Aroha Harris

Dr. Aroha Harris (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) is an Associate Professor in the Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Education at the University of Auckland. She is a prominent scholar in Māori and Indigenous history, with a focus on 20th-century Māori policy, urban life, oral histories, and Treaty of Waitangi claims. She is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal and a founding member of Te Pouhere Kōrero, the national collective of Māori historians.

Her academic credentials include a BA, MPhil, and PhD from the University of Auckland. She has supervised numerous postgraduate students to completion at PhD, MA, and Honours levels, and is an accredited PhD supervisor, though currently unavailable for new supervisees until late 2025.

Her research interests include:

• Race relations history
• Waitangi Tribunal and Treaty claims
• Māori urban lives and post-war migration
• Māori policy in historical context
• Oral and life histories

Her recent publications span diverse formats—from peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters to public commentaries and book reviews—reflecting a career deeply engaged with both academic and public discourse. Themes in her work emphasize decolonizing history, Indigenous agency, cultural revitalization, and the political dimensions of historical representation.

Her notable awards include being appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM). She has co-authored the landmark work Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History (2014) and authored Hikoi: Forty Years of Māori Protest (2004).

She has advised iwi such as Te Rarawa on Treaty settlements and contributed to historical and social research for government and private organizations. Her supervisory record includes impactful theses on Māori cultural construction, migration, performance, and historical commemorations. Although not formally associated with a named research lab, her collaborative work with Te Pouhere Kōrero and the Waitangi Tribunal constitutes a significant scholarly network.