Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland lecturer Dr Sarah McLean-Orsborn has been recognised with the Faculty of Arts and Education Early Career Teaching Award.

Based in Te Wānanga o Waipapa, School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies, Dr McLean-Orsborn has shown a strong commitment to empower students and create culturally grounded learning environments.

The award adds to a growing list of achievements for the Pacific Studies lecturer, who also received the Faculty of Arts Graduate Teaching Award in 2019, highlighting a teaching journey marked by excellence, innovation and a deep commitment to student success.

Dr McLean-Orsborn has become well known for her student-centred approach to teaching and the ability to connect academic learning with Pacific lived experiences, wellbeing and community realities. Her research explores Pacific health and wellbeing, inequalities, and the experiences of Pacific women and youth in Aotearoa.

Teaching extends beyond the classroom for Dr McLean-Orsborn.

"I received the Faculty's Early Career Teaching Award for a portfolio that foregrounded my journey as a first generation Sāmoan academic and how this experience shapes my commitment to equity, care, and culturally sustaining learning environments."

Associate Professor Lindsay Diggelmann (Associate Dean Teaching and Learning) presented Dr McLean-Orsborn's award, reflecting how she had received the Graduate Teaching Award for the Faculty of Arts in 2019.

"This was a nice chance to reflect on my past seven years as an educator and how my ako of skills and capabilities has expanded and grown."

The Early Career Teaching Award recognises academic staff who demonstrate excellence in teaching, a commitment to student learning and innovative approaches that enrich the educational experience.

Dr McLean-Orsborn has built a reputation for creating learning spaces where students feel seen, valued and inspired to contribute their own knowledge and perspectives. Her teaching philosophy is informed by Pacific values and a belief that education should empower students to connect scholarship with service to their communities.

A passion for student learning

Dr McLean-Orsborn first joined the University as a graduate teaching assistant before becoming a Professional Teaching Fellow and later a lecturer in Pacific Studies. Along the way, she earned recognition for her teaching excellence, receiving the Faculty of Arts Graduate Teaching Award in 2019.

Deputy head Te Wananga o Waipapa, Māori and Pacific Studies, Associate Professor Gordon Nanau said DR McLean-Orsborn's contribution to the University has been invaluable.

"Sarah's Early Career Teaching Award is a fitting recognition of her outstanding contribution to student learning and success. She brings academic excellence, Pacific cultural insight and genuine care to her teaching, creating spaces where our students feel supported, challenged and inspired to achieve their potential," he said.

"We are incredibly proud of her achievement and of the positive impact she continues to make across Pacific Studies and the University."

Her teaching is closely connected to her research and scholarship. In recent years, Dr McLean-Orsborn has explored topics including Pacific women's wellbeing, health inequities, body sovereignty and the experiences of Sāmoan women navigating the Covid-19 pandemic. Her work is grounded in community-centred research and a commitment to ensuring Pacific voices are heard and valued.

Centring Pacific knowledge

Whether teaching undergraduate students or supervising emerging researchers, Dr McLean-Orsborn emphasises the importance of Indigenous and Pacific knowledge systems.

Earlier this year she gave a seminar on International Women's Day noting the value of Pacific stories and the knowledge they carry while offering important insights into health, wellbeing and resilience.

That perspective has helped shape a teaching approach that encourages students to see themselves, their families and their communities reflected in their learning.

Dr McLean-Orsborn's portfolio demonstrated sustained teaching excellence through the redevelopment of PACIFIC 105, redesigning the course to centre contemporary Pacific issues, civic literacy, and student agency.

The redevelopment led her to articulate a new protest-based pedagogy for Pacific learners. Building on Teresia Teaiwa's metaphor of 'the classroom as a canoe' powered by cooperation and exploration, she extended this vision for her practice.

"Today's canoe must also be equipped for resistance, for navigating mis- and disinformation, and for collective mobilisation," she said.

"Through my portfolio, I showed that as an early career educator I am already making significant and sustained contributions to teaching through culturally grounded innovation, reflective practice, and learning environments that meaningfully impact students, communities, and the wider Faculty."

Students have praised her ability to make complex topics accessible while fostering a sense of belonging and confidence in the classroom.

Pacific Studies postgraduate student Cyrus Meredith Melhuish contemplated giving up his studies as he neared the completion of his Bachelor of Arts studies last year. That's until he encountered Pacific Studies in his final year and something shifted.

"I'm very grateful to Sarah, her classes were truly innovative and they renewed my interests in geopolitics, especially across the Pacific region. I also found a community with shared connections. It was great to finish my degree on a high."

Looking ahead

Receiving the Early Career Teaching Award is both a recognition of past achievements and an encouragement for the future.

As she continues to develop her teaching and research career, Dr McLean-Orsborn remains focused on supporting students to thrive academically while remaining connected to their identities, communities and aspirations.

"This award which is a nice formal recognition that my heart and hard work is recognised by my peers is a nice addition to the real awards that I have received from my students through their enthused engagement, their kind words after a class, or in a quick email or wanting me to be their supervisor. It is because of those students, I felt empowered to apply. So this award is not just mine, but also my students."

For the award-winning educator, the greatest measure of success remains the growth and achievements of her students.