Join us for the first webinar of our Te Auaha Pito Mata award winner series.
The Community Research Te Auaha Pito Mata Awards are held to celebrate the impact of emerging researchers whose work uplifts communities, strengthens knowledge, and creates positive change in Aotearoa. This webinar series introduces the 2026 Award winners and offers an opportunity to hear directly from these inspiring researchers as they share their work, insights, and aspirations for the future.
In this webinar, we meet Corrina Thompson, winner of the Community Researcher Award, and learn about her research ‘Learning from lived experience: How phenomenology could help transform Aotearoa’s justice system and navigate the barrier of public opinion.’
This innovative, community-led research centres the experiences of children of people in prison—tamariki who are often invisible in public debate yet over-represented across indicators of adversity. It explores how solutions can be shaped by those most affected by intergenerational harm.
Corrina will present an overview of the project and reflects on her experience as a researcher.
She also discusses how the research has informed her current work and what she sees as the next steps.
Facilitated by Jennifer Leahy, Adult Education Consultant and Facilitator and Community Research Kaitiaki. Jennifer has also been a member of the Pillars whānau having worked as a facilitator of the Pillars workshop, “The Invisible Sentence”., a volunteer facilitator of whanau support groups and a former Pillars Board member.
About the research:
Corrina project researched the narratives of those with a personal lived experience of the justice system in Aotearoa, from the premise that lived experience is specialist knowledge. This thesis argues that justice reform in Aotearoa is urgently needed, towards a people-centred, culturally responsive, lifelong, wellbeing-focussed justice system based on outcomes. To succeed, we must be committed to transform every level of our system.
During eight semi-structured interviews, participants shared their experiences of the justice system from the following positionalities: as someone who has been in prison, as someone who has whānau in prison, as someone who has been harmed by crime, or as someone who has had whānau harmed by crime. All participants identified with more than one of these groups. Participants shared what they felt worked, what did not work, what changes they would recommend, and their ideas on navigating potential barriers that stand in the way of transformative justice, most notably that of public opinion.
This thesis presents a thematic analysis of these narratives, exposing the resounding harm too often faced by those who encounter the justice system, and their ideas for change. Despite their differences, participants voices became a unanimous chorus of “We need more support.” Aotearoa needs accountability from those in power, actioned with empathy, evidence, and awareness, to reduce harm and build a safer, more equitable tomorrow – for all New Zealanders.
Comments from the Te Auaha Pito Mata judges
Our judges commended Corrina Thompson’s strong ethical stance, including trust-based recruitment and kanohi ki te kanohi engagement, alongside a trauma-informed, mana-enhancing approach to handling highly sensitive narratives.
The findings have practical relevance for policy, community services, and justice reform, and underline the importance of community-led responses implemented in partnership with Māori.
The judges also highlighted the strengths-based approach—uplifting youth leadership, resilience, and the capability of rangatahi and whānau to drive transformative change.
