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Don’t miss out on this fascinating Webinar showcasing the exciting outcomes of our talented junior school teachers across the country who are implementing a Better Start Literacy Approach. Join Professor Gail Gillon and Professor Brigid McNeill from the University of Canterbury and the Better Start National Science Challenge to hear about their latest data highlighting the success of the Better Start Literacy Approach. Data from over 16,000 5-year-old children who have been receiving the Better Start Literacy Approach across all regions in New Zealand will be shared. The data suggest when junior class teachers and literacy specialists are well supported through quality professional learning and development they are rapidly developing children’s foundational skills in areas critical for reading, writing and oral language success. The data highlight how the Better Start Literacy Approach is working for children from diverse backgrounds and across socio-economic groupings. Māori and Pasifika tamariki as well as children who are English Language Learners are showing a strong response to Better Start Literacy Approach teaching. Co-hosts for the webinar Jen Smith (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi) UC Senior Lecturer in Māori Education and Dr Susie Stevens (UC Senior Lecturer, Child Well-being Research Institute and School of Teacher Education) will interview Prof Gillon and Prof McNeill. The interview style will ensure the data can be shared with a wide audience. Teachers, researchers, whānau, community leaders and all those interested in uplifting children’s early literacy achievement will enjoy this webinar. Dallas Wichman (Principal St Anne’s School, Christchurch) will comment on the data from his leadership perspective. Mark Tulia (MoE Pasifika programme co-ordinator, Advisor to Science Challenge Pasifika research engagement) will also provide commentary on the data Questions can be posed during the webinar and leaders within our Better Start Literacy Approach Team including Dr Amy Scott, Dr Megan Gath, and Dr Andy Vosslamber will all be poised to help answer your questions. Click here to register

Biosecurity lures Welcome to our FREE UC Biosecurity Innovations seminar series, to celebrate our research, our students and our partners. In this seminar, Dan Tompkins, Science Director of Predator Free 2050 Ltd will outline the science strategy. Then Ben McEwen, University of Canterbury and Brittany Graham, Lincoln University will showcase their PhD's into the use of sight, sound and scent to lure or repel stoats, possums and rats.  Attend in person or online or watch later. A link will be sent once you register.

Come along to find out everything you need to know about life and study at UC. Degree and course information Scholarships Accommodation Student Support Please register as spaces are limited.

What if we’re looking for solutions to mental health problems in some of the wrong places? What if we changed what we eat and how we feed our brains? With an increasing number of New Zealanders experiencing poor mental wellbeing, it’s estimated one in four people will experience mental distress. In such challenging times, what if we focused on prevention and considered the impact the food environment is having on our resilience and ability to cope? In this upcoming free Tauhere UC Connect public lecture – Could nutrition help solve the mental health crisis? – an internationally renowned expert will look at the research over the past decade, livestreamed and in person at the University of Canterbury, on Wednesday evening, 31 May. University of Canterbury clinical psychologist Professor Julia Rucklidge will discuss the current research, uncovering an alarming picture of declining food quality as risk factors for all kinds of mental health challenges, and describe practical ways to use nutrition to better feed the brain. The year 2023 marks the University of Canterbury’s sesquicentenary, with the 150th anniversary theme: Ka titiro whakamuri, ki te anga whakamua | Guided by the past, shaping the future. Tauhere UC Connect public lecture: Could nutrition help solve the mental health crisis? presented by Professor Julia Rucklidge, University of Canterbury, from 7pm–8pm, Wednesday 31 May 2023, in C1 Central lecture theatre at the University of Canterbury, Ilam, Christchurch. Register to attend free at: canterbury.ac.nz/public-lectures. Tauhere UC Connect talks are also livestreamed on the UC Facebook page, and made available to watch on YouTube. More about the speaker Julia Rucklidge is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Canterbury and the Director of Te Puna Toiora | the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab. She is also co-author of The Better Brain (Penguin 2021). Originally from Toronto, Canada, in 2000, she immigrated to New Zealand. She has become well known for her research investigating the interface between nutrition and mental health, been the recipient of numerous local and international awards and frequently featuring in the media on her work. Her 2014 TEDx talk has been viewed close to 5million times. Julia is passionate about challenging the current medical paradigm that dominates our understanding of psychiatric problems with the goal of raising awareness of how our food environment is a significant contributor to poor mental health. Her free online course is here: https://www.edx.org/course/mental-health-and-nutrition