Dr Sam Manuela

Sam Manuela completed his tertiary education with a Bachelor of Science (BSc), a Bachelor of Science (Honours/Hons), and a Master's and PhD specializing in Pacific Psychology, within the University of Auckland. Fortunate timing at the end of his PhD led him straight into a lecturing role in Psychology at the University. Sam primarily has an interest in measuring ethnic identity derived from Pacific knowledge, and how this can inform and combine with traditional psychology methods.

The University journey for Sam first began as a Biological Sciences student, where he also took a psychology paper at random that broadened his horizons to additional possibilities for his future career. He quickly learned that he had a gift for understanding the subject and made the switch from his initial major to fully pursuing psychology. He subsequently completed his honours degree focusing on Māori culture but came to realize that there was very little Pacific content or research happening. Therefore, upon starting his Master's degree, he tailored his research towards statistics involving Pacific knowledge, which allowed him to develop a tool to collaborate indigenous understanding of psychology with modern psychology tools.

Sam’s Master’s project generated positive reception and praise from his academic colleagues. Therefore, Sam decided to utilize his findings to explore the development of his application for a PhD, where he received the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship and later graduated in 2016. Shortly after graduating, he saw a lecturing vacancy available within the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland and made the most of the opportunity at hand.

Currently, Sam has two significant projects that he is working on: a Marsden grant examining how Pacific psychologists have integrated their training and indigenous knowledge into this practice, despite having not been taught how to accomplish this within traditional teaching of psychology, and secondly; a project fund from the Health Research Council to investigate a survey of mental health within the Cook Islands.

In addition to these projects, Sam also supervises and mentors PhD students. He has a profound passion for helping and uplifting the Tuākana community, as well as seeing Pacific students thrive within their chosen fields of study and careers. As a result of his work, Sam hopes to help create clearly identified pathways for Pacific students to pursue their career aspirations, which partly involves promoting reflection and thought about how their indigenous research and experiences can help with their careers; and for this to be recognised as an integral part of an individual’s identity.

Sam’s passion for research was more of an incremental pathway that blossomed naturally during his academic journey. He didn’t anticipate that lecturing would be part of his journey but he is very glad that it has been.

His advice for students who aren’t sure about where they want to go would be to listen to people and themselves, try and understand their purpose, and follow through with their passions. He also says you will always bring your life and the people you love with you along the way.

Sam also adds, “Whatever your experience and whatever pathway you choose to go towards, you will always bring your community and identity with you. In addition, you do not have to be categorised as the indigenous knowledge within your research, you will always have your identity and will always represent your community no matter what you do. You bring an element of something special to your chosen field and it's something that cannot be taught but something that is special and can enhance your learning and teaching of others.”

View Sam's University profile here.