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Tāngata · People 466
Dr Cecelia Faumuina
Dr Cecelia Faumuina is a Moana Oceanic researcher, creative practitioner, and educator whose work explores pattern systems as forms of cultural knowledge, storytelling, and creative practice. Drawing on Pacific visual traditions, particularly Ngatu (Tongan barkcloth) and Kato Alu from ‘Eua, Tonga, her research examines how patterns carry histories, relationships, and ways of knowing, and how these can inform contemporary design, education, and emerging technologies. A key area of her research is the documentation and archiving of Pacific creative practices. She is currently working with Kato…
Tita Leaupepe
Leaupepe's professional focus centers on fostering community engagement and building strategic alliances within the sports sector. In their role at Sport New Zealand, they are instrumental in connecting communities and strengthening partnerships to promote sport and recreation across the nation. This involves understanding the broader societal benefits of sport, including its impact on economic well-being, individual development, and community resilience. Leaupepe's work contributes to ensuring equitable access to sports and recreational activities for all New Zealanders, regardless of their…
Associate Professor Jani Wilson
Jani Wilson (Ngāti Awa, Ngā Puhi, Ngā iwi o Mātaatua) hails from Pāroa on the outskirts of Whakatāne, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, and grew up on the Rangitāiki river. She is currently Associate Professor in Aotahi, School of Māori & Indigenous Studies, but most importantly, she is the proud māmā of a very entertaining daughter, Manaaki (23). Initially trained in vocals/drama at performing arts school (Excel), she later studied Film, TV & Media Studies to PhD level at the University of Auckland. Since graduating, Jani has worked in public health (smoking cessation, child poverty & problem…
Dr Sierra Keung
To my students (past, present and future),My dream as a young girl was to get a scholarship to play college ball in the USA and go on to play in the WNBA #TeamAirSwoopes. I played reps all through the age groups until I let one coach derail my dreams, and I "subbed out" for good. Would I have achieved my dream? I'll never know. But standing where I am now, I know that I never want to be THE reason, a young person walks away from their dreams.To my students that see themselves in me, I see you! Especially YOU, under your hoodie, sitting in the back row, with your headphones on, hiding your…
Dr Mahonri Owen
Dr. Mahonri Owen (Ngāti Hine; Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is an academic and researcher at the University of Waikato, known for his work in neural prosthetics. He holds a place in the School of Engineering, focusing on the development of brain-controlled prosthetic hands and by extension biomedical engineering.His work examines the intricate relationships between people, technology, and the environment, with a particular emphasis on developing assistive technologies to enhance the quality of life for amputees. This interdisciplinary research intersects multiple academic domains, including robotics…
Dr Vincent van Uitregt
I whakapapa to Ngā Rauru, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Tūhoe and am Dutch on my dad's side. I was born and raised in Australia and my love for animals saw me study zoology and wildlife biology, eventually completing a PhD in Evolutionary Ecology in 2012. I jumped ship from science after that working with Anindilyakwa and Nunga whānau in the Northern Territory and South Australia on environmental and conservation projects and water policy. In different ways we were trying to build Indigenous perspectives into those programs and policies, and that is now where my research interests lie.I'm am…
Dr Riri Ellis
Riri Ellis (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Tahu) is the Associate Dean Māori in Te Raupapa - the Waikato Management School division at the University of Waikato. Riri was extensively involved Māori enterprise, through her association as a director or trustee on various Māori entities. She is currently the Chairperson of Matakana Berry Limited Partnership, Matakana Land Trust, Hungahungatoroa 1B2B2 Trust and she is a director on the Miro Collective, Tauranga Moana Miro Ltd, Purpose Capital and she sits on the MPI Māori advisory board. She was he previous Deputy Chairperson of the Ngai…
Dr Ani Kainamu
He Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa ahau,He raukura o te kōhanga reo, kura a-iwi hoki,I am also a Ngāi Tahu Research Centre and Fulbright NZ Science and Innovation Alumni,Ko Ani Kainamu tōku ingoa.I am one of the Kaihautū (Māori Research Impact Leaders) and a transdisciplinary researcher within the Indigenous Innovation and Partnership team at the Bioeconomy Science Institute. My research has largely focused on waterways-to-coastal systems, especially working at the interface of mātauranga and science. My work is also increasingly creating methodologies that improve catchment management, māra…
Dr Te Wai Barbarich-Unasa
E mihi ana ki a koutou, he uri whakaheke o Waikato, Ngāti Paoa rātou kō Ngāti Maniapoto At the core of my work is a deep commitment to improving health and social outcomes for whānau Māori. This isn’t just a professional focus—it’s a personal drive grounded in kaupapa, whakapapa, and the belief that rangatahi deserve to be seen, heard, and empowered. I am a lecturer in Māori Health at AUT, where I teach a Māori health papers centred on strengths-based approaches to uplift Maaori wellbeing and research practices. My passion lies in Kaupapa Māori research that amplifies rangatahi voices and…
Associate Professor Byron Rangiwai
Byron Rangiwai (Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Whare Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tūhoe), Associate Professor at Ngā Wai a Te Tūī, Unitec’s Māori and Indigenous Research Centre, has gained national recognition for his research into ADHD from a Māori perspective.Byron’s blog post on Embracing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder through the pīwakawaka: A Māori perspective on education and ADHD was the most-read post of 2024 on Ipu Kererū, the website of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education.In his blog post, Byron gives a Māori perspective on ADHD and neurodiversity more broadly, using the…
Dr. Emmy Rākete
I am a critical Marxist scholar working in the activist-academic tradition. The goal of my work is to demonstrate how social problems originate in the structure of society itself, and to argue for organised class struggle as a means of changing that structure. I was educated as a participant in New Zealand's social movements, and carry on a keen interest in how theoretical work can inform and guide practical action. I helped to found the prison abolitionist organisation People Against Prisons Aotearoa in 2015 and am the group's press spokesperson.
Dr Karen Wright
Karen Wright (Kāi Tahu) is a public health physician and senior lecturer at Te Kupenga Hauora Māori. She is medically trained and has fellowships in both general practice and public health medicine. Karen has 14 years of health sector experience and has worked in various roles within primary and secondary care including population health, planning and funding, and innovation and improvement. She is passionate about system and service transformation to uphold Indigenous rights and achieve equitable health outcomes. Karen coordinates the Tōmaiora Summer Student Programme and teaches hauora…
Associate Professor Krushil Watene
He uri nō Ngāti Manu, Te Hikutu, Ngāti Whātua ō Orākei, me Tonga.Peter Kraus Associate Professor in Philosophy.My research addresses fundamental questions in ethics, politics, and Indigenous philosophy. In particular, it engages at the intersections of diverse philosophical traditions, pursues collaborative trans-disciplinarity, and recognizes the critical role of local communities for global change. My primary areas of expertise include theories of well-being, development, and justice (particularly the capability approach), intergenerational justice, and Indigenous philosophy.Alongside my…
Associate Professor Andrea Reid
Dr. Andrea Reid is a citizen of the Nisga’a Nation and an Associate Professor with the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. She has launched and is leading the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries, working to build an inclusive hub for the study and protection of culturally significant fish and fisheries. Her research program adopts highly interdisciplinary and applied approaches to improving our understanding of the complex interrelationships between fish, people and place. Reid’s PhD in Biology (Governor General’s Gold Medal; Carleton University, 2020) centred…
Rachel Parker
Professor Rachel Parker's research field is technology innovation systems and she has a discipline background in policy, governance and strategy.Rachel has twenty years experience in higher education research leadership as Director Higher Degree Research Studies (UQ, 2003-2006), Associate Dean Research (QUT, 2009-2018), Dean Research Development (QUT 2014-2015), Director Centre for METS Business Innovation (QUT, 2017-2020) and most recently as Executive Director, Research Translation and Impact (UQ, 2022-2023). She has worked closely with State and Federal governments as an advisor on…
Professor Stephen Toope
Stephen J Toope OC, FRSC, LLD is President and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). Previously, he served as the 346th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, the first non-UK national to hold the post. He was Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, President of the University of British Columbia, President of Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, and Dean of Law at McGill University.A graduate in history and literature from Harvard, and in civil law and common law from McGill, Toope went on to earn a PhD in International Law at…
Dr. Sarah-Kay Coulter
Dr. Sarah-Kay Coulter (Whaea Sarah) is an awarding winning Indigenous scholar and educator from the Māori tribes of Ngāti Porou and Waikato-Tainui. She holds a position in the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology & Social Sciences teaching Indigenous Histories, where her teaching and research centre Indigenous philosophy, histories of New Zealand education, and climate histories.Dr. Coulter's research investigates how Indigenous peoples create, sustain, and transmit belonging across generations through relationships with land, history, education, and governance. Her work explores how these…
Rangimaria Aperahama
Rangimaria Aperahama is a Māori advisor and economist. She has an interest in exploring Māori approaches to the economy, an area gaining attention as traditional economic models struggle to address issues like climate change, inequality, and social wellbeing. Rather than accepting these limitations, she’s interested in alternative frameworks that offer different ways of thinking about value, resources, and success.
Dr. Robyn Manuel
Robyn (Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Kurī) is a Chemist, Environmental Scientist, Public Health Professional and Kaiako/Teacher. She established the University of Auckland's first tuakana-teina programme in the Department of Chemistry in 1991. She collaborated with Mike Walker who established the School of Biological Sciences tutorials and together, they created the much awarded Tuakana Programme.Today her passion is improving the health and wellbeing of all, especially vulnerable communities facing all manner of inequities. Those communities are predominantly Māori and Pacific whose health…
Dr Lorraine Eade
A lifetime of service to Māori development, governance and community wellbeing has been formally recognised with the appointment of Dr Lorraine Shirley Eade as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.Dr Eade, who affiliates to Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Toarangatira, Rangitāne, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Koata, Te Ātiawa, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Raukawa and Te Arawa, has made a significant contribution to Māori advancement across Te Waipounamu over several decades.Her governance experience spans iwi, health, social services and economic development. She has served the iwi of Ngāti Toarangatira and Ngāti Rārua in…
Caitlyn Te Moana
Caitlyn Te Moana, Pou Awhina Matua, Executive Assistant is dedicated to uplifting others by working behind the scenes on kaupapa that support whānau, tamariki and hāpori. The Ngāti Tūwharetoa whakataukī, “Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri” speaks to Caitlyn’s core values and the way she approaches her role as part of the wider Pūrangakura whānau. Her work is grounded in strong whānau values and a deep sense of intergenerational responsibility. With a background in operations management, she thrives in building systems that support people and kaupapa to flourish. Her journey with…