May 3rd has been officially designated by the United Nations General Assembly as World Press Freedom Day.
All around the world on this day, supporters of media freedom celebrate the fundamental principles of press and media freedom that are articulated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
From the Pacific Islands to Europe, from the continent of Africa to the countries of Asia, from the Americas to the United Kingdom, media workers and their supporters hold a myriad of events to celebrate the day.
World Press Freedom Day's 2010 annual conference is being held at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.
UNESCO's promotes freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a basic human right, through lobbying and monitoring activities. It highlights media independence and pluralism as fundamental to the process of democracy by providing advisory services on media legislation and by making governments, parliamentarians and other decision-makers aware of the need to guarantee free expression.
The NZ National Commission for UNESCO hosted top UNESCO education official, Dr Gwang-Jo Kim in February. It was the first time Dr Kim had visited New Zealand since he was appointed Director of the UNESCO Office in Bangkok and Regional Bureau for Education in Asia and the Pacific, as well as UNESCO Representative to Thailand, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Singapore in 2009.
Dr Kim met with a wide range of senior government officials and was keen to find out more about New Zealand’s multi-lingual education (mother-tongue based pilots such as kohanga reo) and indigenous education experiences.
“New Zealand has set a good example of this with recognition and education in the native tongue spoken in this country. UNESCO would like to promote this kind of multi-lingual programme throughout the world,” said Dr Kim.
“Indigenous education experiences in New Zealand could be a perfect example for the remainder of the region. Issues that face many countries in the Asia Pacific region around the development of better, more effective approaches to indigenous education.”
Between 2001 and 2004, Dr Kim was affiliated with the World Bank as Senior Education Specialist at its Headquarters in Washington DC. During this time, he worked on education projects which included the preparation of lending schemes and delivery of technical assistance, as well as monitoring and evaluating human resources development projects on issues such as lifelong learning, on-the-job training, technical and vocational education, secondary and tertiary education, students’ loan programmes, and information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. He was also involved in a “Lifelong Learning: Education for knowledge-based economy” analytical programme, initiated by the World Bank’s Human Development Network, Education (HDNED).
Born in 1955, Dr Kim holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Korea University, Seoul (1978), as well as a Master’s degree (1984) and a PhD (1994) in Education from Harvard University, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Culture Counts: UNESCO Poster Competition
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 13:14
The United Nations recently declared 2010 as the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures.
With UNESCO as the leading agency for this initiative, its mission is to: promote reciprocal knowledge of cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity; build a framework for commonly shared values; strengthen quality education and build intercultural competencies; and foster dialogue for sustainable development.
As a way to commemorate 2010 as a step towards a new and harmonious future, UNESCO teamed up with DESIGN 21 to create the Culture Counts competition.
To be considered for the competition, each entry should contain a poster design that visually illustrates the notion of "Rapprochement of Cultures" and an accompanying description.
UNESCO Chair in Inter-religious Understanding and Relations for Victoria University
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 12:53
A UNESCO Chair in Inter-religious Understanding and Relations has been established at Victoria University of Wellington.
New Zealand’s first UNESCO Chair has been awarded to Professor Paul Morris, Victoria University’s Programme Director for Religious Studies. A key participant in the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme, Professor Morris wrote the National Statement on Religious Diversity.
“Inter-religious understanding and relations is fundamental to our key goal which is to promote peace and justice in New Zealand and the Pacific,” says NZ National Commission for UNESCO chair, Bryan Gould.
“Our warm congratulations to Victoria University and particularly, Professor Morris.”
The "UNESCO Chair In Interreligious And Intercultural Relations – New Zealand" is an educational, research and policy activity that will be based at Victoria University’s Religious Studies department. The launch of the UNESCO Chair took place at the 7th National Interfaith Forum, "Keeping Faith in the Modern World" in Christchurch. Professor Morris will be delivering an address entitled "What’s religion got to do with it? - Sustainable futures and faith".
UNESCO Chairs in Interreligious and Intercultural Relations were established in 1995 to provide in-put drawn from an understanding of religious and cultural diversity to UNESCO programs and polices; and to conduct research in this area and to engage in policy debates in their region.
In his position as UNESCO chair, Professor Morris will engage in and publish research on religious change in New Zealand and the Pacific since 1990 and the relationships between religious communities. He will act to foster links between scholars in the region with related research interests. Engaging with governments on the impact of religious and cultural change and the need to explore new models of social cohesion will also be a key focus. Professor Morris will also develop and maintain a regional database of religious groups and communities including research resources.
Deborah Willis, Pro Vice Chancellor, Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria University; Rosemary du Plessis, Chair Social Sciences Sub Commission, Paul Morris, UNESCO Chair of Interreligious Understanding and Relations.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010 14:11
Kiwi Holocaust Survivors focus of new DVD FOR ANNE FRANK DIARY EXHIBITION
The testimonies of New Zealand’s own Holocaust survivors will be the subject of a poignant DVD that will accompany the Anne Frank Travelling Exhibition this year.
The DVD was produced with support from the NZ National Commission for UNESCO. It has been made by experienced film director, Anna Cottrell and AC Productions, with skilful interviewing by renowned journalist Ian Fraser.
“By learning about some of the world’s darkest times, young New Zealanders can learn to value the importance of tolerance and freedom in a just society. Education is our best safeguard to ensure these horrors are not repeated,” says NZ National Commission for UNESCO chairman, Bryan Gould.
“The stories of our own people, other New Zealanders, who survived the Holocaust need to be heard and learnt from.”
The Anne Frank travelling exhibition will reach New Zealand for the first time this year.
“This simple diary kept by a young girl who was murdered in the Holocaust has become one of the world’s most well-known, powerful and treasured examples of tolerance education,” says Mr Gould.
“In 1946 when UNESCO’s constitution came into force, New Zealand was the second country to step forward to sign it. We did so, in the aftermath of that tragic conflict and with the horror of the Holocaust fresh in our minds, so that the instinct for peace and for a common humanity should take hold in the minds of new generations.”
Last year, UNESCO included the manuscripts of Anne Frank in its Memory of the World Register, the World Heritage List for documents. This inventory contributes to the preservation of precious documents from archives and collections, including libraries throughout the world.
The exhibition will be launched at Te Papa on Wednesday 10th February 2010 and will tour New Zealand throughout the year.
Please visit the website below for more information.
“As we mark the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the hope is that New Zealanders continue to consider the Treaty as a living document,” says NZ National Commission for UNESCO chairman, Bryan Gould.
“New Zealanders should continue to learn about the Treaty and what it means for our country and future.”
Last year the commission launched a Treaty of Waitangi web resource that has been a popular resource for New Zealanders.
The commission’s Social Science sub commission works closely with the Human Rights Commission to explore and document connections between international human rights agendas and issues raised by the Treaty – including the relevance of the Treaty for people of different ethnicities – in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Pyepoudre Cultural and Education Centre was completely destroyed by the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th.. Local musician Lucien Johnson is behind a fundraising concert to help members of the centre community whose lives were shattered by the disaster.
“We have been totally crippled and need every help we can get. Three children have lost their parents and are in our care. We are doing our best to help all the people whose houses have been destroyed. At the moment we share what food, water and clothing we have,” reports Pyepoudre founder, Paula Claermont Pean from Port-au-Prince.
Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, Madame Pean established the centre 25-years ago.
Pyepoudre was a beacon of hope for young people from some of Port-au-Prince’s poorest shantytowns. As well as running workshops on performing, visual and cultural arts, Pyepoudre ran reading and writing classes, education programmes, a library and an internet centre.
Lucien worked at Pyepoudre in 2009 and says the collective of volunteer musicians, actors and artists worked extensively with local communities especially young people. Many volunteers were also social workers and teachers.
“The concert was a unique way we can help by providing urgent, direct relief that will give some a chance to rebuild their shattered lives,” he says.
Donations for Pypoudre continue to be collected by the Wellington branch of Alliance Francaise.
Haiti officials have confirmed that 170,000 lost their lives on January 12th, however thousands more are feared dead.
More than 1.5 million children were murdered in the Holocaust – more than the entire population of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.
The children of Moriah Jewish School in Wellington are inviting children and members of the public to attend Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2010 by joining them at the Holocaust Memorial, Makara Cemetery on Wednesday 27th January at 3pm.
“In 2010 we are focusing on the 1.5 million children who were killed in the Holocaust, this is more than the total population of Auckland, the biggest city in New Zealand,” says Kessem Goldberg (12).
“We’re collecting a button for every child who lost their life and we would like to ask people to donate buttons by bringing them on the 27th January or sending them to our school.”
The remembrance ceremony is co-hosted by the NZ Holocaust Research and Education Centre, the Wellington Regional Jewish Council, B’nai Brith Unit 5187 and the NZ National Commission for UNESCO. This year free buses provided by the Wilson Funeral Home will leave parliament at 2pm and take people to the Makara cemetery.
"Through learning programmes about the Holocaust, our younger generation comes to value the importance of tolerance and freedom in a just society," says Dr Andrew Matthews, deputy chair of the NZ National Commission for UNESCO.
"This knowledge is essential to ensure that such atrocities never take place again."
The children embarked on their project in 2008 and in spite of initial doubts are on track to have collected 1 million buttons by January 2010. People from around the world have sent buttons, well wishes and donations for the students’ planned memorial sculpture that will incorporate all the collected buttons. This year, Save the Children, has generously offered to act as a collection point for donations of buttons and money for the eventual memorial between the 25th and 29th January.
Sharing stories with Holocaust survivors has been a key part of the project. Kessem says their stories show sadness, depression and loss but also hope and something to look forward to.
The students were particularly touched by Vera Egermayer who was only five when imprisoned in the Terezin Concentration Camp.
“In a time like the Holocaust it’s like living in a pitch black room. But every time someone does something for you it’s like someone coming in the room and lighting a candle. You need to focus on the light of the candle,” Ms Egermayer told them.
In spite of what she went through, Ms Egermayer’s advice, to focus on the light and not the darkness greatly moved the children and her vision has come to shape the student’s subsequent remembrance projects. The planned memorial, a maze incorporating the buttons, is also focused on her advice.
“We still find it hard to understand : How can people murder innocent children? By remembering we can help stop this horrible thing from happening in our generation,” says Jonah Ease (12).
“We feel a special bond to the buttons we have collected . . as if we know the children and we are friends. We are so lucky to live in a time like today and in a safe place like New Zealand. We also feel total respect for the children of the Holocaust.”
Kessem and Jonah say the Moriah children get quite emotional just looking at the hundreds of thousands of buttons, all of them different, just like those children who were killed so many years ago.
Click here to view Television New Zealand's news report on Holocaust Remembrance Day
Donations of buttons and money for the memorial will be collected by Save the Children Fund from the 25th - 29th Januay 2010.
Kessem Goldberg (12) and Jonah Ease (12) from Moriah School are project leaders for the 1.5 million Buttons Project
Speech to UNESCO General Conference 2009 - Bryan Gould
Monday, 30 November 2009 20:48
Speech to the UNESCO General Conference
September 2009
Chair of the New Zealand National Commission
Bryan Gould
Tena koutou katoa kua huihui mai nei i tenei ra.
(English translation: Greetings to all who have gathered here today).
Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen
In 1946, when UNESCO’s Constitution came into force, New Zealand was the second country to step forward to sign it. We did so, in the aftermath of a tragic conflict, so that the instinct for peace should take hold in the minds of new generations. So, with other founder members, we signed up for a future built on the life of the mind and the heart and the spirit – on education, culture, the sciences, and the free exchange of information and ideas.
Sixty three years later, New Zealand continues to support UNESCO’s goals. Both at home, in managing our own affairs, and in offering an example internationally and particularly in the Pacific sub-region, we try to demonstrate through our actions the value of UNESCO’s agenda for progress.
So, we are strong supporters of education for sustainable development and we have an active network of ASPnet schools committed to UNESCO’s values. In science, we focus on waiora, the Maori word for our sustainable fresh-water resources. The bicultural foundation of our country – Maori and pakeha – gives us a strong base to take advantage of the growing cultural diversity that enriches our society. And we continue to enjoy, and encourage others to emulate our commitment to, a free press and the free exchange of ideas.
What we seek is to lead by example, to cast new light on old problems, to think strategically, to change attitudes, to open minds, to know and understand more of ourselves and of others.
We like to think that New Zealand lives UNESCO’s ideals. We do so at what is another critical moment in the world’s affairs. The global recession may not be a disaster on quite the scale of the Second World War, but it should lead us nevertheless to re-affirm the great value and importance of what UNESCO stands for. The recession, after all, was the end result of a doctrine that said that all that really mattered was the maximisation of profits for the masters of the global economy.
We now know that we cannot entrust human progress to the tender care of the bottom line. That way lies not just economic crisis, but ecological degradation, social disintegration, and international conflict. Man is not just an economic animal. The lessons of the recession should teach us that the way forward lies – not with ever faster and less responsible consumption of material things by a small fraction of the world’s population - but with learning more about and responding better to our relationships with each other and with our planet.
A General Conference is inevitably concerned with budgets, elections, resolutions, organisational structures and processes. But we must never lose sight of UNESCO’s true purposes, and each of our individual decisions should be judged according to whether it advances or hinders the achievement of those goals. So, New Zealand, from our vantage-point in the Pacific sub-region – the sub-region most distant from Paris and covering the greatest number of countries and the largest geographical area, but a sub-region challenged not only by immediate dangers of which last week’s tsunami is a sad and destructive example, but also by longer-term threats such as climate change - has naturally been a consistent advocate for decentralisation. We welcome the report of the second task force review. But modalities are less important than people. We continue to be concerned at the damaging delays in recruiting professional staff to the UNESCO Office for the Pacific in Apia. There is no point in changing the structure if we cannot commit the resources to make it work. Similarly, we are concerned about the performance indicators proposed in the draft 35C/5. We are not convinced that these largely quantitative performance indicators will provide a meaningful assessment of the Organisation's effectiveness. They may be easily measured but they tell us little about our real achievements; at worst, their adoption could lead to a diversionary goal displacement. We strongly encourage the Organisation to undertake further work on this issue.We continue to believe that working across sectors and themes is the way UNESCO should operate. The next Medium-Term Strategy UNESCO programme should, we believe, be organised around these intersectoral themes with a Secretariat that mirrors this structure. Two years ago, my predecessor delivered her speech to the General Conference while wearing a Maori cloak or korowai. I am similarly privileged today. The cloak that I wear has been gifted by the National Commission to UNESCO as a taonga or cultural treasure. It is a work reflecting the great skill of a traditional weaver who has brought together a range of materials to produce something of significance, value and beauty. It is, we like to think, a suitable metaphor for the role that UNESCO should and must play in tomorrow’s world.No reira, tena koutou katoa.(English translation: In conclusion, greetings to you all).
Monday, 23 November 2009 12:39
Living Heritage Awards honour NZ's Junior Historians
Are mangroves unwanted weeds "gorse of the sea" or are they beautiful trees that attract native birds?
Who was Mr Stellin? And why did they name the park we play in after him?
What games did our grandparents play? How did they live?
These are the questions that children in three New Zealand schools asked themselves earlier this year and their online research projects have seen them each honoured with a LIving Heritage Award.
Junior historians from: Hauraki Primary School on Auckland's North Shore; Northland Primary School in Wellington; and Mahana Rural School just outside Nelson have each been honoured with LIving Heritage Awards this week.
“Living Heritage, Taonga Tuku Iho Awards celebrate our country’s heritage and or treasures,” says NZ National Commission for UNESCO chair, Bryan Gould.
“UNESCO recognises that living or intangible heritage provides people with a sense of identity and continuity. Helping young people to learn from their past is a key way to help prepare them for the future.”
The New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO helped establish the Living Heritage Taonga Tuku Iho Awards to celebrate schools whose work contributes to UNESCO objectives by capturing heritage resources for future generations.
Living Heritage (Tikanga Tuku Iho) is a project of the 2020 Communications Trustin partnership with The Learning Centre Trust of New Zealand, The National Library of New ZealandTe Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, and Sun Microsystems.
Northland School
Northland School junior historians awarded UNESCO Living Heritage Award Nearly sixty years after a young New Zealand pilot died saving a village in WWII, a group of Wellington school children have won a Living Heritage Award for an online project that remembers his life and sacrifice.
Youngsters from the Wellington suburb of Northland had played in the Stellin Memorial Park for the past forty years – but no one seemed to know how it got its name. This year students at Northland Primary School embarked on a Living Heritage research project in which they discovered the park was named after James Kingston Stellin, a heroic young Wellington-born pilot who died while saving a village and school in France.
As part of the research process children visited the park, student researched on the Internet, talked to a local historian, watched a DVD of a dedication ceremony at the park and found photographs that told a story.
James Kingston Stellin was born in Lyall Bay Wellington in 1922, he joined the Royal Airforce as a pilot and was killed in 1944 while successfully defending the village of St Macloula Briere. His father donated land in Northland so that a park could be erected in his son’s memory. Meanwhile, thousands of kilometres in the village of St Maclou la Briere a memorial to James Stellin still stands in the town square.
Are Mangroves unwanted weeds, the “Gorse of the sea” or are they beautiful trees that attract native birds? Mangrove swamps are prevalent throughout Takapuna and yet local youngsters discovered that adults seemed divided over where they were a good or a bad thing.
This prompted four Year Five children from Hauraki Primary School - Jack, Joel, Nina and Leah –to find out more. They embarked on an online project that saw them win a Living Heritage, Taonga Tuku Iho Award this week.
The young project team talked to local people, environmentalists and studied research online. They reached the insightful conclusion that they needed to find good ways to get rid of mangroves when they are growing in the wrong place – but also initiatives to help save the local environment as well. Their overall conclusion was that there needs to be more young people like them to make a difference in the world.
An online history project initiated by the children of tiny Mahana Primary School – a rural school 30km from Nelson – has won a Living Heritage Taonga Tuku Iho Award for 2009.
The students recognised that their small community was changing and they wanted to promote a sense of belonging and pride in their past by finding out more about the lives of their ancestors and tipuna.
The online project involved all three classrooms that make up Mahana School and students report that they learned a lot more about their own families, their school, region and country. In spite of their isolation, students developed their ICT skills by contributing to their web page, producing podcasts and integrating ICT into performances. A variety of pictorial/photo resources from books and communities, local museums, archives and family collections were also called upon.
Jenny Robinson (School Administrator) (L) and Briar Smith Waddell (Student) (R) from Mahana School at the Living Heritage Awards Ceremony, Wellington
Wednesday, 18 November 2009 10:43
Mata Ora : The Living Knowledge 2009
Ancient Polynesian navigators were the first to explore and then settle the great Pacific Ocean – a vast expanse that covers a third of the earth’s surface. Their journeys began a millenia before the arrival of the first European explorers in the 16th Century.
Next week in Porirua, north of Wellington, New Zealand, the awe-inspiring achievements of ancient Polynesian explorers and scientists will be remembered during a week of “Mata Ora” celebrations hosted by the Society for Maori, Astronomy, Research and Tourism and the NZ National Commission for UNESCO.
The event is also part of celebrations to mark the International Year of Astronomy 2009 - "a gobal effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO to help citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day and night time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery.
The first Polynesian voyagers used indigenous scientific astronomical knowledge, harnessing the night sky and the environment to guide them across 162 million square kilometres of ocean. Their journeys and settlements stretch from South East Asia and Melanesia in the West, to Hawaii in the north, Rapanui or Easter Island in the East and Aotearoa New Zealand in the South. To this day, the indigenous peoples of the Pacific while separated by the largest ocean on earth, remain linked to one another through language, culture and history.
“As we mark the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the hope is that New Zealanders continue to consider the Treaty as a living document,” says NZ National Commission for UNESCO chairman, Bryan Gould.
“New Zealanders should continue to learn about the Treaty and what it means for our country and future.”
Last year the commission launched a Treaty of Waitangi web resource that has been a popular resource for New Zealanders.
The commission’s Social Science sub commission works closely with the Human Rights Commission to explore and document connections between international human rights agendas and issues raised by the Treaty – including the relevance of the Treaty for people of different ethnicities – in Aotearoa New Zealand.
UNESCO NZ National Commission represented at General Conference
Friday, 30 October 2009 15:09
NZ National Commission for UNESCO chairman, Bryan Gould and a small delegation took part in the 35th Session of the organisation's General Conference in Paris this month. They participated in a review of the Programme and Budget for the years 2011 and 2012, and considered a number of current issues such as climate change and the impact of the economic recession internationally. New Zealand was elected to the Intergovernmental Committee on MOST (Management of Social Transformations) and will be represented on that Committee by Professor Richard Bedford, of Waikato University. New Zealand will also have a position on the Legal Committee, represented by Victoria Hallum, Permanent Delegate to UNESCO from the New Zealand Embassy in Paris. A number of key decisions were made, including the election of a new Director General.
Irina Bokova of Bulgaria elected as UNESCO's 10th Director General
Friday, 30 October 2009 15:04
Bulgarian diplomat and politician, Irina Bokova has been elected Director-General of UNESCO by the 35th Session of the organisation's General Conference in Paris this month. Ms Bokova is the first woman and the first Eastern European to head the organisation. Ms Bokova has served as the Ambassador of Bulgaria to France as well as the nation's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. She studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and at the School of Public Affairs of the University of Maryland in the United States. Ms Bokova has served as Bulgaria's Minister and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and as candidate to the post of Vice President of Bulgaria, she advocated her country's membership in NATO and the European Union. Ms Bokova replaces outgoing Director General Koichiro Matsuura of Japan who has led the organisation for two terms. Dr Matsuura has advanced a wide range of programmes including universal basic education, freshwater management and the preservation of living arts and culture. He visited New Zealand in 2004.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009 21:28
Historical Waterworks Building wins Heritage Award
The Waterworks Building and its associated engineer’s cottage located on the grounds of the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) in Auckland has won the 2009 UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit. The building was designed by William Errington in 1875 with the purpose of bringing water from the Western Springs Reservoir to Auckland. By 1928 the source of water had changed, and the building fell into disuse. It became part of the Museum in 1964. By 2000 there was a pressing need for conservation, as the roof was leaking and sectors of the cornices had collapsed, with vegetation encroaching upon the structures. There was an added intention of restoring the Scottish-made beam engine pump machinery to full working order. In its hey day the Waterworks engine pumped two million of waters a day from the Western Springs Lake to homes throughout Auckland. It is the first time a New Zealand building has won this award.
Please visit our UNESCO Bangkok office for more information:
Pathways, Circuits and Crossroads: International Migration in Uncertain Times
The annual meeting of several research programmes dealing with processes and policies of relevance to New Zealand's international migration system wil be held on the 2-4 November at the Soundings Theatre, Te Papa in Wellington. This year's meeting is being organised by the University of Waikato's Population Studies Centre in collaboration with the Department of Labour, Monash University's Institute for the Study of Global Movements (Melbourne) and Massey University's Integration of Immigrants Programme.
Themes for the meeting are:
2 November: "International Migration and the Economy: Reflections and Responses"
What causes global climate change? What are its consequences? What are our potential solutions? These were some of the issues considered by more than 60 secondary students attending the Wellington Youth Climate Forum (WYCF) at Victoria University in September. The NZ National Commission for UNESCO helped make the forum possible with a grant from the 2009 UCAF fund. Students also planned and carried out a range of public actions to draw attention to climate change that included: making chalk art mural on Lambton Quay; handing out certificates to passengers at the railway station; writing a press release; and prepring a 'communique'. The final part of the forum saw participants use the skills they gained over the weekend to begin planning further action for fellow classmates in their respective schools on the 23rd October 2009: 350 Schools Day of Action on Climate Change. Several students also became active participants on the ReGeneration Network: a social networking site with more than 270 youth members.
Wednesday, 09 September 2009 18:04
International Workshop focuses on NZ “Greenstone” Digital Library Software
“Greenstone” an internationally renowned software system for digital libraries that was developed in New Zealand is the focus of an international workshop to be held in India in November. The “Greenstone” Digital Library Software (http://www.greenstone.org) is an Open Source package for building and distributing Digital Libraries, which has been developed by the University of Waikato.
“Greenstone” is supported by the UNESCO and the Human Info NGO Belgium for spreading the benefits of this software to developing countries. The state-of-the-art software is both powerful and flexible, and of great potential interest to libraries and information centres and other public and private institutions in South Asia and other developing regions.
As part of this year’s Te Rangitawaea ICT Festival, students from Ngati Porou East Coast Schools have been trained by professional broadcasters to deliver a Noon news webcast live from the festival in Ruatoria.
Te Rangitawaea celebrates the creative and innovative digital media achievements and development of local students. The webcast will enable students to further their skills in broadcasting and to also provide an opportunity for rural Maori youth to participate in the digital news age.
Webcast Time: 12 Noon, Wednesday 16th September 2009
The festival has been supported by the NZ National Commission for UNESCO’s UCAF 2009 funding. The fund is for New Zealand projects that engage with two or more of UNESCO’s mandated programme areas: Education, Natural Sciences, Social and Human Sciences, Culture, Communications and Information.
Thursday, 20 August 2009 17:09
UNESCO World Conference on HIGHER Education
The conference was held in July and at its conclusion, delegates called on world governments to: increase investment in higher education; encourage diversity; and strengthen regional cooperation to serve societal needs. UNESCO Director-General, Koichiro Matsuura affirmed that the organisation would “continue to be a strong voice for education” . . “against a fast changing and complex landscape, we have defined future directions because we fundamentally share a common vision of higher education’s ethical and strategic responsibilities in today’s global society.” Two New Zealanders participated in this global forum, Frances Kelly (New Zealand’s Education Counsellor, currently based in Brussells) and Gail Gillon (Pro Vice Chancellor, Canterbury University/Te Whare Wananga O Waitaha.)
Writer, academic and Māori language pioneer, Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira (Ngati Porou) has won the prestigious Linguapax Award 2009 for her lifelong work to revive the Māori language. In the seventies Ms Mataira co-developed, alongside the late Ngoingoi Pewhairangi, the Te Atārangi community based programme of Māori language learning which trained native speakers of Māori to teach their language. This philosophy underpinned the establishment of the kura kaupapa Maori movement. Linguapax is an annual award bestowed upon leading linguists and researchers by the Linguapax Institute based in Barcelona, Spain. Linguapax is a non-governmental organisation set up by UNESCO and dedicated to the global preservation and promotion of linguistic diversity. This is the first time a New Zealander has been honoured with this award.
Thursday, 20 August 2009 17:06
NZ Diversity Forum 2009
From 22-24th August 2009, Wellington will host the 2009 NZ Diversity Forum. The forum unites flaxroots community representatives, volunteers, central and local government officials, media, academics, health professionals, language advocates, sports people, librarians, teachers, artists, museum staff, faith groups, employers, worker and young people to talk about practical ways cultural diversity can be fostered and all New Zealanders can enjoy equal opportunities and live in harmony. Events are hosted by organisations that are part of the NZ Diversity Action Programme, an initiative sponsored by the Human Rights Commission/Te Kahui Tika Tangata. The main venue is Te Papa, however events are taking place at locations around Wellington city. The NZ National Commission for UNESCO is hosting a forum on Pacific Languages in New Zealand 2: the future of Pacific languages. Contact person:
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Monday, 03 August 2009 17:09
Ethnic Diversity Broadcasting Forum, June 2009
Hosted by NZ On Air and the Office of Ethnic Affairs, this forum focused on how NZ’s changing demographics will affect the broadcast media in 2020. Promoted by NZOA board member and UNESCO NZ National Commission member Paul Smith for several years this initiative was a significant achievement and the first of its kind. Ethnic Affairs Minister Pansy Wong noted that as NZ becomes ethnically and culturally diverse, the media needs to reflect this change; savvy media outlets know this isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s also the bright thing to do. Ms Wong also observed the growth of ethnic media products and outlets. Professor Richard Bedford from Population Studies Centre at the University of Waikato highlighted the major changes taking place. He told the forum that by 2021, European New Zealanders will remain the largest (and aging) group – Asian and Pacific populations are growing fastest and their numbers will rival Maori as our second largest ethnic group. He also noted that this trend will be most evident in the Auckland region. Further themes of the role of cultural diversity in mainstream broadcasting were considered for the remainder of the Forum. The role of the Government through its charter, funding and lack of public broadcasting dominated the discussion.
Diverse Projects Supported by UNESCO Contestable Fund
Human rights education in schools, climate change projects in colleges and an information technology festival on the remote East Cape are some of the innovative projects supported this year by the NZ National Commission for UNESCO’s Contestable Activity Fund or UCAF.
“Promoting peace and social justice in New Zealand and the Pacific through education, the sciences, culture and the free exchange of ideas is our organisation’s focus,” says chairman, Bryan Gould.
“We received a high standard of applications this year and were delighted to support a diverse range of projects.”
Successful projects funded were: Human Rights in Education Project with ASP Schools (Human Rights In Education Trust): $5000; Wellington Youth Climate Forum for secondary students ($4375); Te Rangitawaea ICT festival for East Cape residents (Ngati Porou Runanga): $5000; and the Kowiana annual conference for young, Korean Kiwis (Kowiana Association): $3000
“These inventive projects reflect UNESCO’s growing intersectoral focus by engaging with at least two of UNESCO’s key mandated areas - Education, Natural Sciences, Social and Human Sciences, Culture and Communications and Information,” says Mr Gould.
Monday, 03 August 2009 17:08
SANZ to Launch Blueprint for Global Sustainability
In September, Sustainable Aotearoa NZ or SANZ is to release the resource, “Strong Sustainability for NZ: principles and scenarios”. A blueprint for sustainability that replaces the widely-used triple bottom line measure and instead gives social, environmental, and economic values equal weighting, with a model that gives greater priority to ecological values in order to sustain the natural systems and resources societies rely upon. For more information: http://www.phase2.org
Monday, 03 August 2009 17:07
Migrating Kitchens Exhibition, Te Pataka Museum, Porirua
For many migrating families, traditional foods from home are a way to celebrate unique cultural identity and heritage: these are also a tasty reminder of home! The Migrating Kitchen Exhibition is on again at Te Pataka Museum in Porirua, in which people are invited to step inside the kitchens of immigrant communities who have made Aotearoa New Zealand their newest home. The first Migrating Kitchen Exhibition at Te Pataka was held in 2007 with families from Samoa, Burma, Greece, China, Russia and Somalia sharing their stories, recipes and foods. This year families from Afghanistan, Chile, the Cook Islands, India, Italy and Zimbabwe showcase their favourite foods. The NZ National Commission for UNESCO is pleased to support the Migrating Kitchens Exhibition for another year.
