BVA603 - Week 1

09/07/2019

We all got our marks back from last semester's research paper and I was absolutely thrilled and surprised by my results. I did better than I thought.



Your personality and your brain | Scott Schwefel | TEDxBrookings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pq_tCgDkT4

TEDx Talks. (2014, December, 16). Your personality and your brain | Scott Schwefel | TEDxBrookings [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pq_tCgDkT4

We watched a Ted Talk video as a class on self-awareness. I would describe myself as a combination of blue, red, and green, because of my compassion (green), proactive streak (red), and logical approaches (blue) to life, but I would also say that my personality is dominantly blue than anything else.



Focus is a muscle: Connor O'Leary at TEDxUIUC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hURIav09gXY

TEDx Talks. (2014, December, 16). Focus is a muscle: Connor O'Leary at TEDxUIUC [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hURIav09gXY

We watched another Ted Talk video as a class, but this time it was on focus.
Connor O'Leary had quite good storytelling skills when expressing his experiences with battling cancer and the complications around it. My focus can thrown off by things like my mental wellbeing, mental blocks, and minimal time away from study. My focus can develop and can come up because of enthusiasm and excitement over the subject of a project.


We were discussing about organised a Q&A event for the local elections in September. Our discussions on Discord will be formal. Any issues with other students, we bring up to HR (Bex, our tutor). I was very keen to be part of the research team and so I volunteered for that. My role in the research team is to mainly investigate what issues that local students are concerned about


Internship talk
Don't apply before checking with. There are website building sites that take away your copyright through their End User Agreement. Wix is a website building site that doesn't.
We are expected to find four places locally and four places nationally for applying internships. I would like to do internship involving camera operating and film / video editing. Internships with feature films and SIT Productions will need pre-approval internally from SIT.

If you organise your internship / CV / portfolio / website early (this year), you need to make an appointment. Working for businesses or wedding videos for free, that's exploitation, not an internship. For an internship, you need to be working and learning from a professional in your field. First shot is always your vest shot and the sweet spot for the duration of a showreel is 30 seconds.

Research the people and company you are applying to work with before the interview. We will be touching upon networking in another class.


Links
The Data Book
Film Otago and Southland
Freelance Directory Jobs

Local
SIT Productions

National
Whitebait Media
TVNZ
Brian High
CTV
Broadcastmedianz                https://broadcastmedia.tv/video-production/
Caleb & Tom Ltd                   http://www.calebandtom.com/services/videography/
Flashworks Media                 https://www.flashworksmedia.co.nz/about
Mediary                                 https://mediary.nz/about-us/

13/07/2019

Being a local youth, the issues that we face everyday are difficulty getting enrolled with a local GP, mental health, arts and culture (the return of a local art gallery and museum), and housing. 

I swept through the online media in search of information on these issues. We'll just see if it's information that is needed for the Q&A and touch base with others in the next BVA603 class. I am keeping in mind to focus on information from the past 12 months.


Youth



Nicoll, D. (2019, February 19). Invercargill social service providers struggle to find housing for at-risk youth. The Southland Times.

Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/110714708/invercargill-social-service-providers-struggle-to-find-housing-for-atrisk-youth

At-risk youth have been put in hotels and motels because of the housing shortage in Invercargill. Suitable housing is needed for youth in high need because of their transition from being in foster care. Last year, social services providers and an adviser for Oranga Tamariki Parenting for Outcomes presented a report on this issue to the City Council's community services committee, which outlined solutions for the welfare of high-need youth in the system.




Harding, E. (2018, October 24). Southland's youth facing complex problems. Stuff.

Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/108052494/southlands-youth-facing-complex-problems

According to Number 10, the most common issues facing local youth are complex and can consist of being anxiety, lack of confidence and not being able to express themselves, relationship issues at home or school, bullying, suicidal thoughts, self harm and homelessness. These are critical social issues and issues around mental health.

Number 10 was established to prevent such issues, but they have found themselves with complex and "high risk kinds of experiences" young people are dealing with. They see 1300 youth each year, including 150 of them whom have social issues. 

They have noticed a mass increase in mental and social issues in the local youth.

"Young people come in when they are homeless, they come in when they are suicidal, they come in when they have diagnosed mental health concerns ... those are really the situations we have noticed an uptake in in the last year." 

 - Number 10 director Candace Bangura

Bangura also believes that social media and digital technologies are a big factor on why these issues are intensifying and puts a barrier between communicating with people.

"For me, anecdotally, it seems it is harder for young people who are in the environment of cellphones and screens and devices to really connect on a deep personal level."

"I suspect deep friendships and deep relationships are more challenging to obtain for young people now [compared to] 20 years ago."

 - Number 10 director Candace Bangura




Housing


News Desk. (2019, June 25). Invercargill Community Housing Provider Purchases Old Kew Bowl Site. What's On Invers. Retrieved from https://whatsoninvers.nz/invercargill-community-housing-provider-purchases-old-kew-bowl-site/


Habitat for Humanity purchased the Kew Bowl site to secure more housing in Invercargill. What is expected to be built on the site consists of of public housing, and some houses for first home-buyers. The next steps forward are to have public consultations about the housing to be built on the land.

They also stated that they are looking forward to collaborate with central government.

“We’re also looking forward to engaging with central government to explore the opportunities available.”

Development on housing being built on this site is expected to begin during next summer.

The best interests of the local communities would be ensured as part of a partnership between the city council, community housing providers, and social housing providers and developers.




Savory, L. (2019, January 29). Invercargill City Council considers freeing up land amid 'housing crisis'. The Southland Times.
Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/110236074/invercargill-city-council-considers-freeing-up-land-amid-housing-crisis

Early this year, the Invercargill City Council has considered using vacant council-owned land to combat the local housing demand. A report had been tabled on the council's involvement with local housing availability and affordability. The Southland Housing Action Forum reckons that as of January 2019, 2800 houses need to be built within the next 12 months to meet local housing demand.

ICC staff believe that even if the local population stayed moderated over the next 25 years, there will still be demand for affordable housing. The ageing population could potentially further intensify the local housing demand over the next few decades.



Harding, E. (2019, January 31). Meeting of minds to solve Southland's housing shortage. Stuff. Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/110285506/meeting-of-minds-to-solve-southlands-housing-shortage

The Labour government has indicated that the number of houses built for the Southland region will be increased in order to try and meet demand. The region was originally allocated 40 extra state houses, but the government is willing to commit to more in the face of the housing shortage and demand in Southland.

A report from Venture Southland has suggested that we need 2800 houses built to meet the current demand for housing and more 480 houses will need to be built each year for the next five years after the current housing demand is met.

The type of housing that are seeing shortages are affordable housing for families and workers, social and emergency housing. There is also demand for aged care housing as well.

All options will be explored to increase the production of housing in Invercargill and the Southland Chamber of Commerce have been investigating solution to housing shortage.

The government is considering to introduce KiwiBuild housing to Invercargill.

More housing will not only stabilise the local demand and shortages, but also ensures that the Invercargill CBD rebuild goes smoothly, especially with future influxes of employees and increases in population.

14/07/2019

Jackson, B. (2019, April 16).Salvation Army needed more than ever in Invercargill. The Southland Times. Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/112077029/salvation-army-needed-more-than-ever-in-invercargill

The housing shortage and demand has put pressure on the Salvation Army's emergency housing register and has struggled to keep in demand with families that are in need of housing. 



Savory, L. (2019, February 22). Where are the rentals? Southland's worrying rental property dip. The Southland Times. Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/110745118/where-are-the-rentals-southlands-worrying-rental-property-dip

The average rent for three or four bedroom houses in Invercargill have risen by 9.5%, which is more than the increases in national averages for rental properties, which is 5%.

According to the Head of Rental for Trade Me, this January has seen a 23% dip in the number of rental properties being advertised in Invercargill. Despite rental housing in Southland being cheaper than the national average, there have been rises. 

Other parts of the region have felt the squeeze like Gore, Mataura, and Te Anau. It is believed Te Anau's housing situation is to do with seasonal workers in the tourism industry.

Pride Property chief executive Avinash Varghese believes that first homebuyers with KiwiSaver are a cause behind the housing shortage and demand in Invercargill and the new insulation requirement enforced by the government being the cause behind the hikes in rental properties.

"Those people who started out in Kiwisaver are now buying. So couples who might have been renting with three or four other people are now buying their own homes and living in them by themselves. There are less rentals out there now."

Bonthuys, E. (2018, May 24). High demand for state housing in Invercargill. The Southland Times. Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/103513637/high-demand-for-state-housing-in-invercargill

Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie said although Invercargill was still one of the most affordable cities in the country, the housing situation was concerning.

"I have had a disturbing increase in the number of constituents contacting me, desperately requiring housing. Already for the month of March I have been contacted by the same number of constituents requiring emergency housing that I had seen for the whole 2017 calendar year," she said.

Invercargill-based Labour MP Liz Craig said a major challenge had been the reduction in state housing stock in Invercargill during the past couple of decades.

"The shortage of social housing may, in part, stem from the fact that the number of State Houses in Southland has more than halved since the early 1990s, with State House sell-offs continuing under the previous Government. In Invercargill alone, the number of state houses fell by 69 between 2012 and 2017, despite our main social housing providers (Housing NZ and the Council) being at capacity," she said.

Bootsma, B. (2018, October 1). Shadbolt looking for housing alternatives to ease a looming housing crisis. The Southland Times. Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/107506718/shadbolt-looking-for-housing-alternatives-to-ease-a-looming-housing-crisis

Southland Regional Development Strategy has aimed to have 10,000 more people living in the region by 2025, which I believe will not do any good towards the local housing shortages.

At this time, Tim Shadbolt was looking into affording housing options for locals, especially for families. Rebecca Amundsen (deputy mayor and mayoral candidate) believed that all options needed to be explored and which would be practical and cost-effective.

"With things like the inner-city upgrade, we need more housing for these people that are coming [for work] and it seems to be a crisis. To get rental housing, the price to buy is going up. We're looking at every alternative." 

- Tim Shadbolt

"It [tiny housing] won't suit everyone, but those who don't have kids or pets, it's definitely an alternative option."

- Tim Shadbolt



Reece, S. (2018, November 29). Housing 'crisis' on back of jobs boom. Otago Daily Times. Retrieved from https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/southland/housing-crisis-back-jobs-boom

Half of businesses in Invercargill have intentions to increase their staff numbers, but if there 33% more workers in Invercargill coming in from outside the region, then 2,000 more houses would be needed to accommodate them all.

Southland Housing Assessment Report key findings
• At least 142 social and emergency houses required immediately.

• Half of all Southland businesses plan to increase staff — creating an estimated 7010 jobs, including for planned construction projects in Invercargill.

• 553 Southland houses have been converted to Airbnb, taking an estimated 400 from the rental pool.


• 77 houses required over three years for refugees.





Arts and Culture

Chloe Swarbrick (Greens MP and Greens spokesperson for arts and culture) recently visited Invercargill and attended SIT's mid-year orientation. She visited the art gallery's office at the Invercargill City Libraries and wrote on social her concerns about Invercargill having no art gallery.

Swarbrick, C. (2019, July 11). The world only makes sense [Web log post]. Retrieved from

http://facebook.com/Vala.black