Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith
Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Porou Touhourangi
An internationally recognised scholar and trailblazer, Linda Tuhiwai Smith describes her task as changing the way our educational institutions work with Māori – so that students don’t have to leave their Māori identity at the door.
Smith grew up in many towns around Aotearoa, but found a stint at a United States high school changed her trajectory in life – by making her less passive, more questioning. At university, she joined the activist group Ngā Tamatoa and spent time communicating the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Reo to often hostile audiences.
Now a Professor at the University of Waikato, Smith has founded three Māori research institutes; her research crosses disciplines and she has been responsible for redefining areas of study; and Smith’s book Decolonising Methodologies has had a profound influence across the social sciences. Smith was awarded the Dame Metge medal in 2012 and became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2016.
A conversation with Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith
Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith is a scholarly rangatira. Her best-selling book Decolonising Methodologies is compulsory reading for anyone interested in research and/or decolonisation. She was a member of Māori activist group Ngā Tamatoa back in the day and has remained at the scholarly front-lines championing Māori and Indigenous education. Linda has shaped the way many of us think and talk about research and/or decolonisation. #Decol2022 are delighted to be able to host this informal fireside chat and question and answer session with Professor Linda.
