Q&A with our Director – Ngā Wai a Te Tui, Deborah Heke

Nau mai, haere mai.

We extend a warm welcome to Associate Professor Deborah Heke as the new Director of Ngā Wai a Te Tui (Māori and Indigenous Research Centre).

Born-and-raised in West Auckland with tribal links to Ngā Puhi and Te Arawa, she has a research background in Exercise Physiology, Psychology, and Public Health.

Associate Professor Heke started in her role in April 2025. Te Aka caught up with her recently where she shared more about herself and her vision for the Centre.

Q. What have you been up to in your first few months at Unitec?

Ngā Wai has been focused on adapting to some of the changes and challenges in the broader research environment and continuing to build and nurture the community relationships that are so vital to our Kaupapa Māori research.

Personally, I’ve been working alongside our Kaitiaki Taiao (Hinewaimarama Reihana-Smith) and Associate Professor Isaac Warbrick (a colleague from AUT) on a small microbiome study exploring the potential transfer of healthy bacteria when we engage in nature-based activities (harvesting and weaving harakeke).

Partnering with the Kaitiaki roopū recently, has allowed us to explore another aspect of kaitiakitanga – reciprocal wellbeing benefits.  We conducted some nasal swabs to test whether the beneficial bacteria that is present in te taiao (specifically the Pā Harakeke and puna) is transferred through our nasal passages when we interact with it.

Q. What are the top priorities for yourself and the Centre this year?

Ngā Wai is focused on developing our individual and collective research projects and building the profile of our research centre – within Unitec, across our institutional networks, within the community, and globally. We continue to work on some exciting projects this year:

1. Reconnecting Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu: Exploring opportunities and strengths-based approaches to indigenising health and wellbeing. A collaboration with Dr Marie Jardine (University of Auckland) and Dr Angelique Reweti (Massey University) and funded by Health Research Council.
2. Te Tahatu o te Rangi Promising Futures Prospective Study – part of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga funded flagship research – MAI Promising Futures project – exploring the experiences and outcomes of students involved in the Māori and Indigenous Doctoral Network. Led by Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora (UoA) and in collaboration with Associate Professor Hinekura Smith, Dr Tania Cliff-Tautari.
3. Ngā Pou Māreikura – developing a wāhine model of (well)being and belonging in te taiao. Led by Assoc Prof Heke – a three-year project exploring the ways wāhine Māori engage in ancestral and contemporary practices in te taiao as for wellbeing.

Q. Where do you whakapapa to, and what is your background?

He Uri ahau no Ngā Puhi, Te Arawa. I whakapapa to Te Tai Tokerau (Ngati Hineira, Te Uri Taniwha) and Rotorua Lakes District (Ngati Rangiwewehi), and also have Scottish heritage. I grew up in West Auckland – born and raised in Rānui.

I have a long history in tertiary education – having taken a while to figure out which degree to complete. After returning to NZ from a two-year basketball scholarship in the US, eventually, I graduated from AUT with a BHSc in Psychology and Applied Mental Health.

I spent a while working in community mental health before deciding to complete my Masters – which had an exercise physiology and health focus.

After completing an internship with Toi Tangata (a Māori physical activity and nutrition agency) and (re)connecting with te ao Māori – exploring stories of atua wāhine through contemporary physical activity – I enrolled in my PhD.

My PhD extended this exploration of atua wāhine and sought to understand the connection between Māori women’s physical activity and the feminine deities of te taiao. From that research, I developed some archetypical characteristics that provide a connection between wāhine ways of being and atua ways of being. I continue to build on that work with wāhine engaged in everyday and other embodied practices, seeking to develop a model of wellbeing that is based on our relationship to te taiao and movement. This work also piqued my interest in Māori and Indigenous research methods and methodology—and I continue to develop theory and methods relating to my PhD and subsequent work.

Some of my recent research produced, in collaboration with a broader research team that included some amazing creatives, a set of interactive pou that allow wāhine to explore their own stories and experiences in the context of atua, taiao, and our own healing practices.  A short clip of one of our exhibitions is available here.

Another one of my roles is MAI National Strategy lead for the Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Māori and Indigenous scholar network. The network consists of twelve institutional-based sites that support doctoral and postgraduate students undertaking research. MAI has provided support for hundreds of scholars over the last two decades and continues to ensure the success of many more through site-based activities and a national hui-a-tau.

Ngā Wai a Te Tūī and Unitec host MAI ki Wairaka for any Māori, Pasifika, and Indigenous postgrad students who want a supportive space to work, write, and network with each other. More here

I’m also part of a research team who are exploring the experiences of scholars who have engaged in the MAI network. The four-year project (Promising Futures) is led by Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora (UoA) and will include a longitudinal study of recent graduates along with kōrero shared from a range of other students and stakeholders associated with Te Kupenga o MAI over its two decades.

Q. Are there any upcoming initiatives you want Unitec kaimahi to know about?

Ngā Wai will host a “meet the team” morning tea in Semester Two (details to follow). We will open up the research centre, introduce our team and some of our research, and explore any possible collaborations with Unitec staff who are keen to engage in Kaupapa Māori / Pasifika research. I’m really interested in hearing about some of the research and ideas that our Unitec whānau are into and seeing how we can build connections.