Welcome to the website of the New Zealand Geographical Society, which has been the voice of New Zealand Geography since its foundation in 1944.

The NZGS is first and foremost concerned about the study of Geography in schools, universities and communities in New Zealand. We strongly encourage all teachers to become members of the Society, and we also warmly welcome those who have a general, or indeed a specific, interest in 'things geographical' - a fascination with the world and a concern about issues which affect the well-being of people and environments.

For teachers, the NZGS’s Board of Geography Teachers (BOGT), plays a vital role in promoting Geography in schools and ensuring that the curriculum is up to date and appropriate in the lives and learning of our young people.

The Society has its own impressive and widely respected publication, the New Zealand Geographer (NZG), published by international publisher Wiley-Blackwell three times a year, and read by geographers across the world. The circulation of NZG has increased considerably in recent years.

In 2010 we will be holding our 25th International Conference in Christchurch from 5th to 8th July in association with the Institute of Australian Geographers (I-A-G). This is a key event for the Society and an opportunity to up-date yourself on a wide range of geographical topics, as well as to network with geographers from New Zealand and overseas. We look forward to seeing you in Christchurch. Full details are available on the conference website: www.nzgs2010.org.nz

During 2010 we will also be involved in a number of other important initiatives. For example, we will be supporting four New Zealand school students who will be representing New Zealand in Taipei where the International Geographical Union will be holding its biennial Geography Olympiad from 29 July-4 August. There will be strong competition from a large number of international teams of Geography students in a competition that involves a written test, multimedia test and a substantial fieldwork exercise. This is such an important event in the geographical calendar. Our team of four will be ambassadors for Geography and New Zealand. They have the full support of the geographical community in New Zealand and we wish them the very best of luck in what will undoubtedly be the experience of a lifetime.

With its Headquarters in Auckland, the NZGS’s regional Branches are associated with all the universities where Geography is taught, linking with students, teachers and others in the local areas and arranging diverse programmes of lectures, fieldwork and other activities. I encourage you to join your local Branch- you will be very welcome.

The NZGS is an active, and indeed pro-active, organisation with its ‘finger on the pulse’ of New Zealand Geography, and supported by strong national and international links. We hope you will join the Society, or re-join if you have been a member recently. Why not download a Membership Application Form from this website now!

I look forward to us working together in 2010.

Best wishes

Professor Tony Binns

President, NZGS