Te ata hāpara (the dawn) signifies the dawning of the next generation of Māori health research leaders. Te Ata Hāpara acknowledges the importance of fostering these future leaders by recognising an emerging Māori researcher who has demonstrated contribution to advancing Māori health through their research and has a promising research career trajectory.
Te Ata Hāpara will be awarded to an individual who is responding to the needs of, and working in partnership with, Māori stakeholders and communities to advance Māori health through research. While the award is open to all disciplines, recipients will have identified a clear pathway for translation of their research findings into improvements in Māori health outcomes.
Relative to opportunity, the recipient will have considered how they will contribute to the development of the Māori health research workforce.
Recipients may be recognised for a specific piece of work or for their overall research contributions and outputs throughout their career that has contributed to the creation of Māori health knowledge.
Recipients must be no more than 8 years since receiving their most recent research qualification and be of Māori decent.
Te Ata Hāpara award will be presented later this year. Accommodation and transport will be arranged for the recipient and partner if required.
Te Ata Hāpara is made annually and consists of an award and a certificate.
2025 call for nominations now open
Nominations are now open for the Health Research Council of New Zealand’s Te Ata Hāpara Award. Please use the 2025 Te Ata Hāpara Award Nomination Form found at the bottom of this page.
Eligibility criteria:
- Nominations must be for an individual.
- Nominees for the award must be of Māori descent.
- Nominees must be no more than 8 years since receiving their most recent research qualification at the nomination close date. Please note, this is not limited to a PhD.
- Nominees can be recognised for a specific piece of work or for their overall research contributions and outputs throughout their career.
- The award will be open to all disciplines and methodologies, but nominees will be required to clearly describe how their research is currently contributing to the advancement of Māori health, and their aspirations to improve Māori health outcomes.
- Current Health Research Council members are not eligible to receive any HRC medals while in post.
- Nominees are eligible to receive all HRC awards more than once with a five-year stand down period following receipt of any HRC award (for example, if a nominee first received the award in 2020, they are ineligible for the 2025 award; if first received in 2019, nominees are again eligible for the 2025 award).
- An assessing committee will be convened to discuss the nominations before making their recommendations to Council. The award is open for nominations annually but may be held over at the discretion of Council if it is deemed no applications meet the criteria.
Nominations should include:
- the name and contact details of the nominee
- a completed Te Ata Hāpara Award Nomination Form (no more than three A4 pages)
- relative to opportunity, the nomination must demonstrate how the nominee:
- is responding to the needs of, and working in partnership with, Māori stakeholders and communities
- is contributing to the creation of Māori health knowledge
- has clearly identified a pathway for translation of their research findings into improvements in Māori health outcomes
- has considered how they will contribute to the development of the Māori health research workforce.
- Carefully selected (rather than comprehensive) supporting evidence in support of the nomination may be attached (no more than three A4 pages).
Nomination on behalf of others is acceptable, as is self-nomination.
Nominations close at 1pm, Tuesday 6 May 2025 and should be directed to Ms Le-Shan Pomana Wesley via email (medals@hrc.govt.nz). You can also direct all queries regarding Te Ata Hāpara Award to this email. If you’re nominating on behalf of someone, you must inform the nominee.