Source: University of Waikato
The Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies has added another Ngā Whetū o Matariki award to its trophy cabinet after Professor Rangi Matamua (Ngāi Tūhoe) was awarded Te Ururangi Award for Education. The award recognises trailblazers making a significant contribution to the development of mātauranga Māori – Māori knowledge
Professor Matamua joins the ranks of previous Matariki Awards winners such as Noeline Taurua, Taika Waititi, Mike King and fellow Faculty staff members, Professor Pou Temara and Professor Linda Tuhiwai-Smith.
Tāhūhū Rangapū for Māori Television, Shane Taurima said the awards are for “outstanding Māori achievement and celebrate the best of us – ngā toa o ngā toa.”
This is the second significant award this year for Professor Matamua after he became the first Māori to win a Prime Minister’s Science Award earlier this year.
“The future of Mātauranga Māori is making it a normal and everyday part of our lives. What I do and the calibre of people I get to work with definitely encourages that process. The flow-on effects to our students, their families and their communities are part of the reason I am so passionate about education – watching the connection, the penny drop and the lights come on is the most rewarding thing for me.”
To learn more about Professor Matamua’s research into Matariki, follow his Living by the Stars Facebook and Instagram pages.
