Anthony John Ballantyne 1985 – 1989

Tony was a School Prefect, he played in the 1st XI Cricket team, and was awarded a School Blue for Cricket, he won Special Prizes in Classical Studies and Geography and an award for Services to School Cricket

Tony is a New Zealand historian at the University of Otago, Dunedin. After completing his schooling at King's High School, Dunedin, he graduated BA(Hons) at the University of Otago and obtained a PhD at the University of Cambridge. He lectured at the National University of Ireland in Galway from Jul 1998 – Jun 2000, then he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois from Aug 2000 to Jun 2002 and an Associate Professor from Dec 2007 to Dec 2008 at Washington University in St. Louis. In between he lectured back in NZ at the University of Otago from Jul 2002 to Dec 2004 and then as a Senior Lecturer from Jan 2005 to Dec 2007.

He returned to the University of Otago's Dunedin campus to build his career. Firstly, as Associate Professor from Jan 2009 to Jan 2011, then as Professor from Feb 2011 to May 2015 (Head of Department, History and Art History from 2012 to 2015), then as Vice-Chancellor, Humanities in a difficult period from Oct 2015 to Dec 2020 for academics. A time when Art History was disestablished, a time when redundancies and other academics were being asked to take early retirement. 

From Jan 2021 Tony has lead the Division of External Engagement. In this capacity he oversees the university's alumni relations, liaising with secondary schools and recruitment of students, and the development and advertising of the university's "brand”. He is heavily involved in the promotion of the universities new logo – another somewhat controversial situation.

Tony has established a significant reputation in New Zealand academic circles, including being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2012. In 2016 he was awarded the Humanities Aronui Medal from the Royal Society of New Zealand for innovation in humanities research. He also edits, with Barbara Brookes, the New Zealand Journal of History.

He is recognised as a world-leading historian of the modern British Empire.

In recent years much of his research has come to focus on the changing place of New Zealand within the British Empire. His current research primarily focuses on the development of colonial knowledge in southern New Zealand, a long-running project that was supported by a grant from the Marsden Fund of the Royal Society of New Zealand.