Community Research Collaborators

Dr Amohia Boulton

Dr Amohia Boulton (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngai te Rangi, Ngāti Pukenga, Ngāti Mutunga and Te Ati Awa ki te Waka a Maui), is the Director of Whakauae Research Services, a tribally-owned, Indigenous health research centre in Whanganui, New Zealand. She also holds adjunct positions at the Health Services Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington and in the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences at Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

Amohia is a member of the Healthier Lives, He Oranga Hauora National Science Challenge Governance Group Kāhui Māori; a Board member of Te Kotahi Research Centre, University of Waikato and a Technical Advisor to the National Iwi Chairs Forum.

As a health services researcher, Amohia’s research interests focus primarily on the relationship between, and contribution of, government policy, contracting mechanisms, and accountability frameworks to improving health outcomes for Māori. Her most recent publications have explored issues as diverse as Māori approaches to wellbeing (whānau ora); Rongoā Māori; and colonisation, care, and justice.

Anita Rarere
On the right in photo

Anita Rarere (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pahauwera, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Porou) is Kaitakawaenga for Cranford Hospice in the Hawkes Bay.

Arena and Hana Munro (Taupiripiri Trust)

Te Ārai Advisors and Community Research Collaborators

Arena (Ngāti Rehia/ Ngāti Kuringa hapū, Ngāpuhi)

Hana (Ngāti Toki, Ngāti Te Rino Ngāti Haua, Ngāpuhi)

He kaiārahi i ngā kai mahi o Te Whare Manaaki (Hospice Mid Northland), i runga i ngā āhuatanga katoa e pā ana ki ngā Māori.

Hana and Arena are advisors to The Whare Manaaki (Hospice Mid-Northland), staff of tikanga Māori within the region.

Cranford Hospice, Hawkes Bay

Cranford Hospice has been caring for the people of Hawke’s Bay since 1982. By providing the best possible palliative care, education, support and advice services, they aim to help people make the most of living and dying within a compassionate community.  The team support people of all ages living with a life-limiting condition, and their services are provided at no cost to the patient, family or whānau.”

Donna Kerridge

(Waikato te Iwi)

Donna Kerridge is a rongoā Māori practitioner and policy advocate, with a background in Health Science.

Dr Kēri Rātima. He uri ahau o Mokomoko o Te Whakatōhea.

I am a grandmother of 7 and work in Ōpōtiki as a general practitioner. I've a special interest in palliative care. Hospice Eastern Bay of Plenty supported me to attend Cardiff University to complete a 2 year post-graduate diploma in palliative medicine and I am making good use of these learnings in practice. It has been wonderful to be involved in this project. Nei āku mihi ka rere.

Professor Heather McLeod

Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Auckland

Extraordinary Professor, University of Stellenbosch

I am from Wales and England and have lived in Aotearoa for over 10 years. My research explores how to improve palliative and end of life care, and I provide support to the Te Ārai Palliative Care and End of Life Research Group

Katie Durbin
On the left in photo

Hi I am Katie Durbin, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Cranford Hospice Hastings. I am originally from Somerset in the UK and have lived in Hawkes Bay since 2005 with my husband and 2 children.

My part in the Pae Herenga study has been as a Regional Community Research Collaborator. This study has opened my eyes to Māori culture and made a hugely positive impact on my practice, but also my understanding of the importance of Māori rituals and customs.  Thank you Tess and team.

Mary Potter Hospice

Vision:  That people in our communities who need palliative care have access to compassionate and quality care, where and when they need it.  We take a whole person approach, we will provide and promote high quality specialist palliative care, grief support, education and planning services.  Working alongside our health partners, we aim to make a difference in the communities we serve.

Hospice Mid Northland, Te Whare Manaaki te Tai Tokerau

Our team provides community based specialist palliative care to people living in the Mid Northland area, from Taupo Bay in the north, Hukerenui in the south and coast to coast including South Hokianga. Our values are

People first tuatahi: te mea nui he tangata

Go the extra mile- kia anga-mua i nga wa katoa

We are as one- he iwi Kotahi a tatou katoa

Always educating- ko tatou rite te iwi kotahi

Celebrate life and dignify death- whawhai tia te mate, kia rangatiratia tonu tou to

Every dollar counts- ahakoa te iti te putea e pounamu te wariu.

Vanessa Eldridge

(Ngāti Kahūngunu and Rongomaiwahine)

Vanessa has a background in nursing and now leads a diverse work programme at Mary Potter Hospice in Wellington. She has developed innovative programmes with Māori health providers around understanding cancer, caring for whānau at home and loss and grief. She leads the Hospice’s compassionate communities work.

Vanessa is Wellington born and of Rongomaiwahine and Ngāti Kahungunu descent. She has two sons and lives in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.

Marilyn Ngahuia Vreede

Te Ātihaunui a Pāpārangi, Ngāti Hauiti, Ngāti Tūwharetoa

E rere kau mai te Awa nui, mai i te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa

Ko au te Awa, Ko te Awa ko au.    

I am the River and the river is me!

Born and bred in Whanganui I am beyond being proud, I am honoured to have been born into a culture that is rich in tradition and values.  My passion is to normalise ‘te taha wairua’ and show how important it is that we reclaim this portion of our well-being.  We deserve nothing less.

Susan Reid

Susan Reid (Te Rarawa) has been working in adult education and health literacy for more than 30 years. With colleagues, Susan has been fortunate to have worked with the Ministry, DHBs, PHOs and other organisations on a number of projects which have shaped health literacy in Aotearoa. Susan's focus is about using a system improvement approach to health literacy (as opposed to a patient deficit approach) to improve equitable outcomes for Māori

Melissa Carey

Dr Melissa Carey (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Huri) has worked as a registered nurse for over 20 years practising within the acute clinical setting in regional and rural Australia. Since 2006 Melissa has been employed within the tertiary education sector where she has developed and delivered various nursing education programmes for undergraduate and post graduate students. Completing a PhD in 2016 at Queensland University of Technology, Melissa is an emerging health researcher with experience in Ethnographic, Auto-ethnographic and Kaupapa Māori research methodologies. Her research areas include Indigenous knowledge and research, creativity and health education, cultural recovery and healing, cultural safety, cultural needs at end-of-life and healthy ageing for Māori. In 2020 Melissa commenced a Postdoctoral Māori Career Development Fellowship funded by the Health Research Council New Zealand and the University of Auckland within the School of Nursing. The focus of this research is to develop and pilot a compassionate community toolkit for healthy ageing and end of life care for Māori people in South Auckland.