Rate My Professor Olivia Eyles

Olivia Eyles serves as Senior Administrator in the Student Experience department at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. She completed a Master of Arts with Distinction in Geography from the University of Otago, where her master's thesis, titled 'Climate Migration and Kiribati: Discourse, Development and New Zealand's Role in the Pacific,' was supervised by Associate Professor Douglas Hill. This research examined discourses on climate-induced migration from Kiribati, local adaptation strategies, and New Zealand's potential contributions to Pacific regional responses. Prior to her master's, Eyles undertook a BA (Hons) project supervised by Dr. Christina Ergler.

Eyles' academic interests lie in human geography, with a focus on therapeutic landscapes, refugee resettlement, and climate migration. She was the lead author on 'Former Refugees' Therapeutic Landscapes in Dunedin, New Zealand,' published in the journal Sites in 2021, co-authored with Dr. Christina Ergler. The study involved interviews with 15 former Syrian refugees from four families in Dunedin, demonstrating how outdoor greenspaces—including beaches, parks, backyards, school playgrounds, and the Dunedin Botanic Garden—support physical, mental, and social wellbeing. These landscapes evoked memories and nostalgia from participants' home countries, with greenery and water bodies particularly noted for their healing and stress-reducing effects, aiding attachment to place, identity, and a sense of home. Identified barriers to access encompassed transportation challenges, time constraints, and weather conditions. Eyles recommended measures such as enhanced transport support, multilingual resources, and therapeutic landscape maps to promote equitable access during resettlement. Additionally, she co-authored 'COVID-19 stigma in New Zealand: Are we really a 'team' of five million?,' published in New Zealand Geographer in 2021. Her work aligned with the Centre for Global Migrations at the University of Otago, exploring climate change migration and adaptation. Post-graduation, Eyles volunteered as a Student Learning Support Assistant in the Cook Islands through VSA (Volunteer Service Abroad).