Rate My Professor Karyn Paringatai

Professor Karyn Paringatai is a Professor in Te Tumu – School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies within the Division of Humanities at the University of Otago, where she also serves as Programme Coordinator for Māori Studies. She earned her BA (Hons), MA, and PhD from the University of Otago, complemented by RSA/Cambridge CELTA certification and advanced qualifications in te reo Māori, Te Aupikitanga ki te Reo Kairangi and Te Pīnakitanga ki te Reo Kairangi from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Her research interests include sociological dimensions of Māori urbanisation and identity maintenance, Māori performing arts such as poi, haka, and waiata composition analysis, grammatical features of the Māori language and second language acquisition, innovative teaching methodologies for Māori language and performing arts, and the intersection of whakapapa with genetic research. Paringatai co-directs the University of Otago Research Theme Poutama Ara Rau, leading a multidisciplinary team advancing Māori pedagogies and mātauranga Māori.

Throughout her career at the University of Otago, Paringatai has progressed from lecturer to professor, developing acclaimed teaching practices, including 'teaching in the dark' for MAOR 108 Waiata: Te Tīmatanga, MAOR 211/212 Te Pihinga, INDS 302 Whakapapa and Marae, MAOR 208 Ngā Manu Taki, and MAOR 308 Ngā Hākinakina a Te Māori, which earned her the 2014 Prime Minister's Supreme Award for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, the National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award for Sustained Excellence in a Kaupapa Māori Context, and the Otago University Teaching Excellence Award in a Kaupapa Māori Context. She received Marsden Fund support in 2018 for 'E kore au e ngaro – the enduring legacy of whakapapa', exploring whakapapa's role in Māori health outcomes related to the CDH1 gene and hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. Key publications include her 2025 Inaugural Professorial Lecture 'The enduring legacy of whakapapa'; the 2025 book chapter 'Kua tau tōku mauri: The balance between Māori language teacher cultural identity and wellbeing' with Paia Taani; and the 2024 keynote 'Ko haka, ko waiata ki te ao'. In 2023, she contributed to the Te Puiaki Pūtaiao Matua a te Pirimia Science Prize-winning team on cancer research equity. Her work enhances research equity, Māori cultural competency, and health impacts through whakapapa knowledge.