63 Notable alumni of
University of Waikato
Updated:
The University of Waikato is 1257th in the world, 28th in Oceania, and 6th in New Zealand by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 63 notable alumni from the University of Waikato sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Jacinda Ardern
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- Studied in 2001
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was a Labour member of Parliament (MP) as a list MP from 2008 to 2017, and for Mount Albert from 2017 to 2023.
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Warren Gatland
- Occupations
- rugby union playerrugby union coach
- Biography
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Warren David Gatland is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player who is the head coach of the Wales national team.
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Manasseh Sogavare
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Manasseh Damukana Sogavare is the prime minister of Solomon Islands, serving since 24 April 2019. He previously held the office in 2000–2001, 2006–2007 and 2014–2017; in all he has served over nine years as prime minister. Before becoming prime minister, Sogavare served in the National Parliament representing East Choiseul since 1997.
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Jerry Mateparae
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- Studied in 2008
- Occupations
- politicianmilitary personnel
- Biography
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Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah Mateparae is a former New Zealand soldier who served as the 20th governor-general of New Zealand between 2011 and 2016, the second Māori person to hold the office, after Sir Paul Reeves. A former officer in the New Zealand Army, he was the Chief of the Defence Force from 2006 to 2011, and then served as the director of the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau for five months in 2011. Following his term as governor-general, Mateparae was the high commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2020.
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Stephen Donald
- Occupations
- rugby union player
- Biography
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Stephen Rex Donald is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for the NEC Green Rockets in the Japanese Top League. A first five-eighth or centre, he has won 24 international caps for New Zealand. Nicknamed 'Beaver', he is best known for kicking the winning penalty in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final.
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Todd Muller
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Todd Michael Muller is a New Zealand politician who served as the Leader of the New Zealand National Party and the Leader of the Opposition from 22 May to 14 July 2020.
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Marama Davidson
- Occupations
- political candidatepolitician
- Biography
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Marama Mere-Ana Davidson is a New Zealand politician who entered the New Zealand Parliament in 2015 as a list-member representing the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, of which she became the female co-leader in 2018.
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Pete Bethune
- Occupations
- explorer
- Biography
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Captain Peter James Bethune is a New Zealand ship's captain with 500 ton master licence, published author, producer of The Operatives TV show, and public speaker. He is the founder of Earthrace Conservation. He works assisting countries in Asia, Central America and Africa with fisheries enforcement and anti-poaching. He is the holder of the world record for circumnavigating the globe in his powerboat Earthrace, a wavepiercing trimaran powered with biofuels.
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Joscha Bach
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- 1997-1998 studied computer science
- Occupations
- computer scientist
- Biography
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Joscha Bach is a German artificial intelligence researcher and cognitive scientist focusing on cognitive architectures, mental representation, emotion, social modeling, and multi-agent systems.
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Marilyn Waring
- Occupations
- university teachereconomistwomen's rights activistwriterpolitician
- Biography
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Dame Marilyn Joy Waring is a New Zealand public policy scholar, international development consultant, former politician, environmentalist, feminist and a principal founder of feminist economics.
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Rob Waddell
- Occupations
- rugby union playerrower
- Biography
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Robert Norman Waddell is a New Zealand Olympic Gold Medalist and double World Champion Single sculler rower, and America's Cup yachtsman. He is a triple New Zealand Supreme 'Halberg Awards' Sportsperson of the year winner, 1998 to 2000. He holds the third fastest 2000 metre indoor rowing machine time in the world, clocking a time of 5 mins 36.6 secs (5:36.6), which was the previous world record for 19 years before the time was improved by Joshua Dunkley-Smith. He also held the record for 5000m on the rowing machine with a time of 14min 58sec. This made him the first person to go below 15 min for this distance. He holds a black belt in judo. He played rugby union for Waikato. Waddell was Chef de Mission of the 2014 and 2018 New Zealand Commonwealth Games teams, and the 2016 and 2022 Summer Olympics.
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Annette King
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Dame Annette Faye King is a former New Zealand politician. She served as Deputy Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 2008 to 2011, and from 2014 until 1 March 2017. She was a Cabinet Minister in the Fourth and Fifth Labour Governments, and was the MP for the Rongotai electorate in Wellington from 1996 to 2017.
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Mark Wilson
- Years
- 1966-.. (age 58)
- Occupations
- managerentrepreneur
- Biography
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Mark Andrew Wilson is a New Zealand businessman, who was appointed the chief executive officer (CEO) of Aviva on 1 January 2013. He stood down from his position on 9 October 2018.
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Shane Reti
- Occupations
- badminton executive and administratorpoliticianbadminton playerphysicianpolitical candidate
- Biography
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Shane Raymond Reti is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, and a Cabinet Minister with the roles of Minister of Health and Minister for Pacific Peoples, since 27 November 2023. He was first elected at the 2014 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Whangārei electorate. He is a member of the New Zealand National Party and served as its deputy leader from 10 November 2020 to 30 November 2021 including a period of five days as interim leader following the ousting of Judith Collins.
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Emma Twigg
- Occupations
- rower
- Biography
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Emma Kimberley Twigg is a New Zealand rower. A single sculler, she was the 2014 world champion and won gold in her fourth Olympics in Tokyo in July 2021. Previous Olympic appearances were in 2008 (ninth place), 2012 (fourth place), and 2016 (fourth place). She has retired from rowing twice, first for master-level studies in Europe in 2015 and then after the 2016 Olympics, disappointed at having narrowly missed an Olympic medal for the second time. After two years off the water, she started training again in 2018 and won silver at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. Since her marriage in 2020, she has become an outspoken advocate for LGBT athletes. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Twigg won gold in the woman's single scull.
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Nándor Tánczos
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Nándor Steven Tánczos is a New Zealand social ecologist, researcher, educator, activist and political commentator. He is currently a councillor in the Whakatāne District Council. He is also co-director of He Puna Manawa social and political change agency.
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Wayne Smith
- Occupations
- rugby union player
- Biography
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Sir Wayne Ross Smith is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player. He has won three Rugby World Cups; he was an assistant coach with New Zealand's men's team, the All Blacks, who won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, and as head coach of the New Zealand women's team, the Black Ferns, won the 2021 World Cup, held in 2022.
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Louisa Wall
- Occupations
- netballerrugby union playerpolitician
- Biography
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Louisa Hareruia Wall is a former New Zealand Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2011 to 2022. She has represented New Zealand in both netball as a Silver Fern and rugby union as a member of the Black Ferns. In late March 2022, Wall announced that she would resign from Parliament.
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Hekia Parata
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Patricia Hekia Parata is a former New Zealand public servant, diplomat, and politician.
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Te Ururoa Flavell
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- Graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Te Ururoa James William Ben Flavell, also known as Hemi Flavell, is a New Zealand politician who was a co-leader of the Māori Party from 2013 until 2018 and represented the Waiariki electorate for the party in Parliament from 2005–2017.
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Stacey Fluhler
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- 2014-2017 studied Bachelor of Sport, Health and Physical Education
- Occupations
- rugby union playerrugby sevens player
- Biography
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Stacey Fluhler is a New Zealand rugby union player. She plays fifteen-a-side and seven-a-side rugby union, and is a member of the New Zealand Women's Sevens team and New Zealand Women's National Rugby Union team. Fluhler was a member of the New Zealand Women's Sevens team when they won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She was also a member of the New Zealand fifteen-a-side team which won the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup and the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup.
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Nathan Cohen
- Occupations
- rower
- Biography
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Nathan Phillip Cohen is a New Zealand rower. He is a two-time world champion, and won a gold medal in the Olympics. In 2006, rowing a single scull, he won a gold medal at the World University Games. In doing so, he became the first New Zealander to win a gold medal at the World University Games in any sport. Cohen and his rowing partner, Joseph Sullivan, won back-to-back gold medals in the men's double sculls at both the 2010 and 2011 World Rowing Championships. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he and his partner won the gold medal in the men's double sculls, after breaking the Olympic best time in the heats. In 2013, Cohen was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to rowing.
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Louise Upston
- Occupations
- political candidatepolitician
- Biography
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Louise Claire Upston is a New Zealand politician. She was elected as a Member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for Taupō, representing the National Party, in the 2008 general election.
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Fletcher Tabuteau
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Fletcher Hoporona Tabuteau is a New Zealand politician and former Member of Parliament. He was elected as a list MP for the New Zealand First party from 2014 to 2020 and was deputy leader of the party from 2018 to 2020.
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Theresa Gattung
- Occupations
- chief executive officerbusinessperson
- Biography
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Theresa Gattung is a New Zealand businessperson and the former chief executive of Telecom New Zealand.
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Derek Sikua
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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David Derek Sikua served as the prime minister of Solomon Islands from 20 December 2007 to 25 August 2010. He is a member of the Solomon Islands Liberal Party.
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Willow-Jean Prime
- Years
- 1980s
- Occupations
- political candidatepolitician
- Biography
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Willow-Jean Prime is a New Zealand politician who was elected to the New Zealand Parliament at the 2017 general election as a list representative of the New Zealand Labour Party. At the 2020 election, she won the electorate of Northland by 163 votes, the closest election of the 2020 cycle.
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Ngahuia Te Awekotuku
- Years
- 1949-.. (age 75)
- Occupations
- writeracademic
- Biography
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Ngahuia Te Awekotuku is a New Zealand academic specialising in Māori cultural issues and a lesbian activist. In 1972, she was famously denied a visa to visit the United States on the basis of her sexuality.
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Tim Macindoe
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Timothy Harley Macindoe is a New Zealand politician who was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2008 for the Hamilton West electorate. Macindoe previously served as the Minister of Customs in the Fifth National Government.
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Paul Hunt
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Paul Hunt, a New Zealand and British national, is a human rights expert who specialises in economic, social and cultural rights. In January 2019, he took up office as Chief Commissioner at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.
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Gerard J. Milburn
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teacherphysicist
- Biography
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Gerard James Milburn is an Australian theoretical quantum physicist notable for his work on quantum feedback control, quantum measurements, quantum information, open quantum systems, and Linear optical quantum computing (aka the Knill, Laflamme and Milburn scheme).
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Alyn Ware
- Occupations
- juristpeace activist
- Biography
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Alyn Ware (born 21 March 1962) is a New Zealand peace educator and campaigner in the areas of peace, non-violence, nuclear abolition, international law, women's rights, children's rights and the environment. He has served as the Global Coordinator for Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament since it was founded in 2002.
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Shaista Shameem
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- In 2019 graduated with Doctor of Juridical Science
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Shaista Shameem, a Fijian lawyer, the director of the Fiji Human Rights Commission from 2002 to 2007, and its director and chairperson from 2007 to 2009. A graduate of the University of the South Pacific, she holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Waikato and a Masters in Law from the University of Auckland. She also holds a Doctorate in Juridical Science.
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Martin Gallagher
- Occupations
- politicianteacher
- Biography
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Martin Owen Gallagher is a New Zealand politician and was Labour member of Parliament representing the Hamilton West electorate until November 2008. Currently, he is councillor on the Hamilton City Council West Ward as well as Deputy Mayor of Hamilton.
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Christopher Pugsley
- Occupations
- historian
- Biography
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Christopher John Pugsley is a New Zealand military historian. He is published as Chris Pugsley and Christopher Pugsley.
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Camille Buscomb
- Occupations
- athletics competitor
- Biography
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Camille French is a New Zealand long-distance runner.
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Hannah Osborne
- Occupations
- rower
- Biography
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Hannah Osborne is a New Zealand rower. A member of the national squad, she qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics. In a surprise move, she was selected in the double scull alongside Brooke Donoghue, displacing the reigning twice world champion Olivia Loe. Osborne and Donoghue raced to a silver medal in Tokyo.
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Paula Southgate
- Years
- 1960s
- Biography
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Paula Anne Southgate is a New Zealand politician. She has held several positions in local government since 2001. In October 2019 she was elected the Mayor of Hamilton and was re-elected in October 2022.
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Angie Warren-Clark
- Occupations
- solicitorbarristerpolitical candidatepolitician
- Biography
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Angela Maree Warren-Clark is a New Zealand politician and former Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party.
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Mike Sosene-Feagai
- Occupations
- rugby union player
- Biography
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Mike Sosene-Feagai is a rugby union player who currently plays hooker for Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby (MLR). He was born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand, and now lives in the United States and plays internationally for the United States national rugby union team.
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Wendy Larner
- Years
- 1963-.. (age 61)
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- Studied in 1982-1983
- Occupations
- geographer
- Biography
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Wendy Larner is a New Zealand social scientist who has focussed on the interdisciplinary areas of globalisation, governance and gender. She has been Vice-Chancellor and President of Cardiff University since September 2023, having previously been provost at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand.
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Julie Hardaker
- Years
- 1960-.. (age 64)
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Julie Hardaker was the Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand, from October 2010 to October 2016. Born in New Zealand, she was self-employed in Australia in the 1980s. After graduating from the University of Waikato, she joined the Hamilton law firm McCaw Lewis Chapman and became a partner and held senior management roles. She is involved in various community and business organisations at a governance level. As a political novice, she defeated former Mayor and experienced politician Bob Simcock in the 2010 New Zealand local government elections. Hardaker was re-elected in the 2013 election beating her main rival Ewan Wilson, with a majority of 2911 votes, becoming the first mayor of Hamilton in nearly two decades to survive their first term in office. She was returned to power with an increased majority, capturing 43.6% of the valid mayoral votes cast.
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Jessica Draskau-Petersson
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- Graduated with Master of Philosophy
- Occupations
- marathon runner
- Biography
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Jessica Draskau Petersson is a Danish long-distance runner. Her fastest marathon time was set at the 2015 Bank of America Chicago marathon, where she ran a time of 2:30:07. She competed in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Olympic Marathon in Rio She finished eighth in the marathon at the 2014 European Athletics Championships.
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Janine Krippner
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- In 2009 graduated with Master of Science in volcanology
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in geology
- Occupations
- volcanologist
- Biography
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Janine Krippner is a physical volcanologist from New Zealand who uses remote sensing to study pyroclastic flows and is a popular science communicator.
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Howard Carmichael
- Occupations
- theoretical physicist
- Biography
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Howard John Carmichael is a British-born New Zealand theoretical physicist specialising in quantum optics and the theory of open quantum systems. He is the Dan Walls Professor of Physics at the University of Auckland and a principal investigator of the Dodd-Walls Centre. Carmichael has played a role in the development of the field of quantum optics and is particularly known for his Quantum Trajectory Theory (QTT) which offers a more detailed view of quantum behaviour by making predictions of single events happening to individual quantum systems. Carmichael works with experimental groups around the world to apply QTT to experiments on single quantum systems, including those contributing to the development of quantum computers. He is a Fellow of Optical Society of America, the American Physical Society and the Royal Society of New Zealand. He was awarded the Max Born Award in 2003, the Humboldt Research Award in 1997 and the Dan Walls Medal of the New Zealand Institute of Physics in 2017. In 2015, he was recognised as an Outstanding Referee by the American Physical Society.
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Mita Ririnui
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Mita Michael Ririnui is a former New Zealand politician and a member of the Labour Party. He was a member of parliament from 1999 to 2011.
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Zoe Stevenson
- Occupations
- rower
- Biography
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Zoe Stevenson is a New Zealand rower. She won gold in the women's double sculls with Fiona Bourke at the 2014 World Rowing Championships.
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Marston Conder
- Occupations
- mathematician
- Biography
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Marston Donald Edward Conder is a New Zealand mathematician, a Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Auckland University, and the former co-director of the New Zealand Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. His main research interests are in combinatorial group theory, graph theory, and their connections with each other.
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Ally Wollaston
- Occupations
- track cyclistsport cyclist
- Biography
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Ally Wollaston is a New Zealand professional track racing cyclist and road cyclist riding for AG Insurance–Soudal–Quick-Step.
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Abigail M. Smith
- Occupations
- marine scientistacademic
- Biography
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Abigail Smith is a professor in marine sciences at Otago University in Dunedin.
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Tony Parr
- Occupations
- naval officer
- Biography
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Rear Admiral Anthony Jonathan Parr, ONZM, MVO was the Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy from April 2009 to November 2012. He was succeeded by Rear Admiral Jack Steer.
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Ross Malcolm Jansen
- Biography
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Sir Ross Malcolm Jansen was a New Zealand local-body politician. He served as mayor of Hamilton from 1977 to 1989. He was an expert in local government, held a variety of positions, was academically acknowledged, and received a number of honours.
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Judy McGregor
- Years
- 1948-.. (age 76)
- Occupations
- journalistjuristacademicuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Dame Judith Helen McGregor is a New Zealand lawyer, journalist, public servant and academic. She is currently a full professor at Auckland University of Technology and chairs the Waitematā District Health Board.
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Linda Waimarie Nikora
- Years
- 20th Century
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Graduated with Master of Social Science
- Graduated with Bachelor of Social Science
- Occupations
- psychologistacademic
- Biography
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Linda Waimarie Nikora is a New Zealand psychology academic. She is Māori, of Te Aitanga a Hauiti and Ngāi Tūhoe descent. She is currently professor of Indigenous Studies and co-director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga at the University of Auckland, having moved in 2017 from the University of Waikato where she had been a professor of psychology and the founding Director of the Maori & Psychology Research Unit in the School of Psychology.
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Kathleen Wong Mei Yin
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Kathleen Wong Mei Yin is a political activist promoting unity and harmony in Perak, Malaysia. Previously, she served as an Economic and Political Officer for the Australian High Commission in Malaysia. She acts as a liaison for the Australian and Malaysian government. She is a member of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a major component party of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
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Angus Macfarlane
- Born in
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New Zealand - Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Graduated with Master of Social Science
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- psychologist
- Biography
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Angus Hikairo Macfarlane is a New Zealand academic and professor at the University of Canterbury.
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Elizabeth Ann McKinley
- Occupations
- academic
- Biography
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Elizabeth Ann McKinley is a New Zealand academic and as of 2019 is a full professor at the University of Melbourne.
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Mere Berryman
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- In 2001 graduated with Master of Education
- Occupations
- academic
- Biography
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Mere Anne Berryman is a New Zealand kaupapa Māori academic. She is Māori, of Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, and Ngāti Whare descent and as of 2019 is a full professor at the University of Waikato.
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Priscilla M. Wehi
- Occupations
- researcherbiologistecologist
- Biography
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Priscilla M. Wehi is a New Zealand ethnobiologist and conservation biologist. As at July 2021 she is an associate professor at the University of Otago and on the first of that month officially undertook the role of director of Te Pūnaha Matatini, a centre of research excellence in complex systems and data analytics. During the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand Te Pūnaha Matatini scientists have developed mathematical models of the spread of the virus across the country that influence the New Zealand government's response to the outbreak. In 2021 Wehi was awarded the Hill Tinsley Medal.
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Jill Hooks
- Enrolled in the University of Waikato
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- academic
- Biography
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Jillian Jeanette Hooks is a New Zealand accountancy academic. She was a professor at the Massey University and published a number of books and papers on accounting and financial reporting.
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Pareaute Nathan
- Occupations
- weaverteacher
- Biography
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Pareaute Polly Nathan is a New Zealand Māori educator and weaver. In the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was awarded the Queen's Service Medal, for services to Māori and education.
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Anjali Thakker
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Anjali Dayalji Mulari is a New Zealand ice hockey forward and inline hockey player. She is a member of the New Zealand women's national ice hockey team, Auckland Steel Ice Hockey Team and the Hamilton Devils Inline Hockey Team. Her previous teams include CHL Aranda de Duero of the Spanish Senior Women's Liga Elite, Ris-Orangis in France and Köping in Sweden.
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Jane Gilbert
- Years
- 1955-.. (age 69)
- Occupations
- researcher
- Biography
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Dr. Jane Gilbert is an educationalist in New Zealand. She was the Chief Researcher of New Zealand Council for Educational Research. From 2014, Jane was appointed as a professor of education at Auckland University of Technology.
