Biography

Hannah is an interdisciplinary kaupapa Māori health researcher and clinical dietitian. Her areas of research expertise and interest include Māori data sovereignty, food sovereignties, kaupapa Māori theory and methodology and Māori infant nutrition. She also has experience in primary care clinical dietetics, food service and community research project management. 

Key Publications: 

Hannah Rapata, Anne-Louise M. Heath, Clare Wall, Rachael Taylor & Lisa Te Morenga (2021) Māori first foods: a Māori centred approach to understanding infant complementary feeding practices within Māori whānau, Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, DOI: 10.1080/1177083X.2021.2002372

Richards, R., Camp, J., Kokaua, J., Raureti, T., Lucas, A., Karaka, D., Rapata, H., Lameta, M. (2020). Setting sail and returning home. Research voyaging in Aotearoa.\. The Journal of Pacific Research 21(6), 341-346. doi:10.26635/phd.2020.637

Hannah Rapata, Wayne S. Cutfield, Barry J. Milne, Nichola Shackleton, Cathrine Waetford, Rosalina Richards, Rachael W. Taylor, Terina Raureti, José G. B. Derraik & Justine Camp (2019): Stable prevalence of obesity among Ngāti Whātua 4-year-old children in 2010–2016, Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2019.1691613

Key Presentations: 

Rapata, H. (2025). Marginalism, racism and tokenism: The experiences of Māori dietitians. Oral presentation. Working to End Racism Oppression Conference. Hamilton, New Zealand, February 12th.

Rapata, H. (2025). Kai Ora, Piki Ora: Intersections of kai, race, data and identity. Oral presentation. Working to End Racism Oppression Conference. Hamilton, New Zealand, February 11th.

Rapata, H. (2024). A Kaupapa Māori Critique of Māori Food and Nutrition Data in Aotearoa. Oral presentation. International Indigenous Research Conference (IIRC), Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. Auckland, New Zealand, November 15th.

Rapata, H. (2024). Te Kai Ora A Kai Tahu: Conceptualising kai to support wellbeing among Kāi Tahu rakatahi. Oral presentation. Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (PRIDoC), Adelaide, Australia, December 6th.

Rapata, H. (2023). The Importance of Allyship in Dietetics. Keynote Address. Dietitians New Zealand Conference. Auckland, September 5th. 

Rapata, H. (2023). Food and Nutrition Professions as Contemporary Mechanisms of Food Colonisation. Oral presentation. Dietitians New Zealand Conference. Auckland, September 5th.