From the President
Can you believe it?
We are halfway through 2021 already and in the depths of winter.
Where I live in the south of New Zealand that means short days with the sun not rising until 8:15 am and setting by 5:00 pm. This week we have also our first snow showers to sea level. The forecast of snow triggers my institution’s ‘snow day’ planning. On snow days we may delay opening times or change learning to online where possible, and if people cannot get safely to work, they continue to work online from home.
This is also a time for winter solstice celebrations and midwinter carnivals, and for the hardy, polar plunges into the ocean. Rounding out the winter celebrations in New Zealand is Matariki. Matariki refers to the Pleiades cluster of stars and signals the Māori New Year. For the Māori, the appearance of Matariki heralds a time of remembrance, joy, and peace. It is time for communities to come together and celebrate.
Throughout Australia and New Zealand, the secondary school holiday season is starting, and for many in higher education, semester two is about to commence. For those with school-age children, the holidays are a chance to vacation as a family, and the New Zealand ski fields were expecting a bumper influx of Australian travellers right about now. However, that pesky pandemic has popped up again. The lockdowns and increased alert levels have now created uncertainty as we all fight to keep communities safe from COVID. Being informed by the science and data, being resilient, and forever keeping a future focus are what is helping our nations manage these outbreaks.
These factors are also at the heart of what we do as institutional researchers. We focus on gathering, interpreting, and using data to enable others to make judgements and decisions. We are resilient, and in our roles, we are constantly adapting to change. Looking at data is a reflective process, we use the data to inform the range of possible future directions. As the executive committee of AAIR, we are constantly reviewing what we do, while keeping an eye on the future and how we can best support our members for current and future roles and careers. Our series of ConvAAIRsations (online events) have been well supported, and we have really enjoyed bringing these opportunities to you. We plan to continue offering more events for members, and I would encourage anyone who has an idea or some learning they want to present, to contact us.
This is your AAIR!
If you are in the north, enjoy the dry season. If, like me, you are in the south, seek warmth from the indoors and continue to engage with your AAIR.
Stuart Terry
President, AAIR
Photo of Dunedin Midwinter Carnival by Alan Dove of Dove Photography (reproduced with permission)
Photo of 3 skiers by Joris Berthelot on Unsplash
