The 29th of October 2021 will be remembered as a significant date for the Whakauae team as we farewelled our founding Director and colleague Dr Heather Gifford who has moved on to the next phase of her life of semi-retirement. It is with deep aroha that we recognise and acknowledge Heather's role with Whakauae Research; the passion and dedication which she has brought to our organisation; and the legacy she has established as a champion for Māori health research.
Heather was the driving force behind the establishment of Whakauae Research in 2005 on the back of completing her Doctor of Philosophy in Māori Studies at Massey University. At that time, establishing an independent health research centre outside of the mainstream tertiary setting was a bold and courageous move – one that was almost impossible to conceive. Up until that time most Māori health research centres were integrated within universities or polytechnic institutions. Whakauae were the first, and to date remain the only, iwi owned and mandated Māori health research centre in Aotearoa.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hauiti wasted no time in supporting Heather's vision, having seen and recognised her passion and capability while studying for her PhD researching into the historical, social, economic and cultural context of smoking for Ngāti Hauiti tamariki, rangatahi and whānau. However, despite the strong backing of the iwi at an ideological level, the future of the fledgling entity - Whakauae Research for Māori Health and Development - was far from secure. The long-term viability and sustainability of the organisation required a dedicated workforce, academic credibility, ongoing funding, and infrastructure amongst other things.
Nonetheless through Heather's unwavering commitment and resolve Whakauae steadily grew. Starting with herself and one other colleague, Gill Potaka-Osborne, under Heathers leadership, Whakauae actively increased its capacity through a series of contract research and evaluation projects and then, longer-term funding through the Health Research Council. This approach eventually enabled Whakauae to increase permanent staff from an original two to nine.
During her time as Director, Whakauae was able to employ additional academic staff with master's, PhD, and postdoctoral research experience and over time, Whakauae was also able to support additional PhD and postdoctoral students to complete their qualifications. Academic excellence, a foundational principle for the organisation was always coupled with a philosophy of service for our people. The qualities of leadership demonstrated by Heather, who is recognised not only as a leader amongst the people of Ngāti Hauiti, but also as a leader in the field of tobacco control research, are myriad.
Heather's vision has always focused on the role that research can and must play in advancing the aims and aspirations of Māori to flourish. As the Director of Whakauae, Heather identified and drew out the unique skills and abilities of her team, bringing the team together in such a way that, under her leadership, we have been able to make a significant contribution both to the academy and to the wellbeing of our people.
Whakauae Research Services Ltd occupies a unique place in the Māori research field, marrying academic excellence with research that meets the needs and desires of the people of Ngāti Hauiti, and Māori whānau more broadly. This is Heather's legacy. She leaves our centre as a pre-eminent leader in Māori health research to continue her leadership journey with her own people, Ngāti Hauiti.
E te Amorangi – nei rā te tuku aroha ki a koe, kei te mihi ki a koe mō āu mahi katoa i tūtukitia i ngā tau roa kua hipa, nā reira ka tino mokemoke mātou i koe - nā mātau nā tō whānau ki Whakauae.
We give our love to you our leader, we acknowledge and give thanks for everything that you have accomplished over the years, for this reason we will truly miss you - from us your whānau at Whakauae.
