New head of UC School of Māori and Indigenous Studies

18 June 2015

New head of UC School of Māori and Indigenous Studies

University of Canterbury has appointed Sacha McMeeking (Ngāi Tahu) as the new Head of School of Aotahi: Māori and Indigenous Studies. Ms McMeeking will join the College of Arts at the end of June as a Senior Lecturer and as Head of School.

Ms McMeeking has been at the forefront of Iwi, Māori and indigenous development in a career that has spanned more than 16 years, being based both locally and internationally. Domestically, she has led substantive commercial and policy reforms, particularly focussed within a Post Treaty Settlement environment. Formerly, she was the General Manager of Strategy and Influence at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu where she was responsible for significant inter-Iwi initiatives, including commercial partnerships as well as landmark policy outcomes that reflect post-Settlement Treaty partnership.

Ms McMeeking is currently the Ngāi Tahu representative on the UC Council. She also holds a Ministerial appointment on Te Ture Whenua Māori (Māori land law) reform and has previously been appointed to Ministerial advisory groups on Resource Management Act, constitutional issues and foreshore and seabed.

Ms McMeeking was also the recipient of the Fulbright-Harkness New Zealand Fellowship, which she used to develop tradition based values commercial decision making tools for Iwi and Māori.

Ms McMeeking says she is "honoured to have this opportunity to contribute to increasing the connectivity and relevance of UC to Iwi, hapu and Māori communities”.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the College of Arts, Professor Jonathan le Cocq says: “I am delighted with the wealth of skills and experience that Sacha will bring not only to Aotahi - our School of Māori and Indigenous Studies - but also to the management and delivery of arts at UC as a member of our management team. I am especially pleased that, in her appointment, we will continue to develop the links between ourselves and Ngāi Tahu established by our previous, highly respected, Head of School, Lynne Harata Te Aika.”

Assistant Vice-Chancellor Māori, Darryn Russell, says Sacha’s appointment is a wonderful addition to the University and he “looks forward to the contribution and development in the future space that Sacha will bring to Te Aotahi, the College of Arts and the wider University.”
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