The University of Otago’s School of Geography, in collaboration with the New Zealand Geographical Society (Otago Branch), will host a symposium titled, Global Development in Flux on 4–5 September 2025.

The event will explore shifting aid and development policy and practice, with particular attention to Oceania. Bringing together speakers from academia and civil society, the symposium will consider how development is being reimagined in times of rapid change.

A highlight of the programme is the Annual Ron Lister Lecture, to be delivered by Emeritus Professor John Overton from the Victoria University of Wellington. His lecture, “From ruptures to resilience? Imagining relationship-based development”, will take place on the evening of Thursday, 4 September, in the Richardson Building.

Following this, an online panel discussion will feature leading international experts who will reflect on challenges and opportunities in global development across different regions.

Sessions over the two days include contributions from scholars and practitioners working on themes such as Pacific sovereignty, aid policy, locally led development, disaster response and financial inclusion.

Both in-person and online participation are welcome. For more details about participation and other information, please see the attached programme.