School of Māori and Pacific Development celebrates five PhDs

30 October 2014

School of Māori and Pacific Development celebrates five PhD graduates

In an historic day for the University of Waikato’s School of Māori and Pacific Development, five of its PhD candidates graduated at Te Kohinga Mārama Marae on 21 October.

They were Roger Lewis - The Application of Critical Discourse Theory: A Criterion-Referenced Analysis of Reports to Language Revitalisation in Australia and New Zealand, Vincent Malcolm-Buchanan - Cloaked in Life and Death: Tangi and Taonga in a Contemporary Maori Whanau,
Jillian Tipene (O’Brien) - Te Tuhirau i Rehu i Ringa: Translating Sacred and Sensitive Texts: An Indigenous Perspective, Saburo Omura - The Treaty of Waitangi and Asian Immigrants in Aotearoa: A Reflective Journey, and Murray Peters - Reclaiming the Maori Language for Future Generations: Flax Root Perspectives Tikina Te Mana o Te Reo Maori: Te Putaketanga o Te Pa Harakeke.

Associate Professor Winnie Crombie, along with Dr Hemi Whaanga, supervised three of the five graduates, which she says has been a rewarding job.

“Mentoring PhD students over the years has been the most satisfying aspect of my work. It's always very special to watch them graduate and then follow their careers, sometimes working with them later on a range of academic projects.”

Associate Professor Crombie joined the University of Waikato in 1991 and has been a member of staff of the School of Māori and Pacific Development since 1996. During that time, she has supervised more than 30 PhD students from France, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the USA and New Zealand.

Among the PhD students Associate Professor Crombie has supervised, 12 are, or were, staff members of the University of Waikato or Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages in Taiwan - one of Taiwan's newest universities, an institution she has been associated with (along with Diane Johnson) for many years.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Postgraduate) Professor Kay Weaver says having five SMPD doctoral students go through graduation together at the recent marae ceremony is testament to the hard work, commitment, and passion for their subject on the part of the graduands and their supervisors.

“This is a major achievement and an important contribution in furthering Māori and indigenous knowledge and research capability.”

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