Māhia kuia honoured with a Planetary Healing Doctorate

It’s not a typical PhD, but the title recognises Dr Pauline Tangiora's decades of leadership in fostering peace, justice and indigenous empowerment worldwide.

Life-long peace advocate and Māhia kuia Pauline Tangiora has been awarded again for her global contributions to indigenous rights, disarmament and reconciliation.

Tangiora (Ngāti Rongomaiwahine) received an honourary Planetary Healing Doctorate from the Home for Humanity Movement for Planetary Regeneration on February 13 at her home in Māhia.

While it’s not a typical PhD, the title recognises her decades of leadership in fostering peace, justice and indigenous empowerment worldwide.

“My life has been dedicated to bringing forth this understanding from the people of the world, and we have a responsibility to treasure this knowledge passed on to us and to share with each other that which has been passed down to us from generation to generation,” Tangiora said.

The ceremony was attended by Home for Humanity co-founders Dr Rama Mani and Professor Alexander Schieffer, who also recognised Tangiora’s home as an official Home for Humanity, a space dedicated to forest peace and unity.

A patroness of the Peace Foundation, Tangiora has spent decades at the forefront of indigenous and disarmament movements.

She is a Justice of the Peace, former president and current vice-president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Aotearoa, and a former regional women’s representative for the World Council for Indigenous Peoples.

She has served as a consultant for the International Steering Committee of the World Court Project and a commissioner for the Earth Charter, and is a life member of the Māori Women’s Welfare League.

Her work has been recognised internationally. In 2017, she received the Bremen Peace Award in Germany, followed by the Wisdom Fellowship Award in the United States in 2018.

Tangiora says her life-long commitment to fostering understanding and reconciliation across cultures is down to the knowledge passed down to her by mentors, elders and communities.

“The award is special as it acknowledges those who shared their knowledge with me and encouraged myself and others to become advocates.”

The Disarmament and Security Centre, where Tangiora has long served as a guiding figure, celebrated the recognition, describing it as a testament to her unwavering dedication to peace, justice and the empowerment of indigenous voices.