Kai kōrero (Speakers)

Carl Davidson

Chief Commissioner, Families Commission

Carl Davidson is one of New Zealand’s most experienced market and social researchers. He brings a range of skills acquired from working as a Social Scientist with the DSIR, an academic with Massey University and a market researcher with a range of companies.
 

Naida Glavish

Naida was the toll operator who was criticised for greeting customers with "kia ora" in 1984. She was initially demoted over this. But public opinion was firmly behind her and now New Zealand greets the world with “kia ora”.

Since then Naida has continued to lead the way for whānau, advocating for her own mokopuna and “everyone else’s”. As General Manager of Māori Health and Chief Advisor, Tikanga, for the Auckland District Health Board, she promotes the vision for Māori health as “100 percent Māori customer focus”. An example is her fight for the rights of tūpāpaku within the health system and her insistence that they be treated with deep respect.

Naida has been a Commissioner for Te Ohu Kaimoana and is a member of the iwi Leaders Forum.
 

Hon John Tamihere

Chief Executive Officer, TE WHANAU O WAIPAREIRA

John Tamihere is of Ngāti Porou, Whakatohea and Tainui descent.

He gained an Arts and Law Degree from Auckland University and served as a Cabinet Minister in the Labour Government from 2002-2004.

John is the Chief Executive of the Waipareira Trust; he also hosts a talkback show on Radio Live and presents Think Tank, a TV show currently being aired on TV3. His weekly newspaper column in the Sunday News also keeps him busy.

He was Voted Man of the Year by Metro Magazine in 1998, New Zealander of the Year by North and South Magazine in 1997 and Person of the Year by Sunday Star Times in 1997.

John is former Chairman of NZ Maori Rugby League Board, an active member of the community and is involved in land and commercial law.

Dr Leonie Pihama

Dr Leonie Pihama (Te Atiawa, Ngati Mahanga, Nga Mahanga a Tairi) is the mother of six children and has had extensive involvement in Māori Education, with involvement in Te Kōhanga Reo, Puna Reo, Maori language immersion units, Kura Kaupapa Māori. and Wharekura. She is actively involved with Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae.

Her Masters thesis examined the Parenting programme ‘Parents as First Teachers’ and the relevance of the programme to Māori whānau, and her Doctoral thesis provided an outline of Mana Wahine, a Maori woman’s theoretical framework based within Kaupapa Maori. She has been involved in a wide range of research and evaluation projects including: Evaluating the Framework for Measuring the Effectiveness of Corrections Programmes for Māori for the Department of Corrections; Meeting the Needs of Māori Victims of Crime; Evaluation of Programmes for the Protected of Māori Adult Persons under the Domestic Violence Act 1995. She has completed a number of literature reviews including one on Māori pedagogies for ITPNZ which is being utilised as a framework for exploring Māori e-learning pedagogies and a series of Baseline Data Reviews for Te Puni Kōkiri. Dr Pihama has been recipient of a number of academic awards including being a recipient of the Vice-Chancellors Development Fund (University of Auckland) and holder of the Hohua Tūtengaehe Post Doctoral Fellowship.

Dr Pihama is the Research Director for Māori and Indigenous Analysis Ltd. She is also Senior Research Fellow at the Te Kotahi Research Institute at Waikato University and is Adjunct Professor at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. Previous to these positions Dr Pihama was the Director of The Internatlonal Research Institute for Māori and Indigenous Education (IRI), also at the University of Auckland.She was also a Director for Māori Television for four years through its establishment phase, and is currently serving as a member on the Health Research Council (HRC), Māori Health Committee.

Her recent research involvement includes being Co-Investigator on the following projects: Māori Priorities for Life Stage Research:Hapū Ora’ (Funded by Health Research Council); ‘Māori Whānau Experiences of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) (Funded by Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga); ‘He Kākano: Māori Views and Experienes of Fertiity, Reproduction and ART (Te Atawhai o Te Ao).
She is currently co-investigator on ‘Understanding the pedagogy of school-based marae: A culturally responsive learning context in secondary schools’ (Funded by Teaching and Learning Research Initiative, NZCER) and is a co-Investigator on a Māori Education Scoping Research with the New Zealand Council of Educational Research. Dr Pihama has recently completed the Inaugural Fulbright/Nga Pae o Te Maramatanga Senior Research Scholar Award at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Associate Professor Manuka Henare

BA (Hons), PhD (VUW), MInstD

Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri, Ngāti Kuri
Associate Dean Māori & Pacific Development
Director, Mira Szászy Research Centre
University of Auckland Business School

Manuka Henare is a consultant and researcher in the private sector with a specialty in Māori business enterprise and development economics. He has advised government departments, local authorities and other institutions on bicultural policies and has also served on government advisory committees on social policy, development assistance, peace and disarmament, archives and history.

He joined the University of Auckland Business School in 1996 where he is responsible for Māori business development. He is Associate Dean (Māori and Pacific Development) and Associate Professor in Māori Business Development in the Department of Management and International Business. Manuka is also the foundation Director of the Mira Szászy Research Centre for Māori and Pacific Economic Development and leads a number of multidisciplinary research project teams. He is Academic Coordinator of the Tohu Huanga Māori Graduate Programme in Business Development and teaches Māori business and economic history, strategy, and management of tribal enterprises.

Manuka is a Board member of the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) and Chair of its Audit and Risk Committe. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and consultant. Prior to his university career he held senior management positions in the not-for-profit sector for 28 years involved in international development, justice and peace, and has travelled extensively throughout Asia, the Pacific and Europe.

Ann Milne

Ann is the principal of Kia Aroha College (Years 7 to 13) in Otara, Manukau City.  Kia Aroha College was established this year through the merger of two former schools, Clover Park Middle School and Te Whanau o Tupuranga. The journey of these three schools demonstrates the commitment of the community to provide an alternative to conventional schooling options which have failed Maori learners. The school’s designated-character is focused on Maori and Pasifika bilingual education, critical, culturally relevant pedagogy and social justice. 

As a Pakeha educator, Ann is a strong advocate for different approaches to address the issues that impact on the education of Maori and Pasifika students.  In 2004 she was the recipient of both the New Zealand Education Administration & Leadership Society’s (NZEALS) Konica Minolta/Dame Jean Herbison Scholarship and the President’s Research Award.  In 2007 she was the NZEALS Visiting Scholar, speaking to audiences throughout New Zealand, and in 2009 Ann won the Auckland Savings Bank/Auckland Primary Principals’ Association Travelling Fellowship. 

Ann’s Master’s thesis, “They didn’t care about normal kids like me.” Restructuring a school to fit the kids.” describes the journey of the schools and community towards a learning approach that is based in the concept of whanau and is relevant to its Maori and Pasifika learners.  Ann’s Doctoral thesis “Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools” (completion by end of 2011), challenges the endemic white privilege that dominates what counts as knowledge and achievement in our education system.  The research examines the barriers this pervasive thinking creates for whanau and for Maori and Pasifika learners in the development of a secure cultural identity at school.