Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato Tainui
Tom Roa is a Professor in the Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies at the University of Waikato. He is an expert in translation between te reo Māori and English and the oral and written history of Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto, and the Kīngitanga. He has researched and contributed to a wide range of publications on the Māori classificatory regime for flora and fauna and traditional ecological knowledge, the theory and practice of translating from and into te reo Māori, Māori men’s health, and Māori military history.
Professor Roa has served for many years in Te Kauhanganui, now termed Te Whakakitenga, the Waikato-Tainui parliament, including as its chairperson. He has served as a member of the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board and played a role in the formation of its post-settlement governance entity, Te Nehenehenui Trust. He has also been a member and chairperson of Te Arataura, the Waikato-Tainui executive board. He is a Justice of the Peace and was appointed to the Tribunal in 2016.