Ngā Kaitūhono

A key action of Te Rautaki Māori (Māori Strategy) was the establishment of Ngā Kaitūhono, in April 2008. Their purpose is to ensure that NZQA's approach to mātauranga Māori is compatible with Māori values, consistent with Māori expectations, and complementary to other validation processes, including those that may be established by Māori. Ngā Kaitūhono are not directly concerned with approving qualifications or accrediting providers. Ngā Kaitūhono will advise NZQA on any issue which the regard as pertinent to the fulfilment of NZQA’s obligations to the full implementation of Te Rautaki Māori (Māori Strategy).

Dr Wiremu Doherty – Chairperson

Dr Wiremu Doherty is the Executive Dean and Professor of Education at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi based in Whakatāne since January 2010.

Previously he was employed by the Manukau Institute of Technology as Executive Director Māori. Mr Doherty has contributed to the development of NZQA’s Te Rautaki Māori as a member of the Māori Reference Group. He has also played roles in the development of NCEA Te Reo Māori Level 1 and 2. Wiremu has recently completed his PhD on the roots of Mātauranga Māori in tribal based knowledge – Mātauranga-ā-Iwi. Wiremu has an extensive background in kaupapa Māori initiatives.

Professor Sir Hirini Moko-Mead

Professor Sir Hirini Moko-Mead recently retired as the Founding Professor of Māori at Victoria University of Wellington. He is an authority on Māori and Pacific art, Tikanga Māori, Māori Studies, iwi and treaty issues.

Hirini is an advisor on art and cultural matters, education establishment of wānanga, preparation of tertiary level programmes for accreditation, management of wānanga, Māori Trust Boards, indigenous matters and treaty claims. Over the years he has received many honours, including FRSNZ for scholarship and Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, a national honour for services to the Māori people. He is chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngati Awa and is the council chair and a Distinguished Professor at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, at Whakatāne.

Professor Taiarahia Black

Professor Taiarahia Black is a Professor at Te Pūtahi-ā- Toi, School of Māori Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North. Dr Black is an internationally regarded expert in Māori language revitalisation and scholarly compositions and has had extensive experience in the development of Māori teaching and research methodologies that distinguish the tribe as being the primary proprietors of their language, history and traditions. Dr Black continues to research and explore methods in language teaching using audio, visual and written resources that will sustain and maintain te reo Māori at a high standard. He is the author of an anthology of Māori poetry; Poroporoaki for Māori academics, and has compiled 200 poroporoaki with accompanying notations and edited a “reader” called Hokia Ki o Maunga... and his latest research is called Te Purenga. Through his various roles as a teacher, writer of traditional and contemporary Māori language resources, researcher and Master and Doctoral supervisor he continues to provide research into Māori language as a means of whānau, hapū, and iwi identification.

Aneta Wi Neera

Aneta Wi Neera is currently employed by Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa in Ōtaki as the Crown Liaison person and was involved with NZQA in the development of Te Rautaki Māori as a member of the Māori Reference Group. Other relevant experience includes teaching at Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa, attending Te Tauihu o Ngā Wānanga meetings and representing Te Tauihu as and when required.

Hōne Pereki Sadler

Hōne Sadler has had almost 40 years' teaching experience, spanning the primary, secondary, polytechnic, and university sectors.

He is currently a member of two of NZQA’s whakaruruhau for Tikanga and Te Reo. Hōne is a certified translator and interpreter and a master of mātauranga Māori. He has also been involved with a number of private training establishments, wānanga and polytechnics through accreditation panels and as a moderator and monitor of degree programmes. Hōne currently holds a position of Kaumātua for Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi and was nominated as a member of Ngā Kaitūhono by a group of Kaumātua from the Ngāpuhi region. He is currently Senior Lecturer, Māori Studies at the University of Auckland.

Dr Shane Edwards

Dr Shane Edwards is the Executive Director, Curriculum, at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

He has had extensive experience in Māori education, as a tutor at the University of Auckland, lecturer at the Auckland College of Education, Senior Lecturer in Māori Education at UNITEC and Associate Academic Director at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Shane has also worked as a researcher for the International Research Institute for Māori and Indigenous Education and the Auckland Public Health Research Unit. As an accomplished author, his published titles include Pai te Pāngarau: Teachers Guide and Reclaiming Indigenous Identity.

Donna Mariana Grant

Donna Mariana Grant (Te Arawa) is the CEO of Manaakitanga Aotearoa Charitable Trust PTE. She is an independent contractor to Te Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and was voted Best Māori Woman in Management at the Māori Business Awards in 2007.

She is sitting Chair of Te Whakaruruhau Matua, and has in the past been a national moderator for performing arts with NZQA and developed a number of resources for Field Māori.

Her business career was built from an experiential base in kapa haka and now she develops kapa haka qualifications and programmes of delivery throughout Aotearoa.

Liz Hunkin

Mana Elizabeth (Liz) Hunkin (Kahungunu) has extensive experience in Māori education at primary and tertiary levels. In 1979 she was introduced to the Te Ataarangi method of teaching by Ngoi Pewhairangi and Katerina Mataira.

Liz and husband Graeme, both recently elected on to te Rūnanga o Te Ataarangi, own and operate the accredited PTE Te Kura Motuhake o Te Ataarangi, operating from Te Wairoa since 1996. Te Kura Motuhake delivers NZQA unit standards Level 1-7 and in 2003 piloted Te Ngutu Awa (National Certificate in Māori Level 4).

Liz has been a te reo Māori moderator for NZQA, and since 2002 holds membership on Te Whakaruruhau mo te reo Māori.

Liz holds a Masters degree in Education.