I te taha o tōku whaea ko Ngātokimatawhaorua te waka
Ko Hokianga nui a Kupe te moana.
Ko ōku maunga karangaranga ko Rakautapu me Whiria.
Ko Te Rarawa, me Ngāpuhi ngā iwi
Ko Ngai Tupoto, Ngati Korokoro, Ngati Wharara, Te Pouka ngā hapū
Nō Motukaraka me Pakanae ahau.
I te taha o tōku matua he Pākehā.
Dr Jade Le Grice is a visionary Māori psychologist, researcher, and academic whose work reshapes psychology, reproductive and sexual health research in Aotearoa to champion Māori rangatiratanga, justice, and equity.
As Associate Dean Māori in the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland, she challenges dominant Western paradigms and ensures Māori perspectives and lived experiences are central to psychological and scientific research. Her research explores the intersection of colonisation, gender, and sexuality in the sexual and reproductive lives of Māori, advocating for whānau-centred solutions and decolonising approaches in health and education.
Born in Rawene, Hokianga, and raised in Northland and Auckland, Dr Le Grice is deeply committed to ensuring Māori whānau and rangatahi have access to culturally safe sexual, reproductive, and mental healthcare.
Jade’s academic achievements & research leadership include:
Manutaki | Co-Director, Te Pūtahi o Pūtaiao | Centre for Kaupapa Māori Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland (2023-present)
Manupiri Māori | Associate Dean Māori, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland (2022-present)
Te Pōkaitahi Reo: Reo Rua (Level 3 & 4) – Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (2021)
International Society of Critical Health Psychology – Early Career Researcher Award (2021)
Pouako matua | Senior Lecturer (2020-present), Pouako | Lecturer (2015-2019), School of Psychology, The University of Auckland
Research Officer, Te Rōpū Whariki, Massey University (2014-2015)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Kaupapa Māori, Feminist & Critical Psychology – University of Auckland (2007–2014)
Certificate of Competency in Te Reo Māori – Auckland University of Technology (2007–2009)
Bachelor of Arts (BA) & Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Psychology – University of Auckland (2006, 2007)
Dr Le Grice’s research addresses structural inequities in sexual and reproductive health, advocating for Māori-led solutions in mental health, sexuality education, and whānau well-being. Some key research projects include:
- Māori & Pacific experiences of infertility, access to information and pathways to care study (2020-2024) – Highlighting barriers in reproductive healthcare.
- Becoming sexual beings: Māori recommendations for sexual violence prevention study (2017-2023) – Groundbreaking research on sexual health and safety.
- Harnessing the spark of life study (2017-2021) – Investigating trends in rangatahi Māori health outcomes. (YouTube)
- Māori & reproduction study, funded by Auckland Medical Aid Trust (2016-2017) – creating space for abortion in discourse, health policy, and law.
Dr Le Grice actively contributes to shaping Māori health policy and governance. She has served on several advisory boards, ensuring kaupapa Māori approaches inform national health strategies:
- Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri, Te Ōhākī a Hine: National Network Ending Sexual Violence Together – Championing sexual violence prevention (2020-present)
- He Paiaka Tōtara (Māori Psychologists Network) – Advocating for Māori representation in psychology (2016-present)
- Te Apārangi: Māori Partnership Alliance (Ministry of Health) – Strengthening Māori-led health initiatives (2022-2024)
- Scoping workshop member Fertility Services Review, Ministry of Health (2019)
- Member of National Standing Committee on Bicultural Issues (NSCBI), New Zealand Psychological Society (2015-2020)
- Abortion Supervisory Committee revision of Standards of Care for Women Requesting an Induced Abortion in NZ, Ministry of Justice (2015-2019)
- Member Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategic Reference Group, Ministry of Health (2015-2019)
- Board member of Women’s Health Action (2014-2016)
- Member of Te Puawaitanga, Māori Women’s Welfare League (2011-2012)
- Youth advisor for Māori Health Gain Advisory Committee, Waitemata District Health Board (2008)
Jade’s research, teaching, and service in Māori psychology & champions kaupapa Māori methodologies and whānau-centred approaches. Her advocacy in sexual & reproductive health supports Māori women’s autonomy in reproductive decisions. Her leadership in higher education works to embed te ao Māori in psychology curricula, and wider systems and structures within Science.
“We must ensure Māori knowledge and experiences lead the way in psychology, health research, and policy.”
Through her research, leadership, and advocacy, Dr Jade Le Grice is paving the way for a future where Māori health and well-being are prioritised, protected, and uplifted.
Links:
TOAH NNEST Becoming Sexual Beings: Kaupapa Māori recommendations for Sexual Violence Prevention (YouTube)
TOAH NNEST Hauoratanga (YouTube)
Te Tiriti Based Futures & Anti Racism: Intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality and ableism (YouTube)
Un/binding gender, sexuality and reproductive autonomy with Mātauranga Māori and intergenerational dialogue Chapter: Mana Tamaiti 12 Nov 2024
Journal Article: RANGATAHI MĀORI AND THE WHĀNAU CHOCOLATE BOX: Rangatahi wellbeing in whānau contexts. November 2024
Chapter: “You just got to own it”: Māori girls un/doing settler colonial sexuality in Aotearoa 2024
Journal Article: Te Tapatoru: a model of whanaungatanga to support rangatahi wellbeing (Abstract) 3 April 2023
Journal article (Re)emergence of Pūtaiao: Conceptualising Kaupapa Māori science (Abstract) March 2023
Chapter: Family Relatedness for Māori Survivors of Familial Childhood Sexual Abuse
2023 Relationships and Mental Health
Chapter: Reproductive Justice: Illuminating the Intersectional Politics of Sexual and Reproductive Issues 2023
Journal Article: Invisibilised Colonial Norms And The Occlusion Of Mātauranga Māori In The Care And Protection Of Tamaiti Atawhai (Abstract) 2 November 2022
Journal Article: Indigenous adolescent health in Aotearoa New Zealand: Trends, policy and advancing equity for rangatahi Maori, 2001-2019. (Abstract) Nov 2022
Book: Te Ara Kōkōrangi, Te Ara Toiora: Good Practice for Preventing and Responding to Mahi Tūkino in Aotearoa 20 Jul 2022
Journal article: ‘Why would you give your children to something you don’t trust?’: Rangatahi health and social services and the pursuit of tino rangatiratanga (Abstract) 3 Jul 2022
Chapter: Sized out: Fatness, fertility care, and reproductive justice in Aotearoa New Zealand (2022). In Shaw, R. (Ed.), Reproductive Citizenship: Technologies, Rights and Relationships (pp. 153-178). Palgrave MacMillan.
Journal article: Coloniality, Institutional Racism and White Fragility: A Wero to Higher Education (2022). The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 51(2)
Newsroom: University of Auckland It's never too late to learn te reo Māori 11 September 2017
Māori and Reproduction, Sexuality Education, Maternity & Abortion , two page summary report of PhD findings 2015.
Indigenous (Māori) perspectives on abortion in New Zealand Feminism & Psychology Volume 27, Issue 2 (Abstract)11 April 2017
Stuff News: Photographer spends a year interviewing Kiwi survivors of sexual assault July 13, 2017
Abortion law reform Bill – Expert reaction 05 August 2019
16 April 2025
