Join us for Café Scientifique this June and learn how nature inspires medicine. A chemist and a biologist explore marine organisms, weaving Pacific knowledge with western science. Free, all welcome, nibbles provided. More info: www.wgtn.ac.nz/scis/about/e...

We’re proud to celebrate Te Herenga Waka's connections with the honourees of this year’s King’s Birthday Honours! Read more about our alumni and former staff recognised in this year’s honours here:

E te whānau o Te Herenga Waka, kua hinga tō tātau koroua a Tā Hirini Moko Mead. Nāna tō tātau whare, tō tātau marae i whakatū, hai whakaruruhau mō te tini me te mano o ngā ākonga, o ngā kaimahi, me ngā manuhiri nō ngā hau e whā.

Sweeping public sector reforms assume fewer jobs and more AI will deliver better value for taxpayers. But that is far from certain, write Barbara Allen, Jonathan Boston, and Michael Macaulay.

Busy day outside my office window yesterday. 🧑🏽‍🎓👩🏼‍🎓👨🏼‍🎓

And always pleased to see some of the folk who crossed paths on their journey celebrate their successes, esp Helena who gave a splendid — and democratised — graduate address. 🙌🏼

Including the usual first XV photo with our law whānau. 📸

Graduation day at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social is always special. Congrats to all the folk who signed off their time with us at Te Herenga Waka. 🤓👩🏼‍🎓🧑🏽‍🎓👨🏼‍🎓

Taitaifono Tamati, who graduates with a Bachelor of Commerce this week, carries his identity with him wherever he goes, and that heritage will carry him across the stage at this May’s graduation.

A reminder about this event tonight. Register below.

As the only university that’s an official nominator in New Zealand, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is privileged to announce its choice of nominees for the 2026 Earthshot Prize.

An event this coming Monday evening at the NZ Centre for Public Law at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social that folk might be interested in. Register here: vuw.eventsair.com/treaty-now-t...

“Greenwashing” is the term often used to describe companies’ attempts to make themselves seem greener than they really are. Now, there’s a new game in town: greenhushing.

Mighty congratulations Charlotte + @bwbnz.bsky.social 👏 arts.unimelb.edu.au/news/charlot... and a reminder that this was a @royalsocietynz.bsky.social Marsden funded project in Humanities! #HumanitiesMatter #history @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social

This King’s Birthday Weekend, a new generation of rangatahi will take to the stage at the National Shakespeare Festival in Wellington, hosted by Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand (SGCNZ) with support and sponsorship from Vic Uni.

New research led by Professor of Sociology Kevin Dew shows doctors can act as gatekeepers or brokers—and the role they play can affect who gets access to healthcare. In an article for The Conversation, Kevin and colleagues from Massey and Otago universities discuss the results of their research.

The government recently announced plans to scrap the BSA. But the decision raises big questions about whether the industry can be trusted to self-regulate & whether news media will still be held accountable to basic standards of accuracy, balance, & fairness, says Associate Professor Peter Thompson.

A wild and windy day in the capital — and a perfect day for reading and interrogating some public law scholarship in community at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social. #laws522 #publiclaw 🤓

A lunch bar in Auckland and Hamilton is serving lo'i hoosi (horse meat) pies, and they are proving popular. But why was there a backlash to them when they were first offered? Radio NZ asked one of our anthropologists, Dr Amir Sayadabdi.

Today . . . Between the Lines: Recent Books in NZ Studies Author Charlotte Macdonald in conversation with @vomalley.bsky.social & Peter Cooke When: Wed 6 May 4.10–5.10pm Where: Stout Research Centre + Livestream www.wgtn.ac.nz/stout-centre... @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social @bwbnz.bsky.social #history

Recent floods in Wellington are estimated to have cost many millions of dollars in damage to property. But this won’t be the only cost. Extreme weather events also have long-term effects on our lives and livelihoods, says Professor Ilan Noy, Chair in the Economics of Disasters and Climate Change.

Weight-loss drugs have had plenty of media coverage. But VUW Professor Jessica Lai argues we’re not always getting the full story about the control and marketing of these drugs.

A new study is shining light on one of the big questions in earthquake research: how do large quakes stop? Turns out, it’s with something of a bang, not a whimper.

Native frogs descended from a pair that escaped a frog breeding research project during a flood in the 1970s have been rediscovered in a backyard in Lower Hutt after 50 years.

An ‘ordinary’ storm with extraordinary impacts: what made Wellington’s deluge so intense? James Renwick, Professor of Physical Geography at our School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, explains.

The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Due to the risk to life and probable travel disruptions, all campuses are closing. Please prioritise your safety and head home now if you can.

@vicuniwgtn.bsky.social newsroom.co.nz/2026/03/15/d...

Kākā burst back into Wellington after more than 70 years of regional extinction. Scientists were concerned that public opinion might turn against the destructive & noisy birds, but they have become a much-loved poster child for Wellington’s conservation success. #ConservationOptimism #EarthOptimism

“Rocks are quite fascinating, and if you're prepared to sort of spend a bit of time looking at them, they are a window on a world that you would never know existed,” says @VicUniWgtn.bsky.social geologist Simon Lamb. Earth’s oldest rocks, on this week’s episode: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/old...

Three Te Herenga Waka professors have been elected as Fellows of the Academy of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. Fellowship recognises researchers who have achieved excellence in their field of study.

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...