Mātauranga Māori - Staff PLD

Senior reo students and teaching staff were treated to a special presentation on Wednesday morning by Professor Karyn Paringatai. Professor Paringatai shared insights from her academic journey in tertiary teaching and research, particularly her work in mātauranga Māori and pedagogical practices. She spoke about her thesis Learning in the Dark and discussed her more recent research exploring the connections between whakapapa, Indigenous knowledge, and cancer research.

Professor Paringatai is a lecturer in Te Tumu – School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago, where she completed her BA (Hons), MA, and PhD. In 2014, she received the Prime Minister’s Supreme Teaching Award for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, as well as the Award for Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching in the Kaupapa Māori category. She has also recently completed a Marsden funded research project examining the sociocultural impact of genetic research. In 2025, she was awarded the title of Professor by the University of Otago.

It was a privilege to hear Professor Paringatai speak and to expand our understanding of this kaupapa. Her presentation encouraged us to consider how mātauranga Māori can be meaningfully integrated into all areas of teaching, rather than appearing only in isolated or one-off moments.

We look forward to continuing to work with her in the future. By the end of her presentation, several departments had already begun discussing opportunities to invite her back to speak with their classes.

We extend our sincere thanks to Professor Paringatai for her time, generosity, and willingness to share her knowledge with us.

Should you wish to find out more about the work that Professor Paringatai has undertaken please click on the following Youtube links:

My Whakapapa Saved My Life - TEDxDUNEDIN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4DkH_O9uME

Inaugural Professorial Lecture - Professor Karyn Paringatai.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=356qKZ-6QpU