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Always positive and enthusiastic in class.
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About Diane
Professor Diane Ruwhiu (Ngāpuhi) is Professor in the Department of Management at the Otago Business School, University of Otago, and Dean of the Graduate Research School. Her professional journey commenced in purchasing and logistics roles with the Royal New Zealand Air Force. In 2000, she joined the University of Otago as one of the few Māori faculty members in the Business School, where she completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Management. She earned her PhD from the University of Otago in 2009, with the thesis titled 'The sleeping taniwha: Exploring the practical utility of kaupapa Māori in firm operations and supply chain management'. Progressing through positions as lecturer, senior lecturer, and associate professor, she now holds full professorship. Ruwhiu teaches business, management, and organisation studies to first-year undergraduates through to PhD candidates, with classes ranging from large lectures of over 600 students to small postgraduate workshops.
Ruwhiu's research specializations encompass the integration of Indigenous Māori knowledges into organisation and business practices, diverse economic activities honouring traditional Māori ways, servant leadership, and cultural influences on contemporary management models. Key publications include 'In the footsteps of Māori and servant leadership' (2016), 'Balancing Indigenous Values Through Diverse Economies' (2018), 'Developing a theory of plausibility in scenario building' (2019), 'Navigating by the stars: a critical analysis of Indigenous events as constellations of decolonization' (2021), 'The enduring legacy of Indigenous parrhesiastes' (2021), contributions to 'Māori and Mining' (2013), 'Remote Working during COVID19' (2020), and 'Ngā Whai Take: Reframing Indigenous Development' (2023). She received the Ako Aotearoa Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching Award in the Kaupapa Māori category (2021), a University of Otago teaching award, and the best paper award in the Management Education stream at the Australia New Zealand Academy of Management conference (2016). Since 2014, Ruwhiu has developed and delivered kaupapa Māori business courses within the Bachelor of Commerce and non-credit programmes such as the He Kākano entrepreneurship programme (2014-2015) and Māori Business Case Week (2018-2019). She has provided guest lectures for programmes including NYU Stern DIBNZ (2020) and Beijing Normal University YIELD (2016-2017), served on the expert panel at ANZAM (2019), and was the first Māori commissioner on the New Zealand Productivity Commission. In July 2025, she delivered her Inaugural Professorial Lecture on the lived realities of Māori academics as Indigenous parrhesiastes.