Aotearoa Noticeboard | October Update

Posted in News on 16 October 2024

Welcome to the Aotearoa Noticeboard

Welcome to The Aotearoa Noticeboard. This is a bi-monthly supplement to our monthly edition which shares news from around in the sector in both Australia and Aotearoa. This is a deep dive on events, policy news, research and opportunities in Aotearoa New Zealand.

If you have any resources, news, research or opportunities to share that are relevant to the Aotearoa higher education sector, please contact Research and Engagement Officer Ellen Kirkpatrick.

Please circulate the noticeboard to colleagues who may be interested. We also send out a monthly noticeboard covering news and opportunities in both the Australian and Aotearoa higher education contexts.

Aotearoa Member Gathering 

In the first half of 2025, there will be an opportunity for Aotearoa Deans to connect, network, share resources and learn from one another in person. Stay tuned for more details!

DASSH Board Elected

Members elected new board members at the annual conference in September.

Meet them here

Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Massey University, Cynthia White has been elected by the membership as Vice President of DASSH. Cynthia replaces outgoing Board Member Professor Robert Greenberg previously Dean at the University of Auckland. Big thank you also to Robert for his extensive contributions over many years.

Please feel free to contact Cynthia or Executive Director Jane Ryan via email.

Associate Deans (Research) Community of Practice

 Recently the Aotearoa Deans met and recommended the creation of an Associate Deans (Research) Community of Practice. We have established initial contact to begin facilitating regular gatherings, sharing of resources and stakeholder engagement. 

We look forward to providing further updates on this to the broader Aotearoa community. If you would like to be involved please feel free to contact Jane.

Get involved here

The ANZSOG Report on Crossing Institutional Boundaries

The Australia and New Zealand School of Government report looks at the role of knowledge brokers in crossing institutional boundaries to connect research and practice and promote new approaches to evidence production and use. 

The most important issue is recognition by the public service of the need to nurture meaningful collaboration with researchers – and set up the conditions that make that possible. That will require cultural change and a shift in the practices which exist.”

Read more

New Global Humanities Alliance

This week a new global alliance of the humanities was announced. This initiative brings together over 75 scholars from eight partner universities. It aims to raise the profile and social and political impact of the humanities globally.

A core value of the GHA is that by combining our complementary and distinctive strengths we can better address key global challenges and showcase the difference humanities, social sciences and liberal arts make to the world.”

See more here

Future of Honours

Brand new DASSH research into the future of the Honours in Aotearoa and Australia has been released. The project identifies the need to explore the purpose of Honours education to gain a clearer understanding of the current and future direction of Honours in creating new generations of researchers, furthering careers and social impact.

Impact and Outcome Reports

A reminder that DASSH produced flagship research earlier this year that highlights the social and economic value of humanities, arts and social sciences in Aotearoa.

This research provides a snapshot of how skills gained through Arts degrees contribute to creating more diverse workforces, and happier, creative and economically viable democracies.

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Australian Research Council National Interest Test Statement

When a group of Aotearoa Deans met earlier this year it was suggested that DASSH share information about the National Interest Test which is used by the Australian Research Council to assess grant applications.

The NIT is a mechanism that allows researchers to demonstrate the public impact of proposed research and helps them communicate the broader value of their work to the community.

You can find out more about it here

The SHAPE of Research Impact Report

The British Academy in association with the Academy of Social Sciences have published a comprehensive research piece that uses sophisticated techniques to provide insights into research impact across the SHAPE disciplines. 
Key messages of the report are concerned with disciplinary boundaries, societal challenges and empowering communities. 

Read the report

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Social Sciences

This report produced by the Academy of Social Sciences in the UK presents a top-level summary of DEI data for the social sciences, for both academic and teaching staff including socio-economic indicators. This report is a snapshot in time of the higher education sector in the UK.

See more here

2025 Explorer Grants

The Explorer Grants provide seed support for researchers with transformative, exploratory, innovative or unconventional research ideas about making revolutionary changes to how health is managed in Aotearoa. Available in any health-related field (including social, behavioural, public health and sciences).

Grants are worth up to $150 000 for 24 months. Registrations are now open and close 5 November 2024. 

Apply Here

Sacred Wisdom and Creative Connection: Celebrating Women’s Art Initiative

Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University is hosting the Women’s Art Initiative (WAI) exhibition at Tiritea House on the Manawatū Campus from 4 to 23 October. This year’s exhibition will showcase a variety of art forms including canvas, clay works and an outdoor installation in the beautiful Tiritea House gardens.

See details here

Performing Data in Australasia Symposium

A collaboration between the Theatre Aotearoa and Austage, the symposium explores opportunities for analysing New Zealand and Trans-Tasman data using the Austage database and other tools. It brings together researchers and artists interested in archiving performance and developing skills in data analysis through visualization and storytelling. This event takes place between 23-25 October at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.

See more

Book Launch – The Invasion of Waikato/Te Riri ki Tainui by Vincent O’Malley

 At this book launch, Vincent O’Malley explains the enduring impact of the Waikato war in the history of Aotearoa. This event takes place on 24 October 2024 at Public Trust Hall, Wellington.

See details

Exploring Equity and Equality in Aotearoa New Zealand – Wellington

Join experts from the Royal Society Te Apārangi Te Tapeke Fair Futures panel as they highlight some of the important decisions New Zealanders face in determining fair futures. The panel discussion will be held at Royal Society Te Apārangi on 29 October 6pm-7.30pm.

Register here

Pakukore: Poverty, by Design

Join the Stout Research Centre at the Pipitea Campus of Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington for this conference addressing poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand. Hear from leading researchers on the systems that continue to play key roles in underpinning and maintaining the crisis of poverty: economic management, the housing, health, welfare and education systems, the courts and corrections, and short-term political thinking. This will take place between the 21-23 November.

Find out more


The DASSH Lounge

Join the DASSH Lounge, our exclusive LinkedIn group for DASSH Members where we share the latest news, jobs and opportunities from DASSH and around the sector.

The DASSH Lounge is reserved for members and is a great place to let people know you’re hiring, hosting an event or working on a collaborative project, so feel free to post any updates. You can also use it to simply engage with colleagues in conversation.