Matire Harwood

Matire Louise Ngarongoa Harwood
Born	New Zealand
Occupation(s)	Clinical researcher, general practice trainee, professor
Years active	1994–present
Known for	Research on Māori health, improving indigenous health outcomes, editor of Māori Health Review

Matire Louise Ngarongoa Harwood is a clinical researcher and general practice trainee based in New Zealand. She holds a professorship at the University of Auckland and was honored as a 2017 recipient of the New Zealand L'Oréal UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship. Her specialist area centers on enhancing health outcomes for indigenous populations and addressing disparities affecting the Māori community.

Early life and education

Harwood descends from the Ngāpuhi iwi, with ancestral ties to Ngāti Rangi, Te Mahurehure, and Ngāti Hine.

Growing up in Australia, she and her siblings encountered racial prejudice as Māori. She completed her secondary education in a rural part of Victoria, where she studied subjects including mathematics, chemistry, physics, and English. Notably, she was among the first female students to undertake physics at her school, encouraged by a female science teacher despite facing discouragement.

Returning to New Zealand, Harwood pursued medical studies at the University of Auckland, graduating with an MBChB in 1994 as the first university graduate within her family. Her ambition to study medicine was inspired early on by her grandfather, Ngature Matenga Werekake.

In 2012, she earned a PhD from the University of Otago, supervised by academics including Kathryn McPherson and Papaarangi Reid. Her doctoral work focused on creating a stroke rehabilitation program driven by patient needs specifically designed for Māori and Pasifika communities. This research contributed to revisions in national stroke recovery protocols.

Personal life

Harwood resides in Auckland alongside her partner Haunui and their two children.

Career

At the University of Auckland, Harwood serves as a professor specializing in Māori health. She co-leads Tōmaiora, the Māori health research group within Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, and acts as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. Her research integrates Kaupapa Māori methodologies within clinical investigations. Additionally, she mentors postgraduate students and provides advanced training in Māori health for senior medical students.

She is also the editor of the Māori Health Review, which disseminates current findings in Māori health research. Harwood’s scholarly articles have appeared in publications such as The BMJ, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, The New Zealand Medical Journal, BMC Public Health, and Disability and Rehabilitation.

Complementing her academic role, Harwood undertakes clinical work as a general practice trainee at Papakura Marae Health Clinic.

Her recognitions include the 2018 Matariki Award for Tūhono aimed at advancing Māori health, the 2017 L'Oréal UNESCO Fellowship for Women in Science (New Zealand), and the 2017 Dr Maarire Goodall Award.

Harwood has contributed to numerous national health bodies, including membership on the PBRF Assessment Panel since 2018, participation in the Expert Advisory Group for New Zealand Health Strategy from 2018 onward, board membership at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand starting in 2017, service on the Health Research Council between 2009 and 2016, involvement with Waitematā District Health Board since 2016, and roles with the Asthma Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand during 2006–2010 and from 2016 to present.

In recognition of her work, she received the Te Tohu Rapuora Award from the Health Research Council of New Zealand in 2019.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Harwood represented Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā—the National Māori Pandemic Group—on the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group.

In the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours, she was bestowed with the King's Service Medal for her contributions to Māori health.