Research and Reason

• Christmas music through the decades

  Did you know Bing Crosby’s White Christmas is the best-selling single of all time?Ethnomusicologist Dr Kirsten Zemke explores Christmas music through the years, from the songs our grandparents and their parents played, the global pop stars who keep reinventing them, to Christmas movies that revived forgotten classics. Kirsten joins our media adviser Julianne Evans to explore how music connects generations and how the songs we like reflect who we are.Enjoy this podcast episode and a bonus Christmas playlist, as recommended by Kirsten: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/268wLj5VBCqg4sV8EiDfE0?si=8-LKhk5NRfCQVsRRxcNGsw

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• The politics and history of immigration in Aotearoa

  How does immigration policy impact our peoples and society? Professor Francis Collins discusses how immigration policies has evolved in the last 40 years. In conversation with our media adviser Julianne Evans, he explores how “neutral” policies can still produce unequal outcomes, the precarity faced by temporary workers, and the opportunity to rethink Aotearoa New Zealand's immigration policy.You can read more in Francis' book Edges of Empire: the politics of immigration in Aotearoa New Zealand, 1980-2020: https://aucklanduniversitypress.co.nz/edges-of-empire/

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• Volunteer Crisis in Sports

  Where have all the coaches gone? In this episode, Dr Blake Bennett talks to our media adviser Julianne Evans to unpack the hidden pressures of volunteer sport coaching in New Zealand. From the decline in volunteer numbers to the toll on their wellbeing, Blake shares insights from his research and his experience of coaching the national kendo team. As participation in sports remains high, Blake believes that recruiting and supporting volunteers are critical to keeping these opportunities available to young people. Read more about Blake’s research here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2025/09/02/volunteer-sports-coaches-are-throwing-in-the-towel.html

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• Rethinking curriculum and NCEA

  Dr Claudia Rozas joins our media adviser Julianne Evans to unpack the past and present of secondary school qualifications in Aotearoa New Zealand and what the future could look like. With the government's proposal to replace NCEA, Claudia explores how education policy and curriculum design reflect deeper questions around equity, culture and national identity. 

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• Power, Drama, and Cleopatra

  Dr Alex McAuley joins our media adviser Julianne Evans to talk about the ancient queens and royal women of the Hellenistic period, including the seven Cleopatras. He examines the ways these women used power to intervene in politics and support their family, and often with dramatic effects.He also shares his upcoming project, which looks at how pop culture, film and television have shifted in their depiction of antiquity since the war on terror, and how ancient history is really about how we understand the world around us. 

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