We’re delighted to announce that the winner of our Pasifika Community Researcher Award at the 2026 Te Auaha Pito Mata Emerging Researcher Awards is Joseph Tutonga Houghton.
Joseph won the award for his doctoral research titled, ‘Amplifying Pacific Voices in a Christchurch Secondary School: A Study Guided by Tīvaevae & Talanoa.’ It is now available to read in Community Research’s open-access database here!
Completed as his PhD dissertation at the University of Canterbury, the work centres the voices of Pacific students, families, and educators in a Christchurch secondary school. Grounded n Pacific values, relational practice, and community impact, the study was guided by frameworks of tīvaevae and talanoa. Together these fostered space for trust, connection, and shared storytelling.
“Through talanoa,” said Joseph, “I created relational spaces for students, teachers and parents to share their experiences, aspirations and identities in ways that were authentic and culturally grounded.” Meanwhile, the tīvaevae model framed the research as “a collective and layered process,” where each voice contributed to a larger story.
Through his mahi and practice, Joseph emphasised how important it is that research takes the form of leadership which emerges from communities, rather than being imposed upon them. “The duty of the researcher is to bring their whole selves to the work,” he said, “entering into sincere dialogue with communities, not just as part of the process, but as the foundation of the research relationship.”
His findings emphasise Pacific diasporic experiences in schooling and community, and were supported by local and international research. Joseph concluded, “At its heart, my research is about shifting how communities listen, respond and create conditions where Pacific learners can thrive.”
Joseph’s strengths-based, relational research recognises Pacific knowledges and identities as foundations for change.