Building Academic Networks Between Ireland and New Zealand

31 May 2024

Between March-May 2024, Dr Dug Cubie undertook a Visiting Erskine Fellowship at the University of Canterbury as part of a research sabbatical to strengthen academic networks between Ireland and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Over the course of six months in late 2010 and early 2011, the city of Christchurch was subjected to a series of strong earthquakes which caused devastation to the city’s buildings and infrastructure, and tragically resulted in over 180 deaths and multiple injuries. Over the past decade, Christchurch has been engaged in an ambitious programme of recovery and resilience – to rebuild the city and to prepare for future natural hazards.

Central to this process has been the inter-disciplinary work of academics in the University of Canterbury, including the Cluster for Community and Urban Resilience (CuRE) in the Department of Civil Engineering and the Institute of Law, Emergencies and Disasters (LEAD) in the Faculty of Law. During his fellowship, Dr Cubie provided a series of guest seminars with civil engineering and law students, and undertook research on sources of disaster law and the legal implications of sea-level rise.

Dr Cubie also visited UCC alumni, Dr Anna Marie Brennan in the Te Piringa Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato, and Dr Bjørn-Oliver Magsig and Dr Ruby Moynihan-Magsig in the Faculty of Law, Victoria University Wellington, as well as attending the Work-Integrated Learning New Zealand annual conference. These visits have helped to strengthen the academic networks between UCC and colleagues in Aotearoa New Zealand, and discussions are ongoing regarding a series of joint research and teaching opportunities.

Dr Cubie’s visits to the Victoria University Wellington and the University of Waikato were supported by the UCC Head of Law Strategic Fund.