Emeritus Professor Ngahuia Te Awekotuku MNZM FAWMM

Te Arawa Tūhoe Waikato

Emeritus Professor Ngahuia te Awekotuku continues to contribute in the arts and creative sector. With degrees in Art History and English, her PhD (1981) was in cultural psychology. She wrote an early (1991) monograph on Maori research ethics. For decades she served in the heritage environment as a governor, curator and activist/advocate. Her scholarly works on culture, gender, heritage and sexuality, and her fiction and poetry, have been published and acclaimed locally and internationally.

Related Projects

Full project

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Project completed

Kaumātua Futures: Ko te pae tawhiti, whāia kia tata. Ngāti Whakaue Case Study

A National Science Challenge Ageing Well Funded Project 2019 – 2022 

Teorongonui Josie Keelan
Linda Waimarie Nikora 
Ngahuia Te Awekotuku 
Okeroa McRae 
Kiri Edge

Kaumātuatanga (eldership) is an issue governments and iwi are slowly coming to grips with. Governments tend to treat kaumātuatanga as a ‘one size fits all’ proposition because it is easier to deliver services when viewing the population group as one unit. That immediately creates problems as populations are not all the same. Rather they are made up of distinct units, each with their needs and wants. 

Full project

Project commenced:

Challenges and continuities: Unintended impacts of Te Reo Māori language revitalisation efforts

We are now 30+ years on from when our children first had the opportunity to attend Kōhanga. They are a part of a fortunate generation, like those who will follow them. And so too are those that are following. But what of those older Māori, their parents and grandparents, some of who do speak te reo but many who do not? What challenges to tikanga, age related roles and relationships do these demographics present? Status, mana, roles, responsibilities, ritual duties and leadership are all age related concepts that, in the Māori world, assume a foundation of learning that leads to experience, competence and accumulated wisdom over time.