Waitaha

Joanne is a public health medicine specialist with research interests in Māori health workforce development, Māori mental health, Māori child and youth health, hazardous drinking among tertiary students and health inequalities.

Joanne has current research collaborations with the Injury Prevention Research Unit (Hazardous drinking project) and the New Zealand Mental Health Epidemiology Survey team.

She is also the Theme Leader for Māori Health in the Dunedin longitudinal study, a multidisciplinary, longitudinal study of 1,037 babies born in Dunedin during 1972–3. The Study members have been followed up since birth, at age three, then every two years to age 15, at ages 18, 21 and 26, and most recently at age 32. Her involvement with the Study began at the age 32 assessments when she led the New Zealand Society, Identity and Health aspects of the study 

Joanne has two key positions in the University of Otago: within the Dunedin School of Medicine she is the Associate Dean (Māori) and Associate Professor of Māori Health; within the Division of Health Sciences she is the Associate Dean (Māori) for the Division and also the Director of the Māori Health Workforce Development Unit.

Donna has been involved in work on the collection and classification of ethnicity data in New Zealand, particularly as it relates to measuring and monitoring disparities. Most recently, Donna has been focused on work examining disparities in cancer outcomes and access to cancer services for Māori. She is involved in the Differential Colon Cancer Survival by Ethnicity in New Zealand project as well as Unequal Treatment: The Role of Health Services with Te Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pōmare.

Dr Jane Kitson is an ecologist and environmental scientist with a background in traditional ecological knowledge research. She has worked in a range of research and management projects including doctoral research on traditional ecological knowledge and harvest management of tītī (Puffinus griseus); microbial food webs in lakes; and coastal and freshwater environmental science as a scientist at Environment Southland, Southland Regional Council. Jane works at Te Ao Mārama Incorporated in Invercargill, which is a resource management agency set up by manawhenua to look after resource management and other aspects related to local government in Southland/Murihiku.

She leads the Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga project on kanakana/lamprey and the use of harvest mātauranga to monitor population trends. She also managed the compilation of the State of Southland’s Freshwater Environment Reports, co-authored by Environment Southland and Te Ao Marama Inc. and until recently was heavily involved in the science of Waituna Lagoon. Jane is also involved with the New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society and is on its executive committee.

Dr Hēmi Whaanga is a research officer in Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao (The School of Māori and Pacific Development) at the University of Waikato. Hēmi has been a project leader, writer and researcher in a range of linguistic, indigenous Māori knowledge and curriculum projects. He is the principal investigator on the NPM project The ethics, processes and procedures associated with the digitisation of the Pei Jones collection. He has published in the areas of indigenous Māori knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, language revitalisation, linguistics, language teaching and curriculum development.

Dr Jane Kitson is an ecologist and environmental scientist with a background in traditional ecological knowledge research. Currently, Dr Kitson works in a consultancy capacity undertaking environmental research, science, and project management. Previously, Dr Kitson worked at Te Ao Mārama Incorporated in Invercargill (2012 -2013), which is a resource management agency set up by Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku to look after resource management and other aspects related to local government in Southland.
Dr Kitson  has worked in a range of research and management projects including doctoral research on traditional ecological knowledge and harvest management of tītī (Puffinus griseus); microbial food webs in lakes; and coastal and freshwater environmental science in various scientist roles at Environment Southland, Southland Regional Council (2002 – 2011). 
Dr Kitson led the Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) project on kanakana/lamprey and the use of harvest mātauranga to monitor population trends. She also managed the compilation of the State of Southland’s Freshwater Environment Reports, co-authored by Environment Southland and Te Ao Marama Inc. and until recently was involved in the science of Waituna Lagoon.