Rate My Professor Gordon Nanau

Dr Gordon Leua Nanau is Associate Professor of Pacific Studies in the School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies, Faculty of Arts & Education at the University of Auckland. He joined the university in 2024 and serves as Deputy Head of the school and Head of Pacific Studies. Originally from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, he completed undergraduate studies at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji before earning his PhD from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. Prior to his current appointment, he held academic positions including senior lecturer roles at the University of the South Pacific and other institutions in the region, accumulating over fourteen years of experience in higher education.

His research focuses on Pacific and Melanesian politics, social and political change, leadership, political parties and elections, developmental leadership, and Oceanic diplomacy. He has contributed to scholarship on Pacific regional cooperation, including work on the Melanesian Spearhead Group, and co-edited a volume exploring longstanding Pacific practices of peace-building and diplomacy. Nanau teaches Pacific Studies courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and participates in public discussions on regional issues such as language, resilience, and political leadership in the Pacific. He is a Sylff fellow and maintains research interests in globalisation and cultural change in Pacific island countries.

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