Deidre Brown's Inaugural Professorial Lecture

Ngā Toi Mōrehu: The Arrival, Survival and Revival of Māori Art and Architecture.

Promotion to professor at the University of Auckland is a mark of distinction, recognising professional and academic eminence at an international level. Likewise, an important personal milestone, we welcome you to join us in celebrating Professor Deidre Brown's achievement at her inaugural lecture.

‘Toitū te whenua, toitū te tikanga, ka ora ngā toi’. ‘When we hold fast to our land and values, our arts and architecture flourish’. But what happens to Māori art and architecture when whenua (land) and tikanga (values) are under threat? How have these practices survived, changed, recovered and, in turn, reclaimed land and maintained values over the past two centuries?

For more than 25 years, Professor Deidre Brown (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) has been seeking answers to these questions through her research and teaching on Māori art and architecture. Her Inaugural Professorial Lecture reflects on this journey, acknowledging the people, places and events that have shaped her academic career.