Nick Rāhiri Roskruge (Ātiawa, Ngāti Tama-ariki, Ngāti Porou) is a retired Professor of Ethnobotany and Horticulture, and currently serves as a Research Fellow with Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. He is Chair of the XXI International Plant Protection Congress to be held in Christchurch in 2027, an affiliate member of the NZX Food Science Research Centre, and a member of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) College of Assessors.
Nick is also actively involved in international Indigenous knowledge and environmental research initiatives, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Transformative Change and Nexus Assessments. He was recently appointed Co-Chair of the IPBES Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) Working Group through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Originally from North Taranaki, Nick remains closely involved in Māori development initiatives and iwi interests within his rohe. He completed his PhD in Soil Science, focusing on the role of mātauranga Māori in land use decision-making models. In 2013, he received a Fulbright Award and undertook research and professional development at Cornell University, including work with the American Indian Programme and several universities in the United States in the areas of ethnobotany and potato genomics.
Nick previously served as both a member and Chair of Ngā Kaihautū Tikanga Taiao, the Māori advisory committee to the Environmental Protection Authority, and later as a member of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Committee.
His governance and advisory experience span a wide range of Māori and Pacific development initiatives, particularly in horticulture, Indigenous knowledge systems, food security, and environmental stewardship. He currently serves as Chair of Tahuri Whenua, Chair of Te Rōpū Kaipūka (New Zealand Native Flora Seedbank), and Chair of the Aotearoa Genomics Data Repository Advisory Board.
Nick’s professional interests centre on Indigenous food systems, crop resilience, farmer training, and sustainable land use across Aotearoa, the Pacific, and the Americas, with longstanding relationships in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Chile, and Peru.
Nick joined the Whakauae Research Services Board in 2025, bringing extensive expertise in governance, research, and Indigenous development to the organisation. His work reflects a longstanding commitment to advancing kaupapa Māori research, mātauranga Māori, Indigenous food systems, and practical outcomes for community-focused development both within Aotearoa and internationally. Nick’s depth of experience, strategic leadership, and strong grounding in Indigenous knowledge systems align strongly with the vision of Whakauae to advance Māori health and wellbeing through research excellence.
