Abstract
Tēnā koutou katoa. Tangi kē. I wish to thank the organisers for allowing me to speak here today. I should point out that I am substituting for my colleague, Dr Brendan Hokowhitu, who was not able to attend. Obviously I cannot speak for him; rather, my intention is to draw upon my own experiences and observations, both as a former student of Māori Studies here at Victoria University, and since 1991 as a staff member in what is now called the School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at Otago University. I argue that these seemingly discrete fields of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies have always shared a similar set of principles and practices, premised upon a shared understanding of the world. I would argue that Indigenous Studies, as a global description, serves to highlight what is common to all. My remarks may prove useful in a discussion about the intersections between these domains, within local, national and global contexts.