BWB Talk: Tony Ballantyne in conversation with Damon Salesa
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We warmly invite you to join us for this BWB Talk to celebrate the publication of Tony Ballantyne's new book, Captain Cook and the Unsettled Afterlives of Empire.
This major new history asks a plain question with an unsettled answer: why does James Cook still trouble us? Cook has been called an explorer, a scientist, a founding figure for the nation and a bringer of disease and death. This book traces how those competing images were made, and what they tell us about who we are. Many Cooks are explored, drawn from a wide range of sources – books, newspapers, meeting minutes, memorials, theatre and poetry. Ultimately, Ballantyne asks how histories are formed and told, and how New Zealand's 'national memory' of Cook came to be.
Tony Ballantyne will be joined in conversation by AUT Vice-Chancellor, Damon Salesa.
Key details:
When: Monday 31 August 2026, 6pm (doors open 5:30pm)
Where: Te Wai Ngutu Kākā Gallery – AUT, Gallery One, 40 St Paul Street, Auckland Central 1010
Free event. No RSVP needed, but if you're planning to come we'd love to know – it helps us manage numbers. Click RSVP to register your interest.
https://events.humanitix.com/bwb-talk-tony-ballantyne-in-conversation-with-damon-salesa
This major new history asks a plain question with an unsettled answer: why does James Cook still trouble us? Cook has been called an explorer, a scientist, a founding figure for the nation and a bringer of disease and death. This book traces how those competing images were made, and what they tell us about who we are. Many Cooks are explored, drawn from a wide range of sources – books, newspapers, meeting minutes, memorials, theatre and poetry. Ultimately, Ballantyne asks how histories are formed and told, and how New Zealand's 'national memory' of Cook came to be.
Tony Ballantyne will be joined in conversation by AUT Vice-Chancellor, Damon Salesa.
Key details:
When: Monday 31 August 2026, 6pm (doors open 5:30pm)
Where: Te Wai Ngutu Kākā Gallery – AUT, Gallery One, 40 St Paul Street, Auckland Central 1010
Free event. No RSVP needed, but if you're planning to come we'd love to know – it helps us manage numbers. Click RSVP to register your interest.
https://events.humanitix.com/bwb-talk-tony-ballantyne-in-conversation-with-damon-salesa
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Where is it happening?
Te Wai Ngutu Kākā Gallery, 40 St Paul St, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, New Zealand, Auckland
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherBridget Williams Books - BWB
