Ngā Kaimahi | Our Team
Professor Jenny Lee-Morgan
Professor Jenny Lee-Morgan (Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Mahuta) is the founding Director of Unitec’s Ngā Wai ā te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre. Jenny has a distinguished track record of teaching and kaupapa Māori research. Previously a Māori secondary school teacher, Jenny has a strong background in education, te reo Māori and community-based research. Formerly the Head of School of Māori Education at the University of Auckland, and Deputy Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute at the University of Waikato with Prof Leonie Pihama. In 2016 Jenny was awarded Te Tohu Pae Tawhiti Award by the New Zealand Association for Research in Education in recognition of her high-quality research and significant contribution to the Māori education sector. Jenny’s co-edited book (Hutchings & Lee-Morgan, 2016) presents a broad, decolonised agenda for Māori development and won Te Kōrero Pono (non-fiction category) in the Ngā Kupu Ora Aotearoa Māori Book Awards 2017. Building on her interest in pūrākau as methodology, her most recent publication is co-edited book with Prof Joann Archibald and Dr Jason DeSantolo (2019) is entitled ‘Decolonizing Research: Indigenous Storywork as Methodology’, published by Zed Books. Jenny is a very devoted grandmother too.
Professor Leonie Pihama
Professor Leonie Pihama (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Māhanga, Ngā Māhanga a Tairi) is a mother of six and a grandmother of three. Leonie is a leading kaupapa Māori educator and researcher. She was a recipient of the Hohua Tūtengaehe Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (Health Research Council) and the inaugural Ngā Pae o Te Mārama Senior Māori Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Washington. In 2015, Leonie was awarded the ‘Te Tohu Pae Tāwhiti Award’ (NZARE) for excellence in Māori Educational Research and as Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute accepted the ‘Te Tohu Rapuora Award (Health Research Council) to recognise significant contribution to Māori health excellence and leadership.Leonie has served on the Māori Health Committee for the Health Research council and on a number of key boards including Māori Television, Te Māngai Pāho, and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. Leonie is currently the Principal Investigator on three Health Research Council projects, ‘He Oranga Ngākau: Māori Approaches to Trauma Informed Care’, ‘Honour Project Aotearoa’, and ‘He Waka Eke Noa: Māori cultural frameworks for violence prevention and intervention’. She is also working with Tū Tama Wahine o Taranaki inc as an MBIE He Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund Placement recipient on the project ‘Titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua’ exploring land based healing practices for wahine in Taranaki as a part of the Tangata Whenua Tangata Ora HRC Māori Health Programme led by Whaariki Research Centre.
Irene Kereama-Royal
For the past 20 years, Irene’s involvement within the science sector has led to appointments with advisory groups and panels involving Māori participatory models in Western Science, specifically in genomics research, gene editing technologies and previously with genetic modification applications. She is a member of the Royal Society of NZ’s expert panel on gene editing technologies with a particular interest in how genomics research, diagnostic tools and genetic treatments can be explored by Māori with familial diseases as a means to address health inequities
Rau Hoskins
Rau Hoskins (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Hau) co-heads Te Hononga: The Centre for Māori Architecture at Unitec. He is a practitioner and researcher specialising in the field of Māori architecture particularly within papakāinga/Māori housing environments. Rau is Chair of Te Matapihi, the national Māori housing support body, and is a member of the Auckland Council Urban Design Panel, working with local iwi and local government on the application of Te Aranga Māori design principles, which he co-developed with Tāmaki mana whenua. Rau continues to work directly with a number of South Auckland marae in the design and development of new and improved facilities. This experience has provided insights into the challenges faced by marae as they seek to navigate their own internal dynamics along with complex council compliance and consents and wider agency funding processes.
Rihi Te Nana
Rihi Te Nana B. Ed, MA (Hons)
Ko Ngati Haaua, Ngāpuhi, Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa ōku iwi
Rihi has been working in the kaupapa Māori research space for over a decade committing her research ideas and knowledge to developing and empowering whānau and Māori communities to grow and maintain their agency by facilitating and building capability skills through kaupapa Māori research informed initiatives. As an experienced therapist Rihi has worked alongside Whānau groups to develop and strengthen whānau oranga and (health and well–being) tikanga practices. Historically Rihi has had many years within the social services sector supporting Māori strategic development that has linked Iwi Hauora and Whānau Ora plans to government funding and resourcing.
Ngāhuia Eruera
Ngāhuia Eruera (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tuhoe, Tuhourangi) has worked in operations management and leadership roles within the tertiary education sector, primarily Wānanga, for nearly 20 years. She also has a background in sport and sports management, as a qualified personal trainer, coach, mentor and player representative in several sporting codes. Her experience in business management and her involvement in the sports sector has led to appointments onto many sports, community and marae trusts. Ngāhuia has a particular interest in marae governance and strategic hapū development.
Jacqueline Paul
Jacqueline Paul (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngā Puhi) is a Māori Landscape Architect, researcher for National Science Challenge: Building better homes, towns and cities, Lecturer at the School of Architecture, Unitec and newly appointed Expert Advisory Panel member for the State Services Commission to work with government on Aotearoa New Zealand’s open government partnership.
Jacqueline’s research interests focus on building better homes and communities specifically Māori Housing, urban redevelopment, mobilising rangatahi and Māori voices in architecture, urban planning and transformative policies.
Hanna-Marie Monga
Ko Tokatoka te maunga
Ko Wairoa te awa
Ko Mahuhu-ki-te-Rangi te waka
Ko Ripia te Marae
Ko Te Uri o Hau te hapu
Ko Ngati Whatua te iwi
Ko Aukino Monga toku papa
Ko Koi Vaeteru toku mama
Ko Hanna-Marie Monga ahau
Hanna-Marie Monga has joined NWATT as a Summer Intern to work on the Marae Ora, Kāinga Ora project. She is in her final year studying a Masters of Architecture at Unitec Institute of Technology. She hopes to pursue a career as a qualified Professional Architect. Hanna-Maries passion is incorporating Māori and Pacific culture into any creative or architectural design work. She is a dedicated hard working student that is prepared to learn and experience as much as she can throughout this journey.
Kelsey Metcalfe
Ko Taiao te maunga
Ko Whangape te wahapu
Ko Kurahaupõ te waka
Ko Taiao te marae
Ko te kai nga mataa te hapu
Ko Te Aupõuri te iwi
Kelsey Metcalfe has joined NWATT as a Summer Intern to work on the Marae Ora, Kāinga Ora project. She is in her final year studying a Masters of Architecture at Unitec Institute of Technology. Kelsey is passionate about her identity and culture which deeply influences the way she designs as she embarks on her journey.
Wetini Paul
(Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngai Te Rangi)
Wetini joined us in December 2019 from Te Whāriki Takapou after working under the guidance of Dr Alison Green, where he was a Community Based Researcher on the Honour Project Aotearoa, a kaupapa to improve access to healthcare for Takatāpui. He has also worked on many research projects through The University of Auckland and Local and Central Government agencies. Wetini’s interests are Kaupapa Māori and Matauranga Māori research where outcomes are implemented towards the betterment of the life and wellbeing of Māori and Indigenous cultures. Wetini is a Father of seven and Grandfather of one and is a very proud Takatāpui, he is also actively involved in many marae and community organisations. (Nōku te whiwhi, Nōku te hōnore, Nōku te maringanui ki te mahi i te taha ō te whānau nei ō Ngā Wai a Te Tūī – Kaare he kōrero i tū atu i tērā).
Kim Penetito
Kim Penetito (Ngāti Hauaa, Ngāti Tamateraa) has worked most recently in the education sector, while concurrently maintaining her private interests in her own business where Kim utilises her considerable skills and talents providing training and facilitation to aid organisations desiring to work proactively in partnership with Māori (Whaanau, hapuu, iwi and Communities). Kim’s background is in Community Development working mostly with communities in and around Tamaki Makaurau since the early 90s. Kim has been actively involved in Kaupapa Māori research projects and her contract work in her private practice is underpinned by the principles of Kaupapa Māori, that is, if there is benefit and transformative outcomes for Māori as a result of particular projects, then there is a commitment to work in that space. Kim’s interest is in Whanau development and rangatiratanga.
Bernadette Lee Young
(Ngāpuhi,Waikato-Tainui)
Joined NWATT two weeks before Aotearoa New Zealand was placed on lock down in an effort to eliminate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. What a way to begin her new journey as our Research Administrator.
Bernadette has an experienced freight background of nearly 18 years, in particular finance, as accounts receivable/credit control, where she spent 10 years collecting and allocating overdue debt.
Bernadette is very excited to embark on a new journey and brand new career path with the opportunity to grow professionally and to learn more about her Māori culture.