Professor Te Kani Kingi

Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.  

Prior to this, he was an Associate Professor at Massey University in Wellington and concurrently held three roles as Director Māori (within the Office of the Associate Vice-Chancellor) Director of the Research Centre for Māori Health and Development (within the College of Health) and Director of Academy for Māori Research and Scholarship. He has formally been an executive member of the New Zealand Public Health Association, The Mental Health Advocacy Coalition, the National Ethics Advisory Committee, the National Health Committee, the Public Health Advisory Committee, the New Zealand Pharmacy Council, Ngā Pae o te Maramatanga’s International Research Advisory Panel, Statistics NZ Advisory Board, Whānau Tahi Advisory Board, past Chair of the NKK (HRC) Committee, a member of the IMSB (Auckland Council) Advisory Board, Chair of the Te Pou Matakana (Whānau Ora) funding board and Chair of the New Zealand Mental Health Commission.  

He is currently a member of the AKO Aotearoa Assessment Committee, the Board of the Joint Centre for Disaster Research, Research Associate of the National Institute for Economic and Demographic Research, Chair of the Te Rau Puawai mental health scholarship programme and a Board Member of Tane Ora.  He was recently appointed to the Veteran’s Health Committee, the Natural Hazards Social Science Committee (GNS Science), the Independent Science Panel (Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge) and to the Australian Physiotherapy Council Accreditation Board.  In 2021, he was appointed to the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Health Research Council’s Biomedical Assessment Committee. And in 2022 to the Board of Emerge Aotearoa.  

He has a specialist interest in health outcome measurement (psychometrics), Māori mental health, longitudinal research, public health, and health service delivery. He is currently leading New Zealand’s largest dedicated programme of Māori mental health research – Te Aratiatia ki te Hauora.  An initiative which has multiple strands of research interest but with a focus on reducing stigma and discrimination.  

He was born and raised in Poroporo (near Whakatāne) and educated at St Stephen’s School (TIPENE) in Bombay. Te Kani has tribal affiliations to Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāti Awa, and Ngāi Tai.

Teaching/Research Topics:

Māori Health, Public Health, Mental Health, Psychometrics, Epidemiology, Longitudinal Research

View research and innovation webpage

Professor Te Kani Kingi

Executive Director of Research and Innovation

Qualifications: B.Soc.Sci, M.Soc.Sci (Hons), PGDip (M.Dev), DipTM, PhD (Psychometrics)

Iwi: Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāti Awa, and Ngai Tai