Professor Bev Lawton CNZM (Ngāti Porou) is the founder and director of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine, the National Centre for Women’s Health Research Aotearoa at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. She was named the 2025 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year for her work in cervical cancer and Indigenous health equity. Her advocacy helped New Zealand become the first high income country to adopt HPV self-testing as the primary cervical screening method. Bev’s research on severe maternal morbidity led to SMM reviews within the Health Quality and Safety Commission, and she has served on the PMMRC and the National Maternal Monitoring Group. A former GP and co-founder of the Wellington Menopause Clinic, she works closely with Māori communities to ensure research is culturally grounded and community led. Her honours include a CNZM (2026), Distinguished Fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners (2017), and the RANZCOG Māori Women’s Health Award (2020).
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