Te Poutama Māori
Te Poutama Māori is an initiative driven by Māori academic staff at the University of Otago, who are committed to supporting research and teaching excellence attuned to Māori values and aspirations on campus.
Māori academics at Otago have a long history of coming together to support one another. Te Poutama Māori, originally called Māori Academic Staff Caucus, was formally established in 2008 under the leadership of Professor Jacinta Ruru and Janine Kapa-Blair. Te Poutama Māori grew out of the need to more formally increase the Māori academic voice within University policy and strategy.
Te Poutama Māori is committed to working with University leaders to provide opportunities for University of Otago Māori academics to share, support and inspire one another in the pursuit of research, teaching and service excellence.
Te Poutama Māori is a collective voluntary group that is inclusive and welcoming of all University of Otago Māori academic staff. If you are an Otago Māori academic and have not joined our email list, please do. Pop in to see our Te Poutama Māori Coordinator. Two co-chairs and an executive committee provide the general direction for Te Poutama Māori.
Te Poutama Māori does not represent the single Māori academic voice at the University of Otago. The University of Otago as a whole is responsible for ensuring Māori academic excellence. Te Poutama Māori seeks to work with University of Otago leaders to offer considered thinking from a cross-divisional Māori academic perspective for Māori academic excellence to be realised. There are other strong Māori academic voices including in Te Tumu (School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies) and across Otago's Associate Deans Māori, Māori academic directors of Māori research units, and from Otago's Māori Professors.
- Te Tumu (School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies)
- Otago's Associate Deans Māori
- Otago's Māori Professors
