Centre for New Zealand Studies
Birkbeck, University of London
 
SEMINAR SERIES
 
The Centre for New Zealand Studies has updated its list of seminars. See the larger box below for full details.

Shona Moller : NZ Artist exhibiting in London

New Zealand based artist Shona Moller is exhibiting at Gallery 47, 47 Great Russell St Bloomsbury London from 10 -26 June 2008.

To find out more please visit www.shonamoller.com/london

New Zealand Cricket Team in London:

Monday 12 May - Dinner:

Plaisterers' Hall - Mingle with the New Zealand cricket team whilst enjoying a delicious 3-course dinner.
For more information visit www.eventwise.co.uk

Sir Richard Hadlee in London:

Thursday 15 May - Breakfast:

To coincide with the 1^st Day of the 1^st Test Match at Lords, England v New Zealand, Thursday 15 May. Five Star Landmark Hotel followed by best tickets to watch the match.
For more information visit www.teamtactics.co.uk

Wednesday 14 May - Lunch:

Boycott & Hadlee, England vs. NZ. Merchant Taylor's Hall. Mention you are from the NZ Society for a discount.
For more information : Tel: 020 7930 8910
Email: info@arundelpromotions.com
www.arundelpromotions.com

ANZAC Day breakfast (25 April 2008)

ANZAC Day is commemorated on the 25^th of April every year and a number of events are held in London. One event is the dawn service at Wellington Arch at the Australian and New Zealand memorials. This year Kea (NZ’s Global Talent Community) and Australian Business are joining forces to host a breakfast following the dawn service for Kiwis and Aussies to attend, network, and view the film Gallipoli, directed by Tolga Ornek. The film focuses on the human aspects of the campaign and portrays the emotions, fears, and sufferings of the ordinary soldiers in the trenches, without any discrimination of religion, language or race. 

Where: Hilton on Park Lane, a three minute walk from the memorial.

When: Friday 25 April, 7.30 – 9.30

Price: £15 for Kea, Australian Business and NZ Society members. £20 for non-members

 

Anyone interested in registering in the meantime can contact Kea UK at: uk@keanewzealand.com.

Non-partisan message from John Key, National Party Leader, regarding overseas voting:

"Hundreds of thousands of Kiwis live abroad, many of whom are entitled to vote, but only 45,535 are on the electoral roll. At the 2005 election only 27,000 votes in total were cast overseas.

This election year, I'm making a special plea to Kiwis everywhere to enrol to vote. In my experience, they care deeply about the country of their birth, and about its future.

Voting from overseas is easier than many people realise. The Electoral Commission's website, www.elections.org.nz, has all the details on how. It also has a dedicated email address for any questions on how to vote from overseas: overseas@elections.org.nz.

So if you will be out of New Zealand on Election Day this year please enrol to vote and have your say on election day."

Get Together Dinner - Wellington Girls' College Old Girls – London
 

6.30pm, Thursday 8 May 2008
Suze in Mayfair, 41 North Audley Street, London, W1K 6ZP

rsvp at your earliest convenience or any queries to:

Ann Macintyre
ann.macintyre@lineone.net
020 8533 4434 [home]

Vula - The Conch

 23 Apr – 3 May, The Pit, Barbican

Performed on a stage flooded with water, Vula (Fijian for ‘moon’) combines magic and illusion with traditional song and dance. With one rich and captivating image flowing into another, it paints an evocative picture of the lives of Pacific Island women and their relationship with the sea.

As the performers move and dance through the water, they take us on a journey through a Pacific Island day and night. Movement, song and humour intermingle with the glistening water in a wonderful harmony of elements.

 ‘Searingly beautiful.’ Capital Times, New Zealand

 Book online : www.barbican.org.uk/bite

 

Centre for New Zealand Studies - Birkbeck, University of London
Seminar series - Season Two, September 2007 to June 2008

The Centre for New Zealand Studies is pleased present its season of seminars. This list was updated 24 April 2008. All sessions are free, with the exception of the July conference, and no prior booking required. Any enquiries to Dr Ian Conrich ian@ianconrich.co.uk

Seminar 25 - Tuesday 29 April 2008  6.30-8.00
Centre for New Zealand Studies, Rm. 330, North Block, Senate House, Malet St., London WC1
The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, 1907-2007: A Kiwi Way of Life
Associate Professor Linda Bryder (University of Auckland), author of A Voice for Mothers: The Plunket Society and Infant Welfare, 1907-2000 (2003), and editor of A Healthy Country: Essays on the Social History of Medicine in New Zealand (1991).

Seminar 26 - Friday 2 May 2008  2.15 - 4.30
B13, Birkbeck cinema, 43 Gordon Sq., London WC1
British premiere of the film The Te Kooti Trail - (1927, Rudall Hayward)
To be preceded by A Takapuna Scandal - (1928, Rudall Hayward)
These screenings are restored prints kindly supplied by the New Zealand Film Archive - for further details on The Te Kooti Trail see http://www.filmarchive.org.nz/news/pr_030516_TFSTeKooti.html
This presentation will be supported by special live musical accompaniment from pianist Chris Hainsworth
Following the screening there will be 2 presentations at the Centre for New Zealand Studies, Rm. 330, North Block, Senate House, Malet St., London WC1
5.00-6.00 - Dr Gerri Kimber (Centre for New Zealand Studies), "The French Perception of Katherine Mansfield"
Dr Dominic Alessio (Richmond The American International University in London), gives an introduction to New Zealand's first science-fiction novel, The Great Romance (1881). See http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-Whi022Kota-t1-g1-t1.html.
6.00-7.00 - Wine reception to launch the modern printing of The Great Romance.
This day is in conjunction with the France-New Zealand Association and is open to everyone

Seminar 27 - Tuesday 13 May 6.30-8.30
B36 , Birkbeck, main building, Malet Street, London WC1
Special screening of the film Runaway  (1964, John O'Shea, 102 mins)
To be preceded by a selection of newsreel footage from the period
This film has been rarely seen in the UK since it was released in UK cinemas in 1965. New Zealand's first road movie, Runaway is an art-house styled film inspired by the modernism of key directors of the period such as Michelangelo Antonioni. This astonishing film - one of only 4 features made in New Zealand between 1940 and 1972 - features a specially composed score by Robin Maconie, and performances from a young Kiri Te Kanawa and Barry Crump. For a review, see http://www.enzedff.co.nz/n2062.html.

Seminar 28 - Tuesday 20 May 2008 6.30-8.00
Centre for New Zealand Studies, Rm. 330, North Block, Senate House, Malet St., London WC1
Bruce Mason's Attack on Middle-class New Zealand: The Early Plays
Professor Richard Corballis (Massey University), author of Stoppard: The Mystery and the Clockwork (2004), and co-author of Introducing Witi Ihimaera (1984). His writings on New Zealand have covered subjects such as cartoon strips, Keri Hulme, and Katherine Mansfield.

Seminar 29 - Thursday 29 May 2008 6.30-8.00
Centre for New Zealand Studies, Rm. 330, North Block, Senate House, Malet St., London WC1
Whiteness, Sexuality, and the Civilising Mission: The Early Films of Rudall Hayward
A special seminar with Professor Barbara Creed (University of Melbourne) and Associate Professor Jeanette Hoorn (University of Melbourne). Barbara is the author of The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis (1993), Media Matrix: Sexing The New Reality (2003), and Phallic Panic: Film, Horror and the Primal Uncanny (2005). Jeanette is the author of Australian Pastoral: The Making of a White Landscape (2007) and co-editor of Strange Women: Essays in Art and Gender (1994). Together they have edited Body Trade: Captivity, Cannibalism, and Colonialism in the Pacific (2001).

Seminar 30 - Thursday 5 June  6.30-8.30
B36 , Birkbeck, main building, Malet Street, London WC1
British premiere of the film The Tattooist (2007, Peter Burger, 92 mins)
To be preceded by Karma (2006, Damon Fepulea'i, 11 mins)
An American tattoo artist steals a Samoan tattoo gun and finds himself and those he tattoos threatened by an ancient force. A Samoan-based mystical thriller, which spans Singapore, Auckland, and the Pacific. Written by Jonathan King (director Black Sheep) and starring Jason Behr, David Fane, Robbie Magasiva, and Michael Hurst. Review at http://www.incinemas.co.nz/movies/moviepage.asp?MovieID=295

Seminar 31 - Wednesday 11 June 2008  6.30-8.00
Centre for New Zealand Studies, Rm. 330, North Block, Senate House, Malet St., London WC1
Special guest speaker Bill Manhire
New Zealand's inaugural poet laureate. An acclaimed poet, Bill's books include Malady (1970), The Elaboration (1972), Song Cycle (1975), How to Take off Your Clothes at the Picnic (1977), Good Looks (1982), Locating the Beloved and Other Stories (1983), The Old Man's Example (1990), Milky Way Bar (1991), and My Sunshine (1996).
Bill will read from and discuss his latest book of poetry Lifted, which won the poetry section at the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. He will be signing copies of the book at the end of the session.

Seminar 32 - Thursday 12 June 2008  6.30-8.30
B36 , Birkbeck, main building, Malet Street, London WC1
British Premiere of the film Kaikohe Demolition (2004, Florian Habicht, 52 mins)
To be preceded by Valley of the Stereos (1992, George Port, 15 mins)
Habicht has an eye for the offbeat side of New Zealand, and focuses his documentary on the mayhem of Northland's Kaikohe Demolition Derby. In this poetic record of a community's past-times, Habicht is drawn to the humorous side of devoted drivers and hoons. For a review see http://www.filmarchive.org.nz/feature-project/pages/Kaikohe-Demo.php

Seminar 33 - Wednesday 18 June 2008   6.30-8.00
Centre for New Zealand Studies, Rm. 330, North Block, Senate House, Malet St., London WC1
New Zealand Small Towns and Local Cultural Identity
Dr Claudia Bell (University of Auckland), author of the books Inventing New Zealand: Everyday Myths of Pakeha Identity (1996), and Community Issues in New Zealand (1997), co-author of Putting Our Town on the Map: Local Claims to Fame in New Zealand (1995), editor of Sociology of Everyday Life in New Zealand (2001), and co-editor of Cultural Studies in Aotearoa New Zealand: Identity, Space and Place (2004).

Seminar 34 - Thursday 19 June    6.30-8.30
B36 , Birkbeck, main building, Malet Street, London WC1
British premiere of the film Memory and Desire (1998, Niki Caro, 89 mins)
To be preceded by Sure to Rise (1994, Niki Caro, 14 mins)
This stunning debut feature by Niki Caro (who was later to direct Whale Rider) is based on a short story by Peter Wells, and is an extraordinary tale of love, tragedy, and loss involving a Japanese couple on honeymoon in New Zealand. Stunningly shot with a superb score by Peter Scoles, Memory and Desire won the award for best film at the 1999 NZ Film and Television Awards. See the review at  http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?id=511

Seminar 35 - Wednesday 25 June 2008  6.30-8.00
Centre for New Zealand Studies, Rm. 330, North Block, Senate House, Malet St., London WC1
Telling Stories: The State of Short Fiction in New Zealand
Special Guest Speaker Paula Morris (Tulane University)
Paula is the author of Queen of Beauty (2002), Hibiscus Coast (2005), and Trendy But Casual (2007). It is planned that Paula will be signing copies of her books afterwards.

Seminar 36 - Thursday 26 June 6.30-8.30
B36 , Birkbeck, main building, Malet Street, London WC1
British premiere of the film Scarfies (1999, Robert Sarkies, 94 mins)
To be preceded by Cow (2001, Michael Bennett, 12ms)
The debut feature of Robert and Duncan Sarkies, Scarfies was a box office hit in New Zealand, but was never shown in the UK. This thriller-comedy involving students and marijuana, has been compared to the film Shallow Grave, and employs the urban cityscape of Dunedin, and a soundtrack featuring bands comprising the Dunedin Sound. Details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarfies

2-4 July 2008
3-day international conference in central Florence, Italy The New Zealand Studies Association, together with the Centre for New Zealand Studies, 15th annual conference : New Zealand and the Mediterranean

The conference venue, at the Florence campus of Richmond The American International University in London, is a 16th century palace just 300 yards from the Uffizi Gallery, 200 yards from the Ponte Vecchio, and 100 yards from the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. A conference dinner and excursions are planned, with Florence within easy travel of Pisa, Rome, Bologna and Venice. 69 speakers in total with 10 keynote speakers confirmed: Claudia Bell, Roger Collins, Caroline Daley, James George, Patricia Grace, Jan Kemp, Michele Leggott, Karen Nero, Vincent O'Sullivan, and Christopher Pugsley. An excursion included within the conference will be an exclusive coach trip 30 miles south of Florence where Christopher Pugsley will provide a guided tour of the battle of San Michele.
Further details, including the formal CFP and conference poster, available at www.nzsa.co.uk/conferences
 

Seminar 37 - Wednesday 9 July 2008  6.30-8.00
Centre for New Zealand Studies, Rm. 330, North Block, Senate House, Malet St., London WC1
Colin McCahon: The Titirangi Years, 1953-1959
Associate Professor Peter Simpson (University of Auckland), writer, curator, critic and publisher. Peter is the manager and co-founder of the Holloway Press, and was the Editor of Span from 1981-86. He is the author of Ronald Hugh Morrieson (1982), and Answering Hark: McCahon/ Caselberg: Painter/Poet (2001), and editor of Seven New Zealand Novellas (2003). Peter will be discussing the subject for his recent book Colin McCahon: The Titirangi Years, 1953-1959 (2007); it is hoped that signed copies will be available afterwards.

Seminar 38 - Wednesday 16 July 2008  6.30-8.00
Centre for New Zealand Studies, Rm. 330, North Block, Senate House, Malet St., London WC1
Film Masterclass with David Blyth
The director of the New Zealand films Circadian Rhythms (1976), Angel Mine (1978), Death Warmed Up (1984), Moonrise (1992), Bound for Pleasure (2001), and Our Oldest Soldier (2002). This masterclass will be well supported by film extracts

Seminar series - Season Three, September 2008 to June 2009

Seminar 1 - Tuesday 2 September 2008 6.00 - 9.00
Birkbeck venue TBA
Special screening of the seminal film Sleeping Dogs (1977, Roger Donaldson, 107mins)
To be introduced by C.K. Stead
Based on the novel Smith's Dream, by C.K. Stead, Sleeping Dogs depicts an imagined near-future New Zealand. Predating the 1981 anti-apartheid demonstrations, the film depicts a state of emergency, revolutionary action, and civil division.
Read the original New York Times review at <http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0CE5DA103BF93BA15751C0A964948260>.
This event is in association with the New Zealand Society.

The Centre for New Zealand Studies, Birkbeck, University of London, in association with the University of Northampton, is proud to present
The Katherine Mansfield Centenary Conference, Birkbeck, University of London, 4-6 September 2008

The year 2008, as well as being the 120th anniversary of her birth, celebrates the centenary of Katherine Mansfield’s arrival in London in 1908 from New Zealand at the age of nineteen, in order to pursue a career as a writer. This major three-day international conference aims to re-evaluate Katherine Mansfield’s contribution to twentieth-century literature, as well as assessing the state of Mansfield scholarship and criticism today. Special events to co-ordinate with the conference include a screening of John Reid’s Mansfield biopic Leave all Fair, a conference dinner in the Penthouse of New Zealand House, and a one-woman show by Lorae Parry based on the personal writing of Mansfield. 65 speakers in total with 11 keynotes confirmed: Professor Mary Ann Caws, Dr Ian Conrich, Professor Clare Hanson, Kathleen Jones, Professor Sydney Janet Kaplan, Margaret Scott, Professor Angela Smith, Professor C. K. Stead, Professor Vincent O’ Sullivan, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, and Professor John Worthen. Further details, including the conference poster, registration forms and hotel accommodation, available at http://www.nzsa.co.uk/conferences.htm

This Conference is sponsored by the New Zealand Society
 

 

Coming events and Nuze @ Suze in Mayfair
(If you are attending the Westminster Abbey service, it is advisable to make a lunch reservation)

ANZAC Day at Suze in Mayfair, Friday 25th and Saturday 26th April
~~ STARTERS ~~
~ PUMPKIN and ORANGE SOUP
~ NEW ZEALAND GREEN SHELL MUSSELS in a SAFFRON & CARDAMON VELOUTÉ, topped with CRISPED SPRING ONIONS
~ SEARED KANGAROO FILLET on a SALAD of LOTUS ROOT, CHINESE CABBAGE & SNOWPEAS, with a RIBERRY DRESSING
~ PAN-FRIED CROCODILE on PICKLED ASIAN VEGETABLES with a SCHEZWAN PEPPER DRESSING
~~ MAINS ~~
~ NEW ZEALAND LAMB RUMP on SPRING VEGETABLES & CRUSHED MINTED PEAS, served with a PINOT NOIR JUS
~ AUSTRALIAN WILD BOAR FILLET on a CASSOULET of PUY LENTILS & VEGETABLES with a CELERY PUREE and MADEIRA SAUCE
~ ROTOLO of PUMPKIN, RICOTTA, SPINACH & TOASTED PINENUTS with a SAGE BROWN BUTTER (V)
~ PANFRIED RED MULLET on SWEET POTATO MASH, SAUTÉED COURGETTES and a WHITE WINE & DILL SAUCE
~~ DESSERT ~~
~ SUZE NEW ZEALAND PAVLOVA with PASSIONFRUIT COULIS and SEASONAL FRUITS
~ BAKED UPSIDE DOWN PINEAPPLE PUDDING with VANILLA ANGLAISE
~ HOKEY POKEY PARFAIT
~~ COFFEE and ANZAC BISCUITS~~
TWO COURSES @ 22.50
THREE COURSES and a COMPLIMENTARY GLASS of LINDAUER @ 30.00

DAIRY NOTE
CHAMPAGNE G.H. MUMM GOURMET EVENING
TUTORED TASTING and DINNER, 15th May 2008

PRIVATE ROOMS AVAILABLE. Birthday, wedding, leaving party, reunion or celebration ~ come to SUZE !!

SUZE in MAYFAIR, Tom & Susan Glynn New Zealanders of the Year 2006 ~ Proprietors, Joe Willis ~ Manager
41 North Audley St, London W1K 6ZP        020 7491 3237        www.suzeinmayfair.com

Photo exhibition : New Zealand’s centenary as a dominion

Beehive hair ‘dos’, the grand opening of New Zealand House and Kiwi trade and lifestyle from the 1950s all feature in a photographic exhibition opening 26 Sept to 26 Sept 2008 to mark the centenary of New Zealand becoming a dominion.   The exhibition highlights the NZ-UK relationship since 1907 and New Zealand’s evolving national identity through a range of historic snapshots from the High Commission’s photo archive.

Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt ONZ, New Zealand High Commissioner, says that while many New Zealanders in the UK might not realise the significance of the first Dominion Day - 26 September 1907 - it was an important date in terms of our national story. “The move from being a colony to a dominion within the British Empire had considerable symbolic significance in New Zealand’s development.  It signalled New Zealand was a country in its own right and also reflected our own growing sense of maturity,” says Mr Hunt.

New Zealand was proclaimed a dominion on 26 September 1907 when Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward made the announcement from the steps of Parliament.  Commemorations of the centenary in Wellington on 26 September 2007 (NZ time) included a re-enactment of the proclamation and a symposium, opened by the Prime Minister Rt Hon Helen Clark, to debate the concepts of nationhood.

The High Commission’s exhibition includes snapshots from the opening of New Zealand House, the carving of Te Pouihi, trade and lifestyle pictures from the 1950s/60s and sporting, defence and royal links. It finishes with images from recent events such as the 2006 dedication of the New Zealand memorial. 

“There is something for everyone in this exhibition and while providing a walk down memory lane, it reminds us of the growth and the future of the NZ-UK relationship,” says Mr Hunt.  

2007 is also the 60^th anniversary of New Zealand’s adoption of the Statute of Westminster which gave the New Zealand parliament full legislative powers from Britain.

The exhibition opens on 26 September and runs until 26 September, 2008.
Open: 9am – 6pm. Mezzanine floor, New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4TQ.

Related links:
www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/dominion-day
www.mch.govt.nz
www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/video/dominion-day-video

Dominion status background

On 26 September 1907 Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward announced that the colony of New Zealand had ceased to exist; it had become, instead, a dominion within the British Empire. This was an important symbolic moment in New Zealand’s perceptions of nationhood.  New Zealand had outgrown its 19^th century status as a colonial outpost of Great Britain.  The 1907 Imperial Conference, after a lengthy debate, had settled on the term “Dominion” to distinguish self-governing colonies from Crown colonies. The Order in Council changing the title from colony to dominion was issued on 9 September.  The proclamation for New Zealand was made on 10 September and took effect on 26 September 1907.

 New Zealand’s first Dominion Day

The first Dominion Day was a holiday for public servants.  An aluminium Dominion Day medal was struck for every schoolchild in New Zealand. As the capital, Wellington made the most of 26 September.  A Guard of Honour and band marched across town from the Mount Cook army barracks to Parliament House.  There at 11.00am, the Governor, Lord Plunket, invited Prime Minister Ward to read the proclamation of dominion status.

 The demise of dominion status

Dominion status had symbolic, rather than actual constitutional, meaning as the country had in fact been self governing for many years.  Further change came in November 1947 when New Zealand ratified the Statute of Westminster 1931, which had removed London’s right to legislate for the dominions unless they asked it to.  The Constitution Act 1986 removed the last faint provision for the British parliament to make laws for New Zealand.

Although the term is no longer used to describe New Zealand, the 1907 royal proclamation of dominion status has never been revoked and remains in force today.  New Zealand’s formal title may therefore still include the term “dominion”.  Generally, however, the country is today known as the Realm of New Zealand.