ProfessorKatie Pickles

Katie Pickles BA (Cant), MA (UBC), PhD (McGill), FRSNZ, FRHistS lectures in 'New Zealand women's/feminist history'.

Thanks to a Tessa Malcolm Bequest Katie is currently writing a new biography of Kate Sheppard, to be published in 2027.

Recent Publications: 

Pickles, Katie 2026 ‘From One Disaster to Another: Environmental Memory, Automobility, Suburbanisation and the Canterbury Earthquakes 2010-2011’, Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences, vol 21, Issue 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/kot2.70043 

Pickles, Katie 2022 Heroines in History: A Thousand Faces, Routledge. Audiobook April 2023. 

Pickles, Katie and Catharine Coleborne (eds) 2023 (PB), New Zealand's Empire, Studies in Imperialism, Manchester University Press, Manchester and New York.

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526171726/

Pickles, Katie 2022 'Materteral Consumption Magic: The Hay's Rooftop Playground, Christchurch, New Zealand', Public History Review, vol 29, 168-84.  

Katie is internationally recognised for her ground-breaking approach to feminist history. She has created a new genre through research on celebrated women in history, female imperialism and national identity and the life and commemoration of first world war resistance worker Edith Cavell.

She is also an expert on settler colonialism in Aotearoa and internationally, notably through her research on landscape, power and culture in Ōtautahi Christchurch. 

Katie has published four monographs; Heroines in History: A Thousand Faces (2022); Christchurch Ruptures (2016); Transnational Outrage: The Death and Commemoration of Edith Cavell (2007/15); Female Imperialism and National Identity: Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE) (2002/09).

Katie has co-edited six collections; New Zealand's Empire (2016/23); History Making a Difference: New Approaches from Aotearoa (2015); Endurance and the First World War (2013); Contact Zones: Aboriginal and Settler Women in Canada's Colonial Past (2005); Shifting Centres: Women and Migration in New Zealand History (2002); Hall of Fame: Life Stories of New Zealand Women (1998). 

Katie has written many journal articles, chapters in books and high impact popular articles focusing on aspects of gender, empire, national identity, environment and decolonisation.

Katie has given 27 prestigious keynote and memorial lectures. A James Cook Research Fellowship in 2017 recognised Katie’s national and international research standing. Katie is a Fellow of Te Apārangi Royal Society of New Zealand (FRSNZ) and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS).

Katie has made leadership contributions in her university and discipline including Associate Dean Postgraduate Research (UC) and Associate Dean Research (Arts). Katie has served as the President of the New Zealand Historical Association and the Canterbury Historical Association.

Katie has supervised over 50 postgraduate students. She has served on a number of academic history and geography journal editorial boards and as an editor (History Compass) and associate editor (Kōtuitui). 

Recent non-journal articles:

Pickles, Katie 2026 “New Zealand’s fastest growing town was once the future of urban planning. What happened?”, The Conversation, 28 August, 2026. https://theconversation.com/nzs-fastest-growing-town-was-once-the-future-of-urban-planning-what-happened-289701

https://theconversation.com/jacinda-ardern-turns-her-own-imposter-syndrome-into-self-help-wisdom-for-young-readers-281863

3 June 2026 The Conversation 

Reseach Keywords:

Female imperialism

Kiwi culture

Settler colonialism

Colonial encounter between settler and indigenous women

World War I

Women, war and propaganda

Women and education

Women and migration

Heroines

Memory

Commemoration

Oral history

Environmental history

Public history

Decolonisation

Culture and hegemony

Commonwealth history

Ōtautahi Christchurch

New Zealand

Canada

Australia

Transnational history

Construction of national identity

History of feminism

Historical, cultural and feminist geography 

Katie currently teaches courses on:

New Zealand history

'Kiwi culture' 

Heroines in history

Constructing feminist history

Katie has recently taught courses on:

Revisiting empire

Recovering Christchurch 1850-2010