Dr Rebecca Kiddle
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Mana Tūānuku Research Leader
Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship—Awarded by Royal Society Te Apārangi through the Tāwhia te Mana programme, recognising her contribution as leading scholar in respective field.
Dr Rebecca Kiddle’s (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) work focuses on spatial justice, the fair distribution of resources and opportunities irrespective of where people live. Working within a settler colonial context, her research maps spatial injustice across the motu, examining inequities in access to kai, healthcare, employment, and climate resilience. This work considers how the planning, design, and structures of our towns and cities have led to benefits for some and disadvantages for others and aims to move Aotearoa New Zealand toward more just and caring urban places in which everyone can thrive.
Together, through Spatial Justice Aotearoa, we bring complementary expertise in research, design, and strategic advice to questions of how our towns and cities can better serve all people. Our work is grounded in kaupapa Māori approaches and a commitment to practice that is rigorous, community-centred, and oriented toward justice. We believe that better cities are possible, and that achieving them requires both the evidence to make the case and the relationships to make change happen.
You can find more about our work, past and present, on the Spatial Justice website.
Rangahau · Related projects
Street design in Aotearoa has had limited involvement from iwi, hapū and Māori hāpori to date and yet streets are everywhere, they connect us to each other, they are communication channels and spaces and places to engage with others. What then might a Māori street look and feel like?
View projectMāori Streets
Street design in Aotearoa has had limited involvement from iwi, hapū and Māori hāpori to date and yet streets are everywhere, they connect us to each other, they are communication channels and spaces and places to engage with others. What then might a Māori street look and feel like?
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Dr Morehu McDonald
Dr Morehu McDonald
My doctoral rangahau (research) and thesis focused on the resistance, struggle and survival of my Ngāti Hinerangi hapū and iwi of Matamata and Tauranga. Labeled as Hauhau and unsurrendered rebels, we were driven to the brink of cultural extinction by the Crown and Pākehā settler colonisers. Our lands, our identity, our language, our culture, our history, our stories, our traditional practices, our ancient knowledge systems, our spiritual beliefs were undermined, destroyed or stolen from us by 170 years of cultural genocide.This experience was shared by iwi and hapū throughout Aotearoa when… -
Dr Marjorie Lipsham
Dr Marjorie Lipsham
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Dr Kimiora Raerino
Dr Kimiora Raerino
Kimiora’s research centres on Māori wellbeing in relation to the design and function of built environments - particularly streetscapes, public spaces, and transport systems. Recent work examines how these environments can better support whānau Māori through increased physical activity, reduced car dependency, and deeper cultural connection to place. Key interests include urban reindigenisation, Māori approaches to co-design, and creating healthier, more inclusive and equitable living environments for all. From 2018 to 2025, Kimiora led the Māori strand of Te Ara Mua – Future Streets, a…
Reimagining our cities through Indigenous knowledge, identity, and environmental care. Today, over 85% of Māori live in urban environments across Aotearoa. These modern kāinga (settlements) are more than places to live—they’re reflections of identity, connection to whenua, and intergenerational ingenuity. Yet, many Māori have been relegated to the margins…
View projectToitū he Kāinga: Healthy Environmental Relationships in Urban Settings
Reimagining our cities through Indigenous knowledge, identity, and environmental care.
Today, over 85% of Māori live in urban environments across Aotearoa. These modern kāinga (settlements) are more than places to live—they’re reflections of identity, connection to whenua, and intergenerational ingenuity. Yet, many Māori have been relegated to the margins of city spaces, facing spatial injustices that continue to impact wellbeing.
Toitū he Kāinga explores how Māori are reclaiming, revitalising, and reshaping urban landscapes—building sustainable futures through mahi toitū (Māori-led environmental care), identity, and rangatiratanga.
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Dr Crystal Victoria Olin
Dr Crystal Victoria Olin
Dr Crystal Victoria Olin is an architectural and urban researcher, designer, leader and educator whose work explores city-making in relation to identity and belonging, justice and care, resilience and the empowerment potential of urbanity. She has lived in Aotearoa New Zealand since 2012 and holds dual US–NZ citizenship. Crystal's recent research has centred on placemaking in public and community housing, with a focus on community infrastructure, urban design, and the complexities of measuring placemaking impact. This work has been undertaken as part of Public Housing & Urban Regeneration… -
Dr James Berghan
Dr James Berghan
Dr James Berghan (Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri) is an Adjunct Research Fellow with the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies and Co-Director at Spatial Justice Aotearoa, a kaupapa Māori research and design firm based in Pōneke and Ōtautahi. With a background in urban planning and design, James leads several research projects about how housing, transport and cities can better reflect Māori aspirations and belonging.James holds a Tāwhia Te Mana Future Leader Fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi. His four-year research programme examines how urban change in Aotearoa is framed and… -
Dr Robin Quill
Dr Robin Quill
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Dr Louise Marsh
Dr Louise Marsh
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Dr Rebecca Kiddle
Dr Rebecca Kiddle
Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship—Awarded by Royal Society Te Apārangi through the Tāwhia te Mana programme, recognising her contribution as leading scholar in respective field.Dr Rebecca Kiddle’s (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) work focuses on spatial justice, the fair distribution of resources and opportunities irrespective of where people live. Working within a settler colonial context, her research maps spatial injustice across the motu, examining inequities in access to kai, healthcare, employment, and climate resilience. This work considers how the planning, design, and structures of our… -
Kiri Waldergrave
Kiri Waldergrave
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Wendy Moore
Wendy Moore
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Dr Jeanette Wikaira
Dr Jeanette Wikaira
Jeanette Wikaira serves as the Thames-Coromandel District Council’s Group Manager Community after five years as part of the executive leadership team at Dunedin City Council.Wikaira, Ngāti Pukenga, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāpuhi, served in Dunedin as General Manager for Arts, Culture and Recreation, plus General Manager of Community Services, and General Manager of Partnerships, Policy and Governance before deciding to return to the Coromandel.Prior to Wikaira’s local government background, she held senior roles at the University of Otago and Auckland University of Technology and is currently chair…
Ētahi atu · Other people
Arianna Nisa-Waller
Ngāi te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui
Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
Arianna Nisa-Waller (Ngāi Te Rangi / Ngāti Ranginui) is a Māori researcher, Indigenous health educator, and…
Arianna Nisa-Waller
Savannah Brown
Ngāti Whatua, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Ngā Puhi
Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
Savannah Brown (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Ngā Puhi) is a Lecturer in Māori Designed Environments and…
Savannah Brown
Awatea Waimārie Moxon
Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngati Pahauwera , Ngāi Tahu
Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
Awatea Waimārie Moxon's PhD adopts a mixed-methods research approach to provide a thorough understanding of the…