ABOUT US
DevNet is the Aotearoa New Zealand International Development Studies Network. For over 30 years we have connected academics, students, development policy-makers and practitioners to facilitate dialogue, debate and knowledge-sharing.
CONFERENCES
DevNet’s conferences have been held biennially since 1998. Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest, regular conference on international development, provides a great opportunity for people from Aotearoa, the Pacific and others to learn from each other and from international experts. Keynote speakers have…
GRANTS & AWARDS
DevNet provides field research grants to support postgraduate students and researchers based in New Zealand and the Pacific who are studying development issues relevant to New Zealand’s development cooperation and Pacific development.
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Congratulations to Aiga Ian, an early-career researcher at the University of Papua New Guinea, on completing his research titled, The Effects of Gender-Based Violence on Women’s and Men’s Mental Health in Papua New Guinea: A Case Study of Kupiano Station, Kelerakwa Village, and the Wavulu Landmass Area, Central Province, Papua New Guinea. The research was funded through the DevNet Pacific Development Research Grant.
Gender-based violence (GBV) is closely linked to mental health challenges affecting both women and men. This study examines how experiences of GBV impact the mental health of women and men in selected communities. It provides valuable insights into the drivers of GBV, coping and recovery mechanisms, and the barriers individuals face when seeking support and assistance.
Read the policy brief here: view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fdevnet.org.nz%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F20...
Just a friendly reminder that the deadline for submitting session proposals for the 2026 DEVNET Conference is next Wednesday (1 July 2026). The session proposal application form will close at 11:59 pm. NZST on the day. You can find the session proposal form on the conference event webpage www.wgtn.ac.nz/sgees/about/events/devnet-2026-conference
Sessions can take various formats, including paper panels, roundtables, workshops, and other interactive discussions addressing contemporary issues in development studies and practice.
Please also feel free to share this call with colleagues, collaborators, and others in your networks who may be interested in convening a session at the conference.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their session proposals by Monday, 6 July 2026, and the call for paper abstracts will open on Wednesday, 8 July 2026.
www.wgtn.ac.nz
On behalf of the DEVNET National Forum and the Conference Planning Committee, we warmly welcome you to Wellington for the 2026 DEVNET Conference.
Congratulations to Leua Latai, Senior Lecturer at the National University of Samoa, who has successfully completed a writing retreat for academic staff from various disciplines across the university. The retreat was sponsored by DevNet.
The primary objective of this intensive retreat was to accelerate faculty publication output, with a particular focus on upcoming submissions to the FOEMUA Journal of Pacific Education Futures, due on 30 August 2026.
The retreat was highly successful, with participants praising the positive and collaborative support shared between junior and senior lecturers. Over the course of the two-day retreat, the cohort collectively drafted more than 15,059 words, reviewed six journal articles, edited a dissertation, and advanced five distinct papers to the final drafting stage.
Another excellent research project was completed by our DevNet New Zealand Postgraduate Development Field Research Award recipient, Naomi Moya, a PhD candidate at the University of Canterbury.
The research is titled Governing Oil in Turkana’s New Extractive Frontier: Local Authority, Land Rights and Inclusive Development.
When oil was discovered in Turkana County in 2012, it was presented as a pathway to national development, promising economic growth, improved infrastructure, and better livelihoods in one of the country’s most marginalised regions. This research examines how these expectations have unfolded in practice and what they mean for local communities whose livelihoods and identities are closely tied to land.
Drawing on fieldwork conducted between August and October 2024 in Turkana County and Nairobi County, including interviews with community members, government officials, industry representatives, and civil society organisations, the study explores how governance processes—such as land access, compensation, participation, and benefit sharing—shape outcomes for local communities.
While limited development benefits from extractive industries are often attributed to weak or inadequate policies, laws, or development plans, this research argues that they are better explained by the limited involvement of communities in key decision-making processes and, crucially, by their lack of authority over land. Community responses to the social and environmental impacts of oil extraction in Turkana demonstrate that community-led action can play a critical role in strengthening accountability and supporting more inclusive development outcomes.
The research therefore advances the understanding that supporting community-led governance offers a practical pathway to improving development outcomes by returning authority over land, decision-making, and accountability to affected communities.
Naomi shared:
"I am grateful to DevNet and MFAT for supporting this fieldwork, and to all the participants who shared their time and insights. I am also grateful for the support of my supervisors for their guidance and encouragement through the research process."
Read Naomi's Policy Brief here: view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fdevnet.org.nz%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F20...
Congratulations Naomi
We are pleased to share the policy brief by Indeewari Kanchana Galagama, PhD Candidate in Politics and International Relations at Massey University.
Indeewari received the DevNet New Zealand Postgraduate Field Research Grant to conduct research on “Echoes of Silence: Unravelling Enforced Disappearances and the Quest for Reconciliation in Sri Lanka’s JVP Insurgencies (1971 and 1987–1989).”
Indeewari shared:
My research explored the long-term impacts of enforced disappearances that occurred during the 1971 and 1987–1989 JVP uprisings in southern Sri Lanka and sought to understand how families continue to live with unresolved loss across generations. Specifically, the study focused on second- and third-generation family members of the disappeared in Hambantota and Tangalle, examining how memory, silence, trauma, and political exclusion shape their everyday lives.
These families continue to navigate the social, emotional, and economic consequences of disappearance, ranging from prolonged uncertainty and disrupted livelihoods to intergenerational trauma and mistrust of state institutions. While enforced disappearance is often treated as a historical human rights violation, this research highlights how its effects remain present within households and communities decades later.
Fieldwork was conducted between June and August 2025 and involved in-depth discussions with affected families, as well as informal consultations with experts and practitioners working on issues of memory, trauma, and accountability. Undertaking this research held deep personal significance for me, as my own family was affected by political violence during this period. This positionality strengthened my commitment to relational ethics, care, and accountability throughout the research process.
The study contributes to broader discussions on peacebuilding and development by emphasising that justice processes must address not only legal accountability but also the lived and intergenerational consequences of disappearance. By centring the voices of affected families, the research underscores the importance of survivor-informed approaches to rebuilding trust, strengthening social cohesion, and supporting sustainable peace in post-conflict societies.
Read the policy brief here: devnet.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/NZPG-Revised-Policy-Brief-Template-2024-V1_Indeewari.pdf
Indeewari Galagama Akka ❤️
An appropriate study on the dissapearances in the slSouth during the insurgencies of 1971 and 1987. Very many families lost their earning capability and the serinity in their houdehold.