Humanities Lectures

Before Professor Ed Garcia departed after an extended visit to the Centre, he interviewed Professor Kevin Clements about his life and times. Kevin has had an illustrious career both in academia and as a consultant to a variety of non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations on disarmament, arms control, conflict resolution, development and regional security issues. He has written widely on conflict transformation, peacebuilding, preventive diplomacy and development with a specific focus on the Asia Pacific region. 24 April 2014

Before Professor Ed Garcia departed after an extended visit to the Centre, he interviewed Professor Kevin Clements about his life and times. Kevin has had an illustrious career both in academia and as a consultant to a variety of non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations on disarmament, arms control, conflict resolution, development and regional security issues. He has written widely on conflict transformation, peacebuilding, preventive diplomacy and development with a specific focus on the Asia Pacific region. 24 April 2014

Maata Wharehoka, a tikanga Maori advocate, discusses with Professor Kevin Clements about being born in the 1950’s into a large unwealthy family and her work as an activist and advocate. She talks about living a pakeha life with her aunty from the age of 11, her experiences through nursing school and studying, and raising her own family of five children, and the fostering of 45 children. 12 May 2014

Professor Tony Binns, University of Otago Ron Lister Chair of Geography, has been bestowed with the most remarkable of honours – being named an African Chief. The Paramount Chief and Section Chiefs of Sandor Chiefdom in Kono District, Eastern Province, Sierra Leone, awarded Professor Binns the titles of ‘Sahr Kayima’ and ‘Chief Manjawah of Sandor’ earlier this year. The honour recognises his work and community involvement over a period of 40 years since he first visited as a PhD student in 1974. He explains his personal journey and how he became interested in Africa and specifically Sierra Leone. He discusses his ongoing research and links with the communities and the significance of the honorary chieftaincy. 11 June 2014

Maata Wharehoka, a tikanga Maori advocate, discusses with Professor Kevin Clements about being born in the 1950’s into a large unwealthy family and her work as an activist and advocate. She talks about living a pakeha life with her aunty from the age of 11, her experiences through nursing school and studying, and raising her own family of five children, and the fostering of 45 children. 12 May 2014

Professor Jonathan Boston, Professor of Public Policy at VUW, Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies and Co-chair, Expert Advisory Group (2012) on Solutions to Child Poverty discusses the issue of child poverty: myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings. In discussions about child poverty in New Zealand, one often hears the following claims: ‘There is little or no real child poverty in this country’; ‘The fundamental problem is that some people have too many children’; ‘Many parents are lazy or irresponsible and thus deserve to be poor’; ‘The real problem is not poverty but poor parenting’; ‘We can’t afford to reduce child poverty’; and ‘If we give the poor more money, they will simply waste it’. How valid are such claims? What does the available empirical evidence tell us? What can we learn from the experience of other developed countries? And what ethical principles should guide our policy responses to the challenge of child poverty? 12 June 2014

Professor Jonathan Boston, Professor of Public Policy at VUW, Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies and Co-chair, Expert Advisory Group (2012) on Solutions to Child Poverty discusses the issue of child poverty: myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings. In discussions about child poverty in New Zealand, one often hears the following claims: ‘There is little or no real child poverty in this country’; ‘The fundamental problem is that some people have too many children’; ‘Many parents are lazy or irresponsible and thus deserve to be poor’; ‘The real problem is not poverty but poor parenting’; ‘We can’t afford to reduce child poverty’; and ‘If we give the poor more money, they will simply waste it’. How valid are such claims? What does the available empirical evidence tell us? What can we learn from the experience of other developed countries? And what ethical principles should guide our policy responses to the challenge of child poverty? 12 June 2014

Professor Jonathan Boston, Professor of Public Policy at VUW, Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies and Co-chair, Expert Advisory Group (2012) on Solutions to Child Poverty discusses the issue of child poverty: myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings. In discussions about child poverty in New Zealand, one often hears the following claims: ‘There is little or no real child poverty in this country’; ‘The fundamental problem is that some people have too many children’; ‘Many parents are lazy or irresponsible and thus deserve to be poor’; ‘The real problem is not poverty but poor parenting’; ‘We can’t afford to reduce child poverty’; and ‘If we give the poor more money, they will simply waste it’. How valid are such claims? What does the available empirical evidence tell us? What can we learn from the experience of other developed countries? And what ethical principles should guide our policy responses to the challenge of child poverty? 12 June 2014

Professor Jim Allan, TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland, argues that in five of the world’s oldest democracies, the long-established Anglosphere countries of Canada, New Zealand, the UK, the US and Australia, the past few decades have seen a decline in the extent to which democratic decision-making prevails. He outlines the causes of that decline in democracy and then notes the ways that decline is masked and obfuscated. 16 May 2014

In this address, we hear the prize-winning author of Fifty Grand and The Cold Cold Ground, Adrian McKinty, read from his new Sean Duffy novel, In the Morning I’ll Be Gone. Adrian is an Irish novelist born in Belfast, Northern Ireland who is primarily known as a writer of crime and mystery novels, and young adult fiction. He is the author of 15 novels and has won a number of awards for his writing since he began in 2001 and has been shortlisted for the Crimewriter’s Association silver dagger award, the Theakston Best British Crime Novel award and the Barry award. 30 April 2014