Te Kawa a Māui School of Māori Studies

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Rawinia Higgins

Iwi

Tūhoe

Qualifications

DipMāori BA Well, PGDipArt(Dist) MA(Dist) PhD Otago, CTEFLA RSA/Camb

Profile

Rawinia Higgins completed a Tohu Māoritanga and a BA in Māori Studies at Te Kawa a Māui.  She completed her postgraduate qualifications at the University of Otago where she served as a Lecturer until 2006.  She returned to Wellington and worked as a research consultant until 2009, when she took up a Senior Lecturer position at Te Kawa a Māui. In 2012 she became an Associate Professor and appointed as the Head of School for Te Kawa a Māui in 2014.  In July 2014 she became Professor of Māori Studies and Iho Ngārahu Māori (Assistant Vice Chancellor Māori Research).

Alongside Associate Professor Poia Rewi (University of Otago) she was appointed joint Principle Investigator of Te Kura Roa, a 3-year, $1.5m Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Pae Tawhiti Initiative for Te Reo Māori.  She leads the Whaihua—Community Responsiveness project in collaboration with Te Ataarangi and Te Kōhanga Reo.

Current Research Projects

  • Co-Principle Investigator—Te Kura Roa, Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Pae Tawhiti Initiative: Te reo Māori.

Research Interests

  • Te reo Māori
  • Māori language literature
  • Māori language planning and policy
  • Tikanga Māori
  • Moko

Achievements and Awards

  • Waitangi Tribunal Member (2013)
  • Victoria University Public Contribution Award (2012)
  • Marae Investigates Finalist Māori of the Year (Te Reo Category—2012)
  • Te Māngai Pāho Board Member (2011)
  • Te Amorangi, Māori Academic Excellence Awards (2004)
  • First Tohu Māoritanga Graduate to attain a PhD (2004)
  • Ruka Broughton Award (1993)

Postgraduate Supervision

Completed PhDs:

  • Ewan Pohe
  • Arini Loader

Completed Masters degrees:

  • Maureen Muller
  • Andrea Kire
  • Te Atawhai Kumar
  • Te Rangimarie Williams (LLM)
  • Krissi Smith

Currently supervising four PhD students and two MA students.

Selected Publications

Edited book

  • Higgins, Rawinia, Poia Rewi & Vincent Olsen-Reeder (eds). Te Hua o te Reo Māori—The Value of the Māori Language. Wellington: Huia (in press).

Book chapters

  • Higgins, Rawinia “The Māori People of New Zealand” in The Blackwell Companion to Religion and Social Justice, 2013 edited by Michael Palmer & Stanley Burgess. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell (pp412-424).
  • Higgins, Rawinia ‘Another Chapter in Our History’: Reflections on the Events at Rūātoki, 15 October 2007’ in Terror in our Midst? Searching for Terror in Aotearoa New Zealand. Danny Keenan (ed.) 2008 Wellington: Huia (pp 205-222)

Journal articles

  • Higgins, Rawinia, and Hall, M., 2011. ‘Te Pātaka Kai Iringa o Te Kupu’ in He Pūkenga Kōrero, Palmerston North: Massey University.
  • Higgins, Rawinia, 2011, “He poroporoaki, haere rā te Te Tōmairangi o Te Aroha—A Farewell to Dame Professor Emeritus Judith Binney” in Te Pouhere Kōrero 5, Auckland: Te Pouhere Kōrero.
  • Higgins, Rawinia, 2011 ‘Ko te korokoro o te parata ko tātou anō’ in He Kōtihitihi: Ngā Tuhinga Rei Māori. Korohere Ngāpō, Jackie Tūaupaki, Enoka Murphy (eds). Hamilton : Waikato University, (pp 45-55).

Online articles