{"id":1183,"date":"2021-07-06T13:53:15","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T01:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/tetumuresearch\/?p=1183"},"modified":"2021-07-06T15:38:17","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T03:38:17","slug":"te-tumus-first-professor-emeritus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/tetumuresearch\/te-tumus-first-professor-emeritus\/","title":{"rendered":"Te Tumu’s First Professor Emeritus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Poia Rewi<\/strong> <\/span>(Ng\u0101ti Manawa, T\u016bhoe, Te Arawa, Ng\u0101ti Whare and T\u016bwharetoa) was appointed as a Senior Lecturer in Te Tumu, School of M\u0101ori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago in 2003.\u00a0 Previously he had been a M\u0101ori Studies academic at the University of Waikato from 1992.\u00a0 In 2016 he was promoted to professor.\u00a0 He ended his service at Te Tumu in mid-2020 in July 2020 when he took up the role of Chief Executive\/Tumu Whakarae of Te M\u0101t\u0101wai, <\/a>a government organisation established under Te Ture m\u014d Te Reo M\u0101ori 2016\/The M\u0101ori Language Act 2016, to foster and support M\u0101ori language development for iwi.<\/p>\n

Although the honour of professor emeritus is normally awarded to professors retiring from academia, the University\u2019s Policy for the Award of the Title of Emeritus Professor allows the title to be made to a Professor who resigns, for example, to take up a distinguished public position. \u00a0Poia’s illustrious academic career (discussed below) and his leadership within Te Tumu and the university induced Professor Michael Reilly and other Te Tumu colleagues to seek this honour for our recently departed Dean.<\/p>\n

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Professor Poia Rewi at his farewell at Te Tumu, 24 June 2020, with a photo featuring his Te Tumu colleagues.<\/p><\/div>\n

Speaking to the Otago Bulletin Board<\/em><\/a> on Poia’s departure in July last year, Professor Reilly described Poia as a \u201cdeeply humble, modest man who believes that it is for others to speak of the kumara\u2019s sweetness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis abiding passion is always first and last, te reo M\u0101ori. He advocates for its use by all New Zealanders. In his teaching and writing he always encourages his students and others to seek out and to utilise the rich diversity of language forms that the reo has inherited from the ancestors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Te Tumu Poia was generous with his time and showed hospitality to all. He became well known for volunteering to work in the kitchen, always concerned to ensure visitors, staff and students had plenty of food; a mark of the true leader, one who always thought of the well-being of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poia places much value on the importance of teaching the new generation, and work within the community. The growing success of his postgraduate students attests to his influence, and in 2012 he received the Otago University Students\u2019 Association Supervisor of the Year Award. His knowledge of the reo and M\u0101ori performing arts resulted in him being appointed a judge at many regional M\u0101ori-language speaking competitions as well as being a judge at national, regional and tribal M\u0101ori performing arts competitions (adult\/senior and high school levels).<\/p>\n

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Poia with his moko. He had a knack with little children, who all seemed to love him.<\/p><\/div>\n

Te Reo M\u0101ori has always been his passion. In 1997 he received a certificate as a translator and interpreter of te reo M\u0101ori from Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo M\u0101ori\/The M\u0101ori Language Commission.\u00a0 This is an exceedingly hard qualification to attain and demonstrates his high level of proficiency in the M\u0101ori language.\u00a0 In 2005 Poia completed the first PhD solely in Te Reo M\u0101ori at the University of Otago.\u00a0 It was a study of whaik\u014drero or M\u0101ori oratory through the words of a group of some 30 respected elders, many of them highly regarded orators on the marae throughout the country.<\/p>\n

Subsequently, he revised and translated the thesis into English for publication as Whaik\u014drero: The World of M\u0101ori Oratory<\/em>, published by Auckland University Press in 2010.\u00a0 This book was the first major publication to study this major M\u0101ori art form.\u00a0 In 2011 it was awarded the New Zealand Society of Authors \u2013 E. H. McCormick Best First Book Award for Non-Fiction.\u00a0 Later, it became the basis for a 12 part M\u0101ori Television documentary, \u2018Whaik\u014drero\u2019, which won the Broadcasting-M\u0101ori medium category in Ng\u0101 Tohu Reo M\u0101ori 2014\/the M\u0101ori Language Awards 2014.<\/p>\n

As a researcher his dominant focus has been Te Reo M\u0101ori and the associated performing arts.\u00a0 As a teacher of the reo to second language learners he has always been interested in the revitalisation of the reo and this became the centre of his research in more recent years.\u00a0 In 2010 he was a lead investigator for two major grants from Ng\u0101 Pae o te M\u0101ramatanga, a national Centre of Excellence: \u2018He Iho Reo, Developing a toolbox to support M\u0101ori Language Transmission and Maintenance\u2019 ($226,439), and \u2018Te Pae Tawhiti: \u201cTe Kura Roa,\u201d\u2019 a jointly commissioned research project with R\u0101winia Higgins of Victoria University of Wellington ($1,500,000).\u00a0 A number of reports and publications were generated from these grants including<\/p>\n