In the final fortnight’s run up to New Zealand's General Election, University of Otago's Dr Neil Vallelly will ask some serious questions about our political climate in the context of contemporary geopolitics.

Across the globe, wall-builders, anti-migrant populists and warmongers are having their day at the ballot box and in the wider public sphere, he says. But in New Zealand, these political trends remain relatively fringe, despite having many of the same drivers - such as high immigration, increasing wealth inequality and deteriorating public services.

“Do we risk becoming plagued by the same divisive and derisive politics affecting other liberal democracies, or is New Zealand unique on the global stage and somehow shielded from political trends endangering democracy across the world?”

Neil will address these questions by placing our current political environment within the context of global politics since the mid-1980s, when New Zealand embraced globalisation, especially economic reforms and migration policies.

"Globalisation is often misunderstood as simply the world becoming more interconnected. In fact, it's also meant the fracturing and closure of the world, as we see by the rapid extension of border walls, militarization of border security and the use of economic sanctions since the early 1990s.”

Dr Neil Vallelly is a senior lecturer in Sociology at the University of Otago, and his most recent book is Edges of Empire: The Politics of Immigration in Aotearoa New Zealand, 1980–2020 (Auckland University Press, 2025).

This event is part of MindJam, a celebration of thinking presented by Catalyst Trust and Otago University's Humanities Division, in Arrowtown this coming Labour Weekend.

Discussions will range from how to build a better world to the ‘new’ feminism, ‘teachnology’, AI relationships in literature and life, and the global context of NZ's general election. Check the schedule on our Catalyst Trust Humanitix page and come join us for some MindJam magic.

MINDJAM, Friday Oct 23, 6:30 pm; Saturday 24th, 11am and 1 pm; Sunday 25th 11am and 1pm. At Lakes District Museum, Arrowtown.

See Catalyst Trust's Humanitix page for the full event schedule. Attendance is free, with koha going to Lakes District Museum's education programme.

PLEASE GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THIS SESSION ONLY ON THIS HUMANITIX PAGE.

Contact the host of New Zealand's General Election – The Global Context | MindJam - Catalyst Trust