Are You Making a Meal Out of Research?: A Recipe for Research Success

Those new to research often end up ‘making a meal of it’ because it can be tricky to know exactly where to begin. But it doesn’t have to be so daunting.

This workbook has been designed mostly for those going into postgraduate study, but it can also be used by anyone looking to start their journey into research. It will help you better understand what research is, how to do it (with activities to help you think about this in the context of your own research) and where you might start looking in the vast ocean of resources out there.

Steve Reay is Pākehā and of English and descent. He is a Professor of Design and the director of Good Health Design, a collaborative design studio at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. As one of a multidisciplinary team, whose aim is to develop better health and wellbeing experiences, Steve’s research focuses on how the design of products and services may have a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

Cassie Khoo is a designer and researcher working at Auckland University of Technology’s Good Health Design and Waitematā DHB’s Institute for Innovation and Improvement (i3). Her background is in communication design, specifically in branding and information visualisation. Her research focus is in design for health, with a particular interest in the use of co-design to improve communication of information in healthcare.

Guy Collier is a New Zealand-based design researcher with a background in social anthropology and human-centred design. He is currently working at Te Pūkenga where his focus is on redesigning vocational learning experiences in Aotearoa.

Gareth Terry is Pākehā and of English and Welsh descent. He is a senior lecturer in rehabilitation studies in the School of Clinical Sciences (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand), working out of the Centre for Person Centred Care. His research interests are broadly in the ways that bodies intersect with the social, and his current research projects explore pain, disability, accessibility, and gendered embodiment. He has written extensively about qualitative methods, in particular reflexive thematic analysis.

Trent Dallas is of Māori (Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Tukorehe), Scottish and Irish descent and an experienced Māori tertiary student support specialist - particularly in Health and Business fields, he is passionate and driven to enable advancement in Māori communities through academic success. Currently he works in a Māori and Pacific Student Success role and is undertaking research to explore connections between wellbeing and Te Reo Māori, at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

Valance Smith is of Māori (Ngāti Mahuta, Te Parawhau, Te Uriroroi, Te Mahureure ki Whatitiri), English and Chinese descent. He is Kaihautū Tiriti – Tiriti Strategist for AUT providing strategic leadership to the Vice Chancellors Office, as well as academic and cultural leadership across Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. His current research includes mātauranga Māori solutions for Kauri Dieback, and maramataka and its connection to physical activity.