Tureia is of Ngāti Kahungunu decent and is a strong advocate for Whānau Ora and believes that positive change can be achieved by empowering our people to fulfil their aspirations. He has worked in the health and IT sector for over a decade and has a keen understanding of Whanau Ora practices, outcome measurement and data analytics. He is passionate about creating long term sustainable change for our people and believes that this can be achieved by working collaboratively and putting Whanau at the centre of everything that we do.

John completed his medical training and PhD in Queensland and his psychiatry training in Adelaide. John is the Executive Director of Mental Health Alcohol and other Drugs Branch in Queensland Health. He has previously been Chief Psychiatrist in both Queensland and New South Wales. He spent twenty years working in North Queensland where he developed a wide range of new mental health services. He is highly experienced in leadership, government policy, mental health legislation and service development. His clinical interests include the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and comprehensive care for those with serious mental illness. His current research and policy interests focus on mental health reform, clinical service improvement, reduction in restrictive practices, human rights, recovery-oriented practice and smoking reduction strategies. In May 2019 he assumed the role of President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and has been a member of the RANZCP Board since 2015. He has previously chaired RANZCP committees in education, governance and finance.

Tessa is the founding CEO of Health Justice Australia, established in 2016 as the national centre for health justice partnerships. She has worked in health, criminal justice and human rights organisations in Australia and internationally. She was previously Deputy CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service. Her report of her Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Nonprofit Leadership was published as Lead or be left behind: Sustaining trust and confidence in Australia’s charities. Her PhD on the detention and release of mentally disordered offenders was published as a book, Protecting the Public? Detention and Release of Mentally Disordered Offenders by Routledge in 2010. She is on the Board of Gondwana Choirs, the leader in Australian choral performance; and plays ultimate Frisbee. Tessa’s TEDx on health justice partnerships explains why seeing a lawyer might be good for your health (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh_n_ZNScCg) and her TEDx on philanthropy through partnership argues against ‘bizsplaining’ and builds on her work as the inaugural Fulbright Professional Scholar in Nonprofit Leadership (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4etaKwZZ4HI).