“Finding out I came from the mighty Hawkes Bay came with the realisation that I really didn’t know what it meant to be Māori, and I better go and find out.”
But the self-described ‘late-bloomer’ knew there was work ahead before she could fully embrace her newly discovered appetite for education. į
“Having left high school in third form (year 9), I needed to complete a bridging summer course in order to start my undergraduate degree, which I smashed out in two and a half years, and a year later graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with first class honours.”
Next came the real milestone – her doctorate.
“I always knew I wanted to do a PhD. I needed to do it, and I wanted it to be something to do with language and identity. For my thesis, I studied letters to the editor written by Ngāi Tahu in the 1800s and I used this to create a theory of indigenous agency.
“In 1854 for example, there were more literate Māori than Pākehā in New Zealand, which meant that in 54 years, Māori had gone from a purely oral culture to being bilingual and bicultural, which is an incredible uptake. I think when we look at stuff like that, we begin to realise there's some awesome nuggets of knowledge in our archives, and they can be really uplifting and empowering.
“This process established my love of learning. I wasn’t doing it because I felt an obligation to do it. I was doing it because I was curious and UC’s a great place to be curious.”
Dr Maurice is held with high regard across the University, widely considered an approachable, warm, inspiring and knowledgeable presence on campus. This reputation is well-earned and the result of her passion for education, curiosity and the championing of her students. į
Having previously held the role of Tumuaki (President) of Te Akatoki (Māori Student’s Association), she’s since supported first year ākonga Māori and Pacific students through the University’sTakere programme, taught into several cross-disciplinary courses and ensures her availability to students – every Friday – in the foyer of UC’sSchool of Aotahi. į
Dr Maurice currently works as a Learning Advisor in UC’s Academic Success Centre (ASC).
“I put myself in brown spaces to uplift our brown students, but it’s any student, right? Any time a student needs me, doesn’t matter what time of day it is, doesn’t matter what day it is, I’ll always be there.”
