Looking to the past for your future
Why study Māori?
Māori Studies is not simply another subject, or area of research activity, within the larger university. It is a space in which indigenous systems of thought and knowledge are researched and practised on their own terms and transmitted to new generations of scholars.
Māori Studies will provide you with an enhanced knowledge and understanding of the Māori language, Māori customary lore and the Māori world. This knowledge and understanding may be integrated with other studies or professional areas such as business, education, health, law, management, the media, public administration and social work.
Māori Studies at Otago
Māori Studies can be studied as a major or a minor subject within the 3-year Bachelor of Arts degree. Further study in this area is also available at a postgraduate level (Honours, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters, PhD).
The major comprises papers from within Māori Studies, of which te reo Māori is a core component, plus an additional 10 papers. You can also choose from a broad range of papers on Māori, Pacific and other Indigenous societies, from a range of departments to suit your areas of interest.
The Māori Studies programme will equip students with a wide range of skills giving graduates:
- a high level of fluency in the Māori language
- an understanding of contemporary Māori issues combined with an understanding of, for example, history, cultural expression and environmental concerns
- an awareness of ethical issues in relation to Māori in the context of past and present practices, and society and culture
- skills in intercultural communication
- research skills
- analytical thinking
- communication skills
- team work
- independent judgement
- an ability to relate to people from a wide range of backgrounds
Detailed information about Māori papers.
Background required
No knowledge of the Māori language or culture is required for entry to Māori Studies. Students may be placed in more advance Māori language papers appropriate to their level of knowledge.
Career opportunities
Graduates with a degree in Māori Studies have a broad inter-disciplinary knowledge base, which can lead to careers in the fields of:
- Government Ministries
- Policy and Governance
- Teaching
- Arts Advisors, Museum Curators
- Business
- Law
- Public Health
- Community organisations
Māori Studies graduates are needed to help find ways to address the needs and interests of the Māori community and to help to promote and implement the goals of the Treaty of Waitangi.
