Riddet Institute welcomes new Māori Member

The Riddet Institute is delighted to announce the appointment of Traci Houpapa MNZM to the Riddet Institute Board. The Institute Board comprises eight members including representatives from each of the partner institutions (Massey University, University of Auckland, University of Otago, AgResearch and Plant & Food Research), an industry and a Māori representative, led by Chair Dr Kevin Marshall. Ms Houpapa replaces Professor Tracey McIntosh (University of Auckland, Head of School -Te Wananga o Waipapa, ex-director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence) who recently stepped down from the board after nine years as a member.

Dr Kevin Marshall, Riddet Institute Board Chairman welcomes Traci to the board. “The team at the Riddet Institute is committed to scientific excellence, leadership and training the future leaders of the scientific community in New Zealand and the world. Our initiatives include encouraging young Māori into sciences and particularly food science, and support for Māori success in the agri-food sector. Our commitment to increasing Māori participation in research is bearing fruit and we look forward to Ms Houpapa’s experience and leadership joining our board to support this further,” he says.

Traci is one of the top ten most influential women in New Zealand agribusiness and the Listener’s top ten influencers in New Zealand. She won the Westpac Fairfax Media Women of Influence Board and Management award and is on Westpac’s New Zealand Women Powerbrokers list. Traci gained the Massey University Distinguished Alumni Service Award for services to New Zealand agribusiness and Māori in 2016. Named amongst the BBCs 100 Most Influential Women in the World, Traci is a Chartered Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors, the highest level of the IODs Chartered categories, making her a nationally recognised role model for other directors and business leaders. Traci has an MBA from Massey University and is a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, a Justice of the Peace and a Marriage Celebrant.