Events

Presented by College of Humanities and Social Sciences

What is the future of the world’s ‘seventh continent’? This panel will explore different aspects of New Zealand’s growing interests in Antarctica. The question of the continent’s future has assumed a greater level of importance in NZ affairs over the past few years, largely due to the effects of climate change. The Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), constructed since the late 1950s, remains robust with little sign of a direct challenge. Yet because of growing international interest in the Antarctic, especially due to the economic possibilities appearing in the region, the stability and effectiveness of the ATS in the coming decades is nonetheless being questioned. As one of seven states which claim territory in Antarctica, and one of the five physical gateways to the far south, New Zealand is in a unique position to examine the future of the legal, political and environmental status of the continent in the coming decades.

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A discussion about what happens behind the scenes in museums; how we go about creating and recreating our exhibitions and ourselves; and how we see collections and museums supporting and enhancing the mission of the University. Terri & Trevor will draw on their contrasting experiences of being involved with the creation of new museums – one large project that had a big budget but no collection, and one small project that had an established collection but had to work with a restricted budget in a heritage building.

Terri Elder began working with the James Logie Memorial Collection in 2012, managing the project to conserve the collection artefacts damaged during the Christchurch earthquakes. Currently the curator of the newly founded UC Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities based in the UC Arts at the Arts Centre, Terri has worked in a variety of museums and art galleries throughout New Zealand in both curatorial and collection management roles. She also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching, and is passionate about using museum objects for teaching and learning.

Trevor Hall has more than twenty years’ experience in the fine arts and museum industry, including senior roles in London at the Lisson Gallery and the ICA. He is an expert in the planning, installation, and management of exhibitions, as well as the design and fabrication of artist works and museum exhibits. Throughout 2016 and 2017, Trevor worked on a project creating a new Cultural Centre in Kuwait City, widely considered to be the largest museum project in the world at the time. He led the team responsible for the procurement, fabrication, and delivery of a collection of more than 2,000 exhibits and models, ranging from full scale spaceships and dinosaurs to intricate plants and sculptures. Trevor has recently returned to NZ and has taken up the lead technical role at the School of Fine Arts. He has a BA from the University of Canterbury and a post graduate degree in Cultural Resource Management from the University of Victoria, Canada. 

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A talk hosted by New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities.

Lucy Saunders is a Public Health Specialist, who has developed the Healthy Streets Approach which puts people and their health at the centre of decision making, helping everyone to use cars less and to walk, cycle and use public transport more. Lucy will show how our streets influence our health and how taking the Healthy Streets Approach delivers a wide range of social and environmental benefits with examples from cities around the world, including London where Transport for London has adopted the approach as the basis of its transport strategy. 


Speaker
Lucy Saunders is a consultant in public health specialising in transport, public realm and planning. She developed the Healthy Streets Approach™ and the 10 Healthy Streets Indicators™ in 2011. The Healthy Streets Approach is a framework for putting human health and quality of life at the centre of decision making around transport and public realm planning and management. In 2015 she was awarded Transport Planner of the Year by the Transport Planning Society and her work has won awards from the international UITP and UK Chartered Institute for Highways and Transportation.

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There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

It is clear that natural history artwork has always relied heavily on science, but scientific communication also benefits increasingly from carefully executed scientific illustration, in the form of artwork for press releases, manuscript figures, and journal cover images. In no field is this mutually beneficial interaction more apparent than in paleontology, where life reconstructions of prehistoric organisms require the efforts of paleoartists. Preparation of such artwork is subjected to careful scrutiny by experts in an intensive process of review and revision, and benefits from an artist’s own scientific background. The scientifically informed images that result from this process are then also available for educational outreach to the public in museum exhibits, books, and even postal stamps and coins.

About the speaker
Dr Julius Csotonyi is a Canadian full time freelance scientific illustrator (usually in the area of paleoart), working closely with scientific researchers (to prepare figures for research papers and press release images), book publishing company teams (to illustrate books on everything from dinosaurs to extant sharks or whales to arthropods), and museum exhibit design teams and curators (to prepare scientific information panels and murals to support museum exhibits, typically focusing on prehistoric species and ecosystems).

This event is presented by Royal Society Te Apārangi in partnership with GNS Science and Victoria University of Wellington, with thanks to Puke Ariki (and if you're in New Plymouth, head to Puke Ariki for the Permian Monsters exhibition, which is on until 9 September 2018).

All welcome. Free Admission. Please register to guarantee your seat(s).

There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

A Matter of Fact: Talking Truth in a Post-Trust World


Today it seems that conspiracy and rumour spread faster than ever and are increasingly hard to debunk. How do we convincingly explain the difference between good information and misinformation? Jess Berentson-Shaw, author of 'A Matter of Fact: Talking Truth in a Post-Truth World', will be joined by Shaun Hendy and Jennifer Curtin to tackle this question head-on.

The conversation will cover how we can talk effectively (and empatheticaly) about contentious information around issues such as immunisation, the gender pay gap and climate change. All welcome, no RSVP needed.


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A Matter of Fact: Talking Truth in a Post-Trust World


Today it seems that conspiracy and rumour spread faster than ever and are increasingly hard to debunk. How do we convincingly explain the difference between good information and misinformation? Jess Berentson-Shaw, author of 'A Matter of Fact: Talking Truth in a Post-Truth World', will be joined by Shaun Hendy and Emily Beausoleil to tackle this question head-on.

The conversation will cover how we can talk effectively (and empatheticaly) about contentious information around issues such as immunisation, the gender pay gap and climate change. All welcome, no RSVP needed.

About the speakers: Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw is a New Zealand researcher and communicator, and good science advocate. Her work spans the social, economic and political spectrum. She is co-director of think-and-do tank, The Workshop, and a senior research associate at the Public Policy Institute at the University of Auckland. Jess is author of A Matter of Fact: Talking Truth in a Post-Truth World (BWB Texts).

Professor Shaun Hendy was awarded the Callaghan Medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Prime Minister’s Science Media Communication Prize for his work as a science communicator. He teaches in both the Department of Physics and the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Auckland, and is Director of Te Pūnaha Matatini, a New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence.

Professor Jennifer Curtin is the Director of the University of Auckland’s Public Policy Institute and teaches Politics and Public Policy in the School of Social Sciences. Her research interests include public policy, gender politics, and New Zealand and Australian politics. She is the co-author of the book A Bark But No Bite: Inequality and the 2014 New Zealand General Election. Jennifer is a regular political commentator on TVNZ’s Q+A.

There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

Canterbury University Press and the University Bookshop are pleased to invite you to a Q&A event with Catherine Knight, author of Beyond Manapouri: 50 years of environmental politics in New Zealand chaired by Dr Ann Brower, senior lecturer in Geography, University of Canterbury.

Free parking on campus after 5pm

5.30pm for 6pm start

Come along for a stimulating evening of conversation! If you’d like to read the book in advance, you can purchase copies online or instore at UBS. Copies will be available to purchase on the night.

About the book 
Many New Zealanders know of, or experienced first-hand, the heady days of the Save Manapouri Campaign of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Fifty years have passed since that ground-breaking campaign - the first time an environmental issue captured national attention. But how far have we come in the 50 years since? We now have institutions and legislation that are dedicated to environmental management and policy, and much greater knowledge and awareness of the issues, yet we are faced with greater environmental challenges than ever before. By looking back at the last half a century of environmental politics in this country, Beyond Manapouri seeks to explain this paradox. 
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There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

Freeing the Land Beyond the Shadow of the Law: Twenty Years of the Crown Pastoral Land Act


In April 2017, the Environment Court called for an immediate moratorium on freeholding Crown land in the South Island high country. The Court was referring to a quiet process called ‘tenure review’ that is governed by the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998. Tenure review is a two-way split of Crown pastoral land, between freehold and public conservation land. Tenure review affects 10% of New Zealand’s landmass – 2.4 million hectares along the eastern slope of the South Island’s Main Divide.

Under tenure review, the Crown has sold freehold title to 436,652 hectares to the former leaseholders of over 100 stations; 14% of that has a covenant of some form. Former leaseholders paid the Crown $65.2 million for freehold title (average $176/ha). One-fifth (74,000 ha) of that has since been on-sold for $275 million. When former pastoral land sells as freehold, the median price is over 500 times the Crown selling price.

At the same time, the Crown bought pastoral leasehold rights to 371,842 hectares to shift into public conservation land. The Crown paid leaseholders $116.8 million (average $353/ha).

In this seminar, we examine the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998 in the light of nearly 20 years of outcomes. We combine the plain text of the Act with the methods of spatial analysis to ask the question of ‘to what degree does tenure review meet its statutory goals?’

When assessed next to its statutory goals, tenure review outcomes are mixed at best. Tenure review scores well on freeing and freeholding, but less well on sustaining and protecting. Tenure review performs least well on protecting those ecological values that are the most rare and threatened.

An outcome consistent with the clear and plain goals would show more freeing of land without freeholding. The only freeholding would be consistent with hierarchical pre-conditions of promoting ecological sustainability and protecting ecological values. If tenure review outcomes were consistent with its stated goals, freehold without covenant would be rare. Yet spatial analysis reveals unshackled freehold is tenure review’s top achievement, despite its position at the bottom of the legislative hierarchy.

Our assessment combining spatial and statutory analyses reveals the curious peculiarity of tenure review. Tenure review implements secondary statutory goals – of freeing land – assiduously. But it implements primary goals – of sustaining and protecting ecological values – half-heartedly.

Ann Brower studies the interactions between people and the environment. Often that relationship is shaped by things like property rights, community responsibilities, and government rules. She studies how those rights, responsibilities, and rules play out in landscapes and natural resources.

Her research is often place-based and she is currently interested in the South Island's Mackenzie Basin.

In 2018, she was honoured to win Universities NZ's award for being The Most Annoying Lecturer in the Country, also known as the Critic and Conscience of Society.

Seminar: 1:00pm - 2:00pm (light lunch from 12.45pm).

Please RSVP for catering purposes to law-enquiries@canterbury.ac.nz by Friday 10th August.

There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

Liveable Cities in 2030: Pathways to active, inclusive cities in 2030

There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

Queenstown Research Week is New Zealand’s biggest annual scientific gathering.  It is a week of co-ordinated meetings covering a wide range of science areas, including: the NZ Medical Sciences Congress (Medsci), Queenstown Molecular Biology Meetings, the Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research, and satellite meetings this year to include Cancer, Immunology, Human Therapeutics, Applied Gene Technologies, Plant Biology, Marine Biology, Bioinformatics and Rare Brain Diseases. More info

There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

Professor Teresa Ann Davis will deliver a free public lecture making the case for the importance of animal-derived protein in a healthy diet.

Animal based foods are an important part of our food culture and protein from animal sources contain the correct proportion of amino acids that we need for good health. Plant proteins are low in certain amino acids and are less digestible than animal proteins.

Professor Davis will discuss the latest research on the importance of protein in the promotion of optimal growth and development of children, weight management in adults, and the preservation of muscle mass and strength in healthy aging. She will also discuss how the equal distribution of dietary protein in meals over the course of the day is critical for optimizing muscle function.

More information

Raising the Bar is back for a second round. The University of Auckland is proud to once again host this unique event in which our academics give free public lectures in pubs and bars.

The event will feature 20 talks by leading University of Auckland academics at 10 inner-city Auckland bars. Some of the topics this year include:

Blockchain – bigger than the Internet?;
Not Sleeping Well? You are not alone; and
The unlikely correlation between Lasers, milk and sperm.


Raising the Bar is a worldwide initiative to bring knowledge to a city’s nightlife. The concept originated in New York and is spreading worldwide as more cities embrace the opportunity to hear fascinating topics from professors over a beer.

Last year’s event was a sell out with more than 1500 spaces quickly snapped up. Registrations open on July 24 and the public are urged to get in early to secure a bar stool at one or more of the venues.

Get your tickets here

There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.

There is no denying that as New Zealand sits astride the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates our land is subject to tremendous natural forces. We may commonly experience this as a gentle but sometimes a severe shuddering of earthquakes. Yet with Aotearoa dotted with cones and calderas, Kiwis should also keep in mind that the Taupō Eruption was actually the world’s most violent volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years!

Colin Wilson has gathered many accolades for studying volcanoes, and in particular, those giant examples known as supervolcanoes. He likens his work to that of a crime scene investigator, where he travels the world piecing together the dual puzzle of why such cataclysmic explosions occur and why they are joined by much smaller eruptions. He aims to forecast volcanic phenomena with enough warning so that communities can respond. But although Colin is digging deep in the Earth’s crust to find the triggering mechanisms, volcanic systems are not letting their secrets go easily…

More information and register.