Toasting ten years of Raising the Bar in Auckland pubs

31 July 2026

Alumni, Education and society, Faculty of Arts and Education, Faculty of Engineering and Design, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Auckland Law School, Business School, Liggins Institute, Auckland Bioengineering Institute

Raising the Bar returns on Tuesday 25 August with 20 talks across 10 Auckland bars. Register now to secure your free spot.

Alex McCauley from the University of Auckland at Raising the Bar
Raising the Bar brings University of Auckland research out of the lecture theatre and into bars across Tāmaki Makaurau.

The University of Auckland is celebrating ten years of bringing big ideas to bars around the city through its popular Raising the Bar event.

At this year’s event on Tuesday 25 August, 20 leading academics will deliver fascinating talks at ten inner-city bars. Talk topics include Disney music and storytelling, growing 3D tumours to research cancer, Indigenous food systems, international trade in a turbulent world, and more.

Raising the Bar was launched in New York in 2013 and is now a worldwide initiative. Since 2017, the University of Auckland has brought this unique event to Tāmaki Makaurau, encouraging the University community and members of the public to engage with academic thought in a relaxed setting – and over a cold pint.

“The University is proud to have brought world-leading research out of the lecture theatre and into Auckland bars for the past ten years,” says Mark Bentley, Director of Alumni Relations and Development at the University of Auckland.

“Raising the Bar is an event for all Kiwis, sharing novel ideas in public spaces and generating dialogue about some of the key issues of our time. Book a spot and prepare to be inspired by some of our top academics!”

Punters can move between bars in Wynyard Quarter, Victoria Park, Ponsonby and City Works Depot to attend their preferred talks. Each venue will hold two sessions beginning at 6pm and 7.30pm respectively, and all talks are free to attend – but spaces are limited and registration is essential.

Visit the Raising The Bar website to register your place now.

The University is proud to have brought world-leading research out of the lecture theatre and into Auckland bars for the past ten years.

Mark Bentley, Director, Alumni Relations and Development Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland

This year’s full line-up

  • Dr Ben Albert – Setting baby on a healthy path: the influence of mum and dad
  • Professor Andy Allan – Planting our way to climate crisis mitigation
  • Dr Neil Birrell – Grubs in the pubs: adding insects to the global men
  • Dr Gregory Camp – A soundtrack for our lives: the power of Disney music
  • Dr Kenny Ching – Digital athletes: powering the AI work arena
  • Professor Alys Clark – Womb to improve: engineering a better start to life
  • Professor Richard Easther – Windows into space: from the Big Bang to now
  • Professor Natasha Hamilton-Hart – Trade in a turbulent world: tariffs, Trump and geopolitical risk
  • Professor Hanneke Hulst – We don’t have a spare: keeping a healthy brain
  • Dr Hossein Jahedi – From patient to petri dish: growing tumours to fight cancer
  • Professor Jay Marlowe – Threads across borders: forced migration in a digital world
  • Dr Alex McAuley – Lessons from the ancient Greeks for today’s global world
  • Professor Julian Paton – Mending broken hearts with the technology revolution
  • Dr Brooke Ross – Sounding JAFA: young Aucklanders impacting the Kiwi accent
  • Professor James Russell – Restoring NZ’s native wildlife: Ten years of Predator Free 2050
  • Dr Madeline Shelling (Ngāti Porou) – Decolonising kai to end food insecurity
  • Professor Alex Sims – The great AI copyright debate
  • Tamar Torrance – Beholding beauty: how art changes the brain
  • Dr Gertjan Verdickt – Knowing what’s bad for our finances – but doing it anyway
  • Professor Martin Wilkinson – Does a public health nanny state know best?

Media enquiries

Email: mediateam@auckland.ac.nz