Michaela Richards

A young woman with long brown hair smiles at the camera

Qualifications

PhD, BA(Hons), BA (Victoria University of Wellington)

Research Specialties

Michaela’s research investigates emerging forms of religiosity, spirituality, and nonreligion in secular societies. Her research is particularly focused on how these formations affect the environment.

Michaela completed her PhD thesis entitled ‘Restoring Taranaki Maunga: 'Religion' and Conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand’ in 2024.

This research examines the connections people have with the land, and how these shape and inform the work of conservation. Through a detailed qualitative study of Taranaki Maunga, Michaela explored how different actors imagine and enact ideas of sacred space. Her research includes attention to the New Zealand Government, Māori, and other communities in the region as they engage in conservation work, including particularly pest control.

Therefore, the central research question guiding this research was: How do notions of sacred space or spirituality inform the ways people engage with conservation on Taranaki Maunga? Michaela argued that attention to these spiritually-charged conservation practices provide valuable insights into how connections to the land inform conservation, and, concurrently, how conservation practices influence nascent forms of spirituality.

Publications and Oral Presentations

2025. Richards, M. M., & Toy, M. J. Film Review Essay: “The Wild Robot” (2024). Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 38(1). https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.32625

2024. Richards, M.M.  Restoring Taranaki Maunga: 'Religion' and Conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand. Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington PhD Thesis in Religious Studies.

2024. Toy, M. J., & Richards, M. M.  Coming to a Head: Digital Contestations over Sacred Sites in Aotearoa New Zealand. Religions, 15(12), 1483. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121483

2024. Richards, M.M. “Settler Spiritualities of Place: Pākehā Negotiations with a Sacred Mountain.”  Australian Association for the Study of Religion Conference, 29 November, 2024.

2024. Richards, M.M. “Settler Spiritualities of Place: Pākehā Negotiations with a Sacred Mountain.” Study of Religion VUW Seminar Series, Victoria University of Wellington, 29 May, 2024.

2022. Richards, M.M. ‘Restoring Taranaki Mounga: Conservation, Governance and Sacred Space in Aotearoa New Zealand’. New Zealand Association for the Study of Religion Conference, Victoria University of Wellington, 5 December, 2022.

2021. Richards, M.M. ‘Restoring Taranaki Mounga: Conservation, Governance and Sacred Space in Aotearoa New Zealand’. SACS Research Seminar, Victoria University of Wellington, 23 April 2021.

Awards

Victoria University of Wellington Student Association (VUWSA) Lecturer of the Year 2024

Teaching

RELI 113: How to Think About Religion (2025)

RELI 114: Religious Troublemakers (2022-2024)

RELI 229: Confronting Death (2023-2024)

RELI 343: God, Gods, Godlessness (2025)