Our projects

We currently have three research projects looking at the history of the psychiatric survivor movement, the ethics of lived experience research, and organisational readiness for lived experience inclusion in research.

Organisational readiness for lived experience

How can we guide universities to develop their organisational readiness for the meaningful inclusion and leadership of people with lived and living experience?

We are developing a briefing paper and a set of principles on organisational readiness for lived and living experience (LLE) in research in Aotearoa. Our aim is to help universities to create research environments that support the meaningful inclusion of students, staff, and communities with LLE.

Our project team

Tracey Wallace-Hutchins, Alex Walker, Joanne Taylor, Kate Diesfeld, Rose Li, and Tula Brannelly.

What we’re doing

We are exploring what structural, cultural, and policy changes universities could enact to shift from spaces that can be unsafe or unwelcoming to ones where LLE is genuinely valued and supported. This includes looking at strategic planning, anti-discriminatory policy, shared decision-making, and how lived and living experience is recognised as a distinct form of expertise.

Mad Studies is our central framework for this work. We are also drawing on insights from critical disability studies to strengthen leadership and participation for lived experience researchers. We are learning from Māori leadership and advocacy that has advanced the recognition of mātauranga Māori within research, while recognising its distinct context and foundations. Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is central to this work.

Why this work matters

Universities are increasingly aware of wellbeing challenges among staff and students, but responses are often underdeveloped. Māori and Pacific academics and learners face disproportionate impacts, and institutions have clear obligations to actively support them under Te Tiriti. At the same time, lived experience as a discipline is still establishing itself in research settings. There is a real opportunity to shape and navigate that pathway intentionally and well. We hope this project will provide practical navigation support for institutions and support them in understanding what meaningful change and pathways towards it may look like.

What’s in the works

We are consulting with lived experience academics about their experiences, connecting with other institutions in Aotearoa that have developed good practice, and building relationships with potential collaborators across Aotearoa. We hope to work towards establishing a community of practice for lived experience researchers in New Zealand universities.