Tahu Kukutai Explained

Tahu Hera Kukutai
Birth Date:	1971
Fields:	Sociology
Workplaces:	University of Waikato
Alma Mater:	Stanford University
Thesis1 Title:	The thin brown line: re-indigenizing inequality in Aotearoa New Zealand
Thesis1 Url:	https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/8572531
Thesis1 Year:	2010

Tahu Hera Kukutai (born 1971) is a New Zealand sociology academic; she is Māori, of Ngāti Tīpā, Ngāti Mahanga, Ngāti Kinohaku, Ngāti Ngawaero and Te Aupōuri descent, and as of 2019 is a full professor at the University of Waikato.^[1] In 2022 Kukutai was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Academic career

After a 2010 PhD titled The thin brown line: re-indigenizing inequality in Aotearoa New Zealand at Stanford University, Kukutai moved to the University of Waikato, rising to full professor.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

In 2022 Kukutai was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. The society said "She has undertaken a broad range of applied population research, from iwi projections and demographic profiling, to survey-based analysis of Māori identity and whānau structure. She has published widely on Māori demography and ethnic identity and is recognised internationally for her work on state practices of ethnic and racial classification and census taking."^[9]

Honours and awards

In 2023 Kukutai was awarded the New Zealand Association of Scientist's Hill Tinsley Medal.^[10]

Selected works

• Kukutai, Tahu. "The Problem of defining an ethnic group for public policy: Who is Māori and why does it matter?" Social Policy Journal of New Zealand 23 (2004): 86–108.
• Kukutai, Tahu, and John Taylor, eds. Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Toward an Agenda. Vol. 38. Anu Press, 2016.
• Kukutai, Tahu. The Dynamics of Ethnicity Reporting: Maori in New Zealand. Te Puni Kokiri, 2003.
• Kukutai, Tahu H. "White Mothers, Brown Children: Ethnic Identification of Maori‐European Children in New Zealand." Journal of Marriage and Family 69, no. 5 (2007): 1150–1161.
• Kukutai, Tahu, and Paul Callister. "A 'Main' Ethnic Group? Ethnic Self-prioritisation Among New Zealand Youth." Social Policy Journal of New Zealand 36 (2009): 16–31.
• Broman, Patrick and Tahu Kukutai. "Fixed Not Fluid: European Identification in the Aotearoa New Zealand Census." Journal of Population Research 38 (2021): 103–138.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tahu Kukutai – Staff Profiles: University of Waikato. www.waikato.ac.nz.
2. Web site: Māori electorate seat at risk due to Census 2018 debacle. Stuff.
3. Web site: Stats NZ won't release iwi data, and that's a problem. 1 May 2019.
4. Web site: Maori interests top agenda for national planning conference. March 14, 2019. www.scoop.co.nz.
5. Web site: It's time for Aotearoa to step up and welcome home more refugees. 7 July 2018.
6. Web site: Authors call for Maori interests to be recognised on immigration. Stuff.
7. Web site: Has the 2018 Census failed Māori?. 8 February 2018. www.newshub.co.nz.
8. Web site: Statistics Minister James Shaw continues to support embattled chief statistician. Stuff.
9. Web site: Researchers and scholars at the top of their fields elected as Fellows . 2022-03-18 . Royal Society Te Apārangi.
10. Web site: 2023 Award Recipients . 2023-12-10 . scientists.org.nz.