Teena Henderson

Teena Henderson is a Senior Lecturer at the Aotahi School of Māori and Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Canterbury (Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha), where she has been employed since December 3, 2012. Her office is located in Te Ao Marama 161, and she can be reached at teena.henderson@canterbury.ac.nz or by phone at +6433692237.

Her educational background includes:

• Postgraduate Diploma in Education endorsed in Hōaka Pounamu: Te Reo Māori Bilingual and Immersion Teaching (2011)
• Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) (1990)

Ms. Henderson's research centers on hapū-school partnerships established to transform schooling outcomes for Māori, aligning with Kaupapa Māori theory. She critically examines how hapū and schools engage and collaborate, questioning whether hapū enjoy equal Tiriti partner status. Her work reveals that schools often conceptualize these relationships in transactional terms, creating unequal partnerships that negatively impact Māori achievement across the Ngāti Waewae rohe. She advocates for richer relationships through ongoing dialogue where solutions are created collaboratively, requiring schools to relinquish some authority to engage in meaningful Tiriti partnerships that protect hapū education interests.

Analysis of her publications reveals a consistent focus on Ngāti Waewae educational experiences, aspirations, and strategies. Her work spans Indigenous community resilience during crises like COVID-19, early childhood education partnerships, language revitalization through compositions like 'Waiata Tangi' and 'Ko te awa,' and place-based learning. A recurring theme is the importance of genuine Tiriti partnerships where hapū have equal standing rather than transactional relationships, with schools maintaining control through superficial engagement. Her research methodology emphasizes community embeddedness and indigenous knowledge systems.

Ms. Henderson has been actively involved in professional activities including media interviews such as 'The Luminaries: How experts brought Māori culture to life in the BBC's new series' (2020) and a Te Karere Māori news item regarding the opening of a new marae (2014). Her teaching qualifications demonstrate her commitment to both general secondary education and Māori bilingual/immersion teaching methodologies.

Her work centers around community-based research with Ngāti Waewae, focusing on educational partnerships that honor Tiriti obligations. She emphasizes the importance of hapū having genuine decision-making power in educational settings rather than schools maintaining control through superficial engagement, advocating for transformative educational relationships grounded in indigenous knowledge and sovereignty.