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Contact Details

Email
troy.ruhe@otago.ac.nz

University Links

Position
Research Fellow
Iwi affiliations
Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tararo
Qualifications
PhD (Otago), Diploma in Te Reo Māori (Te Wānanga o Aotearoa)
Research summary
Māori and Pacific quantitative social scientist specialising in using large, linked data sets for Pacific and Māori health
Memberships
  • Pacific Academic Staff Caucus
  • Pacific Academic Staff Caucus
  • Pacific Leadership groups
  • Research Impact Framework 2030 Steering Group
  • Tū Ora Falls Network

Research

I am currently involved in a multitude of research projects both leading and supporting the Pacific and Māori design and implementation of outcomes. Majority of these projects utilise linked whole of population data sets to identify trends in health trajectories.

Firstly, I am leading a project that examines factors that constitute research impact in Pacific and Māori communities. The aim is to design a framework that leads to greater outcomes from communities who are typically the subjects of research to become active participants and beneficiaries of the research for greater outcomes.

The second project investigates the positive associations of Pacific ethnic and cultural wellbeing with effects of deprivation. This research aims to provide a more nuanced and culturally underpinned understanding of deprivation in big data sets, and which cultural factors can mitigate the negative health effects of deprivation.

The third project is focused on digitising a resource (Raupī te Raupō) to assist parents of Autistic children. Particularly focused on gaining Pacific stakeholder feedback and implementing into the design of the product.

The fourth project is environmental focused and investigates avenues for Pacific families in our coastal environments to re-engage in the environment and become guardians of their new inhabited space.

The last project explores associations between the physical environment that young Māori and Pacific people grow up in and subsequent mental health outcomes.

Publications

Marek, L., Bowden, N., Wiki, J., Kokaua, J., Ruhe, T., Theodore, R., Boden, J., … Hobbs, M. (2026). Interconnected environments and the mental health of young people in Aotearoa New Zealand: A longitudinal geospatial study. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1038/s41370-026-00914-2 Journal - Research Article

Samu, K. F., van der Veer, A., Ruhe, T., Maua-Hodges, T., Milne, B., & Kokaua, J. (2025). A Tivaivai Taorei research framework developed for pan-Pacific mental health study. Pacific Dynamics, 9(1), 1117-1140. doi: 10.26021/15926 Journal - Research Article

Ruhe, T., Bowden, N., Lucas, A., Richards, R., & Kokaua, J. (2025). A Tivaivai research framework: A strengths-based quantitative approach to Pacific health research. Pacific Dynamics, 9(1), 1094-1116. doi: 10.26021/15930 Journal - Research Article

McLay, L. K., Schluter, P. J., Williams, J., Anns, F., Monk, R., Dacombe, J., … Ruhe, T., … Bowden, N. (2025). Health service utilization among autistic youth in Aotearoa New Zealand: A nationwide cross-sectional study. Autism, 29(5), 1143-1156. doi: 10.1177/13623613241298352 Journal - Research Article

Ruhe, T., Marek, L., Bowden, N., Wiki, J., Theodore, R., Hobbs, M., Thabrew, H., Richards, R., Milne, B., Hetrick, S., Boden, J., & Kokaua, J. (2024). The natural and built environments where Pacific children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand live: A nationwide cross-sectional geospatial study. New Zealand Population Review, 50, 99-124. Retrieved from https://population.org.nz/journal/ Journal - Research Article

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