As a researcher my main areas of interest relate to transitions and children’s learning and development. These interests interweave, with a central focus on the ways in which learning can be fostered within and across settings, and some of the dilemmas associated with this. My central research focus has been on the transition from early childhood education to school. I have also grown increasingly interested in transitions across different aspects of the lifespan and transitions in thinking. Currently, I am fascinated by the notions of liminal spaces, borders and borderlands. This has extended into exploring cultural borders, and I have been privileged to be working in partnership with Māori researchers on a number of projects.

My publications reflect my ability to contribute new ideas to the discipline, engage in international peer-reviewed scholarship and also a commitment to present findings and theory in ways that make a difference to teachers and therefore to children. My research across the ECE and school sectors led to being part of the writing team for the refresh of the early childhood curriculum Te Whāriki (2017) and the Ministry of Education’s resource document for teachers on Transitions and Pathways. More recently I contributed to the development of the maths component of Kōwhiti Whakapae and worked with the Ministry of Education on a Maths Kaiako Guide. Currently I am co-leading two research projects, one TLRI funded project exploring transitions to education in Aotearoa New Zealand for refugee and migrant children and their families and the other investigating how professional development for early childhood educators can contribute to 3-6-year-olds’ oral language, literacy and maths development.

In my role as Head of School (2015-2026), I had the honour to lead a fabulous team of academic and professional staff.

Professor Peter Sun has degrees in mechanical and industrial engineering. He has over 15 years' industry experience working on a variety of projects. He worked for PWC, Unilever, and MAS Holdings, and his most recent assignment was the establishment of a 1000 acre apparel city in VIZAG, India. He completed his PhD in organisational learning in 2006 and moved into academia in June 2007.

Peter is a founding trustee for the Community & Enterprise Leadership Foundation (CELF - www.celf.org.nz). CELF is a trust set up to bring leaders from different sectors together and receives funding from the for-profit sector annually to run a leadership journey programme. Its purpose is to grow and connect leaders in the Waikato region. Previously he was the Associate Dean of Enterprise for Waikato Management School, where he oversaw all corporate and executive education programmes (ie. the Waikato MBA, PGDipMgtSt, and all customised corporate programmes).

He facilitates workshops for organisations, and has consulted for companies. His work primarily deals with leadership and people development. His expertise is in leadership, knowledge management, and organisational learning, and he actively researches and publishes in these areas.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-kovalsky-64b992195/

Peter obtained his Chemical Engineering BEng (Hons) degree from the University of New South Wales in 2004 and subsequently obtained a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of New South Wales studying the effect of shear on flocculation and its effect on membrane filtration performance (sponsored by Veolia). At the completion of his PhD studies in 2007 he joined Australia’s leading private research firm Memjet as part of the microfluidics team. He soon became leader of the contamination taskforce working to bring Memjet technology to high volume production by establishing MEMS semiconductor manufacturing processes with partners such as TSMC, QISDA and USI, and microfluidic part production at DI Precision Molding in Singapore.

Peter left Memjet in 2011 and went on to become the co-founder of Mincarb with seed investment from Colin MacDonald and Jaycar Electronics founder and CEO Gary Johnston. Mincarb was later successful in securing an ARC Linkage grant from the Australian Government in partnership with the University of New South Wales to focus on developing an electrochemical desalination technology called capacitive deionisation. With further financial support from Sir Ratan Tata Trust, a fully functioning solar powered variant of the technology was developed for the Indian market[1]. This low-cost product was developed for use in remote communities suffering from fluoride and arsenic related diseases. The low-cost potential of the technology was recognised for use in irrigated agriculture[2] and in 2018 Peter was invited to speak at UN FAO’s forum on solar powered irrigation technology at FAO headquarters in Rome[3]. Since giving this talk, focus has since shifted to cost engineering water desalination applications around food security and drinking water. This is in areas affected by saltwater intrusion related to climate change such as vulnerable coastal locations of the Pacific where mainstream solutions are not affordable.

Peter's newest research focus is on the electrochemical production of hydrogen using an architecture derived from the successful commercialisation of the capacitive deionisation technology, The most recent breakthrough's have come by way of the novel application of microfluidics to investigate the underlying electrochemical processes[4].

1. Tan, C., et al., Integration of photovoltaic energy supply with membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) for salt removal from brackish waters. Water Research, 2018. 147: p. 276-286.
2. Bales, C., et al., Low cost desalination of brackish groundwaters by Capacitive Deionization (CDI) – Implications for irrigated agriculture. Desalination, 2019. 453: p. 37-53.
3. UN FAO Talk - CDI Desalination for Small Scale Agriculture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWNUxXFAScs.
4. The Lego Fuel Cell https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lego-fuel-cell-peter-kovalsky-k8aoc/

Dr Steven Lillis is a general practitioner and medical educator. With a career spanning over three decades, he has held senior leadership roles in assessment and curriculum design for undergraduate and postgraduate medical training, including Chief Examiner for the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and Director of Examinations for the Medical Council of New Zealand. Dr Lillis is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Waikato and continues clinical practice within the university’s health service.

His academic interests lie in medical education, the assessment and remediation of doctors with competence concerns, and the use of qualitative methods to understand general practice. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from error in general practice to the implementation of progress testing and workplace-based assessment. 

Dr Lillis has been widely recognised for his contributions to general practice, receiving the Peter Rothwell Award for clinical teaching and a Distinguished Fellowship from the RNZCGP. His work continues to influence medical education nationally and internationally through his roles with assessment bodies, journal editorial boards, and advisory committees. He brings a systems-level perspective to improving quality and equity in healthcare delivery.

Professor Wilson was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor Research in February 2024. Professor Wilson also holds a number of national- and international-level strategic research and academic appointments. Prior to coming to the University of Waikato, he was Chief Scientist and General Manager Research Strategy and Partnerships at GNS Science. He also previously held the role of Chief Science Advisor to the New Zealand Antarctic Programme and academic appointments at the University of Otago, the University of Oxford, and The Ohio State University.

Professor Wilson’s research is highly collaborative and involved working with experts in economics, sociology, mātauranga Māori, and politics to advance our understanding of earth’s climate system and carbon cycle and generating a wider, science based and mode effective response to that. Current research programmes include international research investigating the changing carbon emission from warming frozen ground in Antarctica and the science and economics of changing carbon burial in New Zealand fiords.

Professor Wilson also holds a number of Governance roles. He is a Trustee of the Sir Peter Blake Trust, Chair of the Royal Society Te Apārangi National Committee on Antarctic Sciences and President of the International Science Council Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), In 2024 he completed his term as Chair of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Programme (ICDP). In 2021, he was awarded the Thomson Medal by the Royal Society Te Apārangi for his leadership in developing New Zealand’s international profile in Antarctic Research.

With over 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher in early childhood and new entrant settings in both the United Kingdom and Aotearoa New Zealand, Hazel brings extensive practical and research expertise to her role as a lecturer in early childhood education at Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education, University of Waikato.

Hazel's research focuses on enhancing transition practices in early childhood and primary settings through collaborative, relationship-based approaches that involve children, families, teachers, and communities. She is particularly interested in how play-based pedagogies and responsive teaching practices can foster children's wellbeing, belonging, confidence, and engagement during times of transition. Her work explores how educators can create environments that support children to build relationships, develop positive learner identities, and navigate new educational contexts successfully.

She also has a strong interest in the role of digital technologies in supporting inclusion and strengthening connections between home and educational settings. Her research examines how digital technologies can enable families to participate more fully in their children's learning journeys and how teachers can integrate technologies in meaningful, child-led ways that align with the principles and strands of Te Whāriki, supporting children's communication, identity, participation, and sense of belonging.

More recently, Hazel has co-led a collaborative research project exploring transitions into education in a new country for refugee and migrant children and their families. This work brings together early childhood centres, schools, settlement services, and families to develop practical, strengths-based strategies that support positive transitions, participation, inclusion, and opportunities for play and learning as children and families settle into education in Aotearoa New Zealand.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES (to 2023)

Cam Nelson became an Emeritus Professor of the University of Waikato upon his retirement in 2012, after 41 years’ service, from the Department of Earth (& Ocean) Sciences in the Faculty of Science & Engineering at the university. He is a geologist, with main research interests in the disciplines of sedimentary and marine geology.

Degrees

BSc (Geology) Victoria University, Wellington, 1964

BScHons (1^st Class, Geology), Victoria University, Wellington, 1965

PhD (Geology), University of Auckland, Auckland, 1973

Employment record

1966-1969        Junior Lecturer in Geology, University of Auckland

1970                  Lecturer in Geology, University of Auckland

1971-1973          Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of Waikato

1974-1981          Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of Waikato

1981-1990         Associate Professor in Earth Sciences, University of Waikato

1988-1996        Chairperson of Earth Sciences, University of Waikato

1991-2012         Professorial Chair in Earth Sciences, University of Waikato

1998-2012        Associate Dean (Postgraduates) Faculty of Science & Engineering, University of Waikato (0.2 FTE)

2012-present   Emeritus Professor, University of Waikato

Some Honours/Distinctions/Awards

• His career-long research publication impact was ranked in 2019 to be in the top 1% of about 7 million global researchers across all disciplines in the citation metrics scheme of Ioannidis et al. (2019; Open access at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000384)

• Kudos / Hamilton Science Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award winner 2012

• International Councilor (Society of Sedimentary Geology, SEPM, USA) (2006-2008)

• Hutton Medal (Earth Sciences) 2004, Royal Society of New Zealand

• Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (FRSNZ) (1995-present)

• Visiting Research Professor: Oxford University, UK (2001)

                                                 Universität Tübingen, Germany (2001) [DAAD Award]   

                                                 Queen's University, Ontario (1994) [NERC Award]                                                       

                                                 University of Hawaii at Hilo, USA (1986) [US/NZ Award]

                                                 Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver (1980) [UBC Award]

• Invited speaker to five international conferences since 2000

• ISAT NZ/FRG Travel Award, Royal Society of New Zealand (2001) [with Prof. Freiwald, Universität Tübingen, Germany]

• ISAT NZ/UK Travel Award, Royal Society of New Zealand (2003) [with Dr Pearson, University of Aberdeen, Scotland]

• Royal Society (UK) Study Visit Award (2003) [with Dr Pearson, University of Aberdeen]

• Carnegie Trust Research Grant (2003) [with Dr Pearson, University of Aberdeen]

• Chairperson of Earth Sciences, University of Waikato (1988-1996)

• Professorial Chair in Earth Sciences, University of Waikato (1991-2012)

• Associate Dean (Postgraduates) Faculty Science & Engineering, Univ. Waikato (1998-2012)

• Acting Dean Science & Engineering, University of Waikato (short periods 1996-2006)

• Acting Chair Univ. Waikato Postgraduate & Scholarships Committees (periods 2000-2010)

• McKay Hammer Award (Geological Society of NZ) (1991)

• Hochstetter Lecturer (Geological Society of NZ) (1984)

• President, Geological Society of NZ (1983-85)

• Editorial Board, NZ Journal of Geology & Geophysics (1997-2000)

• Guest Editorships (Sed Geol Vol 60 1988; NZJl Geol Geophys Vol 47, Nos. 3 & 4 2004)

• Who’s Who in NZ (1996); Who’s Who in the World (1997); IBC Leading Scientists in the World (2005)

• Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Leg 90 shipboard sedimentologist (1982-1983)

• University Grants Committee Postgraduate Scholarship (1966)

• Cotton Prize in Geology, Victoria University (1964)

• Co-Dux Rongotai College, Wellington (1961)

Outside promotion of Earth sciences

• Active promotion of Earth sciences to extractive industries in the wider Waikato region and elsewhere through advice, consultancies and/or small research contracts with local/regional organisations (e.g. Solid Energy, Omya, BECA, Perry Group, Ravensdown, Petrocorp/Shell Todd, Westech and Winstones).

• Off-campus promotion of Earth sciences through teaching contributions in Continuing or Distance Education courses, and by the running of field trips and giving invited talks to professional societies, service clubs and at public meetings. Estimate at least 1-2 contributions each year.

• Provision of geological information and rock, mineral and fossil identifications to enquiries from the public, schools and museums in a timely manner (e.g. arranged a rock and mineral practical workshop for Secondary School Science Technicians in 2007).

Benjamin Djain is a comparative early modernist who focuses on English and Spanish theatre. His current research interests are focused on the legacies of inwardness and self-talk in early modern English and Spanish theatre, the intersections between traditional literary scholarship and newly emerging digital tools, and multimodality. His doctoral dissertation, "The soliloquy in Shakespeare and Lope de Vega," was completed in May 2019.

Brad Jackson is the Professor of Leadership and Governance. He joined Waikato Management School in May 2020 and has served as Associate Dean Strategic Engagement, Waikato MBA Director and Director of the Community Enterprise and Leadership Foundation (CELF) Elevate Programme. He provides governance and leadership coaching services through Brad Jackson Leadership Coaching Ltd. 

Prior to joining Waikato University, Brad was the Professor of Social Innovation within the Department of Business Strategy and Innovation in the Griffith Business School based Brisbane, Australia. He also served as Program Director for the Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management and Director of the Policy Innovation Hub.

Brad was Professor of Public and Community Leadership at Victoria University of Wellington where he also served as the Head of School of Government and the Head of School of Management. At the University of Auckland Business School, he was Co-Director of the New Zealand Leadership Institute and the Fletcher Building Education Trust Chair in Leadership.

Jackson has published seven books—Management Gurus and Management Fashions, The Hero Manager, Organisational Behaviour in New Zealand, A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Studying Leadership, Demystifying Business Celebrity, Revitalising Leadership and The Board as the Nexus Between Leadership and Governance and Responsible Leadership in Corporate Goverance. He also co-edited the Sage Handbook of Leadership and Major Works in Leadership. Brad is a former co-editor of the journal, Leadership, and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Organizational Change Mangement and Management Learning. 

Brad’s current research explores the inter-relationship between leadership and governance practices in promoting and sustaining social and economic innovation and the application of place-based approaches to foster cross-sectoral leadership development and education.

Brad currently serves on the Board of Creative Waikato and the Institute of Directors Waikato Branch and is a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute of New Zealand. He has previously served as the Vice-Chair of the Akina Foundation and the International Leadership Association and has been a board member of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government, Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School and Volunteer Wellington. 

I am Dean of Medicine, Professor of General Practice and Primary Care, New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine, University of Waikato.

In 2018, I led the multi-year General Medical Council Quality Assurance process to establish the new medical school at the University of Sunderland, attracting local talent from non-traditional backgrounds, delivering the philosophy to widen access to medicine to ensure that the profession reflects the communities it serves. Our vision at the NZGSM is to make medicine accessible to talented students from Maori, Pasifika, rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, graduating socially responsible doctors to meet the needs of society and improves the lives of all New Zealanders.

With over 32 years of experience as a GP and 26 years of experience as an NHS researcher, I have worked on the Northumberland Local Research Ethics Committee, the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care.

I also served as a non-Exec Director of the Academic Health Science Network, North East and North Cumbria, and chaired the National Institute for Health Research Yorkshire and North East Research for Patient Benefit Panel.

I have led the NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria Primary Care Speciality Group, sat on the National Institute for Health and Care Research In-practice Fellowship programme panel, and am a member of the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC).

I have delivered a number of BMJ masterclass lectures throughout the UK.

Waikaremoana is a Professor in Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies - with interests in mātauranga Māori, health/hauora and Māori wellbeing and the social determinants of health.
Waikaremoana is a clinical psychologist with work and research interests in Kaupapa Māori psychology, adult mental health, child and adolescent mental health, supervision, accreditation and curriculum development. 

Member: Australian Medical Council, Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander and Māori Advisory Group

Past-President of the New Zealand Psychological Society

Former member of the Suicide Prevention Office, and the Film and Literature Classifications Review Board.

Current research: WERO - Working to End Racism and Oppression. Endeavor Research Grant. Ministry for Business Innovation and Enterprise. (2020-2025) Science lead.

Completed research: The embrace of our ancestors. Recontextualising and reimagining mātauranga Māori as an Indigenous psychology'. Marsden Research Grant. (2019-2022) Lead investigator.
Rua Mātītī, Rua Mātātā. Where did all the pā sites come from? Marsden Research Grant. (2019-2022) co-investigator.

Raranga, raranga, taku takapau. Hapū-ora or tamariki. E Tipu, e Rea. A Better Start (National Science Challenge. (2020-2022) Lead researcher.

Iwi: Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Mahanga

Professor Gareth Schott is a doctor of psychology specialising in media psychology, a media and creative technologies scholar and creative practitioner. He has employed traditional research methods, practice-led and practice-based research approaches in his research. His creative practice includes soundtrack composition, soundscapes, poster and asemic art practice. 

His psychological interests sit within self-concept theory in which he has developed a psychometric self-concept test to measure adolescent relational-selves, variously researched how our virtual lives extend and fragment our sense of self, and how our post-self (the memory of the individual that persist after death) is co-constructed through various forms of memorialisation.

Professor Schott was among the first group of scholars who developed 'game studies' in Europe. He has published research on gender and digital game cultures, measurement of player experience, gamic violence and media regulation. He was a member of the Film and Literature Review Board (Dept. of Internal Affairs) for two terms contributing to classification processes in NZ. 

His current research focuses on representation of dying, death, grief and loss within film, television content, graphic novels, documentary, music and games. He holds an interest in the changing nature of death awareness, death rights and rites.

His research has been funded by: Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK), University for Industry (UK), Royal Society of New Zealand: Marsden Grants (NZ) and the Office of Film and Literature Classification (NZ).

I am an inter-disciplinary social scientist based in the School of Psychological and Social Sciences in Te Wānanga o Ngā Kete, Division of Arts, Law, Psychology, and Social Sciences. 

My teaching focus is in the sociology, social policy, and criminology program. 

Feminist sensibilities and issues of power and inequality underpin my research and teaching.

Previously in The School of Health, my teaching was focused on areas including sport, equity and social/environmental justice, wellbeing, the media, and qualitative research.

I joined the university in 2015, bringing almost 20 year’s experience teaching in universities in England (London and Brighton) across degrees in sport and leisure studies, sports journalism, cultural studies, sociology, and social policy.

I am Managing Co-Editor of The Annals of Leisure Research (ALR), published by Taylor and Francis. This is the official journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Leisure Studies. 

I am on the editorial boards of Frontiers (in Sports and Active Living (2019-), and International Review for the Sociology of Sport (2007-).

My research and collaborations have gained funding from a range of international funding bodies, including the Economic and Social Research Council (UK), The British Academy, The Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK), Sport England, The International Olympic Committee, and Marsden (NZ).

Academic Qualifications & Education:

1997-1998: Certificate in Teaching and Learning, University of Surrey, Roehampton, London.
1997: PhD University of Brighton, (Sociology.)
1996 Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methodology, University of Brighton.
1992-1993: Goldsmiths' College, University of London, Sociology Department. (Postgraduate research student).
1988-1991: B.Sc. (Hons), 1st class Sport Science (Brighton Polytechnic), UK.

Academic posts:

Professor, Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Waikato

Professor/Associate Professor (2015-2023) Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, University of Waikato

Reader (Associate Professor) University of Brighton, in Sport and Leisure Cultures in the School of Sport & Service management (formerly the Chelsea

School of Sport, Leisure, Physical Education, and Dance) March 2014-February 2015.

Principal Research Fellow / Senior Research Fellow University of Brighton, Sport and Leisure Cultures, School of Sport, Leisure, Physical Education

and Dance 2002-2014

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in the Social Science of Sport, School of Sport, Exercise and Leisure, University of Surrey Roehampton May 1997 - Feb. 2002