Rate My Professor Matiu Ratima

Dr Matiu Rātima (Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Pūkeko) serves as Senior Lecturer and Co-Associate Dean Māori in the College of Education at the University of Otago. He earned his PhD from the University of Waikato with an Ako Aotearoa PhD Scholarship, researching factors influencing the development of proficiency in te reo Māori among adult learners. Prior to this, he completed a Master of Philosophy in Māori Studies at Massey University in 1999. His academic career includes previous roles as Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education at the University of Canterbury from 2020 to 2023, and earlier positions as a Māori language teacher, immersion teacher trainer at Auckland College of Education, and programme leader for Māori academic development at the University of Auckland.

Rātima's research specializations encompass the teaching and learning of te reo Māori, culturally responsive teaching in New Zealand schools, Mātauranga Māori, curriculum development, and indigenous education. Key publications include 'The Hikairo Schema for Primary: Culturally responsive teaching and learning' (2020), 'The Hikairo Schema for Secondary: Culturally responsive teaching and learning' (2021), 'Kia matatau ki te reo: factors influencing the development of proficiency in te reo Māori with adult learners' (2013), 'Ngā Hau e Whā o Tāwhirimātea' (2022), and 'Tūrou Hawaiki: Morning Karakia and Waiata as Culturally Responsive Pedagogy' (2023). These works provide evidence-based strategies for enhancing teachers' cultural competencies and fostering mana-enhancing practices to improve learner engagement. Rātima has received the Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Scholar Award for comparative research on indigenous language teaching at the University of Hawai'i and is a Mana Tuanuku recipient from Royal Society Te Apārangi. His contributions influence teacher education, supporting culturally responsive practices across Aotearoa New Zealand's educational landscape.