11 Jul Nau mai, hoki mai Crystal Pekepo

Heretaunga Haukū Nui
Heretaunga Ararau
Heretaunga Haaro o te Kaahu
Heretaunga Takoto noa

Nau mai, hoki mai Crystal Pekepo.

Toi Tangata is collaborating with a team of researchers from Auckland, Otago and Massey Universities as part of the Healthier Lives Science Challenge, working alongside Ngāti Whātua and Te Whanganui ā Tara (Wellington Region) communities co-designing a mobile health tool for Māori and Pacific Island whānau (Welltext).

It is through this research project that we get the great opportunity to collaborate with Crystal Pekepo in the Wellington region, and team at Te Ha Oranga in Auckland. Of Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tāne and Ngāti Vara (Mangaia) descent, Crystal previously joined the Toi Tangata team as one of the two students who took part in the 10 week 2015/16 Toi Tangata Summer internship. She is now a more permanent part of the team supporting community research and co-design based in Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt.

Crystal is currently a tauira at Te Wānanga ō Raukawa and is in her last year of Poutuārongo Kawa Oranga. She enjoys working alongside communities promoting kaupapa Māori approaches to improve health and well-being. You can often catch her and her whānau in Waiwhetu leading Uekaha Aotearoa, formerly known as Haka Fit.

Crystal is looking forward to her role at Toi Tangata and continues to engage whānau in physical and nutritional activity through the Atua-Matua framework redefining our way of thinking to reflect the pursuit of Atua and whakapapa first. It is great to have her as part of the team and if you want to catch up with Crystal you can check out her contact details and profile on our website.

Nā Callie Corrigan