I te taha toku pāpā no Whīti ahau, I te taha toku māmā ko Tainui te waka, Maungakawa te maunga, Waikato te awa, Ngāti Hauā te iwi, Ngāti werewere te hapū, Kai a te Mata te marae, Ko Anita Rangitutia ahau. Born and raised in South Auckland, Anita is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist who since graduating with her Master's degree from the University of Auckland in 2016, oversees He Ngakau Hou - a Kaupapa Māori clinical exercise rehabilitation programme at Te Puna Hauora o te Raki Paewhenua (Te Puna Hauora) in Tamaki-Makaurau (Auckland). This programme emerged from a research project commissioned by the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency in 2017. A key finding of that research was that current public health approaches were ineffective at transitioning Māori from non-active to active states. As a consequence, Anita worked with Te Puna Hauora and whanau from the community of Te Raki Paewhenua to design and pilot a kaupapa Māori clinical exercise programme for managing cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions that uses a strength-based, whānau-led approach. This programme is now in its 10th year and additional investment has enabled new elements to be integrated into the programme such as a cardiopulmonary stress testing system and the employment of an additional exercise physiologist. All indicators to date point to a programme that is making a substantive difference to whānau who have been involved.

Emily is an early career researcher and senior lecturer at the School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago. Her key research interests include facilitating physical activity engagement during the early recovery period following cardiac surgery or myocardial infarction, and self-management support for people with cardiovascular conditions. Emily is currently undertaking a research project investigating the safety and acceptability of home-based upper and lower limb resistance exercise commenced two weeks after cardiac surgery.

Dr. Paul Marshall is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Exercise, Sport and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Auckland. With over 25 years clinical research experience, Paul has recently been leading a range of research studies examining ways to optimise cardiac rehabilitation interventions. This work has received funding support from Lotteries Health, has been published internationally, and is directly supporting refinement of day-to-day cardiac rehabilitation practice.

Naila Rahman is a Cardiac Clinical Nurse Specialist and Designated Nurse Prescriber at Hutt Hospital. She completed a BA (Hons) in Nursing Studies in Sheffield, England, in 1993 and moved to New Zealand in 1998. Her experience includes roles in diabetes, cardiology, and cardio‑respiratory outreach in both hospital and community settings in New Zealand and the UK. She developed a community heart failure service at Charing Cross Hospital with a focus on palliative care. Since returning to New Zealand in 2007, Naila has completed a Master of Nursing Science and leads heart failure services, including cardiac rehabilitation and equity‑focused marae‑based and primary care clinics.