Leola Meynell

Ko Leola Meynell ahau. I’m a PhD Candidate in Psychology at Massey University and I have been a member of the Branch Committee of Graduate Women Manawatū since 2017, where I now lead the Advocacy cluster. My research is based in the rich theoretical terrain of feminist psychology, and I’m passionate about hearing and honouring women’s stories as forms of knowledge. In early 2020, I completed my Master’s research project on how women tertiary students are negotiating intimate partner relationships and higher education in Aotearoa NZ. Now halfway through my PhD, I’m researching how climate change is affecting women’s feelings and decisions about having children in the post-industrialised contexts of Aotearoa NZ and the UK. I’m delighted to have been awarded the 2021 GWNZ Harriette Jenkins Award. Through this award, I’ll be able to extend my engagement and consultation with iwi and Māori cultural advisors in my PhD project, to better understand how Māori communities are negotiating climate change and motherhood. Thanks so much to GWNZ for its continued support.