Always kind, respectful, and approachable.
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Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva is Pro-Vice-Chancellor Pacific and Director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury in the Faculty of Arts. An award-winning political sociologist and interdisciplinary scholar, he earned a PhD in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, an MA in Sociology, and a BA in Politics. Over three decades, Ratuva has built a distinguished career in Pacific research and leadership, previously serving as Head of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Canterbury and holding senior roles including head of sociology at the University of Auckland. He has consulted extensively for international organizations such as the UNDP, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Pacific Islands Forum, Commonwealth Secretariat, and International Labour Organization.
Ratuva's research spans political sociology, social anthropology, development studies, political science, and history, with key focuses on Pacific studies, indigenous knowledge systems, climate change and environmental politics, ethnicity and identity, social justice, decolonisation, and security in the Pacific. He leads international teams on global ethnicity, security, and climate security projects and chairs the International Political Science Association research committee on Climate Security and Planetary Politics. His public service includes membership on the Royal Society Te Apārangi, New Zealand Climate Change Commission, Human Rights Commission Independent Accountability Group, and PBRF Sector Reference Group. Major awards comprise co-winning the 2019 University of Canterbury Research Medal, the 2020 Metge Medal for social science research from Royal Society Te Apārangi, University of Canterbury Sustainability Research award, and election as Fellow of Royal Society Te Apārangi. Notable publications include Contested Terrain: Reconceptualising Security in the Pacific (2019), The Politics of Preferential Development, Shifting Democracy: Electoral Changes in Fiji (2016), and articles on Fiji elections, affirmative action, and Pacific geopolitics. Under his direction, the Centre excels in critical, decolonising interdisciplinary Pacific research.
The University of Canterbury and SPREP have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation on Pacific environmental protection, building on projects like POCCA and AF2025. Explore impacts for research, students, and regional sustainability.
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