Dr. Gordon Nanau is Associate Professor of Pacific Studies in the School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies, Faculty of Arts & Education. He is from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. He attended the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji, the College of Charleston, South Carolina, USA and the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Before joining the University of Auckland in 2024, he was a Senior Lecturer in the School of Government, Development & International Affairs at USP for more than fourteen years. Prior to academia, Dr, Nanau worked in senior administrative positions in the Guadalcanal Provincial Government Headquarters and Solomon Islands College of Higher Education, now the Solomon Islands National University in Honiara. Apart from being a university lecturer and researcher, Dr. Nanau provided training for senior public servants in Kiribati, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands and has carried out field research in Tonga, Fiji and Solomon Islands. He was also a consultant to several local and international Non-Government Organisations, the national government of Solomon Islands, donors and international organisations. Some of his recent and interdisciplinary research recent projects were carried out with scholars from other universities and funded by the Global Development Network, Developmental Leadership Programme and Marsden Fund. Dr. Nanau is well versed with social, political and development issues in Solomon Islands, Melanesia and Pacific Island countries.