Sacha McMeeking

Sacha has traversed academic and practitioner roles, all seeking to create positive social change using different levers from international human rights advocacy, public policy engagement, community development, governance and leadership as well as social entrepreneurship.  Her current rangahau is focused on social impact and innovation, particularly explicating and evidencing causal impact mechanisms and pathways to inform both Iwi Māori and government investment decisions.  She has deeply valued her role in developing He Ara Waiora, the mātauranga Māori wellbeing framework adopted by The Treasury that is now being applied at a macro level across government policy development and attracting interest from global audiences, including the OECD.  She is grateful for the opportunity to join Te Manawahoukura after having been the Head of School of Aotahi- Māori and Indigenous Studies and seconded into the Executive Director Māori, Pacific and Equity at the University of Canterbury.

Key Contributions 

• McMeeking, S (2025) OECD Webinar—Indigenous Perspectives on Wellbeing Measurement and Policy Implementation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF6tlKZvaXw
• McMeeking, S (2024) Global Donut Economics Day— Wellbeing Policy Impact Assessment for a Regenerative & Distributive Future hosted by Donut Economics Lab, Wellbeing Economy Alliance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxoSnUIfmcA
• McMeeking, S (2024) He Ara Waiora in Global Wellbeing Policy—training modules in Global Wellbeing Economy Policy Design programme, Wellbeing Economy Alliance https://wellbeingeconomycourse.org
• McMeeking, S. (2024) Handbook for the Implementation of He Ara Waiora Across Government, The Treasury https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/guide/he-ara-waiora-handbook
• Williams, M. and McMeeking, S. (2022) Best Practice Approaches to Addressing Racism
• Lessons for the Aotearoa New Zealand Health System, Wellington: Ministry of Health. https://www.health.govt.nz/publications/whiria-te-muka-tangata-anti-racism-systems-change
• Tarena, E. and McMeeking, S (2022) Anti-Racism Maturity Models Lessons for the Aotearoa New Zealand Health System , Wellington: Ministry of Health. https://www.health.govt.nz/publications/whiria-te-muka-tangata-anti-racism-systems-change
• McMeeking, S. and Tarena, E. and (2022) Whiria te Muka Anti-Racism Systems Change A Preliminary Model for the Aotearoa New Zealand Health System, Wellington: Ministry of Health. https://www.health.govt.nz/publications/whiria-te-muka-tangata-anti-racism-systems-change
• McMeeking, S. (2021). More Māui Please. In L. Nikora, & J. Ruru (Eds.), Ngā Kete Mātauranga- Māori Scholars at the Interface. Otago University Press.
• McMeeking, S. (2021). Māori Social Enterprise and Self Determination. In D. Smith, A. Wighton, S. Cornell, & A. V. Delaney (Eds.), Developing Governance and Governing Development- International Case Studies of Indigenous Futures. Rowman & Littlefield.
• McMeeking, S. (2021). Enhancing the Māori Innovation Ecosystem. In R. Joseph, & R. Benton (Eds.), Waking the Taniwha- Māori Governance in the 21st Century. Thomson Reuters.
• McMeeking S. and Savage C. (2020) Māori Responses to COVID-19. Policy Quarterly 16(3) http://dx.doi.org/10.26686/pq.v16i3.6553
• McMeeking S., Leahy H. and Savage C. (2020) An Indigenous self-determination social movement response to COVID-19. AlterNative 16(4): 395-398. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1177180120967730
• McMeeking, S. (2019). Whānau Ora: Building Māori Self-Determination in Aotearoa New Zealand. In W. Nikolakis, S. Cornell, & H. W. Nelson (Eds.), Reclaiming Indigenous Governance: Reflections and Insights from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. University of Arizona Press.
• McMeeking, S. (2019). Transforming Iwi Organisations — How Insights into Hybrid Organisations Can Help. In R. Joseph, & R. Benton (Eds.), Waking the Taniwha- Māori Governance in the 21st Century. Thomson Reuters.