UCOL Manawatū Names Honours Award Recipients

UCOL Mananwatū is set to present six Honours Awards at its March Graduation ceremonies, recognising the outstanding contributions recipients have made in their fields or to UCOL.

Sport Manawatū CEO Trevor Shailer, UCOL Programme Leader Dr Heather Grady, and former Lecturer Dr David Shillington will be made Honorary Associates, while Lance Funnell, Margaret Woodbridge, and Pam Gatchell will receive the Institutional Medal for their services to UCOL.

Trevor Shailor is one of New Zealand’s top amateur boxers, having won bronze at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games and 14 New Zealand Boxing Championship titles. He has had a long association with the New Zealand Olympic Committee and is a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

“Trevor has had an outstanding career in sports and management,” says UCOL Council Chair Ben Vanderkolk. “We greatly value our relationship with Sport Manawatū and the support Trevor has provided to UCOL and our students. He always puts the same high level of care into his work, whether it’s organising an international contingent or a homegrown, local project.”

Dr Heather Grady has worked at UCOL since 1994 and is currently the Programme Leader for Veterinary Nursing and Applied Science. Away from UCOL, Dr Grady has coordinated outdoor education programmes for many years and is the founder and Chair of Outdoors Training NZ.

Dr David Shillington was a long-time Associate Professor of Chemistry and Science at UCOL. People outside of UCOL may know him for the science articles he wrote for the Manawatū Standard alongside Emeritus Professor Tim Brown. This lead to the duo being awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand Manawatū’s Certificate of Excellence for promoting science in the region.

UCOL Senior Automotive Lecturer Lance Funnell has worked at the institution since 1993 and has been instrumental in building UCOL’s strong reputation in the automotive industry. Funnell has developed and maintained key relationships within the industry, leading to unique training opportunities for UCOL staff and students.

Margaret Woodbridge was a Nursing Lecturer at UCOL for 27 years after working as a Plunket Nurse. Woodbridge established the New Zealand National Nanny Certificate at UCOL in the 1990s and later established and facilitated UCOL’s Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Nursing programme in India.

Pam Gatchell is a former UCOL Chemistry Technician who worked at the institution for over 20 years. Many graduates attribute their good workplace practices to Gatchell’s teaching. In 2008, Gatchell received the Julia Camden Award, a UCOL staff award for outstanding contribution to Organisational Development and Support.

“David, Heather, Lance, Pam, and Margaret have all made huge contributions to help make UCOL what it is today, and I’m thrilled we are officially recognising the work and achievements they have made,” says Vanderkolk. “During the nomination process, people spoke about how each of them have been dedicated to the success of their students over the years. All of them are experts in their field and have made an impact in so many students’ lives.”

Additional information and bios:

Trevor Shailer and Lance Funnell will recieve their awards at Tuesday 17 March Graduation ceremony at the Regent on Broadway at 1.30pm.

Dr David Shillington, Dr Heather Grady, Margaret Woodbridge, and Pam Gatchell will receive their awards at Wednesday 18 March Graduation ceremony at the Regent on Broadway at 1.30pm.

Trevor Shailer - Honorary Associate

Levin born, Trevor Shailer (Ngāti Hauiti, Ngāti Kauwhata, Raukawa) is the CEO of Sport Manawatū and one of New Zealand’s top amateur boxers.

Trevor won a bronze medal at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games, competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and held 14 New Zealand Boxing Championship titles.

In 1994, he was named Manawatū Sportsman of the Year and the first New Zealand Universities Māori Sportsman of the Year.

Trevor continues to contribute to the Olympic and Commonwealth Games through his involvement with the New Zealand Olympic Committee. He has been involved in eight Olympic and Commonwealth Games campaigns, where he led the Athlete Support Team, provided Māori cultural support alongside the late Amster Reedy, and was the Deputy Chef de Mission at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Trevor is a life member of the New Zealand Olympic Order and the Patron of Parafed Manawatū.

In 2012, Trevor was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Sport and the Community.

Trevor received the 2016 Māui Tikitiki-a-Taranga Māori Sports Administrator of the Year award.

As CEO of Sport Manawatū, Trevor supports the development of UCOL students by arranging and providing work placements for students studying Sport Science, Security, Business, and Creative Industries.

Dr Heather Grady - Honorary Associate

Dr Heather Grady is UCOL’s Programme Leader for Veterinary Nursing and Applied Science programmes. Heather currently teaches the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Technology, the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Care, and U-Skills programmes.

Heather has been a valued member of UCOL’s Faculty of Health and Science since she joined the organization in 1994. With her breadth of knowledge and wide skill set, Heather has also taught programmes in Health Science, Nursing, Exercise and Sport Science over the years. In 2013 Heather was named a UCOL Fellow, the highest level of academic promotion.

Heather has been a great contributor to UCOL’s Health & Safety Representative Committee since 2003. She is focused on making laboratory work as safe as possible, while also giving students a high quality learning experience.

Alongside her work at UCOL, Heather has spent years volunteering her time to outdoor education programmes. These efforts were recognized when Heather received the Mountain Safety Council Volunteer Award in 2013. In 2015 Heather founded the volunteer organisation Outdoors Training NZ for which she chairs the national organisation and the local branch. The bulk of Heather’s volunteer work involves training young people working towards Duke of Edinburgh awards.

Dr David Shillington – Honorary Associate

Dr David Shillington was a long-time Associate Professor of Chemistry and Science at UCOL and spent time as Head of School - Applied Health Sciences.

David was a passionate teacher, encouraging his students to enter industry with professional attitudes, habits and work practices.

David is a well-known science champion. For 10 years he and Emeritus Professor Tim Brown produced a weekly science article for the Manawatū Standard, bringing topical scientific insights to both a science and non-science audience. Forty articles were later collated into a book, Changing Standards. In 2009, the duo were awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand Manawatū’s Certificate of Excellence for promoting science in the Manawatū.

David was an active researcher before and during his time at UCOL. In 2000, he and his research colleagues received UCOL’s Alan Furness Award for research.

David has been active in industry and community initiatives, including being part of NZQA’s Governance Group for the Review of Science Qualifications, Treasurer of the Manawatū Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry, Public Relations Officer for the Institute of Materials, President of The Science Centre Inc. (founding Society for Te Manawa), and a board member for Active Minds, promoting extracurricular science activities for primary schools.

Lance Funnell – Institutional Medal

Lance Funnell has worked at UCOL since 1993, when the institution was the Manawatū Polytechnic. As a Senior Lecturer in Automotive, Lance is highly regarded for his work in the development of UCOL’s automotive stakeholder relationships. His professional and easy going nature have resulted in a high profile within the automotive industry, leading to unique training opportunities for staff and students.

Lance’s ability to build strong connections with people is also evident in the classroom, contributing to growing numbers of automotive students and their success. Lance builds exceptional relationships with his students; he sets high expectations and challenges his students to do the best work possible, while providing support.

Lance’s colleagues know him for his positivity and glass half full attitude. He is a valued and respected member of the School of Construction and Engineering and a great mentor to new staff.

Lance is also a long time Chair of the UCOL Staff Council, displaying good leadership and the ability to facilitate robust discussions and achieve positive conclusions.

Margaret Woodbridge - Institutional Medal

Margaret Woodbridge was a highly respected Nursing Lecturer at UCOL for 27 years, where she developed a reputation for being hardworking, committed to her students, and a great role model.

In the 1970s, Margaret set up the first Renal Home Dialysis services in the Wellington/Central region, followed by Plunket nursing. In the early 1990s Margaret established and coordinated the New Zealand National Nanny Certificate at UCOL and went on to organise national Nanny Conferences.

Margaret and Ann Woodgyer established and facilitated UCOL’s Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Nursing programme in India. This programme would see Registered Nurses in India gain qualifications to work in New Zealand. This was UCOL’s first internationally-delivered programme, and saw Margaret work in India for two years.

Margaret was also Programme Leader for the Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Nursing and the Short Course in Competency Assessment for Registered Nurses.

Margaret’s passion for research included particular interests in paediatrics, the impacts of smoking, child advocacy, and the challenges for internationally registered nurses when immigrating to New Zealand. Margaret presented her research at conferences in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and had numerous scholarly articles published.

Margaret has been a great contributor to her local community in various volunteer roles.

Pam Gatchell - Institutional Medal

Pam Gatchell has shared her knowledge and love for science and education with students at UCOL for over 20 years.

As a Chemistry Technician, Pam was responsible for organising the equipment and chemicals for a range of science programmes. Pam was also responsible for maintaining the equipment, and making sure students knew how to use it correctly and safely.

Part of Pam’s role was teaching practical skills, and she was deeply caring of the students she worked with. Pam would happily go above and beyond to help students who needed extra help and who were driven to succeed.

Pam, together with Dr David Shillington, fostered a workplace mentality in their students. They would make sure that students were following good workplace practices (e.g. turning up on time, wearing the correct attire, and adhering to all Health and Safety practices) to help prepare them for employment.

Many graduates have commented on how the good habits and practices they show in their workplaces are thanks to Pam’s guidance.

In 2008, Pam received the Julia Camden Award, a UCOL staff award that recognises outstanding contribution to Organisational Development and Support.

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