Professor Neil Carr with his faithful hound and smell-following guru, Gypsy.
By following his nose research-wise, Professor Neil Carr (Department of Tourism) has not only satisfied his own galloping curiosity – he’s also built up a body of distinctive work that recently won him the 2025 Shaw-Mannell Leisure Research Award.
Established in 2010 by the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, the annual award commemorates the outstanding contributions of two faculty members from its Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies: Susan M. Shaw and Roger C. Mannell.
Neil says Waterloo has long been at the forefront of leisure studies globally. He regards Susan and Roger as two of the all-time greats in the field and is humbled to be the first academic from New Zealand to have his name nestled in beside theirs.
Each year, members of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies put forward nominees who’ve influenced leisure scholarship at the University of Waterloo and made contributions to the field on an international level. But most importantly, they look for those whose research embodies one or more of the following attributes: innovative, creative, collaborative, courageous, risky, critical, unconventional, and/or connected.
Asked if these qualities guide his research compass, Neil says, “I’ve never thought of it that way, but yes, I guess you could stick many of those words next to my research.”
One look at Neil’s extensive list of publications confirms as much. Situated within a social science/humanities framework, his work tackles tourism and leisure topics via many different routes.
A snapshot of Neil-authored research might run the gamut from the holiday behaviour of university students to perceptions of zoo animal attractiveness to sex in tourism to what a holiday experience might look like from a dog’s point of view. And all manner of intriguing scholarly pit stops along the way.
He once explained his approach like this: “My background as a geographer has moulded me into an academic mongrel who is happy to pick and mix my way through assorted disciplinary lenses.”
As for what sparks his interest, Neil says, “It just needs to be appealing in the moment to snag me. In line with my dog, I just follow the pretty smells and let my nose take me where it wants. It really is a mystery tour and the organic nature of it is something I love. Normally it’s something I feel I can connect with but really, it all (despite looking broad) keeps getting grounded in issues of freedom, rights, and wellbeing.”
Professor Heather Mair, from Waterloo’s Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, says she and her colleagues are “excited for the opportunity to celebrate Neil’s work”.
“His contributions to leisure scholarship have been truly influential. His work explores the intersections of freedom, pleasure, risk, and play, and has consistently pushed boundaries within leisure studies. Neil has published widely on the relationship between leisure and animals, tourism and children, and the emotional and psychological dimensions of leisure behaviour.”
She adds that Neil has also influenced the development of the leisure studies field through his editorial stewardship (in roles such as editor of Annals of Leisure Research).
“He brings an original, often provocative voice to the field – challenging assumptions and urging critical reflection in leisure scholarship”, Heather says.
Professor Maree Thyne, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Commerce at Otago, was thrilled to hear that a university in a different hemisphere had clocked Neil’s vast and vibrant output. She wasn’t the least bit surprised though, for she’s long witnessed his tendency to follow the off-piste research path.
“Neil likes to push the boundaries,” Maree says. “He’s a prolific researcher and publisher. I would say ‘best in show’.”
Kōrero by Claire Finlayson, Communications Adviser (Otago Business School)
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