2007 Distinguished Speaker

Professor Paul Callaghan

Beyond the farm and the theme park

Lecture tour, 13 November - 10 December 2007: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton  (all pdfs)

Converting most of our forest into greenhouse gas has given us an abundance of grass and a thriving dairy industry. Yet through good fortune and some wise heads, we have, notwithstanding attempts to subdue it, sufficient residual natural environment to claim the label "clean and green".

Our landscape is magnificent and helps define who we are. But this lecture will argue that we have the potential to be a great deal more besides, and that we must be if we are to build the society we want our children to thrive in. It will argue that we can enhance our prosperity through sensible investment in science and technology, coupled with culture change.

The first part is the easy bit. The second requires self-belief and a sense of purpose. David Lange once said New Zealand's destiny was to be a theme park (and Australia's, a quarry). We can surely think and act beyond that. Indeed New Zealand is such an interesting place to live precisely because we are so capable of determining our future.


CHRISTCHURCH
Time: 5.30 pm
Date: Tuesday 13 November 2007
Location: The Great Hall, Arts Centre,
cnr Worcester Boulevard and Rolleston Avenue,
Christchurch
Admission is free on a first come first served basis
Seats can be reserved at speaker@rsnz.org or 04 470 5802 (please indicate location)
Leaflet (pdf)

DUNEDIN
Time: 5.30 pm
Date: Monday 19 November 2007
Location: St David’s Lecture Theatre, University of Otago,
facing Cumberland Street, Dunedin
Admission is free on a first come first served basis
Seats can be reserved at speaker@rsnz.org or 04 470 5802 (please indicate location)
Leaflet (pdf)

AUCKLAND
Time: 7.00 pm
Date: Thursday 22 November 2007
Location: The Auditorium,
Auckland War Memorial Museum
Auckland Domain
Leaflet (pdf)

WELLINGTON
Time: 6.00 pm
Date: Monday 26 November 2007
Location: Soundings Theatre, Te Papa,
Cable Street, Wellington
Admission is free on a first come first served basis
Seats can be reserved at speaker@rsnz.org or 04 470 5802 (please indicate location)
Leaflet (pdf)

HAMILTON
Time: 7.00 pm
Date: Monday 10 December 2007
Location: Price Waterhouse Cooper Theatre, Management School,
Waikato University, Hamilton
Parking is available in the staff car park, Gate 7 on Hillcrest Road.
Access to the Management School is north of the carpark.
For campus map:  www.waikato.ac.nz/contacts/map.pdf
Admission is free on a first come first served basis
Seats can be reserved at speaker@rsnz.org or 04 470 5802 (please indicate location)
Leaflet (pdf)