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Innovating for Impact: Translating Immunology into Equitable Therapies for all in Aotearoa New Zealand

Dr Tama Braithwaite-Westoby; Malaghan �Ӱ�ԭ�� of Medical �Ӱ�ԭ��

Tama Te Puea Braithwaite-Westoby (Waikato Tainui, Pākehā) is the Tautotoro (Māori Engagement Advisor) for the Malaghan �Ӱ�ԭ�� of Medical �Ӱ�ԭ��. His core role involves leading the Māori engagement and strategic partnerships work with Māori partners and communities, providing cultural support to Malaghan staff, and liaising with the institute's Māori advisory board Te Urungi Māori. Tama began academic life in the University of Otago's German Department in Dunedin. His research culminated in a thesis on the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales and modernity. His career then did a 180 degree shift to Māori equity and wellbeing, starting with Te Tumu Paeroa (the Māori Trustee, an organisation established to manage Māori land), where he specialized in Māori trust management, land development and engagement with Māori landowners. During this time he completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Communications where he focussed on Māori public policy. This was followed by six years working in the New Zealand Government across various policy roles at Te Puni Kōkiri (the Ministry for Māori development) and the Ministry of Health, including as Principal Advisor of Treaty settlement negotiations and Whānau Ora Commissioning.

The Malaghan �Ӱ�ԭ�� of Medical �Ӱ�ԭ�� is Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading independent biomedical research institute specialising in immunology. In Aotearoa, where Indigenous Māori communities continue to face systemic health inequities, the Malaghan �Ӱ�ԭ�� is seeking ways to utilise its cutting-edge technology and research programmes to bring therapies closer to home. With active programmes in CAR T-cell therapy, vaccines, and allergic/inflammatory diseases, these initiatives aim to address complex health challenges and ensure that the benefits of immunological advancements are shared equitably across Aotearoa. This presentation will discuss how the �Ӱ�ԭ�� is translating immunological discovery into real-world therapies that are both innovative and inclusive, providing an example of how biomedical research can be conducted in ways that are culturally grounded and serve the wider public good. Through an ongoing commitment to working in partnership with Māori, the Malaghan is advancing science that is both responsive to, and responsible for, indigenous Māori health needs.