Louise Kuraia is a recognised leader in Māori health strategy and development, with extensive experience in Māori health funding, planning, policy, service and workforce development, systems change, and the implementation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the health sector. A graduate of the University of Auckland, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Māori Studies and a Bachelor of Laws.

Louise’s career has been marked by significant leadership roles, including serving as the Māori Health Leader at Manaia PHO in Whangārei from November 2017 to 2019.  She was a member of the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee from 2018 to 2021, contributing her expertise in Māori health, equity, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Since February 2020, Louise has been the Chief Advisor, Māori Crown Relations in the Māori Health Directorate of the Ministry of Health. In this role, she supports the Ministry’s relationships with hapū and iwi in the settlement process and advises the government on responding to Wai 2575, the Waitangi Tribunal’s kaupapa inquiry into health services and outcomes.

Louise was selected to serve as Aotearoa New Zealand’s 2023/24 Harkness Fellow in Healthcare Policy and Practice with The Commonwealth Fund in the USA, living there for 12 months. During her fellowship, she conducted a comparative research project with the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, exploring transformative indigenous health systems, policy, and practice across Turtle Island (USA), Hawaii, and Norway. While based near Washington DC, she travelled widely; engaging with tribal communities, indigenous scholars and researchers, and hauora leaders in Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Colorado, the islands of Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and Hawai’i. 

Her research also took her to the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA) Conference in Bodø, Norway, where she connected with Sámi peoples from Sápmi, their traditional homelands across northern Europe. A highlight of her fellowship was supporting her Ngāti Manu whānau, who presented their marae-based kaitiaki kaupapa at Karetū to protect and restore their whenua and awa.

Previously, Louise held senior roles in Māori-owned partnership and provider organisations, including Te Tai Tokerau MAPO (Māori Co-Purchasing Organisation) and the Ngāti Hine Health Trust. These roles positioned her at decision-making tables at the national, regional, and local levels, driving Māori-led strategies and health equity initiatives.

Known for her analytical capability and ability to create opportunities for health system improvement, Louise excels at using mātauranga Māori, research, and data to advocate for increased investment in Māori health. Her work has resulted in significant funding for Māori health services, providers, and workforce capability initiatives.

Louise lives and works from Whangārei in Te Tai Tokerau Northland, where she and her late husband raised their three beautiful sons.  She is an active participant in community charities and organisations locally, and with her extensive whānau and hapu throughout the north. Her dedication to Whānau Ora, Māori health and upholding Te Tiriti continues to inspire those around her, both professionally and personally.

Links:

Louise Davis Kuraia

Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice

2023/24 Harkness Fellow in Healthcare Policy and practice in the USA

Commonwealth Fund