Blampied Receives Top Psychology Award

Work spanning from treating infant sleep disorders to how
surfing could help prevent young people from heading toward
criminal lives, has seen one of New Zealand’s top
academics receive a prestigious psychology award.

Emeritus
Professor Neville Blampied has been awarded the triennial
Hunter Award by the New Zealand Psychological Society,
acknowledging his lifetime of scholarship, research, and
outstanding contribution to his profession.

Professor
Blampied founded “The Good Nights” project, which
focused on treating sleep problems in children with autism
spectrum disorder (ASD) and rare genetic neurodevelopment
disorder. He also collaborated in programmes like one that
showed surf therapy could help rangitahi at risk of a
criminal future.

Professor Blampied has also worked
with Māori academics to extend New Zealanders’
understanding of science.

Tania Anstiss, the
Psychological Society’s president, says there can be few
New Zealand psychologists who have not been influenced by
Professor Blampied’s teaching and he is internationally
renowned.

The society also honoured Dr Iain McCormick,
who received the quadrennial Jamieson Award for his
contribution to industrial and organisational
psychology.

Dr McCormick’s works spans 40 years,
starting in the Department of Justice, including several
senior management roles overseas, and then private practice
in New Zealand.

Dr McCormick developed the innovative
application of Schemas-based work for coaching psychology
and published a book on that this year.

Tania Anstiss
says Dr McCormick has undertaken a wide range of unpaid work
for years and during the COVID-19 lockdowns he provided pro
bono coaching to the organizational psychology
community.

The society presented three other awards at
its annual meeting:

• Dr Agnes
  Szabo received the GV Goddard Early Career Research
  Award for extensive published research on environmental
  support for health and wellbeing, focusing on the critical
  role of secure and sustainable housing for older adults.
  That was followed by an influential paper on the role of
  information technology in promoting social connectedness and
  wellbeing among older adults.
• Cherry
  Reihana, a doctoral candidate in clinical
  psychology at the University of Auckland, received the
  Karahipi Tumuaki President’s Scholarship. She is exploring
  mate ikura roro (stroke) using kaupapa Māori methods of
  research to qualitatively examine Māori narratives and
  experiences post-stroke. The research is expected to reveal
  pathways of healing for Māori.
• Sharn
  Manga, a doctoral candidate at Massey University,
  received the Postgraduate Student Social Justice Research
  Scholarship. She is exploring ways to minimizing rangitahi
  involvement with the youth justice system. Her research
  proposes a Māori led approach with the potential to improve
  the life course of rangitahi within and beyond Māori
  communities.

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