Ms Aroha MEAD

Research Director, Biological Heritage National Science Challenge

Aroha is from the Ngati Awa and Ngati Porou tribal nations (Maori) from Aotearoa New Zealand. Her experience in IUCN is significant having served on IUCN's Council for a total of 16 years (2000 -2016). She served two terms as Appointed Councillor with special responsibilities for indigneous peoples issues (2000-2008) before being elected for two terms as Chair of IUCN;s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP).   Now Chair Emeritus, Aroha continues to remain in IUCN's work through the Editorial Board, Taskforce on Synthetic Biology and Conservation and in IUCN delegations to IPBES .

Since leaving IUCN Council, Aroha has returned to her core work as an indigenous researcher specialising in indigenous knowledge, de-colonising conservation and indigenous intellectual property issues.