Dr Heather Gifford

Ngāti Hauiti Representative

Pepeha:

Ko Ngāti Hauiti te iwi

Ko Ngāti Haukaha te hūpu

Ko Rata te marae

Ko Tawhara Pirere toku kuia

Ko Mapeka (bubs) Hyland toku māmā

Personal Statement:

I have represented Ngāti Hauiti on numerous boards. I am currently the Ngāti Haukaha rep on Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hauiti, a Board member of Whakauae Research Services and the Ngāti Hauiti rep for Mōkai Pātea Services Trust.

I bring a range of experience and knowledge to the role of iwi governance. I am a registered nurse having worked in the field of child and family health from 1980-1987. I then moved into the tertiary education sector where I tutored and coordinated programmes for the Whanganui Community Polytechnic. In 1996 I returned to study completing a PhD in Māori Public Health at Te Pumanawa Hauora, Massey University. In 2005 in collaboration with Ngāti Hauiti I established Whakauae Research, an iwi based research centre, where I was the director for ten years.  I am passionate about using evidence and good data to inform our decisions at an iwi level.