Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Auckland

18/08/2026

This morning our Sport, Health, and Physical Education students took to Ōkahu Bay with the Waipapa Taumata Rau Waka Ama Club, and got to enjoy these stunning views of the Tāmaki Makaurau harbour 🌊

04/08/2026

Are you nearing the end of your degree and wondering what's next? A Graduate Diploma in Teaching may be your next step!

Come along to our upcoming Grad Dip Teaching Pop-ups where you can talk to current students and lecturers, and learn everything you need to know about these programmes.

📅 Thursday 20 August
🕒 12-1pm
📍 B201 Atrium (Level 4), 10 Symonds Street, Auckland

Begin your journey into a rewarding career, and inspire future generations by becoming a teacher in just one year!

For more information and to register for this free pop-up, visit this link https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/grad-dip-teaching-pop-ups-tickets-1995395554819?aff=oddtdtcreator

29/07/2026

🎉 Research and Reason podcast is back!

How did diversity become part of a country's identity?🌏

🎙️ Our Acting Dean Associate Professor Kathy Smits explores how changing demographics, human rights, trade and national identity shaped multicultural policy in New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

🎧 Listen now: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/2Rj8HTGf84b

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/l5hZV5SATHo

17/07/2026

A summer research project on lesser-known female artists from New Zealand has led third-year BFA student Audrey Goggin to the discovery of distant relative and landscape painter Rhona Haszard and her body of work nearly a century later.

In her upcoming solo show 'the cause of all the trouble', opening 21 July at the Elam Galleries Project Space in Auckland, Audrey has created a mixed-media body of work in honour and interpretation of Haszard's life. The exhibition, she claims, feeds into her "ongoing exploration of how identity exists and is claimed" in the past into a modern context.

The exhibition will be available to the public from 22 July to 25 July. Read more on this story here:

The connection between an early 20th century bohemian woman artist and a Bachelor of Fine Arts student is at the heart of a solo show opening on 21 July at Elam Galleries.

03/07/2026

As Americans prepare to mark their 250th July 4, Dr Jennifer Frost asks: how are they feeling about their nation?

In this opinion piece for Newsroom, she discusses Trump, Freedom250 and the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

Read more here:

Comment from Auckland University: Trump’s Freedom250 has held a mixed martial arts cage fight on the White House grounds and a daylong Christian worship service to rededicate the USA as ‘One Nation Under God’

03/07/2026

OPINION: Should we care about where Taylor Swift’s wedding will take place, what her “bridal manicure” will be, or whether Blake Lively got an invite? Absolutely not. And I say that as a long-time fan.

Should we care that serious media outlets think this is important or in any way newsworthy, and have been covering it for 10 months? Yes, we should.

The spotlight on The Wedding takes the conversation from Swift’s impact on the world as an artist and worker, to her pending role as a wife and potential mother.

I suspect that much of the mainstream coverage about it reflects commercial motivations (Swift means clicks!) rather than a conscious goal to reduce a working woman to her wedding.

However, the massive volume of the pre-wedding articles unfortunately plays into the hands of those who do consciously think women are made to be wives and mothers.

I’m talking about tradwife culture, a growing, retrograde movement from the US popularised on YouTube and social media. Tradwives claim to submit to their husbands and serve as homemakers (and mothers) while their husbands have paid employment.

The “Taylor-tradwife” theory was debunked by Swift herself who called out how “offensive” it was to assume a woman would leave her job when she got married.

However, in the months since, mainstream outlets have still implicitly presented getting married as the pinnacle of this working woman’s life through their continual coverage.

The subliminal message is that even in the middle of her most productive artistic period, highest album sales, and industry recognition for two decades of songwriting, what matters most about Swift is that she has “finally” found a man to marry.

So yes, we should care about how the media has approached Taylor Swift’s wedding. Female artists deserve better than the world obsessing about them being a bride. Female readers deserve actual news.

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This article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland.

Excerpt from an opinion piece originally published on Newsroom.

Dr Maxine Lewis is a lecturer in humanities at The University of Auckland.

22/06/2026

How are Chinese migrant families navigating belonging and identity in New Zealand today?

Education PhD student Sophie Jing explores how Chinese migrant parents understand cultural competence, cultural understanding, identity and practice, and what kinds of ways they hope their children will express those things.

Read more ⬇️

How Chinese mothers bringing up their families in New Zealand shape their children's cultural identity is the focus of a study by PhD student Sophie Jing.

15/06/2026

⚽ What happens when sporting success comes at an environmental cost?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be the biggest in history, with more teams, more matches and more fans travelling from around the world.

Dr Chris McMillan from School of Social Sciences is here to discuss the climate impact of mega sporting events, the commercial forces driving the expansion of the tournament, and the political complexities around hosting the World Cup across three countries.

🎧Listen to the latest episode now: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/uoa-arts
🎥Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m9lPLsRR63Y

14/06/2026

Join us for a special evening with Sir Gregory Doran, one of the world's leading Shakespearean directors, in conversation with acclaimed actor and director Michael Hurst.

The duo will discuss their life-long relationships with the Bard's work, their careers and their vision of Shakespeare's place within contemporary Britain and New Zealand.

Sir Gregory Doran has redefined the landscape of 21st-century British theatre, having directed the entirety of William Shakespeare's canonical body of work and beyond. Accompanying him is multi-award-winning actor and director Michael Hurst, who has spearheaded countless productions both on and off the stage as an icon of New Zealand's theatre industry.

This event is supported by the British Council New Zealand

📅 Wednesday 8 July
🕒 6-8pm
📍 201-440, 10 Symonds Street, Auckland

This is an evening you won't want to miss! For more information and to register for this free event, visit this link https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/sir-gregory-doran-in-conversation-with-michael-hurst-tickets-1989352849926

03/06/2026

🎙️New episode of Research and Reason is here!

Dr Ritesh Shah specialises in education in conflict and disaster zones and the politics of foreign aid. He sits to discuss his work with the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies (CAPRS), including their latest project: giving voices to the teachers on the frontline in Gaza.

🎧Listen now: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/uoa-arts
💻 Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/JzjsUVKvUOo