Professional Historians' Association of New Zealand/Aotearoa - Phanza

Home
New Zealand
Wellington
Professional Historians' Association of New Zealand/Aotearoa - Phanza

PHANZA is a membership organisation for professional historians in Aotearoa New Zealand

29/07/2025

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage is disestablishing four of its five senior historian roles. Historian and former editor for Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand Jock Phillips joins Nights to discuss.

23/07/2025

Whew, PHANZA Professional Development Day 2025 is done and we had a brilliant time! It was a delight to welcome over 80 people in-person at St. Andrews on the Terrace and online.

Historians, heritage professionals, curators, archivists, genealogists, writers and students came from around the country to take part in PHANZA's first in-person event since the pandemic. The result was a day of lively conversation, thought-provoking insights, inspiration, support and connection.

🔥 A few (of many!) highlights:

💡 Our first keynote speaker Thom Conroy talked about the allure of what’s not possible - the histories that didn’t come to pass - while pondering the ethical concerns of historical fiction.

💚 Speaking from Dublin, our other keynote Clare Murphy shared the almost-mystical power of storytelling to connect people across time, place and circumstance, creating much-needed community and empathy.

🖋️ Joel McManus brought us a journalist’s view of working with the past, explaining how he uses resources like PapersPast to dig into the real history behind some of New Zealand’s funniest, strangest and most intriguing stories.

🌈 Paul Diamond shared the 18-year research journey behind his book Downfall: The Destruction of Charles Mackay, a powerful work of q***r history that brings a complex past into the light.

Other topics included writing historical fiction for children and young adults; the interaction of archaeology and history to research New Zealand’s first Chinese settlement; histories of place and contested heritage; and how (or if) we should use AI tools for historical research.

A huge thank you to all our wonderful presenters, and to our attendees who made for such curious, engaged participants.

See you all at the next one!

16/07/2025

Applications are now open for the (very generous) Friends of the Hocken Collections Award.

Established in 2016 to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Friends of the Hocken Collections, this Award of $10,000 aims to support a research project on some aspect of the historical development of culture and society in New Zealand, primarily using the resources of the Hocken Collections at the University of Otago, Dunedin.

Applications for the Award close on 15 October 2025.

For further information, head to https://phanza.org.nz/friends-of-the-hocken-collections-award-2026-applications-open-now/
Hocken Collections

10/07/2025

We're looking forward to hosting PHANZA Professional Development Day 2025 at historic St Andrew's on the Terrace on 19 July.

If you're haven't yet registered, we still have some spots left but get in quick!

It's going to be an inspiring day focusing on how history is told, written, and seen, and featuring rich conversations about diverse forms and formats of engaging the past.

Speakers include Thom Conroy, Clare Murphy, Joel MacManus, Margaret Tennant, Paul Diamond, Philippa Werry, Adrian Humphris, Gareth Watkins and Roger Smith, Richard Walter, Rowan Light, Alison Breese, Natalie Looyer and Sian Smith.

🗓️ Saturday 19 July, in-person in Pōneke Wellington and remote. Non-members are most welcome and there are ticket options for students/unwaged.

📌 For full details and to register, head to https://phanza.org.nz/professional-development-day-2025-diverse-forms-of-historical-narration/

Address

PO Box
Wellington
1904

Website

http://www.phanza.org.nz/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Professional Historians' Association of New Zealand/Aotearoa - Phanza posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Professional Historians' Association of New Zealand/Aotearoa - Phanza:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Wellington?