Professor Bruce Curtis appointed new Senior Editor for Kōtuitui

After two terms, serving a total of four years, Professor Charles Crothers (AUT) has stepped down as the Senior Editor of Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Bruce Curtis (University of Waikato) as the new Senior Editor effective from 1 July 2020.

On behalf of all the people involved in Kōtuitui, including the publishing team at Te Apārangi and our partner Taylor & Francis, we would like to sincerely thank Charles for his excellent service as Senior Editor. His vision, dedication and considerate leadership have inspired everybody involved to help make Kōtuitui what it is today: a highly regarded journal that serves the entire social science community of Aotearoa, and an inclusive and diverse platform fostering the exchange of new ideas and exciting research.

During Charles’s editorship, Kōtuitui has continuously evolved without ever losing sight of its original character and purpose. It has developed in both quality and quantity. The publishing capacity doubled from the 2017 volume year and the journal saw its CiteScore increase during the past four years in a row. It was indexed in Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) in 2017 and in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) late last year. He also initiated and handled two special issues, which have helped raise the profile of the journal. These are some among many achievements worth celebrating.

We are very pleased to welcome Professor Bruce Curtis to our editorial team as the new Senior Editor of Kōtuitui.

Bruce is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Waikato. His research interests include: (1) the policy and institutional arrangements of key sectors in the economy – including agriculture (especially meat and dairy), gambling, higher education; (2) the impact of new technologies on work organisations; (3) exploring the shifting interface between human and nonhuman actants (animals, algorithms and aliens); and (4) the investigation of changing contexts and experiences of academic life. He is interested in the practices of research, including how to teach methodology and methods in the social sciences. Bruce has undertaken a number of academic leadership roles, including Head of the Department of Sociology (University of Auckland), Head of School, Social Sciences (University of Waikato). He is a past-president of the Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ), and former Co-Editor of New Zealand Sociology.

We’re sure Bruce will bring new energy and insights to the journal to drive Kōtuitui and the field of research forward. We would also like to take this opportunity to welcome five new Associate Editors to our editorial board. They are A/Professor Steve Matthewman (Auckland), Dr. William Wood (Griffith), Dr Cate Curtis (Waikato), Dr Suzanne Phibbs (Massey) and Dr Bill Cochrane (Waikato). We thank our new and existing Associate Editors. The refreshed editorial team, now under the leadership of Professor Curtis, will continue to serve our authors, reviewers and readers to maintain a bright future for Kōtuitui.