Kate Prendergast

Dr Kate Prendergast is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP), University of Surrey, UK.

Dr Prendergast has completed doctoral training in public health and post-doctoral work in environmental sociology. She enjoys working at the intersection of these disciplines and has a particular interest is in understanding how to support people across cultures and generations to flourish in sustainable, low-carbon ways.

Dr Prendergast is currently working on two funded projects. In the first project (Children and Young People in Cities – Lifestyle Evaluations and Sustainability) she is using mixed-methods study to explore the sustainability of young people’s lifestyles across five carbon-intensive domains in seven cities. The second project (Mana Rangatahi) uses storytelling approaches and is being undertaken in collaboration with Māori and Pasifika youth and their whānau who are among the most exposed to climate risk.

While completing her PhD, Dr Prendergast took a leading role in developing and implementing the Sovereign Wellbeing Index, a nationally representative survey of adults’ wellbeing (N=10,000). Upon completion of her studies, she joined Stats NZ where she reviewed statistical standards and classifications used across government departments.