Helena Cook

Dr Helena Cook is a Samoan/Irish lecturer in the School of Educational Studies and Leadership, specialising in the sociology of higher education. Her research has two broad areas of interest: historically ‘othered’ bodies within institutions, and centring Pacific and Indigenous ways of knowing and being in higher education. These interests draw on her background in tertiary education and political science as well as her passion for telling stories about the world we inhabit. Her teaching and research seek to disrupt colonial essentialist framings of identity within educational spaces and highlight the importance of interdisciplinary and intersectional theoretical approaches to research. Informed by decolonising methodologies, she examines concepts of identity and representation, and supports young people to develop their capacity for intersectional, equitable, and representative leadership.

Helena is the Programme Coordinator for the Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership, 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.