From Parliament to PhD: A global journey to Pacific scholarship

A journey that began in Canada's political corridors led doctoral candidate Rodney Stehr to Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, to explore Pacific research methodologies and the importance of creating space for Pacific ways of knowing within academia.

Recently confirmed for doctoral study, Stehr brings a unique perspective shaped by his Fijian and Lithuanian heritage, his upbringing in Canada, and a professional background in politics that spans community advocacy and government service.

With a strong interest in politics and social issues, it was during a master's degree at the University of British Columbia, he began asking deeper questions about identity, belonging and research itself. At the time, Stehr was researching the mental health experiences of rainbow youth during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As he worked through the project, Stehr found himself searching for research approaches that reflected the values and experiences he had grown up with.

"I was trying to find a way to create space for all the things that were specific about myself,” he says.

"There are parts of yourself that you feel you have to collapse or shut off. I was trying to find a way to bring those parts together."

That search led him to Pacific research methodologies and ultimately to Associate Professor Sereana Naepi, whose work helped open the door to a wider Pacific scholarly community.

The connection was unexpectedly close. Both had lived at the same graduate college at the University of British Columbia, and after being introduced, Stehr quickly discovered shared connections through Fiji and Pacific scholarship.

"The excitement was, 'Oh my gosh, it's not just me,'" he says.

Through Naepi and other Pacific academics, Stehr began exploring concepts such as vā, relational ethics and Fijian approaches to responsibility and leadership. He found language for values that had long shaped his life but had rarely been acknowledged in conventional academic spaces.

"This notion of responsibility to research participants is more than just ethics. These are all the things my mother and grandmother drilled into me."

The experience transformed his understanding of what research could be and inspired a new academic direction.

Meanwhile, his professional career had taken another path.

Working in Ottawa, Stehr served as a political staffer for Liberal MP Pam Damoff, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs. While he valued the experience and the opportunity to contribute to public life, he increasingly found himself drawn back to research.

The opportunity came when he learned about a scholarship connected to a Marsden-funded research project led by Pacific scholars Professor Lisa Uperesa and Senior Lecturer Marcia Leenen-Young.

Recognising the opportunity, he made the decision to leave politics behind and move across the world.

"I thought, if there was ever a time, that time would be now."

He arrived in Aotearoa in June 2025 and quickly immersed himself in a vibrant community of Pacific academics and researchers.

Today, his doctoral research sits at the intersection of Pacific research methodologies, identity and relational approaches to knowledge production. At a time when conversations about Indigenous and Pacific knowledge systems continue to evolve, he believes the work has never been more important.

"It's such a privilege to be welcomed into the Pacific academy to be able to do this research," he says.

"Sometimes I feel like a kid in a candy store. The people whose work I've been reading for years are now asking me questions about my own research."

Stehr credits the support of his supervisory team, which includes leading Pacific scholars whose work has helped shape the field.

"Sometimes I'm like, 'Wow, I have all the coolest people on my committee.'"

For him, doctoral confirmation is not simply an academic milestone. It represents the continuation of a journey that has crossed continents, connected communities and strengthened his commitment to Pacific scholarship.

His research seeks to contribute to a growing body of work that centres Pacific values, relationships and ways of knowing, ensuring future generations of Pacific scholars can see themselves reflected in the research they produce and the institutions they help shape.

As he settles into the next stage of his doctoral journey, Stehr remains grateful for the connections that brought him to Aotearoa.

"It's a privilege to be here," he says. "I'm excited to see where the research leads."