Student conference funding
Please familiarise yourself with the student conference grant-in-aid policy before completing the application form below.
- Student conference grant-in-aid – policy (PDF)
- Student conference grant-in-aid – application form (PDF)
Booking travel
Send travel booking requests to marine.science@otago.ac.nz. You must attach approval from your supervisor for domestic travel and approval from the Head of Department, Prof Miles Lamare for international travel. Let them know where you are going, what you are going for and roughly how much it will cost based on Air NZ and Hotel prices (doesn’t need to be an official quote).
Purchasing
If you want to buy something, you need to request a Purchase Order (PO) from the admin team – email marine.science@otago.ac.nz with the details of what you want to purchase and the account code to charge it to (e.g. GL.10.FS.MXX), along with your supervisor’s approval email (saved and attached as a PDF works well). The admin team will put a request through to purchasing.
Important: You must let the admin team know when you have received an item ordered via purchase order so that the invoicing and payment process can be completed.
Reimbursements
If you use your own funds to make purchases related to your research, you can submit a reimbursement claim to have these purchases charged to your student budget. Your supervisor will need to sign the reimbursement claim as approval. You should talk to your supervisor before spending your own funds to see if a reimbursement is likely to be approved. Your supervisor may point out another way of purchasing the items needed that doesn’t require you to use your own funds initially. Reimbursement claims are processed by the admin team once fully signed.
Sometimes there can be a few weeks wait before a reimbursement comes through depending on the set payment dates of the month.
Mileage and fuel reimbursements
As above, email your supervisor before you make a journey in your own vehicle that you are wanting reimbursement for. The Marine Science Department’s policy is to reimburse mileage for students at a rate of 0.30c/km. You will need to keep a detailed log of your travel (to/from, amount of kms taken, and what the travel was for). You need to account for every stop taken.
Reminder: please do not leave your mileage claims to the end of year. Send them to marine.science@otago.ac.nz at the end of every month as finance do not appreciate having to approve bulk reimbursements for the year all at once.
Portobello Marine Lab ( PML ) and New Zealand Marine Studies Centre ( NZMSC )
Induction
An induction is required prior to the commencement of any work at PML . The form is available at NZMSC reception. Please email portobello.marinescience@otago.ac.nz with questions or to book time for an induction.
After-Hours work
You will need an approval if you intend on undertaking any work after hours at Portobello. Please discuss your plan with your supervisor and fill out the form below. Please allow for three working days for the approval. Once you have received the confirmation via email, you are good to go.
Working at PML after hours will entail the use of the GetHomeSafe app. If you have not used this app before please watch the video to learn how it works.
How to use the GetHomeSafe app
Using the department vehicles to drive to PML
As long as an authorized driver is available, one of the department vehicles leaves at 8:15am Monday to Friday returning at 5pm. Before you head out to PML in the morning, please remember to check the whiteboard at Castle Steet for any notes from Admin staff, as well as the mailroom upstairs (room 146) for any mail to take to PML / NZMSC . When you arrive at NZMSC remember to sign in and leave the car keys with Reception. Before heading back to town check with reception if there is mail that needs to be delivered to the department.
To become an authorized driver of the Department vehicles you should take a driving assessment organised by the department, provide a current, valid driving license to the admin team to be copied and sign a Designated Drivers Agreement ( DDA). DDA forms need to be completed annually. It is important to remember that you will be responsible for the safety of passengers and other road users. You must obey the law including speed limits at all times, wearing seat belts and not using your phone while driving.
Road conditions to Portobello
Portobello Road can be slippery/icy in winter or in wet weather. Take care and drive to the conditions. Please drive slowly on Hatchery Road – it is a narrow, gravel road prone to potholes and has blind corners. Look out for other drivers, school buses and locals walking their dogs!
Arriving at PML / NZMSC
If the bus parking sign is out please don’t park in the bus space.
Please sign in on your arrival at the Portobello Lab – the sign-in book will usually be based at the NZMSC reception (the first building you come to).
Security
Please ensure that windows are shut when you are leaving at the end of the day. If you require keys to any of the rooms/labs in PML , please contact pml.techs@otago.ac.nz