First Māori appointed as Head of School of Nursing

Josephine Davis (Ngāti Kopaki, Ngāti Manu, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) was one of the first Māori nurse practitioners in the country.

“I was the 109th nurse practitioner in the country and the seventh Māori nurse practitioner,” Davis says, “I learned early on just how important visible Māori leadership was for Māori health equity.”

Now the first Māori to be appointed Head of School of Nursing at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, Davis says the milestone is significant for the school, for nursing, and for Māori.

On 25 May, Davis was formally welcomed onto Waipapa Marae, received by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori. Davis was surrounded by her proud whānau and colleagues.

During the pōwhiri, Professor Warwick Bagg, Dean of Medical and Health Sciences, acknowledged the significance of Davis’ appointment and the leadership she brings to the role.

“You shine as a leader that brings people together,” he said. You have come at a tough time as we face wider challenges in nursing. But you have that determined spirit, that strength and courage.”

He also acknowledged Davis as part of a wider whakapapa of wāhine Māori leadership in the faculty.

“You’ve become the third wahine toa alongside Professor Pāpārangi Reid and Professor Matire Harwood to hold us to account.”

Davis grew up in Ōtiria in a close-knit community and is a mokopuna of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. She has been a nurse for 36 years.

After finishing school, she went straight into nursing training at what was then Northland Polytechnic in Whangārei.

“I want to speak to the 17-year-old Josephine, who walked into a nursing course to see if it might be the career she wanted. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she would be standing here today,” Davis says.

“I hope all our tauira Māori can see that this is a space for them. I hope they can see people who look like them and think like them, and that me standing here shows them what is possible.”

Davis says she comes from a whakapapa of people who restore the health of others.

“I come from a line of carers, healers and nurses. Being a nurse has always felt very natural to me.”

Davis later completed postgraduate study, earning her masters through the University of Auckland, a pathway that enabled her to become a nurse practitioner, the highest clinical scope for nurses in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“That really defined for me that this is a pathway that, while not easy, is doable for Māori. It made me realise this is a space that Māori can absolutely excel in.”  

Her career has spanned clinical practice, nursing leadership, education, workforce development and Māori health equity.

She joined the University in 2022 as a professional teaching fellow before becoming a senior lecturer in nursing and has played a key role in strengthening Māori nursing within the School. This includes the establishment of Mauri o te Hā, the Māori nurse academic rōpū, and supporting Māori nursing students to connect with wider Māori nursing networks, including Hui ā Tau, a national gathering for Māori nursing students from across the country.

Josephine also holds a strong national leadership role, representing Māori nurse practitioners across practice, policy and research. She is co-chair of Kawa Whakaruruhau Whārangi Ruamano, which supports Māori nurse educators and academics.

As Head of School, Davis will provide strategic leadership and direction across the School of Nursing, supporting staff, students and the wider nursing sector.

For her, the role is also about care.

“It’s about caring for the staff, ensuring we are responsive to the changing needs of the sector, supporting students to be successful in achieving their aspirations, and working collaboratively across the faculty,” she says.

Davis says Māori leadership in nursing education matters because of the influence it can have across clinical practice, research, workforce development and health outcomes.

“One of my hopes is that having visibility of Māori in this role will provide something tangible for Māori nurses to see and aspire to,” she says.

“There is a huge opportunity to influence the future of nursing, and better outcomes for Māori and other populations who carry a significant share of ill health.”

“The potential impact of Māori leadership in nursing academia could be a gamechanger.”

For Davis, success will be measured not only in strategy, but in whether nursing staff and students feel they belong.

“If in five years’ time there are more Māori staff in the School, and our Māori students saw our School as a safe space where they could bring their full selves as Māori, that to me would be a marker of success.”

Davis says nurses remain one of the most important workforces in the country and need to be heard, valued and better supported.

“Nurses need to be acknowledged, and the contribution they make needs to be seen.”

“They are our biggest health workforce, interacting every day at the bedside with our most vulnerable people. Nurses bring such a wealth of experience, expertise and lived knowledge into conversations at all levels.”