Dr Maria Cooper is co-Associate Dean Pacific and senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Social Work. As a researcher of early childhood education, she draws on both Pacific (Samoan) Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to bridge cultural understandings and explore issues in educational leadership, infant-toddler pedagogy, teacher-family collaboration, and promoting Pacific children’s success in education….Continue Reading Dr Maria Cooper
Dr Sarah McLean-Orsborn is currently a Lecturer at Te Wānanga o Waipapa, School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies, University of Auckland. She is of Samoan and New Zealand European descent and has a criminology and community/public health background. Her research interests include: depression, mental health, Pacific health and wellbeing, Pacific development, and health and socioeconomic inequities and inequalities….Continue Reading Dr Sarah McLean-Orsborn
Associate Professor Caroline Vercoe teaches Global Art Histories and Māori and Pacific Art History and Visual Culture. She specializes in contemporary Pacific art and performance art, with a particular interest in issues of race, gender and representation, and has been teaching, curating and researching in these areas for thirty years. …Continue Reading Dr Caroline Vercoe
Associate Professor Sarina Pearson’s research interests are centered on the politics of minority screen representation in the Pacific region. Her primary focus is on understanding the creative and industrial opportunities and constraints that influence the types of screen narratives produced by Pasifika and Asian New Zealanders. Additionally, she explores ecocriticism and its growing significance in film and television scholarship, particularly in relation to our evolving sense of ecological vulnerability. …Continue Reading Dr Sarina Pearson
Associate Professor Maunganui Wolfgramm has dedicated her research, teaching and service to new generations of leaders committed to creating thriving social ecological communities of engagement and practice. Her key areas of focus include Sustainability, Mātauranga Māori, Leadership, and Economies of Wellbeing. …Continue Reading Rachel Wolfgramm
Dr Ema Wolfgramm-Foliaki is a lecturer in Te Puna Wananga, School of Maori and Indigenous Education, Faculty of Education and Social Work at Waipapa Taumata Rau – The University of Auckland. Her research focus in on the role and contribution of cultural methodologies and culturally sustaining pedagogies in the retention & achievement of Pasifika peoples in higher education….Continue Reading AP Ema Wolfgramm-Foliaki
Dr. Tanya Samu, born and raised in Samoa, identifies as Samoan through her father and Ngāti Kahungunu through her mother. She is dedicated to advancing Pacific (Pasifika) education and promoting diversity within educational settings. Her research focuses on exploring Indigenous truths within education. With three decades of experience, she has played a crucial role in developing and enhancing undergraduate and graduate diploma programs in teaching and learning. Dr. Samu has also made significant contributions across the Pacific region in shaping Social Sciences curriculum and pedagogy….Continue Reading Dr Tanya Samu
A Pacific feminist of Cook Island, Niuean, and Pakeha descent, Professor Yvonne Underhill-Sem is a Professor in Pacific Studies at Te Wānanga o Waipapa (Māori Studies and Pacific Studies), Faculty of Arts. Her areas of expertise include gender and development, critical population geographies, feminist political ecology, Pacific development, and progressive social movements….Continue Reading Professor Yvonne Underhill-Sem MNZM
Dr Analosa Veukiso-Ulugia is a Sāmoan academic in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, at the University of Auckland. A health professional specialising in Pacific youth health, Analosa is committed to the empowerment of Pacific communities, specifically in the area of sexual health and youth health and wellbeing. …Continue Reading Dr Analosa Veukiso-Ulugia
