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iOU

by University of Otago

Season 2

On the trail of a good story

After graduating with a BA (Hons) in English in 2003, writer Naomi Arnold has worked as a journalist, freelancer and author, with a special interest in science and nature writing. She has covered stories across Aotearoa New Zealand and around the globe, including spending nine weeks writing about life on the ice in Scott Base in Antarctica. Her author credits include the New Zealand astronomy history 'Southern Nights' and she has also co-authored or edited non-fiction books 'Force of Nature', 'Headlands', and 'Lonely Planet’s Best NZ Day Hikes'. Naomi is a keen tramper and her book Northbound: Four Seasons of Solitude on Te Araroa – a finalist in the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2026 – recounts her journey along the 3,000km trail, starting in Bluff and finishing at Cape Reinga. We asked Naomi about her time at Otago, her career as a writer, why she decided to walk the length of New Zealand – and how she kept going through all the challenges.

A caravan and a coffee machine - taking chaplaincy onto the film set

Kevin Denholm is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most successful commercial film directors, working for major brands such as Air New Zealand, Toyota and Whittaker’s. Alongside the commercial work, he and his wife Nikki produce documentaries on global humanitarian issues. Kevin is also an ordained Anglican Minister. Having been raised in a faith-based home, his father is also a minister, he naturally gravitated towards a pastoral care role in the film industry. When the pandemic struck, he reached out to see if anyone needed support – and the floodgates opened. He’s since set up his FilmChaplain service, heading off to film sets with his caravan and coffee machine to offer support to crews. He’s also completed his Master of Chaplaincy at Otago and is currently in the final year of his PhD, on the topic of moral injury in the film industry.

Juggling te reo Māori advocacy, Auckland council meetings and leading a new high school

At the end of 2025, we were lucky enough to find space in Dr Will Flavell’s diary to talk with him about his vision for te reo Māori, his work on the Auckland City Council and how it feels to be starting out as the newly-minted Principal of Te Kāpehu Whetū – Tamaki (a new charter high school). Will (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Whātua, Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto), talks about combining his teaching career with his local government career, his passion for te reo Māori and his love of working with rangitahi. Will graduated from the University of Otago with a Doctor of Education via distance learning in 2020 and was a Fulbright Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Scholar in 2022.

Sustainable development and women’s empowerment leader Amanda Ellis on her high-flying career

Since graduating with First Class Honours in French and Economics from Otago, Amanda Ellis has travelled the world in high flying roles in government, industry and education. She describes herself as a passionate proponent of climate action, sustainable development, women's economic empowerment and leadership, and radical collaboration. Earlier in her career, Amanda’s roles included New Zealand UN Ambassador to Geneva, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Secretary, and she was the first woman to lead the New Zealand Aid Programme and New Zealand’s inaugural Ambassador for Women and Girls. She served as Lead Specialist Poverty Reduction and Economic Management for the World Bank Group and founded the global gender programme at the international finance corporation. Today, Amanda is based in Hawaii, and is a globally-recognized leader in sustainable development and international relations, serving on a number of boards and holds dual roles at Arizona State University’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory and the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. We caught up with Amanda while she was on a trip back to Aotearoa in October to take part in the Adaptation Futures Conference.

Editor, author, mother, lecturer – Lynley Edmeades shares her stories

It’s been a busy year for Lynley Edmeades – Lynley is an author, an English lecturer at Otago, and editor of Aotearoa’s longest running arts and literary journal Landfall Tauraka. She is also the coordinator of the new Masters in Creative Writing launched at the University this year, and has just published her fourth book, Hiding Places. Recently, Lynley has helped organise celebrations for Landfall Tauraka's 250th edition. An Otago alumna, Lynley talks to iOU about being a student at Otago, all her day jobs, her new book and how she manages to fit everything in.

Season 1

Taking the gondola home

In the winter, Otago MBA and Physical Education graduate Bridget Legnavsky starts her day with a cross-country ski with her dog before work and ends it by taking the gondola home. Bridget is President and CEO of Sugar Bowl ski resort in Tahoe, California, a role she began in 2022 after working as General Manager at Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone Ski Resort in Wānaka since 2014. Bridget talks about why she and her family decided it was time for an adventure, how she fitted the MBA Online programme around her busy life, her wide-ranging experience in community governance, business leadership, climate change strategy, and fashion. And how she hadn’t expected her new job to be a little like “being mayor of a small town”.

Riding the electric wave in Africa

At Otago, Law, Chinese Language and Political Studies graduate Josh Whale embraced Dunedin’s university culture – he joined the tramping and rowing clubs, met his future wife Claire at a concert in the student union, and went on two student exchanges. After six years in intellectual property law in China, and influenced by Al Gore’s documentary on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, Josh decided to make the leap and set up Ampersand, an EV energy tech start-up, in Kigali, Rwanda. Josh began by developing electric motorcycles powered by smart AI optimized batteries suited to Africa’s tough roads. Ampersand has since expanded into Nairobi, Kenya, with more than 5,000 e-motos in operation overall, each one cutting two tons of carbon per year, and delivering life-changing savings to drivers by drastically reducing their operating costs. Ampersand’s fleet now covers a distance equivalent to the moon and back daily, contributing to cleaner air, healthier communities, and a more sustainable future.

A double life in medicine and writing

Eileen Merriman manages to combine two successful careers into one working day - she’s a consultant haematologist at North Shore Hospital and is also one of New Zealand’s most successful authors. In August, Eileen won the NZ Book Awards Young Adult Fiction Award for her novel Catch a Falling Star. We ask her about her double life, where she gets her story ideas and how her job in medicine and her writing career work together.

From small-town values to world-leading tech

In this wide-ranging kōrero, Marketing graduate Steven Renata traverses small-town values, rugby, failing and then finding himself at Otago, discovering aerobics and travelling the world with Les Mills International, coming home and launching himself into the world of tech. Today, Steven is Kaiwhakahaere Matua | Managing Director CEO of Kiwa Digital, a Māori-led creative agency that develops technology to amplify indigenous voices, stories and cultures, including the pioneering VoiceQ software used for dubbing hits such as Squid Game and The Lion King to te reo Māori and its sister software, CultureQ, which is enhancing cultural capability across New Zealand’s public and private sectors.

Landing planes in Antarctica

When we caught up with British Polar Medal recipient Agnieszka Fryckowska, she had just stepped off the plane after her 20th season working in Antarctica for British Antarctic Survey and latterly White Desert adventure company. An Otago science graduate, Agnieszka talks about the challenges of being a runway manager on the ice, her experiences as a station leader wintering over with her team, and receiving the Polar Medal from the Queen. Grounded during the pandemic, Agnieszka also helped run first-class lounges in hospitals as a haven for NHS staff.

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