Professor Mutu's secret out at last

HONOURED: Professor Margaret Mutu, whose contribution to indigenous rights and scholarship has been recognised with the Pou Aronui Award. PICTURE/SUPPLIED

Professor Margaret Mutu was finally able to share a secret she had been keeping to herself for weeks when she received the Pou Aronui Award in Auckland on Tuesday night.

Professor Mutu, Professor of Maori studies at the University of Auckland, received the award for her sustained contribution to indigenous rights and scholarship in New Zealand.

The award is presented annually by the Royal Society of New Zealand, in acknowledgement of distinguished service to the humanities-aronui over a sustained period of time

Professor Mutu, who chairs Te Runanga-a-iwi o Ngati Kahu and two of the iwi's marae, said she learned that she was to be this year's recipient about a month ago, but had to keep it secret, telling only a few whnau and friends so they could attend the awards ceremony.

"Some of my whanau accompanied me to the awards dinner so I had to tell them, and they are absolutely thrilled," she said.

"My whanau, hapu and iwi have made huge contributions to my research over the past 40 years, so this award recognises them as well. It was also hugely gratifying to see the importance of Maori and indigenous human rights research being recognised by such an august body of scholars and scientists as the Royal Society."

The award was significant, she said, as it recognised the work being done to achieve international human rights standards for Maori in New Zealand.

"It highlights the importance for New Zealand of knowing, understanding and acknowledging not only the rightful place of Maori language, culture, tradition and history, but also the steps that still need to be taken in order to achieve justice and prosperity for Maori," she added.

Her current Marsden Fund project was exploring Maori claimants' perspectives and experiences of Treaty of Waitangi settlements, her research involving media and literature searches, including reviewing the thousands of submissions made to select committees on Treaty settlements conducted to date.

So far she had revealed a large number of serious problems and difficulties with both the process of settling Treaty of Waitangi claims and the settlements themselves, finding that benefits arising from settlements were being obscured by the difficulties and the divisions that those settlements brought to Maori communities.

"The settlement policy and process has been unilaterally determined by successive governments, and imposes settlements and structures that often conflict with and disrupt the fundamental values, laws, culture and social structures of those Maori communities," she said.

Her focus now was on continuing a large number of in-depth interviews with claimants and negotiators.