Renata Watene is a therapeutically qualified Māori optometrist, award-winning Indigenous eye health leader, and strategic clinical health leader from Aotearoa, with tribal affiliations to Ngā Puhi and Tainui.

Renata Watene is a therapeutically qualified Māori optometrist, award-winning Indigenous eye health leader, and strategic clinical health leader from Aotearoa, with tribal affiliations to Ngā Puhi and Tainui. She is internationally recognised for her leadership across clinical optometry, academia, governance, workforce development, and equitable health system transformation.

Renata is President of the New Zealand Association of Optometrists, Chair of the Indigenous Strategy Taskforce, and co-convenor of the Indigenous Peoples Special Interest Group (IPSIG) alongside proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman Jaki Adams, working to elevate Indigenous voices within the global eye health agenda.

She currently serves as Regional Clinical Lead for Allied Health, Scientific and Technical for the Te Ikaroa region at Hauora Māori Services within Health New Zealand, supporting equitable access to care Māori and advocating for the inclusion of 43 allied health professions within health system planning and delivery. Renata is also completing a PhD, Karu Ora, focused on Indigenous approaches to equitable eye health outcomes, and works as a Kaiāwhina Professional Teaching Fellow supporting workforce development and Indigenous health education.

Outside of work, Renata is a proud mother of two, enjoys the outdoors and sport, and represented New Zealand at the 2024 Touch Rugby World Cup, where her team won silver and she was the tournament’s top try scorer for New Zealand.