Poia Rewi is a professor and the former head of Te Tumu: School of Maori, Pacific, and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.^[1][2] He is known for his work in the areas of the revitalisation of the Māori language and whaikorero (Māori oratory).^[3][4][5] He is a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Education and career

He graduated from the University of Otago in 2005 with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Maori Studies with a thesis entitled, Te Ao o te Whaikōrero.^[6] This was the first thesis at the university to be written entirely in Māori.^[7]

Awards

In March 2021, Rewi was made a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, with recognition that he is "one of the most active research specialists in Māori culture, language revitalisation, oral history and performing arts".^[8]

Selected works

• Rewi, P. (2006). Te Rakiraki Anuanu! In P. Walker & H. Raven (Eds.), Te Tū a Te Toka: He Ieretanga nō ngā Tai e Whā. (pp. 17–20). Wellington, New Zealand: Toi Māori Aotearoa.
• Rewi, P. (2010). Whaikōrero: The world of Māori oratory. Auckland University Press.
• As editor: Hokowhitu, B., Kermoal, N., Andersen, C., Petersen, A., Reilly, M., Altamirano-Jiménez, I., & Rewi, P. (Eds.). (2010). Indigenous identity and resistance: Researching the diversity of knowledge. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press.
• Rewi, P. (2010). Culture: Compromise or perish! In B. Hokowhitu, N. Kermaol, C. Andersen, A. Petersen, M. Reilly, I. Altamirano-Jiménez & P. Rewi (Eds.), Indigenous identity and resistance: Researching the diversity of knowledge. (pp. 55–74). Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press.

Personal life

Rewi is of Ngati Manawa, Te Arawa and Tuhoe descent.