Māori lecturer in international Hall of Fame

Māori lecturer in international Hall of Fame

Waikato University senior lecturer Sandy Morrison is going to be inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. The US-based organisation attracts international educators from around the world to honour leaders in the field and to help inspire future leaders in continuing education.

Morrison, from the School of Māori and Pacific Development, is the first New Zealander to be inducted into the Hall since the organisation began in 1995. She’s of Tainui and Te Arawa descent and has been working in the field of adult education at Waikato University for more than 20 years. She has also carried out development work with ASPBAE - Asia South Pacific Association for Adult and Basic Education - where she was an executive council member for the South Pacific region and president from 2004 to 2008.

Morrison says ASPBAE has a strong advocacy and capacity building focus. “During my time in office I think I brought a strong and indigenous Māori perspective to adult education and was able to introduce culturally diverse approaches to adult learning. We increased ASPAE’s international exposure, introduced many new programmes at local and grass roots level and introduced what you could call a rights’-based approach to adult education.”

At a national level, Sandy Morrison has chaired the Adult and Community Education Reference groups advising the Tertiary Education Committee on funding matters and strategic direction. She believes in the evolutionary and transformative power of adult education. “It’s not just the increased personal learnings, adult education contributes to raised social awareness and more active and engaged citizenship, which leads to sustainable communities. Intergenerational transmission of knowledge, as we see in Māori and Pacific communities, is all part of this.”

She’s thrilled to receive the honour. “Induction into the Hall of Fame is given to those people considered to be exemplary lifelong learners and who have left lasting impressions on the students, institutions, and organisations they have served, so it’s certainly very special.”

Acting Dean of SMPD, Tom Roa, says Sandy is humble in her pride at being honoured in this way. “Her colleagues are elated to be are a part of her world and bask in her glory! Her passion for education, her leadership skills, grounded in her iwi Māori roots, fostered in her communities, and shared with indigenous peoples internationally are fittingly celebrated with this recognition. “

Sandy Morrison will be inducted next month at the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) conference being hosted by the University of Oklahoma and held in Philadelphia.

ENDS

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