2025 Mātai Public Symposium
28-29 November 2025
War Memorial Theatre, Gisborne
Join us for two inspiring days of conversations and discovery at the Mātai Public Symposium 2025 – exploring the latest advances in imaging, health, science, technology, and innovation.
This free public event brings together scientists, educators, innovators, and community leaders to discuss how imaging, technology, and collaboration are transforming the future of health and wellbeing across Aotearoa and beyond.
FULL AGENDA & SPEAKER INFORMATION COMING SOON!
Please note: Plans have been revised to feature two full days of talks at the War Memorial Theatre. The Whānau Day at Mātai will be rescheduled for a later date.
Competitions & Opportunities
Tairāwhiti Student Poster Competition (Years 7-13)
Showcase your creativity and scientific thinking – and be in to win a prize!
National Postgraduate Travel Grants ($500)
GRANTS NOW CLOSED
1-Minute Lightning Talk Competition (Postgraduates)
Share your research in just one minute – compete for top awards.
DAY 1 | 28 NOVEMBER 2025
WAR MEMORIAL THEATRE, 159 Bright Street, Gisborne
8.00am | Mātai tour
8:30am | Doors open to public
9:15am | Welcome
SESSION 1
Chairs: Assoc. Prof. Samantha Holdsworth, Dr. Oka Sanerivi
9:30am
Distinguished Prof. Sir Richard Faull
The privilege and excitement of researching the human brain in partnership with whānau
9:40am
Prof. Graham Galloway
Research imaging infrastructure: An international community
9:50am
Prof. Megan Gibbons
Enabling communities
10:00am
Anne Davidson
The future of imaging
10:10am
Prof. Martyn Nash
Accelerating & standarising clinical assessment of heart function
10:20am
Prof. Brett Cowan
The magic of MRI and Mātai
10:30am
Morning Tea
SESSION 2
Chairs: Leigh Potter, Assoc. Prof. Samantha Holdsworth
11:00am
Reweti Ropiha MNZM
In our own backyard: Preparedness to have a go with Tūranga Health
11:10am
Dr. Jennifer Rumbel
Past, present, future: Australian indigenous, community-led health research
11:20am
Dr. Helen Murray
Evidence of neuropathology in head-butting rams
11:30am
Assoc. Prof. Miriam Scadeng
One Health: How animal adaptation to extreme environments informs human health innovation
11:40am
Brain Break
11:50am
Dr. Gonzalo D. Maso Talou
From neuron-to-brain: What do we know about ourselves
12:00pm
Dr. Brandi Shah
Focus on the ‘first environment’: Embodying narratives of women’s health to actualise collective health
12:10pm
Dr. Jack Scott
Biomarkers of cognition in ADHD across late childhood and adolescence
12:20pm
Malcolm Mersham
He rangitapu, he tohu ora: Our collective journey to wellbeing
12:30pm
Lunch Break
Networking
High School Poster Displays
Graduate Lightening Talks
SESSION 3
Chairs: Prof. Martyn Nash, Assoc. Prof. Samantha Holdsworth
2:00pm
Dexter Waru
Mana motuhake in action: Designing a hauora system by us, for us
2:10pm
Dr. Maedeh Amirpour
Smart material system for the next-generation of wearable technologies
2:20pm
Katie Blackburne
Predicting patient outcome following mTBI
2:25pm
Jethro Wright
Making brain-pressure monitoring easier with next-generation MRI tools
2:32pm
Alireza Sharifzadeh-Kermani
Better than a stab in the spine: Non-invasive brain pressure method
2:40pm
Brain Break
2:50pm
Dr. Gil Newburn
Traumatic Brain Injury: A major public health problem
3:00pm
Leigh Potter
The Mātai Journey: From Tairāwhiti to Aotearoa – building futures through clinical, research, and community pathways
3:10pm
Assoc. Prof. Samantha Holdsworth
Shaping the future of health through advanced imaging and research in Tairāwhiti
3:20pm
Current Mātai Interns
What am I doing at Uni, and what am I working on at Mātai? (lightning update from current interns)
3.30pm
Afternoon tea
SESSION 4
Chairs: Prof. Justin Fernandez, Assoc. Prof. Samantha Holdsworth
4:00pm
Prof. Karen Waldie
Genes, brains, and neurodiversity: A lifecourse perspective
4:10pm
Prof. Justin Fernandez
Brain traffic: Towards a new way of looking at ADHD
4:20pm
Dr. Anastasia Mozhaeva
Visual artificial intelligence: Unlocking efficiency with psychovisual models
4:30pm
Steven Rodgers
Enhancing wide-angle VR video transmission using human perception
4:40pm
Brain Break
4:50pm
Dr. Vickie Shim
Beyond the image: How AI is unlocking biomechanical insights from MRI
5:00pm
Dr. Loxlan Kasa
Advanced diffusion MRI reveals glaucoma as a brain network disorder
5:10pm
Dr. Sergio Dempsey
Gisborne dementia research using MRI
5:20pm
Dr. Josh McGeown
Understanding sports-related concussion
5:30pm
Previous Mātai Interns
What am I doing now? (updates from former interns)
5:40pm
Wrap-up and announcements
5:45pm
Day 1 concludes
DAY 2 | 28 NOVEMBER 2025
WAR MEMORIAL THEATRE, 159 Bright Street, Gisborne
8.00am | Mātai tour
8:30am | Doors open to public
SESSION 1
Chairs: Assoc. Prof. Samantha Holdsworth, Dr. Josh McGeown
9:00am
Prof. Kjesten Wiig
From bench to bedside: The work of the Malaghan Institute
9:10am
Prof. Katie McMahon
Does shape matter? White matter tracts and brain tumours
9:20am
Dr. Hamid Abbasi
Spotting the brain: Advancing neuronavigation for real-time intraoperative brain tracking
9:30am
Dr. Ho-Fung Chan
Advanced MRI for paediatric digital twin models of the lung
9:40am
Brain Break
9:50am
Rich Easton
Funding for the future
10:00am
Assoc. Prof. Tracy Melzer
Pathological proteins and future dementia in Parkinson’s disease
10:10am
Dr. Maryam Tayebi
Multimodal MRI to track brain and heart recovery from methamphetamine
10:20am
Dr. Josh McGeown
Why Gisborne?
10:30am
Morning Tea
SESSION 2
Chairs: Leigh Potter, Dr. Saralyn MacKenzie
11:00am
Tim Marshall
Tauawhi E, Tāiki E!: A partnership creating a community of caring men
11:10am
Wendy Mohi & Ben Bristow
He haerenga ki te whakaora: A journey of healing
11:20am
Assoc. Prof. Kate Hill
One Health: Animal and human connections
11:30am
Dr. Saralyn MacKenzie
Precision health consultancy: Is MRI beneficial in preventive health?
11:40am
Brain Break
11:50am
Dr. Eryn Kwon
Why Big Data?
12:00pm
Dr. Patrick McHugh
Tū Wairua: Exploring opportunities in psychedelic therapy
12:10pm
Dr. Ayah Elsayed
The growing heart in voxels: Reflections from the Tairāwhiti child wellbeing study
12:20pm
Simeon and Dr. Maurice Alford
Generative Horizons: Imaging the future through AI and creative technology
12:30pm
Lunch Break
Networking
High School Poster Displays
Graduate Lightening Talks
SESSION 3
Chairs: Dr. Oka Sanerivi, Dr. Eryn Kwon
2:00pm
Prof. Eileen McKinlay
The future of the Tairāwhiti health workforce: 15 years of partnership
2:10pm
Huti Watson
Ngāti Porou journey in genomics
2:20pm
Prof. Holly Thorpe, Hadyn Pomana, Dr Oka Sanerivi
Healthy hearts with Tūranga Health: Insights from participants & staff of an iwi health provider
2:30pm
Dr. Jordon Lima
Tikanga Tairāwhiti in biomedical technologies
2:40pm
Brain Break
2:50pm
Mariska van Gaalen
Locally grounded ecosystem approaches to innovation
3:00pm
Nathalie Whittaker
The $8 billion hour pledge
3:10pm
Shanon O’Connor
STEMM Equity for Kōhine Māori
3:20pm
Dr. Oka Sanerivi
The image of the future is out of the red: Towards understanding Māori and Pacific men’s hauora
3:30pm
Afternoon Tea
SESSION 4
Chairs: Dr. Maryam Tayebi, Dr. William Schierding
4:00pm
Dr. Eryn Kwon
Shaken, not stirred? Exploring how natural brain motion changes after mild Traumatic Brain Injury
4:10pm
Dr. David Brebner
Novel portable device for small scale 3D imaging
4:20pm
Dr. William Schierding
Could vision problems be brain problems?
4:30pm
Paul Condron
Ultra-high contrast MRI: Making the invisible visible
4:40pm
Dr. Daniel Cornfeld
Transforming prostate cancer care: A new public clinical pathway pioneered in Tairāwhiti-Gisborne
4:50pm
Previous Mātai Interns
What am I doing now? Updates from former interns
5:00pm
Mātai PhD Students (Katie Blackburne, Ben Bristow, Jethro Wright)
Our Journey: From School to Uni to Mātai
5:10pm
Awards Ceremony
(Symposium committee), closing remarks
5:30pm
Day 2 concludes
