In this korero, Dr Sam Hassibi talks with Dr Michael Brown about rebellion and music at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Focusing on group singing, they talk about the students’ political and social activities and activism in the mid-20th century. Michael’s article that is mentioned in the podcast, ‘Many happy song-sessions: Kiwi youth sings’, was published in the Labour History Project Newsletter (pp. 14-19). [https://issuu.com/labourhistoryproject/docs/lhp_newsletter_55_aug_2012] 

Sam is a Research Fellow at the Stout Centre for New Zealand Studies and her research interests are cultural studies, food culture, and media. Dr Michael Brown works as Curator, Music at the Alexander Turnbull Library (part of the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa). His research interests include folk music, New Zealand popular music and music archiving. In 2023, he takes up the JD Stout Fellowship to work on a study of electronic music and the internet.

Rebellious Minds: Kiwi Youth Sings – a kōrero with Dr Michael Brown

Climate action is a broad term that Dr Amanda Thomas defines as “the tools people put together in order to address climate change”. Climate justice, on the other hand, looks at the equitable implications of our climate actions.  

Climate justice is important in addressing sustainability because climate change is one of the biggest threats to the long-term health and wellbeing of  the planet and its inhabitants, and its impacts are often disproportionately felt by marginalised and vulnerable communities. Throughout this episode key considerations related to both climate action and climate justice are discussed, including the role of industry and technology in addressing our climate challenges, as well as implications of climate change on social and gender equity. This episode highlights the need for climate justice to be at the forefront of our actions in contending with our broad sustainability challenges. 

In this episode our host, Dr Sarah Jane O’Conner, is joined by co-founder and CEO of TasmanIon, Dr Shalini Divya, and feminist political geographer, Dr Amanda Thomas, to discuss climate action from both a technological and a societal perspective.

Sustainability series #1: The rallying cry—talking climate action

Clean, fresh water is essential to our health—and is threatened, in Aotearoa New Zealand not only by climate change, but by poor industrial farming practices, population growth, and under-investment. This conversation illuminates the need for strong governance in addressing water security, as well as addressing the issues underlying the Three Waters discussion, and the place freshwater and the 100% Pure New Zealand concept play in our cultural identity.   

Our host Dr Sarah Jane O’Connor is joined in this episode by guests, green criminologist Dr Sarah Monod de Froideville, and environmental economist Dr Julia Talbot-Jones to discuss the murky depths of our clean water discourse.

Sustainability series #3: The Murky Depths—talking Clean Water

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington's podcast gives you the chance to catch up with our academics and guest speakers who lead thinking on the big questions facing society. Capital thinking. Globally minded.

Rebellious Minds: Kiwi Youth Sings – a kōrero with Dr Michael Brown

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

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