speakers



Kateriina Selwyn (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi)

He Whatu Aho Rua ki te Kākahu o Hine Raraunga – Te Kāhui Raraunga Programme Lead, Te Mana Whakatipu Programme

Kateriina is a Programme Manager at Te Kāhui Raraunga, leading out the design and delivery of Te Mana Whakatipu – a work programme dedicated to enhancing iwi Māori data capability and capacity. This includes supporting the implementation of the 2023 Iwi-Led Census and managing the design and roll-out of seven data analytics-focused initiatives. Kateriina’s experience working with Māori organisations across a diverse portfolio of industries has allowed her to undertake mahi that focuses on empowering Māori, through the design of strategies embedded with iwi Māori knowledge and perspective, enhancing the wider ecosystem of Māori development. Alongside her mahi, Kateriina actively serves in various governance roles across iwi organisations and iwi commercial boards.



Dr. Kay-Lee Jones (Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Kai, Te Whakatōhea)

Dr. Kay-Lee Jones (Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Kai, Te Whakatōhea) is a Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education at the University of Canterbury and a loving mother of three Māori, Samoan tamariki. Navigating the Aotearoa NZ education system both professionally and personally, she teaches and researches in kaupapa Māori, bilingual education, and educational equity. Her work champions culturally sustaining practices, language revitalisation, and Indigenous leadership in education, grounded in kaupapa Māori methodologies




Cheryl Meek 

Cheryl navigates traditional practices by recognising and respecting the cultural foundations that inform leadership roles while also advocating for change and inclusion. She strategically integrates contemporary leadership principles with ancestral wisdom, creating a bridge that empowers women to step into waka leadership positions. Through this transformative approach she inspires a new generation of female leaders to embrace their mana as a wahine and serve their communities positively. 




Tamarah Waiomio 

Ingoa- Tamarah Waiomio-Ashby 
Kaumatua- 18 
Hapu- Ngāti Hine me Ngati Kawa 
Iwi- Ngāpuhi 





Rangitihi Pene

Retired kaiako at Newlands College, Whanganui High School, Rotorua Lakes High, and Rotorua Boys' High. After starting my teaching career as a Geography and Social Studies teacher, i specialised in immersion education, setting up a Bilingual Unit at Rotorua Lakes and then teaching for 10 years in a similar unit at Rotorua Boys' High School. I was also a Deputy Principal and Senior Advisor for the Ministry of Education. I am now fully involved in iwi post-settlement entities. Live in Rotorua.




Dr. Makao Bowkett 

Dr Mākao Teresa Hahunga Bowkett known within PPTA as Te Mākao recieved her doctorate from Massey University in Palmerston North. A former Āpiha Māori of twenty-five years. During her term of office she oversaw kaupapa including national hui-ā-tau, Ngā Manu Kōrero and kapa haka. She was active in the CTU Rūnanga and held the position of co-convenor. While at PPTA she completed her doctorate in education investigating kaupapa Māori approaches to leadership in secondary schools. Te Mākao has been retired for the last five years in her home marae of Tarimano. She has continued to support her hapori through active engagement as a Trustee and Kaitiaki, and recently appointed secretary to the Tarimano Marae Trust. Her favourite leisure pursuits involve zumba, aquatic aerobics, playing ukulele with her husband Bob and renditions of Have You Ever Seen the Rain? By Creedence Clearwater Revival. Best of all she adores her darling mokopuna, Ella Mae and Ivie Kate Bowkett. Our mokopuna are the reason why we became teachers and educators and why we have to nurture Papatūānuku and in living side by side why we have to hold fast to our Treaty obligations within Aotearoa New Zealand.




Shona O'Keefe

Ko te waka o Takitimu me Horouta e mihi kau ana ki a koutou rā.  30 years plus in the education space has been the most rewarding and fulfilling  journeys to date.   Having the privilege of serving PPTA members on various PPTA committees and forums both nationally and internationally was fundamental to my success as a teacher and principal.  

The skills and relationships developed during this valued time  and more so as an active and  passionate member of PPTA have and continue to serve me well.  After resigning from my teaching career  in 2022 new and exciting pathways have opened. 

My new business MOU AKE provides policy, charter and strategic expertise to many and some of my new roles include coordinator for the Hawes Bay Marae Chairpersons forum, kaitiaki for Mohaka urupa, the judicial panel for Māori Youth Court  and a Kura Kaupapa Māori board member.

The invitation to be a member  of the interview panel at this conference is both an honor and privilege.  I hope my contributions at this time will be worthy of influence kātahi rā e ngā maunga whakahĩhĩ kua wananga mai i tēnei wā ka tuku i te mihi miharo ki a koutou rā, mauri tü, mauri ora!




Aperahama Edwards

Te tangi a Tukaiaia paorooro kau ana ki nga paringa o Te Akau Roa o Ngātiwai. He reo mihi, he reo whakamiha, he reo whakaoho. Kati, e ngā mana, e ngā tapu, ngā ihi, ngā wehi anei ra te reo mihi o Ngātiwai ka tukua ra ki a koutou.   

Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards is the current Chair of the Ngātiwai Trust Board and Te Whānau a Rangiwhakaahu Hapū.  

In his role as Chair of the Ngātiwai Trust Board he works diligently to uphold the boards vision to strengthen the wellbeing and prosperity of Ngātiwai.  

He is a recognised leader in Te Reo Māori and Mātauranga Māori across Te Tai Tokerau and has a track record in being part of many boards both within Te Tai Tokerau and nationally. He is the Tai Tokerau Chair and Spokesman to Te Pae Motuhake o Te Tai Tokerau on behalf of Te Mātāwai, Co Chair of the National Iwi Chairs Forum Pou Tikanga, Co-Chair of the Ocean Conservation and resilience initiative  Hinemoana Halo amongst many other tūranga puta noa te motu.    

Aperahama is a descendent of the Ngātiwai, Ngāti Kahungunu, Tainui, Ngāpuhi. 




Anna Berry

I am a woman of Spanish descent who has been lucky enough to be raised and taught by some of the best kaihaka in New Zealand.  I grew up at Hoani Waititi Marae under the tutelage of Pāpā Pita Sharples and watched women weave their kapahaka magic on the marae, performing to manuhiri.  Competition stages and experiences came later, and, to be completely honest, these were some of the best years of my life.  I performed with Te Roopu Manutaki for twenty-two years and travelled the world performing and experiencing things I could only imagine as a young person.  When I haka, I become a completely different person, free of the burdens of life and full of emotion, pride and joy.  Haka allows my wairua to be free.  Haka is my spirit, my soul, my life force.  

I have been a teacher since graduating from the Auckland College of Education in 1993.  I have taught across a variety of spaces, from early childhood centres, Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa Māori, including Wharekura and have lectured on the Bachelor of Education Teaching at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.  During the past 5 years, I have been heavily involved in the development of Te Ao Haka as a curriculum area at a high school level, including all levels of NCEA, including scholarship.  Along with 5 others, a team of us travelled the country assisting kaiako and kura in the pilot and eventual roll out of Te Ao Haka, ensuring that quality teaching and learning was paramount.  I strongly believe that Te Ao Haka should begin at the early childhood level, progressing to primary, intermediate and secondary.  Te Ao Haka is a rich, authentic space for teaching and learning.  It is a subject within the arts that has the ability and potential to link a variety of subjects, providing kaiako the opportunity to create integrated teaching and learning programmes to suit their contexts and current levels of knowledge and ability. 

Kāri ake, ko ngā mihi maioha tonu atu rā. 




Tākuta Ferris

Tākuta is a descendant of Takitimu, Kurahaupō and Horouta waka. His whakapapa ties him to Kāi Tahu and Kāti Māmoe in Te Waipounamu and to Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa and Rangitāne in Te Tauihu o Te Waka a Māui and to Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou. 

Raised in the small coastal village of Pōrangahau, Tākuta has a close affinity to land and sea “I understand that it is that close affinity that grounds me in knowing who I am and where I come from. My identity, the land and the ocean are one in the same thing.” 

He tangata marae a Tākuta. He is just as often found on the paepae as he is diving for kaimoana and serving multiple kaupapa. A leader of Tamatea Arikinui, kapa haka plays a huge role in Tākuta’s life. Grounded in whakapapa, history, kōrero tuku iho, Tākuta ensures that the vision our tīpuna have for us as mokopuna is brought to life. 

For Tākuta, an Aotearoa hou is an Aotearoa that is safe for our tamariki and their families to grow in. An Aotearoa where we don’t have to worry about the authorities being unfair to our children. An Aotearoa where we can all feel a deep connection and a sense of belonging to our home. A place that recognises te Tiriti o Waitangi in the betterment of the collective. 

Ko te kai a te rangatira, he kōrero Ko te tohu o te rangatira he manaaki Ko te mahi a te rangatira he whakatira i te iwi 




Ropata Diamond

Ko Huruiki, ko Monoa, ko Parematā, ko Ngaiotonga ngā maunga 
Ko Mōkau, ko Punaruku, ko Ngaiotonga ngā awa 
Ko Tū Whenuaroa te waka tauā 
Ko Māhūhūkiterangi te waka heke 
Ko Te Uri o Hikihiki, ko Te Aki Tai, ko Ngāti Wai ki Aotea ngā hapū 
Ko Ngāti Wai te iwi  

He uri tēnei nō ngā kōpikopikotanga katoa o te ākau roa o Ngāti Wai. Ko tipu ake tēnei ki roto i ngā whārua o Whangaruru i Te Tai Tokerau, heoi anō he whaipānga ōku ki roto o Te Arawa waka me Waikato Tainui.  

Koni atu i te tekau mā rime tau ahau e tautoko ana i ngā hui PPTA mō ngā Kaiako Māori o te motu. Heoi, e hia kē nei ngā pōtae e mau nei i a au engari but ko tēnei mea te ‘mātauranga’ ka titia ki taku ngākau mō te ake, ake.   

E mihi ana ki ngā kura mahita hou, ngā kaiako hou ki ēnei mō huihuingā – nau piki mai, nau kake mai! 

Hei te hui e hoa mā 😊  

Rōpata Diamond 
Pou Ārahi mō Tāmaki me Te Tai Tokerau 
Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga 

 




Juanita Craig 

TRMSAA Project Coordinator 
BA (Hons), Grad.Dip (Tch Sec), MA of Indigenous Studies (in progress) 
Ko Ngāti Hau, ko Ngāti Hao, me Ngāti Wai ōku hapū. 
Ko Ngāpuhi tōku Iwi.  

Tēnā rā koutou katoa, He uri hau nō Te Tai Tokerau, erangi i tipu ake hau i Tamaki Makaurau ki te Tonga. I hoki hau ki te kāinga, noho ai. 

Although I am a descendant of Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu, like Glenn Colquhoun’s poem, I was ‘Bred in South Auckland’. This bred a need to challenge stereotypes, celebrate cultural diversity, and a desire to empower the underdog. I am currently studying towards my Master's in Indigenous Studies. I was the former Learning Leader of English and Languages at Te Kamo High School in Whangārei, and I have also been Head of Māori at Pukekohe High School. I have a strong desire to ensure Mātauranga Māori and Te Ao Māori are taught in all classrooms. Being trilingual (English, Māori, French) and having studied Spanish, German, and Hawaiian, I have an appreciation and understanding of language acquisition. Having spent a quarter of my life in Quebec, Canada, and having travelled to over 45 countries (some of them 3-4 times each), I know the importance of immersion and language as identity. Language is the key to understanding a culture. As the Project Coordinator of TRMSAA, my role has been to get the Association up and running, so that kaiako o Te Reo, can finally access support as a collective group to do their mahi. 

Nō reira, ‘Kaua e hoki i te waewae tūtuki, ā, āpā anō hei te ūpoko pakaru’. Let’s continue to make what we do count and matter to those we teach. 

 




Matua Wiremu Puanaki 

Ko Wiremu ( Te Huaki )Puanaki tenei…) 

Ko NGATI Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa , Ko Ngai Tamanuhiri, Ko NGATI Tuwharetoa ona iwi… 

He kaiako kura tuarua ia I ona wa - Reo Maori, Kapa Haka, Hakinakina, kaipoipoi taiohi… 

Ko ana mahi inaianei he whakaako I te Kapa Haka I roto nga kura ki Otautahi…tuatahi, tuarua… 

He kaiwhakatangitangi,kaiwaiata , kaitito ano hoki ia - I tua atu I te Kapa Haka me te puoro,koira nga mahi tino rekareka ki a ia….. 

Mo te hia nei tau ko tana tino mahi I te MTC he kaiwhakatangitangi rakuraku matua, Ko ia te official guitarist  …he rekareka ki a tena mahi ! )… 

Ko ia te pou rangatira o Whaea Tihi .. 

MAURI ORA !! 




Judith Hunt 

I taught Te Reo Māori in secondary schools in Tāmaki Makaurau for 25 years. I was involved with the initial writing of NCEA standards and development of assessment resources and later in 2008 with the Standards Alignment project. For the last 13 years I have been the Kaitakawaenga aromatawai ā roto (National Assessment Advisor ) for Te Reo Māori.  My main role is moderation of internal Te Reo Māori achievement standards and TRM unit standards as part of a kāhui. Also, as part of my role I have been involved with assessor support for the internal standards. 

 




Tihi Puanaki  

Whaea Kaitautoko  

Ko Hikurangi ki te rohe o Te Taitokerau te maunga, 
Ko Taumarere te awa, Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te Waka 
Ko Matawaia te marae i roto i te rohe o Ngāti Hine ki roto o 
Ngapuhi  

Ko Ngatihine taku hapu, 
Ko Tekau I mua te hapu Iti I roto o Matawaia 
Ko aku whanau ko nga Kopa, nga Mangu me nga Paraha.... 
Ko taku hoa rangatira no te whanau Puanaki 
no roto o Te Wairoa Hopupu Honengenenge 
Matangirau ... (Ngati Kahungunu, Ngai Tamanuhiri, Ngati Tuwharetoa ona iwi).  

Tata rima tekau tau ahau e noho ana ki roto i te iwi ataahua o Ngaitahu ki Waitaha ki Te Waipounamu. Kei Otautahi taku kainga noho. He iwi ataahua a Ngaitahu, he iwi manaaki nui I te tangata manene...tino aroha ahau ki tenei iwi, ki tenei whenua hoki...   

He kaiako kura tuarua ahau mo te wa roa...tino aroha ahau ki te rangatahi...   

Ko nga mahi tino rekareka ki ahau ko te mahi Kapa Haka me ona ahuatanga katoa....ara, te tu ki te waiata ki te iwi...te manaaki tangata ma te mahi whakangahau....te tuhituhi, tito waiata me taku whanau....te matakitaki hoki te Kapa Haka....te whakawa I nga whakataetae he aha atų he aha at.....  

MAURI TU ! MAURI ORA! 

 




Laurelle Tamati   

Ko te whakaariki! ko te whakaariki! 
Tukua mai ki a piri  
Tukua mai ki a tata 
ki a eke mai ki runga i te paepae-poto-a-Houmaitawhiti! 
He uri whakaheke au nō ngā waka o Te Arawa, Tainui me Mātaatua.   

Ko Laurelle Tamati toku ingoa. 

I am a Deputy Principal at John Paul College, where I completed my secondary education. With over 20 years of teaching experience, along with my background in haka, I have developed a comprehensive understanding of the role of haka in education. My goal is to ensure that our tamariki receive the best educational experiences and outcomes while also nurturing their unique identities and well-being through haka and kaupapa. 

I am fully committed to the vision, values, and principles of Te Ao Haka. I am eager to bring my passion for educational innovation, equitable access to Māori education, Māori achievement, and a culturally inclusive learning environment to the role of supporting my colleagues in enhancing their capabilities within their schools. 

Nā reira nau mai aku nui, nau mai aku iti,  
Whakatau mai rā haere mai rā 
Ki Te Arawa, 
E kokoia e ara e 




Waitangi Piripi   

He Hawaiki Mokopuna te whai nei! 

Ingoa - Waitangi Piripi Kaumatua - 18 

Iwi - Muriwhenua, 

Ngatiwai, Ngapuhi 

Kaupapa - Hikoi mō te Tiriti, mai Te Rerenga Wairua tainoa ki te Whare Paremata 




Arama Morunga    

Tēnā tātou.

Ko Arama Morunga ahau, he tamaiti o te Noota. 

I grew up in Whangarei and have whakapapa roots all across Te Taitokerau.  I have a beautiful wife and four tamariki.  We don’t yet have any mokopuna. 

I am a Taura Pouwhakarae within Te Whare Tuu Taua o Aotearoa.  I have been a practitioner of mau rākau for over 20 years, have been teaching for almost 15 years and have been a pouwaru for 7 years.

Mau rākau has been a constant in mine and my family's life.  Moreover; kapa haka, waka ama and the outdoors has also played a significant part in our lives.  One could call me a ‘wānanga’ junky, but I’d just say I’m passionate.  Passionate about receiving, attaining and sharing knowledge.





Johnny Waititi   

Ko Tureriti Hoani Retimana Waititi tōku ingoa
He uri ahau no Ngāti Hine, Te Uri o Hau, Ngāpuhi me Te Whānau a Apanui
Ko te kaitiaki o ngā āhuatanga katoa o Te Ao Māori ki Te Kura Tuarua o Ngā Taitamatāne o Ururoto, Westlake Boys HS ki Takapuna, tēnā koutou.