UCOL Te Pūkenga Manawatū names Honours Award recipients

UCOL Te Pūkenga 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 Te Pūkenga. 

Sport Manawatū CEO Trevor Shailer, UCOL Te Pūkenga 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 Te Pūkenga.

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 Te Pūkenga Council Chair Ben Vanderkolk. “We greatly value our relationship with Sport Manawatū and the support Trevor has provided to UCOL Te Pūkenga 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 Te Pūkenga since 1994 and is currently the Programme Leader for Veterinary Nursing and Applied Science. Away from UCOL Te Pūkenga, 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 Te Pūkenga. People outside of UCOL Te Pūkenga 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 Te Pūkenga Senior Automotive Lecturer Lance Funnell has worked at the institution since 1993 and has been instrumental in building the UCOL Te Pūkenga strong reputation in the automotive industry. Funnell has developed and maintained key relationships within the industry, leading to unique training opportunities for UCOL Te Pūkenga staff and students.  

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

Pam Gatchell is a former UCOL Te Pūkenga 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 Te Pūkenga 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 Te Pūkenga 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.”