Two individuals and one group of exceptional Māori educators have been recognised in this year’s Te Whatu Kairangi | Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards, each demonstrating a profound commitment to advancing Mātauranga Māori, leadership, and wellbeing through transformative teaching practice.
Te Tohu Reo Māori Award – Haani Huata-Allen
Head of Leadership & Culture, Kiriwhanake | Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Haani Huata-Allen has help shaped the landscape of te reo Māori education across Aotearoa for nearly four decades. Her teaching journey began in 1986 and has spanned roles at the University of Waikato, University of Canterbury, Ara, and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Her influence is felt across the tertiary sector and within iwi and hapū communities, where she has led revitalisation strategies for Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Apakura and Ngāti Hikairo, and supported whānau to perform pivotal roles at Pūrekireki Marae.
Her teaching is deeply rooted in whakapapa, compassion, and a belief that every learner can help restore te reo Māori as the language of the home. Her impact is evident in the lives of her students, many of whom now raise their own children as first-language speakers. Haani exemplifies te reo Māori as a way of life, bringing it into spaces where it is seldom heard and creating strong reo domains within communities.
Deputy Director Māori, of Ako Aotearoa, Dr Joe Te Rito recently commented on Haani’s commitment in promoting te reo Māori:
“Ka nui taku whakamiharo ki a Haani mō tōna kaha mō te wā roa nei, ki te whakatairanga i te reo Māori mai i te taketakenga o te hapori tae noa ki ngā whare wānanga teitei.” / “I admire Haani and how proactive she’s been for many years now in promoting te reo Māori from the community flax roots level, right through to the heights of academia.”
Reviewers of Haani’s portfolio were also moved by her humble response upon receiving the award:
“Nōku anō te maringanui ki te whakakanohi i te hunga nā rātou anō taku reo i whāngai, i poipoi, i whakapakari”
“I am truly fortunate to represent those who have nurtured, cared for, and strengthened my language.” said Haani.
Kaupapa Māori Award – Individual: Dr Melissa Anne McLeod
Associate Professor, Public Health Physician and Kaupapa Māori Epidemiologist | University of Otago (Wellington)
Associate Professor Melissa McLeod is a leader in Māori public health teaching whose work integrates Kaupapa Māori principles into epidemiology education. Her teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate courses, professional development for health organisations, and mentoring for Māori students and Public Health Medicine Registrars. She is thought to be the only epidemiologist in Aotearoa delivering general epidemiology courses through a Kaupapa Māori lens.
Melissa’s teaching is grounded in equity, cultural safety, and a drive to address systemic health injustices. She encourages learners to reflect on their own positioning and power, and to engage critically with public health concepts through a Māori lens. Her innovative teaching strategies including interactive tools, podcasts, and culturally responsive workshops, have led to measurable improvements in Māori student outcomes. Including a 100% pass rate on a core paper that previously Māori ākonga struggle.
Kaupapa Māori Award – Group: Master of Māori and Indigenous Leadership Programme
Associate Professor Garrick Cooper, Sacha McMeeking, Liam Grant, Jamie Hape | University of Canterbury
The Master of Māori and Indigenous Leadership (MMIL) programme at the University of Canterbury has empowered Māori learners to advance mana motuhake (self-determination) and tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty) in their own communities. The programme’s is not intended to teach business leadership or people-coaching, but rather to develop innovative and strategic leaders in diverse fields across Aotearoa. Delivered through marae-based wānanga, the programme meets learners where they are, aiming to support them in remaining connected to their whenua, whānau.
MMIL students are known to come from diverse backgrounds and occupations ranging from creative artists to local and national government, all united by a shared goal to lead in their own spaces. The MMIL programme gets each student to design and implement a practical project aligned with their community or professional work, focused on advancing mana motuhake. These projects are supported by mentoring from eminent Māori leaders Dr Bentham Ohia, Che Wilson, and Professor Rangi Mataamua, who bring lived experience and mana to the programme.
Since its launch, MMIL has supported over 400 students across 17 cohorts, with an 85% completion rate which highlights a significantly higher than average pass rate than the UC average for Māori master’s students. Many alumni of the MMIL programme have progressed to doctoral study, and the programme has launched an open-access journal named ‘Te Tira’ where the top 5 projects are edited and published, so that indigenous knowledge can be shared more widely and become more accessible for student research.
Dr Joe Te Rito is proud to recognise the work of this year’s Māori educators.
“It warms my heart to read of the outstanding teaching practice coming from our Māori educators across Aotearoa. I’m particularly pleased to recognise all of this year’s Māori awardees – your teaching practices will undoubtedly improve outcomes for all learners and will help uplift our culture. I congratulate you all on your respective awards and look forward to celebrating your work at the ceremony in Wellington."
E tino whakahī a Dr Joe Te Rito, te Kaihautū Mātauranga Māori, i ngā whakatutukitanga ā ngā kaiako Māori o tēnei tau. "Ka māhā katoa taku ngākau ki te pānui ake i nga whakaakoranga whakahirahira ā ō tātou kaiako Māori puta noa i Aotearoa nei. He koanga ngākau ki te whakamānawa i nga kaiwhiwhi Māori o te tau nei - nā ā koutou whakaakoranga papai, kāre e kore kua piki ake ngā hua mā ngā ākonga katoa, ā, kua hikitia ake hoki tō tātou ahurea. Ka nui taku whakamihi ki tēnā, ki tēnā o koutou, ka anga whakamua ki te whakamānawatanga i ā koutou mahi i te wā tuku tohu i Te Whanganui-ā-Tara."
Visit the 2025 Awardee community page to read more about this year's awardees.
