The West Coast of the Southern Alps is where it’s at for outdoors students this year, if enrolment figures at Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) are anything to go by. The Certificate in Outdoor Recreation programme is operating at maximum capacity with 32 students embarking on a year of study in what has been described as “the ultimate classroom”.

“For 32 weeks students get to live and learn in the most scenic classroom in New Zealand,” says Head of Department Stu Drake. “Our classroom is the mountains and glaciers of South Westland, the stunning coastlines of Paparoa National Park and Charleston, unspoilt wild rivers and lakes surrounded by wild bush - what more could anyone want?”

A typical day in this “classroom” might involve rock climbing on the Charleston sea cliffs, ice climbing at Fox Glacier, mountaineering in Arthur’s Pass, tramping in the Lewis Pass or kayaking on one of the many lakes or rivers in the region.

Back at Greymouth, in the classroom, students learn the skills they’ll need to survive in the outdoors, including risk management, first aid, navigation and meteorology.

“The programme is 75% practical, 25% theoretical, so most of the time is spent in the outdoors, doing it,” says Drake. “It’s a big year, chock full of learning, growth, adventure and fun.”

Outdoor enthusiast and Tai Poutini Polytechnic student Laura Cashmore agrees. She came to the West Coast from Hamilton and “absolutely loves it”.

“I’m enjoying it as much, if not more, than I expected and already want to sign up for the 2nd year Certificate in Advanced Leadership and Guiding,” she says.

Another student, Hannah Green, moved to Greymouth from within the South Island after friends “raved” about the programme.

“I have always loved the outdoors and after hearing good reviews I enrolled. It was even more attractive to me because I didn’t have to travel far, and the programme fees are very competitive in comparison to other courses,” she says.

The Tai Poutini Polytechnic Certificate in Outdoor Recreation accepts 32 enrolments per year. Graduates of the programme may progress onto a second year and complete the Certificate in Advanced Leadership and Guiding. TPP also offers a number of short courses in Outdoor Recreation in pursuits such as snowboarding, advanced sea kayaking, white water kayaking, rafting and mountaineering.

MAINZ Audio Tutor, Angus McNaughton was one of two New Zealand delegates at a Digidesign Certified Instructor Summit held in California earlier this year.

McNaughton received an invitation to attend the Digidesign Certified Instructor Summit, taking place at their headquarters in Daly City near San Francisco the week of January 5th 2009. The invitation was recognition of McNaughton's status in the industry as a previous winner of Engineer and Producer of the Year at the Music Awards, an Audio Engineering and Music Production tutor at MAINZ in Auckland for a number of years and the Pro Tools Course Co-ordinator.

Pro Tools is the preferred audio software in 90% of professional recording studios internationally and the product of US company Digidesign. As well as the various Pro Tools software and hardware applications, they have developed internationally recognised Pro Tools qualifications delivered at Digidesign Certified Training Locations around the world. They chose MAINZ Auckland and Christchurch campuses as the first of these locations in New Zealand in 2007.

The primary goal of McNaughton attending the Summit in January was for him to update his Pro Tools certification to the new Pro Tools Version 8. He successfully completed this and is now qualified to teach the updated Pro Tools 8 courses at MAINZ in 2009 and to be able to upgrade other Auckland and Christchurch tutors’ Pro Tools qualifications.

“The Summit was an excellent professional development opportunity and aside from the formal classes, the ability to share in dialogue with a wide variety of Pro Tools educators was a great way to gain perspective on my own course design” said McNaughton.

MAINZ/TPP, 2002 Diploma in Contemporary Music Performance graduate Mel Parsons has recently released her debut album and is on tour.

Inspired by all the usual suspects – love, heartbreak & loss – West Coast native Mel Parsons' album - Over My Shoulder, is a catchy wee gem for the optimist in us all.

Together with her band The Rhythm Kings, Parsons has put together 11 songs of altcountry/pop/folk persuasion. Over My Shoulder hit the stores and went online Monday 9th March 2009 and is being celebrated with a nationwide release tour that includes a homecoming show in Westport on the West Coast.

Parsons has had plenty of industry heavyweights on her side for the production of the album. The record was made in Wellington under the guidance of David Long (Mutton Birds guitarist and producer for Fur Patrol & Dave Dobbyn) with a final mix down by Mike Gibson at Trident Studios.

Musicians aiding and abetting in the recording include singing sensations The Sami Sisters, while guitarist Neil Watson (Anika Moa, Finn Brothers) brings his lazy slide and sparse melodies into the mix. Industry godfather Don McGlashan guests with a haunting celeste and horn arrangement on ‘On Your Grave’. The Wellington-based Rhythm Kings are drummer and multi-instrumentalist Shaun Elley, double bass player Aaron Stewart and keys man-of-the-moment Ed Zuccollo.

Parsons’ sound is defined by mellow, intimate vocals and melodic hooks that swim around in your head well after the track has ended. Long time collaborator Shaun Elley brings siblinglike harmonies to the mix, and together, Parsons and Elley have an intuitive musical chemistry that draws in audiences and makes for a spine-tingling listening experience. Sami Sisters’ middle child Anji – recently voted by Sunday Magazine as one of the ‘19 sexiest people in the country’ – joined the crew, and opened shows for the South Island leg of the tour.

World class chef and former Tai Poutini Polytechnic student Alex Ensor has recently returned to the West Coast, in preparation for his new position as Executive Chef at the exclusive fine dinning restaurant SHY in Jakarta.

Since graduating from Tai Poutini Polytechnic’s Certificate in Professional Culinary Arts in 1995, 32 year old Ensor has accrued an impressive CV. He has worked at the top of his field with some of the worlds leading chefs. He has worked in renowned award winning restaurants around Australasia such as Taupo’s world famous Huka Lodge, Sydney’s ‘Three Hats’ Level Forty One, the award-winning Salon Blanc and Sydney Opera House restaurant Guillaume at Bennelong. In addition Alex has personally received a number of awards for his culinary skills.

Ensor has recently been flown from New Zealand to Jarkata to undertake an interview for the position of Executive Chef which saw him having to design and produce an eight course degustation tasting menu for the exclusive Shy Restaurant. A position of which he is proud to announce he has secured.

Ensor says it is great to return to the place where his career started and catch up with everyone.

“The basic cooking skills I was taught at Tai Poutini Polytechnic helped set up my career. It was the perfect start for me and I still apply the knowledge that I learnt during even the most sophisticated of dining preparations,” Ensor says.

Ensor’s favourite memory of the Certificate was participating (and doing well!) in Auckland salon culinaire chef competitions and the support he received from Programme Co-ordinator Alex Hayward.

“When I was younger I was really in to rugby and hunting. Alex Hayward motivated me to apply my dedication and focus towards cooking and made it fun. He taught me the basic skills I needed to start my career and secure a professional position in a serious industry and I am forever grateful for that,” Ensor says.

Ensor’s cuisine is rooted in classic French styles, using modern interpretations of texture and flavour combinations to deliver a fine culinary experience.

In 2007 Pike River Coal Ltd (PRCL) approached TPP with a business challenge. Despite an extensive advertising campaign for mining staff, Pike River Coal had been unable to attract enough suitably qualified New Zealanders.

Consequently, it began hiring off-shore candidates, many of whom already held professional qualifications from their native country. Pike River Coal funded a bench marking exercise to ascertain equivalency with mining industry unit standards required by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

“What was needed was a competency assessment process to determine whether their overseas certificates and experience could be accepted as equivalent to our unit standards,” says Pike River’s Safety & Training Manager Neville Rockhouse.

TPP involved Competency International Limited of Auckland which had pioneered a technique known as ‘Professional Conversation’, where job candidates front up to an assessment panel to, “tell their own life and work related story” through a process of open discussion of their experience and skills.

“The result has been an outstanding success,” says Mr Rockhouse “with five overseas applicants being deemed competent to qualify for a range of Certificates of Competence including a 1st Class Mine Managers Certificate through this innovative approach.”

Jos Wellman, TPP Chef Tutor recently demonstrated various aspects of a new area in cooking, popularly known as Molecular Cuisine at the 20th Wild Foods Festival in Hokitika.

The Honourable Anand Satyanand Governor General of New Zealand, PCNZM, QSO, and Mrs Susan Satyanand got a private Molecular Cuisine demonstration by Wellman. Wild Foods Festival Assistant Events Co-ordinator, Megan Wilson said "The Governor General and his wife mentioned that they really enjoyed the demonstration".

"There are many aspects of Molecular Cuisine, but in essence it is merely reintroducing the science aspect of cooking, and encouraging chefs to better understand the principles they use and maybe use them in new ways. But there is also a branch that is introducing new ideas and techniques, along with debunking old kitchen myths…..something old, something new, something borrowed and something that might blow you away" said Wellman.

TPP Chef students also attended, assisting Wellman with his demonstration while hospitality students made over 400 coffees and hundreds of glasses of non-alcoholic ginger punch, a refreshing alternative for festival goers.

The launch of Te Ara – the (online) Encyclopedia of New Zealand – Places – ‘West Coast’ took place at TPP Greymouth on 23 February. Funded and hosted by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the site is the world’s first national encyclopedia produced specifically for the internet, and is progressively having more content added.

The encylopedia is a comprehensive guide to New Zealand’s people, natural environment, history, culture, economy, institutions and society, which has its origins in the 3-volume 1966 Encylopedia of New Zealand which is now presented within the site.

The excellent presentation incorporated anecdotes, photographs, statistics, maps etc from the past including: a movie clip of the Greymouth ‘Top Team’ winning the title in1977; a poem read by Jeffrey Holman from his book ‘The late great Blackball bridge sonnets’ called ‘Rain’ (incidentally, an abundant shower briefly threatened to deafen Jeffrey’s words!); and guest speakers including Simon Nathan (ex-West-Coaster and author of content in ‘Places-West Coast’) and Allan Gillingham, who told the story of his own pre-mature birth and transportation to Christchurch Karitane hospital in a cottonwool-lined shoebox!

Simon said “Many West Coasters have also contributed to the site with their own stories and photos which include stories of the land, climate and wild life, Maori settlement, European arrival, history, agriculture, mining government and politics, facts and figures and lots more”.

The over 100-strong crowd, which included teachers and educators, librarians, historians and identities from all over the Coast, were treated to drinks and nibbles following the launch, and time to mingle and share experiences with one another.

The addition of the ‘West Coast’ to ‘Places’ in Te Ara is a testimony to the work of the author and all those who contributed. To view the encyclopedia click here.

What is your background?
I grew up on a dairy farm in Taranaki and joined the Army when I left school spending a couple of years serving overseas as an Assault Pioneer and Physical Training instructor. I was posted to Burnham when I returned from overseas and fell in love with the South Island. I left the Army after 4 years to study Parks and Recreation Management at Lincoln University.

My first trip to the West Coast was as a competitor in the Great Westland Marathon. Climbing and tramping trips to the West Coast followed and on graduation I worked as Department of Conservation ranger based at Reefton, Franz Josef and later Mount Cook. One of the highlights of this period was the summer I spent working in Antarctica as a field leader with a geology research team. Involvement in Search and Rescue as a volunteer and later as a member of the Mt Cook Alpine SAR team involved training in First Aid and ambulance care.

A volunteer ambulance officer position led to a full time job with St John as a Paramedic / helicopter crewman when the West Coast Rescue Helicopter – now Solid Energy Rescue Helicopter - was established in 1997. I spent 10 years with St John before taking a position with Tai Poutini Polytechnic in 2006 as programme co-ordinator for Search and Rescue.

I’ve been married to Terrye - a primary school teacher for almost 25 years and we have two grown up children Scott and Nicole who have both left home to pursue tertiary study in Canterbury.

What do you like most about your job?
Being part of team of people who are passionate about the job of educating students in the outdoors and also seeing in these students the satisfaction they get from meeting the challenges presented to them during their study.

What is the most difficult/challenging part of your job?
Moving goal posts.

Favourite place to visit?
Anywhere in the ‘great outdoors’ – but especially where there are snow covered mountain to climb.

Favourite sporting moment?
As a schoolboy watching on a black and white TV Dick Taylor win the 10,000 metres at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch.

Favourite music?
Fleetwood Mac Rumours – A classic (I still have the vinyl LP I bought in 1979!)

What do you like most about the Coast?
The people, the pace of life, and the unspoilt natural environment.

Interests/hobbies?
Mountain biking and more recently road cycling.
Climbing and tramping.