Public lectures 2017
Video recordings of public lectures on topical issues from 2017.
Volunteering Matters
Professor Smith explores why people volunteer, and how organisations can enhance the volunteer experience and the impact of volunteering.
Being frank about fake news
Michael Daubs and Val Hooper discuss fake news— a term that has dominated the media since the 2016 United States presidential election.
Youth engagement in politics: insights from Malaysia
The 2017 Saad Lecture was given by the Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports, the Honourable Khairy Jamaluddin.
Computing the truth
Professor Greenberg gives a gentle overview of the field of computability theory and its development.
The lies about post-truth politics
Michael Macaulay and Simon MacKenzie discuss the history of post-truth politics and what post-truth politics mean for civil liberties in the future.
Biodiversity: snakes and ladders through geological time
Professor Crampton explores a story of evolution, extinction, competition, catastrophes and a planetary pulse.
Paying for climate change
Professor Ilan Noy and Dr Judy Lawrence discuss the economic impact of climate change for New Zealand homeowners.
Earthquake physics on multiple scales
Professor Townend explains how recent observations of earthquakes hugely expanded geoscientific knowledge and improved society’s resilience to future perils.
The Dynamism of Language
Professor Warren will explain some of the complexities of studying language—New Zealand English, in particular.
Master of disaster
Professor Potangaroa describes the complex role played by technology in post-disaster recovery and how his insights have shaped other areas of his research
Big lessons from little things
Professor Wilson discusses his latest research on adolescent wellbeing
Don't trust economists about the future of work
While no-one can accurately predict the impact of the current digital revolution on our jobs, perhaps we should be pessimists about the future of work.
Capital gains tax: Bogeyman or crucial reform?
Victoria University of Wellington academics Max Rashbrooke and Lisa Marriott explore what a capital gains tax might look like in New Zealand.
The pursuit of happiness
Professor Jose will reflect on the assumption that all people know what will make them happy, and will discuss the reasons why we should reject this assumption.
Putting leadership in its place
What impact does one’s physical place have in creating and diminishing effective leadership?
In robots we trust
What issues do intelligent machines raise about our control over our personal information, our capacity for decision-making and our ideas about companionships
What is a smart city
Wellington is New Zealand’s leading smart city— technologies are already here and are helping Wellingtonians every day.
Can we have some privacy
Drawing on her recent research on legal and theoretical conceptions of privacy, Dr Moreham will answer questions in a conversation with Provost Wendy Larner