Overview
The size and diversity of Massey's School of Psychology – Te Kura Hinengaro Tangata creates a rich variety of courses, specialisations and research activities. The School has three campuses – in Auckland, Palmerston North and Wellington – and a strong tradition of online and distance learning.
Our staff are active and innovative researchers in most contemporary fields of psychological inquiry. We are each highly committed to our chosen area of scholarship, to working collaboratively, and to our roles as teachers and mentors.
How we fit
The School of Psychology is part of the:
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Creative thinking for a changing world. It's at the heart of everything we do at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi at Massey
At Massey we are Tiriti-led, upholding te Tiriti o Waitangi principles through our practice.
We believe in the mutual benefit for all cultures of commitments to te Tiriti. These have direct relevance to applying psychological knowledge for everyone’s wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. We encourage psychologies informed by indigenous and other culturally diverse perspectives unique to this country. Our respect for diversity includes a variety of approaches to discovering new knowledge.
Study with us
Choose from a range of qualifications. Apply skills in different careers or specialise to be a psychologist or mental health professional.
Explore by area of interest
Explore a selection of qualifications relating to your interests.
Study psychology & mental health
Delve into human behaviour and how the brain works. Apply skills in different careers or specialise to be a psychologist or mental health professional.
Who we are
Our people make us who we are. Meet senior staff in the School of Psychology.
Professor Mandy Morgan
Mandy Morgan focuses on theoretical debates about relationships between feminisms, poststructural theories and psychologies. She also studies how domestic violence service providers and clients understand their experiences.
Dr Simon Bennett
Simon Bennett is a Māori clinical psychologist and senior lecturer in clinical psychology. He previously worked at Te Whare Marie, a kaupapa Māori mental health service. Simon has researched ways to adapt cognitive behavioural therapy for Māori and incorporate Māori concepts into Western treatment models.
Dr Stephen Hill
Cognitive psychologist Stephen Hill's research interests include embodied and distributed cognition, collaborative memory, folk scientific beliefs, and the psychology of climate change. He often works in multidisciplinary teams with researchers in physiology, sport science, emergency management, and aviation.
Professor Stuart Carr
Stuart Carr is part of the research unit EPIC, or End Poverty and Inequality Cluster. Stuart co-founded the EPIC projects GLOW (Global Living Organizational Wage) and SAFE (Security Assessment for Everyone), guided by UN Sustainable Development Goals for decent work and peace in society.
Professor David Johnston
David Johnston is the Professor of Disaster Management. His research focuses on human responses to earthquake, tsunami, and weather warnings, and the role of public education in building community resilience and recovery. He is also the School of Psychology's Wellington Campus Director.
Associate Professor Heather Kempton
Heather Kempton's research interests lie in mindfulness, mediation and spirituality. Research publications include reflectivity, and attention and working memory in mindfulness practice. With a particular interest in Buddhist philosophy, Heather chairs Amitabha Hospice, a Buddhist-founded hospice.
New and emerging people
Meet more people involved in research, teaching or supporting our postgraduate students.
- Dr Andrea LaMarre's profile – Lecturer in critical health psychology
- Dr Corinne Bareham-Waldock's profile – Senior Lecturer
- Lucy Kaiser's profile – Research Officer at the Joint Centre for Disaster Research
- Dr Pita King's profile – Kaupapa Māori Lecturer and doctoral supervisor
- Petra Satele's profile – Assistant Lecturer in Pacific-Indigenous psychology
- Dr Ute Kreplin's profile – Lecturer
Research
The School of Psychology shares and encourages serious scholarship, innovative and thoughtful research, and a collegial culture.
Consultancy
We often carry out research for partners outside Massey or work with stakeholders in particular areas or as part of long-term relationships. Our consultancy makes the most of expertise from within the school and all round the university, offering fresh thinking.
Research teams
Examples of how our academics create and share new knowledge.
Te Toi Whakaruruhau o Aotearoa – Matāuranga Māori Disaster Risk Reduction Centre
Professor Christine Kenney (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Awa ki Kāpiti, Ngāti Toarangatira, Ngāi Tahu)
Our Māori researchers and community research partners contribute to a resilient Aotearoa New Zealand. Our work seeks culturally informed solutions to the effects of climate change and natural disasters. We use indigenous innovation to minimise the impacts on communities and the wider environment.
Centre for Indigenous Psychologies
Associate Professor Natasha Tassell-Matamua
The centre is an inclusive physical and intellectual space. Through our teaching and research, indigenous psychologies are embraced, experienced, understood and developed — in ways to benefit all communities.
Health and Ageing Research Team (HART)
Professor Christine Stephens and Professor Fiona Alpass
HART is an interdisciplinary group of researchers examining the health and wellbeing of older adults in New Zealand. Research projects include:
- health, work and retirement
- opportunities and challenges for older workers.
NIUPATCH
Associate Professor Siautu Alefaio-Tugia
NIUPATCH stands for Navigate In Unity: Pacific Approaches to Community-Humanitarianism. NIUPATCH shines light on how Pacific communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad respond to disaster and humanitarian challenges. We exchange practice, ideas, projects and research.
Joint Centre for Disaster Research
JCDR is an international centre for research and teaching in disaster risk and emergency management. We develop community disaster resilience by providing state-of-the-art graduate teaching and research programmes to both New Zealand and people worldwide.
Highlighted research
Explore a selection of research projects within the school, including a study of conspiracy theory beliefs recently awarded a grant from the Marsden Fund Te Pūtea Rangahau.
Caught in a web of lies? Persistence and change in conspiracy theory beliefs
Dr Matthew Williams
Using a first-of-its-kind longitudinal study with data collected over two years, we seek answers three crucial questions:
- When a person changes their belief about a conspiracy theory, what reasons do they give?
- Does belief in one conspiracy theory lead to belief in others?
- Do negative psychological experiences such as stress, depression, and reduced trust precipitate belief in conspiracy theories?
Ending Poverty and Inequality Cluster (EPIC)
Professor James Liu, Professor Darrin Hodgetts, Professor Stuart Carr
EPIC examines psychology's contribution to the UN's sustainable development goals. We contribute to global research including:
- equal pay for work of equal value
- global living wage.
Psycurity – the psychology of security
Dr Veronica Hopner
Massey's Psycurity Cluster examines contemporary issues such as freedom, privacy and security, and how these impact individuals, groups and communities. It's a partnership between:
- Centre of Defence and Strategic Studies
- School of Psychology.
International Media Psychology Laboratory
This laboratory researches how humans interact with new and emerging VR technologies. It houses a state-of-the-art, fully ambulatory, room-scale virtual reality (VR) system.
Location: Manawatū campus
Postfeminism and Health: Critical Psychology and Media Perspectives
A book co-authored by Massey's Professor Sarah Riley and shortlisted for the 2021 British Psychological Society Book Award.
It explore how postfeminist sensibility impacts women’s health, including self-help, sex, surgical technologies, and weight.
Psychology clinics
Massey clinics offer psychological services for the public and professional development for psychologists.
Albany Psychology Clinic
Our clinic on the Albany campus in Auckland provides psychological assessment and treatment services for the public. We also offer professional development for psychologists and students.
Palmerston North (Manawatū) Psychology Clinic
Our clinic on the Manawatū campus in Palmerston North provides psychological assessment and treatment services for the public. We also offer professional development for psychologists and students.
Wellington Psychology Clinic
Our clinic on the Wellington campus provides psychological assessment and treatment services for the public. We also offer professional development for psychologists and students.
Meet our graduates
“Studying at Massey was an amazing experience for me… I was offered a full-time role upon completion of my master’s.”
“The critical thinking element was really helpful and different from other universities.”
Contact the School of Psychology
We teach online and by distance, and on all three Massey campuses: Auckland, Palmerston North (Manawatū) and Wellington.
School of Psychology – Auckland campus
- Phone
+64 9 414 0800 extension 43116
- Location
Physical address
School of Psychology
Massey University
Level 3, North Shore Library Building
229 Dairy Flat Highway
Albany
Auckland 0632Postal address
School of Psychology
Massey University
Private Bag 102-904
North Shore
Auckland 0745Use our Auckland campus maps or find us on Google Maps.
School of Psychology – Manawatū campus
- Phone
+64 6 356 9099 extension 85071
- Location
Physical address
School of Psychology
Psychology Building
Turitea Campus
Massey University
Tennent Drive
Palmerston North 4474Postal address
School of Psychology
Massey University
Private Bag 11-222
Palmerston North 4442Use our Manawatū campus maps or find us on Google Maps.
School of Psychology – Wellington campus
- Phone
+64 4 801 5799 extension 85071
- Location
Physical address
School of Psychology
Block 7
Massey University
Wallace Street
Mt Cook
Wellington 6021Postal address
School of Psychology
Massey University
PO Box 756
Wellington 6140Use our Wellington campus maps or find us on Google Maps.