Dr Sharon Crooks

Dr Crooks is a lecturer at the School of Psychology, whose research involved a multi-perspective, participant-led exploration of in/ex-clusion in New Zealand mainstream high schools, privileging the voices of senior autistic students.

Her study investigated identity acceptance, wellbeing and achievement. Her findings suggest that barriers to inclusion are typically framed by students to include autistic ignorance, compromised human rights, and neoliberal consequences, being the limited opportunities for teacher support and meaningful learning. In contrast, good interpersonal and caring relationships are at the heart of inclusion experiences.

Tertiary students, parents, and professional autistic ‘advocates’ also contributed to these discussions. Taken together, Dr Crooks’ findings speak to contemporary issues involving constrained educational and mental health resources.

Dr Crooks says her doctorate is the culmination of a long journey with Massey as a ‘distance student’, whilst being a mum to three.

“I’m most grateful to everyone who made it possible, especially extended family and great supervision.

Dr Kousar Sadeghzadeh

In her thesis There and Back Again, Research Assistant and Tutor at the School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing Dr Sadeghzadeh examined whether, when and how consumers’ engagement with fantasy stories told through servicescape atmospherics influences their emotions, behaviour, and brand personality perceptions.

As consumers’ responses to the same story differ depending on the story character they empathise with, her thesis further examined how empathy with positive versus negative characters influences consumers’ responses in fantasy designed servicescapes.

Her findings suggest that regardless of the character type highlighted by atmospherics, consumers equally engage with fantasy stories in servicescapes which increase their positive emotions and behaviour while decreasing the negative emotions. Brand personality is perceived positively when a negative story character is highlighted by the servicescape atmospherics.

She says her journey to the world of fairies has not yet come to an end. 

“There’s still much out there I love to explore, examine, and explain on bringing elements of fantasy into reality in the marketplace."

Dr Sadeghzadeh plans to bake delicious desserts and celebrate her fantastic achievement and cheer the unexpected adventures ahead with family and friends. She also looks forward to a magical feast at Hobbiton movie set once the travel restrictions are lifted.

Dr Abdelhamid Safa

Dr Safa is a teacher trainer at the Professional and Continuous Education and an Assistant Researcher in the Institute of Education with 21 years of teaching experience.

He investigated the impact of an exemplary post-graduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme, the Master of Education (Teaching and Learning) (MTchgLn), on beginning teachers’ professional preparedness to cater for diverse learners. His thesis investigated the programme’s effectiveness to prepare equity-oriented, knowledge-based teachers through the eyes of graduates and Lead Teachers.

The findings confirm the positive experience of the MTchgLn graduates to cater for diverse learners. Implications based on these findings are considered for ITE educators and education policy makers in Aotearoa New Zealand to respond to the challenges of today’s multicultural education by prioritising equity.

He says balancing coursework, teaching and parenting presented its own challenges.

“A PhD is never a solo affair; there’s a team aspect to it.”

He is very grateful for the endless support and constant encouragement from his family, friends, colleagues and his supervisors, Associate Professors Sally Hansen and Alison Sewell.

“It hasn’t been easy, but I knew this was what I wanted to do — and that helped me stay inspired and motivated. This is the beginning of another journey in my life. I feel very excited and happy!”

Dr An Le

Dr Le is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Built Environment, her thesis explored challenges in managing school buildings in New Zealand and developed a framework to help school stakeholders manage their property effectively.

Her study argued that all stakeholders are responsible for working closely as a team as they have both direct and indirect impacts on each other’s performance in managing school property. She conducted a mixed qualitative and quantitative study to develop the framework that enhances the collaboration of people involved in the process by a set of diagrams with inputs, outputs, controls and mechanisms of each activity in the management system.

The findings highlight the most needed improvement areas to increase the maturity level of New Zealand’s school property management. She is currently conducting research on exploring capacity and capability of the New Zealand construction sector, so that enables the stakeholders to avoid the lack of ability to deliver the future projects.

She says it is fantastic to have completed her doctoral thesis and “this is the beginning of another chapter in my life”.

Clockwise from top left: Dr Isaac Henderson, Dr Marianne Simon, Dr Heshani Edirisinghe and Dr Amarachukwu Nnadozie Nwadike.

Dr Isaac Henderson

Dr Henderson has been a lecturer in the School of Aviation since 2016. His thesis Re-thinking the brand concept for air transportation was initially meant to be research into airport branding. However, the study took a different turn within the first 12 months as it became obvious that the brand concept lacked conceptual clarity with competing definitions that were irreconcilable with each other. This lack of conceptual clarity has been imported into many other disciplines such as air transportation.

He undertook empirical work to assist in ameliorating the issues surrounding brand definition. This work supported a return to a Label and Associations Model of the brand, where the brand is a name or logo that is used to recall associations held in memory, known as brand associations. He then applied this model to study airline and airport brand choice and the creation of airport brands.

The results contrast with extant literature by suggesting that it is the tangible attributes of air travel products and services (e.g., price, reliability), rather than the abstract attributes (e.g., reputation, social responsibility), that matter to air travellers.

He says that while there were plenty of challenges throughout the doctoral journey, the most difficult was when his son Aidan was born only 2 and a half weeks before his oral examination. "Most of the defence was prepared while Aidan was sleeping on me so that my wife could catch up on sleep."

Dr Marianne Simon

Writing Consultant for the Centre for Learner Success Dr Simon takes great pride in being able to support students to be confident and independent learners. Her research examined how New Zealand schools enhanced teacher development and integrated the accountability and development requirements of teacher appraisal.

She found that adapting a coherent framework that aligns and intertwines multiple systems, people, and roles, within a culture that loves learning and enables teachers to flourish, was more likely to foster a developmental teacher appraisal approach. The study also discovered that having a developmental focus is not sufficient to make appraisal meaningful. It must be embedded amongst teachers and leaders who have a love for learning.

She says the research process has been a huge learning curve for her where it challenged and pushed her to build good skills and knowledge as a beginner researcher.

“I appreciate the support and encouragement from my family, friends, colleagues, and supervisors, Associate Professor Jenny Poskitt and Dr Peter Rawlins.”

She wishes she could celebrate this achievement with her family in Malaysia, but that is too difficult under the current border restrictions. Nevertheless, she is looking forward to celebrating with her husband, son, and friends over the Christmas holidays.

“Remember, that you can achieve anything you want in life if you put your mind to it”.

Dr Heshani Edirisinghe

Dr Edirisinghe is a part-time lecturer at the School of Natural and Computational Sciences. Her thesis investigated the biology and behaviour of New Zealand ladybirds, providing insights into the establishment success of introduced species.  

Assessing phenotypic variation in introduced species is key to understanding establishment processes and thereby improving the effectiveness of biocontrol and conservation programmes. Her thesis is the first study to compare phenotypic variation between introduced and native New Zealand ladybirds and the first molecular phylogeny to include native New Zealand ladybirds. Her research provides valuable insights into introduction biology and garners support for the hypothesis that high levels of intraspecific variation increase the establishment success of introduced species.

She says undertaking a PhD was a challenging but wonderful experience.

“I am extremely grateful for my amazing panel of supervisors, family and friends, for making my PhD journey special and memorable.”

Dr Amarachukwu Nnadozie Nwadike

Dr Nwadike is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Built Environment. He is working on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment funded study Creating capacity and capability for New Zealand construction sector.

He investigated the impacts of building code amendments in New Zealand and found that regular building code amendments were significant in reducing disaster impacts. The study also discovered that introducing a two-step consultation process would help present the right questions to the code users before the final amendment process.

Dr Nwadike proposed a three-year building code amendment interval while advising proactive training for building code users and regulators. From his findings, he developed an evidence-based framework that informs and guides the building code regulators in improving the New Zealand building code.

He says completing his doctorate degree at Massey University was the best decision he made.

“My doctoral journey was an overwhelming experience, especially graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic era.”

The two-day event will be held on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 July from 9am to 4pm and will feature a mixture of live and pre-recorded sessions with academic staff who will speak to the range of study options available. Attendees can chat in real time with staff through the online engagement tool, The Access Platform. 

In August, Campus Visit Days in Auckland, Manawatū and Wellington will allow people to meet staff, and get a sense of the campuses, facilities, accommodation, in person. 

National Events and Sponsorship Manager Kelly Douglas says hosting an online event over two days is about making it as easy as possible for people to discover information, in a way that works for them, especially in the environment we are currently operating in due to COVID-19. 

“With the ongoing threat of COVID-19 and unplanned lockdowns, we want to ensure we offer the opportunity for people to connect with us, regardless of what comes our way. We understand everyone’s schedules are busy and often people are juggling work, study, families and other commitments. We saw how successful these online events were last year and how people across Aotearoa and the world appreciated the flexibility, so we’re proud to be offering this again.”

Almost 5,000 people visited the Open Days platform last year, more than double the number of people who attended the in-person events in 2019. Attendees ranged from 18 years old to over 65 and joined from 78 countries world-wide.

First-year student Shannon Aislabie chose to study a Bachelor of Business with a double major in Marketing and Property after attending a Virtual Open Day from home, followed by a Campus Visit Day, last year.

“Not only was I provided with amazing information on the Virtual Open Days, but my experience of visiting the campus really tied everything together and allowed me to confirm my decision was right for me. Open Days included lots of useful information about all aspects of university life [and then] I got to familiarise myself with the space and campus that I was choosing to attend. I felt so comfortable and welcomed at Massey University.”

She says the regular communication and reminders in the lead up to the events were helpful and gave her a sense of how Massey communicates with students, which has continued as she began studying.

“Massey is doing an incredible job at looking after new students. They have guided me so well over the last few months. They cater for everyone and strive to make their students the best they can possibly be. I would recommend Massey University to absolutely everyone.” 

Shannon decided to study business with a focus on property and marketing, due to the varied career opportunities in those industries. 

“Property is my main interest as it is an ever-changing field, and it is very relevant all the time. Marketing ties in well to this, which is why I decided to complete the double major. Business is such an open market and there is room for growth and change [in] society, and therefore I believed that business is the best pathway for me.”

The Virtual Open Days programme is now live. Explore the programme and register your interest to be in the draw to win an Apple iPad.

“After settling on a career in medical imaging, eventually teaching in the discipline, I was again left lacking the passion. After ten happy years at home with pre-schoolers, I realised how much I loved explaining and sharing knowledge and skills. I consulted a career coach who told me out of a list of 100 suitable careers, a medical imaging technologist was number 99 and English teacher was first. I would become a teacher I told myself, but again life got in the way.”

Her father became terminally ill and understandably became her focus. Then her husband’s business grew exponentially and returning to university was not a priority.

She decided to wait until her four children were older and spent the next few years working on her husband’s business, looking after her terminally ill parents, raising her family and working part-time. Based in Christchurch, her family also endured the stressors of the city’s earthquakes.

“When the big one hit I was sitting reading ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ - one of five novels that were to lead me towards completing 300 level English papers for entry into a postgrad teaching course.”

Their house was badly damaged and two of her adult children who had been working in the city that day were traumatised and needed support. “The constant and violent aftershocks hammered my nerves and prevented any academic endeavours, yet again.

“After it all, I thought to myself, ‘I’m too old to become a teacher. Retirement is looming. I’ll just help students who are behind, after school.’ So, this is what I did. It was transformational. At the end of my working life, I had found myself.”

But then her biggest hurdle of all – cancer. She says it was not a simple straightforward diagnosis, but a rogue, unpredictable beast that was not well documented in New Zealand, and came with a vague prognosis and usually a poor outcome.

“Much has been written about what confronting the end of your life can teach you. It is different for everyone of course, but it has taught me to consider and to be aware of what brings me joy; the type that can lift me up and make my heart sing. If my life was going to end soon I rationalised - I was going to ensure that it was full of things and people that bring me joy.”

That realisation led her to an enrolment at Massey University for a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching, aged 64.

“The study kept me from dwelling on the negatives of my diagnosis and the support I received from the lecturers, my associate teachers, family and friends has been heart-warming and inspirational. Because of multiple surgeries, it has taken me two years instead of one to complete the diploma, but here I am.

“Many have questioned my sanity, me included. ‘What do you do?’ People ask me. ‘Have you retired now that you have superannuation?’ ‘No’, I proudly say, ‘I am a teacher.’”

Mrs Jones teaches Year 7 and 8 Literacy and Year 8 English at Queen Charlotte College in Picton.

Intermediate school teacher Wesley Tugia, her husband, graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Emergency Management, and her younger brother Simatavai Alefaio was capped with a Master of Educational Psychology.

Dr Alefaio-Tugia, from Massey’s School of Psychology, says graduation day was; “truly overwhelming seeing both as Samoan males achieve academic success through graduating in areas they are passionate about.”

Mr Tugia says Professor David Johnston, Director of Massey’s Joint Centre for Disaster Research, encouraged him to apply for the postgraduate diploma as “there was no Pasifika representation in the Massey University emergency management space. Professor Johnston supported me and other Pasifika students to consider emergency management for disasters.”

After being made redundant in 2018 he took the opportunity to upskill through further education. The postgraduate diploma, he says, “helps me in my job as a school teacher [at Papakura Intermediate]. I can interpret the science-heavy messaging to the school community on what this may look like to engage the families. Moreover, I can help support a safety plan to mitigate the risks and respond to how we co-exist with the current pandemic Covid-19.“

The qualification will open doors in the future, he hopes. “I have the skills to look at policies and council planning and constructively think about supporting our communities. At the same time, I’m able to review and determine the risks I anticipate will contribute to accelerating the inequality and inequity within our communities.”

Although he initially found online study challenging, he worked “hard and smart” on time management and utilised the online courses to sharpen his study skills. “Once I got familiar with what was expected, my confidence began to grow. The other highlight was going to the one-week block course and meeting peers face to face. It was hugely beneficial to ask questions in a classroom-style setting and develop friendships to contributing to your studies.

“My late mother, who passed away while I was completing my bachelor’s degree in education, pushed me to become a teacher and Siautu continued by being my backbone and driving me to succeed,” he says.

Mr Alefaio (Dr Alefaio-Tugia’s brother) currently works as Associate Principal at Roscommon School. He began his career in education working as a Resource Teacher for Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) in a bi-lingual unit and says completing his master’s degree; “provided me with great insight into how I can support a lot of our children of South Auckland with cognitive and behavioural needs, especially being able to engage with our Pasifika families.”

Both men completed in 2020 – the year many family members from overseas had planned to come for the graduation celebration. “My late mother's brother from American Samoa had already paid his ticket to come but unfortunately due to Covid it wasn't to be,” says Dr Alefaio. “Both deferred until this year so they could participate in the graduation ceremony. I'm super proud of them both as they have worked so hard to complete their degrees.”

Associate Professor Siautu Alefaio-Tugia (centre, seated) with her brother, husband and extended aiga (family).

Parents and older sibling an inspiration

Both sister and brother credit their parents as the main influencers for their educational success. “They laid the foundation for education and were ahead of their time prioritising Samoan language which we had to speak at home, leaving English for school,” says Dr Alefaio-Tugia. “They launched one of the first Samoan language pre-schools in Aotearoa New Zealand, setting up in the manse (church-house) garage in 1982 and established the Pacific Islands Presbyterian church in Papakura South Auckland.” 

Mr Alefaio remembers a time when; “our father spent a couple of months at Oxford as part of a community-theology programme, mum joining him later. They got all the youth together and showed their videos of study and travel, even though they were old, they took opportunities to keep educating themselves.” 

He dedicates his achievement of a Master of Educational Psychology (Honours) to his late mother Pepe Matautu and acknowledges the support of his wife Samantha Jones. 

The siblings also credit their older brother Fa’amoe Timo with; “paving the way into university for us – we have overwhelming gratitude as he sacrificed his education to pay for ours. He was the first to attend [Auckland University] getting an A bursary in Māori but left early for employment to help our family financially.”

Dr Alefaio-Tugia, who has been a leading light in developing a Pasifika-oriented approach to psychology as well as facilitating numerous outreach education programmes for Pacific youth in Aotearoa and disaster management for communities around the Pacific region, believes Massey has many amazing areas of study for Pasifika to consider, “however getting these options across to Pasifika communities requires better alignment to academics who teach and coordinate them.” ​

“Play is often seen as a less superior way of learning when we get into the more formal side of school life. It’s misunderstood as a teaching practice,” she says.

“The more I studied it, the more I came to appreciate the complexity of it and then what support teachers needed to be able to teach well through play.”

The basis for her research was the increasing popularity of play as a teaching tool in primary school classrooms. “However, there is a tension between what teachers know and believe, and how they use play successfully as a tool to support learning.”

What is ‘play’ in the classroom context? 

“It really comes down to enabling children to follow their own passions and their own interests,” Dr Aiono explains.

She discovered through her research there is a need to clearly define for teachers what “play” means in the classroom setting and then to assist them through the use of practice-based coaching, along with support and feedback.

A firm advocate for the role of play in formal education, she says play is increasingly touted as the way 21st century students are going to develop the skills they need. “It’s about more than just knowledge but also adaptability, creativity and innovation.

“There’s lots of talk on how important innovation and creativity is. But this is not shown in what teachers are required to report on. What teachers are asked to assess and report on is what they teach to.”

Dr Aiono was a teacher first, having graduated from Massey with a Bachelor of Teaching. She taught intermediate level pupils in Auckland then Hawke’s Bay, where she moved into Special Education. 

“I like working with kids who don’t comply, who don’t fit the box and who think differently,” says Dr Aiono, who spent most of her teaching career working with children with severe and violent behaviour and who’d been kicked out of the school system. 

“That was where I started to question what we are doing in our classrooms to make learning engaging and fun.”

Dr Aiono, who is currently CEO of Longworth Education – a consultancy based on supporting schools who want to implement learning through play into the primary education environment – says she was tentative about the shift from teacher to researcher. “I didn’t want to lose my roots. I’m proud to be a teacher.”

But she came to appreciate being able to view teaching practice through a different lens and to be able to ask questions.

She says she now understands the importance of research informing practice, particularly in a digital age “when there is so much in front of teachers. They need to know they are getting quality information that’s going to affect their practice.”

Dr Aiono’s thesis is titled: An investigation of two models of professional development to support effective teaching through play practices in the primary classroom, and her supervisors were Dr Tara McLaughlin and Professor Tracy Riley.

It is easy to see how this relatively recent phenomenon has sparked a drift away from reading books. The Internet is a competitor to books. It is a relentless deluge of updates, notifications and algorithmically-tailored content to keep you hooked – and it seems to say it has so much more to offer than a boring old book. This is not to criticise digital devices because they have been a lifesaver in many ways – yet they are also addictive and time-wasting.

But the more worrying thing about the fall of interest in reading is that students are missing one of the most powerful ways of learning that we have. The way we hone our literacy skills and build knowledge is through extensive reading. The ability to read, write, and spell is necessary but not sufficient for success in life. But without literacy, other than in a few remarkable cases, it is impossible to reach your full potential. 

New Zealand has had three decades of slowly declining relativities in literacy compared with other countries. It is not coincidental that we have had three decades of whole language, a method of teaching reading that eschews teaching the letter-sound rules of English – that is, phonics. We have paid a price for that. Fortunately, with the rise of the science of reading, the long reign of whole language is over. Phonics is coming back. 

Will phonics solve our literacy woes? 

It will help, but I am sceptical that it will be enough, for several reasons. First, the reading wars are not really over – there is still much fighting between advocates of phonics and whole language because their beliefs are fundamentally different.  

Second, while the Ministry of Education is presently making changes and recognises the need for phonics, many teachers will not believe that this is the way to go – who will convince them? Is this latest report not enough to prompt a deeper reflection on the need for a change?

Third, even if we do have more phonics, there is no evidence it will solve the reading gap. It is helpful, but it is not the magic bullet. What we need is a new way of teaching reading that is different to these two approaches (phonics and whole language) but keeps their best features. Can we give children a literacy blueprint soo that they will learn, no matter what happens in school? I think so, if we can provide the following conditions:

• Teach youngsters about phonemic awareness in kindergarten. By doing this, they will understand that the words we say are not just meaningful but made up of phonemes, to realise that words have two sides to them, so they know that the three sounds in dog are not just woof-woof-woof but d-o-g;
• Teach them the alphabet names and sounds;
• Encourage them to write by using the sounds of the alphabet letters;
• If we could do all this learning in kindergarten, then they would hit the ground running in Year 1;
• and if they were taught by a Year 1 teacher who understood the science of reading and knew how to teach good phonics as well as a love of books. 

There is no guarantee these things will improve on this country’s worrying decline in literacy. But if we embraced these approaches, our young people would have a fantastic chance of succeeding as readers, writers and spellers – with all the enriching life opportunities these skills bring.

Tom Nicholson is an Emeritus Professor of Literacy Education at Massey University and a member of the US Reading Hall of Fame. His books include ‘At the cutting edge – the importance of phonemic awareness in learning to read and write’ (NZCER Press), ‘Phonics handbook’ (Wiley), and ‘The New Zealand Dyslexia Handbook.’ (NZCER Press).

Professors Aj Ali, Faruk Balli and Jackie Benschop

Professor Aj Ali - School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition  

Professor Ali’s research spans several platforms that broadly fit within the categories of physical activity/sport and aspects of health, wellness and sporting performance within adults and children. He has built up a significant track record in paediatric exercise science and helped develop physical activity guidelines for under-fives for Ministry of Health, significantly impacted on the activities of the largest provider of early childhood services in New Zealand (BestStart), and won an international award with the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education.

He designed the overall evaluation of Sport New Zealand’s flagship five-year Healthy Active Learning initiative, part of the Government Wellbeing Budget, by bringing together a multidisciplinary group of experts and liaising with three different government agencies and their regional bodies.  He has been invited to develop a similar initiative in China.

Professor Ali is a world-renowned expert in soccer skill, intermittent exercise and supplementation research and has developed the most widely used skills tests in the literature (for men, women and children). He sits on the editorial board of three international journals and is an expert reviewer for over 40 journals. He was awarded a Fellowship of the European Congress of Sport Science, one of the most prestigious research organisations in his field. He holds two invited Honorary positions at high-ranked universities in Hong Kong and the UK.  

Professor Faruk Balli - School of Economics and Finance   

Professor Balli is an applied economist whose research interests include international finance, macroeconomic aspects of international finance, Islamic economics/finance and tourism economics. He was invited by the East Asia Office of The World Bank - one of the most prominent research institutions in the world- to be an economist consultant in 2020. He has acted as a referee in more than 45 different journals and currently serves on the editorial boards of Tourism Economics, Tourism Analysis, Journal of Economics and Finance and Int. Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management.

Some of his selected works have been presented at the European Finance Association, Financial Markets Authority Annual Meetings, and American Economic Association Meetings. In 2015 he was appointed by AMANAH Ethical Investment Company (the first KiwiSaver company with Islamic/ethical practices in NZ) into both directory and advisory boards; he is also a member of financial services company, EFCO’s advisory board.  He has received several awards, including the prestigious Emerald/European Foundation for Management Development: MENA Management Research Fund Award, Massey Business School Early Career Research award, and Massey Business School Individual Research Award.

Professor Jackie Benschop - School of Veterinary Science

Professor Benschop is a School of Veterinary Science research group leader, co-directing the Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Laboratory. She is a global expert in the field of zoonotic disease with focus on those that have occupational or food-borne transmission pathways. Her research focuses on health at the human-animal-environment interface. She works on Leptospira and Salmonella, globally important pathogens, with cross-cutting themes of climate change and antimicrobial resistance. As leader of Massey’s leptospirosis research group, she is regularly consulted by veterinary and medical practitioners, farmers and rural groups. She advises on outbreaks of human leptospirosis in regions, in abattoirs and on farms, including assisting WorkSafe NZ and Public Health Units in their disease investigations.

Professor Benschop is a Steering Committee member of the World Health Organisation’s Global Leptospirosis Environmental Action Network, Management Group member of One Health Aotearoa and on the Infectious Diseases Academy of the New Zealand Ministry of Health. In 2015 she co-founded the African Leptospirosis Network to advance activities around leptospirosis in the African continent. This network supports the African science community through access to peer-reviewed publications, mentoring, thesis examining, a PhD offer of place at Massey University for a Tanzanian student and rapid identification of expertise to support outbreak response in Mozambique.

Professors Karen Stockin, Pamela von Hurst and Andrew Worth

Professor Karen Stockin - School of Natural and Computational Sciences

Professor Stockin is the Research Leader of the Cetacean Ecology Research Group, whose research interfaces marine biology, behavioural ecology, vet pathology and animal welfare science.  Her focus is the application of animal welfare science to human-wildlife interactions. As a current Rutherford Discovery Fellow, Professor Stockin is assessing how AI and animal welfare science can increase the effectiveness of human intervention efforts during mass stranding events.

She obtained her Bachelor of Science (Honours) from the University of Plymouth, and her Master of Science as a European Union Scholar from the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom. She completed her PhD as a Commonwealth Scholar from Massey University in 2008. Since this time, she has served as the Research Director of the Coastal-Marine Research Group at Massey University.

Professor Stockin was the inaugural Strandings Coordinator (2018-2020) for the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and is the current serving specialist on the IWC Strandings Initiative Expert Panel. Her international engagement on matters of strandings investigation and emergency response is globally recognised. She has been twice nominated (2008 and 2010) for the UNESCO-L’OREAL Fellowship for Young Woman in Sciences, and she is the inaugural recipient of the Bob Kerridge Animal Welfare Fellowship.

Professor Pamela von Hurst - School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition

Professor von Hurst is Co-Director of the Massey Vitamin D Research Centre which she helped establish in 2010. Her research interests include vitamin D in health and disease, child health and nutrition, bone, metabolic syndrome and physical activity. She is currently co-principal investigator on a study funded by High Value Nutrition, and Auckland principal investigator on a multi-site project funded by the Ministry of Primary Industries.

Professor von Hurst is President of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand. In 2017 she was selected by The Royal Society to represent New Zealand on the International Union of Nutrition Sciences (IUNS), voting on behalf of her profession at the IUNS General Assembly.  She is also co-leader of a NZ/Australian working group to develop a Federation of Oceanic Nutrition Societies, supported by IUNS. She regularly contributes to Government policy through participation in expert panels on vitamin D and food fortification, reviewing Ministry of Health recommendations on vitamin D and sun exposure. She also sat on a Ministry of Health Technical Advisory Group on the Eating and Physical Activity Guidelines.

​​​​​​​Professor Andrew Worth - School of Veterinary Science   

Professor Worth is a New Zealand registered specialist in small animal veterinary surgery and internationally recognised as a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists by examination. His current research interests include working dog orthopaedic disease, lumbosacral degeneration and biomaterials for surgery. His clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery and advanced surgical technologies and his clinical skills are sought after on a national and international level.

Professor Worth is Head of the Small Animal Surgery Service and has introduced surgical procedures new to Massey (including arthroscopy and laparoscopy). In addition, he has pioneered two world-first procedures (computer assisted surgical correction of angular limb deformities and patient-specific stabilisation of the lumbosacral junction using 3D printed titanium implants). He is the convenor for the New Zealand Veterinary Association Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Panels and co-Director of the Centre for Working and Service Dog Health. Professor Worth promotes and facilitates research into disease and welfare conditions of working and service dogs, and his expertise provides support for the NZ Police and NZ Defence Working Dog programs.

Associate Professors

Political commentators

New Zealand politics: Professor Claire Robinson

Head of the College of Creative Arts, her areas of expertise include political communication, political advertising and marketing, political leadership image-making, media bias, and election campaigning.
Phone: (04) 979 3130; Mobile: 021 244 9054; Email:  c.robinson@massey.ac.nz: Twitter: @SpinProfessor

New Zealand politics: Associate Professor Grant Duncan

Grant Duncan is an expert on New Zealand Government and politics, political administration, political theory, public policy, social policy, elections. Grant is a regular media commentator on current affairs and political issues.
Phone: (09) 213 6473; Email:L.G.Duncan@massey.ac.nz

New Zealand politics: Professor Richard Shaw

Richard Shaw is a specialist on national elections, public sector reform and new public management. Richard is happy to comment on political issues of the day, as well as broader themes of voter participation, and minority and youth engagement in politics.
Phone: (06) 951 6656; Mobile: 027 609 8603; Email: R.H.Shaw@massey.ac.nz

Voter participation: Dr Andy Asquith

Dr Andy Asquith is a public management specialist. His commentary focuses on local government and public sector reform.

Phone: (06) 951 6755; Mobile: 021 671 456; Email: A.Asquith@massey.ac.nz

Professor Christoph Schumacher

Issues commentators

Business

Economics, innovation and trade: Professor Christoph Schumacher

Christoph Schumacher is a Professor in Innovation and Economics. He has a particular interest in how innovation can be fostered to grow New Zealand’s economy but can also provide commentary on economic development, New Zealand’s economic performance, trade, privatisation and the impact of the minimum wage. He is currently in Germany and will be here for the rest of the year on sabbatical leave so will not be available for ‘live’ comments due to the time difference.

Phone: (09) 213 6281; Mobile: 021 883 509; Email: C.Schumacher@massey.ac.nz

Employment relations, wages: Professor Jane Parker

Jane Parker is Professor of Employment Relations and Human Resource Management in Massey’s School of Management. Her research focuses on comparative employment relations, equality and diversity in workplaces and trade unions. She has recently researched the benefits, costs and perceptions of a living wage and women’s careers.
Phone: (09) 213 6393; Mobile: 022 456 9009; Email:J.Parker@massey.ac.nz

Criminal justice

Crime, policing and courts: Professor Chris Gallavin

Chris Gallavin is a law expert with interests in higher eduction, crime, policing, prisons, courts as well as legal ethics of topical issues like euthanaesia, and the legalisation of cannabis. He also has expertise on international law and justice.
Phone: (06) 9519142 Int extn 86142; Mobile: 021 2388 349; Email:C.Gallavin@massey.ac.nz; Twitter: @chrisgallavin

Education

Education policy: Professor John O’Neill

John O’Neill is Professor of Teacher Education and an expert on: educational policy and teachers’ work, public private partnerships, education policy and funding, teaching and learning standards, education governance, educational philanthropy and social investment approaches in education.
Phone: (06) 356 7384; Mobile: 027 332 0289; Email:J.G.Oneill@massey.ac.nz

Environment

Conservation: Professor Doug Armstrong

His research focuses on the effectiveness of wildlife management, including reintroductions of threatened species and control of invasive species. He is the Oceania chair of the IUCN Reintroduction Specialist Group.
Phone: (06) 356 9099 ext. 84207; Mobile: 027 329 9750; Email: D.P.Armstrong@massey.ac.nz

Climate change and energy: Professor Emeritus Ralph Sims

Professor Emeritus Ralph Sims sits on the scientific and technical advisory panel of the Global Environment Facility – a team responsible for projects on climate change mitigation and sustainable cities. His interests include renewable energy, energy smart food, greenhouse gas reduction and climate change policy.
Phone: (06) 357 3257; Mobile: 021 166 4555; Email:R.E.Sims@massey.ac.nz

Climate change, natural hazards and resilience: Professor Bruce Glavovic
(available from early Sept and by email before)

Bruce Glavovic is a specialist on the role of governance in building resilient and sustainable communities, with a focus on coastal communities and the role of land-use planning, collaboration and conflict resolution. He has written widely on science, policy and practice in managing natural hazard risks in the era of climate change.
Phone: (06) 951 6625; Mobile: 021 856 339; Email: B.Glavovic@massey.ac.nz

Rivers and waterways: Professor Dr Ian Fuller
Professor Fuller is Professor in Physical Geography in the Environmental Sciences Group within the School of Agriculture and Environment. He can speak on flooding and swimability of New Zealand rivers.

Phone: (06) 356 9099  ext. 84852; Mobile: 021 779 325; Email: I.C.Fuller@massey.ac.nz

Health

Health, health services and health workforce: Professor Jenny Carryer

Professor Carryer is based in Massey’s School of Nursing. She can comment on: Primary or community based health care including General Practice; Health policy; Nursing workforce and any nursing professional issues; Aged care and ageing issues; Obesity.
Phone: (06) 951 8343; Mobile: 027 449 1302: Email:J.B.Carryer@massey.ac.nz

Cannabis legislation referendum, drug policy and organised crime: Associate Professor Chris Wilkins

Associate Professor Chris Wilkins is the leader of the drug research team at the SHORE and Whariki Research Centre. He has research expertise in cannabis policy, drug trends, drug markets, public health, drug policy and organised crime. Over the past ten years he has completed a range of studies of drug trends in New Zealand with particular focus on cannabis, methamphetamine, “legal highs”, ecstasy and the non-medical use of pharmaceuticals. He has recently developed “not-for-profit” options to regulate the legal sale of cannabis.
Phone: 09 414 0800 extn 41330; Mobile: 027 242 2265; Email: C.Wilkins@massey.ac.nz

Cannabis law reform (medicinal and recreational cannabis): Dr Marta Rychert

Dr Marta Rychert is a Senior Researcher with expertise in drug law reform and public health. She currently leads two externally funded research projects on (1) medicinal cannabis use in New Zealand (NZ Health Research Council) and (2) non-commercial approaches to recreational cannabis law reforms implemented overseas (Marsden Royal Society grant). Her recent studies explored patients’ uptake of the new Medicinal Cannabis Scheme in New Zealand and the role of social enterprises under the proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill.

Mobile: 021 423 697; Email: m.rychert@massey.ac.nz

Mental health and addiction, alcohol: Associate Professor Andy Towers

Associate Professor Andy Towers is the co-lead of the Mental Health and Addiction programme at Massey University. He has expertise in public health approaches to mental health and addiction, and the role of primary health care approaches in reducing harm from alcohol use. He has worked with the Health Promotion Agency on research exploring the patterns of hazardous alcohol use in older New Zealanders and on a project exploring how to enhance screening for alcohol use in primary health care.

DDI: (06) 951-6504; Mobile: 021-105-0798; Email: A.J.Towers@massey.ac.nz; Twitter: @AndyTowersNZ

Public health nutrition, sustainable food systems, nutrition for older adults: Professor Carol Wham

Professor Wham can comment on nutrition and public health related to food and nutrient requirements across the life-cycle, gerontology nutrition, current food and nutrition guidelines, national healthy food and drink policy, Healthy Active Learning initiative, healthy food and drink environments, sustainable diets and food systems.

Phone: 09 213 6644; Mobile: 027 6680058; Email: c.a.wham@massey.ac.nz

Māori health, obesity and sustainable food systems: Dr Geoff Kira

Dr Geoff Kira is Senior Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences. Research interests include health equity interventions, obesity, sustainable food systems, cardiac rehabilitation, physical activity, sleep hygiene, and Māori health.
Phone: 04 979 3974; Mobile: 021 403 889; Email: g.kira@massey.ac.nz; Twitter: @drgeoffkira

More than 70,000 people responded to the first of two surveys launched in July. It was created by politics lecturer and media commentator Associate Professor Grant Duncan and political and cross-cultural psychologist Professor James Liu, with PhD student Sarah Choi, all based at Massey’s Auckland campus. 

Survey questions explored how the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis is shaping our outlook on the future following massive damage to businesses, jobs and health – and what is needed to recover. The second survey will run at the end of August on Stuff, with a focus on economic recovery options.

“These pre-election surveys are giving people the opportunity to express their feelings on the present government’s performance, on how lockdown has affected them, and on some key political issues,” says Dr Duncan, author of the recent book: The Problem of Political Trust: A Conceptual Reformulation.

“The public gets to tell us how things look from their point of view. In return, we will feed back some key survey findings with expert commentary. This will stimulate pre-electoral dialogue on the real needs, perceptions and aspirations of voters. It will reduce the space available for political point-scoring, misinformation and scandal,” he says.

Along with the surveys, a team of Massey academics with expertise in political trends and leadership, economics, the role of media, health, housing and social issues are contributing media opinion and analysis pieces as food for thought and evidence-based information. These include politics lecturer Professor Richard Shaw, from the School of People, Environment and Planning, and College of Creative Arts’ Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Claire Robinson, who specialises in political branding, marketing and communication. Theirs and Dr Duncan’s analysis is being published across global media, including on The Conversation, in the British Guardian and the New York Times.

Politics researcher Associate Professor Grant Duncan is leading the Massey/Stuff election survey project.

Key survey findings

Results from the first survey have yielded rich insights, including a greater polarisation between parties, and the galvanisation of National supporters around Judith Collins (relative to previous leader Todd Muller).

The perceived mood of the country is completely different depending on whether you are among the 50 per cent who love Jacinda or not, says Ms Choi. Those who feel personally close to the Prime Minister were much happier about the state of the nation compared to those who felt closer to some other political figure.

In other results:

• Asked which political leader they feel closest to, 48 per cent chose Jacinda Ardern, 27 per cent to Judith Collins, 12.8 per cent to David Seymour and 2.5 per cent each to James Shaw and Winston Peters.
• 48.9 per cent want a Labour-led government after this September’s elections, and 43.6 want a National-led government.
• The areas respondents felt were most important in terms of government policy were health (including COVID-19 control) at 22.1 per cent, and economic policy (20.1 per cent).

COVID-19 response questions:

• 52 per cent said COVID-19 had had a moderate impact on their day-to-day life, while 16.6 per cent said it had a huge impact and 31.1 per cent said it had little or no impact
• 61 per cent were happy with the government’s border control measures, while 32.6 per cent say we should be letter fewer people in and 6.3 per cent say we should allow more in.
• 68.2 per cent felt the government’s overall response to COVID-19 was successful, with 10 per cent rating it unsuccessful and 21.8 not sure yet.
• 80.9 per cent agreed our medical professionals have done a good job of controlling the spread of COVID-19, with 4.5 per cent disagreeing and nearly 15 per cent neutral 

Among surprising findings from the first survey – which ran during the tumultuous week when Todd Muller resigned as National Party leader and was replaced by Judith Collins – was a desire among 60 per cent of respondents for economic reform in the wake of the pandemic lockdown.

The postgraduate diploma (PGDip) Specialist Teaching qualification is being redesigned in 2020 and will be offered from 2021, building on the past 10 years’ delivery through the University’s Institute of Education. The re-design is a collaboration between the Univeristy’s specialist teaching experts and the Ministry of Education with stakeholders in specialist sectors and mana whenua in the regions.

These new partnerships are at the core of the re-designed qualification, following the successful bid by the University for the ongoing provision of the national programme. The goal is to grow a specialist kaiako workforce with a skillset to support tamariki with diverse learning needs and be responsive to learners’ identities, languages and cultures.

The programme is designed for interprofessional learning and practice across specialist education areas including early intervention, blind and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, complex educational needs, learning and behaviour and gifted. Another key new direction is to include autism and neurodiversity as a core element across the programme.

Co-directors of the programme Associate Professors Mandia Mentis and Alison Kearney say the qualification will be built on the principles of inclusion, equity and human rights and will contribute to an inclusive education system in which the participation, achievement, wellbeing and progress of all learners are supported. Students will also play an important role in the re-design through collaborative engagement with regional communities.

Programme coordinator Dr Wendy Holley-Boen, from Massey's Institute of Education, says a goal of the programme is to increase uptake of the qualification by Māori and Pacific education professionals and those with a lived experience of disability, promoting a more diverse specialist teaching workforce.

Programme coordinator Dr Wendy Holley-Boen with programme co-directors Associate Professor Alison Kearney and Associate Professor Mandia Mentis, all from Massey's Institute of Education.

Teaching in a digital age

The redesigned programme – the result of extensive consultation across the sector – aims to support specialist teachers to be flexible and responsive practitioners skilled and capable in the area of teaching and learning in a digital age.

“Now more than ever, during and post-Covid 19, the ability to be agile and teach and learn in a digital world is critical. This programme is delivered in a blended way (online and face-to-face) incorporating the skills of self-directed and life-long learning. It supports the development of practitioners who can rapidly respond to our current changing educational landscapes to ensure equitable learning outcomes for all,” say Dr Mentis and and Dr Kearney.

Dr Kearney, who takes over the role on May 4 when current head Professor John O’Neill steps down, is not daunted. “In terms of the challenges taking over the leadership of the Institute of Education amidst this state of emergency, I think it will be more important to focus on the opportunities that will arise from being forced to think about learning and the role of educators in different ways,” she says.

“There is no doubt that there are dreadful consequences of this worldwide pandemic – social, health, and economic. However, it has forced us, as educators, to think about a new ‘normal’ and realise that we will be changed forever, and our centres of education will be changed forever – we won’t be able to go back to how things were before.”

Dr Kearney, who began her career as a primary teacher before being seconded to Massey’s Initial Teacher Education programme, gaining her PhD in 2009, says; “we’ve known for a while now that the role of the educator in the 21st century is not as the person who holds then imparts the knowledge, and I think that the Covid-19 situation has brought this into stark reality – people can access knowledge and learn in so many ways, usually by a few clicks on a device. 

“They can also connect with just about anyone, anywhere and anytime, to learn and access knowledge – this will be the new normal, and we need to ensure we take these opportunities and re-imagine our education systems.”

Dr Kearney, a co-founder of the Equity Through Education Centre, established within Massey’s Institute of Education (part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences) in 2016, says whatever unfolds through the COVID-19 crisis, she will continue to champion the need for equity in education. She cares deeply that all New Zealanders have equal access to quality education and is concerned that some – including Māori, Pasifika, people with disabilities or from backgrounds of poverty – are missing out.

Social changes present some of the biggest challenges facing education, in her view. “Our system is not doing very well by some groups in New Zealand. While we have a highly ranked system, there are some groups people and students missing out. This is a problem because we know our life chances are strongly influenced by our education opportunities. The better our educational outcomes, the more money we earn, the better our health, the more engaged in society and the happier we are.”

Equity through access to education

With her colleagues in the institute and the centre, she is addressing issues of discrimination and exclusion by fostering relationships with iwi and schools, aiming to break down barriers to learning. They work with communities to develop initiatives, and run symposia on topical issues as well as contributing to policy development, such as the recent review of Tomorrow’s Schools.

Dr Kearney’s ideals and values might be shaped by and expressed through academic activity now, but her passion for educational justice was kindled through early personal experiences. She grew up in Gisborne with a brother who had an intellectual disability. An absence of support, or schools that accepted people with disabilities, meant he had to go to a residential home in another town from age 13. In her 20s Dr Kearney learned about the terrible things that happened to him there, including going blind from a head injury. “People didn’t own their own clothes. They didn’t have their own rooms-  they lived like in a hospital ward with no schooling. There was a lot of abuse in such places. 

“I think this [her brother’s experiences] has been the thing that’s driven me in terms of thinking ‘why is it that we treat some members of our society as if they are second-class citizens, particularly as that relates to education. Why is it that he couldn’t go to school?’”

For her PhD research she sought to uncover some of the factors that lead to the exclusion of disabled pupils and found that in some cases, they were simply being denied access to enrolment either blatantly, or in more subtle ways. 

She believes schools are better at dealing with wider societal issues now. “We are definitely going in the right direction. Twenty or 30 years ago we talked about fixing the person, now we talk about fixing the system. That’s a great shift. It’s the same for tertiary study too – we need to ask ‘how are we meeting the needs of our Māori and Pasific students, and students from backgrounds of poverty?’”

Future of learning

Following 15 years as a primary school teacher (in Tauranga, Tokoroa, Christchurch and Palmerston North) to teaching into Massey’s Initial Teacher Education (ITE), masters and doctoral programmes, and most recently as National Coordinator of the Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) qualifications, Dr Kearney is keenly aware of how fast things are changing, of the sheer volume of knowledge at our fingertips – and the impact this will have on education. 

Developing open minds and critical thinking to navigate the abundance and complexity of information will be a vital skill in preparing students, she says. 

“It used to be enough to impart knowledge and to teach what things, but it’s so much more complex now – we also need to know why and how, and when, we need to think critically and problem-solve, to communicate and collaborate, and to be information literate. This changing world requires a changing education system, one that nurtures life-long learning as people seek to upskill throughout their lives.”

Massey University mathematics researchers Dr Jodie Hunter and her mother Professor Bobbie Hunter, based at Massey University’s Institute of Education in Auckland, have been transforming maths education for Māori and Pasifika students in low decile schools around Aotearoa. 

They are thrilled that 115 pupils from Pomaria Road School in West Auckland have this week ditched skateboards, PlayStations and other holiday activities to attend morning workshops that focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) activities. Another 45 pupils in Point Chevalier’s St Francis School will attend parallel morning sessions. By day two, numbers increased as more kids turned up, including older siblings of those who signed up initially and went home enthused about how fun it was, says Dr Hunter.

Professor Hunter, who completed applied research for her PhD on a culturally-sensitive maths education model in 2008, says the programme on offer comprises maths lessons on basic facts and fractions, as well as interactive activities that require maths thinking – including Lego, coding and robotics, with youngsters programming kid-friendly Bee-Bot robots to get through a maze.

Why fractions? “If kids understand fractions it can really accelerate their learning,” she says.

It is an area of maths many typically struggle with because, she says, fractions are “counter-intuitive and difficult to understand.”

Her approach is to teach fractions through everyday examples, like how to divide banana cakes and chocolate bars between uneven numbers of people.

The holiday programme is based on the ‘Developing Mathematics Inquiry Communities’ model they have developed over the last decade. It centres on collective problem-solving and the application of Pasifika values to create a culturally relevant and meaningful learning environment. It has helped to significantly boost achievement – particularly among pupils in lower socio-economic areas and has been adapted by educators teaching culturally diverse groups around the world, including Nuie and the Cook Islands, Singapore, the United States and Britain.

Mazes, chocolate bars and Bee-Bots 

Children attending the programme will be helped by teaching mentors trained by the Hunters, and who have been working with teachers around New Zealand schools to implement the Developing Mathematics Inquiry Communities method, supported and funded by the Ministry of Education. 

Kaiser, eight,  attended the first day and says he enjoyed the Lego activities, building a train and learning about fractions. His mum says he is good at maths and that the programme “is a fun way to extend his learning and for him to mix with other kids. He can get bored really quickly but he is really engaged now and not wanting to leave.”

Evelyn, seven, says she liked building a maze and programming the Bee-Bot [a programmable floor robot for young children]. “I learned that you can make different fractions equal to a whole chocolate bar,” she says.

Dr Hunter, whose PhD was on early algebra education teaching to primary-aged children, says the holiday programme is being funded through an allocation of the Government’s 2019 Wellbeing Budget focused on Pacific wellbeing and by Massey University. She hopes the programmes will run in school holidays throughout the year.

Professor Bourke only has to look at the street signs on the campus bearing her family name to be reminded of her heritage connections to the Turitea site where her grandfather once farmed. 

The significance of the street sign was highlighted when her 101-year-old aunt Mary Clifford (nee Bourke) attended her recent public lecture. Mary drove with her daughter, Rose Mary Lynch, from Masterton to attend and joined ­Professor Bourke for a family photo on the land she roamed as a girl.

Professor Bourke’s father, Palmerston North general practitioner Dr John Bourke, died when she was 15. She says his legacy to his 12 children was; “a capacity and thirst for learning, and the indelible message that education was important. He grew up on on one of the original Turitea farms on this very Massey land. His sister Mary, my aunt, is now 101 years old. Her proud family recognise in her what lifelong, life-deep and lifewide learning really looks like.” 

Her grandfather farmed on the site until the land was earmarked for the expansion of the Massey Agricultural College in the early 1900s.

“Aunty Mary can still remember swimming in the Turitea stream, raising cows, and climbing trees. With her three brothers, one being my late father John Bourke, she started her learning on this land.”  

In the 1960s she worked at Massey’s Department of Agriculture, Economics and Farm Management.

In her lecture, Professor Bourke paid tribute to her family, in particular her late mother, who she says epitomised the lifelong learner. 

“When I was informed of my promotion to Professor in November last year, the first person I told was my 92-year-old mother,” she told the audience at the lecture.  “Frail and unwell at the time, but having had an intense interest in my career over the years, she was very excited and asked me what I’d call my talk. ‘Who’s afraid of learning?’ seemed like an apt title and my mother’s immediate response was ‘Well I’m not afraid. And I’m still learning’.” Her mother died a month later. 

Professor Bourke, based at the Institute of Education, has spent her career exploring, researching and teaching about the phenomenon of learning. She shared insights into sociocultural and cognitive theories and her personal observations on what learning means in her public lecture.

Professor Bourke, based at Massey University’s Institute of Education, has spent her career exploring, researching and teaching about the phenomenon of learning. She will share insights into sociocultural and cognitive theories and her personal observations on what learning means in her public lecture, titled Who’s Afraid of Learning?, this Friday at the Manawatū campus.

Fear and failure are all part of how we learn, she says. Learning is about “the unknown and taking risks in the belief that you can do it. Learners on this view are adventurers; they must be prepared to risk failing – or falling – on the way to learning a new skill. 

“The sad reality is that we are more likely to observe this outside school learning, where the stakes of assessment and testing do not influence the learner’s willingness to take a risk.”

As a professor of learning and assessment, she has studied the role of formal assessment (tests, exams, assignments) as well as self-assessment among school pupils and tertiary students. “Learning begins both with knowing, and with the realisation of not knowing,” she says. “Self-assessment is therefore a critical component of being able to learn, and of wellbeing.”

She will discuss philosophical perspectives and quirky examples about how we learn – from Plato to Palmerston North sculptor Paul Dibble, whose bronze sculpture of a tuatara and a dancer outside the Regent on Broadway theatre epitomises, for her, an essential understanding about learning. 

'Chameleonic’ learners

Professor Bourke will touch on her earlier research into learning, which revealed that children’s conceptions ranged from “least sophisticated, where they believed learning was to ‘fill up the brain’ and was about knowledge acquisition and recall, through to more sophisticated understandings that learning is about changing the way you see something, and the way you engage with people and the environment around you”.

She coined the term, “the chameleonic learner” – the title of her book – which discusses her study of successful learners who developed a strong sense of self and identity yet could also change and adapt their behaviours according to the context. “Effectively, they could become one person in the mathematics class, another in drama, or in judo class, and another on the rugby field or netball court.”

To demonstrate learning in formal and informal settings, and how well we can adapt learned skills, experience and knowledge to novel situations, she will touch on celebrated examples, such as pilot Chesley Sullenberger, who landed on the Hudson river in New York after a double engine blow-out following a bird strike; young Māori land rights activist Pania Newton, who founded Save Our Unique Landscape to stop Ihumātao, in Māngere, Auckland, from being turned into a housing development; and golf phenomenon Lydia Ko, who became world number one at age 17.

Professor Bourke credits her family life with fostering in her a deep love of learning. When she was informed of her promotion to Professor last November, the first person she told was her 92-year old mother, to whom she is dedicating her talk. 

BIO:

Professor Bourke started her professional career as a classroom teacher and later educational psychologist, and went on to complete a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Education at Massey before heading to Cambridge University as Visiting Fellow for six months (2003). She then worked at the Ministry of Education (2003–06), where she led national research programmes, professional practice advisor teams, and represented New Zealand at an OECD meeting in Paris. From 2007, as director of the Centre for Educational Development, Massey University, she led the teacher advisory service of 70 in-service teacher educators across the central North Island. She currently leads the postgraduate educational and developmental psychology programme, Education Scope of Practice, that prepares registered psychologists.

Event details:

Who’s Afraid of Learning? | Inaugural Professorial Lecture - Roseanna Bourke (Professor of Learning and Assessment)

Friday, 1 November – 3.30pm - 5.30pm

Japan Lecture Theatre, University House, Manawatū Campus

For more info contact Julie Sakai: j.m.sakai@massey.ac.nz

Natasha Drake in AgHort 4 showcasing veterinary and animal sciences.

Wellington and Auckland

Manawatū Open Day will be followed by an Open Day on Massey’s Wellington campus on Friday August 23 and the Auckland campus on Saturday August 24.

Head to www.massey.ac.nz/opendays for more information and to register attendance.