From championing Māori education and Indigenous wellbeing to helping shape the future of Indigenous scholarship on the world stage, Professor Meihana Durie has dedicated his career to advancing Māori knowledge, leadership and aspirations for future generations.
Professor Durie joins broadcaster Dale Husband for a special live, longform and unedited conversation, sharing his slice of life and reflecting on a career that has helped influence the direction of Māori and Indigenous education in Aotearoa and internationally.
Recognised as a leading Māori scholar and strategic leader, Professor Durie has worked extensively across Māori and Indigenous futures, Indigenous wellbeing, higher education and institutional transformation.
He currently holds the position of Te Toi Aronui, Senior Māori Scholar at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), where his work contributes to the advancement of Māori scholarship and future-focused approaches to education.
His career has been marked by a commitment to ensuring Māori knowledge, values and aspirations are recognised within education systems, while strengthening opportunities for Māori learners, educators and communities.
Professor Durie previously served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori at Massey University, one of the country’s major tertiary institutions.
In that role, he held senior responsibility for advancing Māori priorities within the university environment, contributing to institutional leadership and the development of Māori-focused educational approaches.
He also served as Chief Executive of Te Wānanga o Raukawa, an institution recognised for its commitment to kaupapa Māori education and the transmission of Māori knowledge across generations.
His experience across universities and wānanga provides a perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing Māori tertiary education, particularly the importance of maintaining strong connections between academic achievement, cultural identity, language and community aspirations.
Professor Durie’s influence also extends well beyond Aotearoa.
In 2025, he served as Co-Chair of the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education, widely recognised as the world’s largest international gathering dedicated to Indigenous education.
The conference brings together Indigenous educators, scholars, leaders and communities to share knowledge, strengthen relationships and explore approaches to education grounded in Indigenous worldviews.
His involvement reflects a broader commitment to connecting Māori educational leadership with international Indigenous movements and conversations about self-determination, knowledge systems and the future of learning.
Throughout his work, Professor Durie has helped advance conversations about how education can better respond to the aspirations of Indigenous peoples rather than simply expecting Indigenous communities to adapt to established institutional systems.
For Māori, those conversations are particularly significant as Aotearoa continues to debate the future of education, the place of te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori, and the role of Māori institutions in supporting whānau and mokopuna.
They also raise important questions about how educational success should be defined, including whether achievement should be measured solely through conventional qualifications or through wider contributions to cultural wellbeing, community development and intergenerational knowledge.
Professor Durie’s leadership across different educational environments provides a foundation for exploring those issues, alongside the personal experiences that have shaped his professional journey.
In this special conversation, Dale Husband takes audiences beyond the academic titles and leadership positions to explore the life, experiences and aspirations of one of Aotearoa’s influential Māori education thinkers.
The longform, unedited format provides space for a deeper kōrero about the people, experiences and kaupapa that have influenced Professor Durie’s work, as well as his perspectives on the opportunities ahead for Māori and Indigenous education.
It is also an opportunity to reflect on the importance of Māori leadership in shaping institutions that serve future generations, and the continuing role of education in strengthening identity, wellbeing and tino rangatiratanga.
From the wānanga to the university and onto the international stage, Professor Meihana Durie’s journey reflects the growing influence of Māori scholarship and the importance of ensuring Indigenous voices remain central to conversations about the future.
Watch the full live, longform and unedited kōrero with Professor Meihana Durie and Dale Husband here:
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