Ēnoka is a Senior Lecturer in Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao - the Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies. He and the other awardees had to wait until the final stages of the ceremony for the Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, to make the announcement in a recorded message.

The 11 awardees and awardee groups were announced earlier this month. Ēnoka was awarded a Kaupapa Māori Award for his “devotion to te reo Māori”.

Professor Carolyn Gates, the 2022 Prime Minister’s Educator of the Year, bestowing the Rauaroha korowai on Dr Ēnoka Murphy.

Ēnoka Murphy has whakapapa to Ngāti Manawa, Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana in the Eastern Bay of Plenty

As a result of his upbringing in Te Ao Māori/the Māori world, Ēnoka regards the Māori language as everything in his world, his refuge, and his whole identity.

With 30 years of teaching at all levels of education, Ēnoka strongly believes that putting the student first and spending one’s time and energy on them is crucial. According to his ākonga/learners, Ēnoka’s approach to learning is empowering because he creates a safe environment, and his communication style is calm, collected, and approachable.

He was the recipient of a ‘Faculty Teaching Excellence Award’ from the University of Waikato in 2013, a ‘Sustained Excellence Award’ in the 2014 Ako Aotearoa Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards, a ‘Divisional Teaching Excellence Award’ as well as the ‘Nola Campbell Memorial eLearning Excellence Award’ from University of Waikato in 2020.

“Our congratulations go to Ēnoka and the other awardees. It was wonderful to celebrate such a diverse range of educators and organisations in-person,” says Te Whatu Kairangi Selection Panel Chair, Derek McCormack.

Ako Aotearoa, the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, conducts the Te Whatu Kairangi Awards on behalf of the Minister of Education.

Ako Aotearoa Director Helen Lomax was pleased to see a diverse range of tertiary educators in this year’s round of awards:

“We were excited to award the first ever Le Moana Mua Awards this year to outstanding Pacific educators, and the first Group Awards since 2015,” she says.

“We look forward to introducing a new Te Reo Māori Award in 2024 to encourage and recognise dedicated te reo Māori educators of Aotearoa New Zealand.”

The Te Whatu Kairangi 2024 round will open in November 2023.

Read more about Ēnoka on his profile page – full profile and dedicated video clip coming soon.

Learn more about the 2023 Te Whatu Kairangi cohort on the awardee page.