Ariana Andrews | University of Auckland Foundation Kupe Leadership Scholar

Ariana (Waikato, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga)

Master of Public Health - Māori Health

Health is a taonga. It is a treasure and the foundation for anything else we might do as individuals or as a collective. Unfortunately, this taonga has not been protected for Māori. I have experienced this and seen it in my whānau and during clinical placements while studying medicine. These experiences are reflected in statistics showing enduring inequities in numerous health and social indicators.

I intend to work to improve health and wellbeing among Māori and other Indigenous peoples. Dismantling the harms of colonialism and creating new futures grounded in Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing is a long, ongoing journey. In seeking to pursue this mahi, I am guided by my whakapapa and recognise that I stand on the shoulders of many who have come before me – kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua.

Sponsor: University of Auckland Foundation

Mentor: Dr Huhana Hickey, MNZM, (Ngāti Tahinga, Whakatōheaa), distinguished lawyer and disability advocate. Hickey completed a PhD in law at university, becoming the first Māori woman, second Māori and first disabled person to do so.  In 2008, Hickey became the first lawyer to work for Auckland Disability Law. Hickey is a member of the New Zealand Human Rights Review Tribunal and became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015 for services to people with disabilities. She also served on the board of Housing New Zealand 2018-2019.