Welcome to the Waikato branch of the New Zealand Geographical Society.

Please click here to see our branch programme for 2011. There is a full and exciting programme of activities planned for the year.  Something for everyone.

NZGS Waikato Branch Committee

Meet the wonderful people that make up the committee of the Waikato Branch.

LEX CHALMERS (President)

Lex is a long serving member of the Branch. Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Waikato, he is interested in geographical education in the school and tertiary systems. Lex has played a key role in organising Branch activities ranging from orienteering to Maatangi Whenua and fieldwork excursions. He works nationally with the NZ Geographical Society and internationally with the International Geographical Union (IGU).

NORM AUSTIN (Vice President)

Norm is currently in his 40^th year of teaching secondary school Geography and is currently Head of Social Sciences Faculty at St John’s College, Hamilton. Norm has served on the Waikato Branch committee for almost all of that time and was also a Board of Geography Teachers Regional Representative in the late 1980’s.

TONY HALL (Chair)

Originally from Australia, Tony came to New Zealand with his Kiwi wife Mel in 2006. Before making the move across the ditch, Tony spent several years teaching in Japan and Thailand. He joined the Waikato Branch Committee in 2007 after completing his teaching degree at the University of Waikato and has held the position of Branch Chair since 2008. Tony teaches at Fraser High School and is currently the acting HOD of Geography. Away from school he enjoys photography, travel and eating out with Mel.

KATHRYN DUGGAN (Secretary)

Kathryn first joined the Waikato Branch committee as a graduate student representative in 2008 and is currently serving her second year as Branch Secretary. Kathryn completed a Masters of Social Science with a strong environmental focus at the University of Waikato in early 2009 and currently works as a biodiversity ranger for the Department of Conservation.

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CLAIRE GIBSON (Treasurer)

Claire is the Branch treasurer and has been a member of NZGS since 1990. She completed a Master of Social Sciences in Geography at the University of Waikato in the early 1990s and is currently responsible for institutional surveys at Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec).

NICK PAGE (NZBoGT representative)

Nick Page is the Branch’s NZBoGT representative, a role he has held since 2008. His portfolios include the Deputy Chair position and overseeing publicity for the NZBoGT. Nick has been a member of the local Waikato Branch of the NZGS since 2001 and has been a member of the Branch’s Committee since 2006. He is currently Assistant Head of Social Sciences and Teacher in Charge of Geography at Otumoetai College, Tauranga. Outside of teaching Nick enjoys spending time with his family, travel, cricket and socializing over a nice meal and a good drop of wine!

Cherie Todd (National co-representative of the NZGS Post/Graduate Network)

Cherie is a PhD candidate in Geography at the University of Waikato. Her study focuses on cyber/space, gender identity and the development of intimate relationships within online role-playing games. Cherie is an active member of the NZGS Post/Graduate Network (see http://www.nzgs.co.nz/postgraduate-reps), and works as an editorial assistant for the journal Gender, Place and Culture.

JESSICA KEPPEL (Graduate representative)

Jessica is currently in her Honours year with the Geography Department at the University of Waikato. She has a passion for human geography-specifically fashion and embodied geographies. Jessica took on the role of graduate representative with the Waikato Branch to help foster her leadership skills and to assist the students in the department with any ideas they have in relation to geographical education. She enjoys meeting like-minded geographers and getting a feel for the discipline at a national, as well as regional, level.

LEON KEEFER (NZPI liaison)

Leon was the graduate student representative for the Waikato Branch committee in 2010 and has stayed on as the NZPI liaison. Outside of branch committee meetings, he works as an Environmental Planner with Latitude Planning Services, a town/regional planning consultant, in Hamilton.

PAUL KEOWN

Paul has been a member of the committee since arriving in the Waikato in the 1970s! He was HOD Geography at Hillcrest High for 15 years and has worked in teacher education at the Faculty of Education of the University of Waikato for the past 23 years. Paul has been involved in development, research and research publications in geography education at national and international levels and assisted in organising and running of the two major Geo Ed conferences run in the Waikato in 1998 and 2009.

TONI WHITE

Toni is a social researcher for AgResearch and is also a PhD candidate with Auckland University. She has been an active member of the Waikato Branch committee for almost 7 years.

SANDIE GORDON

Sandie has served as a Waikato Branch committee member for the past 2 years, but first joined the NZ Geographical Society when she began her degree at the University of Waikato. Sandie has taught at St John’s College for 9 years, and has been given the opportunity to teach Geography Major for the past 2 years. She enjoys the insights that geography gives into many other subjects and interests.

BRIAN KENDRICK

Brian first joined NZGS sometime around 1970 and has been an active member since moving to the Waikato in 1976. He has been on the committee of the Waikato Branch for the past 25 years, during which time he served one year as Branch Chair. Brian was also the Waikato representative to the NZBoGT for six years and Chair of this committee for three. Brian is currently Head of Social Sciences Faculty at Sacred Heart Girls’ College, Hamilton.

SUZANNE SMITH

ANNE-MARIE D’HAUTESERRE

Anne-Marie d'Hauteserre has been the tourism programme convener in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Waikato since arriving in 2000. Shortly after she joined the NZGS, after previously being active in the American Association of Geographers, and has been a member of the Waikato Branch since 2004. Trained as a geographer, Anne-Marie applies the concepts learned in that area to tourism, both in her teaching and in her research. She has a particular focus on the issues raised when developing tourism in Indigenous areas and the challenges of successful urban tourism growth. Anne-Marie believes strongly in maintaining ties between the University and local high schools to provide support and strengthen students geographic knowledge at all levels.

ANGELINE GREENSILL

TARA KANJI

NICOLE BOUTON

CHRIS LANGLEY