Dr Te Kawehau Hoskins (Ngāpuhi) is the Head of School at Te Puna Wānanga in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland. She is primarily engaged in qualitative social and educational research in the area of the politics and ethics of Indigene – Settler relations, and multicultural and bicultural education. In particular her research interests concern the Treaty of Waitangi in educational governance, policy and practice that includes a focus on issues connected to School – Māori Community relationships and Māori community participation.

Dr John Pirker (Ngāi Tahu) is a lecturer in Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury. John’s research interests centre around aquaculture, including marine ecology, marine algae and evolution and behaviour within marine ecological systems. In addition to his research, John is also involved in the Māori Research Advisory Group (MRAG) and Marine Ecology Research Group (MERG)

Dr Arama Rata (Ngāti Maniapoto, Taranaki, and Ngāruahine) is a research officer at the National Institute for Demographic and Economic Analysis at the University of Waikato. Broadly speaking, Arama's research foci include Māori cultural engagement, identity, and wellbeing, as well as Māori-migrant relationship building.

Dr Michelle Thompson-Fawcett (Ngāti Whātua) is a Professor and the Head of the Department of Geography at the University of Otago. She has over 30 years’ experience in planning practice and university teaching and research. Michelle’s research explores urban and environmental planning activities at the local level.  In particular, she examines the extent to which different groups are able to engage in, influence, and achieve self-determination in regard to urban and environmental decision-making.  She works with Māori communities on their aspirations for urban development, cultural landscape management, indigenous impact assessment, and the management of natural and physical resources. 

Dr Anne-Marie Jackson is a Senior Lecturer in Māori physical education and health and joined the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Otago in 2011. 

Since 2017, she has been the Associate Dean External Engagement for the School.

She is the co-Director of Te Koronga.  Te Koronga is a programme of Māori research excellence that focuses on mauri ora or flourishing wellness for Māori communities.  There are two parts to Te Koronga: the first is Māori graduate research excellence; and the second is indigenous science.  She also co-leads Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai, a research group that highlights the importance of the marine environment for Māori communities.

Her research is primarily about: Māori physical education and health; Tangaroa and the marine environment; waka and water safety; and indigenous science.  She primarily utilises kaupapa Māori theory and is strongly grounded in praxis, namely through running hui and wānanga with Māori communities.  She is a member of the National Science Challenge Sustainable Seas, and a Principal Investigator on two Centres of Research Excellence; Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga and Brain Research New Zealand.

As well as her teaching and research, Anne-Marie is also involved in her community as an advisor to the East Otago Taiāpure Management Committee, a member of Hauteruruku Waka ki Puketeraki (Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki), a member of Te Houhanga-a-Rongo Marae Centenary Committee (Ngāti Whātua), a mentor and Futures Group member at Te Taitimu Trust (Ngāti Kahungunu), a kaiako in Te Whare Tū Taua (School of Māori Weaponry) and a beginner crew member of Haunui Waka.

Anne-Marie loves all facets of her academic role, especially working with Māori communities, and with the graduate research students.  She is also a proud Mum of her 11 year old son, Charlie, and enjoys her second job as his personal taxi driver for sports and after school activities.

Dr Amanda Black (Tūhoe, Whakatōhea, Whānau-ā-Apanui) is a senior lecturer in bio-protection at Lincoln University. Her research expertise is environmental soil and water biogeochemistry, focusing on soil health . She has recently focused her research on ecosystem resilience, forest health and tree dieback, with a particular focus on investigating disease resistant traits. She is also a founding and executive member of Te Tira Whakamātaki, the Māori Biosecurity Network.

Ocean’s teaching and research interests are varied, but her key focus is how mātauranga Māori and science connect and relate, particularly in educational contexts and using novel digital technologies. She co-leads a National Science Challenge project investigating the perceptions of novel biotechnological controls of pest wasps in Aotearoa. Her research also involves kaupapa Māori reading of films. She was the presenter of Māori Television's Project Mātauranga and presents for TVNZ’s Coast.

Jade Le Grice (Ngai Tupoto - Te Rarawa; Ngati Korokoro, Te Pouka, Ngati Wharara, Te Mahurehure - Ngāpuhi) is a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland. Her research focuses on decolonising praxis - deconstructing dominant cultural norms and legitimating mātauranga Māori in knowledge, health, and education systems. Currently, Jade is particularly interested in Māori sexual and reproductive health, sexual violence prevention, and rangatahi wellbeing in whānau contexts. Underpinning her research is a strong focus on kaupapa Māori, mana wahine, and critical psychology approaches. Jade is involved in research communities as a member of the University of Auckland’s Critical Theory network,  Gender Studies network, Māori and Pacific Psychology Research Group, Psychology and Social Issues Group; and the Māori Association of Social Sciences. She is a co-chair of the Māori and Pacific Psychology Committee, The University of Auckland, and a member of the National Standing Committee of Bicultural Issues, The New Zealand Psychological Society.

Te Taka Keegan (Waikato-Maniapoto, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whakaaue)  is a Senior Lecturer in the Computer Sciences Department at the University of Waikato. His research expertise spans across multiple fields from, traditional navigation, Māori language technologies, indigenous language interfaces and multi-lingual usability. Te Taka has also been involved in an impressive number of projects involving te reo Māori and technology including the Māori Niupepa Collection, Te Kete Ipurangi, the Microsoft keyboard, Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office in Māori, Moodle in Māori, Google Web Search in Māori, and the Māori macroniser. At the centre of all of Te Taka’s research and mahi is a passion for te reo Māori.

Carwyn Jones (Ngāti Kahungunu) is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at Victoria University of Wellington.  His primary research interests relate to the Treaty of Waitangi and indigenous legal traditions.  Carwyn has previously worked in a number of different roles at the Waitangi Tribunal, Māori Land Court, and the Office of Treaty Settlements. He is the author of New Treaty, New Tradition – Reconciling New Zealand and Maori Law (UBC Press and VUP, 2016), Co-Editor of the Māori Law Review and an Associate Director of the New Zealand Centre for Public Law.