Te Ngaere Geoff originally hails from the Ngaitupango hapu from Te Ngaere. His tertiary education began as a nature student and he has experienced many different learning environments. He has worked in government and local government both in New Zealand and Australia in addition to the military, administration and physical fitness training roles. Geoff plans to be involved in the research, development and implementation of Māori health programmes particularly those associated with metabolic disease such as diabetes. He ultimately wishes to make a significant contribution to general health policy and Māori education.