The increasingly Pacific nature of New Zealand society is explored by Assoc. Prof. Damon Salesa from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

Listen to Assoc. Prof Damon Salesa on how NZ is becoming more Pacific by the hour

"Pacific people and communities have become an outstanding source of innovation and leadership in New Zealand. They have charted a new future for our country in ways most New Zealanders have yet to appreciate.

As New Zealand rapidly becomes more Pacific, these changes have begun to shift from the edges of New Zealand to its centres.

What would it mean for New Zealand to recognise and embrace its Pacific talent and finally act like a Pacific nation? Damon says we need to adapt to a future that has already happened.

In this talk he illustrates how New Zealand's future is increasingly a Pacific one, across economic, social, political, cultural and creative dimensions.

About the speaker

Dr Damon Salesa is a scholar of Pacific politics, history, technology, culture and society. He is the University of Auckland's Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific.

He is a prizewinning author of works on the Pacific, New Zealand, race and politics and author and editor of a number of books including Tangata o le Moana (2012) and Island Time: New Zealand's Pacific Futures (2017). His book Racial Crossings (2012) won the Ernest Scott Prize.

Damon is a graduate of the University of Auckland and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Samoan-born and raised in Glen Innes, he hails from Satapuala and Falealupo.

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details