He Rangatira Leaders

Professor Beverley Lawton's first-hand experiences witnessing preventable harm and death among women have shaped her work in reproductive health, Māori health, addressing inequalities, and conducting Kaupapa Māori research.

Almost twenty years later, Alexander has used his passion and knowledge of addressing historical sexual violence trauma, mental illness, addictions, and well-being to support Māori and Pacific communities across Aotearoa, where he has worked with over 3,500 men with childhood experiences of sexual violence. 

Tracey Potiki is an experienced project manager and a dedicated advocate for whānau experiencing alcohol and other drug (AOD) harm. Over the course of more than 20 years, she has tirelessly worked to bring about positive changes and influence better care pathways for whānau, hapū, and iwi.

Professor Jonathan Koea is an Auckland-based general surgeon who specialises in the health of the liver, gallbladder, stomach, pancreas, and gastrointestinal tract.

Professor Rawinia Higgins has dedicated many years of service as one of the country's leading experts on Māori language revitalisation, specialising in Language Planning and Policy. She leads and develops many initiatives that provide better outcomes and opportunities for Māori.

Naomi Manu is a dedicated champion of Māori and rangatahi development. Known for establishing the Pūhoro STEM Academy, she has transitioned to Auraki Group Limited to focus on workforce development gaps beyond those the Pūhoro kaupapa designed to address.

Dr Maria Baker has gained over 20 years of expertise in healthcare, mental health, and social care workforce development for Māori.

Kiri's interests are Te Taiao (nature), hauora Māori, mental health, Māori philosophy, education, and law. These feature prominently in her teaching with medical students, psychiatry registrars and other health professionals, and the educational videos that Kiri creates for her YouTube channel and website titled Māori Minds.

Juanita is a strong believer in working in partnership to influence change and encourages a collective approach to achieving equity in hauora outcomes for Māori. As the Deputy Chief Executive – Systems, Strategy and Policy at Te Aka Whai Ora, she is responsible for developing policy and strategy advice to improve hauora Māori outcomes.

In 2022, Joanne was appointed the first wāhine Māori Dean of the Dunedin School of Medicine. Working for over 20 years in the Dunedin School of Medicine, Joanne has shown that she is committed to making a real difference in education and health for individuals, whānau and communities through teaching, research, and service.