2027 Academic Fellow, January – December
Dominic O’Sullivan is Professor of Political Science working across the School of Social Work and Arts and the research initiative Yindymarra Nguluway at Charles Sturt University. An internationally renowned expert in in comparative Indigenous politics and public policy, Professor O’Sullivan brings academic research and practical policy application together, making significant contributions to Indigenous rights and self-determination in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. His research asks what difference it would make for policy systems to recognise First Nations people as shareholders in the authority of the state, rather than as partners, stakeholders or consultees and has application to political and constitutional rights, Indigenous self-determination, health, education, local government and beyond. In 2018, his book Beyond Biculturalism: The Politics of an Indigenous Minority (Huia Publishers, 2007) was recognised by the Royal Society of New Zealand as one of the 150 most important books by a Māori author.
Professor O’Sullivan has a longstanding and exceptional record of engaging with government, policymakers and First Nations communities to inform and drive innovative policy solutions to emerging problems. Developed with colleagues at Massey University and Victoria University of Wellington, Professor O’Sullivan’s development of Critical Tiriti Analysis (CTA) has been recognised for making Te Tiriti o Waitangi’s policy relevance explicit. Widely used in policy evaluation and policy development by government agencies in Aotearoa New Zealand, it has been deployed by organisations such as Health New Zealand, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for the Environment, Pharmac and the Health and Disability Commission. Professor O’Sullivan was appointed to a New Zealand Pharmacy Council Expert Advisory Committee to help it to develop its competence requirements for registration as a pharmacist and pharmacy prescriber. Interest has been shown in how CTA may be adapted for use in Indigenous policy in Australia, including by AHPRA
Professor O’Sullivan’s research has influenced other spheres of public policy, including commissioned research by the New Zealand Ministerial Review into the Future for Local Government and the International Labour Organization. He is regularly called on to provide expert advice and speak on the areas of his research expertise to professional and public audiences in the fields of education, health, local government and beyond. He has addressed the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and been called upon as an expert witness to the Waitangi Tribunal. In the field of education, Professor O’Sullivan’s co-authored book, Scaling-up Education Reform: Addressing the Politics of Disparity (NZCER Press, 2010), has been widely cited where it has been used by governments in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the insights from this book have been used to inform the teacher registration standards and guidelines used by the Education Review Office as part of its public evaluation of schools.
Internationally recognised in the academy, Professor O’Sullivan has published ten books, more than 60 journal articles and book chapters as well as numerous conference papers and keynote speeches. His most recent book, Te Tiriti, Equality and the Future of New Zealand Democracy (Auckland University Press 2026) demonstrates how First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing can benefit all people in a society or polity. In 2023, Professor O’Sullivan published, Indigeneity, Culture and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Palgrave Macmillan), reflecting his longstanding research interest in the relationship between the possibilities and constraints of liberal democracy and Indigenous self-determination. In recognition of his contribution to scholarship and research leadership, Professor O’Sullivan was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Professor O’Sullivan regularly contributes to public debate. He has participated in more than 1,000 expert interviews across television, radio and print and has published more than 140 media articles. He has recently appeared on ABC Radio, Al Jazeera, ABC News, Sky News Australia, Television New Zealand and Māori Television and has been interviewed by the New York Times, the Economist, the New Zealand Herald and CBC Canada.
In addition to his appointment at Charles Sturt University, Professor O’Sullivan is Adjunct Professor at the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies, Victoria University Wellington, and Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Māori Health Research, Auckland University of Technology.
Fellowship focus
Recognising First Nations people as shareholders in state authority.
Publications & Awards
Awards / Recognition
Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of New Zealand
Selected publications – peer reviewed journal articles
Came, H., O’Sullivan, D., Kidd, J., & McCreanor, T. (2024). Critical Tiriti Analysis: A prospective policy making tool from Aotearoa New Zealand. Ethnicities, 24(6), 985-1004. doi: 10.1177/14687968231171651.
O’Sullivan, D. (2026). Te Tiriti o Waitangi: A partnership between races or commonwealth for democratic innovation. Ethnicities, 26(1), 154-158. doi: 10.1177/14687968251367061c.
O’Sullivan, D. (2025) Beyond the First Nations Voice to Parliament: Who “owns” the state? Australian Journal of Social Issues, 60, 547–561. doi: 10.1002/ajs4.380.
O’Sullivan, D. (2024). Te Tiriti o Waitangi—neither “one people” nor partners: rangatiratanga and inclusive democratic kāwanatanga. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 20(4), 609-617. doi: 10.1177/11771801241279332.
O’Sullivan, D. (2022). The crisis of policy failure or the moral crisis of an idea: colonial politics in contemporary Australia and New Zealand. Political Science, 74(1), 1–17. doi: 10.1080/00323187.2022.2099915.
Selected publications - books
O’Sullivan, D. (2026). Te Tiriti, Equality and the Future of New Zealand Democracy (Auckland University Press). Watch a video from the launch of this book.
O’Sullivan, D. (2023). Indigeneity, Culture and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Palgrave Macmillan).
O’Sullivan, D. (2020). Sharing the Sovereign: Indigenous Peoples, Recognition, Treaties and the State (Palgrave Macmillan).
O’Sullivan, D. (2007). Beyond Biculturalism: the politics of an indigenous minority (Huia Publishers).
Selected Publications - media
O’Sullivan, D. (2026). NZ’s next government will inherit a Treaty debate that is far from resolved, 20 October, The Conversation.
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