Public
lectures
in Aotearoa

5:30pm

A Decade Hence: The Enduring Promise of Peaceful Dispute Settlement - Reflecting on the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award

Atty. Florin Hilbay reflects on the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award a decade later, examining its impact on international maritime law and peaceful dispute resolution.

time TBC

6th International Symposium on the 'Ocean in a High CO2 World'

International scientific symposium on ocean acidification and climate change, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.

12:30pm

The effect of wholesale electricity prices on Australia’s economy by Magnus Soederberg

Professor Magnus Soederberg examines how wholesale electricity price levels and volatility affect firm value and capital investment in Australia.

1:00pm

Guided tour | Picasso: Designed by Paul Smith

Guided tour of the Picasso: Designed by Paul Smith exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

5:30pm

New Zealand’s Strategic (In)Security: Accelerating Digital Frontier, Defence Deficit, Eroding Home Front

Dr Reuben Steff examines New Zealand's strategic insecurity amid great power competition, digital transformation, defence deficits, and domestic resilience challenges.

6:00pm

An Evening with the Birds

Twilight Tuesday

Robert Vennell, Auckland Museum Project Curator and best-selling author, launches Song of the Birds, exploring how avian life shaped human arrival and settlement in Aotearoa.

12:00pm

Economies of ‘truth’: alien materialities and the construction of history in contemporary Peru

Dr Corinna Howland examines how theories of extraterrestrial origins and alien encounters shape historical narratives and material understandings in contemporary Peru.

5:10pm

New Zealand's Strategic (in)Security: Accelerating Digital Frontier, Defence Deficit, Eroding Home Front

Dr Reuben Steff argues New Zealand faces compounding strategic insecurity across digital technology, defence capability, and domestic resilience amid great power competition.

5:30pm

Copyright Law and Generative AI

Professor Mark A. Lemley (Stanford University) examines the intersection of copyright law and generative AI.

5:30pm

Rainbows in Space—Using Spectroscopy to Understand the Earth and Mars

Professor Randy Pollock explores how spectroscopy reveals the composition and properties of Earth and Mars in this inaugural lecture.

6:00pm

Love letters to the ‘burbs: Six architects and enthusiasts pitch parts of Auckland

Six architects, writers, and urban enthusiasts present passionate pitches for Auckland suburbs, each with 10 minutes and 10 slides.

6:00pm

Windows on Elsewhere + Share Kai and Kōrero

Discussion on artist Matteo Pericoli's work exploring exile, memory, and belonging through window drawings and refugee texts, chaired by Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand.

12:45pm

Curator insights: the fundamental practice

Auckland Art Gallery curator discusses curatorial practice and approaches to the gallery's extensive collection of New Zealand, Māori, Pacific, and European art.

2:00pm

Address by Diana Reaich

Diana Reaich, Associate Deputy Director-General of Trade and International Relations at the Ministry of Primary Industries, addresses the NZIIA.

2:00pm

Reshaping the Avon Ōtākaro - Dave Little

Heritage Highlights

Dave Little, CCC Manager of the Residential Red Zone, traces the history of Christchurch's eastern suburbs from the 2010/11 earthquakes through current ecological and flood resilience regeneration.

6:00pm

CHCH Book Launch: Meditations of a Landscape Architect

Launch of David Irwin's essay and photography collection on landscape architecture, drawing on four decades of design practice across Aotearoa.

6:00pm

Wavelengths of Discovery: from Laser-Ultrasound to Seismology

Elastic wave propagation reveals hidden physical properties of matter, from laser-ultrasound to seismic applications.

7:00pm

Whole of society security, a talk by Dr Beth Greener

Dr Beth Greener examines 'whole of society security' as a response to polycrises—complex emergencies where natural disasters, misinformation, and transnational crime intersect.

11:00am

Where in the World?

A museum talk exploring ancient Greek mythology and astronomy through the figure of Atlas and his role in classical understanding of the cosmos.

12:00pm

Elmer Keith by Michael Parekowhai

Lead curator Felicity Milburn discusses Michael Parekowhai's photographic work Elmer Keith in the Bird Land exhibition.

4:00pm

Anna Pavlova in New Zealand – A Centennial Celebration

Wellington dance writer Jennifer Shennan and Christchurch art historian Ian Lochhead examine Russian dancer Anna Pavlova's transformative 1926 New Zealand tour and its cultural impact.

2:00pm

Light Needs

Experimental documentary by Jesse McLean exploring intimate relationships between people and houseplants, preceded by Sophie Koko's animation short Peace Tree.

11:00am

Mary Duff - Author Talk: Ageing Positively Week

Mary Duff shares writing tips and photo management techniques for memoir writers during Ageing Positively Week.

6:00pm

Jane Simpson

Author talk and book launch

Dr Jane Simpson launches her fourth poetry collection, Imagined Scar, exploring lockdown, cancer diagnosis, history, science, and art.

4:00pm

Hui Rangahau Graham Nuthall Research Symposium 2026

Faculty of Education symposium celebrating Professor Graham Nuthall's legacy and influential classroom research in Aotearoa New Zealand.

5:30pm

Panel Discussion—Business, Politics, and Democracy

Panel discussion on the relationship between business, politics, and democracy in New Zealand's economy.

2:00pm

Chris Moore - Author Talk: Ageing Positively Week

Chris Moore, former Arts editor of The Press, discusses words, books, and earthquakes.

4:00pm

Energy Centre Seminar: The State of the Hydrogen Economy

Seminar examining the current state of the hydrogen economy, its barriers, and pathways to energy sovereignty.

5:30pm

Auckland Collectors’ Night Out – Presented by Objectspace & ECC

Guided evening visiting three Auckland collectors' homes with Objectspace director Kim Paton discussing art and craft collecting practices.

5:30pm

Genes to Genomes: A Journey from Drift to Adaptation

Professor Peter Ritchie traces a research journey through evolutionary genetics, from genetic drift to adaptation.

5:30pm

Healthy soil for healthy water

Lecture on soil's dual role in water contamination: as a source of pollutants and as a protective filter, covering pesticides, PFAS, and nanoparticles.

6:00pm

Beyond Geopolitics: Emerging Security Challenges in the Indo-Pacific

Joanne Ou, Representative of Taiwan to New Zealand, discusses emerging security challenges and geopolitical shifts affecting the Indo-Pacific region.

2:00pm

Those Days of Clear Blue Green Skies

Exhibition pairing 1936 artworks by Rita Angus, Louise Henderson, and Julia Scarvell with contemporary responses exploring art, ecology, and belonging in Aotearoa.

2:00pm

Artist talk with Ken Faber, Lolani Dalosa and Rangi White

Exhibiting artists Ken Faber and Lolani Dalosa share insights into their creative processes and works in conversation with curator Matthew Hanson.

5:00pm

Bergquist Fellow Lecture: Professor Colin Brauner

Professor Colin Brauner discusses fish adaptation to aquatic environments and contemporary environmental change.

6:00pm

From Atarau to Rua

Twilight Tuesday

Dr Rowan Light and author Candice Tutauha launch the novel Rua, exploring connections between Taranaki history and the New Zealand Wars collections.

6:30pm

The 2026 Lucy Cranwell Lecture

Dr Jessica Beever explores Sphagnum moss and Lucy Cranwell's botanical research in the 2026 Lucy Cranwell Lecture.

1:00pm

Asian histories in Aotearoa collection highlights at Te Papa

Behind-the-scenes kōrero at Te Papa exploring taonga and stories from the collection publication Between Dreams: Resistance and Representation in Asian Aotearoa.

10:00am

Wham Bam Tauranga Poetry Slam

Twelve local poets compete in the sixth annual Wham Bam Tauranga Poetry Slam, a high-energy performance event celebrating original work across all styles.

12:00pm

Your questions answered: understanding elections in New Zealand

Practical insights on New Zealand's electoral system and democratic engagement.

2:00pm

Te Puna Haumaru Seminar Series - Crime science in an ageing world: Applying environmental criminology to financial elder abuse

Dr Emily Moir applies environmental criminology to financial elder abuse and misuse of power of attorney documents.

10:00am

Mātātupu Mātauranga: Future Thinkers

A day of tours, workshops, and talks by and for youth exploring their role as future caretakers of nature.

3:30pm

Frances Libeau & Steve Lovett with a lecture by Welby Ings

Artist Frances Libeau and Steve Lovett discuss her exhibition on the 1986 Homosexual Law Reform Act, followed by Professor Welby Ings on antigay rhetoric's human impact.

3:30pm

Artist talk with Frances Libeau & Steve Lovett

Artists Frances Libeau and Steve Lovett in conversation, followed by a lecture from Welby Ings.

8:00am

Members' Curator's Tours of March of the Triceratops

Professor Anne S. Schulp leads members' curatorial tours of March of the Triceratops, exploring vertebrate palaeontology and the exhibition's international specimens.

3:00pm

Members' Curator's Talk: March of the Triceratops

Professor Dr. Anne S. Schulp presents how the March of the Triceratops exhibition came together in this exclusive members' curator talk.

6:00pm

Liv Sisson – Butterflies and Moths of Aotearoa

Author talk and book launch

Liv Sisson discusses her new book Butterflies and Moths of Aotearoa, exploring their ecology, conservation, and the roles they play in New Zealand's ecosystems.

5:30pm

Hamilton Public Lecture

Hamilton Public Lecture

What can dancing bodies teach us about belonging, environmental and climate change, and the futures we are creating together?

2:00pm

Stories behind the stories - Gavin Bishop

Heritage Highlights

Celebrated local author Gavin Bishop shares the inspiration and stories behind his award-winning children's books.

5:30pm

Left Behind Is a Sales Technique

Julia Pahina and Eteroa Lafaele of Fibre Fale AI examine how fear and urgency are weaponised in AI adoption, and how leaders can make independent decisions.

6:00pm

Publication launch: The Purpose of the Space Is What It Does

Publication launch celebrating arts practitioners across Aotearoa constructing space on their own terms, initiated by Jingcheng Zhao.

4:00pm

Michael Volkerling Memorial Lecture 2026: Artificial Intelligence, Memory and Culture: crossroads and cul-de-sacs

Professor Areti Galani explores how AI technologies are reshaping communication, memory, and cultural practices.

6:00pm

The science behind the 2026 Nobel Prizes in Medicine, Chemistry, and Physics

Three Victoria University researchers explore the science behind the 2026 Nobel Prizes in Medicine, Chemistry, and Physics.

2:00pm

Address by Paul Conway

Paul Conway, Chief Economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, addresses economic topics at the NZIIA.

5:00pm

Understanding and resisting Data centers: lessons from Spain

Examination of data centre expansion and its environmental and social impacts, drawing on Spanish activism and Aotearoa New Zealand contexts.

6:00pm

What writing do we need? New Commissions Writers publication launch

Panel discussion launching five new texts of cultural criticism with writers Anoushka Coutler, Rahul Hendriksen, Ruby Macomber, Kieran Mclean, and Roro.

9:00am

Counting What Counts: Comparative Conversations on Intellectual Property

Intellectual property academics, practitioners and policy professionals explore the quantitative dimensions shaping IP law and policy.

6:00pm

Deep Dive: Lecture by Kaiāwhina Whakaaturanga Assistant Curator Matthew Hanson

Assistant Curator Matthew Hanson explores the ideas and artists behind the exhibition Group Admits Mistake.

2:00pm

Remembering the Leadership of Helen Kelly

Seminar reflecting on the leadership and legacy of Helen Kelly, former Council of Trade Unions president.

5:30pm

Wellington Development Studies Alumni Supper with special guest speaker

Reconnect with classmates and colleagues at our Development Studies Alumni Supper, coinciding with the 2026 DEVNET Conference, hosted at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University...

5:30pm

Lecture: Monuments with Hamza Walker

International curator Hamza Walker examines monuments and historical narratives in this concluding lecture for Artspace Aotearoa's 2026 programme.

2:00pm

On ecological innovation: a panel discussion

Artists and academics Xin Cheng, Mark Harvey, and Samantha Ladewig discuss ecological innovation in an interdisciplinary panel at Gus Fisher Gallery.

2:00pm

On ecological innovation

Artists and academics explore how creative and scientific practices foster meaningful environmental encounters through ecological innovation.

5:30pm

S.T. Lecture in Antarctic Studies 2026

Associate Professor Cassandra Brooks presents the annual S.T. Lee Lecture in Antarctic Studies.

5:45pm

Taxation & Deglobalisation

Professor Reuven Avi-Yonah explores taxation and deglobalisation in this Faculty of Law Dean's Distinguished Speaker Series lecture.