Ngā Kete Mātauranga National Celebration
In this beautiful and transformative book,
24 Māori academics share their personal journeys
for all to read, learn from and make change.
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Minister Kelvin Davis launches the book
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On 24th March, Associate Minister of Education (Māori), Hon Kelvin Davis, officially launched NGĀ KETE MĀTAURANGA at Rongomaraeroa in Te Papa Tongarewa New Zealand’s national museum.
“Rongomaraeroa was the perfect place to celebrate this book” said co-editor Jacinta Ruru, “This marae is meant for the nation, it embodies the spirit of bicultural partnership, and the carvings and artwork are a superb striking expression of contemporary mātauranga. In this place, we see the possibilities for our nation - the possibilities we wish for the tertiary sector to fully embrace.”
Mana whenua representatives along with Te Papa’s iwi in residence Rongowhakaata, and their incredible Te Papa team lead by Arapata Hakiwai (Kaihautū Māori co-leader), Courtney Johnston (Chief Executive) and Board Chair Dame Fran Wilde, formally welcomed all attendees to Te Papa. Paora Sharples (Kaihautu Tikanga at Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga) was our master of ceremonies.
Watch video highlights here: Book Launch Highlights
Photo: Masanori Udagawa | Big Mark & Co |
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A snapshot on the launch speeches
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Emeritus Professor Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, NPM Ruānuku
“This book is exactly 90 years in its making. On the 10th of Feb 1931, Sir Rangi Hiroa, Sir Peter Buck, based at the Bishop Museum in Hawai'i wrote this to his close friend Apirana Ngata. Quote;
“Use the race itself to record its own culture with its own local interpretations. Māori could become a monument of real research work that would be second to none in the world as regards a Native race. All these other Native cultures are being worked out by Pākehā's with all the drawbacks that they have as regards to language and viewpoint. E hoa, kua mutu te wā ki a Te Peehi mā. Kua riro mā tāua, mā te Māori taua kōrero. The time for Best and company is over. We as Māori should take the responsibility for speaking for ourselves.”
The previous year, before her death in April, Mākareti Papakura prepared her thesis for submission at the University of Oxford. Her intent was to quote;
“expose the outrageous untruths of ignorant and self-serving Pākehā writers about her Māori world.”
Her unique ethnography The Old Time Māori was published in 1931 and reprinted here in Aotearoa in 1986. Over the intervening generations a few luminaries emerged most notably of course Maharaia Winiata, Pei Te Hurinui and Rotohiko Jones. For Māori the cloisters of academe remained glacial and remote.
...The Māori world has waited nearly a century, in fact, 90 years to welcome this volume. E Apirana, Rangihiroa, Makarēti, Te Puia, te nuinga i te pō mātangireia, hoki wairua mai rā, hoki wairua mai. Ngā Kete Mātauranga, nau mai, haere mai, whakarewa mai, whakatau mai nei ki te ao hurihuri hei oranga ngākau mo te iwi whānui. Hei tākoha mō ngā uri whakatipu, hei puāwaitanga o te whakaaro.”
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Minister Hon Kelvin Davis, in role as Associate Minister Education (Māori Education) and Minister of Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti
“I think it’s a bit remiss to just call it a book. To me it is a taonga. In this day in age when we talk so much about what’s wrong with education, what’s wrong with Māori failure, we have here a taonga that is showing off to the world, showing off to all our uri whakatipu, what Māori educational success looks like. And this book is 90 years in the making and 90 years probably overdue. It’s wonderful to see 24 scholars telling their story not about how the system failed them or they failed the system – but instead we should flip that on its head and talk about what kept them in the system and what made them successful and keep sharing those stories so that our young people, our next generation can see themselves as well sharing in similar success. And knowing what it takes to be successful in Te Ao Mātauranga.
It is my deep honour to be invited to be here to actually launch this taonga.”
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Professor Richard Blaikie, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) University of Otago and representative for Otago University Press
“Otago University Press has a very simple mission and this book I think fulfills every aspect of that mission which is to publish books of high scholarly and cultural significance that enrich our society. So we’re very pleased to have been chosen and been given the privilege and the great responsibility of taking the concept and the words and the treasures of all the contributors and help through our partnership with Te Apārangi and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga to produce the volume that is in front of you.”
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Professor Wendy Larner, Provost at Victoria University of Wellington and President of Royal Society Te Apārangi
“I genuinely believe that this inspirational collection will shift the research landscape in Aotearoa. It will fundamentally reshape disciplinary debates not just here but well beyond our shores. It will significantly advance our understandings of issues such as the environment, politics, well-being, inter generational learning, and how we understand the interface between the land, the ocean, the sky and the people.
...My sincere hope also is that Ngā Kete Mātauranga stimulates a much needed reorientation in our wider research communities allowing Māori and non-Māori researchers to come together on a more equitable basis. To address the intellectual and political challenges of our past, present and future.”
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Professor Jacinta Ruru NPM’s co-director and co-editor of this book
“ There's much in here for decision makers to learn from and to act upon if they so choose. We're so proud of this book.
...The emotional rollercoaster evident in this book cannot become our legacy for the next generation of Māori scholars. We hope this book acts as a catalyst to decolonise Aotearoa's research sector or as authour Sacha McMeeking writes "what could our organisations look like if we openly embrace whanaungatanga within our organisational design and processes?”
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Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora NPM’s co-director and co-editor of this book
“I want to put a shout-out to the whānau who have supported these contributors and who have joined us here today. We don’t get much of an opportunity to thank you. I know the hard work that goes into making an academic an Academic and dealing with all their tantrums along the way. At the end of the day we need our whānau to help us stand up and continue to do the work that we do.”
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View all speeches here: Book Launch Speeches
Photos: Masanori Udagawa | Big Mark & Co
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Some comments from the night
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Hear from some of the authors & contributors in attendance at the book launch HERE
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The NGĀ KETE MĀTAURANGA: Māori scholars at the research interface Webinar is available online. Recorded on the day the book was released in February 2021, the co-editors, Professors Jacinta Ruru and Linda Waimarie Nikora, discussed why this book is so special for Aotearoa New Zealand. They were in discussion with four of the authors:
- Professor Meihana Durie (University of Massey)
- Associate Professor Anne-Marie Jackson (University of Otago)
- Dr Nēpia Mahuika (University of Waikato)
- Associate Professor Ocean Mercier (Victoria University of Wellington).
An unique one hour insight into what motivates these outstanding scholars and what more our places of learning need to do to value mātauranga knowledge.
WATCH THE WEBINAR HERE: Webinar
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NGĀ KETE MĀTAURANGA: Māori scholars at the research interface
Editors: Professor Jacinta Ruru, Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora
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‘The book demonstrates the power, energy and diversity that can be brought out into the world by Māori scholars working both comfortably and uncomfortably from within, without and across diverse academic disciplines and mātauranga Māori.’ – Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith
ON SALE
Aotearoa NZ: In book stores nationwide $NZ60.00
or buy online at the ONLINE BOOKSTORE
Overseas: Copies available through AMAZON
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