The Jim Gardner Lecture

These lectures salute Jim Gardner and his long career as a school teacher, then as lecturer and reader in History at the University of Canterbury (1948-1976), and as author or editor of much regional history. We celebrate his work for the Historic Places Trust, and the Canterbury and New Zealand Historical Associations, and his life-long encouragement of teachers, writers, students, archivists, and readers of history. Jim Gardner's services to history were recognised in 2007 with the honour of Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).

The 2008 lecture will be held on Sunday August 3rd, at 2.30pm in the Auditorium of the Christchurch Girls' High School. Speaker: Dr John Wilson. During the afternoon the Rhodes Medal for 2008 will be presented to Mr Richard Greenaway.

2007: Dr Jim McAloon: Scottish Canterbury?

Dr McAloon is an Associate-Professor at Lincoln University teaching New Zealand history. He also shares in a major research project, now in its third year, organised by the Irish-Scottish Studies Institute at the Stout Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington. As the author of prize-winning books and as the writer of many book chapters and journal articles he has a high reputation as an authority on cultural, political and social developments in New Zealand, particularly in the South Island. The creation of community and personal wealth by settlers has been the focus of much of his research.

His 2002 book, No Idle Rich: the Wealthy in Canterbury and Otago 1840-1914, won the history section of the Montana Awards and the Archives and Records Association's Ian Wards Prize. His history of Nelson shared the J M Sherrard Award for regional history in 1999.

Jim McAloon has known Christchurch and Canterbury from childhood; he took his master's degree at the University of Canterbury in 1986 with a thesis on the Labour movement in Christchurch before World War I; then received his doctorate at Otago in 1993 for his first work on colonial wealth.

2006:  Dr Jock Phillips: Our Story on the Web

Dr Phillips is the General Editor of Te Ara: The On-Line Encyclopedia of New Zealand, produced by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Jock Phillips was born and educated in Christchurch, studied at Victoria University in Wellington, and then at Harvard University where he took his doctorate in 1978. From 1973 until 1988 he was a lecturer and Reader at Victoria. There he founded and was first Director of the Stout Research Centre for the Study of New Zealand History, Society, and Culture.

In 1989 Dr Phillips became Chief Historian of the Historical Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs. From this position he was appointed to lead the research, compilation, and presentation of the Encyclopedia.

Dr Jock Phillips has written or shared in the writing of many books on a remarkable range of historical topics. He won special recognition for Te Whenua, Te Iwi - The Land and the People (1986) and A Man's Country?: The Image of the Pakeha Male (1987).

Our Story on the Web draws on Dr Phillip's experience as General Editor of the world's first digital-born encyclopedia, New Zealand's on-line source of knowledge through words, pictures and sound. He explores entries on immigrant groups, and speaks about the regional entry on Canterbury, and the new demands and exciting rewards of presenting our country's history, adding authority to the internet, and proving material for classrooms.

2005:  Dr Greg Ryan: 1905 All Black's Tour of Britain

Dr Ryan is a sports historian and senior lecturer at Lincoln University. His theme is the 1905 All Black's Tour of Britain, its aftermath of nostalgia, and the ways in which it shaped New Zealand ideas. It is of interest to a much wider audience than rugby and other sports enthusiasts. Dr Ryan recalls some of the events of the tour, on and off the field, for on these many legends were founded. New Zealand's playing style and methods soured rugby relations with Britain for years afterwards. How did this affect the notion that sport could be a "bond of Empire"? Where did the tour stand in New Zealand's agenda, and particularly that of Richard Seddon? How did recollections and impressions change over later decades? Also discussed are the ways in which historians have dealt with the tour and how they and other writers have shaped our social history and New Zealand's view of itself and national sentiment. As a result of long research in New Zealand and in Britain, this is a challenge to many long-held opinions and ideas.

2004:  Gordon Ogilvie: Business Histories and the Ballantyne Story.

After teaching English for 35 years Gordon Ogilvie retired as Head of English from St Andrew's College and became a full-time author. He had already established himself as a biographer and regional and local historian, particularly of Banks Peninsula and the Port Hills. Ballantynes: The story of Dunstable House, 1854-2004, is his seventeenth book in addition to a huge output of reviews and newspaper and journal articles on history, travel, music and food. He is also a tourist guide and entertaining lecturer.

As an example of the importance of business histories (Gordon Ogilvie's earlier books include From gigs to rigs: Steel Brothers) this year's Jim Gardner Lecture highlights 150 years of retailing at Ballantyne's Corner, Cashel and Colombo Streets, Christchurch. Ballantyne's is a customer-driven business, always a leader in its field, and significant in Canterbury's commercial and social history.

2003:  Jonathan Mané-Wheoki: The Art of Defining Ourselves

At the time of this Jim Gardner Lecture he was Dean of Music and Fine Arts and a senior lecturer in Art History at the University of Canterbury, Kaitiaki Maori (Honorary Curator of Maori Art) for the Christchurch Art Gallery, and Vice-President of the Humanities Society of New Zealand. Of Ngapuhi descent, Jonathan Mané-Wheoki took his first degree in English and a Diploma of Fine Arts (with Honours in painting) at the University of Canterbury before his post-graduate studies in nineteenth and early twentieth century European art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art in the University of London. For many years he taught courses in nineteenth and twentieth century European art, and more recently in New Zealand and Maori art. He is an authority on Victorian church art, and heritage architecture.

The Art of Defining Ourselves looks at the first exhibitions in the new Christchurch City Art Gallery, then into the past and among differing and distant cultures, to find what we learn about ourselves as Cantabrians and New Zealanders.

2002: W. David McIntyre: When , if ever, did New Zealand become independent?

2001: Anna Green: People's History and the Waterfront Dispute in 1951

2000: Professor John Cookson: Southern Capital

1999: Dr Len Richardson: Anthony Wilding