Acknowledgements

We want to express how grateful we are to the many who have made this book possible.

First, deep respect and gratitude go to Kerry Chamberlain, Chris Stephens, and Antonia Lyons, who laid the foundations of the Critical Health Psychology programme at Massey University and designed the original curriculum that inspired subsequent iterations and this textbook. Alongside them, we acknowledge the many people who have been part of the critical health psychology community, past and present, in Massey, Aotearoa New Zealand, and internationally, whose work, collegiality, values, and vision, have inspired us.

We could not have started this book had it not been for the Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL) Open Educational Resources Collective and their use of the Pressbooks platform, and Massey University Library, who fund our membership of the collective and for books to be hosted on it. We also thank the librarians for how they managed the competitive bid that gave us this opportunity, and a grant to support our work from the OER Collective. We also thank Kirsty Ross and the Health Psychology Teaching Team for additional funding.

We are especially grateful to our colleagues from Massey University Library for their knowledge, expertise, and support through every step of producing this book. They have taken on multiple roles — copyright management, wrangling with the code of Pressbooks, developing our interactive tools, cover design, teaching us how to meet accessibility standards — to name just a few. We acknowledge and thank deeply, Jane Clark (Manager, Library Information and Research Services), Katherine Chisholm (Manager, Library Information and Research Services), and Elizabeth Sturrock (Subject Librarian), who have been there for us, and with us, throughout the project, making this book happen. It has been a joy to work with you.

The librarians also had their own support, and specifically, we acknowledge the Copyright Officer, Jean Jacoby, and the learning designers at Massey who reviewed our multiple-choice questions, teaching us best practice. We also thank the copy editor, Lisa Morice, for her careful work in supporting our writing.

Specific thanks to Tracy Morison for her considerable work and input in shaping this text, and editing Part Two, as well as to those who co-authored or contributed chapters: Sonja Ellis, Gloria Fraser, Ally Gibson, Rebekah Graham, and Alex Walker, as well as to those who contributed case studies or examples: Paulina Bondaronek, Melinda Lewthwaite, Amber Rose, and Jessica Tappin. Thanks also to Kate Kersey for her advice on critical realism, and Siobhan Rawlinson and Hamish Riley Brown for their work on the cover.

Further thanks go to the people who gave us expert feedback on earlier drafts. We specifically acknowledge Wendy Stainton Rogers (Professor Emerita in Health Psychology, Open University, UK) and Martine Robson (Lecturer in Aberystwyth University, UK), who acted as peer reviewers for the whole book. Their expertise was invaluable. We are grateful to Tā Mason Durie for his review and considered input to the Hauora chapter. His support of Aorangi and Elle has, in turn, supported all of us who have been part of this book. We thank the students on the “Health the Social Context” 2025 course at Massey, who also gave us feedback on earlier drafts — allowing the book to be a little “road tested” before it went out.

We also acknowledge the Māori scholars, experts, and leaders in the health and psychology fields, who have carved paths to better understand and work with Māori health needs. Their work is threaded throughout the book, offering a bedrock for the ongoing development of a localised health psychology, and their efforts have been essential to advances in Māori health.

We also thank family and friends. Sarah would specifically like to thank her partner for his enduring support, and her father who valued girls’ education and has supported the success of many women, including his daughters. Elle and Aorangi give their utmost thanks to whānau (family), colleagues, and friends who encouraged and supported them throughout.

Ēhara tāku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini

My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, it was not individual success but the success of a collective.^[1]