Indigenous nursing research goes global

“As a nēhi, I am where I need to be,” says Ebony Komene, recipient of the 2026 Fulbright–Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Graduate Award.

Komene (Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa, Tainui), is a PhD candidate at the University’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. Her whakapapa and upbringing, she says, is her ‘why’.

Originally from Tauranga and now based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Komene is set to travel to the United States as a visiting student researcher at Washington State University and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Her research will explore Indigenous nursing and Indigenous Nurse Practitioner models of practice, while strengthening relationships with Indigenous nurses across the Pacific and North America.

“I am a proud Māori nēhi, or nurse, and my reason for entering and remaining in nursing becomes stronger every time I reflect on my ‘why’,” Komene says.

“Nursing is part of my whakapapa and comes from the stories of my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother’s name was Ngāneehi, which translates to nursing, and my paternal grandmother was Kopu, which translates to midwife.

“They connect me to generations of people, whenua and mātauranga centred on caring for the wellbeing of whānau.”

Growing up, Komene attended more than 15 primary schools and moved away from her whānau and whenua when she was 12.

While completing her nursing training, she lived with 18 whānau members in a three-bedroom home and, at one stage, worked three jobs to help support the household.

She would become the first person in three generations of her whānau to complete secondary school, earn a nursing degree and begin doctoral study.
“My whānau are my greatest motivation,” she says.

“These experiences showed me both the strength of our people and the ways systems can fail to support our wellbeing. They fuelled my desire to help change the whakapapa trajectory for future generations.”

After initially enrolling in a Bachelor of Arts, Komene found her place in nursing at Manukau Institute of Technology, graduating in 2018. Community-based clinical placements alongside whānau Māori in Papakura confirmed nursing was where she belonged.

A later honours research project exploring the experiences of whānau Māori caring for tamariki with eczema launched her research career.

Since then, Komene has contributed to projects focused on growing the Māori nursing workforce, developing models for Māori nursing success, supporting kaumātua flourishing and improving hospital experiences for whānau Māori.

Her PhD examines how Māori Nurse Practitioners weave mātauranga Māori, nursing knowledge and biomedical knowledge together in their care.

Komene has spent the past four years building relationships with Indigenous nurses in the United States, Canada and across the Pacific.

What began as informal kōrero has grown into collaborative publishing, research grant development and opportunities to learn across nations.

“Nursing has always been an Indigenous practice,” she says.

“I am looking forward to seeing how our ideas about care and wellbeing intersect and diverge across the Pacific and the United States.

“I think global citizenship is defined not by geographic reach, but by the depth and intentionality of our connections.”

Reciprocity will remain central to her time overseas.

“I want to give back by writing alongside my hosts and sharing what we learn together,” Komene says.

“I want to show my whānau what is possible, honour the hopes of my ancestors and create pathways for those who come after me.”

Early in her nursing career, Komene was asked where she saw herself in the future. Her answer was that she wanted to become a Nurse Practitioner.

That aspiration remains, but she says the dream has become much bigger.

“It is no longer just about my own career. It is about creating pathways for others, contributing to Indigenous health equity and ensuring more Māori can see themselves in advanced nursing, research and leadership roles.”

The Fulbright–Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Graduate Award supports a promising Aotearoa New Zealand graduate student to undertake postgraduate study or research in the United States in the field of Indigenous development.

She says the opportunity is also a step towards strengthening a growing international network of Indigenous nurses and researchers.

“The Indigenous nursing research community is small, and opportunities for connection are rare,” she says.

“I am interested in future research that centres global partnerships and explores Indigenous nursing workforce development and innovative models of care.”