Welcome to iOU, the Otago alumni podcast!
Our podcast series iOU aims to bring more of our inspiring alumni stories to our global alumni and friends audience.
We hope you join us as we reach out around the world to uncover some of the out-of-the-ordinary day jobs of our alumni community.
“We hope you find time to listen to these podcasts featuring some of Otago’s amazing alumni, whose stories are bound to captivate you as well as inform,” says Otago’s Alumni Engagement Manager Donnella Aitken-Ferguson.
“We know Otago’s alumni have made a huge impact across the globe and these podcasts are a small sample of their outstanding contributions.”
A homegrown production, iOU is created by the Alumni team at the University of Otago.
Season 2
Episode 1: 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.
Episode 2: 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.
Episode 3: 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.
Episode 4: 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.