Unitec researcher takes on trans-Tasman ADHD leadership roles

Associate Professor Byron Rangiwai (Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Whare, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou) has been appointed to two significant roles with Australian organisations that strengthen trans-Tasman collaboration in ADHD research, lived experience leadership, and health equity.

Assoc. Prof. Rangiwai has been appointed Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University for a three-year term.

Adjunct Associate Professor appointments at Edith Cowan University recognise senior academics who contribute specialist expertise, research leadership, and mentoring.

Within the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Assoc Prof Rangiwai will support research programme development, co-supervise postgraduate students, contribute to grant activity, and strengthen international research networks aligned with the school’s strategic priorities.

Assoc. Prof. Rangiwai has also been appointed to the Lived Experience Working Group of the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association and is the only member of the group based in Aotearoa New Zealand.

AADPA is the peak professional body for ADHD clinicians, researchers, and advocates across Australia and Aotearoa. Its Lived Experience Project is designed to ensure that people with lived experience of ADHD are embedded in governance, policy, and advocacy processes.

As part of this work, AADPA has updated its Constitution to formally embed lived experience within its governance structures, including representation at Board level and across advisory and working groups.

The Lived Experience Project is also developing practical systems to support meaningful participation, such as clear definitions of lived experience, neuroinclusive organisational practices, and ongoing co-design across AADPA’s work.

Through his Adjunct Associate Professor role at Edith Cowan University, Assoc. Prof. Rangiwai will work alongside Associate Professor Melissa Carey (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Huri) on collaborative ADHD research across Australia and Aotearoa.

These appointments connect lived experience leadership with nursing and health research, strengthening trans-Tasman collaboration on ADHD and supporting research that can inform and transform clinical practice, education, and policy across Australia and Aotearoa.

“This appointment grows out of my own experience of being diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood and my commitment to addressing how little Māori lived experience has been reflected in ADHD research,” says Assoc. Prof. Rangiwai.

“The Adjunct Associate Professor role at Edith Cowan University gives me a way to contribute to trans-Tasman research on ADHD, and to connect Māori and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on care, research, and policy, alongside my earlier appointment to the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association Lived Experience Working Group.”

For Unitec, it helps strengthen international research connections, supports postgraduate supervision and grant work, and brings applied, Indigenous-led ADHD research back into teaching, research, and iwi and community engagement.