• Funding new social science research projects / initiatives in Aotearoa New Zealand
• Building capacity by contributing to the development of new and emerging researchers through awards and workshops
• Developing the profile of social science through seminars, distinguished visitors and network building
• Establishing researcher collaboration and communication through enhanced linkages amongst social scientists
• Encouraging networking via the Access Grid Nodes
  

Five targeted networks already exist and will undertake a programme of Access Grid based seminars and workshops during the year. Membership of the networks and participation in the Access Grid events is open to anyone who has an interest in the topics under discussion. Seminars are advertised on the website and through new and existing email lists.

The new and existing networks are:

• Maori network
• Pasifika Talanoa network
• New Settlers network
• Emerging and early career researchers' network
• Identities Network

Access Grid Seminars

Pacific Postgraduate Talanoa Network - The next seminar in the 2012 series will be held on the Access Grid on Monday 7 May from 3 - 5pm. Hosted by Waikato University, details of speakers will be available shortly.

BRCSS Identities Network - The second seminar in this series will be held on the Access Grid on Wednesday 2 May from 2:30 - 4pm. Robert Didham from Statistics New Zealand will discuss "Classifications and contested dominant identities in Aotearoa". The topics covered in the seminar include: colonial histories and new settler identities; racism and majority labels and the implications for inclusion & exclusion; the structure and content of the classification; collecting and processing data; output and analysis of data; what the data can not be used for; what this implies for our themes. If you would like to attend, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it stating which access grid venue you would like to use. The first event for 2012 was held on the Access Grid on Wednesday 28 March from 2 - 4pm. This session was a round table discussion with Avril Bell, Claudia Bell, Ingrid Huygens, Deborah Jones & Mike Goldsmith on the theme The politics of naming – Pakeha or what? A recording of this session is available here.

BRCSS National Symposium on Service Learning: You are warmly invited to join the first symposium to discuss service learning, community engaged learning, internships or cooperative learning in the community to be held Friday 15 June 9-12pm, via the access grid rooms at each University. The session will be hosted by the University of Otago and chaired by Associate Professor Martin Tolich. There will be multiple presentations from around the country. Each speaker will discuss their experiences placing students in the community and where possible one student representative (at each site) will talk about their experience. The following speakers have agreed to share their experiences:

• Kerry Shepherd, University of Otago, Higher Education Development Centre
• Professor Eric Pawson, Geography, University of Canterbury
• Keryn McDermott, Social Sciences, AUT University
• Gaynor Corkery, Education, University of Otago
• Jessica Johnston, Humanities, University of Canterbury
• TBA PhD Student, University of Canterbury
• Associate Rachel Spronken-Smith, University of Otago, Higher Education Development Centre

Please notify Martin Tolich ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) if others currently teaching via service learning or its equivalent want to share their experience. Abstracts for all presentations will be distributed in late May. If you would like to attend, please register with This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If you would like to register to receive email updates, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . All BRCSS Access Grid seminars are free of charge and open to anyone with an interest in the topic. Abstracts from past presentations are available in the Archives section of the website.

Upcoming Events　

•  3rd Mobilities Symposium - Mobilities and Wellbeing. Call for Papers and Participation

  Building on the success of two earlier Symposia held at Otago and Massey Universities, the 2012 Mobilities Symposium will be held in Auckland on 14 - 15 June, 2012. Bringing together researchers from across the social sciences and humanities to consider the mobility practices and dispositions of everyday life and their implications for social, physical, mental , emotional and/or, spiritual wellbeing, the organisers welcome contributions from any disciplinary perspective, and particularly encourage postgraduate participation.

  Paper and panel proposals should be emailed to Robin Kearns ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) by 14 May 2012. Papers can be submitted without suggesting a panel or session. Please put Mobilities and Wellbeing in the subject line of your email and in the attachment include your name, email address, affiliation, paper title, and an abstract of no more than 200 words, as well as up to 5 keywords. A biographical note of up to 3 sentences would also be helpful. More details will be sent closer to the time to those who register. Registration is free, but please note: Participants are responsible for travel to/from the symposium, finding their accommodation, and purchasing their own refreshments and lunches. Registration will close when 40 places are filled. The programme is limited to 30 papers.

• New Zealand Geographical Society Conference 2012, ‘Connecting Landscapes’
  This conference will  be held from 3 - 6 December, 2012 at the Napier War Memorial Conference Centre. The Manawatu Branch of the New Zealand Geographical Society has the pleasure of inviting geographers to their biennial conference. In a break from tradition the conference this year will be held for the first time at Napier’s War Memorial Conference Centre. The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Connecting Landscapes’ and they encourage geographers of all stripes to participate in Napier. The conference is open to geographers anywhere in the world and they especially encourage graduate students as well as established faculty to attend and present their work. If you have any questions please contact Professor Mike Roche  ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Dr Matthew Henry ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
   

• Join our Emailing List for upcoming workshops, seminars and events.