Rate My Professor Anaru Waa

Associate Professor Anaru Waa serves as Research Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington, within the Health Sciences Division. He holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc) and a Master of Public Health (MPH), and is a trained social scientist with postgraduate qualifications in public health. Waa is Co-Director of the ASPIRE Aotearoa Research Centre and is affiliated with the Eru Pōmare Māori Health Research Centre. His academic interests include teaching Hauora Māori, conducting Māori health research, and undertaking research with Māori communities. Key areas of focus encompass tobacco research, health promotion, evaluation, interventional design, and urban Māori wellbeing. With over 25 years of experience in public health, particularly in tobacco control, he contributes to efforts aimed at achieving a tobacco- and nicotine-free future in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Waa's research addresses smokefree policies, Indigenous perspectives on smoking and nicotine products, Māori health disparities in tobacco use, and vaping trends. He has produced over 100 outputs, including journal articles, expert briefings, reports, webinars, and conference presentations. Notable publications include: 'Vaping prevalence and trends: Findings from the 2024-25 NZ Health Survey' (2025, co-authored with Edwards, Nip, Hoek, and Ball); 'Trends in smoking prevalence before and after the emergence of vaping in Aotearoa/New Zealand among 14–15-year-olds identifying as Māori, Pacific, European, or Asian: An interrupted time series analysis' (2025, co-authored with Egger et al., The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific); 'Winds of change: A stocktake on progressing the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Indigenous contexts' (2025, co-authored with Bogale Odo et al., Tobacco Control); 'How do people who smoke respond to novel tobacco pack warnings? Two cross-sectional studies from Aotearoa New Zealand' (2025, co-authored with Gendall et al., Nicotine & Tobacco Research); and 'Slight drop in youth vaping but stark ethnic disparities remain' (2025, co-authored with Ball and Hoek). Waa has presented at international events such as the World Conference on Tobacco Control, SRNT Conference, and Oceania Tobacco Control Conference. He authors Public Health Expert Briefings for the Public Health Communication Centre and provides input on national tobacco policy. In recognition of his contributions to tobacco control, Waa received the Dame Tariana Turia Award alongside ASPIRE co-director Janet Hoek. He was also named Tobacco Control Reviewer of the Year in 2020.