On Friday, 17th of April 2026, colleagues, partners, and whānau convened at Auckland University of Technology South Campus in Manukau to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Taupua Waiora Māori Research Centre. Dr Amohia Boulton attended the celebration as Whakauae Research Services Ltd have been involved in the life of this centre since its inception.
The event commenced with karakia and mihi whakatau, bringing together past and present directors, kaimahi, researchers, and collaborators from the previous two decades. Current Director, Associate Professor Isaac Warbrick, formally opened the hui, acknowledging those who had passed, those who had contributed and were still contributing, to the centre and the many tamariki in the audience who will go on to become ngā rangatira mō āpōpō.
Former Director, Professor Denise Wilson opened the formal presentations with her reflections on the origins and development of Taupua Waiora. At its founding in 2006, the centre primarily focused on Māori access to health services, health promotion, and workforce development. Appointed Director in 2010, during a period of uncertainty within the university, Professor Wilson described the challenges of developing a research centre with only limited staff. Initial efforts, therefore, concentrated on student supervision and establishing the foundation for a robust research pipeline.
Since that time, Denise herself has supported 17 PhD and 16 Masters students to complete their studies and the centre has benefitted from the work of a further six post-doctoral fellows including Dr Laurie Morrison, one of the few Māori health researchers investigating gambling from a public health perspective and Assoc Prof Makarena Dudley, the Deputy Director Māori at the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland. Denise noted that with a small cohort of post-doctoral researchers, the centre was able to grow a pipeline and establish career pathways for Māori and Pasifika researchers, fostering academic skills and leadership within the sector. Professor Wilson also acknowledged key partners, including Whakauae and international collaborators, as being integral to the centre's ongoing development.
Presentations and panel discussions throughout the event highlighted the breadth of research emerging from Taupua Waiora, including studies on trauma, hauora, digital innovation, health service transformation, and te taiao. Kōrero from researchers and alumni reflected the diversity of research fields in which Taupua Waiora kaimahi work, how research approaches are grounded in mātauranga Māori, and the centrality of community, place, and whenua in all research endeavours.
The day concluded with some final words from the inaugural Director Dr Mihi Ratima, who alongside her husband Dr Will Edwards now leads Taumata Associates, a Māori Public Health and Development Consultancy based in Hāwera. Mihi reiterated six critical success factors, which underpin the approach Taupua Waiora take to research, namely an unconditional focus on equity; community leadership; the need to take a long-term view; valuing of community strengths; and the need to be pragmatic.
In a time when Māori research is labouring under policy changes that have stripped resourcing and opportunities for community-based, and community-led research, being able to come together and celebrate a true success story of Māori research and Māori research capacity building was a real delight. It was wonderful to catch up with many researchers who are still research active and striving towards the goals of equity and system transformation. Taupua Waiora are achieving remarkable results with their mahi, and we look forward to supporting them in their ongoing efforts to undertake research that makes a real difference for our whānau.
On Friday, 17th of April 2026, colleagues, partners, and whānau convened at Auckland University of Technology South Campus in Manukau to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Taupua Waiora Māori Research Centre. Dr Amohia Boulton attended the celebration as Whakauae Research Services Ltd have been involved in the life of this centre since its inception.
The event commenced with karakia and mihi whakatau, bringing together past and present directors, kaimahi, researchers, and collaborators from the previous two decades. Current Director, Associate Professor Isaac Warbrick, formally opened the hui, acknowledging those who had passed, those who had contributed and were still contributing, to the centre and the many tamariki in the audience who will go on to become ngā rangatira mō āpōpō.
Former Director, Professor Denise Wilson opened the formal presentations with her reflections on the origins and development of Taupua Waiora. At its founding in 2006, the centre primarily focused on Māori access to health services, health promotion, and workforce development. Appointed Director in 2010, during a period of uncertainty within the university, Professor Wilson described the challenges of developing a research centre with only limited staff. Initial efforts, therefore, concentrated on student supervision and establishing the foundation for a robust research pipeline.
Since that time, Denise herself has supported 17 PhD and 16 Masters students to complete their studies and the centre has benefitted from the work of a further six post-doctoral fellows including Dr Laurie Morrison, one of the few Māori health researchers investigating gambling from a public health perspective and Assoc Prof Makarena Dudley, the Deputy Director Māori at the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland. Denise noted that with a small cohort of post-doctoral researchers, the centre was able to grow a pipeline and establish career pathways for Māori and Pasifika researchers, fostering academic skills and leadership within the sector. Professor Wilson also acknowledged key partners, including Whakauae and international collaborators, as being integral to the centre's ongoing development.
Presentations and panel discussions throughout the event highlighted the breadth of research emerging from Taupua Waiora, including studies on trauma, hauora, digital innovation, health service transformation, and te taiao. Kōrero from researchers and alumni reflected the diversity of research fields in which Taupua Waiora kaimahi work, how research approaches are grounded in mātauranga Māori, and the centrality of community, place, and whenua in all research endeavours.
The day concluded with some final words from the inaugural Director Dr Mihi Ratima, who alongside her husband Dr Will Edwards now leads Taumata Associates, a Māori Public Health and Development Consultancy based in Hāwera. Mihi reiterated six critical success factors, which underpin the approach Taupua Waiora take to research, namely an unconditional focus on equity; community leadership; the need to take a long-term view; valuing of community strengths; and the need to be pragmatic.
In a time when Māori research is labouring under policy changes that have stripped resourcing and opportunities for community-based, and community-led research, being able to come together and celebrate a true success story of Māori research and Māori research capacity building was a real delight. It was wonderful to catch up with many researchers who are still research active and striving towards the goals of equity and system transformation. Taupua Waiora are achieving remarkable results with their mahi, and we look forward to supporting them in their ongoing efforts to undertake research that makes a real difference for our whānau.
