About the Committee

The origins of the New Zealand branch of ESAANZ can be traced back to the mid-1990s when the EU Studies Association of New Zealand was first established. While always driven predominantly by members from the University of Canterbury, over the subsequent quarter century the membership increased as academics from other universities joined, especially from Auckland, Otago and Victoria. EUSANZ was active in applying for Jean Monnet funding for its activities, the key feature of which were conferences (either stand-alone or in cooperation with other groupings such as CESAA). EUSANZ was also a member association under the ECSA World umbrella and the President of EUSANZ served for several years as the EUSA-World Vice-President. The identity of EUSANZ became blended, to some extent, after 2000 with the parallel development of the NCRE at Canterbury and again in 2007 when the 8-university EU Centres Network consortium was set up. These parallel and interlocking initiatives remained the framework for EU studies in New Zealand until 2020 when EUSANZ was replaced by ESAANZ.  The NZ branch of ESAANZ remains multidisciplinary in focus and seeks to support EU research particularly among early-career academics. An annual conference remains the major activity, covid19 notwithstanding.

Members of the Committee

Serena Kelly

Vice-President

Dr Serena Kelly is a senior lecturer in the politics of the European Union, deputy director of the National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury and chair of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Christchurch branch. Her current research examines the impact of BREXIT on New Zealand, the proposed EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement as well as the visibility of the EU’s development policies in the Pacific. More details about her publications may be found at https://profiles.canterbury.ac.nz/Serena-Kelly/publications

Mathew Doidge

ANZJES Representative

Dr Mathew Doidge is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Canterbury’s National Centre for Research on Europe (New Zealand). His research interests include EU external relations, development, EU development policy, regionalism and interregionalism, and Europe–Asia relations.

Anna Christoforou

Membership Manager

Anna is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Canterbury’s National Centre for Research on Europe, having earned her Master’s from King’s College London in Geopolitics and Security studies. Her current research explores the politics and ethics of technological bordering within Europe. She has worked in media monitoring both in the UK and in New Zealand and has a particular interest in the politics of irregular migration

Paige Eder

Newsletter Co-editor

Paige is a university student in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Imogen Donnelly

Newsletter Co-editor

Imogen is a university student in Christchurch, New Zealand