University of Canterbury

Pretty Mighty Indeed - A cool new doc️o with UC connections has scooped two awards at Doc Edge 🎥❄️🎬

Directed by UC Digital Screen tutor and Christchurch filmmaker Vanessa Wells, the opening night feature for the Ōtautahi Christchurch Doc Edge Festival, Mighty Indeed, was six years in the making and follows three women scientists working in Antarctica🥶

The new documentary, filmed in brutal conditions, will have its Christchurch premiere next week, fresh from winning prizes for Best Director and Best New Zealand Feature at the Doc Edge Festival Awards in Auckland.

Vanessa says her film shows Antarctica in a different way. “We really step inside these scientists’ lives and show their inner thoughts. I would love to shift the way people look at the world and shift their perspective and connection to these wild places. If we can shift beliefs, then we might be able to change our behaviour and take better care of the climate.”

In another UC connection the Christchurch Doc Edge Festival (16 to 27 July), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is sponsored by UC's Kōawa Studios 🤩

Join us in congratulating Vanessa on her award-winning film! 👏

Next stop 🛫 Germany!

UC athletes are gearing up for the FISU World University Games — one of the biggest stages for student sport worldwide.

Join us in wishing them the best as they represent next week 👏👏

Let’s go! 📢

📍 Rhine-Ruhr
🗓️ 16–27 July

University and Tertiary Sport NZ

🌳 Did you know some NZ towns have nearly 60% tree cover… and others just 7%?

UC researchers have just completed the most detailed study yet at urban tree canopy in 75 towns and cities across Aotearoa—using advanced technology like LiDAR and aerial imagery.

Picton topped the list for leafy streets, while Hāwera had the lowest coverage. The national average? Just 19%.

Led by UC’s Professor Justin Morgenroth and Dr Ning Ye—with help from a great team of student interns—the project shows where we’re doing well, and where there’s room to plant more trees.

🌿 Trees make our cities cooler, healthier and more liveable. They clean the air, reduce pollution, and support wildlife. Plus, for every $1 we invest in trees, we get $3.40 in benefits back.

So… how leafy is your hometown?

🔗 https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/news-and-events/news/2025/tree-cover-for-kiwi-towns-and-cities-spotlit-in-new-study-

🌱 UC master’s student Saskia Brown is protecting Aotearoa’s alpine springs from w**d invasion 💙

Saskia is studying the spread of fast-growing w**ds into alpine springs in the upper Waimakariri — pristine ecosystems that have long been safe havens for native plants and animals.

With supervision from Professor Angus McIntosh and Dr Helen Warburton, Saskia’s work is helping identify the causes of this invasion and informing long-term solutions to protect these special places.

This is hands-on, student-powered research, and it’s making a difference.

🔗 Read more about Saskia’s work and the UC team protecting our alpine springs: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/news-and-events/news/2025/nz-alpine-springs-under-threat-from-fast-spreading-w**ds



UC Science

🌏 UC ranks 61st in the world for global impact
🌱 #2 in Aotearoa New Zealand
The latest Times Higher Education Impact Rankings have been released, and UC has moved up 28 places to rank 61st out of 2,500+ participating universities worldwide. The rankings measure universities’ contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UC has also achieved:

14th globally for SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
22nd globally for SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
1st in New Zealand for SDGs 11, 12, and 14 (Life Below Water)

These results reflect the work of researchers, teachers, and professional staff, who are contributing to a more sustainable and resilient future through education, partnerships, and community engagement.

Later this year, UC will host the United Nations 8th Adaptation Futures Conference, offering another opportunity to support global progress on climate adaptation from right here in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

💡A new study by UC researchers has found that young learners receiving targeted early literacy support are making rapid progress—often catching up to their peers within just one year.

The Better Start Literacy Approach, developed at UC and now used in over 1,000 schools across New Zealand, delivers small-group teaching (Tier 2) alongside classroom learning. The approach is structured, evidence-based, and tailored to the NZ education context.

“Children receiving more intensive support significantly outperformed those who didn’t,” says Professor Brigid McNeill. “Successful early literacy development is critical to children’s academic success.”

The findings provide strong evidence that structured literacy, delivered early and well, can make a meaningful difference in the lives of tamariki.

Hot limpets and cool science! 🧠🌊

Dr Spencer Virgin has been investigating the remarkable behaviour of Aotearoa New Zealand’s coastal limpets—and it turns out they’re smarter than you think.

In Kaikōura, Dr Virgin tagged 850 limpets and discovered they move toward shady, south-facing rock surfaces to avoid overheating, sometimes travelling up to 150 times their body length! This adaptive behaviour helps them stay cool and safe during hot conditions.

💡 “The most interesting thing to me is that limpets are smarter than people give them credit for,” he says.

To understand their limits, Dr Virgin deployed ‘robo-limpets’ (silicone-filled shells with temperature loggers) and used tiny heart rate monitors to track how different species respond to heat. Some didn’t show signs of stress until 38–39°C!

Did you know, they bulldoze barnacles out of their way, and smaller limpets avoid being shoved by living on top of larger ones? Resourceful, eh?

From all over the world to right here at UC—last week, we welcomed our newest international students! 🌏🎉 We’re so excited to have you here and can’t wait to see you thrive. 💙