Rata is a Kairangahau (Senior Researcher) at Kitson Consulting, which is a Kaupapa Māori led consultancy empowering indigenous knowledge in environmental science and conservation.

Rata holds a Masters in Marine Biology and a Post Graduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies.

Rata has a deep love and connection with the awa and moana, finding strength and inspiration in their presence. She cherishes every opportunity to be out on the moana and whenua with her whānau.

Raukūmara Pae Maunga is the largest iwi led restoration project in Aotearoa. It is their way of responding to the health of the ngahere, restoring the mana and mauri from the last standing native ngahere left in the north island from Maunga to Moana.

They are utilising every tool in their kete to ensure their mission is a success, leading the largest 1080 operation in the North Island, the most unique ungulate programme supported by strong engagement over a period of 8 years building iwi momentum and connecting back to the beloved Raukūmara.

Dr. Shannan Crow has spent nearly 20 years at NIWA, working across a wide array of freshwater research projects. His true passion, however, lies in the study of freshwater fish. Shannan has worked on eel fisheries management around the world, but his main focus is on tuna fisheries assessments with iwi.

Shannan is passionate about sustainable fisheries and enjoys working closely with indigenous communities. When he’s not in the lab or out in the field, you’ll find him exploring the great outdoors and capturing landscapes with his camera.

Kura Paul-Burke is the project leader for Te Wahapū o Waihī, Board Member at Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whakahemo and Professor of Marine Science – Mātai Moana at the University of Waikato.

Roana Bennett is the project co-ordinator for Te Wahapū o Waihī and the General Manager at Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketū.

Natalya is the current Waitiaki Coordinator at the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board, actioning the Section 33 powers transferred to the iwi in 2020.

Mahora is in her final year completing a Master of Science in Environmental Science at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.

Riaki, alongside his brothers Manawa and Kahu, continues the legacy of their Papa, Bill Ruru. Bill was a quiet but staunch advocate for other kaitiaki and kaitiakitanga. He would often remark that you will know when the mauri has been restored when you can put tuna back on the marae tables for your manuhiri.

Riaki has a Bachelor of Science (Geography and Environmental Management) and is a Director of the Mauri Compass.

Fleur Passau has strong ties to the whenua and wai of Te Moana o Kawhia and Tahaaroa, as a descendant of Ngaati Mahuta and Ngaati Kiriwai. She is passionate about the environment, sustainability, and food sovereignty, and has remained deeply connected to her marae and the surrounding water bodies. Since returning to Tahaaroa, she has immersed herself in tikanga and kaupapa supporting whenua and wai preservation. As a Trustee of the Tahaaroa Lakes Trust, she has gained experience in research and monitoring the region’s five roto, working alongside NIWA scientists. Currently, she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Waikato.

Rhonda Tuaupiki Kerr considers the Tahaaroa lakes as more than just a home; they are treasured taonga of Ngaati Mahuta, deeply woven into the identity and sustenance of tangata whenua. Growing up, the lakes served as a playground, a source of learning, and a provider of kai and connection to the whenua. She cherishes those memories and the puuraakau shared by tupuna and kaumaatua. As kaitiaki, she feels the responsibility of protecting and preserving these waters for future generations, ensuring the lake remains a place of wānanga, whanaungatanga, and wellbeing, is both humbling and an honour.

Taituwha King is deeply grateful for the taonga he was raised around as a descendant of Ngaati Mahuta ki te Hauaauru and Ngaati Rangitaka. He credits this upbringing surrounded by those rich surroundings as sources of identity, strength, and nourishment, and is committed to preserving these taonga, to which he has dedicated his efforts, both physically—through environmental care—and academically—by recording his hapū pūrakau as a researcher and lecturer. His work aims to protect and honor these treasures for future generations.

Tina has over 20 years’ experience as an environmental planner and a tangata whenua advocate in the natural resource management space. Her mahi has included developing papakainga houses for social well being, facilitating environmental restoration programmes and engaging in national policy interventions on water, climate change and biodiversity. Her expertise is in connecting mātauranga Māori with technical skills in the planning field to build win-win outcomes for the environment and our sustainable businesses. Tina founded Poipoia, a kaupapa Māori environmental services company in 2016.

Steve Carrick is a Pou Mātai Kō, Cultural Land Management Advisor, at Kaunihera Taiao ki Waitaha Environment Canterbury. He was a hunter gatherer from a young age and has became conversant with mahika kai and mātauraka with Kelly Davis, Nō Waihao and Karl Russell, nō Arowhenua for over 30 years. He has been working towards a Masters in Freshwater Resource Management at the University of Canterbury.

Wikitōria Tāne is Managing Director of Trust Waiwaiā Ltd. Trust Waiwaiā’s main focus is indigenous kaupapa that restore Ngāti Maniapoto uri whakatupu to their roots. She has 10 years involvement in kaupapa taiao. Wikitōria is a former Maniapoto Māori Trust Board taiao team member, and former trustee of MMTB, Te Nehenehenenui Trust, Waihikurangi Trust and until recently was the Maniapoto appointee to Waikato River Authority. Wikitōria is an avid advocate of protection and restoration of the taiao.

Mātua Karl has dedicated over 50 years to serving his hapū and iwi in the space of te taiao. His journey spans from gathering kai for whānau to leading roles in environmental monitoring through a mātauranga Māori lens. He has served as a senior cultural advisor in areas such as resource consenting, eel management, and long-term iwi planning. Known as a tohunga mahinga kai, he has represented hapū and iwi in numerous environmental hearings and recently won the Water NZ National Stormwater award with Aoraki Environmental Consultancy.

Dr. Melanie Cheung, a Ngāti Rangitihi neurobiologist, has worked across academia, health, and Indigenous innovation projects in Aotearoa, Canada, and the USA. Recognised for her work in neuroplasticity therapies for Māori with Huntington’s disease, she has received multiple prestigious awards. Currently, she collaborates with the Winnemem Wintu tribe in California to rematriate Chinook salmon from Aotearoa back to their ancestral river, and also works with the Abundant Intelligences Indigenous AI Network to integrate Indigenous knowledge with AI. Her research is deeply rooted in mātauranga and tikanga, which guide and shape her work and its outcomes.

Lucky Ruha is based in Rotorua and is the Matāuranga Māori Freshwater Co-ordinator for Tūhourangi. He recently began his first role in Aotearoa through a two-year contract with Te Arawa River Iwi Trust. With a tohu in Mental Health and Community Services, he is dedicated to supporting vulnerable communities and recognises the deep, complex relationship between mental health and the environment. As a kaitiaki, Lucky is passionate about restoring and protecting te taiao while improving the wellbeing of our people and the health of our rivers.

Originally from Whanganui, Dan works as an ecologist across a variety of ecological restoration and iwi partnership projects in te Tau Ihu. He has been involved as a project manager as part of the Moawhitu resotraion project since 2018. The Rangatahi are part of the current CHI wananga based at Moawhitu around wai māori and directed by the maramataka, enabling them to be in sync with the taiao.

Cordelle is the current project lead for the latest Wai Māori funding. Moawhitu Wai Ararau.