Gina Smith-Lawson and Esther Cowley-Malcolm
Esther Cowley-Malcolm
Esther Cowley-Malcolm was appointed as the Director of The Research Office in May 2010. Esther’s background is in tertiary education (nearly 20yrs) as a lecturer in English as a second language, management and research in a longitudinal study where the children are now 10 years old. Esther has published in peer reviewed national and international Journals and continues to co-write papers from the longitudinal study. Esther has been a member of the PIF study team which continues to receive funding from FORST & HRC. She has also been a successful applicant for funding from HRC and Fisher and Paykel Trust. She has served on several governance Boards – Health Research Council of NZ, Medical Laboratory Science Board of NZ, Chair of the Pacific Development and Conservation Trust (formerly known as The Rainbow Warrior Trust), Chair of the HRC Pacific Research Committee, Inaugural Chair of The Newmarket School Board of Trustees and Wesley College Board of Trustees and currently sits on The Pacific Advisory Committee of The University of Auckland’s ‘Growing up in New Zealand’ Longitudinal Study.
In her voluntary work Esther is also team leader of a 4 person facilitation group that faciltiates weekend workshops in the communities on the “alternatives to Violence project’ . Esther received New Years Queens Honours recognition for her service work to her community from the Government in 2005 when she was made a “Member of The New Zealand Order of Merit’. She has a Dip Tchg, BA, MA (Hons) and was an HRC PhD career Development Award recipient. She looks forward to adding PhD to her academic credentials.
Esther also grew up in Tokoroa, is an avid traveller clocking up 65 countries in her 4 passports (having done her O.E and lived in England and Australia for 10yrs), and has worked in Australia, England, Germany an Israel. Esther lives at Ohope Beach with her husband John Malcolm, a senior consultant Paediatrician & Researcher at Whakatane Hospital. Between them they have two adult children, a son who is completing an Education degree and plays professional rugby in Ireland and a daughter who is a physiotherapist studying Post Grad Sports psychology at Otago University. They have one mokopuna and look forward to many more.
Gina Smith-Lawson
Gina Smith Lawson was appointed as the Research Office Administrator in August 2010 having worked in TWWoA for 6yrs and in the Graduate School since it was opened in 2008. She has sucessfully organised several research conferences, including Te Tau Ihu o Nga Wananga in 2005, the inaugural Staff Research conference in 2005, held annually up to 2009, and the National Maori and Indigenous Doctoral Conference in October 2008. Gina also organised research workshops for staff and students during her time in The Graduate School as well as monitoring and administering the PBRF evidential portfolios in the TEC 2006 PBRF partial funding round. Gina also services the Ethics and Research Committee as Minute Secretary and is currently studying for a Diploma in Business Administration Management online with Waiariki Institute of Technology, having already completed papers in Business Event Planning and Administration for Management, and is half way through the Professional Performance and Development Strategies paper. Gina brings to her new role in The Research Office extensive inside knowledge from 6years of work experience at the wananga. Gina has an endearing personaility with a great sense of humour, and an astute mind . She is also very approachable and applies herself to her work in a very professional, effective and efficient way.
Gina is married to Jeff Lawson, also a wānanga staff member, and together have 3 children (2 adults), Manea, who works for the Academic Registry and studies Interior Design, Jeffrey, who is undertaking a course in Sport and Fitness in Tauranga, and the baby, Tearoa who is a Yr 9 student at Trident High School and is into every sport imaginable.