Dr Borell has just been awarded a 2023 UC Teaching Medal, the University鈥檚 highest award for teaching excellence.
He had never planned on being a career academic but researching and becoming a lecturer in the School of M膩ori and Indigenous Studies and within the Bachelor of Sport Coaching, has been an opportunity to integrate all of his interests, including sport, community, family and culture.
鈥淚鈥檓 able to be the same person at work that I am outside of work. At the start of a lecture, I might talk about how the Warriors played on the weekend and engage in a way that鈥檚 not just reading off a slide. If I鈥檓 excited about something, I鈥檓 not going to hide that. I feel like I can synergise everything I do and all my interests align with my work.鈥
He is part of the coaching staff with the Eastern Eagles premier men鈥檚 rugby league team and his research has focused on M膩ori contributions to rugby league as well as Polynesian experiences of the sport. His next topic of research will explore the experiences of family members of rugby league athletes who travel overseas to play.
He says he is grateful to be able to study what he loves. 鈥淓verything is serendipitous; rugby league and academia aren鈥檛 exactly known to be good friends, but it鈥檚 really cool that I can bring them together and we鈥檙e seeing more focus on rugby league in the learning space.鈥
Dr Borell is currently developing a new, tailor-made M膩ori sporting practices paper that will be part of a te ao M膩ori-focused major for the Bachelor of Sport degree being introduced from 2025, which he describes as an exciting development. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a huge part of the lifestyle these kids lead so it makes sense to reflect that in the course content.鈥澨
He started studying at UC in 2002 and began teaching there in 2008, 15 years ago. He graduated with a master鈥檚 degree in 2013 and achieved his PhD in 2022. He feels so much a part of the institution that he even got married on the campus, on a lawn that鈥檚 a stone鈥檚 throw away from his office. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been such a home for me,鈥 he says.
Dr Borell is a previous winner in the 九州影院 Students鈥 Association Student Choice Lecturer of the Year awards, scooping the Faculty of Arts Lecturer of the Year and Overall Lecturer of the Year in 2021 and 2022. He felt quite emotional at the awards ceremony, he says. 鈥淔or someone who teaches the way that I teach - it鈥檚 always student focused - having that recognition is huge.鈥
His goal is to encourage critical thinking and develop students鈥 ability to engage with whakaaro M膩ori (M膩ori perspectives).
鈥淚f I鈥檓 lecturing about racism, privilege or diversity, I鈥檓 doing that in a way that鈥檚 sensitive while still being engaging, and if I can chuck in a few jokes, that helps as well,鈥 he says.
He is strong on community engagement and theory being backed by practical experience and often invites key contacts into the classroom to talk to students about their real-world experiences. It鈥檚 something he is also committed to outside of UC, as the co-founder of The Kutt Kollective in Wainoni, Christchurch, which provides leadership and fitness-focused courses for high school students using kaupapa M膩ori models. Kutt Kollective places groups of young people into k墨 o rahi (a M膩ori ball sport) teams and helps them build hauora (wellbeing), fitness and life skills.
While Dr Borell prefers not to think of himself as a role model, he is delighted to be a mentor to others. 鈥淚 was a bit of a mischief kid at school. If me being a lecturer shows young people coming from high school who have that little sneaky gleam in their eye, that they can thrive in this space, they can take the weird and curvy roads and still end up here, then I鈥檓 just so stoked.鈥
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