Carla Houkamau (PhD) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management and International Business, the Director of the Mira Szászy Research Centre for Māori and Pacific Economic Development and the Associate Dean for Māori and Pacific Development for the Business School.

Carla is of Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu and Pākehā descent. She holds a deep personal interest in the history of Māori-Pākehā relations and promoting cultural understanding. Her current research focuses mainly on intergroup relations, chiefly how group memberships influence attitudes and behaviour. Her publications typically examine how ethnicity helps reproduce socio-economic inequalities but can be leveraged to address them.

Reflecting her role in the Business School her work has broadened to include diversity management, identity economics and implicit bias. Her research using the Multidimensional Model of Māori identity and Cultural Engagement (MMM-ICE) has been recognised nationally and internationally for advancing ethnic identity research using psychometric measures and large samples.

Associate Professor
Department of Management and International Business
The University of Auckland

Related Projects

Full project Kia Ārohi Kia Mārama - Scoping Excellence

Project commenced:

Taking Control: Māori Responses to Money, Wealth and Savings

What current methods do Māori use to manage money? What financial products and services are likely to be effective for Māori and how might these be successfully implemented? What support can Māori organisations (including iwi) and the government provide to increase whānau financial literacy and savings?

Poverty within many Māori communities is perpetuated by low incomes, poor financial literacy and a lack of whānau role models who encourage saving. For change to occur, financial education, collaborative community efforts and radical behavioural shifts are required.

Internship project

Project commenced:

How Great Can We Be? Identity Leaders of the Māori Economic Resistance

Intern: Rewi Nankivell

Supervisor: Dr Carla Houkamau

The University of Auckland Business School

This research seeks to determine the concepts of cultural richness through a Māori lens and within the principles of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and aroha. Nankivell blends personal narrative and research to examine cultural richness and social capital and how these themes can be integrated into an urban setting.

Full project Kia Ārohi Kia Mārama - Scoping Excellence

Project commenced:

Financial literacy for Māori realities: Designing culturally-responsive financial services and savings programmes for whānau Māori

What current methods do Māori (particularly those on low incomes and/or living in conditions of poverty) use to manage money?

What financial products and services are likely to be effective for Māori and how might these be successfully implemented?

What support can Māori organisations (including iwi) and the government provide to increase whānau financial literacy and savings?

Poverty within Māori communities is perpetuated by low incomes, poor financial literacy and a lack of whānau role models who encourage saving. For change to occur, financial education, collaborative community efforts and radical behavioural shifts are required.