This research cluster acts as a higher-level cluster that includes various existing projects and groups.
The research conducted by the members of our cluster addresses both downstream, individual-level behaviour change in areas such as sustainability, health, and tourism, as well as more upstream, systems-level change (e.g. public health policy, health innovation, climate policy).
We hope that making our research more visible and connected in this way will help to attract more students with similar interests and build our reputation within and beyond the University.
Members
- Professor Rob Aitken
- Dr Wiebke Finkler
- Dr Maddie Judge
- Dr Damien Mather
- Professor Lisa McNeill
- Dr Helen Owen
- Professor Kirsten Roberson
- Dr Ismail Shaheer
- Associate Professor Leah Watkins
Current research
Professor Rob Aitken
- Macromarketing/systems perspectives relating to harmful commodities
- the commercial determinants of health
Dr Wiebke Finkler
- Visual Research Lab
- Creative communication campaigns for environmental and social change
- Community-based social marketing
Dr Maddie Judge
- Sustainable consumption
- Food system transitions
- Dietary behaviour
- Climate action
- Behaviour change interventions
- Behavioural public policy
Dr Damien Mather
- Consumer acceptance of gene-edited climate friendly cows’ milk
- Sustainable food
Professor Lisa McNeill
- Mindful consumption
- Use/life extension and waste
Dr Helen Owen
- Technology adoption for injury prevention
- Workforce wellbeing
- Healthcare service research
- Health promotion
Professor Kirsten Roberson
- Marketing for societal well-being
- Regulation
- Systemic change and health promotion
Dr Ismail Shaheer
- Tourist behaviour
- Health (mis)information
Associate Professor Leah Watkins
- Macromarketing/systems perspectives relating to harmful commodities
- the commercial determinants of health
- Sustainable lifestyles
Selected publications and grants
Dr Maddie Judge
Wang, X., Judge, M., & Steg, L. (2025). Whose job is it to solve climate change? Perceptions of the roles of diverse actors in addressing climate change. Environmental Research Letters, 20, 094044.
Judge, M., Bouman, T., Steg, L., & Bolderdijk, J. W. (2024). Accelerating social tipping points in sustainable behaviors: Insights from a dynamic model of moralized social change. One Earth, 7, 759-770.
Judge, M., Fernando, J. W., & Begeny, C. T. (2022). Dietary behaviour as a form of collective action: A social identity model of vegan activism. Appetite, 168, 105730.
Dr Helen Owen
University of Otago Research Grant (2026; PI). Project: AI-assisted injury risk prediction for older New Zealanders: Perceptions, requirements and ethical considerations ($33,000).
Bourke, J. A., Owen, H. E., Derrett, S., & Wyeth, E. H. (2023). Disrupted mana and systemic abdication: Māori qualitative experiences accessing healthcare in the 12 years post-injury. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1), 130. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09124-0
Associate Professor Leah Watkins
Watkins, L & Aitken, R. (2026). Marketing’s Moral Myopia: A Normative Critique of Harmful Product Marketing through the Lens of the AMA Definition. Journal of Macromarketing DOI: 10.1177/02761467261422142
Watkins, L., Aitken, R., & Li, L. (2025). Consume less, live well: Examining the dimensions and moderators of the relationship between Voluntary Simplicity and Wellbeing. Journal of Macromarketing. Vol 45 (3) 370-386
Worters, T., McKerchar, C., Watkins, Leah., Gage, R., & Signal, L. (2025). Public Health and Harmful Advertising: The Nature and Extent of Children's Real-time Exposure to Unhealthy Commodity Marketing. Social Science and Medicine. 375, 118055.
Watkins, L., Gage, R., Smith, M., McKerchar, C., Aitken, R., & Signal, L. (2022). An objective assessment of children's exposure to brand marketing in New Zealand (Kids' Cam): a cross-sectional study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 6(2), e132-e138.
Aitken, R., Watkins, L., Williams, J., and Kean, A. (2020) The Positive Role of Labelling on Consumers’ Perceived Behavioural Control and Intention to Purchase Organic Food. Journal of Cleaner Production 255 pp120334.