Sam is a Cook Island lecturer and researcher based in the School of Psychology at The University of Auckland. Sam’s PhD focused on scale development where he constructed psychometric tools that reflect Pacific values and concepts of identity and wellbeing. Sam’s current research focuses on knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about mental health, and he is in the process of developing a study identifying the prevalence of mental illness in the Cook Islands. Sam’s interests in HRMI relate to his passion for seeing Pacific realities reflected in the quantitative research and ensuring high quality data benefits Pacific communities.