School of Social Practice and Healthcare Research Groups

Discover impactful research from Unitec’s School of Social Practice and Healthcare, where people, communities, and wellbeing are at the heart of every project.

Indigenous Studies

Group leader: Jason Hallie

Unitec Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae with intricately carved wooden exterior, steep pitched roof, and surrounding greenery, under a partly cloudy sky.

Research Focus:

This research group recognizes the vital importance of Māori and also Pacific communities, worldviews and epistemologies in the field of Social Practice.  It leverages staff members’ significant experience in professions and in community development work spearheading transformative change through indigenous practices, partnerships, and research methodologies.  Staff working in this group partner as appropriate with Ngā Wai a Te Tūī and with Unitec’s Pacific Centre.    


Wellbeing in Community and Institutional Contexts

Group Leader: Dr Helen Gremillion

Group of diverse women seated in a circle for a supportive conversation or therapy session near a large urban-view window, displaying attentive and empathetic engagement.

Research Focus:

Research in this group focuses on health and wellness in social and cultural contexts, often challenging mainstream discourse and practice to support holistic, sustainable, and equitable outcomes for a range of communities.  Project topics include (but are not limited to) community wellbeing through spiritual practice, effective social work interventions in the context of poverty, narrative work in school communities, best practices for overcoming drug and alcohol addiction, and evaluations of mental health services.