Familiar media personality now 'Dr Bradley'

As a self-confessed Francophile with strong French, New Zealand journalist Sarah Bradley says spending three months in the field in New Caledonia researching for her doctoral thesis on the country’s pro-independence movement was a dream come true.

“I was able to use my French for interviewing people and it followed on really well from my masters thesis on New Zealand-French relations in the South Pacific.”

Sarah has been a familiar face on New Zealand screens over the years with her various news anchor and journalism roles across TV3, TVNZ and RNZ.

Her PhD thesis investigates how pro-independence and loyalist groups in New Caledonia have interacted amongst themselves, and with the government of France, on issues of political autonomy and independence from 1978 to 2018.

Sarah used two frames of reference; one on stages of decolonisation (based on a synthesis of University of Iowa David Strang’s work, as well as her own), and the other on phases of negotiation, drawn from University of Auckland foreign policy specialist Associate Professor Stephen Hoadley.

“My thesis notes how historical and ethnic divisions, differences and clashes have prolonged the negotiations and made them tortuous,” says Sarah.

The thesis charts New Caledonia’s political progression from early colonial subordination, through four decades of partial reforms, to a degree of autonomy, but ultimately, to non-independence.

“Pro-independence parties approached negotiations tactically rather than strategically, undermining their effectiveness,” says Sarah.

“The negotiation process in New Caledonia has proved to be protracted and inconclusive because it has been strongly contested by most French immigrants and indirectly by the French government.”

Two inconclusive referendums culminated in a third and final independence referendum in 2021, which ended up in favour of the loyalists who wanted New Caledonia to remain a part of France, she says. However, this impasse frustrated the Indigenous Kanaks wanting independence.

“I’m hoping my thesis can provide a model for analysis of decolonisation processes and events elsewhere, and ultimately, I hope to turn it into a book.”

Going back to study at Auckland in 2019 was fine, says Sarah, with the only real challenge being raising a 14 to 19-year-old, her daughter Melinda, who is now a Bachelor of Arts student at Auckland herself, while studying.

“The positives were many. As a mature student, I was luckily not financially scrimping and saving as I had to as an undergrad, and so much literature was online, which was an absolute luxury compared to my undergrad days at Waikato [Bachelor of Management Studies] where we had to book to use a computer or the laser printer.

“The young ones have no idea how easy they have it! That being said, I think the current environment provides almost too much information which is extremely easy to access.”
 

Sarah would encourage anyone wondering about returning to study after a gap or as a mature student to go for it.

“It gives you such a sense of purpose and it's been proven that any type of study is great for your brain; the most important thing is to choose a subject you're passionate about.”

Among Sarah’s many plum jobs has been working for TV3 as a foreign correspondent based in New York, as a Good Morning breakfast host for TVNZ, for the Swiss Embassy in Wellington and as part of the UN Mission to the United Nations, when New Zealand was on the Security Council, again based in New York.

She is also an accomplished singer and performer, having attended musical theatre school in New York earlier in her life, and getting paid acting and musical theatre roles as well as doing commercials.

These days she can sometimes be heard reading the RNZ news, but her next big goal is to keep going in academia and expand on her thesis findings.

“I plan to write some scholarly articles on New Caledonia and the dream is to turn my thesis into a book.”

She particularly wants to thank veteran politics expert Associate Professor Stephen Hoadley and Dr Geoff Kemp for their support during the past five years.

“I couldn't have done this thesis without the inspiration and guidance of Associate Professor Hoadley. He helped me refine my topic and guided me expertly until the end; I was his final PhD student before he retired.

“And Dr Kemp came on board in my final year. He is a master of language, with great attention to detail. I must  also mention my fabulous proofreader Pam Oliver; she can spot a typo from a mile away!”

Sarah Bradley graduated with a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the Faculty of Arts on 5 September at the Auckland Town Hall.

Her thesis, ‘Decolonisation Politics in New Caledonia 1978 to 2018: A Negotiation Analysis’ can be found in the University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services research space.