The recent concern about security in the South Pacific as a result of the increased interest of China and the US in the region, along with the growing militant nationalism in West Papua – where New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens is being held hostage – will be the focus of this month’s meeting of the NZ Institute of International Affairs in Masterton.
Speaker Dr Anna Powles is currently a senior lecturer at Massey University’s Centre for Strategic Studies and is the author of a forthcoming book on New Zealand’s foreign and security policy in the Pacific Islands.
Powles has worked extensively in conflict and humanitarian emergencies in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and has previously worked for organisations including with the International Crisis Group, the United Nations Development Programme, Oxfam, and World.
Her talk is being held at 7pm on Thursday at 417 Queen Street. While the meeting is open to all, there’s a $5 door charge for non-members.
