About

Dr Julie Wharewera-Mika has extensive experience in the mental health and wellbeing field as a senior clinical psychologist and kaupapa Māori researcher. Julie joined MAS Foundation, as Head of Foundation in a Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership, after completing a postdoctoral clinical research fellowship with Brain Research NZ. She has held multiple governance and leadership roles and is a current co-Lead of Aotearoa Brain Project leading a Te Tiriti co-governance and co-leadership structure, and was recently appointed a Children’s Commissioner of Mana Mokopuna - Children and Young People’s Commission.

Julie is passionate about advancing system transformation to enhance Māori & Pasifika wellbeing, embracing values-based leadership that embodies collaboration and partnerships empowering community-led and whānau-centred approaches.

Mafi Funaki-Tahifote (Tangata Tiriti – pictured left) is Tongan, and though born in New Zealand, she was raised in Tonga. Mafi returned to New Zealand for further education and has an MBA from the University of Auckland.

Mafi Funaki-Tahifote has extensive experience in the health field, having worked for the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand for 20 years, holding both dietetic and senior executive management roles. Mafi also has considerable governance experience, formerly a ministerially appointed board member of Te Hiringa Hauora/Health Promotion Agency, past Chair on the Board for Action Nutrition Aotearoa (ANA), former Co-Chair to the Pacific Islands Food and Nutrition Action Group (PIFNAG) and currently a member of her children’s high school’s Board of Trustees.

Mafi has also worked with Te Hiringa Hauora previously, in her role as a member of the Pacific Advisory Group. Alongside the Foundation mahi, Mafi continues to work part-time as a clinical dietitian and is still actively involved in the nutrition space as a consultant and volunteer.

Melanie grew up in rural Whanganui where she developed a love for nature and a life of simplicity. She has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology from Massey University Palmerston North. Melanie has extensive experience in pastoral leadership and community work as well as administration within the health, education, and community sectors. Melanie is also a member of Te Kahui Pūmanawa, a network of Māori working in philanthropy and grant making. Melanie is passionate about the work of the Foundation and her role of providing support to the Heads of Foundation as well as the day-to-day work of the Foundation.

Jenny has had a range of governance roles in community and family foundations and recently retired as the CEO of Foundation North, Aotearoa's largest philanthropic. Jenny is currently a trustee of the Prince's Trust Aotearoa New Zealand, the Selwyn Foundation, and Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation.

With nearly 40 years’ experience in the Aotearoa New Zealand philanthropic sector, Jenny Gill was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to philanthropy in 2017 and was the inaugural winner of the Perpetual Guardian Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy Award.

“The chance to be on the Board of a new foundation and be a part of shaping it from the ground up is a very unique and exciting opportunity. It’s so encouraging to see an organisation like MAS wanting to support initiatives that aim to address the inequities that our communities face in the health sector as well as taking care of its Members."

Dr Carrie Bryers has an impressive career in public health with a diverse background in Māori health, nursing and medicine and played an instrumental role in New Zealand’s COVID-19 response. Carrie is currently a Public Health Medicine Specialist at Te Whatu Ora Northern Region and has undertaken specialty training as an advanced registrar with the NZ College of Public Health Medicine.

“I’m excited to create an overall vision for MAS Foundation together with my fellow trustees and hopefully bring some valuable public health experience with me. For me, it’s about critiquing the bigger picture."

"My background is in medicine, working with patients, but I’ve always wanted to work in a broader sense, sparking systemic change and looking at the impacts at a community and population level. I’m very passionate about paying attention to equity too, ensuring what we do is inclusive of the commitments we have to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and doing that with integrity.”

Professor Boyd Swinburn is an internationally recognised public health physician and has more than 30 years’ experience in health research. He is currently a Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health at the University of Auckland and has been a MAS Member for all of his career.

Boyd is excited by the work of MAS Foundation and believes it has found a niche that other funding agencies are not fulfilling.

“A lot of businesses want to be good corporate citizens, but most are tied up in the existing systems where they need profit for shareholders. MAS has always operated on a different formula. This isn’t just a single page in a company report – this is serious."

“The government hasn’t been strong enough on prevention research and evaluation, so there’s an opportunity to be a catalyst with strategic research programmes.”

Folasaitu Dr Julia Ioane is a bilingual New Zealand-born Samoan, raised in South Auckland with a Matai title from the village of Fasitoouta, Samoa. Julia is a Professor in psychology at Massey University and a registered clinical psychologist. She has board and governance experience in both the public and not-for-profit sectors. Julia promotes research that is practice-informed and evidence-based to ensure it has a meaningful impact on our communities; and that health education and promotion is delivered appropriately and inclusively for all diverse communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“My background as a clinical psychologist working directly with our children and their families is something I will bring to the table. I work with our most high-need Māori and Pasifika communities where I know there isn’t enough research or genuine opportunity to promote health that is clearly understood by all."

“More importantly, my background as a Samoan is something I will draw on. I can bring in that voice of our Pasifika community, which often doesn’t get representation. It’s about early intervention, education and thinking about the ‘so what?’ behind everything we do to ensure we have a plan for sustaining any positive change we make. O le ala i le pule o le tautua (In order to lead, one must serve).”

Matire (MBChB, PhD) is a hauora Māori academic and GP dividing her time across the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at Auckland Medical School and Papakura Marae Health Clinic in South Auckland. Matire is a member of the COVID-19 TAG, was a member of the COVID-19 Vaccine STAG and as a member of the Steering Group, appointed the Board members for the Māori Health Authority.

In 2017, Matire was awarded the L’Oréal UNESCO New Zealand ‘For Women in Science Fellowship’ for research in Indigenous health, and in 2019, she received the Health Research Council’s Te Tohu Rapuora award for leadership in research to improve Māori health.

"I like doing things differently, so I'm drawn to MAS Foundation's work. It's a special way of doing philanthropy. Everything we do is about enhancing mana, innovating and being courageous."

Dr Kate Baddock has been a director of the MAS Board for the past 7 years and is the past Chair of the New Zealand Medical Association, a Fellow of the Royal NZ College of General Practitioners, and a member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.

Kate gained her medical degree at the University of Otago and currently works as a GP and partner at Kawau Bay Health in Warkworth. Kate also teaches undergraduate medical students, postgraduate doctors and registrars, in General Practice training programmes.

Kate says, “MAS Foundation offers an opportunity to be involved in empowering communities to make a real difference to their own futures.”