DoctorNgaroma Williams

Ko Te Arawa te waka
Tamatekapua te tupuna
Ngātoroirangi te tohunga
Ko Te Arawa te iwi
E haruru nei te whenua mai i Maketū ki Tongariro
Ko Ngaroma Williams e mihi atu ki a koutou
Tēnā tātou katoa.

Ki te hoe: Navigating our spaces to become confident bilingual and bicultural practitioners

My scholarship is grounded in mātauranga Māori and kaupapa Māori ways of knowing, being, and doing. I explore the relationships between Māori and non-Māori streams of knowledge and how these can be integrated meaningfully in educational practice. A central question that guides my work is: How might teachers and educators listen deeply to whakapapa (identity), te reo Māori (language), and tikanga (culture) as they strengthen their pedagogical knowledge and practice?

Too often, the hidden drivers of pedagogy remain anchored in Western-oriented values, processes, and motivations. In Aotearoa New Zealand, adopting genuinely bicultural and bilingual pedagogies gives life to the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and honours this nation’s dual heritage. As Co-Director of Te Rū Rangahau – The Māori Research Laboratory, I am committed to advancing Māori research and supporting work that is responsive to Māori and Indigenous aspirations.

I welcome doctoral candidates whose research aligns with Aotearoa New Zealand’s bicultural early childhood curriculum and reflects kaupapa Māori principles that are locally grounded and globally relevant. I am also passionate about supporting Indigenous scholars who seek to strengthen identity, language, and culture in early years and education contexts worldwide.