Finding strength through connection: Jamie Ogilvy’s research into mana wāhine and weightlifting

For Jamie Ogilvy (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Te Aitanga a Māhaki) strength has never been just about performance.

The Ara Sport and Exercise Science lecturer, Olympic weightlifter and PhD candidate is researching how weightlifting can become a powerful space for identity, connection and wellbeing for wāhine Māori.

Ogilvy joined Ara in January 2026 after relocating from Waikato, bringing with her more than a decade of experience across high-performance sport, rehabilitation and community fitness settings. Alongside teaching, she’s completing her PhD through Massey University as part of the Royal Society Te Apārangi Marsden-funded project Our Game by Our Rules.

Her thesis, Em-Power Lifting: Weightlifting as a vehicle for strengthening Mana Wāhine values akin to wellbeing, explores how power-based sport can support confidence, resilience and collective hauora for wāhine Māori.

“Weightlifting is often understood as a sport centred on strength and performance,” said Ogilvy. “But for many wāhine Māori, it can also be a meaningful space where identity, belonging and connection are experienced in deeply relational ways.”

Ogilvy's research draws on kaupapa Māori and mana wāhine approaches, centring the lived experiences of wāhine Māori involved in weightlifting. One of the strongest themes to emerge has been the importance of whanaungatanga and intergenerational relationships within lifting communities.

“Kōhine (young women) often looked up to the pakeke (older women) in the community, drawing inspiration from their lives, careers and attitudes,” she said. “At the same time, older pakeke appreciated the energy and vibrancy kōhine brought into those spaces.”

The research also explored how wellbeing is grounded in whakapapa. Through photo elicitation, many participants brought photographs of awa, moana, maunga and te tai ao. Many wāhine described these as replenishing their hauora, representing grounding, identity, and a sense of belonging.

“These relationships with whenua and wai were incredibly important. They reflect not just connection to place, but whakapapa ancestral relationships that shape identity and wellbeing.”

Another significant finding was the way participation in strength-based sport shifted how wāhine viewed their bodies.

“Many women spoke about learning to appreciate their bodies for what they could do, rather than how they looked,” Ogilvy said.

Ogilvy's passion for the work is deeply personal. A mum of two, business owner and competitive Olympic weightlifter, she first discovered the sport through CrossFit before committing to weightlifting in her 30s.

“I loved the technical side of it. It’s not just about strength, it’s about timing, balance and skill,” she said. “I also love how inclusive it is. Women of all shapes and sizes can participate and do really well.”

Alongside her research, Ogilvy runs her own coaching business supporting wāhine through strength training and nutrition coaching. She has competed nationally and internationally, earning multiple New Zealand Masters titles and a silver medal at the Masters World Cup.

Now teaching at Ara, she’s enjoying bringing together her experiences in sport, coaching and research in the classroom.

“From working with high-performance athletes to community gyms and rehabilitation settings, those experiences shape how I approach teaching,” she said. “I’m passionate about creating spaces where strength, wellbeing and culture can sit together.”

As she prepares to complete her PhD, Ogilvy hopes her research will help shape more culturally grounded approaches to sport and wellbeing in Aotearoa.

“If you can create environments where wāhine feel safe, connected and empowered, the impact goes far beyond the gym.”

You can learn more about Ogilvy's mahi by watching her recent public Te Papa Hauora presentation, on her website at jamieogilvy.com, or follow her on Instagram at @jamieogilvyy.

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