11 March 2025 'Rugby Racing and Beer’ (and Cows): reflections on the New Zealand rural myth

Date: Tuesday 11 March

Time: 4.00pm-5.30pm

Location: Patiki Room, Waimarie, Lincoln University

Join us for the first Excellence Series event 2025. This series highlights leadership across diverse disciplines while providing a platform to showcase the University's distinctive and influential applied research. It celebrates research excellence and fosters public engagement, extending Lincoln University's specialist land-based expertise to a wider audience, driving New Zealand's prosperity and intergenerational well-being.

European settlement of New Zealand during the mid-nineteenth century had a strong emphasis on the superior quality of rural life in contrast to the apparent ills of the city. In turn this reinforced a belief that sporting success, and especially rugby victories, were due to men who had been trained and toughened by their experiences taming the land. But this interpretation is more mythical than real and has created problems when trying to understand the causes and consequences of significant changes in New Zealand sport and (rural) society more generally – especially in the wake of both neoliberal economic restructuring from the 1980s and the professionalisation and corporatisation of rugby from the 1990s.

This talk draws on three decades of research on the social history of sport and alcohol, and sometimes the links between the two, to explore the pervasive ‘rural myth’ in New Zealand, the role that it has played in (mis)informing public debate, and why understanding history is important to navigating our present and future.

We hope to see you there!

4.00 pm - Networking and drinks

4.15 pm - Welcome & introduction from LU Vice-Chancellor

4.20 pm - Presentation from Speaker

4.50 pm - Summary

5.00 pm - Networking and questions over drinks and nibbles

5.30 pm - Event ends