Contact details +6492136104
Associate Professor Pikihuia Pomare DClinPsy
Kaupapa Maori Associate Professor
Doctoral Supervisor School of PsychologyCurrent research:
- Principal Investigator - Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie Postdoctoral Fellowship, Health Research Council New Zealand 'Mauri Tau: Indigenous Psychological and Therapeutic Approaches to Mental Health' (2021-2026)
- Co-Principal Investigator - Tau ana te ora - Karakia pathways to wellbeing, Health Research Council New Zealand (2025-2027)
- Associate Investigator - Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Funded project 'Ka Hao te Rangatahi: Fishing with a New Net? Rethinking Responsibility for Youth Mental Health in the Digital Age' (2020-2023)
- Associate Investigator - MBIE Biological Heritage National Science Challenge. 'He Taonga Kē Te Ngahere' - Mobilising for Action theme of the Ngā Rākau Taketake investment stream (2020-2023)
- Associate Investigator- Interpretation of anomalous experiences: Implications for wāhine Māori
Health Research Council New Zealand, Explorer Grant (2019-2022)
Prior to my current position at Massey University, I worked as a registered Clinical Psychologist with adults in a Māori Mental Health Service at Waitematā District Health Board. I have also worked with children, adolescents, and whānau in a specialist Māori clinical team within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service at Counties Manukau District Health Board.
I have over 20 years of experience in the education and health sectors and have held a number of clinical, leadership, and advisory positions at regional and national levels. I was the Bicultural Co-Director of the New Zealand Psychological Society on the governance executive from 2019 to 2022.
In 2015, I completed a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Auckland. I held an academic position in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland from 2007 to 2010, lecturing in undergraduate and postgraduate courses and coordinating the Tuākana Psychology Programme and the Māori and Pacific Postgraduate Psychology Research Group.
I am a proud raukura (graduate) of Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori (Māori immersion schooling).
Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngā Rauru, Ngāruahine, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Paoa
I am an Associate Professor of Kaupapa Māori Psychology and a Clinical Psychologist. My research is grounded in mātauranga Māori and Indigenous Psychologies, with a focus on rongoā Māori and te taiao (traditional healing, the natural environment), wairuatanga and spirituality, Māori mental health, and child and youth mental health, including digital technologies. In 2021, I received the Erihapeti Rehu-Murchie Fellowship (Health Research Council of New Zealand) for a 4.5-year project, Mauri Tau, which examines mauri tau as a Māori framework for wellbeing and emotion regulation.
Professional
Qualifications
- Doctor of Clinical Psychology - University of Auckland (2015)
Research Expertise
Research Interests
Kaupapa Māori Psychology, Indigenous Psychology, Mātauranga Māori, Clinical Psychology, Engagement in Mental Health Services, Māori Mental Health, Youth Mental Health, Wairuatanga/Spirituality, Qualitative research methodologies – Critical, Indigenous, Mana Wahine
Thematics
21st Century Citizenship, Health and Well-being
Area of Expertise
Field of research codes
Cultural Studies (200200):
Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology (170106):
Kaupapa Maori Psychology (170108):
Languages, Communication And Culture (200000):
Maori Cultural Studies (200207):
Psychology (170100):
Psychology And Cognitive Sciences (170000):
Psychology not elsewhere classified (170199)
Research Projects
Current Projects
Project Title: Mauri tau: Indigenous psychosocial and therapeutic approaches to mental health
Date Range: 2021 - 2026
Funding Body: Health Research Council of New Zealand
Project Team:
- A/Pro Pikihuia Pomare - Project Leader
Research Outputs
Journal
[Journal article]Authored by: Haami, D., Lindsay, N., Pomare, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Pomare, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Lindsay, N., Moriarty, T., Pomare, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Erueti, B., Lindsay, N., Pomare, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Erueti, B., Lindsay, N., Pomare, P.
Book
[Chapter]Authored by: Pomare, P.
Other
[Oral Presentation]Authored by: Erueti, B., Lindsay, N., Pomare, P.
[Oral Presentation]Authored by: Erueti, B., Lindsay, N., Pomare, P.
Consultancy and Languages
Languages
-
Te Reo Māori
Last used: Today
Spoken ability: Excellent
Written ability: Excellent -
English
Last used: Today
Spoken ability: Excellent
Written ability: Excellent
Teaching and Supervision
Teaching Statement
Ano te pai me te ahua reka o te nohotahitanga a te teina me te tuakana i raro i te whakaaro kotahi.
This whakatauki speaks to the positive feelings elicited from working together with a shared purpose. It highlights the importance of a mutually respectful relationship between tuakana (older siblings) and teina (younger siblings). Tuakana are situated in the older and more experienced role and teina are often (but not always) younger and newer to a particular context, bringing with them their own expertise and knowledge.
As a lecturer and a supervisor my teaching philosophy draws on the knowledge contained within this whakatauki and the concept of tuakana-teina. Central to this relationship is ‘ako’, which means both to teach and to learn as a way of co-creating knowledge and maintaining mana uplifting interactions with students.
Current Masters supervision
- Meg Grace - Wairuatanga and healing from sexual violence for Maori
- Ngawari Matthews-Carr - Exploring intergenerational resilience among tupuna wahine of Ngai Tamarawaho and Ngati Kahu hapu from Tauranga Moana.
- Tania Kahika-Foote - Ka Mua, Ka Muri: Exploring Matauranga Maori Foundations for Healing Traumatic Brain Injury
Doctoral Supervision
- Aryan McKay- Maori perspectives on the hauora benefits and therapeutic applications of taonga puoro.
- Sharn Manga- Traditional Maori practices: a method for healing the mamae experienced by incarcerated rangatahi Maori.
- Nathan Matamua - Te tatau o te po: Linking the celestial spheres to transitional experiences.
- Abigail Cashell – Exploring taonga puoro as rongoa wairua.
- Erani Motu- Wairuatanga: Exploring the understanding and implementation of wairua-informed practice with rangatahi Maori in a youth forensic setting.
- Kiristinna Kautai - Exploring the wellbeing of Maori and Pacific parents/caregivers of Autistic children in Aotearoa.
- Segina Te Ahuahu- Kimihia he ara whakahaumanu: Seeking wellbeing – incorporating Kaupapa Maori approaches in the delivery of residential addiction services.
- Hermione John- Taonga tuku iho: The kohatu effect. Intergenerational healing strategies for Whanau.
- Amy Merry- A Kaupapa Maori rangahau into sexual violence.
- Rayna Phillips- Gathering the Voices of Pasifika Service-Users following Violent Youth Offending Behaviour: A woven talanoa with youth and families using the Fa’afaletui framework.
- Tom Hadley - A mixed-methods investigation into the positive effects of ecological restoration on mental wellbeing.
Graduate Supervision Statement
In terms of supervision, my experience is in Kaupapa Maori research, in a range of areas of psychology and hauora. I am interested in matauranga Maori and Indigenous psychologies, particularly the application of matauranga in practice.
Completed doctoral supervision
- Deanna Hami- Te Pū: A storytelling journey to uncover the seeds of intergenerational trauma and heal the soul wound.
- Amber McAllister. The whānau experience of suicide loss: what contributes to resilience and wellbeing. (Nominated for the Dean’s list of Exceptional theses)
- Donella De Silva - The Relationships Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Emotion Dysregulation, Self-Esteem, and Self-Compassion among Young Adults in Aotearoa New Zealand
Completed Master's supervision
- Abigail Cashell - “Taonga pūoro is more for the wairua and less for your ears”: Māori Perspectives of Taonga Pūoro and its Potential as Rongoā.
- Joanna Gemmell. Kaupapa Māori practitioner's whakaaro (thoughts) of traditional practices (rongoā, raranga, mirimiri and pūrākau) assisting rangatahi Māori (Māori youth) with suicidal behaviours
- Agnes Jenkins- Haere mai ki te kapu tī: Come and have a cup of tea. Developing therapeutic relationships (based in the Far North, Kaitaia and Te Hiku o Te Ika).
- Deanne King –Wāhine Māori perspectives on social media use during pregnancy
- Agnes Allen - Developing Therapeutic Relationship. Can I make you a cup of tea? (60-point Master's research project).
- Monika Lovelock - Te Ara Whakamana: Mana Enhancement Framework in the mahi of New Zealand Psychologists’
Completed honours supervision
- Aryan McKay - Māori Perspectives of the Hauora Benefits of Poi
- Erani Motu- Exploratory analysis of risk assessment for Rangatahi Māori and Pasifika Talavou with offending behaviours.
- Sharn Manga - Ā Tātou Rangatahi, Ā Tātou Anamata - Our Rangatahi, Our Future. Breaking the Cycle of Rangatahi Māori Offending
- Amy Merry - A Mātauranga Māori conceptualisation of harmful sexual behaviour
- Meg Grace - Pathways of healing from sexual violence for Māori
Associate Professor Pikihuia Pomare is available for Masters supervision, but not available for Doctoral supervision.
Summary of Doctoral Supervision
| Position | Current | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Main Supervisor | 8 | 2 |
| Co-supervisor | 4 | 1 |
Current Doctoral Supervision
Main Supervisor of:
-
Nathan Matamua
-
Doctor of Philosophy
Te tatau o te pō: Linking the celestial spheres to transitional experiences -
Kiristinna Kautai
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Exploring the resilience of Māori and Pacific caregivers of tamariki takiwātanga (Autistic children) in Aotearoa New Zealand -
Erani Motu
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Wairuatanga: Exploring the understanding and implementation of wairua-informed practice with rangatahi Māori in a youth forensic setting. -
Sharn Manga
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Traditional Māori practices: a method for healing the mamae experienced by incarcerated rangatahi Māori -
Abigail Cashell
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Exploring taonga pūoro as rongoā wairua. - view more...
Co-supervisor of:
-
Ariel-Rose Wetere
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
From Awareness to Application: Embedding Mātauranga Māori in Clinical Psychology Training -
Tom Hadley
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
A mixed-methods investigation into the positive effects of ecological restoration on mental wellbeing. -
Hermione Mathews-John
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Taonga tuku iho: The kohatu effect. -
Amy Merry
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
Haere ki te huri – Journey to change: An examination of desistance from harmful sexual behaviour and the healing journey of Māori tāne
Completed Doctoral Supervision
Main Supervisor of:
-
2025
-
Deanna Haami
-
Doctor of Philosophy
Te Pū: Tracing the origins of Intergenerational Trauma through whakapapa to attain Intergenerational Healing -
2022
-
Amber McAllister
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
The whanau experience of suicide loss: what contributes to resilience and wellbeing
Co-supervisor of:
-
2023
-
Donnella De Silva
-
Doctor of Clinical Psychology
The Relationships Between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Emotion Dysregulation, Self-Esteem, and Self-Compassion among Young Adults in Aotearoa New Zealand
Media and Links
Other Links
- University of Auckland, Faculty of Science Alumni Profile
- Karakia as rongoā: Elevating mātauranga Māori to create positive health outcomes - Karakia has long been a source of grounding, healing and connection. Yet despite its deep cultural significance and growing evidence of its therapeutic power, it remains overlooked in Aotearoa
- Whare Tapawhā: Utilising Māori methods for mental wellbeing - Associate Professor Pikihuia Pomare comments on kaupapa Māori-based mental health frameworks
- Clinical Psychology Pathways for Māori - Busy Māori mum nears completion clinical psychology doctorate
- Te Hiku Media Interviews - Expert advice on hauora and mental wellbeing
- view more...