You are warmly invited to join us online to meet our Institute members and hear about some of our current research on Thursday 6 November at 4pm on Zoom.
AUT Social Transformation Research Institute’s research focuses on making a difference to Aotearoa New Zealand, driving organisational and system change to create sustainable futures that value people and community.
Our research takes a grassroots approach, placing the voices and lived experiences of marginalised workers, communities and organisations at the centre of what we do.
We’ll be talking about our current research and you’ll have a chance to meet our research team and learn about upcoming projects.
Presentations will include:
Please RSVP by Wednesday 5 November to zsarra.rose.perez@aut.ac.nz to get the Zoom link and details.
Maulupeivao Dr Betty Ofe-Grant - Climbing While Brown”: A Samoan-Led Framework for Pacific Leadership and Equity
This framework builds on earlier research on the ‘brown glass ceiling’ and introduces new, strengths-based insights developed through continued reflection, international conference presentations, and engagement with Pacific scholars, government representatives, and community members.
The findings position Pacific leadership as culturally embedded and grounded in Indigenous Pacific knowledge. They reframe leadership through a relational and decolonising lens to guide equity and inclusion policy. The framework calls for research and policy approaches where time, talanoa, and collective wisdom are central to creating meaningful, lasting change.
Dr Cordelia Stewart - Invisible Realities: Navigating the Social Service Pipeline while Homeless in Tamaki Makaurau
Services play a crucial role in daily life, with the ability to either support or hinder wellbeing. For the 102,123 people experiencing homelessness in Aotearoa, social service ecosystems are essential lifelines, offering basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter. Inadequate services and fragmented resources significantly impact their quality of life. As disparities grow, there is an urgent need for services to rethink delivery to improve wellbeing at both individual and community levels.
This research, conducted in collaboration with Auckland Council and the Housing First Collective, explores the lived experiences of people navigating social services while homeless in Tāmaki Makaurau. It focuses on the disparities faced by different demographics and social identities, including Māori, Pasifika, Takatāpui, Mothers, Tāne, and Rangatahi. With little existing research in the Auckland context, this study addresses a critical gap, aiming to uncover systemic barriers and amplify the voices of those affected. Through observations, focus groups and interviews, it provides strong evidence to inform more user-centric, responsive service structures and resource allocation.
Professor Angsana Techatassanasoontorn – Challenging the Logic of ‘Digital First’: Digital transformation of public service delivery in Aotearoa New Zealand
Originating in the private sector, digital transformation has since been heralded by governments and other stakeholders as an inevitable and desirable path for citizens to thrive in the digital age. Digital transformation efforts are increasingly leading to public services being delivered as ‘digital first’ or ‘digital by default’. However, such an approach may have unintended consequences and risk excluding some members of society who are unable or unwilling to interact digitally with the government. This study takes a critical perspective and draws on the concept of institutional logics to analyse the dominant discourse of digital transformation in the New Zealand public sector. In doing so, we unpack the logic underpinning government digital transformation initiatives that are increasingly leading to the digital delivery of public services, treating citizens as consumers and diminishing citizens’ rights to public services.