Australian Association for Pacific Studies Conference 2025
Tuesday 3 to Friday 6 June 2025
Warm Pacific Greetings! The Australian Association for Pacific Studies biennial conference is an opportunity to create and sustain critical conversations and collaborations across the transdisciplinary field of Pacific studies.
Hosted in 2025 by The University of Sydney, our gathering will focus on exploring and navigating the concepts of discourses and destinies, and how they relate to the Pacific, its people and places.
Much attention – locally, regionally and globally – continues to be placed on the Pacific. Whether it’s being contested through geopolitical endeavours, to being celebrated for its traditional cultures, the Pacific is no stranger to attention. However, who determines how the region is understood is key to this conversation. Is it the highest bidder for the natural resources that control these narratives, or the local communities that generally don’t benefit from such financial investments and exploitations? Is it the military power that exercises more diplomatic prowess, or Indigenous wisdoms from across the region? This conference strives to explore these various tensions, whilst also showcasing Pacific strengths and solutions in trying to make sense of the underlying discourses that determine the possible destinies of the Pacific region and beyond.
The conference will encourage an intersectional talanoa, provoking participants to be mindful of how their disciplinary perspectives and practices interact with the complexities of Pacific discourses and destinies. Sub-themes supporting these discussions will include panel presentations, papers and performances from the following areas:
We look forward to coming together to talanoa, providing a dynamic and inclusive space to create community to support a collegial, collaborative and collective approach.
| 3-day conference attendance 4–6 June, including Epeli Hau’ofa Memorial Lecture Tuesday, June 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| General Admission rate | $500 | Register |
| Australian Association for Pacific Studies (AAPS) Member rate | $450 | Register |
| Student rate | $300 | Register |
| AAPS Student Member rate | $270 | Register |
| Unwaged General Admission rate | $220 | Register |
| Fee-free optional events (registration required) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Epeli Hau’ofa Annual Memorial Lecture | Tuesday 3 June, 5-8pm | Free | Register |
| Project Banaba | Katerina Teaiwa – Exhibition and Cocktail Event Chau Chak Wing Museum | Wednesday 4 June, 5.30-7pm |
Free | Register |
All conference registration fees listed on this page are per person and include 10% GST.
To be eligible for the student rate you must be currently completing a PhD, Master of Philosophy, or master's degree by coursework.
To be eligible for the unwaged rate you must be currently unemployed.
AAPS Membership options can be viewed at http://pacificstudies.org.au/join/.
The Epeli Hau’ofa Annual Memorial Lecture is a free public event open to everyone. You must register using the link above if you wish to attend.
The Project Banaba Exhibition and Cocktail Event is included in the conference fees. Attendance at this after-hours event also requires separate registration using the link above.
If you are interested in attending only one or two days of the conference, you should register using the relevant link/s below.
While there are no “official conference hotels” we can certainly suggest the following hotels as starting points:
More generally, the University of Sydney is centrally located within Greater Sydney, and there will be plenty of hotel, Airbnb and Stayz options in nearby suburbs.
If you want to stay in a location a bit further away, the closest train station is Redfern station (between 10-15 minutes’ walk to the conference location). The conference location is also close to many bus routes. For travel planning, we recommend these official apps:
Some travel and tourism starting points
The conference gratefully acknowledges sponsorship support from:
Reverend Dr Cliff Bird is one of Oceania’s leading theologians, a critical interdisciplinary thinker, a highly regarded regional and community leader, and a sought-after voice on social, economic, and ecological justice. Cliff is passionate about the intersectionalities of theology and faith with broader developmental issues and trends. He currently leads the Uniting Church’s response to the Pacific Australian Labour Mobility (PALM) program, and his most recent published work is Reweaving the Ecological Mat (2020) co-authored with Arnie Saiki and Meretui Ratunabuabua. Reverend Dr Bird has spent many years serving the church throughout Oceania, including as head of the Department of Theology and Ethics at Pacific Theological College, head of the Council for World Mission in Fiji, and Regional Coordinator of the Uniting World Pacific Office. Prior to that, he worked for the Solomon Islands Government, including as acting CEO of the National Provident Fund. In his current role he is responsible for resourcing the Uniting Church, including local churches and PALM scheme workers, to provide pastoral care and create genuine and inclusive communities. Cliff initially studied economics and politics at the University of the South Pacific, followed by theology at Pacific Theological College. He completed his doctorate at Charles Sturt University in Canberra with the thesis Pepesa - The Household of Life: A Theological Exploration of Land in the Context of Change in Solomon Islands.