Te Arawa

Tame has more than a decades experience in environmental management roles in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Canterbury and Marlborough regions. This has included working for OSPRI (TB Free), Waikato Regional Council, Department of Conservation (Waikato) and most recently the Maori Biosecurity Network.

His is a member of the Bay of Plenty Conservation Board, is on the Advisory Board for Biological Heritage National Science Challenge, was interim executive of Te Tira Whakamataki (Maori Biosecurity Network), and is a member of the Royal Society.

Melanie is an Indigenous environmental sociologist, and the Māori Research Manager – Kaiārahi for the Bio-Protection Research Centre (a Centre of Research Excellence) based at Lincoln University.

She is also the Māori Manager for New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenge, a founding member of Te Tira Whakamātaki; the Māori Biosecurity Network and a project leader and researcher in a number of National Science Challenge, Tertiary Education Commission and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment programmes including ‘Mātauranga Māori characterisation of NZ’s biodiversity,’ ‘Protecting NZ’s primary sector from plant pests: a toolkit for the urban battlefield,’ and ‘Protecting New Zealand from extreme fire.’

Since 2011 Melanie has been funded through various research institutes and government agencies to examine disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the effects of the Canterbury earthquakes on Māori communities, work that she believes links closely to the biosecurity sector. Melanie worked for Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu and its education subsidiary Te Tapuae o Rehua from 2001-2008.

Erica (Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Te Whānau ā Apanui) started at NIWA in 1995. After completing a MSc (University of Waikato) developing a blue mussel embryo-larval toxicity test, she spent a number of years in the NIWA freshwater fisheries team. Here she gained skills in fish population studies, the downstream migration adult eels and fish passage through culverts.

Her PhD (University of Auckland) investigated the effects of a group of contaminants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on shellfish. She is currently working on a wide range of projects spanning both the marine and freshwater environments within the National Centre of Māori Environmental Research.   

Dr Elana Taipapaki Curtis is a Public Health Physician currently working as Senior Lecturer Medical at Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, University of Auckland. 

She is Director Vision 20:20 which provides academic leadership of Hikitia Te Ora - Certificate in Health Sciences (bridging/foundation education for Māori and Pacific), Māori and Pacific Admission Scheme (MAPAS, admission and retention support for Māori and Pacific students) and the Whakapiki Ake Project (WAP, Māori recruitment). 

In 2004-2005, Elana was a Harkness Fellow in Healthcare Policy based at the University of California (San Francisco) - investigating ethnic disparities in breast cancer mortality and survival.  Prior to this, Elana worked at the National Screening Unit, Ministry of Health in Wellington where she investigated Maori:non-Maori disparities in breast cancer epidemiology, and at Te Ropū Rangahau Hauora ā Eru Pōmare – Māori Health Research Centre at the University of Otago investigating ethnic disparities in access to invasive cardiovascular procedures/caesarean sections and the relationship between disparities and deprivation. 

She has recently submitted her Doctorate of Medicine (MD) focused on indigenous health workforce development and is involved in Kaupapa Māori Research investigating the teaching of indigenous health within medical education, ethnic inequities within emergency department settings, ethnic inequities in cardiovascular care and is developing a research focus exploring the prevalence of dementia amongst Māori.

Garth is a senior environmental scientist based in Palmerston North and has worked for Landcare Research since 1992. His career spans over 28 years in resource management, land resource assessment, national environmental databases, GIS applications, and indigenous research. Garth pioneered much of the Māori led research in Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research Ltd., working on a wide range projects with Māori organisations and regional councils throughout New Zealand, particularly in the areas of land use planning, ecosystem health, bio-physical and cultural indicators, restoring indigenous landscapes, climate change, sustainable iwi/hapu resource development, building Māori research capability, collaborative learning, and indigenous Māori knowledge and values.

Major achievements and publications reflect an in-depth relationship and extensive networking during the last 29 years, work in at least 40 Māori research projects, and a large number of consultancies/working relationships/supply of information to staff in: iwi and hapu organisations; central and local government; non government organisations.

Maria Bargh (Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa) has a PhD in Political Science and International Relations from the Australian National University. She is a Senior Lecturer in Māori Studies at Victoria University and editor of Māori and Parliament (Huia Publishers, 2010) and Resistance: an Indigenous Response to Neoliberalism(Huia Publishers, 2007).

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.