Dr. Ara Alam-Simmons is a decolonial researcher actively engaged in community-led transformation. She is the founder of Manawaka Ao, a creative community space based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Ara holds a PhD in Māori and Indigenous Studies, and her research centers South Asian-Indigenous solidarities and weaving anti-racist, liberatory futures. Her work sits at the intersections of education, community, and social justice.