Hannah Dickson

I’m a freelance writer, communications advisor and creator of lifestyle and commercial content, with extensive experience in the New Zealand non-profit and magazine industries. Current clients include both large media companies and small non-profit organisations.

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New design degree offers future-proofed employment

An estimated 65 per cent of today's school kids will end up working in jobs that don't exist today. With rapid developments in technology, the field of design is experiencing huge innovation and change. An estimated 65 per cent of today's school kids will end up working in jobs that don't even exist today. But rather than being daunted by that statistic, the University of Auckland is giving students the skills they need for a rapidly changing employment landscape, working with technologies that
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University of Auckland ranked number one globally for sustainability

The University of Auckland’s commitment to sustainability and positive social impact has seen it take the number one spot in the Times Higher Education Impact Ratings. The University of Auckland's commitment to sustainability and positive social impact has seen it take the number one spot in new global rankings. The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ratings measure how well educational institutions are delivering on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The THE Impact Ran
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Diversity the heart of the University of Auckland’s future

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Pacific) Damon Salesa is proud to be part of an increasingly multicultural city whose students live in one of the world's most culturally diverse cities. If a modern university's role is to respond to future social challenges, it needs to truly reflect the society it's part of and the pace with which it is changing. Which is why two of the University of Auckland's senior leadership team, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Māori) Cindy Kiro and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Pacific) Damon Salesa
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University of Auckland entrepreneurs aim to change the planet

The University of Auckland is putting increasing emphasis on collaboration that connects the University's community with industry. Take a bird's eye view tour over the extensive University of Auckland campus, and you'll pass over the classic ivory towers that symbolise an impressive academic past. You'll also see extensive development, including centres of excellence that represent a forward-focused commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. Its position as New Zealand's top ranked univers

It's My Move - Girls in Motion - with Sport NZ

Providing the 'space' to be active To understand what prevents young women from taking part in physical activity, we need to understand what’s going on in their lives and how much their world and experience is changing, says psychologist Kathryn Berkett (pictured). The teenage years are all about transitioning to independence as both the brain and the body go through intense changes. Physical movement provides an important balance during these changes, as young people move away from the care
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Cancer doesn’t take a break and neither does the Cancer Society

If there's one thing that Lucy Elwood has learned in her first few months in the job as CEO of the Cancer Society it's that every diagnosis is about people and whānau, but it's also about numbers. There are numbers to be proud of and tell the story of the work the Cancer Society does; providing practical support for people on their cancer journey, advocating to make sure the government takes action to improve cancer outcomes, sharing information to reduce the risk, and funding world-class resea
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Five stories of cancer in New Zealand

The Cancer Society provides essential support for families and patients dealing with a cancer diagnosis. Each day, 63 New Zealanders hear the words "you have cancer". It's a challenging statistic, but behind every statistic is a story - of hope, resilience, love and loss. Behind each story is a community of support. Following a diagnosis, the Cancer Society is there to provide information, practical support and care for people and whānau facing cancer. This year the Cancer Society is celebrati
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Thirty years of Daffodil Day

The idea of sharing a daffodil to thank supporters who donated to cancer awareness and research originated in Canada. Hope comes in many different forms for New Zealanders facing cancer; the care of a committed medical team, the support of friends and family, and the sight of a bright yellow daffodil that signifies even strangers are willing to help. This year is the Cancer Society's 30th Daffodil Day, an annual fundraising event that sees volunteers take to the streets to raise money to help
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On a mission to solve food insecurity

It's never an easy choice to make, but when the bills keep coming in and there's not enough money in the bank to pay them all, something has to give. For a growing number of Kiwis, healthy food has become a discretionary item in the struggle to make ends meet. City Missioners around the country say food insecurity has long been an issue in New Zealand and it's closely connected to the cost of housing in many regions. The issue has increased since the Covid-19 lockdown and the ongoing economic c
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Plunket needs your support this Blue Day

Plunket provides Kiwi families with care through the first 1000 days of a child's life. Superheroes come in different guises at different stages of our lives. As little kids, they're likely to involve sparkly capes and a mask of some kind. By the time we grow up and have kids ourselves, there's no greater superhero than the Plunket nurse who turns up on our doorstep offering reassurance, support and advice, helping us navigate through those foggy first weeks of parenthood. They seldom wear cap
DiversityWorks •

Breaking Barriers - Downlights

What began as a business with the primary purpose of generating employment for one person, has transformed into a workplace that embraces the needs of a broad and diverse range of employees. After completing her final year at Sommerville Special School Emma Sykes, who has Down syndrome, started looking for work with the help of her father, Tony. They were turned down by every business they applied to. Tony’s desire for his daughter to have a fulfilling life led to the idea of Emma making candl
Filters & Sorting
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Turning the tide on diabetes

Scratching your own itch is the motivating philosophy behind many a successful start-up, and one that's seen Nelson-based software engineer Jamie Bate join forces with a Silicon Valley company that aims to make life easier for people who live with diabetes. The fact that Bate and his colleagues at Tidepool are on several different time zones over a number of different countries isn't a problem. Fibre broadband connects them as efficiently and reliably as if they were sharing the same office. "
Parenting Place •

10 reasons we want kids to do as they are told

We put a lot of energy into getting our children to do what they are told, it’s worth putting a little energy into thinking about why they need to. It’s a classic exchange between parents and children heard every day in homes, playgrounds and shopping malls all around the world (even if you vowed you’d never use these words). Parent: You need to do as you are told. Child: Why should I? Parent: Because I said so. As tempting as it is to fall back on that old ‘I told you so’ adage, there are
Parenting Place •

Long-haul parenting

I’m considering renaming this column Story time with Diane Levy. Diane has a delightful habit of weaving stories into our conversation that help the topics we discuss become less about theories and principles, and more about real life. We’re not long into discussing the idea of how parenting is best viewed as a long-term project, when she starts telling a story she read years ago. It went something like this. A man is walking along the road and comes across a very stressed-looking stonemason wh