Kia ora koutou,

It is that time of the year again when we reflect on the year past and look forward to our looming summer break. The year 2022 was an interesting one, to say the least, as we returned to campus and the “new normal” of living with the presence of COVID in the community.

One could dwell on the negatives of this new normal, but I want to reflect on the positives. In this regard, the end-of-year graduation was notable for the large number of PhD students from the School of Medical Sciences who were finally able to walk across the stage. Our PhD students are the beating heart of our school. They contribute to our ongoing research efforts and our teaching mission as Graduate Teaching Assistants (and are generally just fun to have around). It was great to see such a large cohort survive the restrictions imposed on their projects by the pandemic and finally graduate. Their graduation is a personal testament to their hard work and to all the academic and professional staff that have supported their time within our school.

Similarly, it was great to see the success of SMS staff in the recent academic promotion round. While we had strong success across all promotion levels, this year we had a record crop of seven associate professors. In addition, we have two new professors, and I look forward to the inaugural lectures of Professors Jo Montgomery and Malcolm Tingle in the new year.

In closing, I want to thank everyone in the School for their hard work and resilience during another challenging year. Make sure you take time to reflect on the positive aspects of the year past and recharge your batteries before coming back to tackle all the challenges and opportunities that 2023 will undoubtedly throw at us.

Meri Kirihimete, and best wishes for the new year.

Ngā mihi,

Paul