Rate My Professor Cara Meredith

Dr. Cara Meredith (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha; hapū Kāi Te Ruahikihiki; uri nō Wēra) is Pūkenga | Lecturer in the Department of Māori and Indigenous Health Innovation (MIHI) at the University of Otago, Christchurch, within the Faculty of Medicine's Health Sciences Division. She completed her PhD in Health Sciences at the University of Otago in 2025, with her thesis titled "Tau mai te mana, te tapu, te ihi: Arohia te reo o ō tātou whaea: Listening to the expertise of Māori whaea in perinatal mental health," employing Kaupapa Māori methodology to investigate whānau Māori experiences of perinatal mental distress and the health system's responsiveness. Her academic journey includes nurse training undertaken in West Wales, midwifery training completed in 2013, and a Master's in Māori and Indigenous Leadership. As a Registered Nurse and Registered Midwife, Meredith has accumulated extensive clinical experience spanning cardiology and emergency nursing, followed by roles as a Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) midwife in community and tertiary maternity settings. Employed at Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtaautahi Trust since 2018, she previously led the Oranga Team and currently leads Whānau Whakapuāwai, a kaupapa Māori perinatal mental health service.

Meredith's research focuses on perinatal mental health equity for Māori, Kaupapa Māori methodologies, and the delivery of culturally safe, clinically excellent health care. She received the Health Research Council of New Zealand Māori Clinical Research Training Fellowship (grant no. 22/501). Her influential publications include "Indigenous approaches to perinatal mental health: a systematic review with critical interpretive synthesis" (Archives of Women's Mental Health, 2023), "Whāia te iti kahurangi: Seeking perinatal mental health equity. Māori offer solutions for the health system" (Mental Health & Prevention, 2024), "Kotahitanga—connection, unity, and belonging: perspectives of Māori mothers on a kaupapa Māori group intervention for perinatal mental health" (AlterNative, 2025), "“Thank you for Listening” Kaupapa Māori Methodology as a Facilitator of Culturally Safe Research With Māori Mothers Experiencing Perinatal Mental Illness" (International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2024), and "“They were my anchors” Māori with perinatal mental illness identify culturally safe and clinically excellent health care" (International Journal for Equity in Health, 2025). Her contributions enhance Indigenous health innovation and equity in Aotearoa New Zealand's health system.