TEU honours courage of Jane Kelsey and Huirangi Waikerepuru

TEU honours courage of Jane Kelsey and Huirangi Waikerepuru

8 November 2015

The Tertiary Education Union will honour Professor Jane Kelsey and Dr Huirangi Waikerepuru with awards of excellence at its annual conference tomorrow evening.

Kelsey will receive an award of excellence for academic freedom. Kelsey’s actions in researching, analysing and opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and other trade deals are examples of the best the academic profession can be.

She has come under constant attack from those who do not want her research and commentary in front of the public, and yet she continues to mobilise widespread public awareness of and opposition to the TPPA.

Waikerepuru recently retired from his role as TEU’s Tauheke and is well known to union members for his decades of wise counsel and leadership.

TEU is recognising him tomorrow night with an award of excellence for professional integrity for his lifelong commitment to protecting and promoting Te Reo Māori and indigenous rights.

He led the case through the privy council that New Zealand should recognise and protest Te Reo Māori as a taonga under te Tiriti o Waitangi and was also instrumental in lobbying for the creation of Te Māngai Pāho.

TEU will also be presenting life membership awards to Ekara Lewis of Lincoln University and Professor Dov Bing of the University of Waikato, and meritorious service awards to Susan Wātene of Unitec and Bill Rogers of Northtec.

Details

•TEU’s awards ceremony
•6.30 pm
•Monday 9 November 2015
•The Brentwood Hotel
•Kilbirnie, Wellington

ENDS

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