1. What are some things you do to keep yourself grounded and focused on your goals during the teething period of a new year?

Watching the enrolments start to come in. By the second week of March we can predict very accurately the income of the University for each year, and thus I know how much leeway I have after I have paid everyone. There is enough variation in the timing of enrolments from year to year to make it exciting.

  1. How much do you find yourself spending on gas every week or so?

My car is a plug-in hybrid with a 65km range, so in the normal course of a work week I never think about buying gas.

  1. What’s your struggle meal?

Smashed avocado with feta cheese and balsamic vinegar on toast. Add fresh tomatoes or poached egg, as available.

  1. Coming into the tail-end of Summer, what has your playlist looked like over the sunnier months?

Since all the good music was written before 1985, the current playlist is Ray Charles, Chicago, Average White Band, Weather Report, Santana, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan Neil Young and anything to do with Mowtown.

  1. There’s been some real muggy days over the past two months, the type where you can only find comfort in an A.C.; What’s your go to indoor Summer activity?

We have a very big garden, so we don’t spend much time inside during the summer – it is all gardening and then lunch in the gazebo by the pool.

  1. Anybody in sports you’re rooting for this year? Any athletes or teams you’re betting on pulling through in 2025?

This year will be the year that the Warriors go all the way! (I know I have said that before).

  1. If you’d never been an economics professor or VC, what would your dream job be? Where would you have liked to go in life?

I rather fancy being the Sultan of Brunei or the Aga Khan (either would come with a modest increase in remuneration over my current role).

  1. Is there a painting that moved the trajectory of your life? If so, what was it and where were you in your life before seeing it?

The painting is called “8 of wands” by Max Gimblett. It was in the VC’s office in B Block when I arrived at Waikato, and I have grown very attached to – hence it is now in front of my desk in The Pā.

  1. What’s your first choice of drink, and why? Water is a cheat answer.

I am a red wine person, mostly Shiraz or Merlot, but occasionally I indulge in a drop of good single malt (Lagavulin for any students out there looking to be in the good books). As for why, there is an old saying that only alcohol stands between Vice-Chancellors and insanity.

  1. Is there a book that you find yourself coming back to? If so, what is it and why is it American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis?

I may seem to the editors of Nexus like a mild-mannered investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer, but I can assure you I have never worked as an investment banker!

I usually read a few novels over the summer, and this last summer they included 100 Years of Solitude, which according to some people is the greatest novel ever written. It is complex in structure and densely populated with complex metaphors, but an extraordinarily rewarding story.

  1. Have you ever felt impacted by a specific dish? Is there a vivid memory in your mind associated with a certain meal?

Twenty years ago I made my first visit to Malaysia, visiting colleges that might send students to NZ, and while there was is was introduced to curry laksa. It has since become a firm favourite, and my “no need to think about it” order any time I am in a restaurant where that is on the menu.

  1. What was the most important thing you learnt overseas? A lesson you’ve brought back with you after coming back to Aotearoa that might be helpful for first years.

I learned two important things. First, that academics in universities share a lot of common values and this transcends culture and political systems. Second, I learned that open and honest engagement with people, and bringing warmth and humanity to a conversation, also works to win people over in any culture or any situation.