The Caversham Lectures
Established by Father Hugh Bowron during his term as Vicar of Saint Peter’s Caversham The Caversham Lectures has developed into an annual series featuring leading practitioners in a wide variety of fields.
On this page you are able to access selected past lectures and review abstracts of those yet to come.
Coming Up
All lectures take place at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre.
2024 series
5 November : The Most Reverend Michael Joseph Dooley DD, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunedin
"Being a Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church in 2024"
12 November : Dr Daphne Lee, Professor Emerita, University of Otago Geology Department
"Fossil treasures of Miocene Zealandia: Foulden and Hindon Maars and new discoveries in Otago Amber"
19 November : Dr Susie Farminer, Conservation Advisor, Heritage New Zealand
"HNZPT: Who we are and what we do for heritage"
26 November : Brian Miller, Author, publisher and photographer
"Dunedin’s gold and the Early Exhibitions"
Previous Lectures
The 2023 Caversham Lectures
No recording of this lecture is available
No recording of this lecture is available
No recording of this lecture is available
No recording of this lecture is available
The 2022 Caversham Lectures
No recording of this lecture is available
No recording of this lecture is available
No recording of this lecture is available
No recording of this lecture is available
A parish history
This year”s lecture series finished with Father Hugh Bowron, the previous Vicar of Saint Peter”s, discussing the highlights from his PhD thesis – a history of the parish.
Recorded on 6 December, 2022
The 2021 Caversham Lectures
No recording of this lecture is available
Tuesday, 16 November
Peter Belton, Art Education
No recording of this lecture is available
Tuesday, 23 November
Rev. Dr Peter Matheson
Poetry and Prayer : The language of the heart.
No recording of this lecture is available
Tuesday, 30 November
Dr Glen Hazelton
No recording of this lecture is available
No 2020 lectures were held due to COVID-19 restrictions
The 2019 Caversham Lectures
Tuesday, 26 November
Rod Hamel
Church Romanesque architecture
No recording of this lecture is available
Tuesday, 19 November
Father James Harding
An examination of the historicity or otherwise of the escape of the children of Israel from Pharaoh’s Egypt and the meeting between Moses and God on Mount Sinai
No recording of this lecture is available
Tuesday, 12 November
Dr Bill Harris
Aftermath: the political landscape left by the winding down of the wars in Syria and Iraq
No recording of this lecture is available
Tuesday, 5 November
Richard Kyte
New Zealand Dairying : Blessing or CurseNew Curse
Special event to mark Diocesan 150th
As part of marking the 150th Anniversary of theDiocese of Dunedin, Our Vicar presented a talk on 2 March 2019 explaining how Ritualism took a hold in our neck of the woods. You can watch the full lecture here.
The 2018 Caversham Lectures
Tuesday, 11 December
Dr Nicola Hoggard-Creegan
Evolution, Theology and Animals
Tuesday, 4 December
Professor Margo Barton
The iD International Emerging Designers Awards
Tuesday, 27 November
Right Reverend Steven Benford
The Faith of a Bishop
Tuesday, 20 November
Professor John Reynolds
Teaching an old brain new tricks
This lecture is available as an audio recording. Click on the poster below to listen now.
Very similar material is covered in Professor Reynolds’ inaugural professorial lecture which was filmed by the University of Otago and is available in the following video link.
Tuesday, 13 November
Reverend Toby Behan
The Faith of a Ballet Dancer
The 2017 Caversham Lectures
Tuesday, 5 December
Dr Margo Barton
The Citizen Stylist Project
Tuesday, 28 November
Archbishop Sir David Moxon
The current state of Anglican Roman Catholic relations
Tuesday, 7 November
Dr Andrew Geddis
Life with big brother?
Our current legal and human rights
Tuesday, 21 November
Associate Professor Rachel Zarjac
Wrongful Conviction
What goes wrong when justice miscarries?
The 2016 Caversham Lectures
Tuesday, 29 November : Exploring and Exploiting the Secrets of Life itself – Don Evans, a bio-ethicist and a parishioner of St Matthews Dunedin, looked at the wonderful possibilities and potential perils of breakthroughs in medical research A survey of the life enhancing and life extending possibilities flowing from current stem cell research and the ethical dilemmas they present.
Tuesday, 22 November : The New Zealand Youth Justice System: leading the world – Dunedin Barrister Brian Kilkelly looked into how we our law handles our troublesome youngsters.
Tuesday, 15 November
Practical End of Life Issues – a panel of funeral director Keith Gillion, retired GP Dr Tony Fitchett, law Professor Peter Skegg and palliative care nurse Gayle Elliott discussed practicalities of the final period of our lives.
Tuesday, 8 November
Child Welfare – Can We Deliver and How Will We Know?–Len Cook, Families Commissioner and Chairman of the Social Policy Research and Evaluation Unit considered the future of child welfare in New Zealand.
Tuesday, 1 November
What makes for a good doctor?–Dr Steve Tripp discussed what we should look for when choosing a family GP.
The 2015 Caversham Lectures
24 November
David Hoskins reviewed the history of the New Zealand Film Unit, with particular reference to the way in which different New Zealand governments realised the film unit’s potential for shaping public opinion and influenced its films to offer different impressions of life in New Zealand.
17 November
Emeritus Professor Blair Fitzharris spoke on the potential vulnerability of South Dunedin to coastal flooding and ocean inundation as a result of global warming. The presentation will also addressed the high water table and porous soils issues of our locality
10 November
Associate Professor Alex Trapeznik offered a presentation on the history of Dunedin’s Warehouse Precinct, lavishly illustrated with many photos
3 November
Associate Professor John Stenhouse returned with a further exploration of South Dunedin’s Church history – God, the Devil and the Demon drink
’Great Anglo-Catholics of the 20th Century’ (v) - 10 June 2014
Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury and exemplar of holiness.
Father Hugh Bowron, 2014Watch in High Definition (2.5 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (99 MB)
’Great Anglo-Catholics of the 20th Century’ (iv) - 3 June 2014
Austin Farrer, theologian and preacher, wordsmith extraordinaire
Father Hugh Bowron, 2014Watch in High Definition (2.2 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (66.9 MB)
’Great Anglo-Catholics of the 20th Century’ (iii) - 20 May 2014
Dom Gregory Dix and his block buster book on the Liturgy
Father Hugh Bowron, 2014Watch in High Definition (2.3 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (78.3 MB)
’Great Anglo-Catholics of the 20th Century’ (ii) - 13 May 2014
Sir Ninian Comper, architect, creator of beautiful Churches and Church interiors
Father Hugh Bowron, 2014Watch in High Definition (3.02 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (84.3 MB)
’Great Anglo-Catholics of the 20th Century’ (i) - 6 May 2014
Percy Dearmer and the creation of the English Hymnal
Father Hugh Bowron and David Hoskins, 2014Watch in High Definition (3.02 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (89.6 MB)
"In the still centre : Poetry as an act of compassion’
David Howard, poet, and 2013 Burns fellow for literature, reads a selection of his favourite poems and discusses what to look for in a poem.
- David Howard
David Howard, 2013Watch in High Definition (2.12 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (83 MB)
"The Social Impact of South Dunedin’s Churches’
Exploding the myth that working class people did not attend Church in New Zealand’s most advanced industrial suburb : South Dunedin’s Churches as the matrix of trade unionism, first wave feminism, and much else besides.
- Professor John Stenhouse, University of Otago History Department
John Stenhouse, 2013Watch in High Definition (3.5 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (99 MB)
"Altogether, and in tune this time"
An historical overview of Saint Peter’s and local community arts. Topic: The parish church has a long history as a focal point of community artistic endeavour. The local choirmaster’s duties extended far beyond the organ loft into the wider community as conductor, teacher, accompanist, fundraiser and organiser of everything from Gilbert and Sullivan operetta’s and amateur revues to annual performances of "Messiah." This overview attempts to place St Peter’s Church within this environment, and discusses the wider implications of such activities within a social and political context - including as it does the Great depression and Two World Wars.
- Mr David Hoskins, Director of Music, Saint Peter’s Caversham
David Hoskins, 2013Watch in High Definition (3.62 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (93 MB)
’Framers of Anglican Identity’ (v) - 4 June 2013
Charles Gore. Why prophets find it hard to be Bishops : The Oxford movement at full flood
Father Hugh Bowron, 2013Watch in High Definition (1 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (88 MB)
’Framers of Anglican Identity’ (iv) - 14 May 2013
F D Maurice. Dismissing hell with costs : Deploying the Liberal agenda
Father Hugh Bowron, 2013Watch in High Definition (1 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (71 MB)
’Framers of Anglican Identity’ (iii) - 7 May 2013
Richard Baxter. The alternative Puritan future that might have been; The struggle to make the Church of England a disciplined, confessional and pastorally effective Church
Father Hugh Bowron, 2013Watch in High Definition (1 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (62 MB)
’Framers of Anglican Identity’ (ii) - 30 April 2013
John Donne. The nation at prayer and the Catholic minority; Drawing in the Catholic recusancy
Father Hugh Bowron, 2013Watch in High Definition (1.2 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (82 MB)
’Framers of Anglican Identity’ (i)
Richard Hooker and Lancelot Andrewes - The Avant-Garde Conformists; Creating the kind of Church of England that Elizabeth 1 wanted.
Father Hugh Bowron, 2013Watch in High Definition (2.5 GB)
Watch in lower resolution (99 MB)
The Disintegration of Syria and Lebanon, and where this leaves the Christian minority
Professor Bill Harris, 2013On 9 April, Professor Bill Harris, University of Otago Department of Politics, kicked off the 2013 season.
The Strange, Wonderful and Bleak Theological World of Rowan Williams
Father Hugh Bowron, 2012In the month that Rowan Williams steps down as Archbishop of Canterbury, a look at the theological sources that have informed his leadership of the Anglican Communion.
Watch Father Hugh’s analysis of Rowan Williams’ theology Read the abstractKarl Rahner and the Concept of the Anonymous Christian
Father Hugh Bowron, 2012Can Atheists, Buddhists, Hindus and others be implicit Christians?
Listen to Father Hugh’s discussion of the concept.Balthasar : An introduction
Father Hugh Bowron, 2012The Holy Week lecture for 2012 was an introduction to the life and theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar.
You can listen to the 2012 Holy Week Lecture here57 Baker Street, Caversham, Dunedin, New Zealand +64-3-455-3961 : or e-mail us