Rebecca Kiddle

Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship—Awarded by Royal Society Te Apārangi through the Tāwhia te Mana programme, recognising her contribution as leading scholar in respective field.

Dr Rebecca Kiddle’s (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) work focuses on spatial justice, the fair distribution of resources and opportunities irrespective of where people live. Working within a settler colonial context, her research maps spatial injustice across the motu, examining inequities in access to kai, healthcare, employment, and climate resilience. This work considers how the planning, design, and structures of our towns and cities have led to benefits for some and disadvantages for others and aims to move Aotearoa New Zealand toward more just and caring urban places in which everyone can thrive.

Together, through Spatial Justice Aotearoa, we bring complementary expertise in research, design, and strategic advice to questions of how our towns and cities can better serve all people. Our work is grounded in kaupapa Māori approaches and a commitment to practice that is rigorous, community-centred, and oriented toward justice. We believe that better cities are possible, and that achieving them requires both the evidence to make the case and the relationships to make change happen.

You can find more about our work, past and present, on the Spatial Justice website.

Academic qualifications

  • 2015—Certificate in Professional Studies in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: University of Liverpool, UK
  • 2011—PhD in Urban Design: Oxford Brookes University, UK
  • 2006—Masters in Urban Design: Oxford Brookes University, UK
  • 1999—Honours in Māori and Women’s Studies: Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
  • 1997—BA in Politics: Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

Professional positions

  • 2026–ongoing—Co-Director, Spatial Justice Aotearoa
  • 2023–2026—Director, Te Manawahoukura—Rangahau Centre, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
  • 2021–2023—Head of Urban Development, Hutt City Council, Wellington,
  • 2019–2021—Senior Lecturer in Urbanism, Victoria University of Wellington
  • 2015–2019—Senior Lecturer in Environmental Studies, Victoria University of Wellington
  • 2012–2015—Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
  • 2011—Research Fellow, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
  • 2011—Research Assistant, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
  • 2006–2011—Associate Lecturer and Associate Researcher, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
  • 2004–2005—Policy Analyst, Housing New Zealand Corporation, Wellington, New Zealand
  • 2003–2004—Private Secretary Housing for the Associate Minister of Housing, Hon Tariana Turia, New Zealand Parliament, Wellington, New Zealand
  • 2000–2003—Policy Analyst, Housing New Zealand Corporation, Wellington, New Zealand
  • 1999–2000—Policy Analyst, Ministry of Māori Development, Te Puni Kokiri, Sector Monitoring and Agency Review Team, Wellington, New Zealand.

Present research/professional speciality

  • urban design
  • urbanism
  • place-making and keeping
  • street design
  • Māori place identity
  • Māori values and the environment
  • educational space design
  • decolonisation of space.