Te Roopū Whakahaere o Whare Tukutuku
Last Updated July 2026
Tuari Potiki (Chairperson)
Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu
Tuari affiliates to and is a member of six of the seven papatipu rūnaka in the Otago/Southland region; Ōtākou, Puketeraki, Awarua, Waihōpai, Hokonui and Ōraka/Aparima.
Tuari has been extensively involved in the Māori health, mental health, education, and justice sectors for more than 25 years. He has worked in a number of different roles as a Māori alcohol and drug clinician and tutor before moving into management roles in both the public and non-government sector. From 1994 – 1997 Tuari managed the Taha Māori programme at Queen Mary Hospital, Hanmer Springs before moving to the Community Alcohol and Other Drugs Service in Christchurch where he helped establish a Whānau Clinic for Māori clients and a Māori methadone programme. From 2012 to 2023 Tuari was the Director of Māori Development at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago. Tuari is Chair of the Whare Tukutuku Roopū Whakahaere and a member of the Te Rau Ora board of directors. He is also Chair of the New Zealand Drug Foundation and is a Board member of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission.
Dr Vicki MacFarlane
Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Pikiao
Vicki has been a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners since 2004 and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Chapter of Addiction Medicine since 2015. She is the Aotearoa New Zealand representative on the Chapter of Addiction Medicine committee and is a member of the Whare Tukutuku Roopū Whakahaere. Vicki has worked for the Auckland Community Alcohol and Drug Services since 2010 and is currently the Lead Clinician for the Waitemata DHB Medically Managed Withdrawal Services based at Auckland City Mission Home Ground.
Vicki’s heart belongs to general practice – she loves the diversity of the job, the challenges, the privilege of being part of people’s lives and the opportunity to work with wonderful caring colleagues who share the same vision of what good medicine is. Vicki continues to strive to be the best doctor and to provide the highest quality medical care with compassion and kindness.
Gilbert Taurua
Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Pāmoana and Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kāwa
Gilbert has 30 plus years’ experience working across the broader health, social services, education and justice sectors. Half of which he has held in senior Māori roles both in community and statutory sectors. Gilbert has worked at an executive management level within DHBs and understands the dynamics between quality clinical care within a changing fiscal environment. He has significant governance experience, including policy, practice, research and evaluation.
Some of his previous roles include; Principal Advisor Māori New Zealand Drug Foundation, National Māori Manager for the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand, Director Māori Health with the Whanganui District Health Board, Chief Māori Strategy and Improvement Officer with Southern District Health Board and WellSouth Primary Care Network. He most recently left his interim role as CEO at Awarua Whānau Services and is now interim CEO with Ngāti Porou Oranga.
Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen
Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Hinerangi
Rawiri is a respected leader in hauora Māori whose career reflects a deep commitment to health equity and community wellbeing. A General Practitioner with extensive experience across primary care and national health leadership, Rawiri has dedicated his mahi to improving outcomes for whānau through both clinical practice and system-level transformation. A former Māori language resource teacher, Rawiri completed his medical training at Middlemore Hospital in 2000 – his second attempt at Medical School after pausing his studies to be an activist and protestor in movements for Māori land, Māori language, a Nuclear Free Independent Pacific, and the 1981 Springbok Tour. He later provided clinical teaching, Te Reo Māori, and tikanga Māori programmes for Māori health professionals nationwide, with particular focus on communicating health information to underserved communities.
Rawiri’s leadership roles include Clinical Director of the National Hauora Coalition, Clinical Director at Papakura Marae, Senior GP at Te Whare Hauora o Raungaiti, and contributor to school-based health initiatives aimed at eliminating rheumatic fever. He is the former Chief Medical Officer for Te Aka Whai Ora and a national Māori health leader throughout the COVID-19 response.
Rawiri is currently Chief Clinical Officer for the Tūwharetoa Iwi Māori Partnership Board, co-lead of the National Diabetes Network Mahitahi Matehuka, a GP with Tend in Tāmaki Makaurau, and a Roopū Whakahaere member with Whare Tukutuku.
Selina Elkington
Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Kuia
With a long history of working in the addiction sector, and her own experiences of growing up in Aotearoa, Selina has developed a deep passion for supporting individuals on their journey to recovery. Her career has been dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of those affected by addiction and to continue supporting the professional development of people working with people.
Selina has been at Te Pou since January 2023 as Programme Manager Addiction, sitting within the Practice team. Previously, she has held roles at Ōtākou Health – Tiaki Taoka, Operations Manager at Nova Star, Christchurch. She has been an addiction practitioner for many years and is a Registered Practitioner and Accredited Supervisor.
Selina has seen the devastating effects that drugs and alcohol can have in people’s lives and the significant role that trauma plays in this. Selina feels really privileged to work in kaupapa that can support and create change. She believes in working with the potential of people to promote whānau ora and in doing this you have to be living the life and walking the talk.
Dr Mike Ngawati
Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine
Mike is a consultant psychiatrist and clinical lead for Te Atea Marino Māori addictions service, as well as being the current clinical director of Whītiki Maurea Maori Mental Health and Addiction Services Waitemata – Te Whatu Ora.
He has a passion for working in the field of Māori addiction treatment and working towards improving equity in access and service provision for Māori tangata whai ora and their whanau within the addiction sector and secondary mental health services.
Kristen Maynard
Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ruapani
Kristen is an independent contractor based in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa who has a long history of working in the alcohol harm reduction space, including with the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand, Health Promotion Agency and Te Hiringa Hauora.
Kristen Maynard is also a GAPA consultant on Indigenous health and is part of the International Indigenous Drug Policy Alliance.
