Jock Phillips

Jock Phillips ONZM is a freelance historian based in Wellington, New Zealand.

Studying first at Victoria University of Wellington then Harvard, Phillips went on to teach American and New Zealand history at Victoria for 16 years, a time during which he also established the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies.

He later became the Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s Chief Historian, a position he held for 14 years. While there, he oversaw the development of the New Zealand Historical Atlas, initiated an oral history programme, and set up a Fellowship in Maori History. He also helped establish Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, acting as its General Editor from 2002 to 2011.

Phillips has taken on many governance roles throughout his career, including with the National Library Society, Fulbright New Zealand, the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington Council, Guardians/Kaitiaki of the Alexander Turnbull Library, as Conceptual Leader for history exhibitions at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and is a trustee of Nga Taonga Sound & Vision.

He has published 15 books on New Zealand history, the best known of which is A Man’s Country?: The Image of the Pakeha Male – A History. His most recent are To the Memory, a comprehensive illustrated history of New Zealand war memorials, and a memoir, Making History: A New Zealand Story.

Among Phillips’ many accolades are the Royal Society of New Zealand’s 2011 Pou Aronui Award for service to the humanities, and the 2014 Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement.