Rate My Professor Ngahuia Mita

Ngahuia Mita is a Research Fellow at the Centre of Indigenous Science within the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago. Of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Hako, and Hauraki iwi affiliations, she grew up in Te Tairāwhiti/Gisborne and has deep roots in waka traditions, including paddling waka ama. Mita completed her Doctor of Philosophy in 2023 at the University of Otago, with a thesis titled "Tairāwhiti Waka, Tairāwhiti Tāngata: Examining Tairāwhiti Voyaging Philosophies." Supervised by Professor Anne-Marie Jackson, Dr Chanel Phillips, Professor Chris Button, and Dr Hauiti Hakopa, the research examined how rangatahi (youth) learn and embody Tairāwhiti Voyaging Philosophies as principles of behaviour through engagement with the 72ft waka hourua Tairāwhiti Waka, supporting enhanced identity and hauora (wellbeing). This work represented a milestone as one of the first community-based PhD oral defences at the university, conducted in her home community of Te Tairāwhiti. Building on this, Mita earned her Master of Physical Education with distinction in 2016 from the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, with a thesis titled "Hauteruruku ki Puketeraki: Connecting to Te Ao Takaroa," exploring Māori cultural connections to the ocean through waka at the Hauteruruku ki Puketeraki waka club in Karitāne.

Mita's academic interests and research specializations focus on kaupapa waka, indigenous science (te koronga), and the application of traditional voyaging practices to modern health and identity outcomes for Māori communities. She is involved with Te Koronga, a Māori research excellence group founded by Professor Anne-Marie Jackson and Dr Hauiti Hakopa. Key publications include her doctoral and master's theses, as well as the 2018 article "Reflections of an East Coast Wahine on being Tangata Moana" published in Junctures: The Journal for Thematic Dialogue. Mita has received major awards including the New Zealand Mana Tūāpapa Future Leaders Fellowship in 2024, the Mātakina Māori Health Research Scholarship for her PhD ($141,364 over 36 months), and the Smithells Scholarship. Her work demonstrates impact through pioneering community-engaged research methodologies and current projects translating doctoral findings into practical tools for strengthening connections to Tangaroa and Hinemoana via waka hourua practices. As a Research Fellow, she contributes to hauora initiatives with partners such as Turanga Health and Va’a o Tautai, Otago’s Centre for Pacific Health.