Dr Heather Gifford

Mihi

He uri au nō ngā awa e rere nei, ko Rangitīkei, ko Whanganui. Nō reira, e tau tāku manu ki te pae maunga e tū mai rā, ko Ruahine, kia poia rā e ngā haumiri o tāku tupuna, o Hauiti. Whakatau atu ki te whakaruruhau o Rātā, e tau, e tau rā.

In 2005, in collaboration with Ngāti Hauiti, I established Whakauae Research for Māori Health and Development, an iwi based research centre and was the Research Centre Director until 2016 when I stepped into a senior advisory role allowing time for more research.  I am passionate about this work and the ability research has to impact positively on Māori health outcomes.

My research interests to date have concentrated on health service delivery and intervention, and the development of whānau, hapū and iwi based models to address Māori health issues, in particular tobacco control research with a focus on prevention and policy work.