New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies - Meet the Editors: Kirsten Locke, Jean M Uasike Allen and Sereana Naepi
Kirsten Locke is a philosopher and theorist in education who examines how educational ideas intersect with pedagogical practices, the forces at play in shaping educational sites and discourses, and the history of educational ideas in Aotearoa and beyond. Her work is increasingly centred in the context of Higher Education where she takes a feminist approach to applying questions related to knowledge production and power dynamics in the university, and the way the university is accessed and experienced differently by different groups, and particularly women. As the child of teachers and as a former secondary school music teacher herself, Kirsten considers the role of Co-Editor of NZJES to be an important opportunity to help make visible the current conditions of our education system, broadly conceived, so that a shared vision of our educational futures can be articulated.
Dr. Sereana Naepi, a Pacific researcher based in Aotearoa New Zealand, is deeply committed to improving education and research systems. With a rich academic background that includes Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland, the University of British Columbia, Thompson Rivers University, and Matada Research, Dr. Naepi now shares her knowledge by teaching sociology at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
Her research focuses on promoting equity in higher education, using a blend of quantitative and qualitative data to uncover the real challenges within academia. Dr. Naepi's extensive knowledge and experience in Pacific research methodologies further enrich her work, allowing her to approach complex issues from multiple angles.
Currently, as a Rutherford Discovery Fellow, Dr. Naepi explores the intersection of neoliberalism and equity in higher education. Beyond her academic pursuits, her work has made positive contributions to the higher education, university, and research sectors. She also lends her expertise to the Royal Society Te Apārangi and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment Science board.
Jean M Uasike Allen is of Tongan and European heritage, born and raised in South Auckland, Aotearoa-New Zealand. She has a passion for education and justice. As such, her research interests focus primarily on disrupting colonial ways of knowing and doing by centring Indigenous and Pacific knoweldges, privilege youth voices, critiquing whiteness, and employing arts-based methods as a means of exploring knowledge and re-presentation