School of Social and Cultural Studies

Head of the School of Social and Cultural Studies in Education and co-Director of Te Puna Rangahau i- Ako, the Digital Education Futures Lab at the University of Canterbury. I am a Commonwealth of Learning Chair with a research focus exploring (post)digital (in)equality in Tertiary Education with a particular focus on perspectives and opportunities in the Pacific region. 

Dr Helena Cook is a Samoan/Irish lecturer in the School of Social and Cultural Studies. Helena’s research centres on the experiences and aspirations of young people, with a focus on justice, cultural knowledge, and the reimagining of civic life in Aotearoa. Her current work is anchored in her Royal Society | Te Apārangi Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship, through which she is leading an in-depth study of how Pacific young people understand and engage with politics. This project explores culturally grounded forms of political participation and the barriers and opportunities that shape meaningful youth civic engagement in Aotearoa. Alongside this project, Helena investigates how young people navigate and contest systems that shape their lives, and the ways those systems might better support youth voice and leadership. Through this research, Helena aims to contribute to decolonial scholarship, culturally grounded practice, and more just educational and civic futures for Māori and Pacific youth 

Helena is the Programme Coordinator for the Youth and Community Leadership programme, and chair of the Civics and Citizenship working group of the New Zealand Political Studies Association. She sits on the board of Te Whare Kōhungahunga o UC I Early Childhood Learning Centre, is an Associate Editor for the New Zealand Journal of Teachers Work and has been a keynote speaker on the topics of identity, inclusive leadership, Pacific education, and political representation. Her professional experience has focused on the recruitment, retention, and success of Pasifika students at tertiary institutions and the academic support of international aid and development scholarship students, integrating her research with practitioner expertise.

Helena is excited to receive enquiries from students interested in fields of equity and education, Pacific education, civics and citizenship, youth voice, and political representation. She looks forward to also supervising interdisciplinary projects, particularly from politics and sociology.

As an educational and pedagogical ethicist, my research explores the moral dimensions of teaching and learning. I am interested in the complex dynamics between values and action – how values shape ethical assertions that, in turn, influence educational policy, practice, and images of the child. Drawing on a range of philosophical perspectives, my work engages concepts such as the moral imagination and the practice of attention to reimagine education in ways that recentre relationships, wellbeing, and human flourishing.

Love is a key dimension of attention, and is a key value and moral concept that informs my research inquiry. Love is not only a critical dimension of a life well-lived, it is also a lens through which teachers can interrogate the aims of their pedagogical approaches, to refine and reposition learning to see tamariki in their best light. A teacher's ability to see, empathise, and ethically respond to the child, their family members, and teaching colleagues can be greatly enhanced through an understanding and application of attention and the moral imagination in everyday situations. As co-lead of the Infant and Toddler Network and co-president of OMEP Aotearoa, my role as an early childhood ethicist supports actions of advocacy to advance Te Tiriti o Waitangi, address issues of social justice and sustainability, and enable teachers to recognise and respond to the agency of children within their everyday teaching practices.

I am interested in Masters and Doctoral level candidates that can see their work aligning with my research interests, and I welcome research proposals that may prompt or provoke new thinking about early childhood education as a relational, ethical and moral undertaking.

Dr Jae Major is the Whakatū Nelson Campus Director and Senior Lecturer for the University of Canterbury Faculty of Education. Jae has taught in primary schools in New Zealand and London, and as a secondary ESOL teacher. She has worked in teacher education since 1995, teaching multicultural studies, English for speakers of other languages, and English literacy and curriculum. Jae was a senior lecturer at the University of Canterbury, College of Education before moving to Charles Sturt University, Bathurst campus, NSW Australia in 2010. She returned to New Zealand and was employed at Victoria University of Wellington from 2017 - 2023 teaching primary English literacy and English as an Additional Language courses. She was the Associate Dean Teacher Education from 2021 to 2023, before moving to Whakatū Nelson to be with family.

Jae has a long interest in and commitment to social justice and equity in education, which is reflected in her research, teaching, and supervision.

In addition to her academic work, Jae is also Chair of the Teacher Education Forum Aotearoa New Zealand (TEFANZ). She represents this peak body on the Ministry of Education and Teaching Council Initial Teacher Education Steering group. Jae is a member of the Teaching and Teacher Education Special Interest Group of the New Zealand Association of Research in Education (NZARE).

Please note that Jae is not accepting new PhD students in 2026 or 2027.

My research sits at the intersection of equity, social justice, inclusion, and culturally grounded teacher education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through my interdisciplinary work in early childhood education and family sociology, I examine how early childhood settings can become places where every family experiences belonging, and how teachers engage in socially just and inclusive practices while addressing issues of exclusion.

A core strand of my work investigates how teachers learn to enact pedagogies that honour the identities, languages, cultures, and relational worlds of the children and communities they serve. More recently, my research has expanded into Pacific education, particularly Samoan conceptual frameworks that re‑centre culture, values, and relationality as catalysts for learning.

My research focuses on problems of equity and social justice in and through education, exploring how the development of people’s own art of living supports personal and societal well-being, cohesion and equity. I am interested in the relationship between education and society. My research, which formulates an innovative approach to education and schooling based on Wilhelm Schmid’s concept of the art of living, is leading in the English-speaking academy. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on education, philosophy and psychology, I regularly present and publish at international conferences and journals. My current research projects include two international collaborative studies to develop practical tools to support teachers with inclusive practices and a re-imagination of education systems, policies and practices to strengthen equal educational opportunities for all students in society. I am also running an international comparative project exploring diverse cultural approaches to the art of living with implications for education.

I am particularly interested to supervise thesis students whose work directly links to my main research interests and ongoing projects (please see the 'Research' tab of my profile). I am also open to consider candidates with projects in the wider field of philosophy of education and educational theory.

Dr Toni Torepe (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe, Waitaha) is a respected Māori academic and Senior Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury. Her whakapapa is grounded across the Ngāi Tahu region, and she identifies Arowhenua as her whānau home. Having successfully navigated an education system that did not always recognise Māori ways of knowing and being, Dr Torepe brings deep lived insight into the challenges and possibilities facing Māori learners and educators. This experience underpins her enduring commitment to Māori advancement, educational equity, and mana‑enhancing practice across teaching, research, and institutional leadership.

Her work focuses on strengthening Māori education, culturally responsive teaching, and equity in initial teacher education, with a strong commitment to supporting Māori ākonga, whānau, hapū, rūnanga, and iwi. Her research and teaching are grounded in mātauranga Māori, kaupapa Māori methodologies, and bicultural practice, with a particular emphasis on developing teachers who are culturally grounded, relationally responsive, and confident in creating inclusive learning environments.

Dr Torepe holds multiple leadership and service roles in support of her rūnanga, iwi, and wider community. These roles reflect her commitment to Māori governance, representation, and collective wellbeing, and are guided by the principles of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and rangatiratanga. Through this leadership, she ensures that her research, teaching, and institutional contributions are strategically aligned with iwi aspirations, responsive to community priorities, and accountable to Māori knowledge holders.

A longstanding advocate for Māori staff and students, Dr Torepe contributes to institutional leadership in equity, wellbeing, and cultural capability, and is widely recognised for her mentorship, relationship‑building, and commitment to mana‑enhancing approaches. Her work continues to shape how the University of Canterbury prepares teachers to serve diverse learners and communities across Aotearoa New Zealand, in ways that honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and iwi‑led aspirations.

Past roles have included classroom teacher, educational psychologist and university researcher. These have left me with a broad range of educational interests but they all centre on my passion for social justice and include:
• Inclusion/exclusion (how learning environments, schools and classrooms can be organized and managed so as to enhance the learning and well-being of all students)
• Learner ‘differences’ and how these are conceptualized and responded to within educational institutions. Particular interests include those related to gender, ethnicity, disability and sexuality.
• Supporting pupils who are identified as having social, emotional or behavioural difficulties and those who are identified as having learning and/or developmental difficulties
My doctoral research explored the educational inclusion/exclusion of pregnant and mothering schoolgirls. It produced a ‘differentiated recognition of difference’ framework that could be used to promote a sense of belonging and inclusion for other marginalised students, whatever their ’difference’. More recently, small-scale research projects have enabled me to explore literacy interventions, nurture groups and the role played by teaching assistants in promoting student learning and well-being. I am also interested in inclusive research methods and in research that aims to access the views and experiences of those students whose voices are too often not sought or heard. 

Professor  E. Jayne White leads early years scholarship at the University of Canterbury. As Director of Seeing and Sensing Early Becomings (SaSEB) Lab, she brings dialogic philosophy, pedagogy and methodology together to explore critical and creative ways of bringing our youngest learners, and their perspectives, into view.  She is interested in “what could be” when diverse lenses are brought to bear on how young children are, or could be, seen. Her emphasis is on advancing positive outcomes for infants, toddlers and young children – so that their contributions are taken seriously in matters that concern them. She works closely with children, families and teachers towards this goal. 

Jayne brings an extensive background – spanning over 40 years - as teacher, researcher, philosopher, author, editor,  and scholar to this platform. She has authored over 100 books and articles, with significant research translations in policy and practice. Coupled with her prestigious role as Editor-in-chief of Springer’s International Journal of Early Childhood, Jayne leads an international network of researcher who promulgate cutting-edge research that makes a difference for infants, toddlers and young children – wherever they may be across the globe. As co-founder and Fellow of  Association for Visual Pedagogies - she has co-initiated and led a visual movement in educational thought and practice. Combined with her Fellowship role in Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia, she brings visual philosophy to bear on contemporary educational scholarship. 

The impacts of Jayne’s research can be felt in practice, research and policy: ECE teachers are empowered to be more critical, creative and inclusive in their pedagogical efforts; while researchers adopt methodologies and philosophies that prioritise diverse dialogues and interrogate their meanings. One-size-fits-all policies or practices are invited to adjust their orientations in consideration of diverse perspectives and their consequences for those who are affected the most. As Life Member of Aotearoa OMEP - Jayne advocates for ECE both locally and globally in this regard. Jayne's 2025 selection as recipient of the Springer Award for Publication Excellence: Community Engagement is clear evidence of her dedication and skill as editorial leader across complex systems and global contexts. 

Jayne is interested in supervising PhD students and collaborating with colleagues who share an interest in early years scholarship (concerning aspects of learning for children aged birth to eight) where dialogues – their diverse forms and nuanced meanings – are taken seriously. She is keen to work with future facing topics concerning (proto/post) digital futures, philosophy-practice interanimations, sustainable responses to climate change issues with children at their heart, transdisciplinary alliances that cross divides and address real-world issues facing ECE, and pedagogical comparisons/innovations within and across culture. Projects that are oriented to Jayne’s world-leading expertise in visualities and/or dialogic methodologies are especially welcome.