Zak Devey is a passionate advocate for youth-led educational advocacy and equity – both within academia and in his work as co-founder of charitable trust Youth Arts New Zealand. In 2024, Zak continues to explore community conceptualisations of educational equity and their intersections with present and historic educational policy.
Zak also holds a deep care for youth-wellbeing, and its systemic determinants in the 21st century. His first publication, in the New Zealand Journal of Sociology, interrogates the ‘2021 World Happiness Report’ and that ways in which it constructs what it means to be happy.
Zak would be happy to hear from anyone looking to undertake a research journey in the Department, as well as scholars interested in educational equity, community-based participatory research, sociologies of well-being, and education in the political context of Aotearoa New Zealand.
