Te Rarawa, Ngati Kuri

Jewelz is committed to transforming systems to support Māori well-being through an indigenous lens. With expertise in regenerative economies, she works to create sustainable pathways that empower Māori communities. Her work focuses on decolonizing economic structures, ensuring they reflect indigenous values of reciprocity, collective well-being, and long-term sustainability.

As an Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity with a Master’s in Social Change Leadership, Jewelz brings 15 years of experience in community development and systems change. She is dedicated to dismantling barriers that prevent wāhine Māori from thriving, co-designing solutions that uplift communities and ensure they have the resources and opportunities to shape their own futures.

Passionate about structural transformation, Jewelz weaves indigenous wisdom with innovation to foster resilience and collective prosperity for future generations.

Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Tūwharetoa, Ngai te Rangi, Ngāti Whakauae

Tracey-Leigh Te Paa is the creator and driving force behind Māreikura Rising, a powerful kaupapa dedicated to guiding wāhine through their healing journeys, helping them rise in their mana, reclaiming their whakapapa and celebrating their sacredness. She is a healer, mentor, and truth-teller, fiercely committed to creating spaces where women feel seen, safe and supported. Of Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Whakaue descent on her father’s side and Te Rarawa, Ngāti Whātua, Waikato, and Tūwharetoa on her mother’s, Tracey-Leigh carries the wisdom of her whakapapa and tūpuna in every aspect of her work. A respected lecturer at SPCNM, she is known for her real, raw, and grounded approach, blending 17 years of experience as a Māmā Indigenous Healer with her deep ancestral knowledge and strong spiritual insight as Wāhine Māori. ‘My magic power is creating open and safe spaces, helping wāhine remember who they are and the beauty of who and where they come from. These spaces are powerful and supportive, so women feel free, to go to the dark and beautiful places only they can go, spaces only they can heal – knowing and trusting that I’ve got them throughout their process of healing.

Ngā Puhi, Te Arawa

Dr Deborah Heke is an Associate Professor with Ngā Wai a Te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre (Unitec Institute of Technology). Her research explores Māori and Indigenous women’s embodied practices and physical activity, and the natural environment as a means for connecting, communicating, and healing. Deborah is also passionate about building the capability and capacity of Māori and Indigenous (future) scholars and providing spaces for Indigenous creativity and excellence in academia. She has a background in sport (having played competitive basketball nationally and internationally), and the fitness industry (as a former personal trainer).  Her most important role is being a Māmā to her young daughter, Āria.