Being raised in the Wairoa district is what bred the passion of Associate Professor Suzanne Pitama to help her people and led her to an expansive career in Maori health.
"When you're raised in the Wairoa district and you're connected to Wairoa and the language, the tikanga and the richness of it all but at the same you see so much health disparity and poverty - those were the triggers for me."
As a young child Pitama saw her grandmother die of cardiovascular disease and then her two aunties died of the same disease in their 40s.
"My experience growing up was mainly going to tangi and that implants in you as a kid to try and support the next generation," she said.
She has just been given a ministerial appointment to the Health Research Council's board and will also hold the chairman position on its Maori health committee.