Dr Brewer appearance before Waitangi Tribunal

Our Senior Research Fellow, Dr Karen Brewer had the privilege of appearing before the Waitangi Tribunal on 15th November 2022, as a technical witness. This was for WAI 2736 and 1781 which are part of the WAI 2575 kaupapa inquiry. As a speech-language therapist and kaupapa Māori researcher, she was asked to present her perspective on speech-language therapy for Māori with aphasia (a communication disorder caused by stroke), particularly those living in rural areas. When speaking to the Tribunal and Crown lawyers, she drew on her experiences in Manawataki Fatu Fatu and all we are learning about inequities in cardiovascular disease.

The recording of the hearing is available to view on demand. Dr Brewer’s appearance was first up (after all the formalities) on Day 2: https://youtu.be/KqSI8KLc2cc. We have given some approximate timings for sections of the recording below when Dr Brewer appears. The timings (shown in hours and minutes) refer to the YouTube video time that is shown on the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen. 

Sections of the recording:

0:20 Karen goes through her evidence brief, giving the evidence she prepared

1:16 The Crown ask Karen questions

2:00 Tribunal members start asking questions

2:10 Questions from Tribunal member Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Karen gets a little starstruck)

2:49 Final questions from the judge

Ngā mihi nui, Karen for your important mahi!