Writing, Research & Thought Leadership

Exploring the connections between people, place, and purpose.

I write, research, and reflect on the possibilities of education, decolonisation, and environmental stewardship. My work explores the responsibilities of Pākehā in Aotearoa, the power of mātauranga Māori, and the ways learning can grow clarity, belonging, and collective wellbeing.

Selected talks + podcasts

Exploring Pākehā identity, sustainability,and te Tiriti justice

“In this thought-provoking episode, Sarah Hopkinson, a māmā, curriculum designer, urban farmer, and storyteller, joins Melanie to unravel the intricate threads of identity, ancestry, and the environment. Sarah delves into what it means to be Pākehā in Aotearoa, reflecting on collective accountability, the deep-rooted values shaping our land, and the relationship between humans and the more-than-human world.”

Nature Connection for Educators – NZ Association for Environmental Education

A webinar exploring lessons from the more-than-human world and their influence on curriculum and learning design

Metanoia: The hard work of changing our minds: Australian Association for Environmental Education Conference

A presentation on dominant values in education, and how Indigenous knowledge systems can offer expansive, embodied, and cosmic ways of knowing.

Selected articles and essays

Befriending our wild disagreements: e-tangata

Reflections on political polarisation, relational ecologies, and transforming shared conditions through dialogue.

Māori ways of knowing aren’t best supported by Pākehā ways of being

Co-authored with Mero Rokx, Te Papa
Insights into authentic collaboration across cultures in curriculum development, and reflective questions for other practitioners.

“Our history is your history:” lessons from Parihaka for Pākehā

Thought piece, e-tangata

Thoughts on ethical remembering, collective accountability, and building relationships to place and people.

The softness of the suited heart

Thought piece, e-Tangata

Exploring the connections between being Pākehā, grief, and ancestry, and how these can provide hope in challenging times.

2023 State of the Pākehā Nation

Joan Cook Memorial Essay

I was proud to be one of 14 Pākehā who were asked to contribute to the 2023, State of the Pākehā Nation. Curated by Emily Beausoleil, we were each asked to respond to the question,

At this time and from where you are working, what do you feel is the crucial work we must be doing as Pākehā to be part of Te Tiriti justice and decolonisation, and what feels most important to share here to support that work?

The White tears of Taranaki

Thought piece, Wellcome Collection, republished in e-tangata

The White Tears of Taranaki, is an article about colonisation, Pākehā identity, the environment and dairy here in Aotearoa New Zealand

The article was commissioned as a thought piece by Sourced Journeys. Based in London, they look at our global food and drinks systems with a lens to decolonise and reimagine an idea of sustainability. The article featured with the Wellcome Collection as a week-long series entitled Milk: From Ground to Glass, to accompany an exhibition, Milk.

It has since been republished in e-tangata, an online Sunday magazine here in Aotearoa.

Metanoia: the hard work of changing our minds

Thought piece, Stone Soup Syndicate
I was commissioned to write this thought piece for Stone Soup Syndicate, a congregation of creatives using food as the lens for robust discussions about an environmentally and socially just world.

This article reflects on what it is to be Pākehā and the spiritual work that is required of us, to address the climate crisis and honour Te Tiriti.

Sea change: designing curriculum for a bright and optimistic future

Featured in a special edition of Set education journal, from the New Zealand Council of Education Research, entitled, ‘Climate Change, Education and a sustainable future’, a commentary on transformative curriculum design and regenerative approaches to English-medium education.

Featured in NZ Life and Leisure