Lorena de la Torre Parra

I am a mestiza woman, born in the Andes of Ecuador. I grew up under the scorching equatorial sun, nestled high between the clouds and at the feet of mountains and eternal snow-covered volcanoes. I am a daughter and granddaughter of these mountains and valleys, a storyteller, a gardener, a writer.

I recently joined Massey University after years living and working in the education sector in Papua New Guinea. This was followed by time at Victoria University of Wellington where I completed my PhD and taught for the Development Studies Programme. Later, I spent a period of time working in the NGO sector back in Aotearoa NZ where I managed international development and humanitarian programmes in the Pacific Region and South East Asia. In June 2021, I joined the Institute of Development Studies team at Massey University, New Zealand, as a Lecturer.