NPM Staff
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Dr Sonia Garcia Garcia
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
Sonia Garcia grew up in Spain with Catalan, Galician and Spanish as her family languages. Her career has largely…
Dr Sonia Garcia Garcia
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.
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Sarah-Maru Berghan
Te Rarawa, Ngātiwai, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tarāwhai
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
As Pouhere Whakaaweawe at NPM, she helps drive positive change through grants, awards, and the Research portfolio, all…
Sarah-Maru Berghan
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.
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Cheryle Rewha Willoughby
Ngāti Kuta, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
Cheryle has a BA in Media/Marketing and Māori studies from Massey University. Diploma in Project Management (TWWOA) and…
Cheryle Rewha Willoughby
Cheryle has a BA in Media/Marketing and Māori studies from Massey University. Diploma in Project Management (TWWOA) and Sales Management, Business Studies (AUT). Her background is advertising and marketing working at Wilson & Horton Ltd for 12 years as EA and Sales Exec. Also in Event Management and Operations, finance, HR, sales and training.
She has worked with her whanau and hapu over 35 years. As a secretary, trustee and negotiator, for the Hauai whenua claim and the first successful settlement with the Crown, on behalf of her hapu.
Working as a Marketing Consultant with Dept of Labour, (CEG) Community Employment Group with various hui throughout Aotearoa developing communities and whanau to help lift and create opportunities towards self sustainability for their own region.
She has worked for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga since 2022 also as MAI Journal Coordinator dealing with various stakeholders Authors, Peer Reviewers, Editors and Production contractors.
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Ahere Hapi
Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Muriwhenua
Kanapu
Ahere (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Muriwhenua) proudly comes from the timber town of Tokoroa and has connections to both Maketu…
Ahere Hapi
Ahere (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Muriwhenua) proudly comes from the timber town of Tokoroa and has connections to both Maketu and Te Taitokerau. She is a passionate facilitator having worked with highly vulnerable youth to gain sustainable employment and life skills, as well as hapori throughout the Taupō-Ruapehu area to improve community engagement when conducting the 2023 Census. She has also worked with whānau in the Emergency Housing sector to navigate systems in order to reach better living circumstances, on top of several student-based roles to improve experience and participation in university.
Having just come back from a long international trip around Europe, Southeast and Eastern Asia, Ahere takes these new life experiences into this new Pou Hapori role. She has a belief that anyone who is willing to learn should be given a means to learn and uses all her professional roles and networks, to help those around her to achieve that principle.
About Kanapu:
Kanapu - Accelerating Māori RSI Talent, Leadership and System Navigation Kanapu is a Māori-led initiative on a mission to ignite Research, Science and Innovation (RSI) talent and leadership across Te Ao Māori. Māori researchers, scientists and knowledge-holders are fundamental to a vibrant RSI system but the evidence shows they are largely undervalued and unsupported.
Kanapu - which means lightning or instantaneous glow - will strike at the obstacles that block Māori pathways into the RSI system. Existing professional development and leadership programmes do not address the unique needs and aspirations of the Māori RSI workforce, nor offer fit for purpose training strategies and learning solutions. The RSI system is also fragmented, making it challenging for Māori communities, businesses and organisations to connect with the right people to meet their own research needs and aspirations.
Designed and led by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) Māori Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE), Kanapu is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to connect and nurture a diverse puna (pool) of Māori talent in the wider RSI system and expand the impact of Vision Mātauranga. -
Cindy McQuade
Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, Tūwharetoa
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
Cindy McQuade is the communications advisor for NPM. She has a varied career in the media, working both as a journalist…
Cindy McQuade
Cindy McQuade is the communications advisor for NPM. She has a varied career in the media, working both as a journalist and free-lance writer and as a graphic designer for many years.
She holds a Bachelor of Social Science, majoring in Political Science, Bachelor of Media Art, majoring in graphic design, and Cert. Journalism.
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Dr Tim West-Newman
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
Tim West-Newman develops and implements technical business solutions including websites for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga…
Dr Tim West-Newman
Tim West-Newman develops and implements technical business solutions including websites for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. Tim has a PhD in Human Computer Interaction and has worked mainly in web and information technology systems development, having worked in The University of Auckland and AUT University, as well as an independent contractor for various organisations.
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Honorine Franswah
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
Honorine Franswah is the Research Operation Coordinator in Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga and assists with the contracts…
Honorine Franswah
Honorine Franswah is the Research Operation Coordinator in Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga and assists with the contracts, finance and all the administrative functions of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga.
Honorine obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics major with auxiliary subjects Commerce and Statistics at the University of Madras and brings substantial administrative experience from nearly 20 years involvement in the manufacturing sector in India. She provided administrative support at The University of Auckland prior to taking up her role at the Centre