Welcome to our 2021 issue of Victorious, in another year that has brought challenge and change for Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and the world. Wherever we are around the globe, the impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt but, at the same time, opportunities have emerged from the global pandemic.
Opportunity also abounds in the growth in recognition of how mātauranga Māori helps to define our nation. At Te Herenga Waka, there has been an upswell in enthusiasm and support for Mai i te Iho ki te Pae, our Māori Strategic Outcomes Framework, to give better effect to te reo, mātauranga Māori, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. While we still have more to do to ‘shift the dial’, we are encouraged by the willingness among staff and students to embrace our Te Herenga Waka identity.
Our name, Te Herenga Waka, provides a strong narrative for the collective of students and staff who make up our university communities, and emphasises how tūrangawaewae (connectivity to place) provides strong foundations for success. Moreover, the centrality of Te Herenga Waka to our collective identity provides an opportunity to examine our commitment to enhancing our iho as part of our vision to be a great global–civic university.
You can read about the impact some of our Māori staff and students are having in this issue of Victorious—from Professor Bev Lawton’s advocacy in the fight against cervical cancer and Rāwiri Toia’s work to strengthen Māori-medium education to te reo Māori researcher and lecturer Kelly Keane-Tuala’s passion for her language and stories from the first recipients of our Ngā Hoe a Kupe Pathfinder Scholarships. These scholarships support the participation and success of Māori and Pasifika students, and those from refugee and low socio-economic backgrounds in Wellington.
We also delve into the work of some of our outstanding—and prize-winning—climate researchers, read about the work of the dedicated staff in our Deaf Studies Research Unit, showcase how our creative writing programme and publisher are helping to put Pasifika writers in the main arena, and introduce and celebrate the outstanding individuals who receive this year’s Distinguished Alumni Awards from the University.
Next year, we will be marking our 125th anniversary, providing a wonderful opportunity to look back on the many achievements and contributions of our staff and students and forward to the many ways in which we will continue to enrich our city and region and help to make the world a better place. You can find out more inside the magazine about how to share your stories and memories and help us celebrate this milestone.
Warm regards,
Grant
Professor Grant Guilford, Vice-Chancellor