Rawinia Higgins

Professor Rawinia Higgins (Tūhoe) is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori and Engagement at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

Professor Higgins is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal, a Board member of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and the current Chair and Commissioner of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori—The Māori Language Commission. Professor Higgins is the first woman to be appointed to this position. She was elected as a Pacific Region representative on the Global Taskforce for the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

Professor Higgins has been appointed to a number of governance and advisory board roles for government, Māori and iwi. Her research expertise is Māori language revitalisation and, more specifically, language planning and policy and she was instrumental in shaping the current Māori language legislation and policy framework.