He Waka Tangata

Professor Bedford is a demographer specialising in pacific migration and head of the Population Studies Centre at Waikato University. and director of the BRCSS network and chair of the Social evaluation and research committee. He's also one of the mentors for He Waka Tangata.

He Waka Tangata is a forum of nine researchers who are among the emerging leaders in the social science community. The Ministry of Research Science and Technology (MoRST) has set up this group to foster leadership in the social sciences and to find new ways to increase the role and impact of social research in New Zealand.

Members are at early to mid stages of their careers and come from a wide range of social research disciplines, including geography, economics, sociology, and psychology.

They work in diverse fields including education, health, environment and disaster management, and come from a range of social research institutions, including Crown Research Institutes, universities and independent research bodies.