Dr Jonathan Martin with his whānau. Jonathan is the second known Māori candidate to graduate with a specialisation in periodontics from Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka.
After graduating in 2018, Jonathan Martin (Tūhoe, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou) landed a dream job in Taranaki working as a dentist in both public and private practices.
But one fact changed it all, tipping him back into student life after three years of clinical practice. Researching for a conference presentation, he read the 2009 New Zealand Oral Health Survey, which showed Māori adults were twice as likely to have severe gum disease than non-Māori adults.
“When I learned that Māori are more susceptible and have a higher prevalence of advanced gum disease, I was convinced to pursue a periodontics specialisation,” Jonathan says.
Dr Jonathan Martin graduated on Saturday, 7 December, the second known Māori candidate to graduate from the University of Otago - Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka with a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry specialising in periodontics.
A periodontics specialisation was something he had considered previously, but not decided on, he says.
When he found out that Albert Manahi Kewene was the first and only known Māori candidate accepted into the periodontics specialty at Otago nearly 50 years ago, Jonathan felt an obligation to follow in his footsteps.
“Albert retired in 2014, leaving a void in the representation of Māori among periodontists, in a specialty that surrounds a disease that significantly affects Māori.
“So with this knowledge, I knew it was an opportunity that I had to apply for. I sent in an application and when it went through, I found myself heading back to Dunedin in 2022.”
There was no question about his return to Otago to pursue his specialisation, he says.
“While being close to whānau was a deciding factor, studying at Otago was also about coming back to a place that supported me in my journey to becoming a dentist.
“It’s also the place I had the opportunity to give back, to Māori tauira, to support programmes and to helping others.”
Giving back was a big part of Jonathan’s experience as a Bachelor of Dental Surgery tauira.
“I volunteered at the Māori Health Workforce Development Unit, was a mentor at Kā Rikarika o Tāne at the Māori Centre, and joined Ngā Mokai o Ngā Whetū - The Māori Dental Students’ Association, becoming the Association’s Tūmuaki (President) in my later years of study.”
True to his roots and Māori heritage, Jonathan studied the mamaku black tree fern for his postgraduate thesis, exploring the therapeutic efficacy of mamaku extracts to treat oral disease.
The research started with ethnobiology, exploring the fern’s traditional uses and giving context to the laboratory studies, Jonathan says.
“Historically tohunga have used mamaku in rongoā Māori for over a century.
“Ethnobiology was an important step to recognise mamaku as a taonga species, to acknowledge the whakapapa, the mauri and the mana of the fern and have it written as part of the existing science of mamaku as an effort towards establishing it on the western science front.”
Laboratory studies showed promise, with potential applications as an intraoral gel, Jonathan says.
“While further research is necessary, our research benefited from considering mātauranga Māori alongside modern scientific methods in developing natural oral therapies.”
His efforts were recognised with a Health Research Council Career Development Award in 2022, receiving a Māori Health PhD Scholarship for his research.
As Jonathan moves on to start work at a practice in Tauranga, he is keen to see more Māori rangatahi take up healthcare as a career, he says.
“From my own journey and also the journey of other Māori health professionals that I've graduated with, just the mere presence of us within our own whānau enables a point of trust.
“At that point we're able to share the knowledge that we've gained through university study, to help teach them, and instil trust in the health system.”
Jonathan has some advice for rangatahi considering a career in health.
“Follow your dreams, grab every opportunity that comes your way, and never doubt your potential.
“Your cultural identity is your greatest strength; embrace it. Reach out for support; there’s a growing community ready to guide you.
“Be bold, challenge the statistics, and prove what’s possible.”
Professor Warwick Duncan, Jonathan’s thesis supervisor, says Jonathan came into the doctoral programme with “a background of cultural awareness”.
“Jonathan combined excellent surgical skills with an ability to put his patients at ease.
“His own heritage found expression through his kaupapa Māori research. His academic, clinical and research achievements have been of a high order, and I am confident he will succeed as he transitions into full-time specialist practice.”
~ Kōrero by Sandra French, Adviser, Internal Communications