About me
Kia ora, greetings all
I'm always excited to attend AES conferences and the Wayfinding theme of aes24 speaks to my heritage and culture. This year with my family I holidayed in beautiful Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. We visited the site where the waka (Māori watercraft/vessel) of our wayfinding ancestors departed for Aotearoa New Zealand.
I joined the AES Board in 2017, and have been President since October 2021. I work with a great bunch of highly committed Board members, the fantastic AES staff and so many dedicated AES members. If you're interested in governance and would like to understand more about how we work, come and have a yarn with me.
My evaluation interests are broad and I tend to work on culturally responsive evaluations that support the aspirations of the communities I work with, using Kaupapa Māori techniques.
I'm in the final year of my doctorate with Te Pūtahi a Toi, Massey University, where I'm exploring whānau (family) connection to ancestral lands and the positive wellbeing impacts for family. I also work as Research Programme Manager for Whakauae Research Services in Aotearoa New Zealand.
My iwi (tribal) affiliations are to Te Ātiawa ki Waikanae, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāi Tahu. I live and play on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) Country, on the Sunshine Coast, Australia.