NZGS Distinguished New Zealand Geographer Award 2011

Professor Iain Hay

Nominated by Auckland Branch (through Kiri Le Heron); cited by Professor Tony Binns, University of Otago

Citation

Professor Iain Hay is one of New Zealand geography’s most internationally distinguished graduates. His broad contribution to scholarship is infused with a quest to incorporate core human values into geographic research and pedagogy.  Iain’s work has vigorously sought to advance an ethical stance in research practice, to introduce a wider range of qualitative methodologies into the implementation of study design and methods, and to promote the adoption of creative and critically aware teaching practice. In sum, he has sought to bring teaching and research into closer relationship through promoting innovation and integrity.

Career details

Iain graduated with a 1st class Honours degree from Canterbury in 1983, followed by an MA with distinction in Geography at Massey (1985). As a Teaching Assistant at the University of Washington, USA, in 1989 he published The Caring Commodity: The provision of health care in New Zealand (Oxford, Auckland).

He established a research trajectory in medical/health geography, through his doctoral study at the University of Washington, Seattle (1989).

His career evolved to emphasise geographical education.  His edited  volume, Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography became a main stay of many Australasian and overseas research courses in Human Geography, and the book’s third edition was published in 2010 (Oxford, Toronto).

Iain has been a significant entrepreneur in institution building in geographical education, and he was a member of the original International Network in Learning and Teaching in Geography (INLT) formed in 1999 that is now hosted at Canterbury. He also took an Australasian leadership role in the Journal of Geography in Higher Education.

He was co-founder of the journal Ethics, Place and Environment (now Ethics, Policy and Environment) and the journal’s first Asia/Pacific Editor.

He is a longstanding member of the NZGS and has maintained strong links with NZ geographers and the NZ geography community, and has been a visitor to all NZ geography departments at various times. He has held visiting positions internationally at the universities of Edinburgh, Kentucky, Manchester and New South Wales (Australian Defence Forces Academy).

He was ALTC Discipline Scholar for the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities – responsible for leading Geography and History discipline communities – as demonstration disciplines for all Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities in Australia  – to develop agreed national minimum academic standards for undergraduate majors. The project was completed in late 2010. More details at: http://www.altc.edu.au/standards/disciplines/ASSH

Iain established and moderated for some 4 years the Institute of Australian Geographers iag-list, the first national listserv for geographers, giving a strong NZ and Australian presence

He was awarded a Doctor of Letters (LittD) from Canterbury in 2009 for his work on ‘Geographies of Domination and Oppression’.

Iain’s other awards and honours include;

• 2010 Inaugural Association of American Geographers’ E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Award, for  “Outstanding contributions to the discipline of geography due to his special competence in teaching and research, especially his work in international education reflecting sustained professional commitments, mentorship and leadership”.
• 2009 Taylor and Francis Award of the Royal Geographical Society, with the Institute of British Geographers, for “Excellence in the promotion and practice of teaching and learning in Geography in Higher Education”.
• 2009 The Council of Education Associations of South Australia, Award “In recognition of outstanding contribution to the teaching profession in South Australia”
• 2008 Australian Geography Teachers’ Association (AGTA) Award.
• 2006 Prime Minister’s Award for Australian University Teacher of the Year. The only geographer thus far to receive this.
• 2006 Carrick Award for Australian University Teaching Excellence (Social Sciences)
• 2006 Carrick Australian Awards for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, “For sustained leadership and scholarship dedicated to improving the quality of geography learning and teaching within Australia and internationally.”
• 2005 Australian Institute of Urban Studies Research Prize
• Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Flinders University 1995, 2000 & 2005. The only person to receive this award three times.