Speaker Profiles

Hareruia (Ruia) Aperahama | Tariana Turia | Dr Elana Taipapaki Curtis | Peter Crampton | Dr Paratene Ngata | Professor Sitaleki Finau | Don Matheson | The Whiu Whanau | Dr Louise Signal

Hareruia (Ruia) Aperahama

The Conference will be facilitated by Ruia Aperahama, not only is Ruia an experienced facilitator he is also a composer, singer, entertainer, an artist, trained primary school teacher, a radio host on Auckland Maori Radio Waatea 603 am.

In addition, he is a translator of Maori-English, English-Maori, a Managing Director of his own Production Company and Chairperson of the Maori Music Industry Coalition (MMIC).  He is fluent in both Maori and English languages, Maori being his first language. He is respected for his knowledge of Maori custom and lore.

Ruia gained his international reputation when his hit song “What’s the Time Mr Wolf” became a top five gold selling hit and featured in the widely acclaimed movie, “Once were Warriors.” He is the recipient of two prestigious New Zealand music industry Tui Awards and a songwriter award. Since 2001 he has released 4 albums all of which have been finalists in the Vodaphone NZ Tui Awards.  Two have won the Tui Award for Best Maori Album of the year, ‘Waiata of Bob Marley Volume 1’ in 2001, and ‘Hawaiki’ in 2004.  In the same year he won the ‘APRA Maioha Maori songwriter of the year award’.

He is an honorary recipient of the Toi Iho™ Maori made trade mark that recognises individuals who are of Maori descent, and guarantees the product is of high quality. Ruia's music CDs carries this mark.

He is studying towards his Post Graduate Diploma in Business (Maori Development) at the Graduate School of Enterprise, University of Auckland Business School.  Ruia is an associate researcher with the Mira Szászy Research Centre for Maori and Pacific Economic Development, University of Auckland Business School.

Ruia’s website is: www.ruia.co.nz

Tariana Turia

Tariana Turia is of Whanganui, Ngati Apa, Nga Rauru, and Tuwharetoa descent. She is the Member of Parliament for Te Tai Hauauru (the Maori electorate within which Ratana Pa is situated), Co-Leader if the Maori Party, and a Member of the Parliamentary Health Select Committee.

Tariana has a long history in Maori Iwi development, especially in the areas of health, employment, education, and caring for children and young people.

She was among those who initiated the development of Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority (a large Maori Health Service provider of primary, medical, community, and mental disability support services in the Central Region) and served as their Chief Executive.

She was previously a Labour member of Parliament and she has had former Associate Minister roles in Health, Maori Affairs, Social Services and Employment, Housing and Corrections.

Dr Elana Taipapaki Curtis

Dr Curtis is a Maori Public Health Medicine Specialist (Te Arawa) who has experience in research and policy concerned with eliminating ethnic and indigenous inequalities in health. In 2004 - 2005, Elana was a Harkness Fellow in Healthcare Policy at the Division of Internal Medicine, University of California - San Francisco, investigating ethnic disparities in breast cancer survival in the United States.

Elana is currently employed as Senior Lecturer Medical and Kaiarahi of the Certificate in Health Sciences, University of Auckland.

She is a member of the Independent Monitoring Group for the National Cervical Cancer Screening Programme, Maori Cardiovascular Advisory Group to the NZ Guidelines Group, the Clinical Reference Group - Unequal Treatment in Ischaemic Heart Disease with Te Ropu Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pomare and is actively involved in organising the upcoming Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (PRIDoC) being held in Aotearoa in December.

Peter Crampton

Peter Crampton is Head of the Department of Public Health at the wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Peter worked in general practice before becoming a public health physician and researcher.

His special research interests include the determinants of health and inequalities (he, Clare Salmond and Frances Sutton developed the NZDep Index) and primary health care policies, including how health promotion and primary care can work together.

Peter also works with the Ministry of Health in policy related to public health and primary care, and with a variety of public health primart health care organisations.

Dr Paratene Ngata

Paratene?s iwi affiliation is Ngata Porou/Te Aitanga a Hauiti/Ngati Ira.  He works as a general practitioner for Ngati Porou Hauora at the Uawa Community Health Centre in Tolaga Bay, and is an advisor to Ngati Porou Hauora.

Paratene?s previous work includes extensive experience in general practice, studying public health, and being a Medical Officer in the Department of Health where, together with Eru Pomare and Mason Durie, he led the influential 1984 Hui Whakaoranga. Paratene has leading roles in Maori workforce development and the education of medical students and general practitioners. He is a strong advocate for ending violence in families and communities.

The Public Health Association recognised Paratene?s enormous contribution to Maoir health and public health by making him the 2000 Public Health Champion. In 2004 Otago University Awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws.

Professor Sitaleki Finau

Sitaleki ‘Ata'ata Finau was born in Masilamea, Tonga.  He attended several primary schools at Te'ekiu, Nukunuku, Nuku'alofa and Toloa.  He entered Tonga High School in 1961, and Auckland Grammar School in 1967.  He later attended the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, graduating in 1975 from the School of Medicine, and in1981 graduated from the University of Otago, New Zealand with a Postgraduate Diploma of Community Health
. Since 1994, he has been a registered public health specialist in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific.

He worked as a resident at Townsville General Hospital in 1976 and moved to Broken Hill District Hospital in 1977 as a surgical and emergency medicine registrar. During 1978 and 1979, he was the Medical Officer in charge of Medical Ward and Medical Clinics, Vaiola Hospital, Tonga. He was also the sole medical officer at ‘Ni'ui Hospital at ‘Eua Island, Tonga in 1984.

The staffs at Vaiola Hospital were inundated with work that he started to look at alternatives to deliver health care to more people at the same cost. So he became a  MRC Training Research Fellow at the Epidemiology Unit, Wellington Hospital from 1980 to 1982.  During this time he participated in the Tokelau Island Migrant Study and analysed data from Tonga 1973 Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease Study.
He returned to Tonga in 1983 and took over the Community Health Services, consisting of primary health care, non-communicable disease programmes, epidemiology, and the rural health centres of Tonga's Ministry of Health.  In December 1985 he became the lecturer and coordinator of the Health Management Programme, and later the Assistant Head of the School of Social and Economic Development, at University of the South Pacific in Fiji.

He had since worked as:  Assistant Professor for the University of Hawaii in Pohnpei; the Manager of Community Health Service for South Pacific Commission; Senior District Medical Officer and Public Health Specialist with the Remote Health Services and the Royal Australian Flying Doctors in Alice Spring, Central Australia; senior lecturer at the University of Auckland Medical school; and  the Professor of Public Health at Fiji School of Medicine, Fiji in 2001 t0 2006. In June 2006 Professor Sitaleki became the Director of the Pasifika at Massey Strategy to put Pacificans in Massey University  and Massey in and among the Pacific populations.

Sitaleki is also interested in tennis, rugby, people, and food. He dabbles in writing of poetry and short stories mainly for his three children. He is passionate about all matters Pacific and cultural democracy.

Don Matheson

Don Matheson brings to the position of Deputy Director General Public Health, a background in public health, health service management, and general practice.

In his career, he has worked as both a clinician and a manager of projects establishing community controlled primary health care organisations, both locally and internationally.

Don has specialist qualifications in public health, and joined the Ministry after a period as General Manager of Public Health with the Health Funding Authority.

Prior to that he was a rural health service manager on the North Islands East Coast, and worked closely with the local Maori community to establish a Maori health service provider, Ngati Porou Hauora. In the 1980s he helped establish the Newtown Union Health Service, and a national network of community controlled primary health care organisations. Earlier in his career he worked for Oxfam (UK) and the Zimbabwe government establishing a primary care system in a remote rural area.

The Whiu Whanau

Lloyd WHIU: I claim descent from the Waikato sub-tribe of Ngāti Māhanga & the far north sub-tribes of Ngāpuhi - (Ngai Tawake ki Te Waokū / Ngāti Rangi / Ngāti Moerewa). I have extensive knowledge & experience in Māori performing arts including regional & national kapa haka representation. I am skilled in the Māori martial arts of Mau-rākau in both long & short weapons & have held various Mau-rākau Wānanga on Marae (involving youth) in Kāwhia. I utilise this traditional knowledge base to support & strengthen my current position in Health Promotion.

Hinga WHIU: I claim descent (on my mother's side) from the Ngāti Hikairo coastal tribe of the Kāwhia harbour. I also claim descent from the Kai Tahu people of Te Waipounamu. I am a married mother of eight children & have been involved in Health promotion for over 12 years.
Together with our tamariki - Hohaia (m) 19yrs; Takukoha (f) 16yrs; Te Auripo (m) 11yrs; Te Mihinga (f) 9yrs; Kōtuku (f) 7yrs; Rongomai (f) 5yrs & Amohia (f) 3yrs - are the key personnel, which make up Te Kārito Kura Wānanga.

We have been actively promoting and developing all aspects of tikanga Māori for the benefit of youth regionally and nationally. This has been achieved by the development of several specialised programmes being delivered into mainstream & kura kaupapa since 1995. With over 1,500 venues visited & over 130,000 participants having shared our kaupapa.

Māui Tamatoa is the end result of over ten years work. The base whāriki upon which its designs were woven was laid down during that time. The legends & fundamental messages that we promote are not new, in fact, they are centuries old. Our task here has been to bring them to life in a way appropriate to our particular facial Tā-moko & in doing so impart, in some small way old age teachings that are still relevant today.

Dr Louise Signal

Louise is a Senior Lecturer in health promotion at the Department of Public Health in Wellington School of Medicine.

She Chairs the Health Promotion Forum?s Academic Reference Group. Louise is a social scientist and has worked and researched in health promotion for 20 years.

Her research interests include tackling inequalities in health, the determinants of health, health impact assessments, tobacco control, nutrition and physical activity.

Louise works with the Ministry of Health and non-governmental organisations. She is a New Zealand member of the Editorial Advisory Committee of the Health Promotion Journal of Australia.

She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in health promotion, and co-convenes the undergraduate, distance-taught Otago University Certificate in Health Promotion.