Renowned Māori scholar honoured by Royal Society
Thu Nov 16 2017 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Renowned Māori scholar honoured by Royal Society
16 November 2017
University of Auckland Professor of Māori Studies and renowned scholar, Margaret Mutu, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi.
“It has been a huge privilege to carry out the wishes of my Ngāti Kahu, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Whātua elders,” she says. “They wanted the extensive knowledge and wisdom they had passed on to the following generations to be made available and understood not only locally, but also nationally and internationally. The task is far from complete.
“It is both humbling and gratifying to see the importance of this Māori and indigenous human rights research being recognised by such an august body of scholars and scientists as the Royal Society.”
Mutu’s pioneering research spans Māori language, tikanga (law), history and traditions, rights and sovereignty, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and treaty claims against the English Crown, constitutional transformation and Māori-Chinese encounters. In 2015 she received the RSNZ Pou Aronui Award in recognition of the significance and sustained quality of her scholarly work and leadership.
Mutu’s research has reshaped oral traditions into a western form that is comprehensible and admissible within the Pākehā legal system; overturned accepted histories; and dismantled established theories of colonisation.
Her current Marsden project explores Māori claimants’ perspectives and experiences of the Treaty of Waitangi claims settlement process, offering the first indigenous counter-narrative to dominant interpretations of this process. Recognised by reviewers as research “of outstanding significance” led by a scholar with “an outstanding record of achievement and experience” this project informs Mutu’s latest book Ngāti Kahu: Portrait of a Sovereign Nation (appearing December 2017).
Mutu is a prolific author. Her published books include one on the history and traditions of her hapū, Te Whānau Moana, one on the grammar of the Ua Pou dialect of Marquesan, and The State of Māori Rights, a critical analysis of events and issues between 1994 and 2009 that directly impacted on Māori. Her work has significantly influenced diverse fields, including Māori studies, New Zealand history, anthropology and law, and it has strengthened Māori claims, changed perceptions of Māori and empowered Māori communities.
Mutu’s expertise on indigenous rights and issues is highly esteemed by national and international peers and she regularly provides expert commentary for local, national and international media. Frequently invited to give keynote addresses at international conferences on topics ranging from indigenous people’s education and policies to indigenous language recovery and traditional knowledge, she has held visiting Professorships at Dartmouth College, USA and the University of Le Havre, France, as well as a Visiting Fellowship at the ANU.
Mutu’s deep commitment to enhancing Māori scholarship is further evidenced by the vital role she performs in nurturing the ongoing development of Māori research and researchers, through formally and informally mentoring emerging Māori scholars across New Zealand.
Contact
Tess Redgrave| Media Relations Adviser
Faculty of Arts
Email: t.redgrave@auckland.ac.nz Tel: +64 9 923 7383 Mobile: +64 (027 5625868)