Variety on offer during Kīngitanga Day

26 August, 2013

Variety on offer during Kīngitanga Day

Graphic design, guns and going across the ditch are among a wide ranging line up of subjects being discussed at this year’s Kīngitanga Day at the University of Waikato.

Kīngitanga Day, being held on 12 September, is a free public annual event that celebrates the University’s relationships with the Kīngitanga and with iwi from across the nation. It will see a number of prominent academics, leaders and kaumātua taking part in lectures, seminars and other activities on campus.

Artist, designer and researcher Johnson Witehira, of Ngāpuhi and Whanganui descent, is speaking about Design Practises with a Focus on Māori Design Patterns. His popular artworks have resulted in the creation of the first set of Māori alphabet blocks.

He’s also the winner of a Chorus digital art competition, with the prize including an all expenses trip to New York where his work was shown on 34 digital billboards in Times Square.

Dr Maria Bargh, from Victoria University of Wellington, will discuss Māori involvement in the private military security industry and Dr Tahu Kukutai – from Waikato University’s National Institute for Demographic and Economic Analysis (NIDEA), will talk about Māori in Australia, based on evidence from Australia’s 2011 Census.

New Zealander of the Year, Distinguished Professor Dame Anne Salmond, and Ngāi Tahu leader Sir Mark Solomon are the keynote speakers for the day, which will see lectures, seminars, and performances running at various venues on campus, including kapa haka and raranga workshops.

A bus tour of significant sites in the region will also take place, with stops at locations such as Tūrangawaewae Marae and the Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development.

Kīngitanga Day kicks-off at 10am, Thursday 12 September campus wide. For more information and to download a programme visit www.waikato.ac.nz/events/kingitanga

ENDS

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