Ronald Baker was born in Hastings, the older of twin boys to Rutu Tawhiorangi Tumaurirere-Baker. Ronald’s dad (John Sonny Baker) was in the 28th Māori Battalion, his last posting was in Auckland where Ron and four of his siblings grew up, attending school at Ruapotaka and Tamaki College.
Ronald Baker has dedicated nearly 40 years to advancing Māori mental health services, fostering culturally responsive care. His career began in 1978 as a psychiatric nurse at Carrington Hospital in Auckland, leading to roles at Tokanui Psychiatric Hospital and the establishment of the pioneering Whaiora Māori Cultural Unit, New Zealand’s first Māori mental health unit.
In 1989, at the request of Ngāti Whātua Kaumātua Henare Sutherland, Ronald managed Te Whare Paia at Carrington Oakley Hospital, and in 1991, he founded the Manawanui Māori Mental Health Unit, a marae-based mental health service under Auckland District Health Board that continues to serve the community.
Ronald’s commitment to Māori health has earned him significant accolades, including a Winston Churchill Fellowship and an ANZAC Fellowship, allowing him to research Indigenous healing practices with First Nations communities in Canada, the U.S., and Australia.
Ronald’s contributions include the cultural training of health workforce members across Crown Health Enterprises, District Health Boards, and iwi-based support initiatives, reflecting his vision of an empowered, culturally competent health sector.
In 1997, Ronald’s continual passion for working with people took him home to work as a clinician in Mahia and Ngāti Porou Hauora, he went on to work in Northland for North Care Trust and Northland District Health Board Mental Health Services. In 2011, Ronald returned to Auckland to take up the position of Kaumatua for Auckland and Waitemata District Health Boards, based at Manawanui.
Ronald is currently the Kaumātua and Trainer for Te Rau Ora’s Centre of Māori Suicide Prevention, Kaumatua for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and his authorship of Te Manawa Nui—a book integrating Māori mental health practices—highlight his enduring impact.
As a founding Fellow of Te Ao Māramatanga, the New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses, Ronald continues to champion Māori well-being through clinical excellence and cultural integrity. In 2023, he was honoured with the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Māori mental health.
Links:
RANZCP welcomes Mr Ron Baker as Kaumātua
Twenty-eighth Māori Battalion honoured with a special event in Auckland ahead of Anzac Day
A mihi whakatau to welcome Mr Ron Baker as the new College Kaumātua
Tio Sewell
Updated 18 November 2024
