November 28, 2014
Metge an inspiration for educator Jones
This year’s winner of the Dame Joan Metge medal says the anthropologist has been an inspiration for her in her engagement with things Maori.
Professor Alison Jones from Auckland University’s Te Puna Wananga, School of Maori Education received the award for her significant impact on education in New Zealand – both research and practice, particularly for Maori, Pacific and women’s education.
She says it was an honour to be presented the tohu by Dame Joan at the New Zealand Research Honours Dinner hosted by the Royal Society at Te Papa in Wellington.
Professor Jones says while she wasn’t one of Dame Joan’s students while she was at Victoria University, she remembers reading her books such as Talking Past Each Other about miscommunication between Maori and Pakeha.
"She always stood out as a Pakeha woman who was never afraid to speak loudly and lucidly to Pakeha in particular about Maori, about the Maori world, and about Maori-Pakeha relations, and she was for Pakeha I think the most important voice at that time in terms of how to approach the Maori world for those of is who had not had any experience of the Maori world," she says.
Professor Jones says she’s looking forward to the 85-year-old’s new book about Maori teaching and learning, which is due early next year.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH ALISON JONES CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MjQ1MTk=
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