Our postgraduate students have travelled from all over the world to learn from our researchers and to access facilities and knowledge that can only be found at Otago.
Exceptional doctoral theses in the Division of Humanities
We like to celebrate excellence at every level, and we take great pleasure in announcing that the following Doctoral candidates have presented theses of exceptional quality.
A thesis is of exceptional quality when all three examiners of a candidate's thesis agree that the thesis is of an exceptional standard in every respect – research content, originality, quality of expression and accuracy of presentation – and is amongst the top 10% of theses examined.
2024 Exceptional theses
Shirley Gabriella Achieng', Peace and Conflict Studies Programme: Towards an indigenous African approach to counterterrorism in Kenya
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Richard Jackson)
For more information on Shirley’s work, please contact the Peace and Conflict Studies Programme by email at peaceandconflict@otago.ac.nz
Rachel Anna Billington, Politics Programme: "Social media gave me my life." Recognition, adolescence, and political identity in the algorithmic era: Coming of age online in Aotearoa New Zealand
(Primary Supervisor: Dr Susan Wardell)
For more information on Rachel's work, please contact the Politics Programme by email at politics@otago.ac.nz
Alison May Blair, School of Performing Arts - Music: 20th century boys: British glam rock and the carnivalesque
(Primary Supervisor: Dr Ian Chapman)
For more information on Alison’s work, please contact the School of Performing Arts by email at spa@otago.ac.nz
Rachel Lynn Fleener, School of Geography: Inclusive governance in exclusive landscapes: A critical analysis of integrated landscape approaches to conservation in the Agulhas Plain, South Africa
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Etienne Nel)
For more information on Rachel’s work, please contact the School of Geography by email at geography@otago.ac.nz
Emma Rachael Osborne, College of Education: Life-study overlap in health professional education
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Vivienne Anderson)
For more information on Emma’s work, please contact the College of Education by email at education@otago.ac.nz
Te Hira Keretene Whaka-Iti Paenga, Theology: Ngā Ihoatua o te Kapahaka: Iāhahā! Ka tū te ihiihi, ka tū te wanawana ki runga i te rangi e tū iho nei!
(Primary Supervisor: Dr Wayne Te Kaawa)
For more information on Te Hira’s work, please contact Theology by email at theology@otago.ac.nz
Wendy Joy Parkins, English and Linguistics Programme: Writing an Idle Woman: Archive and imagination in neo-victorian biofiction
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Liam McIlvanney)
For more information on Wendy’s work, please contact the English and Linguistics Programme by email at english@otago.ac.nz
Jasbir Karneil Singh, Higher Education Development Centre: AVATAR - Authorial voice toolkit for authorship reflection
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Ben Daniel Motidyang)
For more information on Jasbir’s work, please contact the Higher Education Development Centre by email at hedc@otago.ac.nz
2023 Exceptional theses
Briony Blackmore, Philosophy Programme: Looking beyond blame and praise: Analysing moral responsibility in the development and deployment of AI systems
(Primary Supervisor: Professor James Maclaurin)
For more information on Briony’s work, please contact the Philosophy Programme by email at philosophy@otago.ac.nz
Yoko Mori, Higher Education Development Centre: The professional identity of academic developers
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Anthony Harland)
For more information on Yoko's work, please contact the Higher Education Development Centre by email at hedc@otago.ac.nz
Jokotola Toyyebat Omidiji, School of Geography: Multiscale erosion dynamics on shore platforms
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Wayne Stephenson)
For more information on Jokotola's work, please contact the School of Geography by email at geography@otago.ac.nz
2022 Exceptional theses
Nicholas Graham Baker, Higher Education Development Centre: Writing identities of prolific research writers
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Vijay Mallan)
For more information on Nick's work, please contact the Higher Education Development Centre by email at hedc@otago.ac.nz
Alexander Kirk, College of Education: How physiotherapy students approach learning and their clinical reasoning capability
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Jeff Smith)
For more information on Alex's work, please contact the College of Education by email at education@otago.ac.nz
Peyton Lunsford Bond, Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme: What can you do? Capitalism exists" Sex work and the contemporary work system in Aotearoa New Zealand
(Primary Supervisor: Dr Fairleigh Gilmour)
For more information on Peyton's work, please contact the Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme by email at sgsc@otago.ac.nz
Luke Samuel Fitzmaurice, Faculty of Law: Te Rito o Te Harakeke: Decolonising child protection and children's participation
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Nicki Taylor)
For more information on Luke's work, please contact the Faculty of Law by email at law@otago.ac.nz
Dyanna Rose Jolly, School of Geography: What does (or could) it mean to practice Indigenous impact assessment in Aotearoa New Zealand? A critical analysis of cultural impact assessment effectiveness
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Michelle Thompson-Fawcett)
For more information on Dyanna's work, please contact the School of Geography by email at geography@otago.ac.nz
Jamie Averill Metzger, School of Geography: Mauri and museums: Who really cares? The tensions between kaitiakitanga and museology
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Merata Kawharu)
For more information on Jamie's work, please contact the School of Geography by email at geography@otago.ac.nz
Obinna Chukwunenye Nweke, Peace and Conflict Studies Programme: A tale of broken promises: Dilemmas and everyday reintegration tactics of former Niger Delta militants
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor SungYong Lee)
For more information on Obinna Chukwunenye Nweke's work, please contact the Peace and Conflict Studies Programme by email at peaceandconflict@otago.ac.nz
Andreas Samus, School of Geography: Nature connectedness and urban biodiversity: Pathways to environmental and psychological well-being
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Claire Freeman)
For more information on Andreas's work, please contact the School of Geography by email at geography@otago.ac.nz
2021 Exceptional theses
Christina Bright, School of Geography: Clarifying the waters: A critical analysis of turbidity and its role in environmental monitoring in New Zealand
(Primary Supervisor: Dr Sarah Mager)
For more information on Christina's work, please contact the School of Geography by email at geography@otago.ac.nz
Charles Darr, College of Education: Enhancing the validity of teachers' summative judgments through decision frameworks
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Jeff Smith)
For more information on Charles' work, please contact the College of Education by email at education@otago.ac.nz
Clare Knowles, Theology Programme: Interpreting Isaiah from Isaiah. Intratextual translation in old Greek Isaiah
(Primary Supervisor: Dr James Harding)
For more information on Clare's work, please contact the Theology Programme by email at theology@otago.ac.nz
Matthew Marshall, School of Performing Arts - Music: The evolution of composition for the classical guitar in New Zealand
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Anthony Ritchie)
For more information on Matthew's work, please contact the School of Performing Arts by email at spa@otago.ac.nz
Michelle Moffat, History Programme: The Tartan Front: Daily life in Scotland during the Second World War
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Angela McCarthy)
For more information on Michelle's work, please contact the History Programme by email at history@otago.ac.nz
Ben Ong, Theology Programme: Partner-centered interpretation in Aotearoa New Zealand: A hermeneutic for Paakehaa in partnership with Maaori
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Paul Trebilco)
For more information on Ben's work, please contact the Theology Programme by email at theology@otago.ac.nz
Kayla Stewart, Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme: "I guess that's part of life": The sexual victimisation of Aotearoa university students
(Primary Supervisor: Dr Rebecca Stringer)
For more information on Kayla's work, please contact the Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme by email at sgsw@otago.ac.nz
Raaniera Te Whata, Centre for Sustainability: Ināianei, i Mua, ā Muri Ake – Now, then, next: A whakapapa analysis of engagement approaches to tangata, whenua and wai: A community case study in Te Tai Tokerau (Northland)
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Merata Kawharu)
For more information on Raaniera's work, please contact the Centre for Sustainability by email at centre-sustainability@otago.ac.nz
Maja Whitaker, Theology Programme: Perfected yet still "disabled": continuity of diverse embodiment in the resurrection body
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Murray Rae)
For more information on Maja's work, please contact the Theology Programme by email at theology@otago.ac.nz
Kunyu Yan, School of Performing Arts - Music: Musicking in Chinese early childhood education: An ecological study of children's music education in select Shandong kindergartens
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Henry Johnson)
For more information on Kunyu's work, please contact the School of Performing Arts by email at spa@otago.ac.nz
2020 Exceptional Theses
Budi Annisa, Politics Programme: Unity and diversity: National identity and multiculturalism in Indonesia
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Vicki Spencer)
For more information on Budi Annisa's work, please contact the Politics Programme by email at politics@otago.ac.nz
Kimberly Arcand, College of Education: Putting the stars within reach: NASA 3D data-based models in 3D print and virtual reality applications, and their potential effects on improving spatial reasoning skills and STEM interest in underrepresented groups of young female learners
(Primary Supervisor: Emeritus Professor Lisa Smith)
For more information on Kimberly's work, please contact the College of Education by email at education@otago.ac.nz
Louisa Choe, Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme: Survival, not resilience: Young people's housing instability
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Martin Tolich)
For more information on Louisa's work, please contact the Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme by email at sgsw@otago.ac.nz
Cameron Daniel Coombe, Theology Programme: The role of scripture in the theology of Jürgen Moltmann
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Christopher Holmes)
For more information on Cameron's work, please contact the Theology Programme by email at theology@otago.ac.nz
Anaru Duncan Eketone, Social and Community Work Programme: The principles of Māori directed practice and development
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Pat Shannon)
For more information on Anaru's work, please contact the Social and Community Work Programme by email at sgsw@otago.ac.nz
Hyukmin Kang, Peace and Conflict Studies Programme: Victims, suffering, and reconciliation: A narrative investigation of victims' autobiographies in the aftermath of political violence in South Korea
(Primary Supervisor: Dr. SungYong Lee)
For more information on Hyukmin's work, please contact the Peace and Conflict Studies Programme by email at peaceandconflict@otago.ac.nz
Ola Kattoura, Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme: Arab battered women in Israel: How social and political contexts shape their experiences
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Melanie Beres)
For more information on Ola's work, please contact the Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme by email at sgsw@otago.ac.nz
Paul John Kirkham, Media, Film and Communication Programme: Mimesis and power
(Primary Supervisor: Dr Brett Nicholls)
For more information on Paul's work, please contact the Media, Film and Communication Programme by email at mfco@otago.ac.nz
Jordan Redding, Theology Programme: Addressed by the word: The practical, pastoral, and eschatological anthropology of Eduard Thurneysen
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Murray Rae).
For more information on Jordan's work, please contact the Theology Programme by email at theology@otago.ac.nz
Thomas White, Religion Programme: Contronymic Secularism: The Constitutional Politics of Religion in Fiji
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Ben Schonthal)
For more information on Thomas' work, please contact the Religion Programme by email at religion@otago.ac.nz
Elizabeth Wilson, English and Linguistics Programme: The settler colonial family as a site of trauma for women in selected novels by New Zealand women writers
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Chris Prentice).
For more information on Elizabeth's work, please contact the English and Linguistics Programme by email at english@otago.ac.nz
2019 Exceptional theses
Charles Gibson, Philosophy Programme: A defence of biodiversity as the goal of conservation biology
(Primary Supervisor: Professor James Maclaurin)
For more information on Charles' work, please contact the Philosophy Programme by email at philosophy@otago.ac.nz
2018 Exceptional theses
Nicholas Brennan, Theology and Religion: The Son as God: the theological salience of divine Christology in the Epistle to the Hebrews
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Paul Trebilco)
For more information on Nicholas' work, please contact the Theology Programme by email at theology@otago.ac.nz
Karly Burch, Sociology, Gender and Social Work: Eating a nuclear disaster: A vital institutional ethnography of the coordination of everyday eating in the aftermath of Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Hugh Campbell)
For more information on Karly's work, please contact the Sociology, Gender and Social Work Programme by email at sgsw@otago.ac.nz
Leila Crawford, English and Linguistics: Cultivating space and place: Seamus Heaney's landscape poetics
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Peter Kuch)
For more information about Leila's work, please contact the English and Linguistics Programme by email at english@otago.ac.nz
Roberta Francis, National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies: Nothing about us without us: The pursuit of inclusive and accessible positive peace
(Primary Supervisor: Professor Richard Jackson)
For more information on Roberta's work, please contact the Peace and Conflict Studies Programme by email at peaceandconflict@otago.ac.nz
Michael Ligaliga, National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies: Faa Samoa: Peacebuilder or peacebreaker? Understanding Samoa's domestic violence problem: A peace and conflict perspective
(Primary Supervisor: Dr Heather Devere)
For more information on Michael's work, please contact the Peace and Conflict Studies Programme by email at peaceandconflict@otago.ac.nz
Jonathan Ryan, Theology and Religion: Love does not seek its own: Augustine, economic division, and the formation of a common life
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Christopher Holmes)
For more information on Jonathan's work, please contact the Theology Programme by email at theology@otago.ac.nz
Hirini Tane, Te Tumu – Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies: Whakapapakainga: a template for the cross-generational development of marae-communities
(Primary Supervisors: Professor Paul Tapsell and Professor Merata Kawharu)
For more information on Hirini's work, please contact Te Tumu by email at maori-studies@otago.ac.nz
Keziah Wallis, Anthropology and Archaeology: The bonds of water: Strings of connectedness in Bamar Buddhist life
(Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Ben Schonthal, and Dr Cyril Schafer)
For more information on Keziah's work, please contact the Anthoropolgy Programme by email at anthropology@otago.ac.nz