Critic and Conscience of Society

Professor Alexander Gillespie of the University of Waikato’s Te Piringa Faculty of Law recently received a 2021 Critic and Conscience of Society Award.

The award is given to academics who fulfil the role of a university as critic and conscience of society by providing the public with independent, expert commentary on issues affecting us and future generations.

Professor Gillespie has become a sought-after law and policy commentator on issues ranging from cannabis law reform and foreign policy to gun control and terrorism, as well as providing substantial public comment on New Zealand’s Covid-19 response.

He is well-known across New Zealand’s major media landscape and many of the topics he engages with are issues of social concern, which stimulate national debate. Join Professor Gillespie for a public lecture in which he’ll discuss four of the pressing international and domestic issues he currently provides public comment on:

• The international world and New Zealand's place in it - including the war in Ukraine 
• Regional stability
• The Covid-19 pandemic
• The risks of extreme violence in New Zealand

The Tauranga Public Lecture Series is a free community event and open to the public to attend. Please register your attendance by clicking on the 'register' button above and bring your e-ticket with you on the evening.