Starlab

starlab is housed within the university of otago's social & community work programme, in the school of social sciences. starlab conducts applied research using an interdisciplinary approach drawing from systems science, social innovation, community development, and digital strategies. we partner with communities, organizations, and government to enable systemic change that is socially, economically, spiritually, and environmentally restorative. our focus is on social issues that disproportionately affect vulnerable and marginalized populations. what is systems transformation? a systemic approach sees our communities as interdependent and holistic structures. a transformative process is one that fundamentally changes the nature of the system. systems transformation is the result of actions taken to address the root causes of shared problems. at starlab we research what those root causes are, and explore how to create enabling environments for positive change. what is action resea