Dr Te Kawehau Hoskins (Ngāpuhi) is the Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori, Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and Associate Professor at Te Puna Wānanga in the Faculty of Education and Social Work. She is primarily engaged in qualitative social and educational research in the area of the politics and ethics of Indigene – Settler relations, and multicultural and bicultural education.

Dr John Pirker (Ngāi Tahu) is a lecturer in Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury. John’s research interests centre around aquaculture, including marine ecology, marine algae and evolution and behaviour within marine ecological systems. In addition to his research, John is also involved in the Māori Research Advisory Group (MRAG) and Marine Ecology Research Group (MERG)

Dr Arama Rata (Ngāti Maniapoto, Taranaki, and Ngāruahine) is a research officer at the National Institute for Demographic and Economic Analysis at the University of Waikato. Broadly speaking, Arama's research foci include Māori cultural engagement, identity, and wellbeing, as well as Māori-migrant relationship building.

Dr Michelle Thompson-Fawcett (Ngāti Whātua) is a Professor and the Head of the Department of Geography at the University of Otago. She has over 30 years’ experience in planning practice and university teaching and research.

Dr Anne-Marie Jackson is a Senior Lecturer in Māori physical education and health and joined the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Otago in 2011. 

Since 2017, she has been the Associate Dean External Engagement for the School.

Professor Amanda Black (Tūhoe, Whakatōhea, Whānau-ā-Apanui) is the Director of Bioprotection Aotearoa, a TEC funded National centre of research excellence hosted at Lincoln University. Her research expertise is environmental soil and water biogeochemistry, focusing on soil health . She has recently focused her Rutherford Discovery Fellowship research on ecosystem resilience, forest health and tree dieback, with a particular focus on investigating ecological disturbance and how this translates into resilience to withstand challenges such as climate change.

Ocean’s teaching and research interests are varied, but her key focus is how mātauranga Māori and science connect and relate, particularly in educational contexts and using novel digital technologies. She co-leads a National Science Challenge project investigating the perceptions of novel biotechnological controls of pest wasps in Aotearoa. Her research also involves kaupapa Māori reading of films. She was the presenter of Māori Television's Project Mātauranga and presents for TVNZ’s Coast.

Jade Le Grice (Ngai Tupoto - Te Rarawa; Ngati Korokoro, Te Pouka, Ngati Wharara, Te Mahurehure - Ngāpuhi) is a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland. Her research focuses on decolonising praxis - deconstructing dominant cultural norms and legitimating mātauranga Māori in knowledge, health, and education systems. Currently, Jade is particularly interested in Māori sexual and reproductive health, sexual violence prevention, and rangatahi wellbeing in whānau contexts.

Te Taka Keegan (Waikato-Maniapoto, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whakaaue)  is a Senior Lecturer in the Computer Sciences Department at the University of Waikato. His research expertise spans across multiple fields from, traditional navigation, Māori language technologies, indigenous language interfaces and multi-lingual usability.