Rina Honda
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Sport has the power to make society better beyond just physical activity, says PhD student Rina Honda who came to AUT as an international student from Japan, supported by an AUT Doctoral Scholarship.
“There are various ways to engage with sport, including playing, watching and supporting sports. I’ve enjoyed watching sports from my childhood, and this has certainly provided me with great inspiration and hope. I remember experiencing the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, when I was still a teen. During this tragedy, the Japan Professional Baseball Players’ Association held a charity event for children in the affected area as a part of their disaster relief activities. The event gave me hope for life and made me want to give something back to sport.
“Inspired by this experience, my doctoral research focuses on the role of community sport clubs in building community resilience to disasters. Community sport clubs can have an impact on local communities beyond sport, because they connect people within the club and build relationships with stakeholders outside the club. They can undertake a range of activities to help local communities prepare for and recover from earthquakes, floods and other disasters. However, the contribution of sport to community resilience to disasters isn’t evident in academic literature. My research proposes the use of sports clubs as one approach for building disaster-resilient communities.”
Rina’s PhD research is being supervised by Dr Mel Johnston, Dr Michael Naylor and Dr Kat Hore.
Feeling inspired
Rina says she chose AUT for her studies because of the university’s great sport leadership and management department.
“I was able to match with supervisors who are experts in my research area, and I’d like to learn as much as possible from them. Besides, New Zealand's sporting culture is unique and interesting. There are community sports clubs in each area, and they not only provide sporting opportunities to members but also forums for social interaction for local people. As I’m interested in community development through sport, communities with such strong links to sport are attractive for my research topic.”
She loves being based at AUT Millennium for her studies.
“I usually study at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ) office at AUT Millennium, and this has helped me make connections with other sport and recreation students and academic staff. SPRINZ offers not only academic events but also social and sporting events for students. Doctoral study can be lonely and isolated, but I’ve never felt like that. While most of the students are in the sport science realm, which is a different area from my PhD topic, they have inspired me a lot.”
Advice for other students
Expecting to complete her PhD in 2027, Rina has some great advice for other students who are considering doctoral study.
“It’s important to find a research topic you’re passionate about because postgraduate study requires a lot of commitment and students spend a long time on their research topic. I believe that holding onto what you love and what interests you will help you get through postgraduate study, even in hard times.”
AUT is a good environment to study if you’re passionate about sport, she adds.
“While countries like the US have a bigger sport industry and a larger number of researchers and students in sport marketing, AUT has many experienced academic staff and strong connections with the industry. If your research theme matches their specialty and the New Zealand context, AUT provides a great opportunity for your academic journey.”
