OUR KEYNOTES SPEAKERS
Professor Marcia Langton
Associate Provost, University of Melbourne
Professor Marcia Langton AO is an anthropologist and geographer, and since 2000 has held the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne. She has produced a large body of knowledge in the areas of political and legal anthropology, Indigenous agreements and engagement with the minerals industry, and Indigenous culture and art. Her role in the Empowered Communities project under contract to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and as a member of the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians are evidence of Professor Langton’s academic reputation, policy commitment and impact, alongside her role as a prominent public intellectual.
Keynote Panel
Maybelle McLeod
CEO of Kimihauora Health & Research Clinic
Tamapore Marae
Maybelle McLeod is the CEO of Kimihauora Health & Research Clinic, based at Tamapahore Marae in Tauranga Moana. She is a trained nurse and using her knowledge in this space was one of four lead whānau researchers who worked collaboratively with cancer genetic researchers at the University of Otago to discover the cause of so many deaths in the McLeod whānau – a variation in the CDH1 gene. Maybelle has oversight of everything that is happening in the CDH1 space within the McLeod whānau and has extended that interest to CDH1 whānau around the country.
Erin Gardiner
Whānau Clinical Coordinator at Kimihauora Health & Research Clinic
Tamapore Marae
Erin Gardiner is the Clinical Manager at Kimihauora Health & Research Clinic, based at Tamapahore Marae in Tauranga Moana. She took over this role from her mother, Pauline Harawira, who was one of the four main whānau researchers in the original research project. Erin primarily helps to coordinate the clinical management of the CDH1 gene within the McLeod whānau, working closely with clinicians at Tauranga Hospital. She has also helped many other whānau throughout Aotearoa New Zealand to navigate through the CDH1 process.
Associate Professor Karyn Paringatai
Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka | University of Otago
Ngāti Porou
Karyn Paringatai is a member of a CDH1 whānau and an Associate Professor in Te Tumu – School of Māori, Pacific & Indigenous Studies at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago. She has been working closely with Kimihauora Health & Research Clinic for the last five years to ensure that there is equitable access for CDH1 whānau across the country within the healthcare system, that clinicians are more aware of CDH1 whānau needs that are grounded in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, and that whānau are empowered throughout their CDH1 journey.
Che Wilson
Poukura (Director) of Naia Limited, Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Board member
Ngāti Rangi-Whanganui, Tūwharetoa, Mōkai Pātea, Ngāti Apa, Ngā Rauru
Che Wilson was raised in a large whānau in Ohakune at the foot of Koro Ruapehu. With a career that spans governance, leadership, and cultural advocacy, Che has held prestigious roles such as Chair, Chief Executive, and chief negotiator of his iwi, as well as Deputy Secretary for the Ministry for the Environment. He also served as president of Te Pāti Māori. Notably, Che was initiated into his iwi whare wānanga before entering secondary school, highlighting his deep roots in Māori culture and tradition. Currently, Che is the Poukura (Director) of Naia Limited, a Māori consultancy with bases in Christchurch and Waikato. At Naia, Che focuses on tūpuna wisdom, serving as a guest speaker, researcher, leadership mentor, facilitator, resource developer, and podcaster on various social media platforms. His work also includes strategic planning and facilitation. Che is a director of Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation (AWHI), which supplies red meat, dairy, fibre, and manuka honey to both local and export markets. He chairs Te Reo o Whanganui, a board dedicated to the revitalisation of the Whanganui dialect, and is a board member of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. In 2013 and 2014, Che was part of the first Māori delegation of the Te Hono Movement to Stanford University, underscoring his commitment to advancing Māori leadership and knowledge globally.
Kirikowhai Mikaere
Founder, Managing Director Te Wehi, Data specialist
Te Arawa – Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue
Ms Mikaere is a leading Māori data and information specialist focused on harnessing information to empower indigenous community development. She is a consultant with over 20 years’ experience advising Ministers, government agencies, tribal, community and private sector organisations with practical statistical analysis and innovative place based data solutions.
Ms Mikaere is currently the lead technical advisor to the Aotearoa New Zealand National Iwi (Tribal) Chairs Forum – Data Leadership Group, leads the independent trust Te Kāhui Raraunga and holds governance positions across the private sector and government, including with her tribe (Chair – Tūhourangi Tribal Authority, Trustee – Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa), Māori Health provider Manaaki Ora Trust (Deputy Chair), a Director of Waimangu Volcanic Valley and is a Ministerial appointed member of the New Zealand Science Board.
https://www.developmentbydesign.co.nz/
Manu Caddie
Entrepreneur, Influencer, Researcher
Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Hauā
Manu Caddie (Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Hauā) is a passionate entrepreneur, activist, and academic dedicated to Indigenous rights and sustainable development. Raised in Tauranga Moana, Manu has spent the last 25 years contributing significantly to community development and sustainable industry in Te Tairāwhiti. Manu’s journey in community development includes establishing a school for teenage parents, supporting various rangatahi projects, and co-founding Hikurangi Enterprises Ltd, a company focused on sustainable industry and job creation in the Waiapu Valley. He played a pivotal role in founding Hikurangi Bioactives Limited Partnership and Rua Bioscience, the latter being the first Māori community-founded company listed on the NZX, emphasizing medicinal cannabis and indigenous plant-based products. Currently, Manu is involved in various horticultural and biotech projects with Māori partners across Aotearoa, focusing on pharmaceuticals, clinical studies, and biodiversity. He recently chaired a science review panel for Plant & Food Research and participated in a UN meeting on biodiversity and ecosystem restoration.
