Lisa Te Morenga: I whakapapa to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Te Uri o Hua, Ngāpuhi and Te Rarawa.

I am a nutrition and Māori health researcher based in the Massey University Research Centre for Hauora and Health on the Pukeahu campus in Whanganui-a-Tara, a Rutherford Discovery Fellow and Principle Investigator with the Riddet Centre of Research Excellence. Broadly my research interests relate to supporting individuals, whanau and communities to achieve good health through being able to access healthy affordable food. My research is translational – applying basic nutrition evidence to enhance human health and wellbeing, and ultimately informing food and nutrition policy. I have been developing a programme of research on foods and their impact on health, particularly in Māori.

I also work on community-centre projects to improve health services and health outcomes for Māori whanau in the fields of pain, cancer and rangatahi wellbeing. I am currently the Māori lead on a Ministry of Health contract to develop the methods for the next national children and adults nutrition survey. The national nutrition survey is an important dataset for food and nutrition research in NZ and to ensure the Māori benefit equitably from the benefits of this data Māori must be willing and able to participate, and see value in contributing. In 2018 I was awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowships from the Royal Society Te Apārangi New Zealand and in 2019 was awarded the Hamilton Award by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.