Kariana Black

PhD Candidate

Kariana Black has worked within the education sector for 29 years, beginning as a bilingual primary school teacher, then moving across the sector to secondary and tertiary. The last seven years she has trained teachers within an indigenous tertiary institution in Rotorua. She is aiming to complete her doctorate degree entitled ‘Indigenising Educational Leadership’ by the end of 2022.

Tēnā kōutou katoa (greetings),

He Uri ahau nō Ngai Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Apa

(I am a descendant of the four listed tribal groups).

I tipu ake au ki raro i te pūtake o Te Urewera – Nō Waiōhau- Nō Murupara ahau.

(I was raised within villages that sit at the foothills of Te Urewera, Waiōhau – and Murupara).

Ko Patuheuheu- Ngāti Haka, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Whare ngā Hapū. (My sub-tribes).

Ko Hikurangi te Māunga (My Mountain).

Ko Rangitaiki te awa (My River)

Ko Tamaki Hikurangi te whare tupuna (My Ancestral building)

Ko Te Umutāoroa te wharekai (The dining room is Te Umutāoroa)

Ko Hieke Tupe Tōku Korōua (My endearing maternal grandfather)

Ko Michael Jones tōku Pāpa, Ko Kamarita tōku māma (My Parents)

Ko Hawea Vercoe tōku hoa tāne tuatahi (late husband)

Ko Bruce Black tōku hoa tāne inaianei (present husband)

Ko Kariana Black ahau (my name),

Tokorima aku tamariki, toko ono aku mokopuna. (I am a mother of five adult children, and a grandmother to six grandchildren).

In the course of my research, the stories of the late 19th century Māori prophet ‘Te Kooti-ā-Rikirangi-Te-Tūruki’ (Te Kooti ) and his leadership style captured my interest. Te Kooti was a charismatic ‘prophet-leader’ who was seen by some like a ‘Māori Moses’, drawing comparisons between the oppression by the Paakeha confiscating Māori land, and the Israelites “in their time of captivity and exile” (Binney, 2001, p1). Te Kooti urged Maori not to give up their land, or their tribal sovereignty.

I’m looking forward to researching the connection of Māori to Israel.

I am also looking forward to being a part of the ‘Indigenous Coalition.

Kia ora – Blessings!