Otago Graduate Research School

15/09/2026

Some wonderful tips from Karyn Paringatai on building confidence to speak te reo Māori during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. 🌿

Remember, you don't have to be perfect to start speaking. Every word spoken is a step forward. Thank you, Karyn, for sharing practical and encouraging advice that helps make te reo Māori more accessible and gives us the confidence to give it a go. 💛

14/09/2026

Here is a nice and simple way to introduce yourself using your mihi. 😊

Don't worry if you don't know all the Māori words. It's perfectly fine to fill in the gaps using English or another language. The most important thing is sharing who you are, where you're from, and making connections with others.

Give it a go and share your mihi with us! 🌿✨

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1E63sdTDqm/

14/09/2026

Wiki o te Reo Māori - What's on this week at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka?

Te reo Māori will be seen, heard and celebrated across Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka this coming Wiki o te Reo Māori.

07/09/2026

📦🤔 We are on the move!

If you've walked past our GRS offices lately and noticed an unusual number of boxes, puffs of dust, and staff wondering where they packed the coffee mugs, you're not imagining it.

After eight years away, the GRS team is heading back to the Clocktower🏫! We last called it home in 2018, but from 18-24 September you'll find us carefully (and occasionally chaotically) making the move.

Are we excited? Absolutely.
Are we about to discover that some of us have been practising advanced-level office hoarding for the past decade? Quite possibly.
Will someone inevitably label a box "miscellaneous" and regret it later? Almost certainly.

We look forward to settling back into our original home and continuing to support our amazing graduate research community from the heart of campus.

Wish us luck, and if you see someone carrying a suspiciously heavy box while looking lost, it might just be one of us. 📚📦🏛️

03/09/2026

What an incredible evening! We were treated to inspiring and thought-provoking research from our graduate research candidates. There was skilled storytelling, moments of drama, honest reflections on challenging experiences, plenty of laughter, and so much learning along the way. The creativity, courage, and communication skills on display were genuinely awe-inspiring.

A truly memorable showcase of talent, passion, and impact. Better than Netflix! ✨👏

31/08/2026

🩺⏰ The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is far more than a presentation competition. It challenges researchers to distil years of dedicated study into a compelling three-minute presentation, using just a single slide to communicate the significance and impact of their work.

Join us on 1 September at 5.30pm for the University of Otago Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Grand Final and be inspired by the outstanding research being undertaken across our University.

We're especially proud to have four finalists representing the Division of Health Sciences whānau, showcasing the innovation, passion, and impact of health research at Otago. 🎓✨

31/08/2026

🔬⏰ Can a scientist really distil years of research into just 3 minutes? Join us on 1 September at 5.30pm for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Grand Final and watch our outstanding graduate researchers. More than a test of research excellence, the competition showcases their ability to communicate complex ideas in ways that are both informative and engaging, bringing science to life for audiences from all backgrounds.

In the Grand Final we have four candidates from the Division of Science whānau

🌟 Research topics span disciplines from across the University, showcasing the remarkable breadth and impact of postgraduate research at Otago.

👏 Come along to support our finalists, celebrate outstanding research, and perhaps discover a new passion or perspective along the way.

We look forward to seeing you there!

28/08/2026

⌛📚 What can be achieved in 180 seconds? Join us on 1 September at 5.30pm for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Grand Final and see our outstanding graduate researchers take on the challenge of a lifetime: condensing years of inquiry, discovery, and dedication into just three minutes and one slide. The result is an evening of insight, inspiration, and remarkable storytelling.

In the Grand Final we have two candidates from the Humanities Division whānau:
🔹 Krystle Mikaere (Minds) – Te Tumu
Mā wai rā? Who gets to define success?

🔹 Kexin Feng (PhD) - CEDI
Finding Our Way Through Many Firsts

🌟 Research topics span disciplines from across the University, showcasing the remarkable breadth and impact of postgraduate research at Otago.

👏 Come along to support our finalists, celebrate outstanding research, and perhaps discover a new passion or perspective along the way.

We look forward to seeing you there!

26/08/2026

Join us on 1 September at 5.30pm for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Grand Final and discover how our exceptional graduate research candidates transform just three minutes into moments of inspiration, insight, and discovery.

For our Otago Business School whānau, we have two Department of Marketing PhD candidates competing in the Grand Final:
🔹 Carter Roderick
Opposing Social Influences... Whose Recommendation Do You Trust?
🔹 Harsh Kumar Khatwani
When Virtual Reality Meets Your Dinner Plate

🌟 Research topics span disciplines from across the University, showcasing the remarkable breadth and impact of postgraduate research at Otago.

👏 Come along to support our finalists, celebrate outstanding research, and perhaps discover a new passion or perspective along the way.

We look forward to seeing you there!

24/08/2026

What happens when you give some of our brightest graduate researchers just three minutes and one slide to explain years of research?

Join us on 1 September at 5.30pm and find out!
From groundbreaking health discoveries to understanding human behaviour, you'll hear passionate researchers share the stories behind their work, their challenges, and why their research matters.

Expect fascinating ideas, surprising insights, and more than a few moments that will leave you thinking, "Wow, I never knew that!"

🌟 Research topics span disciplines from right across the University, showcasing the incredible breadth of work being undertaken by our postgraduate students.

And for those joining from our northern campuses, be sure to cheer on our northern campus finalists:
🔹 Jenna Gawn (Christchurch Campus)
Developmental Trajectories of Health Behaviours and Mental Health
🔹 Aparna Menon (Wellington Campus)
Optimisation of Stabilised Whole Blood to Facilitate Biomarker Discovery in Human Diseases

👏 Come support our finalists, celebrate great research, and maybe even discover a new passion along the way. See you there!