Part Two | The Middle East Conflict: Reshaping the Global Order and New Zealand's Future
Dr Geoffrey Miller and Expert Panel
Wednesday, 5 August 2026 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Christchurch
To be advised
Re-join our panel of experts in this online session for an analysis of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East region.
Featuring special guests Dr. Geoffrey Miller, Mahdi Ghuloom, and Ollie Law.
Dr Geoffrey Miller is a New Zealand geopolitical analyst. In December 2025 he graduated from the University of Otago with his PhD in Politics for his thesis Unlocking the Middle East: New Zealand’s Relations with the Gulf States in the 21st Century. The thesis was placed on the University of Otago's list of Humanities Exceptional Doctoral Theses, placing it in the top 10 percent of all theses examined. Dr Miller has lived in Germany and the Middle East and is a long-time learner of Arabic.
Mahdi Ghuloom is a Junior Fellow for Geopolitics at ORF–Middle East, focusing on Gulf States’ economic competitiveness, political institutions, and diplomacy. He previously worked as a Regional Security Analyst at Le Beck International and as a researcher at the Bahrain Prime Minister’s Office and the Bahrain Economic Development Board. He is soon to graduate from an MSt in Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford and holds an MSc in Policy Analytics (Exeter) and a BSc in Economics and Politics (Essex).
Ollie Law is Co-Founder and CTO of Fixinc and COPNZ, building next-generation resilience technology across Oceania and Southeast Asia. With nearly two decades bridging technical innovation and organizational needs, he's developing New Zealand's first Common Operating Platform—unifying emergency services data for real-time crisis response. Following his frontline experience during the Christchurch earthquakes and March 15 attacks, Ollie champions public-private collaboration to accelerate the resilience infrastructure New Zealand's communities urgently need.
Re-join our panel of experts in this online session for an analysis of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East region.
Featuring special guests Dr. Geoffrey Miller, Mahdi Ghuloom, and Ollie Law.
Dr Geoffrey Miller is a New Zealand geopolitical analyst. In December 2025 he graduated from the University of Otago with his PhD in Politics for his thesis Unlocking the Middle East: New Zealand’s Relations with the Gulf States in the 21st Century. The thesis was placed on the University of Otago's list of Humanities Exceptional Doctoral Theses, placing it in the top 10 percent of all theses examined. Dr Miller has lived in Germany and the Middle East and is a long-time learner of Arabic.
Mahdi Ghuloom is a Junior Fellow for Geopolitics at ORF–Middle East, focusing on Gulf States’ economic competitiveness, political institutions, and diplomacy. He previously worked as a Regional Security Analyst at Le Beck International and as a researcher at the Bahrain Prime Minister’s Office and the Bahrain Economic Development Board. He is soon to graduate from an MSt in Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford and holds an MSc in Policy Analytics (Exeter) and a BSc in Economics and Politics (Essex).
Ollie Law is Co-Founder and CTO of Fixinc and COPNZ, building next-generation resilience technology across Oceania and Southeast Asia. With nearly two decades bridging technical innovation and organizational needs, he's developing New Zealand's first Common Operating Platform—unifying emergency services data for real-time crisis response. Following his frontline experience during the Christchurch earthquakes and March 15 attacks, Ollie champions public-private collaboration to accelerate the resilience infrastructure New Zealand's communities urgently need.
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