in activities such as dissecting barracuda fish to see via microscope all the millions of parasites that exist in their bodies and taking this knowledge into the abundance of parasites that affect humanity the world over.
Given that this was the first ever full semester faculty led study abroad program to come out of Michigan State University the pilot course was being watched very closely by the Dean, Provost and Department of Natural Science with regards whether this hands on experiential based learning improved the academic output and quality for our students. Safe to say, after an exhausting 4 courses run over nearly three months spending 1.5 months in the North Island and six weeks in the South Island - the students came out acing their academic subjects and setting up a fascinating blog showcasing all their experiences.
See: https://conservationmedicine2017.wordpress.com/
The blog posts were based on their daily journals, public speaking seminars and mindbogglingly brilliant media projects as part of the Communications course that I was enlisted to run throughout our time in New Zealand showcasing activities they were involved in ranging from exploring volcanoes on White Island, hiking glaciers with crampons in the Southern Alps and diving some of the world's most abundant marine reserves at Poor Knight's Island near Whangarei.
One of the more thought provoking 4 minute media projects created by our students is perusable here giving greater public salience to some of the key educational and conservation issues we were studying:
Focusing on human, animal and ecosystem health as viewed through the lens of culture the 'kaitiaki' guardianship values of Maoridom over our lands and National Parks in Aotearoa - New Zealand present a solid platform for our students to take ideas and communication strategies back home to enhance the sharing of their conservation and other research work globally. (Especially important under the current Trump Apocalypse).
Immediately after the course it was straight back into my annual school visits on behalf of the literacy program championed by the Alan Duff Books in Homes Charitable Trust. Visiting 18 schools around the Christchurch region handing out thousands of free books to impoverished schools and speaking to their full school assemblies about adventuring overseas and making a life out of it as a journalist, lecturer and author is always one of my most cherished working gigs of the year. Indeed those with the least in life definitely appreciate those small gestures of giving the most and their teachers need gold medals for creating a safe haven for the kids to come to who are often brought up in challenging and unstable households. Our current government really needs to get its act together with aiming to narrow the ever widening rich / poor divide lest things get really out of hand as I witnessed when covering journalistic assignments in many of the third world nations throughout the planet. (Many of these stories are covered in my 4th book: 'The End of Adolescence' which includes all the photos and best articles written throughout my past twenty years as a freelance journalist.)
See: https://www.lulu.com/shop/nathan-hoturoa-gray/the-end-of-adolescence/paperback/product-22679555.html
I head to Hawaii next week to teach our next Environmental Science field course so updates and photos on that will be revealed during my end of year newsletter as well as a very exciting gig coming up with National Geographic in Hong Kong later in the year.
However, finally, and most pertinently, my twin brother has created an utterly mindboggling aerial-theatre performance touring round 13 of our major cities from the 19th of May to the 20th of June. The stage spectacular combines dance and aerial theatrics from award winning creative director Tanemahuta Gray, (creator of Maui - One Man Against the Gods), and sublime singing from local rockstars Tiki-Taane and Sam Trevethick from Shapeshifter.
Tickets are selling out fast for the ONE SHOW ONLY in each region, (especially the June 2nd show in Wellington which has almost sold out), so make sure to get along while you can as this is an experience you simply do not want to miss.
https://www.takirua.co.nz/tiki-taane
Hope you can get along and support this amazing kaupapa and wishing you all the best for a fruitful second half of the year ahead.
Arohanui
Nathan Hoturoa Gray