Aroha Harris (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) was presented a special award for an Outstanding Contribution to Māori History, at the 2021 NZ Historical Association Conference in November.
NZHA President, Michael Belgrave, said ‘Aroha has been throughout her career a tireless supporter of Māori history, often spread across a wide range of different communities and locations, as a historian, an academic, a health researcher, a supervisor and a researcher for and member of the Waitangi Tribunal.’
Aroha Harris is the co-author, along with Atholl Anderson and Judith Binney, of the award-winning Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History. Professor Belgrave noted that ‘The publication of the book, its critical attention to detail, and ensuring Māori participation in the images chosen for inclusion reflect Aroha’s attention to the craft of history in its broader responsibility to enhance social well-being, particularly of iwi and hapū.’
Aroha Harris is an Associate Professor in History at the University of Auckland. Her research interests span Māori histories of the twentieth century; and she is a founding member of the Māori historians group, Te Pouhere Korero. Professor Harris was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2008 and is currently a member of the Te Rohe Pōtae (Wai 898) panel.
BWB warmly congratulates Aroha on this special award.