Sonja Lee Macfarlane () is a New Zealand education academic and an associate professor at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

. Macfarlane specialises in the development of cultural awareness in the New Zealand education system.

Academic career

After a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

titled ''In Pursuit of Culturally Responsive Evidence Based Special Education Pathways in Aotearoa New Zealand: Whaia ki te ara tika'' at the

completed in 2012, Macfarlane moved to Te Kura o te Mātauranga Institute of Education at

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

, and then to the University of Canterbury, rising to associate professor.

Awards

In 2021 Macfarlane was elected as a Fellow of the

Royal Society Te Apārangi The Royal Society Te Apārangi (in full, Royal Society of New Zealand) is a not-for-profit body in New Zealand providing funding and policy advice in the fields of sciences and the humanities. These fundings (i.e., Marsden grants and research fe ...

. Her nomination said "Sonja has played a key role in the advancement of alternative ways for educators and psychologists to improve cultural awareness and responsivity, leading to the implementation of practices that accrue benefits for Māori learners (education) and clients (psychology). Her culturally-grounded publications and applied practice models in these disciplines have established her as an authority on the ways professionals can engage authentically within their professional spaces." Also in 2021, Macfarlane was awarded the Dame

Marie Clay Dame Marie Mildred Clay ( ; née Irwin; 3 January 1926 – 13 April 2007) was a researcher from New Zealand known for her work in educational literacy. She was committed to the idea that children who struggle to learn to read and write can be ...

Award by the New Zealand Psychological Society.

Personal life

Macfarlane is affiliated with

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...

and Ngāti Waewae

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

. Her husband Angus Hikairo Macfarlane is professor of Māori research at the University of Canterbury.

Selected works

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References

External links

Haegenga o te kitenga
(Macfarlane's new fellows seminar at the Royal Society Te Apārangi)
University profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macfarlane, Sonja New Zealand academics New Zealand women academics Academic staff of the University of Canterbury University of Canterbury alumni Ngāi Tahu people Rereahu people Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand Year of birth missing (living people) Living people