Rate My Professor Brent Paehua

Brent Paehua serves as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine within the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago's Dunedin School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Division. He acts as a key contact for undergraduate students pursuing a Major or Minor in Public Health. Paehua contributes to teaching in Māori health-related courses, including PUBH204 Hauora Māori: Challenges and Opportunities, co-taught with Dr Karyn Maclennan, and PUBH304 Rangahau Hauora Māori - Māori Health Research, where he supports modules on historical and contemporary Māori health research, decolonising methodologies, and kaupapa Māori approaches. Prior to his academic role, Paehua worked in social services with the Accident Compensation Corporation and Oranga Tamariki, fostering his interest in social interactions, race, and community wellbeing.

Paehua's research focuses on the intersection of Te Ao Māori and sustainable food systems. In 2023, he published 'Alternative / Emerging Proteins and Engaging Te Ao Māori Māori and Veganism' in Pūhau ana te rā: Tailwinds (Vol. 1, No. 1), arising from his Tauira Māori Summer Scholarship project supervised by Dr Simon Barber and Professor Hugh Campbell at the Centre for Sustainability. This work examined emerging alternative proteins amid shifting global protein consumption patterns, emphasising sustainability challenges in animal-based agriculture and the need for bi-cultural progression in Aotearoa New Zealand that respects tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and cultural traditions. Funded by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge as part of the Protein Futures: Future Scenarios for Land-Use project, Paehua's scholarship explored linking factors between Te Ao Māori and alternative proteins, highlighting opportunities for Māori leadership in sustainable agriculture while addressing economic, social, and environmental impacts. He noted the potential for alternative meats to align with kaitiakitanga through education and collaboration, without altering core cultural practices like hāngī. As of 2023, Paehua was in his third year of a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Sociology with a minor in Criminology at the University of Otago. His project shifted his views on climate impacts of meat and dairy industries, influencing family discussions on environmental responsibility.