Ko Rongowhakaata tōku iwi.

I am a Research Officer, working at the interface of Mātauranga Māori, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), and Digital Sequence Information (DSI) at Te Kotahi Research Institute. I hold a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a second major in Theatre Studies from the University of Waikato, and am an admitted Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand. I am an alum of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, the Piki Ake Transition Programme, and the Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING), and an ERICH Scholar

I have worked on the MBIE Endeavour Tikanga in Technology Project, the Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) Spearhead IP-Related Impact Activities Project, the SfTI Veracity Technology Spearhead Research Project, the Tauhokohoko Indigenous Trade Project, and most recently, the MBIE Endeavour Fund Fish Cell Production Systems (FCPS) for Sustainable Seafood and Marine Innovation Project with Plant & Food Research.

I serve as a Co-Lead of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity Working Group on DSI at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. I am also a founding member of iDSI (Interdisciplinary Researchers working in DSI) and sit on the Periodic Table of Food Initiative’s ABS and Ethics Expert Council.