A champion of education for the Pacific Islands community, EIT Hawke’s Bay research project leader and lecturer Diane Mara was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year’s Honours. 

Of Tahitian descent, Dr Mara graduated from Victoria University in 2007 with a PhD in Education.  For her research topic, she interviewed 20 Pacific women graduates – five of them completing PhDs – about how their identity was affected, changed or strengthened by their experiences in tertiary institutions.

Dr Mara moved to Hawke’s Bay two years ago from a position as senior researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

She has been involved in several research projects since joining EIT, including evaluations for Sport Hawke’s Bay and Choices and their Tai Tamariki programme.    Recently, she was appointed senior research manager for a three-year EIT project aimed at improving the well-being of the region’s children and youth.