Ahere Hapi-Harrison

Ahere (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Muriwhenua) is the Pou Tūāmahi | Project Lead for the Kanapu research programme. Kanapu is a Māori-led initiative designed to connect, attract, nurture and accelerate Māori talent and leadership in research, science, innovation and technology (RSIT).

Kanapu 

Ahere has managed the ideation, market research, conceptual design and procurement of developers for an online navigation platform for the RSIT sector. The platform, Kanapu Connect, aims to improve knowledge, access, and connection for users within the RSIT sector by mapping the evolving ecosystem, uniquely visualising a user’s network and promoting the kind of connections and opportunities a user may be seeking. She currently leads the project through development, user testing and subject matter creation, with the platform launch expected in July/August 2026. Additionally, Ahere manages the design and maintenance of the Kanapu website, data storage platforms, brand design and the creation of promotional materials. In a previous role within Kanapu, Ahere managed an industry support initiative for grassroots RSIT collectives, supporting funding applications for several projects, guiding commercialisation efforts, and establishing formal structures and governance protocols for participating initiatives.

Network 

Ahere operates within the broader network of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga – Māori Centre of Research Excellence, which designed and led the Kanapu programme; Te Ngira Institute for Population Research at the University of Waikato, which hosts Kanapu, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as programme funders. Ahere has connected with practitioners across the vast RSIT system of Aotearoa New Zealand to improve system navigation and connection for Māori early-career researchers and the sector, more broadly.

Background

Ahere proudly comes from the small timber town of Tokoroa and is the first in her wider whānau to complete any tertiary qualifications. As a passionate facilitator, she has worked with highly vulnerable youth to acquire sustainable employment and life skills, and community members throughout the Taupō-Ruapehu area to improve community engagement during the 2023 Census. She has worked with whānau in the Emergency Housing sector to navigate systems for better living circumstances, as well as several student-based roles to enhance their experience and participation in university. Having visited nearly 30 countries, Ahere travels to experience new cultures, meet new people, gain perspective and to remain curious. As a self-acclaimed ‘lifelong learner’, she believes that anyone who is willing to learn should be given a means to learn that works for them. Ahere actively seeks out professional opportunities to help those around her in achieving that.