Reefton, c. 1888, Right before electrification (New Zealand Nation Library)
Current Research Projects
The Huntly Power Station
To finish my book manuscript, I am adding a chapter on the relationship between earlier colonial electric power ideologies and the construction of a thermal power station during the mid-20th century in New Zealand.
Book Project: Empowering Transitions: Electrification in New Zealand
Working on turning my dissertation into a book, which examines cases studies in the history of New Zealand’s electrification in order to explore how colonialism weaves together the country’s electric power infrastructures.
Electrozone
Working on a conference paper and article about the appearance of “electrozone” in New Zealand’s press during the 1890s. Journalists and physicians argued that electrified medicines and medical technology would eliminate disease and reshape the entire field of medicine.
Māori and Maasai Geothermal Power
During the late-20th century, Māori and Maasai communities began to use geothermal electric power production as part of their broad decolonization efforts. As both peoples had been colonized by the British Empire, their stories offer a way to explore the extent of colonial influence on electric systems and provide examples of how it can be dismantled.