Kāhui Māori

The Kāhui Māori ensures Vision Mātauranga and te Ao Māori principles are embedded across our research.

The members provide both expertise and awareness of the issues in the focal area to advise the Challenge, so that its science directions, quality and approach will deliver real benefits for Māori.

Joe Harawira

Ngāti Awa-Ngai te Rangi-Ngati Maniapoto-Tūhourangi

Joe Harawira is currently the Pouwhakahaere at the Department of Conservation. In this role he supports and advises DOC in tikanga-protocols in Te Ao Maori as they relate to Conservation. His role is to give the Māori perspective to Te Ao Tūroa. He regularly accompanies the Minister of Conservation in engagement with whānau, hapū and iwi across the country and at times has spoken on behalf of the Government at formal hui with Māori.

Joe's role is both a national and international role. His work in the marine space has been around iwi engagement with hapu and iwi. On the international scene, Joe was involved recently with the repatriation of 140 ‘tabua’ back to Fiji. He has also led discussion and engagement regarding the use of 1080 for DOC which in general is a very contentious topic for Māori communities. He has been with the Department of Conservation 20 years.

Chair

Andrew (Anaru) Luke

Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Kinohaku, Ngāti Maniapoto, Rangitane, Te Ātiawa

Andrew was elected to the Ngāti Rārua Iwi Trust, Settlement Trust and Te Rūnanga O Ngāti Rārua (TRONR) in 2011 and has held positions as Chair, Deputy Chair and is currently a Trustee for TRONR. He is an active Trustee mostly within the customary fisheries sector and more recently representing Ngāti Rārua interests and rights in the Te Tauihu Iwi and Te Waka-a-Māui Fisheries Forums. He has been a member of the Audit & Risk governance committee and a Director of the Ngāti Rārua Asset Holding Company, independent Director of Te Tao Tangaroa Limited (TTTL, the Ngāti Rārua Iwi fishing company) and now as an Iwi Director for TTTL.

Andrew currently works for the Cawthron Institute in Nelson as the Group Manager Māori and is part of the senior leadership team. Commonly known as Anaru, he is responsible to lead Cawthron’s Māori Business Strategy; connect across multiple levels and groups within Cawthron; enhance Cawthron’s Māori capability profile internally and externally, and provide organisational leadership and strategic guidance for mātauranga and Kaupapa Māori for Cawthron staff.

Previous to Cawthron, Andrew worked in government predominantly in fisheries, environment, conservation and education in varying leadership roles to engage effectively with whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori entities across the country in these sectors.

Ian Ruru

Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngati Porou, Ngai Tai, Whakatohea

Ian has a scientific background in marine and freshwater fisheries and is a director on a number of iwi fishing companies. Ian is an alternate Director on Te Wai Maori Trust and he is a recent Crown appointed member of New Zealand’s water services regulator, Taumata Arowai.

Ian has a Masters in Aquaculture and previously worked for Te Ohu Kaimoana as a stock assessment scientist. Ian gained his appreciation for mātauranga Māori from his father, the late Bill Ruru, as they taught qualifications in aquaculture and customary fishing at 300 marae.

Ian is a practitioner of applying tikanga-based approaches to natural resource management. He recently led a project between iwi and Gisborne District Council to develop a culturally appropriate way to dispose of mortuary waste that protects the mauri of Turanganui a Kiwa waterways.

Kirsty Woods

Ngāti Hauiti

Kirsty’s career has included policy roles in Manatu Māori, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and the Ministry for the Environment. Since the early 2000s, she worked in senior policy roles at Te Ohu Kaimoana, including managing the Fisheries and Aquaculture Team. Her areas of focus have involved fisheries policy and management, aquaculture and the Māori Fisheries Review.

She holds Masters Degrees in modern languages (Victoria University) and resource management (Canterbury University), and a Diploma in Photography (Massey University).