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Professor Sarah-Jane Paine
Professor Sarah-Jane Paine (Tūhoe) is a leading Māori health researcher and internationally respected authority on…
Professor Sarah-Jane Paine (Tūhoe) is a leading Māori health researcher and internationally respected authority on Indigenous child wellbeing. She is Research Director and Principal Investigator of Growing Up in New Zealand, Aotearoa’s flagship longitudinal study of child development, and a Professor at Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
Her work in Kaupapa Māori epidemiology has influenced national policy in maternal and child health, racism and child wellbeing, food security, and youth wellbeing. Known for combining scientific rigour with strong community partnerships, she ensures research translates into meaningful outcomes for whānau and communities.
Professor Paine is an internationally recognised leader in Indigenous research, contributing to global initiatives including The Lancet Commission on Racism and Child Health. She is widely respected for mentoring emerging leaders and for strengthening connections between research, policy, and communities. In 2025, she received the University of Auckland Research Impact Award, recognising the real-world difference of her work for tamariki and whānau.
Daniel Wilson is a lecturer in Computer Science at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. His teaching and research are in the areas of AI, Māori Data Sovereignty, Māori Algorithmic Sovereignty, and AI ethics. Daniel is a member of Te Pokapū in The Māori Data Sovereignty Network Te Mana Raraunga, Co-Director of the Centre of Machine Learning for Social Good, member of the Kāhui Māori for the AI Forum, treasurer of the AI Researchers Association, and an establishment member of the AI in Health Research Network. Daniel has a PhD in Philosophy and a Master of Professional Studies in Data Science from Waipapa Taumata Rau. His first job in software development involved maintaining code to avoid the Y2K bug.
Associate Professor Deborah Heke
Associate Professor Deborah Heke (Ngā Puhi, Te Arawa) is the Director of Ngā Wai a Te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research…
Associate Professor Deborah Heke (Ngā Puhi, Te Arawa) is the Director of Ngā Wai a Te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre at Unitec. With a background in Exercise Physiology, Psychology, and Public Health, her current research centres on Mana Wahine scholarship. Recent work includes an exploration of Māori and Indigenous women’s embodied practices and physical activity in te taiao as a means for connecting, communicating, and healing. Deborah is also passionate about building the capability and capacity of Māori and Indigenous (future) scholars and providing spaces for Indigenous creativity and excellence in academia. She is an alumna of Auckland University of Technology, MAI ki Aronui, and the Eke Tangaroa Māori and Pacific Early Career Academic programme at AUT.
She currently leads Te Kupenga o MAI as MAI Strategy Lead.
Professor Melinda Webber
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Co-Director Melinda Webber is Professor of Education at Te Pūtahi Mātauranga | The Faculty of…
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Co-Director Melinda Webber is Professor of Education at Te Pūtahi Mātauranga | The Faculty of Arts and Education, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. Melinda specialises in Māori Education and Social Psychology and is the Aotearoa New Zealand co-director of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity programme based at The University of Melbourne. She wrote Walking the space between: Identity and Māori/Pakeha (NZCER Press, 2008), co-wrote A fire in the belly of Hineāmaru A collection of narratives about Te Tai Tokerau tupuna & Ka ngangana tonu a Hineāmaru - He kōrero tuku iho nō Te Tai Tokerau (Auckland University Press, 2022), and co-edited Sociocultural realities: Exploring new horizons (Canterbury University Press, 2015) and Mana Tangatarua: Mixed heritages and biculturalism in Aotearoa/New Zealand (Routledge, 2017).
Melinda has led research with and for her iwi, hapū, and numerous educational organisations utilising a diverse range of research methods. She is committed to the revitalisation of mātauranga tuku iho and kaupapa-ā-iwi research approaches. Melinda is a daughter of Te Tai Tokerau (Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Hine, Te Paatu / Ngāti Kahu) and Rotorua (Ngāti Whakaue) and lives in Tāmaki Makaurau with her partner and daughters.
Associate Professor Karyn Paringatai
Karyn is a lecturer in Te Tumu – School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago, where she…
Karyn is a lecturer in Te Tumu – School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago, where she obtained her BA (Hons), MA and PhD degrees. Her teaching and research interests are in a number of areas that intersect at various points that include: Sociological issues surrounding Māori urbanisation and Māori identity development and maintenance; Māori performing arts, particularly poi, the analysis of haka and waiata compositions and the role kapa haka plays in identity; Grammatical aspects of the Māori language and second language acquisition; and Māori teaching methodologies. She is a co-director of an Otago Research Theme, Poutama Ara Rau, was awarded the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Tertiary Teaching Excellence in 2014, and is part way through a Marsden funded research project looking at the socio-cultural impact of genetic research.
Professor Tahu Kukutai FRSNZ
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Co-Director Tahu Kukutai is Professor of Demography at Te Ngira: Institute for Population…
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Co-Director Tahu Kukutai is Professor of Demography at Te Ngira: Institute for Population Research, The University of Waikato where she specialises in Māori and Indigenous demography and data sovereignty. Tahu is a founding member of the Māori Data Sovereignty Network Te Mana Raraunga and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance. She co-edited Indigenous data sovereignty: Toward an agenda (ANU Press, 2016), Indigenous data sovereignty and policy (Routledge, 2020) and The Oxford Handbook of Indigenous Sociology (Oxford) .
Tahu has undertaken research with and for numerous iwi, hapū, and central government agencies, and provided strategic advice across a range of sectors. She is a technician for the National Iwi Chairs Forum Data Iwi Leaders Group and serves on the Board of Pūhoro STEMM Academy. Tahu has degrees in history, demography and sociology from The University of Waikato and Stanford University. She lives in Waikato with her husband, three tamariki and three cats.
Tā Pita Sharples CBE KNZM
Tā Pita Sharples, of Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngai Te Kikiri o te Rangi and Ngāti Pahauwera, was born in Waipawa in 1941 and…
Tā Pita Sharples, of Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngai Te Kikiri o te Rangi and Ngāti Pahauwera, was born in Waipawa in 1941 and grew up in the small country town of Takapau in Hawkes Bay.
He went to secondary school at Waipukurau District High School and Te Aute Māori Boys College, where he developed his skills in kapa haka and a passion for Māori language and culture. He went on to establish the New Zealand National School of Maori Weaponry, where he became Tumu Whakarae (Sacerdotal Head and Master), and he founded Te Roopu Manutaki Maori Cultural Group.
He studied at Auckland University and trained as a teacher. In 1977 he was awarded a PhD from Auckland University in Anthropology and Linguistics. In 1982 he was appointed inaugural Chairman of the Ngati Kahungunu Tribal Runanga which he chaired for eight years.
For eight years he headed the Office of the Race Relations Conciliator, and then became Director of Culture at the Department of Māori Affairs. He has also been a Professor of Education at Auckland University and an Adjunct Professor at Unitec.
Living in West Auckland, he led the establishment of Hoani Waititi Marae throughout the 1970s, and has been actively involved there ever since, including as chairman for 37 years. He also led the establishment of the first Kura Kaupapa Maori in New Zealand, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hoani Waititi. Dr Sharples has belonged to numerous Māori community and education organisations, and has been a consultant to many government agencies and professional boards.
In 2004 he became Co-leader of the Māori Party, and was elected as MP for Tamaki Makaurau in 2005, 2008 and 2011. He was the Minister of Māori Affairs and Associate Minister of Education and Corrections from November 2008 to September 2014.
In 2015 In June, he was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services as a Member of Parliament and to Māori in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
He is married to Arapera and is a proud father of five children and grandfather of 16 mokopuna.
Tā Mason Durie ONZ KNZM
Emeritus Professor Sir Mason Durie KNZM, FNZAH, FRSNZ is one of New Zealand’s most respected academics, and was…
Emeritus Professor Sir Mason Durie KNZM, FNZAH, FRSNZ is one of New Zealand’s most respected academics, and was knighted in 2010 for services to public and Māori health.
For over 40 years, Sir Mason has been at the forefront of a transformational approach to Māori health, including chairing the Taskforce on Whānau-Centred Initiatives that produced the Whānau Ora report for the Government in 2010. He is a past Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Massey University.
Sir Mason previously served as NPM’s International Research Advisory Panel Chair and has been a valued past Principal Investigator leading research on the project Fostering te pā harakeke: Advancing Healthy and Prosperous Families of Mana.
Sir Mason was appointed NPM Ruānuku in October 2019.
Tā Tīpene O'Regan Kt
Tā Tīpene O’Regan was NPM's longest serving Board Chair before his retirement at the end of 2018, guiding the centre…
Tā Tīpene O’Regan was NPM's longest serving Board Chair before his retirement at the end of 2018, guiding the centre through 12 years of its operations. He is best known more widely for his role as Chairman of the Ngaitahu Maori Trust Board leading the Ngāi Tahu Claim process before the Waitangi Tribunal culminating in the Ngāi Tahu Settlement. He served on the board for 22 years, and was chair for thirteen of those years. As the chief negotiator, Te Kerēme (the Ngāi Tahu Claim) was his main kaupapa. He was a major architect and negotiator of the Treaty of Waitangi fisheries settlements of 1989 and 1992, he was also the founding Chairman of the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission.
Tīpene is the retired Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori of the University of Canterbury, a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Directors and held a 28 year term on the New Zealand Geographic Board. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Canterbury, Lincoln and Victoria University of Wellington and has published and lectured extensively over many years on Ngāi Tahu traditional history, Polynesian migration, Treaty issues and the evolution of biculturalism.
Tā Tīpene was appointed as an NPM Ruānuku in October 2019.
Distinguish Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Chair)
Linda Tuhiwai Smith is Professor of Education and Māori Development, Pro-Vice Chancellor Māori, Dean of the School of…
Linda Tuhiwai Smith is Professor of Education and Māori Development, Pro-Vice Chancellor Māori, Dean of the School of Māori and Pacific Development and Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute at the University of Waikato in New Zealand and is Chairperson of NPM's International Research Advisory Board.
She is a member of New Zealand’s Health Research Council, Chair of the Māori Health Research Committee, is President of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education and is a member of the Marsden Fund Council and Convener of the Social Sciences Assessment Panel. She has also most recently been appointed to the Constitutional Advisory Panel Committee in New Zealand and the High Panel - Science, Technology and Innovation for Development in Paris.
She has worked in the field of Māori education and health for many years as an educator and researcher and is well known for her work in Kaupapa Māori research. Professor Smith has published widely in journals and books. Her book Decolonising Methodologies Research and Indigenous Peoples has been an international best seller in the indigenous world since its publication in 1998.
Professor Smith was a founding Joint Director of New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence from 2002-2007 and a Professor of Education at the University of Auckland. She is well known internationally as a public speaker. She is Principal Investigator on the NPM Project - In pursuit of the possible: Indigenous Wellbeing
Emeritus Professor Ngahuia Te Awekotuku MNZM FAWMM
Emeritus Professor Ngahuia te Awekotuku continues to contribute in the arts and creative sector. With degrees in Art…
Emeritus Professor Ngahuia te Awekotuku continues to contribute in the arts and creative sector. With degrees in Art History and English, her PhD (1981) was in cultural psychology. She wrote an early (1991) monograph on Maori research ethics. For decades she served in the heritage environment as a governor, curator and activist/advocate. Her scholarly works on culture, gender, heritage and sexuality, and her fiction and poetry, have been published and acclaimed locally and internationally.
Dr Awanui Te Huia
Awanui (Ngāti Maniapoto) is a senior lecturer at Te Kawa a Māui at Te Herenga a Waka where she provides significant…
Awanui (Ngāti Maniapoto) is a senior lecturer at Te Kawa a Māui at Te Herenga a Waka where she provides significant leadership and support to its Māori language programme. With a PhD in Psychology, her research interests include te reo Māori, identity formation, ancestral language learning, cultural wellbeing, biculturalism and anti-racism.
Dr Sara-Jane Paine
Sarah-Jane (Ngāi Tūhoe) is the recently appointed research director of Growing Up in NZ (GUINZ), Aotearoa New Zealand’s…
Sarah-Jane (Ngāi Tūhoe) is the recently appointed research director of Growing Up in NZ (GUINZ), Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest contemporary longitudinal study of child development, tracking the lives of 6,000 children and their families over 21 years. The study has produced many reports, policy briefs and papers that contribute to a growing body of knowledge on what helps to improve childhood health and well-being in Kiwi families.
Sarah-Jane was previously director of the Tomaiora Research Group at Te Kupenga Hauora Māori (TKHM) in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. She has been involved with GUINZ since 2018, as part of the kaitiaki group. Her expertise is Māori public health, as a kaupapa Māori epidemiologist.
Dr Matthew Rout
Matt works on indigenous socio-economic development and environmental sustainability initiatives and projects with a…
Matt works on indigenous socio-economic development and environmental sustainability initiatives and projects with a focus on applied outcomes through theoretical synthesis. He has a particular interest in how philosophical insights from ontology and epistemology can be used in practical ways to aid indigenous development.
Associate Professor Te Taka Keegan
Associate Professor Keegan is a trailblazing academic based in the Computer Science Department, University of Waikato…
Associate Professor Keegan is a trailblazing academic based in the Computer Science Department, University of Waikato and is the Associate Dean Māori for Te Wānanga Pūtaiao (Division of Health, Engineering, Computing and Sciences) with postgraduate degrees in computer engineering and te reo Māori. His research focuses on traditional navigation, Māori language technologies, Indigenous language interfaces, and use of te reo in a technological environment. He developed the Microsoft Māori keyboard, Microsoft Office in Māori, Moodle in Māori, Google Web Search in Māori and the Māori macroniser. He is Chair of the Kāhui Māori, Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge. He has won the Prime Minister’s Supreme Prize for tertiary teaching. Science Challenge. He has won the Prime Minister’s Supreme Prize for tertiary teaching.
Sacha McMeeking
Sacha brings a serial entrepreneur’s approach to working with and for Iwi Māori. From instigating United Nations…
Sacha brings a serial entrepreneur’s approach to working with and for Iwi Māori. From instigating United Nations proceedings to architecting a Māori social enterprise fund and leading commercial negotiations, she is known for solution-building that meets Iwi Māori aspirations.
Before coming to UC, Sacha was the director of a boutique consultancy working with Iwi Māori in strategy development, kaupapa Māori asset management and innovation and the General Manager Strategy and influence with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, responsible for government relations on behalf of the Iwi.
Recognised as an emerging New Zealand leader, Sacha won the inaugural Fulbright Harkness Fellowship in 2010. Sacha is a change agent and compliments her varied background with a desire to support and grow the next generation of Māori scholars. Initiatives like the Māui lab are a product of that intent and just one of the many innovations that Sacha intends to bring through Aotahi in the years to come.
Sacha is researching in the areas of:
• Iwi Māori development, innovation and entrepreneurship
• Iwi Māori futures, social and cultural capital
• Comparative approaches to Indigenous peoples
• Public policy
Dr Lynne Russell
Dr Lynne Russell works as a Senior Research Fellow - Maori Health with the Health Services Research Centre (HSRC) at…
Dr Lynne Russell works as a Senior Research Fellow - Maori Health with the Health Services Research Centre (HSRC) at Victoria University of Wellington. Much of her professional and academic work has centred around the Indigenous knowledge and healing practices used in recovery from trauma associated with mental distress, suicide loss and self-harm. She describes herself as an writer, activist and public speaker stirred by cultural resilience, social justice, Indigenous and LGBTI rights, and the amplification of voices more readily silenced in society.
Dr. Chelsea Grootveld
Chelsea is a respected wāhine Māori leader in education, kaupapa Māori research and governance. She holds a PhD in…
Chelsea is a respected wāhine Māori leader in education, kaupapa Māori research and governance. She holds a PhD in Education from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and is the founder of an indigenous research and evaluation company dedicated to advancing Māori aspirations.
Chelsea brings deep governance expertise, currently serving on the boards of High Performance Sport NZ, Taumata - Ihi Aotearoa Sport NZ, Tātai Aho Rau - CORE Education, International Funders For Indigenous Peoples; as Chair of the JR McKenzie Trust, Deputy Chair of Ngāitai Iwi Authority and Iti Kōpara Public Governance Aotearoa.
She is a member of the Institute of Directors and a former Chair of the Hato Pāora College Board of Trustees. In 2019, she was recognised with a Women in Governance award and served as a Future Director on the Sport NZ Board.
Proud māmā to Kahuroa and Mihi-Terina, and wife to Timoti, Chelsea has transitioned from triathlon and trail running to crossfit, yoga and netball coach of the PIC ‘aunties’. Her mahi is grounded in whakapapa, whanaungatanga and creating spaces where Māori thrive.
Associate Professor Hona Black
Hona Black (Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) works in te reo Māori revitalisation and has a…
Hona Black (Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) works in te reo Māori revitalisation and has a particular interest in language acquisition and the restoration and expansion of te reo Māori domains within everyday life.
He is presently an Associate Professor in Māori Studies at Massey University, where he also serves as Programme Co-ordinator for Te Aho Paerewa. His work spans Māori language teaching, curriculum and assessment development, translation, and research, with a strong focus on creating environments where te reo Māori can be naturally acquired and used within homes, communities, and institutions.
He is also the author of several te reo Māori publications, including He Iti Te Kupu, Ngā Hapa Reo, and Te Reo Kapekape. His work frequently bridges academic research and community practice, reflecting a commitment to strengthening Māori language futures and supporting the normalisation of te reo Māori across homes, communities, and institutions.
Dr Meika Foster
Dr Meika Foster has a background in Law, Biochemistry and Nutrition Science, with particular interests in the…
Dr Meika Foster has a background in Law, Biochemistry and Nutrition Science, with particular interests in the development of plant-based, functional foods and ingredients of benefit to human and animal wellbeing and the environment; indigenous organisms research and conservation; and the protection of cultural and intellectual property. She is the Founding Director of Edible Research Ltd., a values-driven organisation that provides translational research services to the science sector, government organisations, and food and beverage businesses (including multi-national and small- and medium-sized enterprises) and community groups.
In addition to her governance role with Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, Meika serves as an independent Board member on the Research Funding New Zealand Board and is one of the New Zealand representatives on the Food Safety Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Trans-Tasman Board. Formerly, she served on the Pūhoro Charitable Trust Board, which oversees the Pūhoro STEMM Academy, and on the Board of the New Zealand Food Safety Science & Research Centre (NZFSSRC).
Dr Foster has a track record and passion for supporting Māori Researcher capability building, through governance, supervision and mentorship activities. Her varied roles and contributions demonstrate a strong preference for working in transdisciplinary research environments, in recognition of the increasingly central role of science in legal, economic, social, environmental, and cultural decision-making in Aotearoa New Zealand. She lives with her extended family in Ōhoka, North Canterbury.
Dr Sonia Garcia Garcia
Sonia Garcia grew up in Spain with Catalan, Galician and Spanish as her family languages. Her career has largely…
Sonia Garcia grew up in Spain with Catalan, Galician and Spanish as her family languages. Her career has largely focused on policy and programme management.
In the Catalan public service, Sonia designed and managed grants and programmes to support the internationalisation of Catalan literature. She later pursued her interest in fisheries, earning a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney for research on Australian fisheries policy.
Sonia moved to Aotearoa in 2020 and worked as a Senior Policy Analyst and Programme Manager in the international fisheries team at the Ministry for Primary Industries. In this role, she led legislative reforms to the Fisheries Act and managed Te Pātuitanga Ahumoana a Kiwa, a capacity development programme for Pacific fisheries agencies.
A first stint at NPM was instrumental in Sonia’s bonding to Aotearoa. Now as Pouhere Rangahau, she feels privileged to support Māori researchers to achieve their goals and loves operating in a Māori-led environment.
Professor Simon Holdaway
I research how to interpret the past using the material remains found by archaeologists. This has involved field work…
I research how to interpret the past using the material remains found by archaeologists. This has involved field work in a number of regions of the world including southwest France, semi-arid and tropical regions of Australia, the north of Egypt, and northern parts of Aotearoa | New Zealand. I have an interest in stone artefacts particularly their interpretation as surface deposits at a landscape scale. I continue to have active fieldwork programmes as well as laboratory-based studies of material remains.
After receiving a BA(Hons) and MA degree in Anthropology from the University of Otago I moved to the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia graduating with a PhD in 1991. I taught at The University of Auckland for a year in 1992 before taking up a post-doctoral fellowship at La Trobe University, Melbourne in 1993. I subsequently lectured at La Trobe from 1994-1998, returning to The University of Auckland in 1999, where I became Professor of Archaeology in 2009. From 2016-2021 I was Te Urumatua | Head of School, Te Pokapū Pūtaiao Pāpori | School of Social Sciences, in the Faculty of Arts. Currently I am Manupiri Ihorua Rangahau | Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, working with colleagues in Te Tari Rautaki Rangahau, Matatika | the Office of Research Strategy and Integrity (ORSI).
I was elected as a Corresponding Fellow Australian Humanities Academy in 2018 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2022.
Sarah-Maru Berghan
As Pouhere Whakaaweawe at NPM, she helps drive positive change through grants, awards, and the Research portfolio, all…
As Pouhere Whakaaweawe at NPM, she helps drive positive change through grants, awards, and the Research portfolio, all grounded in Māori values. Drawing on a wealth of experience in the tertiary sector, including her recent work in research services at Waipapa Taumata Rau’s Faculty of Science, she is committed to advancing excellence and supporting our people.
Kanapu is a for Māori, by Māori-led approach to grow Māori talent and leadership in the RSI sector. Kanapu is led by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga and is located at the University of Waikato.
Vanessa obtained a Masters of Management Studies in 1998 and has spent the majority of her career in the Information and Communications Technology sector in Hong Kong, the UK, Australia, and the USA. Since returning to NZ in 2011, Vanessa has held a variety of roles in the private and public sectors. Most recently, she led Māori Engagement in the Research & Enterprise Office. Her research interests include Māori data sovereignty and entrepreneurship.
Miriama Cribb
Miriama Cribb is Te Ātihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Tama, but is most active at her home in…
Miriama Cribb is Te Ātihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Tama, but is most active at her home in Whanganui. Miriama is completing a PhD in Management at Massey University, looking at implementing Indigenous frameworks in non-Indigenous organisations, using Te Awa Tupua as her case study. She also works part time as a researcher at Te Atawhai o Te Ao Research Institute in Whanganui. Her research interests are in Māori management and Māori business, organisational studies, and social and governance structures that advance hapū and iwi aspirations.