World Book Day Lecture, 5 March 2026

By Centre for the Book | He Rau Kupu | Posted: Wednesday Jan 28, 2026

The Centre for the Book is delighted to welcome Dr. Ian Ferguson to deliver the 2026 World Book Day Lecture on “Western Eyes on New and Old Worlds.”

Explorers and voyagers, missionaries, traders, soldiers, government officials, settlers, and itinerant visitors all felt the urge to write of their experiences in the wider world. China caught the attention of such authors over four centuries ago, while accounts of New Zealand emerge in the nineteenth century.  Although describing two very different countries and societies, these books also reveal intriguing connections.

Amongst the records of the past, books are unique in providing a composite picture of personal connections and developing societies. They track political developments, and provide a platform for theories on immigration, missions, and culture.  They record (from their own perspectives) cultural and political clashes with indigenous peoples and competing societies.  This lecture examines why early travellers to China and NZ wrote and published, how such works might contribute to our sense of nation, whether we have a canon of works we should preserve, and what effects digitisation has on the reading and availability of these works.  These works also document changing printing and publication methods and respond to varying reading habits and desires.

Dr. Ferguson is a retired scientist who collects and writes about rare books on NZ and China, volumes which are important in the understanding of our history and our nationhood. He has also had a long research career as a leading NZ and international plant scientist, and roles as a CRI Chief scientist and Government Science advisor. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, and for more than 20 years, a Visiting Professor at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. He is a member of the NZ Order of Merit, and been awarded a National Friendship Award by the Chinese Government.

The lecture will be followed by a dinner at a local restaurant; details to follow.

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