Native Studies Dean Resigns: Hokowhitu accepts position at University of Waikato in New Zealand – The Gateway

Sep 8, 2015

For Brendan Hokowhitu, the decision to resign as Dean of Native Studies and take a job in New Zealand came down to family matters.

“My wife and I have two young children,” Hokowhitu said. “We want to give them the opportunity to speak the Maori language and be immersed in their culture.”

Hokowhitu, who came to the faculty of Native Studies in 2012 from the University of Otago in New Zealand, is a member of the Ngäti Pukenga Maori tribe. His new role as Dean of Maori and Pacific Advancement at the University of Waikato will commence in January, 2015. The new position sees him return to Hamilton, New Zealand, as well as the ancestral area he left at 18 years old to pursue an education.

The cold climate wasn’t the only major change for Hokowhitu when he took post at the U of A. He points to the complexities of provincial politics as a major challenge he had to work through.

Read More: https://thegatewayonline.ca/2015/09/native-studies-dean-resigns/