MPRU Staff & Associates

Bridgette Masters-Awatere

BSocSc, MSocSc, PGDipPsych(Comm), PhD

Associate Professor, Community Psychology Graduate Programme Director & Director of MPRU

Iwi: Te Rarawa, Ngāi te Rangi, Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau

Position: Senior Lecturer, Director Māori & Psychology Research Unit (MPRU), School of Psychology, University of Waikato

Bio: Associate Professor Masters-Awatere is a Faculty member in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Waikato. In addition to her role as Director of the Community Psychology postgraduate programme for registration as a psychologist, she is the Director of the Māori & Psychology Research Unit. Both Directorships are situated within the School of Psychology. Bridgette trained as a psychologist, with a special interest in community and indigenous wellbeing. Before joining the academy she managed a successful private practice that refined her evaluation research skills within Indigenous contexts. She teaches some of these skills to postgraduate students at Waikato. Bridgette was involved in leading three major health-related projects:'Haumanu Hauora' within the Deep South challenge and ‘He Pikinga Waiora’ within the Healthier Lives challenge of the National Science Challenges  ‘Harti Hauora Tamariki’, funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the ‘Hospital Transfers’ project of the Tertiary Education Commission Māori Centre of Excellence (Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga) research programme

Research Interests: My research often includes Indigenous evaluation, Kaupapa Māori and narrative inquiry. Recently completed and current projects are in the health area (public health, admissions and transfers, pediatrics, diabetes & pre-diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and blind/low vision). My latest research collaborations look at 1) connections between the health and well being of people and the environment ('He taonga kē te ngāhere'), 2) the inclusion of Mātauranga Māori perspectives in literacy and numeracy (Literacy and Numeracy)  and 3) Kāpō Māori (blind, low-vision Māori) experiences during COVID lockdowns and afterwards.

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