Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

The Visual Narrative Lab: A Place for Storytellers Dylan Horrocks and Zach Dodson have created a university programme that their younger selves dreamed about. They are co-founders of The Visual Narrative Lab: a place for visualisers and world-builders

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.

Why National's taste for asset sales may prove bitter Opinion from Victoria University: National is likely to once more need the support of NZ First to form another government, and it's difficult to imagine Winston Peters accepting even minor concessions...

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.

NZ’s earliest climate change debate: the 150-year-old feud over glacial retreat In the 19th century, scientists could see landscape signs suggesting glaciers were larger in the past, but they settled on tectonic uplift as an explanation.

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

COP30: climate law changes mean NZ could retreat from its international obligations Proposed changes to New Zealand’s landmark climate law amount to a “soft renege” on the Paris Agreement, with potentially significant consequences for the economy.

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 fire is out, but Tongariro is now at risk of losing its unique biological legacy The disaster should raise questions about how we fund, manage and protect these vulnerable habitats when climate change is outpacing conservation efforts.

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!

‘Leadership is morality magnified’ – what police must learn from the McSkimming scandal Police handling of complaints against former deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming raises difficult questions about leadership, process and accountability.

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

Our Changing World: Putting AI to use in Aotearoa From modelling measles outbreaks to keeping track of Wellington's exploding kākā population, researchers are calling on AI to assist them with a vast array of projects.

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.

The third branch: Parliament's relationship with the courts The state has three independent branches. Victoria University Dean of Law Geoff McLay helps explain the crucial relationship between Parliament, government and the courts.

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.

Gained in translation | News | Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Professor Marco Sonzogni says International Translation Day acknowledges the invaluable everyday service provided by translators and interpreters

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".

YouTube video by AgoraVoxFrance Kodo - "O-Daiko" - HD (japanese drummers - Taiko - tambours géants Japon)

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.

Endeavour Fund delivers $15 million funding boost for Te Herenga Waka research | News | Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Two major research projects led by Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington researchers have been funded through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s 2025 Endeavour fund.

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.

Not every conference begins with a pōwhiri & a tour of one of the world’s most sustainable buildings!

That’s how #ICUH25 will open in Wellington this November — don’t miss your chance to be part of it!

Come visit @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social Ngā Mokopuna at #ICUH25

Register: icuh2025.org/registration

Experts send open letter to govt calling for better AI regulation More than 20 AI experts have signed an open letter urging the government to better regulate the use of artificial intelligence here. Victoria University senior lecturer in AI Dr Andrew Lensen spoke to...

With AI regulation in Aotearoa lagging, more than 20 AI experts have signed an open letter urging the government to act. One of the authors, Dr Andrew Lensen, Programme Director for Artificial Intelligence at the University, spoke to RNZ about why stronger oversight is needed.

Hiding behind jargon | E-Tangata “Seeing vowels present in Māori words grows a person’s ability to communicate and to understand New Zealand English, of which many Māori words are an everyday part.” — Vincent Olsen-Reeder and Corinne...

Research fellow Dr Vincent Olsen-Reeder and Associate Professor Corinne Seals unpack the jargon, such as “decoding” and “grapheme-phoneme correspondences”, behind the government’s near-total ban on Māori words in new books for teaching five-year-olds to read.

University open day draws record crowd as student interest surges More than 7000 prospective students and families descended on Victoria University’s Kelburn campus, marking a 41% jump in registrations from last year.

📰 Read more about how Open Day went with The Post:

It was fantastic to see people engaging with our staff, students, and partners, and getting a sense of what life could be like as part of our community.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, and to our partners across Wellington who helped showcase the experiences our city has to offer.

You can’t beat Wellington on a good day, and you definitely can’t beat Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington on Open Day.

We’ve just wrapped up our biggest Open Day yet, welcoming more than 7,000 future students and their whānau to our campuses.

“Not Today, Coloniser”: A Call to Courage from the Waves 2025 Indigenous Languages Summit, Ottawa Canada - Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Today, I had the honour of speaking on a global panel alongside other Indigenous leaders at the Waves 2025 Indigenous Languages Summit in Ottawa, Canada. Invited by the Indigenous Languages Commission...

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori and Kaitiakitanga, Professor Rawinia Higgins, who is also the Māori Language Commissioner, last week had the honour of speaking on a global panel alongside other Indigenous leaders at the Waves 2025 Indigenous Languages Summit in Ottawa.

The Peacemaker—David Harland's life’s work for peace | News | Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington A childhood surrounded by the “world of politics and war and peace” laid the foundation for 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award winner David Harland’s career in international diplomacy.

Raised amid politics and diplomacy, David Harland has dedicated his career to peacebuilding in the world’s toughest conflict zones. From Te Herenga Waka to leading global mediation, his work shows the power of courage and dialogue.

This year, he is a Distinguished Alumni Award winner.

The science of non-alcoholic beer episode of Our Changing World podcast More and more of us are reaching for low or no-alcohol beers. As the market grows, the options are also expanding – but brewing beer without alcohol fermentation presents a tricky puzzle. In tradition...

Non-alcoholic beer has taken off in the past few years. Where options were once scarce, brewers are taking up the challenge in droves. But how can you get the same flavour into beer without it? This is where a cross-disciplinary team of researchers from Te Herenga Waka comes in.

Get ready to experience Wellington like a Vic Uni student! We've got our 2025 Open Day coming up on Friday, 22 August.

Whether you’re coming from out of town or already call Wellington home, Open Day is your opportunity to picture the next exciting chapter of your life in the capital.

The royal commission recommended abolishing time limits on abuse cases – a year on, nothing has changed Time limits on civil claims of historical abuse deny justice and silence victims. Law reform would bring NZ into line with Australia and remove barriers to redress.

Time limits for filing civil claims relating to historic abuse continue to deny justice to survivors, say Dr Zoë Prebble, a lecturer in Criminal Law at Te Herenga Waka.

- Dr Vincent O’Malley FRSNZ—acclaimed author and historian, illuminating forgotten parts of our shared history.
- Dr David Harland—respected diplomat, brokering peace between nations.

Read more about the winners here.
www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2025/08...

- Dai Henwood ONZM—comedian, author, and beloved entertainer.
- Tanea Heke MNZM—actor and Director of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, nurturing the next generation of performing arts talent.
- Dr Ratu Mataira—physicist and CEO of OpenStar Technologies, leading groundbreaking scientific discoveries.

Announcing our 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award winners!

Every two years, we celebrate the brightest and boldest innovators, visionaries, and community connectors from within our 140,000 alumni with the Distinguished Alumni Awards.
This year, we have named five exceptional alumni as winners.

🫀 Our hearts might echo each other more than we think.

@roydongoldsack.bsky.social from @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social is visiting the Causality Group at RC Trust, invited by Alexander Marx (@a-marx.bsky.social), Chair of Causality group and Professor of Statistics.

🔗 rc-trust.ai/news/news-de...

Kamchatka earthquake is among top 10 strongest ever recorded. Here’s what they have in common The earthquake in Kamchatka is the largest worldwide since 2011. Its location has been very seismically active in recent months.

My thoughts on the recent M8.8 earthquake sequence and tsunami, with my NZ colleague John Townend @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social @earthquakes.au @monashuniversity.bsky.social theconversation.com/kamchatka-ea...