Melinda Webber
Biographic Data
| ID | 3950963 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Melinda Webber |
| GIVEN NAMES | Melinda |
| FAMILY NAME | Webber |
| SIGNATURE | WEBBER M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Auckland |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1930-6790 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 4 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1970 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Reorienting Aotearoa New Zealand Secondary School Geography Towards Decolonisation and Indigenisation
Secondary school geography in Aotearoa New Zealand has a Western-centric curriculum due to the British colonial influence. Despite being the knowledge system of the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) has been sidelined from geography curricula. A recent system-wide review and overhaul of the national curriculum and assessment system aimed for equal status for mātauranga Māori, respecting it and addressin…
Culturally responsive leadership practices in secondary schools that lead to positive academic achievement for Māori and Pacific students
This study provides an analysis of the culturally responsive leadership practices in New Zealand secondary schools which have positive academic results for Māori and Pacific school leavers. An analysis of academic results in New Zealand secondary schools identified 94 schools where Māori, and 23 schools where Pacific, students gained University Entrance (UE) at rates that were above national norms. Researchers developed a survey instrument based …
Holding the line
This article calls to attention the possibilities and problematics of upholding Indigenous ethics and approaches in cross-cultural international research collaborations. We describe the opportunities and challenges that present themselves and elaborate on four lessons learned during a recent education project, including (1) how the authority and mana of Indigenous stakeholders can be maintained, (2) how to ensure Indigenous concepts and worldview…
Indigenous student voice
This paper reports the views of Indigenous Māori students (aged 5–13 years) regarding the ways they encounter and experience teaching and learning within their schools. The ten schools that participated in the research are situated in a low socio-economic urban area of the North Island of New Zealand. While the research was being conducted, the teachers and leaders employed in the schools were engaged in a professional development program focusse…
Methodological frameworks for Indigenous and non-Indigenous education research students
This introductory ‘research paradigms’ article discusses Indigenous methodologies in relation to those approaches more familiar to educational researchers. A useful Table introduces methodological frameworks for research students in education, highlighting the significance of theoretical and philosophical thinking for research
Culturally Responsive Middle Leadership for Equitable Student Outcomes
Middle leaders are important conduits for school policy and are often required to lead, champion and monitor change initiatives in their departments. This paper examines secondary school middle leaders’ self-reported theories, promotion and leadership of culturally responsive teaching approaches for student equity. The study participants (n = 170) are curriculum leaders in state secondary schools throughout New Zealand, serving a range of diverse…
High-achieving Māori students' perceptions of their best and worst teachers
This qualitative study explored high-achieving Māori students’ perceptions of their best and worst secondary school teachers. Participants (N = 96) were Year 12 or 13 students at English-medium secondary schools in Aotearoa who had attained certificate endorsement at Level 1 or 2 in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Findings showed that Māori students’ best teachers had high expectations for their achievement. They spent…
Te Pā Harakeke
This strengths-based paper draws on the qualitative and quantitative survey results from whānau (family members) of tamariki (children) attending 12 schools in an urban area in New Zealand with a high proportion of Māori people. The paper describes the positive impact of effective family engagement on tamariki, from the perspectives of whānau, paying particular interest to the differences between Māori and non-Māori whānau. The views of all whāna…
Kua takoto te mānuka, mā wai e hiki ake? Advancing a Te Tiriti o Waitangi‐led approach to mental health education in schools
This article engages mātauranga Māori, social psychology and the sociology of education to argue that an individualistic approach to mental health education in schools is inadequate. In this article we discuss a recent national school curriculum policy that demonstrates the ways mental health education can be framed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, informed by the determinants of health, and culturally located in worldviews representative of Te Ao Māori.…
The Ruamano Project
When gifted Māori students feel they belong and find their realities reflected in the curriculum, conversations and interactions of schooling, they are more likely to engage in programmes of learning and experience greater school success. This article reports on a teacher-led project called the Ruamano Project, which investigated whether Maker and Zimmerman's (2008) Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving model (REAPS) could be adapted successf…
A Fire in the Belly of Hineāmaru
The numerous iwi (tribes) and hapū (subtribes) of Te Tai Tokerau (Northland) have a long whakapapa (genealogy) of influential leaders that have made a significant impact on the Māori world and beyond. However, ruinous media narratives that focus without relent on poverty, low employment, inadequate housing, and lagging educational outcomes—particularly among Māori—continue to negatively impact the ways students from this region define their ident…
Exploring methodological and ethical opportunities and challenges when researching with Indigenous youth on issues of identity and culture
This article examines five interrelated methodological and ethical opportunities and challenges embedded within qualitative research projects that seek to partner with Indigenous young people, from different tribal communities. Drawing from two separate educational research studies conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, the researchers identified these opportunities and challenges as: insiders and outsiders working to negotiate entry and gain consent…
Real engagement in active problem solving for Māori boys
The REAPS model is a teaching and learning model that places students in real-world problem solving, engaging students in active learning. The Ruamano Project was funded by the Teacher Led Innovation Fund, a New Zealand Ministry of Education initiative that supports teams of teachers to develop innovative practices for improving learning outcomes. This article reports on the implementation of REAPS with the Year 9 science students who investigate…
Electrical analogues of spatial diffusion processes
Chappell J. M. A. and Webber M. J. (1970) Electrical analogues of spatial diffusion processes, Reg. Studies 4, 25–39. Diffusion processes of two types are currently recognized by geographers—(i) diffusion of innovation or an infectious component through a closed community, and (ii) diffusion of similar vectors through an extensive region, within which there may be population nodes. The latter problem is qualitatively similar to problems of heat, …
Kua takoto te mānuka, mā wai e hiki ake? Advancing a Te Tiriti o Waitangi‐led approach to mental health education in schools
This article engages mātauranga Māori, social psychology and the sociology of education to argue that an individualistic approach to mental health education in schools is inadequate. In this article we discuss a recent national school curriculum policy that demonstrates the ways mental health education can be framed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, informed by the determinants of health, and culturally located in worldviews representative of Te Ao Māori.…
Exploring methodological and ethical opportunities and challenges when researching with Indigenous youth on issues of identity and culture
This article examines five interrelated methodological and ethical opportunities and challenges embedded within qualitative research projects that seek to partner with Indigenous young people, from different tribal communities. Drawing from two separate educational research studies conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, the researchers identified these opportunities and challenges as: insiders and outsiders working to negotiate entry and gain consent…
Electrical analogues of spatial diffusion processes
Chappell J. M. A. and Webber M. J. (1970) Electrical analogues of spatial diffusion processes, Reg. Studies 4, 25–39. Diffusion processes of two types are currently recognized by geographers—(i) diffusion of innovation or an infectious component through a closed community, and (ii) diffusion of similar vectors through an extensive region, within which there may be population nodes. The latter problem is qualitatively similar to problems of heat, …
Real engagement in active problem solving for Māori boys
The REAPS model is a teaching and learning model that places students in real-world problem solving, engaging students in active learning. The Ruamano Project was funded by the Teacher Led Innovation Fund, a New Zealand Ministry of Education initiative that supports teams of teachers to develop innovative practices for improving learning outcomes. This article reports on the implementation of REAPS with the Year 9 science students who investigate…
A Fire in the Belly of Hineāmaru
The numerous iwi (tribes) and hapū (subtribes) of Te Tai Tokerau (Northland) have a long whakapapa (genealogy) of influential leaders that have made a significant impact on the Māori world and beyond. However, ruinous media narratives that focus without relent on poverty, low employment, inadequate housing, and lagging educational outcomes—particularly among Māori—continue to negatively impact the ways students from this region define their ident…
Exploring methodological and ethical opportunities and challenges when researching with Indigenous youth on issues of identity and culture
This article examines five interrelated methodological and ethical opportunities and challenges embedded within qualitative research projects that seek to partner with Indigenous young people, from different tribal communities. Drawing from two separate educational research studies conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand, the researchers identified these opportunities and challenges as: insiders and outsiders working to negotiate entry and gain consent…
The Ruamano Project
When gifted Māori students feel they belong and find their realities reflected in the curriculum, conversations and interactions of schooling, they are more likely to engage in programmes of learning and experience greater school success. This article reports on a teacher-led project called the Ruamano Project, which investigated whether Maker and Zimmerman's (2008) Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving model (REAPS) could be adapted successf…
High-achieving Māori students' perceptions of their best and worst teachers
This qualitative study explored high-achieving Māori students’ perceptions of their best and worst secondary school teachers. Participants (N = 96) were Year 12 or 13 students at English-medium secondary schools in Aotearoa who had attained certificate endorsement at Level 1 or 2 in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Findings showed that Māori students’ best teachers had high expectations for their achievement. They spent…
Te Pā Harakeke
This strengths-based paper draws on the qualitative and quantitative survey results from whānau (family members) of tamariki (children) attending 12 schools in an urban area in New Zealand with a high proportion of Māori people. The paper describes the positive impact of effective family engagement on tamariki, from the perspectives of whānau, paying particular interest to the differences between Māori and non-Māori whānau. The views of all whāna…
Kua takoto te mānuka, mā wai e hiki ake? Advancing a Te Tiriti o Waitangi‐led approach to mental health education in schools
This article engages mātauranga Māori, social psychology and the sociology of education to argue that an individualistic approach to mental health education in schools is inadequate. In this article we discuss a recent national school curriculum policy that demonstrates the ways mental health education can be framed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, informed by the determinants of health, and culturally located in worldviews representative of Te Ao Māori.…
Culturally Responsive Middle Leadership for Equitable Student Outcomes
Middle leaders are important conduits for school policy and are often required to lead, champion and monitor change initiatives in their departments. This paper examines secondary school middle leaders’ self-reported theories, promotion and leadership of culturally responsive teaching approaches for student equity. The study participants (n = 170) are curriculum leaders in state secondary schools throughout New Zealand, serving a range of diverse…
Indigenous student voice
This paper reports the views of Indigenous Māori students (aged 5–13 years) regarding the ways they encounter and experience teaching and learning within their schools. The ten schools that participated in the research are situated in a low socio-economic urban area of the North Island of New Zealand. While the research was being conducted, the teachers and leaders employed in the schools were engaged in a professional development program focusse…
Methodological frameworks for Indigenous and non-Indigenous education research students
This introductory ‘research paradigms’ article discusses Indigenous methodologies in relation to those approaches more familiar to educational researchers. A useful Table introduces methodological frameworks for research students in education, highlighting the significance of theoretical and philosophical thinking for research
Reorienting Aotearoa New Zealand Secondary School Geography Towards Decolonisation and Indigenisation
Secondary school geography in Aotearoa New Zealand has a Western-centric curriculum due to the British colonial influence. Despite being the knowledge system of the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) has been sidelined from geography curricula. A recent system-wide review and overhaul of the national curriculum and assessment system aimed for equal status for mātauranga Māori, respecting it and addressin…
Culturally responsive leadership practices in secondary schools that lead to positive academic achievement for Māori and Pacific students
This study provides an analysis of the culturally responsive leadership practices in New Zealand secondary schools which have positive academic results for Māori and Pacific school leavers. An analysis of academic results in New Zealand secondary schools identified 94 schools where Māori, and 23 schools where Pacific, students gained University Entrance (UE) at rates that were above national norms. Researchers developed a survey instrument based …
Holding the line
This article calls to attention the possibilities and problematics of upholding Indigenous ethics and approaches in cross-cultural international research collaborations. We describe the opportunities and challenges that present themselves and elaborate on four lessons learned during a recent education project, including (1) how the authority and mana of Indigenous stakeholders can be maintained, (2) how to ensure Indigenous concepts and worldview…
Psychology (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Pedagogy (8 works) · Indigenous (7 works) · Political science (7 works) · Indigenous and Place-Based Education (6 works) · Mathematics education (6 works) · Early Childhood Education and Development (5 works) · Curriculum (4 works) · Perception (4 works)