University of Auckland professor honoured for work to advance Māori well-being
Tracey McIntosh, Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Auckland, has been honoured by the New Zealand
Royal Society Te Apārangi for her ground-breaking work in advancing our understanding of the enduring social injustices
that undermine Māori wellbeing.
Professor McIntosh, co-head of the University’s Te Wānanga o Waipapa (School of Maori and Pacific Studies) was awarded
the Society’s 2017 Te Rangi Hiroa Medal for Social Sciences at a gala dinner in Auckland last night.
“I am honoured to accept this award that acknowledges the importance of Māori research that is centred in the margins
and draws on the knowledge of communities to deliver solutions that are sustainable and transformative,” says Professor
McIntosh.
Her research looks at on how to correct the intergenerational transmission of social inequalities, particularly how they
relate to Māori. She focuses on the incarceration of Māori women and on male ex-prisoners with gang affiliations and
highlights the relationship between imprisonment, which socially excludes Māori, and the reproduction of ethnic and
class disparities and intergenerational inequality.
Professor McIntosh’s work has three central pillars: education and creative writing in prisons; the intergenerational
transfer of social inequalities and government, community and whanau-based responses; and evidence-informed policy and
advice.
The Society’s medal selection committee said Professor McIntosh’s work demonstrates a transformative approach to her
research, teaching and service, steeped in Māori values, particularly whanaungatanga (relationships, connections and a
feeling of belonging)and manaakitanga (process of showing respect, generosity and care).
“She seeks culturally sound, meaningful evidence-informed solutions that recognise the strengths, aspirations and
knowledge that resides within communities.”
In 2016 Professor McIntosh appeared as expert witness at the Waitangi Tribunal Wai 2540 claim concerning the Crown’s
alleged failure to meet its Treaty obligations to reduce reoffending among Māori.
She sits on several governance boards, particularly on social harm reduction, including JustSpeak and Te Ira both
working for a just and inclusive Aotearoa.
Professor McIntosh was formerly co-director and director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, making fundamental contributions
to developing and supporting Māori research and successfully led the institution’s rebid as a Centre of Research
Excellence. In 2016, she received a national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award in the Kaupapa Māori category.
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