E rere kau mai te awa nui
mai I te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa
Ko au te Awa, ko te Awa ko au
‘Ruapehu te maunga
Whanganui te awa
Ko Ātihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi te iwi
Ko Ngāti Tuera, Ngāti Hinearo, Ngāti Pamoana, Ngāti Pareraukawa aku hapū’
Ko wai au?
Ko Mel Potaka-Osborne ahau
I joined Whakauae Research in 2011, after working ten years with a local Whanganui Iwi Health Provider in both front line and team leader roles. Prior to that, I worked as a kaiawhina with the Royal NZ Plunket Society, which was where my journey in Māori Health and wellbeing began.
My partner and I are very much whānau driven, so with four adult tamariki, two moko and numerous whangai, Māori health became a natural path for me. My interest in kaupapa Māori research and the work of Whakauae developed while I was working within the Iwi health provider and joining the team felt like the next stepping-stone in my Māori Health journey.
