Te Pokapū

The work programme of Te Mana Raraunga is overseen by a core working group, Te Pokapū. The members are:

Tahu Kukutai

Tahu is Professor of Demography at the National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis, University of Waikato. She affiliates to Ngāti Tiipa, Ngāti Kinohaku, Ngāti Māhanga and Te Aupōuri. Tahu specialises in Māori and Indigenous demographic research and has written extensively on issues of Indigenous population change, Indigenous identity and official statistics. She is a founding member of Te Mana Raraunga and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance. Tahu co-edited the landmark book Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Toward an Agenda (ANU Press) and the forthcoming book Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy (Routledge). Tahu has degrees in History, Demography and Sociology from the University of Waikato and Stanford University. She was previously a journalist.

MAUI HUDSON

Maui affiliates to Te Whakatohea, Nga Ruahine, and Te Mahurehure. He is a member of the Whakatohea Māori Trust Board and Director on a number of its companies including Eastern Seafarms Ltd. Maui is an Associate Professor at the University of Waikato and Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute.  His research is interdisciplinary in nature focusing on the application of mātauranga Māori (indigenous knowledge) to decision-making across a range of contexts from new technologies to health, the environment to innovation. He is a founding member of Te Mana Raraunga and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA), and a co-author of the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance.

Andrew Sporle

Andrew (Ngāti Apa, Rangitane, Te Rarawa) is based part-time in the Statistics Department at the University of Auckland, where he teaches in courses on survey methods and official statistics. He has recently returned to academia after several years consulting in the private sector on health service and research development. A sociologist and epidemiologist, his research interests include indigenous statistics, social inequities and the creation of public domain tools for accessing and applying existing data. He was formerly the inaugural Māori health research manager at the Health Research Council. His current research work includes improving the Māori responsiveness of mainstream research, creating longitudinal and quasi-experimental studies with existing data, the social and environmental determinants of stomach cancer in Māori, and the development of improved methods to apply official statistics to inform the prevention of premature death amongst Māori.

Lara Greaves

Dr Lara Greaves (Ngāpuhi, Pākehā, Tararā) is a lecturer in New Zealand/Māori Politics and Public Policy at the University of Auckland. Lara is Associate Director (Policy Inc) at the Public Policy Institute, and is part of several large survey teams. She currently leads: "The Māori in-between? Identity, health, and social service access needs" which is a HRC Emerging Researcher-funded project that explores Māori identity in the Integrated Data Infrastructure; and "Repression or Rangatiratanga? Investigating why Māori choose the General or Māori Electoral Roll" a Marsden Fast Start project which surveys Māori about their roll choices. She is one of the lead investigators on the New Zealand Election Study (established 1990) and is also one of the editors of Government and Politics in Aotearoa and New Zealand (Seventh Edition; Oxford University Press).

Daniel Wilson

Daniel Wilson (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Pikiao) teaches in the School of Computer Science at Waipapa Taumata Rau / University of Auckland. He is interested in tools, techniques and frameworks for the safe use of AI, particularly in relation to Māori data sovereignty, equity and culturally safe AI.

Former Te Pokapū Members

Donna Cormack

Donna (Kāti Mamoe, Kai Tahu) is a researcher with joint positions at Te Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pomare, University of Otago (Wellington), and Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, University of Auckland. She has been involved over a number of years in work on the conceptualisation, collection and classification of ethnicity data in Aotearoa, particularly as it relates to measuring and monitoring Māori health and health inequity. Her research and teaching interests include racism as a determinant of Indigenous health, critical approaches to Māori health and health equity, and data sovereignty.

James Hudson

Of the Ngāti Awa, Tuhoe, Ngāti Pukeko and Ngaitai tribes, James’s early career was in resource management, public and commercial law working with Māori tribes and organisations.  His focus then shifted towards researching with universities and whare wānanga (tribal universities) focussing on Māori and indigenous governance and development. During this time, he led several significant research collaborations amongst Māori and Crown research institutes while completing his doctorate in outcomes measures to quantify progress for iwi (tribes). More recently, James has led data innovations in a local government context for Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland). These included developing an integrated Māori data strategy, implementing a Māori-specific evaluation and monitoring framework, and reporting data on Māori wellbeing and contribution in Tamaki Makaurau. 

VANESSA CLARK

Vanessa (Ngaati Tiipa, Ngaati Tahinga, Ngaati Aamaru) is Principal of Vanessa Clark Consulting Ltd. Vanessa has more than 18 years of business and management experience in the ICT sector internationally (Hong Kong, London, Sydney, San Francisco) and locally. She worked at Cisco Systems Inc. in Silicon Valley for 11 years and returned to Aotearoa NZ in 2011. Vanessa is keen to share and leverage her global management experience and encourages collaboration and partnering in order to challenge the status quo and advance innovation, research and development and Māori economic imperatives. Vanessa was appointed to the Māori ICT Development Fund Expert Advisory Group in October 2015 and in December of the same year, appointed to the Board of Te Māngai Pāho.

Wikuki Kingi QSM

Wikuki Kingi is a Tohunga Toi Ake; Master Carver, and Cultural Symbologist; a culmination of 26 generations of the ancient arts and first language of Indigenous technology and communication. A Native Scientist/Technologist he has an extensive history of creating artistic and cultural treasures for local and global communities including the world’s largest Maori / Pacific totem Pou Kapua. Wikuki is a founding trustee of Pou Kapua Creations Trust and the HAKAMANA Virtual Reality Collective; convenor and founding member of Planet Maori and TE HA Global Alliance who continue to support Indigenous technological sovereignty, 21st century productions, and business development. He is on the board of Seattle-based Indigenous Education Institute (IEI) whose work includes the NSF / NASA supported Cosmic Serpent programme. He is a member of the Native Science Academy based in San Francisco, working with the National Science Foundation Washington bringing native science values and methodologies alongside western science technology into their national programmes.  A creative leader, visionary and strategist, Wikuki “seeks to unleash the taniwha of transformation upon the universe, and unshackle the power of creativity and innovation encoded in our DNA.”