TEDxEQCHCH - Rod Carr - Future of Education July 4, 2011

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Dr. Rod Carr is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury. Prior to his appointment as Vice-Chancellor, Carr was managing director of Jade Software Corporation. He joined Jade in 2003 after a career in the banking sector which included holding the position of Acting Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. A distinguished student, Carr holds a PhD in Insurance and Risk Management and an MA in Applied Economics and Managerial Science from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an MBA in Finance from Columbia University, New York, and undergraduate honours degrees in law and in economics from the University of Otago.

Alongside his impressive educational and business achievements, Carr is an athlete who, despite being legally blind since birth, has complete 14 marathons in the past 8 years and swum the 6km open water swim from Kapiti Island to the mainland on several occasions. Carr brings a outstanding multi faceted intellect to TEDx and has strong opinions about Christchurch and New Zealand's place in the world both before, and subsequent to, the earthquake. As Carr points out, New Zealand is a first world consumer of credit being one of the most indebted nations in the world to be servicing its debt -- and that was before $30 billion of wealth was destroyed. Carr hopes that TEDx can contribute to an informed public debate about the appropriate support for Christchurch, given the reality of global capital constraints.

Carr is also interested in the discussions around preparedness for natural disasters. As he points out, "New Zealand is not alone in bearing the burden of natural disasters -- floods in Queensland and the Tsunami in Japan are two very recent examples". Car believes that TEDxEQChCh can both share the experience of Christchurch, and contribute to an understanding around future preparedness.

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