Presenting project at NZGS Conference

30 Nov, 2022

At the recent New Zealand Geography Society Conference in Christchurch from November 22-25, we held a panel to share the progress of the project so far. 

The panel included Angus Dowell, The University of Auckland; Russell Prince, Massey University; Tom Baker, University of Auckland; Emma Sharp, University of Auckland and John Reid, Ngai Tahu Research Centre, University Of Canterbury, and Nick Lewis, The University of Auckland.

Global management consultancies (GMCs) have become a dominant force in contemporary ‘extrastate’ governance. In this panel session, we ask what geographers might make of the prominence, size, technical capabilities, and global reach of GMCs. GMCs have expanded their remit from auditing accounts to advising on corporate organisation, evaluating investment proposals, producing strategic analyses of social change for corporate and state actors, and launching think-pieces that envisage and frame corporate and social futures. Why does this matter and what are the implications for Aotearoa that these firms have come to ‘imagineer’ our futures. What is the geography of the distinctive techno political power they exercise, and what conceptual metaphors can we imagine to capture that geography?”