Professor Beverley Lawton

Professor Bev Lawton (CNZM), nō Ngāti Porou, is the founder/director of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine (the National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa) at Victoria University of Wellington (previously with the University of Otago). Named the 2025 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, she was promoted as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2026 from her appointment as an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit by the Queen for services to women’s health in 2005. She was inaugural recipient of the 2026 Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners' Te Kārohirohi Equity Award and was made a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners in 2017. Bev was awarded the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Māori Women’s Health Award in 2020; the 2021 Women of Influence Award (Innovation, Science and Health); The Beaven Medal by the Health Research Council in 2023; and The Maarire Goodall Award by Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa in 2024.

Bev previously worked as a general practitioner in Wellington for 17 years and co-founded the Wellington Menopause Clinic. These experiences led to an interest in research to address the many questions relevant to women’s health and inequalities.

Bev is an appointed member of the Maternity Commissioning Framework Technical Advisory Group (Te Whatu Ora), the National Cervical Screening Programme Advisory Action and Equity Group, and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Māori Health Committee – He Hono Wahine.

 

Her research on women’s and children’s health has led to changes in policy and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. This includes the National Cervical Screening Programme (which in September 2023 introduced human papillomavirus (HPV) cervical screening with self-testing as the universal offer), the establishment of the Severe Maternal Morbidity (SMM) monitoring program in Aotearoa New Zealand, improved systems for maternal health with regards to post-partum contraception, accident and emergency management of SMM and the establishment of SMM audit in Sri Lanka.

Bev’s significant contribution to advancing Māori health is in the field of cervical cancer prevention, particularly her advocacy and research in HPV self-testing aiming to increase cervical screening uptake for wāhine Māori, especially in rural communities. Bev has been a strong advocate for a change in the cervical screening programme to ensure it is safe and equitable for wāhine Māori.

Bev is the co-chair of two international Indigenous alliances: The International Indigenous HPV Alliance and The Alliance for Perinatal and Reproductive Justice.

Bev is a primary investigator for the following research projects in progress:

Point-of-care-testing – Improving access to timely and safe care for rural whānau (funded by the HRC).

Manaaki te iti Kahurangi: Improving outcomes for whānau (funded by the HRC).

Whanake te Kura: Flourishing pēpi and whānau (funded by the HRC).

Hapū Whānau: Implementing iwi-owned services hubs to improve outcomes (funded by the HRC).