March 11, 2021
Maori scholars top of the world
Some of New Zealand’s leading Māori scholars are among the 27 new fellows elected to the Academy of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.
Being made a fellow recognises distinction in research, scholarship or the advancement of knowledge at the highest international standards.
Academy chair Professor Charlotte Macdonald says the newly-elected Fellows have made amazing contributions to knowledge in their fields and across disciplinary boundaries.
They include Massey University Professor Helen Moewaka Barnes, an expert in indigenous people’s health and wellbeing;
Professor Deidre Brown from the University of Auckland, the founding researcher of Māori architectural history and design; and Professor Gail Gillon from the University of Canterbury, who is a world-leading expert in spoken and written language development.
From AUT there is Professor Jarrod Haar, one of the foremost Māori scholars in business and management, whose research has demonstrated the advantages of incorporating Māori worldviews and practices into organisations.
Garth Harmsworth, the principal Māori researcher at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, is renowned for his work advancing mātauranga-based kaupapa Māori and collaborative research practice and unlocking the potential of Māori land.
Professor Rawinia Higgins from Victoria University of Wellington is highly esteemed for her work in Māori language revitalisation, and Professor Poia Rewi from the University of Otago is celebrated as one of the most active research specialists in Māori culture, language revitalisation, oral history and performing arts.
Professor Robert Jahnke from Massey University is one of the leading Maori contemporary artists, and Distinguished Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith, also from Massey University has been foundational to the development of kaupapa Māori theorizing.
Professor Michelle Thompson-Fawcett, from Otago University’s school of geography, is a world-leading expert in fostering indigenous approaches to culturally sustainable environmental futures, and Professor Denise Wilson has made advances in Māori nursing and addressing family violence.
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