The 2026 Ferrier Public Lecture, titled Drug discovery inspired by peptide natural products, will be delivered by Professor Richard Payne from the University of Sydney. Register here: vuw.eventsair.com/ferrier-publ...

As the Labour leader deals with the fallout from his ex-wife’s social media allegations, we ask if the private lives of our politicians have really been shielded from public scrutiny in the past. Lara Greaves, associate professor of politics at Vic Uni, shares her thoughts.

Wellington’s flocks of sassy kākā have won the hearts of many residents. But despite their current popularity, the reintroduction of kākā into the capital city hasn’t always been smooth sailing, says Cathy Breed, a PhD candidate at VUW.

Will climate change be one of the big issues in this year’s general election? As we count down to election day, VUW politics researcher Dr Sam Crawley has looked at what we know about climate concerns and voting behaviour.

Individual performance appraisals are an annual event in many organisations, but doing them is often pointless, argue VUW’s Dr Danaë Anderson, an occupational health researcher, and AUT’s Dr Jeremy Morrow.

One million Kiwis use a buy now pay later scheme, but research contributed to by Dr Victoria Stace from the Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington, shows that the regulations governing them may not be adequate to protect users from harm.

The shortlist for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards has been released, and four of Te Herenga Waka’s incredible staff members and five alumni are among the 16 finalists.

Academic Diana Burton has spent years teaching her students about the black market in European antiquities before discovering Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington had a stolen Roman marble bust in its own collection.

It’s called the New Zealand Geological Timescale and has just had a major update. In an article for The Conversation, VUW palaeontologist Professor James Crampton and his colleagues explain how measuring the past will help us understand present-day hazards and what climate change may bring.

Join us to celebrate Professor Gina Grimshaw from our Faculty of Education, Health, & Psychological Sciences, as she delivers her inaugural lecture. During this lecture, she will reflect on her own experiences studying mental processes, including thinking, memory, perception, attention, and emotion.

Despite the harm it can cause, gambling is often defended because it returns money to the community—but the racing industry is largely exempt from doing so, say VUW tax expert Professor Lisa Marriott and research fellow Max Rashbrooke.

Widespread loss of marine sponges possible as heatwaves intensify - @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2026/02...

ICYMI: Last chance to register for our Govt Law - Year in Review on Wednesday -- sign up by lunchtime tomorrow. Don't miss out! 🤓

Last week saw a transformational gift given to support research here at Te Herenga Waka. The George Mason Charitable Trust has given the university $5 million to support multidisciplinary research into the natural environment.

More intense marine heatwaves as a result of climate change could lead to the mass loss of a sponge species found around Aotearoa New Zealand, a new study suggests.

New Zealand School of Music academic Associate Professor Michael Norris has added contemporary musical influences to the soaring celestial sounds usually associated with cathedrals for his large-scale composition SoundCathedral, being staged at this year’s Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts.

Deep-sea news alert! Our round-up brings you top stories from the ocean depths of the past few weeks. Check the images to stay updated. A thread 🧵 #DeepSeaNews

As part of her PhD research with WSBG, Annika Naschitzki studied restructuring in the public sector between 2018 & 2021. She found that organisations found it easier to signal commitment to change by making visible cuts & declaring new operating models, than the slog of sustained, measured reform.

PhD candidate Michael Miller is using mathematical modelling to determine whether more than a million people in New Zealand will be able to speak a basic level of te reo Māori by 2040. The impact of policies and interventions that may have interrupted this trajectory is also part of his research.

'Absolutely huge' black coral among largest ever seen - @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2026/01...

It's no secret New Zealand is facing a literacy crisis, says Anne Goulding, Professor of Library and Information Management from the Wellington School of Business and Government. Professor Goulding explains how this has been overlooked by Goverment in this piece for Newsroom.

Congratulations to Emeritus Professor Charlotte Macdonald on her new book, Garrison World: Redcoat Soldiers in New Zealand and across the British Empire, launched by Her Excellency The Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro, Governor-General of New Zealand.

Glad to be featured in @nzgeo.bsky.social, highlighting the importance of planting native species such as tree fuchsia, a major food resource for native birds. Based on a recent publication of bird-plant interactions in @zealandia.bsky.social @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social www.nzgeo.com/stories/want...

Prof Georgina Tuari Stewart presenting her keynote lecture: her recent work on ecopedagogy, which critiques the assumption that Indigenous knowledge easily aligns with ecology, ecopedagogy and the environmental movement more generally. At the ANZAP conference - @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social on Dec 1.

Join us as Dr. Ellie Rukuwai of @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social delves into the complexities of Māori identity and perfectionism. #MāoriIdentity #Perfectionism #psychologypodcast Links below 👇

More than a thousand of our graduates marched through the Wellington city centre last week, celebrating achievements big and small. Congratulations to all our future leaders, innovators, & change-makers. We're so thrilled to have celebrated with you all last week. 🎓 Read more at The Post below.

Our grads will stop traffic this week with glam fits, billowing cloaks, and bright smiles, on their way to celebrate their achievements at the MFC and Te Herenga Waka marae. The parade will run from the Old Government Buildings to Queens Wharf on Thursday 11 December.

Incredibly honoured for my research to have been spotlighted by @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social Faculty of Science and Engineering in the lead-up to graduation week!🎓🎉🦜 Special shout-out to @wild-minds.bsky.social for being the most amazing supervisor through this journey. www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2025/12...

Business leader Dame Theresa Gattung and legal luminary Sir David Carruthers will receive honorary doctorates from Te Herenga Waka this week at graduation.

More yellow-legged hornets have been found, with new nests discovered on Auckland’s North Shore. VUW Professor of Biology Phil Lester says we now have a narrow window to stop the hornets’ spread.

Hey all, meet one of #DSBSoc 2025 conference awardees! Meet Ailish Ullman (@ailishullmann.bsky.social) , PhD candidate at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social & Earth Sci. NZ with @ifremer.bsky.social, researching habitat heterogeneity of life living on & in (yes, in!) #PolymetallicNodules. More in alt-text!

Our work is exploring the role of these fish in carbon sequestration, part of a fantastic collaboration between @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social , University of Otago, and @aucklanduni.bsky.social, made possible with support from @marsdenfund.bsky.social

Rose Barton from @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social investigating how people perceive the mind of BabyX #kiwicam2025

Ezra Ramsey from @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social sharing work on experiences of tāngata Māori reclaiming identity #kiwicam2025

Dr Síofra O’Leary gives the Robin Cooke Lecture for 2025 at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social on climate change and courts: role, limits and potential.

Come join us at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social — applications are open for lecturer/senior lecturer roles at our law school. 🤓 ejye.fa.ap1.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Dylan Horrocks & Dr Zach Dodson from the School of Design Innovation are co-founders of the Visual Narrative Lab. They recently spoke with B-Side Stories on Wellington Access Radio about their work, the role of play in the creative process, & the joys and challenges of creativity.

Asset sales could become a key issue in the 2026 general election, say VUW political scientists Dr Sam Crawley, Dr Matthew Gibbons, and Professor Jack Vowles. In an article for Newsroom, they look at voters’ appetite for asset sales, drawing on the latest data from the New Zealand Election Study.

Lovely article from PhD student Ciaran Doolin at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social on the ice-age debates of the 19th century. theconversation.com/nzs-earliest...

The UN’s latest climate change conference kicked off in Brazil this month. VUW climate change lecturer Dr Cathrine Dyer argues New Zealand’s delegation will be there “beneath a cloud of scepticism about the government’s seriousness in addressing carbon emissions”.

Dame Juliet Gerrard gives the Sir Frank Holmes lecture in public policy at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social’s School of Government — on lessons learned as chief science advisor at the intersection of science, policy, and politics.

The recent fire in Tongariro National Park burnt through nearly 3,000 hectares, leaving a charred landscape in its wake. Unfortunately, the risks of more events like this are rising, says Julie Deslippe, an associate professor in VUW’s School of Biological Sciences.

This morning ahead of #ICUH25 — taking place at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social: • Kai and Kōrero – a dialogue on sustainable, equitable #food systems • Designing Cities for Every Age – a symposium on age-friendly #communities @who.int @undecadeageing.bsky.social Stay tuned for live updates this week!

Failings in the police’s top ranks were revealed in the recent investigation of how complaints against former deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming were handled. Michael Macaulay says the case "brought into sharp focus how poor judgement and processes can corrode public confidence in an institution".

Wonderful work in the @elccprogramme.bsky.social at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social! Congratulations @nikkihessell.bsky.social

In this episode of RNZ's Our Changing World, Dr Andrew Lensen, a senior lecturer in AI at Te Herenga Waka, and Professor Bing Xue, deputy director of the University's Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, discuss how they're applying artificial intelligence in Aotearoa.

From his office window, Professor Geoff McLay can see all three branches of NZ’s government. He joined RNZ’s The House to unpack how they interact, interpret, and keep each other in check, without a written constitution, but with plenty of tension and tradition.

It's International Translation Day on Tuesday 30 September, coinciding with the Feast Day of Bible translator St Jerome, the patron saint of translators. For Professor Marco Sonzogni, the day is a special one to honour the work of translators and interpreters he calls "unsung heroes".

Giving a talk @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social (physics, Friday, 11am) - Drummers at the Gates of Dawn: Gravitational Waves from the Big Bang Department level so you will be able to follow the first part if you know a bit of physics... The second part if you know more than a bit of physics.

Te Herenga Waka researchers have secured $15m in Endeavour Fund support for projects from strengthening global software supply chains to brewing better non-alcoholic drinks—plus contributions to six others tackling challenges from tsunamis to climate monitoring.