Speaker: Kate McAlpine, Science Advisor, DOC. Woody weeds form dense, monospecific stands in many areas of NZ. At some sites, the weed dies out naturally to be replaced by native species as succession proceeds, but at others the weed persists indefinitely. The ability to distinguish between these different trajectories is critical to effective weed management, but the conditions that determine successional outcomes remain poorly understood. However, clues to the successional trajectory at any given woody weed site can be found in the understorey, because understorey plants represent the potential future plant community, in the absence of disturbance.

After 20 years of relative stability, the health system is now entering a period of major reforms. The Government’s review of the New Zealand Health and Disability System published its final report in March 2020. In response, the government has, this year, announced a series of wide-ranging changes that will be taking effect over the next 12 to 24 months. In this presentation I will provide an overview of the proposed changes, and discuss the implications for health service delivery, Māori health, and health equity.

Peter Crampton is a professor of public health in Kōhatu, the Centre for Hauora Māori, at the University of Otago. He researches and teaches Māori health, health systems and public health. His academic career has spanned a variety of roles including serving as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Health Sciences and Dean of the Otago Medical School. His research is focused on social indicators and social epidemiology, health care policy, health care organisation and funding, and Māori health. He was a member of the Government’s Health and Disability System Review panel, and sits on the boards of the Health Quality and Safety Commission and the Southern District Health Board.

In this inaugural lecture, Professor Kate Hunter from the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations will reflect on how the trivial and often over-looked snippets of historical evidence can open up broad questions, not just about history but the way historians deal with the messy and chaotic past.

What do postman’s slippers and the spangles of an Aboriginal showgirl’s costume have to do with the serious business of Australian and New Zealand history?

This lecture has been postponed from 24 August 2021 due to changing COVID-19 alert levels.

Registration is essential

rsvp[at]vuw.ac.nz

What are misinformation and disinformation? What role does money play in influence operations that promote misinformation? Is New Zealand as vulnerable as other countries like the US? What are the future possibilities for improving our misinformation defenses? To explore these important issues and more join international experts from Singularity University, Google NZ and Massey University for MISINFORMATION CHALLENGES, our fifth seminar in the Future Challenges: Systems thinking and Values based Leadership series.

These seminars provide a systems framework for thinking about complex issues, using a non-partisan, values based approach.  They are a forum for leaders from various professions and diverse backgrounds to explore critical issues through expert-moderated dialogue. They are designed to provoke, further and improve actions taken by participants back in their organisations and communities to improve leadership and inform decision making and policy. 

• Session 1: Common Good Values and Systems Dynamics - seeks to examine what we mean by addressing the "common good". Understanding how to frame issues we all face provides a foundation for thoughtful civility vs. polarised dialogues even when we disagree about the targets or means of achieving the common good. When a saboteur on a ship damages a critical life support system, the term common good loses much of its ambiguity. We also study lessons from the practice of simulating businesses and government systems with systems dynamics modeling. When done well, this type of modeling includes variables in addition to money, and eventually incorporates whole systems and considerations of sustainability. We examine the question of where to intervene in complex systems for maximum leverage. Finally, we examine the relationship of systems thinking and misinformation. What happens when control systems are fed misinformation and what can we do to detect these problems and do something about them?

• Session 2: The Science of Misinformation - examines what are misinformation and disinformation? Who benefits and who loses from different types of misinformation? Specifically, how can we detect misinformation? Are there any standards to judge the veracity of information? What role does money play in influence operations that promote misinformation? How effective is science education or critical thinking in combating misinformation? What role do religion, race, and political identity play in misinformation? How is misinformation transmitted, and once the infection starts, what can be done to address it?

• Session 3: Misinformation Policy Tradeoffs -focuses on the current, planned, and potential future policies designed to address misinformation and disinformation. Is New Zealand as vulnerable as other countries like the US? What are the trends in misinformation and disinformation that require a continuous reexamination of the assumptions, conditions, and rules of engagement associated with what some have called an infodemic. Finally, we examine future possibilities for improving our misinformation defenses and what policies might promote a systematic and effective response.

What are misinformation and disinformation? What role does money play in influence operations that promote misinformation? Is New Zealand as vulnerable as other countries like the US? What are the future possibilities for improving our misinformation defenses? To explore these important issues and more join international experts from Singularity University, Google NZ and Massey University for MISINFORMATION CHALLENGES, our fifth seminar in the Future Challenges: Systems thinking and Values based Leadership series.

These seminars provide a systems framework for thinking about complex issues, using a non-partisan, values based approach.  They are a forum for leaders from various professions and diverse backgrounds to explore critical issues through expert-moderated dialogue. They are designed to provoke, further and improve actions taken by participants back in their organisations and communities to improve leadership and inform decision making and policy. 

• Session 1: Common Good Values and Systems Dynamics - seeks to examine what we mean by addressing the "common good". Understanding how to frame issues we all face provides a foundation for thoughtful civility vs. polarised dialogues even when we disagree about the targets or means of achieving the common good. When a saboteur on a ship damages a critical life support system, the term common good loses much of its ambiguity. We also study lessons from the practice of simulating businesses and government systems with systems dynamics modeling. When done well, this type of modeling includes variables in addition to money, and eventually incorporates whole systems and considerations of sustainability. We examine the question of where to intervene in complex systems for maximum leverage. Finally, we examine the relationship of systems thinking and misinformation. What happens when control systems are fed misinformation and what can we do to detect these problems and do something about them?

• Session 2: The Science of Misinformation - examines what are misinformation and disinformation? Who benefits and who loses from different types of misinformation? Specifically, how can we detect misinformation? Are there any standards to judge the veracity of information? What role does money play in influence operations that promote misinformation? How effective is science education or critical thinking in combating misinformation? What role do religion, race, and political identity play in misinformation? How is misinformation transmitted, and once the infection starts, what can be done to address it?

• Session 3: Misinformation Policy Tradeoffs -focuses on the current, planned, and potential future policies designed to address misinformation and disinformation. Is New Zealand as vulnerable as other countries like the US? What are the trends in misinformation and disinformation that require a continuous reexamination of the assumptions, conditions, and rules of engagement associated with what some have called an infodemic. Finally, we examine future possibilities for improving our misinformation defenses and what policies might promote a systematic and effective response.

Professor Travis Glare, Director of the Bio-Protection Research Centre (Lincoln University), Co-Director of Bioprotection Aotearoa (CoRE) and Director of the Research Management Office of Lincoln University. He researches fundamental questions that relate to the reduction of damage to plants by invertebrate pests, plant diseases and weeds. He leads a research team that investigates the biology, ecology and use of insect pathogens as control options for pest insects.

It’s free to attend via zoom, just email genomics.aotearoa[at]otago.ac.nz for access.