Staff

View the School of Languages and Cultures’ staff list, including role and contact details.

Acting Head of School

AProf Stephen Epstein
Head of School
School of Languages and Cultures
- stephen.epstein@vuw.ac.nz

Deputy Head of School

Dr Babette Puetz
Senior Lecturer
School of Languages and Cultures
- babette.puetz@vuw.ac.nz
OK 513, Old Kirk Building, Gate 2, Kelburn Parade

School Manager

Lisa Lowe
School Manager
School of Languages and Cultures
- lisa.lowe@vuw.ac.nz

School Administrators

Chris Park
Administrator
School of Languages and Cultures
- chris.park@vuw.ac.nz
VZ 610, Von Zedlitz Building, 26 / 28 Kelburn Parade
Mitch Wood
School Administrator
School of Languages and Cultures
- mitchell.wood@vuw.ac.nz
VZ 610, Von Zedlitz Building, 26 / 28 Kelburn Parade

Postgraduate Coordinator

Dr Simon Perris
Associate Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- simon.perris@vuw.ac.nz
OK 512, Old Kirk Building, Gate 2, Kelburn Parade

Honours Coordinator

Dr Simon Perris
Associate Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- simon.perris@vuw.ac.nz
OK 512, Old Kirk Building, Gate 2, Kelburn Parade

Contact for Students with Disabilities

Dr Babette Puetz
Senior Lecturer
School of Languages and Cultures
- babette.puetz@vuw.ac.nz
OK 513, Old Kirk Building, Gate 2, Kelburn Parade

Contact for Māori and Pasifika Students

Toaga Alefosio
Lecturer (Teaching) in Samoan Studies
School of Languages and Cultures
- toaga.alefosio@vuw.ac.nz

Rainbow Representative

Dr Catherine Churchman
Lecturer in Asian Studies
School of Languages and Cultures
- catherine.churchman@vuw.ac.nz

Asian Languages and Cultures

Dr Limin Bai
Senior Lecturer
School of Languages and Cultures
- limin.bai@vuw.ac.nz
Yoshie Nishikawa
Lecturer (Teaching) in Japanese
School of Languages and Cultures
- yoshie.nishikawa@vuw.ac.nz
VZ 705, Von Zedlitz Building, 26 / 28 Kelburn Parade

Dr Michaela Kelly
Lecturer in Japanese
School of Languages and Cultures
- michaela.kelly@vuw.ac.nz
VZ, Von Zedlitz Building, 26 / 28 Kelburn Parade
David Yang
Lecturer
School of Languages and Cultures
- david.yang@vuw.ac.nz
AProf Stephen Epstein
Head of School
School of Languages and Cultures
- stephen.epstein@vuw.ac.nz
Dr Catherine Churchman
Lecturer in Asian Studies
School of Languages and Cultures
- catherine.churchman@vuw.ac.nz

Classics

Prof Jeff Tatum
Professor of Classics
School of Languages and Cultures
- jeff.tatum@vuw.ac.nz
OK 509, Old Kirk Building, Gate 2, Kelburn Parade
Dr Diana Burton
Associate Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- diana.burton@vuw.ac.nz
Dr Simon Perris
Associate Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- simon.perris@vuw.ac.nz
OK 512, Old Kirk Building, Gate 2, Kelburn Parade
Dr Babette Puetz
Senior Lecturer
School of Languages and Cultures
- babette.puetz@vuw.ac.nz
OK 513, Old Kirk Building, Gate 2, Kelburn Parade
Ziming Liu
Lecturer in Classics
School of Languages and Cultures
- ziming.liu@vuw.ac.nz
Dr Hamish Cameron
Senior Lecturer in Classics
School of Languages and Cultures
- hamish.r.cameron@vuw.ac.nz

European and Latin American Languages and Cultures

Dr Monica Tempian
Associate Professor in German
School of Languages and Cultures
- monica.tempian@vuw.ac.nz
VZ 614, Von Zedlitz Building, 26 / 28 Kelburn Parade
Dr Yuri Cerqueira dos Anjos
Senior Lecturer
School of Languages and Cultures
- yuri.anjos@vuw.ac.nz
Dr Miguel Arnedo-Gomez
Senior Lecturer
School of Languages and Cultures
- miguel.arnedo-gomez@vuw.ac.nz
Prof Sarah Leggott
Head of School
School of Architecture
- sarah.leggott@vuw.ac.nz
- +64 4 463 6447
VS 336, Te Aro Campus, 139 Vivian Street

Prof Sarah Leggott is on secondment for the remainder of 2026.

Dr Charles Rice-Davis
Senior Lecturer in French
School of Languages and Cultures
- charles.rice-davis@vuw.ac.nz

Dr Charles Rice-Davis is on Research Leave in Trimester 2, 2026.

Dr Nicola Gilmour
Associate Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- nicola.gilmour@vuw.ac.nz

AProf Nicola Gilmour is on Research Leave until July 2027.

Global Studies & Intercultural Communication

Prof Marco Sonzogni
Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- marco.sonzogni@vuw.ac.nz
VZ 615, Von Zedlitz Building, 26 / 28 Kelburn Parade
Prof Sally Hill
Professor of Global Studies
School of Languages and Cultures
- sally.hill@vuw.ac.nz

Professor Sally Hill is on Research Leave until January 2027.

Teaching Fellows

Mariel Lettier
Teaching Fellow
School of Languages and Cultures
- mariel.lettier@vuw.ac.nz
Johannes Contag
Teaching Fellow
School of Languages and Cultures
- johannes.contag@vuw.ac.nz
Dr Shelley Dawson
Adjunct Research Fellow
School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies
- shelley.dawson@vuw.ac.nz
Tineke Jannink
Library Support Assistant
The Library
- tineke.jannink@vuw.ac.nz
Cecilia Cheng
International Administrator
International Office
- chun.cheng@vuw.ac.nz

Tutors - Trimester 1

Tam Maxwell
Examinations Invigilator
Academic Office
- tam.maxwell@vuw.ac.nz
Charlie Withers
Tutor
School of Languages and Cultures
- charlie.withers@vuw.ac.nz
Bryanna Cassidy
Tutor
School of Languages and Cultures
- bryanna.cassidy@vuw.ac.nz
Teg Ward
Tutor
School of Languages and Cultures
- teg.ward@vuw.ac.nz
James Parrott
Research Assistant
School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations
- james.parrott@vuw.ac.nz
Benjamin Lambert
Research Assistant
School of Languages and Cultures
- benjamin.lambert@vuw.ac.nz
Madison Taylor
Tutor
School of Languages and Cultures
- madison.taylor@vuw.ac.nz
Sarah Ahern
Tutor
School of Languages and Cultures
- sarah.ahern@vuw.ac.nz
Emma Roylands
ELI Teacher
School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies
- emma.roylands@vuw.ac.nz
Joshua Jeffery
Research Assistant
School of Languages and Cultures
- joshua.jeffery@vuw.ac.nz
Shiqi Ren
Tutor
School of Languages and Cultures
- shiqi.ren@vuw.ac.nz
Felicity Bishton
Tutor
School of Languages and Cultures
- felicity.bishton@vuw.ac.nz
Dr Yuanyuan Liang
Research Assistant
School of Languages and Cultures
- yuanyuan.liang@vuw.ac.nz

Va'aomanū Pasifika

Dr Sadat Muaiava
Lecturer
School of Languages and Cultures
- sadat.muaiava@vuw.ac.nz
Dr Nalani Wilson-Hokowhitu
Lecturer in Pacific Studies
School of Languages and Cultures
- nalani.wilson-hokowhitu@vuw.ac.nz
Toaga Alefosio
Lecturer (Teaching) in Samoan Studies
School of Languages and Cultures
- toaga.alefosio@vuw.ac.nz
Dr April Henderson
Presenter
Wellington Uni-Professional
- april.henderson@vuw.ac.nz

Dr April Henderson is on Research Leave until February 2027.

Diploma in University Studies (Pasifika Pathways)

Edna Havea
Programme Director, Pasifika Pathways
School of Languages and Cultures
- edna.havea@vuw.ac.nz

Adjuncts/Visiting Scholars

Dr Jean Anderson
Adjunct Associate Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- jean.anderson@vuw.ac.nz

Dr Richard Millington
Adjunct Research Fellow
School of Languages and Cultures
- richard.millington@vuw.ac.nz

Dr Claudia Bernardi
Adjunct Research Fellow
School of Languages and Cultures
- claudia.bernardi@vuw.ac.nz

Dr Andrea Hepworth
Adjunct Research Fellow
School of Languages and Cultures
- andrea.hepworth@vuw.ac.nz

Dr Carolina Miranda
Adjunct Research Fellow
School of Languages and Cultures
- carolina.miranda@vuw.ac.nz

Dr Dennitza Gabrakova
Honorary Research Associate
School of Languages and Cultures
- dennitza.gabrakova@vuw.ac.nz

Dr Mark Masterson
Adjunct Associate Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- mark.masterson@vuw.ac.nz

Dr Emalani Case
Honorary Research Associate
School of Languages and Cultures
- emalani.case@vuw.ac.nz

Dr Shin Takahashi
Honorary Research Associate
School of Languages and Cultures
- shin.takahashi@vuw.ac.nz

Emeritus Professors

Prof John Davidson
Emeritus Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- john.davidson@vuw.ac.nz
- 04 463 6781

Prof Yiyan Wang
Emeritus Professor
School of Languages and Cultures
- yiyan.wang@vuw.ac.nz