Environmental and Animal Sciences - Unitec

June is Men’s Health Month

Sadly, despite recent advances in mental health society still overlooked the mental health in men. Society still has a strong focus on men’s physical health, especially fitness, annual checkups, and heart health but mental well-being is equally as important because mental health is health! But few men openly talk about this.

Obviously just as the body needs care and attention, so does emotional and mental well-being. Yet, there remains a silent crisis in men’s mental health — one that too often goes unnoticed or unspoken. Men, young men especially, are nearly four times more likely to die by su***de than women, underscoring the urgent need to break this silence and seek support.

Small steps to care for mental health can lead to significant change. Let’s build a culture where men feel safe speaking up and reaching out. As a community, we can break the stigma, support one another, and ensure no one struggles in silence.

How Can You Help?

Start a conversation: A simple conversation can spark transformation. Whether a father, brother, uncle, friend, or colleague, check in with the men in your life.

Share resources: Help normalize seeking help by sharing information about mental health support services, hotlines, and local organizations. Let others know support is available — and that it works.

Create safe spaces: Encourage environments — at home, work, school, barbershop, gym, church, or in the community — where men feel comfortable opening up without judgment. Sometimes, just knowing it’s OK to talk makes all the difference.

These small steps can make a difference.

🐾 Inspiring the next generation of animal professionals!

Today we were lucky to welcome Toni and Alannah from Club K9, who shared their experience in the canine daycare and rescue industry with our Pathways College - Unitec - students.

Both Toni and Alannah are proud Unitec Canine Behaviour and Training graduates, and it was fantastic for students to hear firsthand how their studies can lead to meaningful, hands-on careers working with dogs. 🐶💛

Thank you, Toni and Alannah, for your time, insights, and passion for animal care—our students left feeling inspired and excited about the possibilities ahead!

Introduction to GIS and Drone Flying

Students enrolled in Earth Processes (NSCI5730) experienced a week of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) learning that included an overview of geographic data, applications, processes, methods and tools for spatial data acquisition and analysis.

Each student was provided with an ArcGIS Online account for practical learning. Hands-on flight experience flying a drone was included to emphasize its increasing use as a remote sensing platform. The drone session covered existing regulations such as where flying is allowed, safety protocols, checklists, flight preparations and equipment familiarization.

Everyone had a go at flying and taking pictures of themselves and the landscape. This experience should help them understand and appreciate the capabilities of data acquisition using remote sensing equipment.

🌊 World Reef Day – June 1 🌊

Coral reefs are often called the rainforests of the sea — supporting around a quarter of all marine species and protecting coastlines around the world. [calendar-h...lidays.com]

But these incredible ecosystems are under threat from climate change, pollution, and human activity. World Reef Day is a global call to action to protect and restore our reefs through awareness, education, and everyday choices.

🌱 Small actions make a big difference:
✔️ Reduce plastic use
✔️ Choose reef-safe products
✔️ Support conservation efforts
✔️ Spread awareness

Let’s work together to protect our oceans — because healthy reefs mean a healthy planet. 💙

This May 31 is World Parrot Day! 🦜

Celebrate these bright, brilliant, and endlessly curious birds — share a photo of your parrot or favorite species, learn about the threats they face, and support trusted rescues and conservation groups.

Small actions matter: adopt responsibly, avoid the wild-bird trade, and spread the word.

How will you celebrate?

Recently,our second year Bachelor of Applied Science, Ecological Risk and Mitigation students visited New Zealand Biosecurity Services Limited (NZBSL) on the North Shore of Auckland.

New Zealand Biosecurity Services is a private biosecurity company that plays an important role in protecting New Zealand from harmful pests and diseases, as well as managing incursions such as fruit fly.

During the visit, students learned about the complexities of checking vehicles for biosecurity risk material and the detailed processes involved in inspecting shipping containers arriving in New Zealand.

This field trip gave students valuable insight into biosecurity roles in industry and helped highlight potential future career pathways.

Our sincere thanks to Adam Field, Bevan Jones and Matt van Auchterberg from NZBSL for their support of our students.

NSCI 5730 Earth Processes Fossil Lab

In a desire to 'step it up' Field Technician Campbell James suggested a mixed up fossil assemblage that students needed to place within the correct stratigraphy (ear period etc). A great way to work with fossils and see their utility.

The School of Environmental & Animal Sciences Fossil Collection was given a good work out today with specimens spanning from the distant Cambrian (Paleozoic) to the Quaternary (Cenozoic) placed at random on benches and students tasked to sort them out.

The lab was run beautifully by new lecturer Dr Daniel Thomas who we suspect rather enjoyed the opportunity to share his passion of paleontology.

A fun lab.

Our third-year Bachelor of Applied Science students studying biosecurity recently visited MPI’s Plant Health and Environment Laboratories (PHEL). 🌱🔬

During the visit, students learned about the important work PHEL undertakes to identify and respond to plant pests and diseases, including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and insects that threaten New Zealand’s biosecurity.

A highlight was hearing from Nick Ward, Team Leader of Surveillance, who presented on the incursion response to the yellow-legged hornet (*Vespa velutina*). This aggressive invasive species poses a significant threat to pollinators, honey producers, and public safety due to its painful sting and predation on bees. 🐝

Experiences like this give students valuable insight into the real-world challenges and careers within biosecurity and environmental protection.

NSCI5740 Techniques in Field Biology had its last practical working on dinosaurs! The students learned how to estimate population abundance using mark-recapture method. They learned about the factors that can affect population estimation of the dinosaur populations.

They also used the opportunity to understand about the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index. They calculated the biodiversity of different coloured dinosaur species, and how species richness and evenness explains biodiversity in a population.

Extra dinosaurs were rehomed...

A fun session to end the class.