The virtual Magallanes World Study Tour 2.0 (MWST 2.0), inspired by Ferdinand Magellan, made a stop at its third station— Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand on 25 October 2022. The virtual tour was held via Zoom and Facebook Live and it attracted a total of 763 participants in attendance.

The tour titled “Showcasing New Zealand Cultures and Heritages sites via Digital Technologies” was moderated by AUT Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies (Te Ara Auaha) Associate Dean Dr Yvonne Chan Cashmore.

The virtual study tour kick-started with a welcome speech by Pro Vice Chancellor International and Dean of Design and Creative Technology Prof Guy Littlefair. He said, “In AUT, we support and nurture our students on their journey of acquiring knowledge. Therefore, we are incredibly grateful to host you and impart some knowledge of unique places in the world with the spirit of cooperation between UTAR and AUT. Many things are different between us, such as our language, culture, history, way of thinking, and also the way we do things. However, these differences provide opportunities for us to learn from one another. At AUT, we pioneer spirit; we understand the importance of partnering with other institutions to create exceptional learning experiences. This cooperative partnership speaks to many things that we do have in common; a desire to share our methods and techniques of education, our research, our cultures, and of course the Heritage sites in New Zealand. The UNESCO world heritage study tour contributes to enabling teaching and delivering a world-class education, taking our students into the future and deepening the significance of intercultural and educational exchange between our countries to cultivate stronger connections globally.”

He continued, “Our place in the world is Aotearoa New Zealand, an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, and AUT is in Tāmaki Makaurau, one of the world’s largest Polynesian cities. Furthermore, Auckland draws its strength from our Māori, Pacific, European, Asian and other diverse ethnic communities residing right here. In Te Reo Māori, AUT is also known as Te Wananga Aronui o Tamaki Makau Rau. In responding to our place in the world, we respect, nurture and protect Māori heritage places. They give meaning and prestige to our history, tradition, culture and identity. This includes sacred sites, ancestral places, cultural landscapes and built heritage structures such as Maraes and monuments.”

Dr Yvonne Chan continued the webinar by introducing AUT and its mission. She mentioned that AUT is located in central Auckland and its mission is to produce great graduates. She said, “Our significant values are Tika (Integrity), Pono (Respect) and Aroha (Compassion). AUT campuses are comprised of the North Campus, City Campus and South Campus. AUT has a diverse programme of schools, namely the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, Faculty of Culture and Society, Faculty of Design and Creative Technology, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, and Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Development Te Ara Poutama.”

“New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa New Zealand, is located in the Southern hemisphere. The major island is the North Island (Te Ika a Maui) and the South Island (Te Waiponamu). New Zealand also has a multicultural population with many languages spoken including three official languages, namely English, Te Reo Māori and New Zealand sign language. Auckland, also known as Tāmaki Makaurau, derived its name from the Māori-language name for Auckland, meaning ‘Tāmaki desired by many’, in reference to the desirability of its natural resources and geography. Auckland is one of the world’s largest Polynesian cities and was voted the world’s most liveable city according to the 2021 Global Liveability Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Auckland is also surrounded by beaches from two harbours— Waitemata and Manukau. It has a mild subtropical climate with 220 ethnic groups, ranging from large Pacific and Māori populations,” she added.

In addition, Dr Yvonne Chan stated that the New Zealanders were called “Kiwis”.  According to her, the name “kiwi” came from the curious little flightless bird that is unique in New Zealand. She added that the Māori people have always held the kiwi bird in high regard and their feathers were used to make “kahu kiwi”, a valuable cloak worn by the tribal chief.

Speaking of the Māori people, Dr Yvonne Chan said, “The indigenous people in this land are called Māori. Both their culture and tradition play an important role in the country. Some of their tradition and cultural heritage include the Haka (performance art in Māori cultures), Powhiri (welcome ceremony, involving whaikōrero (formal speech), waiata (singing) and kai (food), Hāngī (a traditional New Zealand Māori method of cooking food using heated rocks buried in a pit oven, called an umu), and the celebration of Matariki (a special occasion in the New Zealand calendar which marks the start of the Māori New Year).

The webinar continued with the third speaker, Joseph Michael, an artist in residence at Auckland University of Technology and an Edmund Hillary Fellow. Joseph’s artworks represented a magical balance between fine art and forward-thinking technical knowledge. His large-scale projections of icebergs on monumental buildings brought the remoteness of the Antarctic to the core of urban centres, thus challenging a human-centred worldview, by collapsing the space and time relationship between humans and the natural world and bringing into stark focus the consequences of our treatment of the planet. Click here to view his artwork.

The insightful webinar ended with Q&A and group photograph sessions.

Held in conjunction with UTAR’s 20th Anniversary celebration, the Division of Community and International Networking hosted MWST 2.0 to promote the concept of Internationalisation. MWST 2.0 aimed to provide participants an opportunity to explore different contexts and worldviews by cooperating with collaborative partners via virtual mediums.