Speakers

Dr Lucy Hone

Dr Lucy Hone is a research associate at AUT University. As well as having her scientific research published in leading academic journals internationally, she writes for the Sunday Star Times and Psychology Today. Having been trained by the thought-leaders in the field at the University of Pennsylvania, she completed a PhD in public health at AUT. She now assists organisations – from leading law and aviation firms, to schools and health practitioners – to design and implement wellbeing initiatives creating sustained and meaningful change.

The sudden death of her 12-year old daughter, Abi, and friends in 2014, forced Lucy to turn her substantial academic training and professional practice to foster resilience in very personal circumstances. The blog she wrote in the aftermath of Abi’s death attracted international attention and resulted in the best-selling non-fiction title, What Abi Taught Us, Strategies for Resilient Grieving (Allen & Unwin, 2016). 

Dr Diana & Mark Kopua

In 1990 Diana began her journey in the health industry, training first as a nurse and in 2014 she completed her specialist training in psychiatry and is a Fellow of the Royal Australia New Zealand College of Psychiatry. In 2010 Diana was awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC Manakura Award.  It is awarded to those who display characteristics of the 28th Māori Battalion, in particular, strength of character, ambition, courage and original thought.  Diana carried these characteristics to the Tairāwhiti region and in 2014 she became her tribes (Ngāti Porou) first consultant psychiatrist. 

In the mid-1990’s Diana developed Mahi a Atua, an indigenous approach that responds to ongoing issues regarding institutional racism and inequity for Māori within New Zealand health services and society. The Mahi a Atua approach has been utilised by multiple practitioners across various sectors within New Zealand society including art, health, education, justice and the social services sector. Diana in collaboration with her husband Mark Kopua are committed to indigenising their respective communities of practice and are pioneers within their fields. 

Mark was raised in Mangatuna, by his old people and is considered a historian by his East Coast tribes.  He is renowned for his expertise as a master carver and also in the art of tā moko (traditional Māori tattoo). Mark has been employed in many national and international roles and one unique role has been to provenance artefacts.  For many years he was a board member of the national Māori art advocacy, Toi Māori.  

He is a confident facilitator and his approach to healing is celebrated by communities as he embraces his unique skills as a story teller and keeper of ancient Māori knowledge and whakapapa.  Currently he holds the position as Tohunga (expert) for ‘Te Kūwatawata’ - a ground breaking Māori designed mainstream mental health service.  

Mark Wilson

Marc is interested in the application of social psychological theory to important social issues. Much of this research revolves around the relationship between the concepts of Social Dominance Orientation, authoritarianism, and social values, and such issues as the Treaty settlement process, New Zealand national identity, and political preference. He is also interested in social psychological factors influencing peoples' food preferences (eg. to eat or not eat meat), the psychology of religion, and people's beliefs about paranormal phenomena. 

Marc’s main research programme in the last five years has focused on understanding why some people (particularly young people) deliberately hurt themselves, without suicidal intent. This research has been supported by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, under the umbrella of the Youth Wellbeing Study.

Marc has received both VUW (2005) and National (2008) Teaching Excellence Awards, and his science communication endeavours have been recognised by the New Zealand Association of Scientists Science Communicator Award (2010) and VUW’s Public Contribution Award (2011). He writes a weekly psychology column in the New Zealand Listener.

Dr Meihana Durie

Professor Meihana Durie heads Te Pūtahi-a-Toi, Massey University's School of Māori Knowledge. His work explores the concept of mauri ora (flourishing vitality) across contemporary rangatahi realities. His long history with the school stems from his parents; Meihana is the son of Sir Mason Durie, who established the Māori Studies Unit in 1988. He went on to study in the unit, completing his Ph.D. in 2011. He is interested in finding ways to increase Māori success in education and sport by drawing on Māori values, cultural worldviews and customs.

Meihana received the Sir Peter Snell Doctoral Scholarship in Public Health and Exercise Science 2008, and is the current recipient of the Health Research Council of New Zealand’s Hohua Tutengaehe Postdoctoral Fellowship. He also founded Nga Purapura in Otaki – a development committed to empowering families through health, exercise, sport and the growth and creation of new Māori bodies of knowledge.