Indigenous justice
“I’ve always been interested in social justice and community change,” says Rebekah Bowling (Kāi Tahu), Assistant Lecturer and PhD student in Criminology.
Rebekah grew up with a parent who worked in the criminal justice system. She says the kōrero around issues of policing, surveillance, incarceration, and rehabilitation she was exposed to as a result of this work drew her to study criminology.
“It almost felt ‘natural’ for me to venture into a space that allows one to be critical of these systems which have perplexed me since I was young—and right from my very first criminology course my personal curiosities and fascinations were met!”
Since then, Rebekah has studied everything from the history of Rimutaka Prison to the impact of the Black Lives Matter protests in Aotearoa to the experiences of Māori prison officers to the implications of facial recognition technology and the surveillance of Māori faces in the justice system.
Rebekah says the culture in the Criminology department at the University has been of real benefit to her.
“I have really appreciated that not only are the lecturers and teaching staff exceedingly knowledgeable and compassionate in nature, but their research extends past the ‘ivory tower’ of academia and actually assists in the betterment of communities at the forefront of the injustices that we see reported on,” Rebekah says.
“There is also a beautiful culture of support within the postgraduate community here—and this has been key in the longevity of my studies. I wouldn’t be where I am without the tautoko (support) of my fellow criminology postgrads, and it makes studying long into the night much easier when you’ve got two or three buddies doing it with you!”
She also appreciated being close to her family, who live in the Wairarapa.
“I was able to live independently as a young adult in an exciting new and colourful city, attend university and forge my path in the world. But at the same time, my kāinga (home) was a relatively short commute away so that I could stay connected with my whānau and go home on the weekends.”
Rebekah has so far completed her undergraduate studies, her Bachelor of Arts with Honours, and her Master’s at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, and she is currently working on her PhD. She is also working as an Assistant Lecturer in Criminology, where she coordinates and lecturers in several different courses. She hopes to use her work and her research to support fellow Māori students in pursuing criminology study.
“A goal of mine in the next couple of years is to poipoi (nurture) Māori criminology tauira (students) so that we can foster an increase in Māori postgraduate criminologists and undertake more research on justice issues within an indigenous lens,” she says. “I would love to help encourage, support and inspire more criminological research on Māori, by Māori and for Māori to empower and uplift our indigenous communities.”
She has plenty of advice for students thinking about pursuing University study.
“The most challenging part of studying at University is finding a balance between studying and time for yourself, and it’s easy to feel anxious and stressed—especially when you’re first getting into the habit of setting your own schedule. Finding strategies to look after your own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing during study is my top piece of advice.”
Rebekah says most of her friends went through this experience, and they all had different ways of coping, from exercise to creative hobbies to setting clear work hours for university.
Rebekah also recommends trying a lot of different criminology courses to find what area suits.
“Try as many different criminology courses as possible throughout your undergraduate and postgraduate degrees! You can study restorative justice, policing, social harm, crimes against the environment, terrorism and political violence, prisons, and more.
“As well as picking up a lot of new knowledge, this is a great way for students to decide where their postgraduate studies and their careers might take them.”