Rate My Professor Te Hurinui

Associate Professor Te Hurinui Renata Karaka-Clarke, of Te Arawa (Tūhourangi/Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) and Ngāi Tahu descent, holds the position of Associate Professor in the School of Teacher Education within the College of Education at the University of Canterbury. He became the university's first recipient of the Doctor of Education degree in 2020. His doctoral thesis, Ngā Whenu Ranga Tahi: Drawing from Māori Principles of Wellbeing: Transforming Online Synchronous Teaching and Learning of Te Reo Māori, investigates methods to enrich online te reo Māori classes at tertiary level by integrating Māori principles of wellbeing to foster wairuatanga, spiritual connectedness, empathy, and presence akin to face-to-face interactions. This work stems from his experiences teaching the University of Canterbury’s Hōaka Pounamu programme and addresses challenges in distance learning for language acquisition.

Karaka-Clarke’s research interests center on factors influencing retention in senior te reo Māori programmes in mainstream secondary schools, enhancing engagement in synchronous online te reo Māori teaching at tertiary institutions, and promoting culturally responsive practices across the Aotearoa New Zealand education system. As co-director of Te Rū Rangahau Māori Research Lab, he contributes to projects like developing the Hikairo Schema book series, resources for culturally responsive teaching co-created with his team, which earned the Te Rangaunua Hiranga Māori Medal from Royal Society Te Apārangi. He received the University of Canterbury Students' Association Supervisor of the Year Award in 2017 and holds membership in Royal Society Te Apārangi (MRSNZ). His publications include the 2021 article 'Kōrero Mai: Kaiako Experiences of Synchronous Online Teaching and Learning of Te Reo Māori During COVID-19 Alert Levels' in the Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning, contributions to Leave No Trace and sustainability education (2023), and 'Pōwhiri: A Ritual of Encounter Framework for Engaging with Whānau'. He coordinates courses such as TECP316 Te Pihinga – Te Reo Māori and supervises postgraduate theses in teacher education.