Date: Tuesday, 12 August 2025
Time: 6:00 pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, EIT Taradale, Napier
Free entry – booking essential

Reserve your seat now!

Royal Society Te Apārangi and the Hawke’s Bay Branch are delighted to present the 2024 Rutherford Medal winner in a special public talk. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from one of New Zealand’s leading researchers – this promises to be a fascinating and thought-provoking evening.

Tales of the Unexpected: Surprising Discoveries that Changed Clinical Practice
Join us for an engaging session where Prof. Beasley shares unexpected findings from ten influential research programmes that:

• Challenged long-standing medical assumptions
• Advanced global clinical understanding
• Directly impacted patient care

Topics include:

• Should fever be treated?
• Is sitting for long periods a health risk?
• Are party pills safe for drivers?
• Does cannabis smoking cause lung cancer?
• What really caused the NZ asthma death epidemic?
• And more…

Speaker: Professor John Townend, Victoria University of Wellington
Date: Thursday 4 September 2025
Time: 6:00 pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, EIT Taradale, Napier
Admission: Gold Coin Donation

The Hawke’s Bay Branch is going to host this year’s Geoscience NZ 2025 Hochstetter Lecture, featuring renowned geophysicist Professor John Townend.

The Alpine Fault is one of the world’s most studied earthquake-generating faults, with decades of paleoseismological research revealing a remarkably regular earthquake cycle — typically less than 300 years between major events. Yet, the last major rupture occurred in 1717 CE, meaning the next is statistically overdue.

Professor of Geophysics John Townend will explore the evolving understanding of the Alpine Fault — from its geological past to its seismic potential today. Drawing on landmark research projects like the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP) and the Southern Alps Long Skinny Array (SALSA), as well as cutting-edge techniques including fibre-optic sensing and AI, he will explain what lies beneath the surface and what might lie ahead.

With an estimated 75% chance of a magnitude 7+ earthquake occurring in the next 50 years, this is a timely and vital conversation for all New Zealanders.

Speaker: Dr. Peter Heenan, Principal Scientist at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
Date: Tuesday, 23 September 2024
Time: 6:00pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, EIT Taradale, Napier
Free entry – reservation required to secure your seat

Royal Society Te Apārangi, together with the Hawke’s Bay Branch, is delighted to present a talk by Dr Peter Heenan, winner of the 2024 Leonard Cockayne Lecture Award, which commemorates the life and work of Leonard Cockayne, New Zealand’s greatest botanist.

In his decades-long career, Peter has explored and researched New Zealand flora, especially the alpine plants of New Zealand, studying how our native plants have evolved, spread, and adapted to their dramatic mountain landscapes. But recently, his journey has taken a tropical turn – to the small Pacific island of Niue.

In this presentation, Peter will share what he’s discovered so far about Niue’s plants and fungi: how many species there are, what kinds of forests grow there, which plants are unique to the island, and which ones are invasive. He’ll also look at how climate, culture, and conservation all come together to shape the island’s living landscape.

Peter will reflect on how the deep knowledge we’ve built in New Zealand could help support new research in Niue – like protecting rare species, tracking invasive weeds and insects, and understanding the crops and plants important to local people. In Niue, plants and people are closely connected, and both traditional knowledge and modern science are essential for future success.

With fresh insights from visits to other Pacific Islands, Peter will show how Niue – though small – is a powerful example of the challenges and wonders of tropical botany in the Pacific today.