Ngāti Tuwharetoa
Dr Hauiti Hakopa’s deep understanding of the liberating power of education and the critical need for equitable access to learning and teaching has been an intrinsic part of his own life’s journey.

He has a deep interest in land and whakapapa, cartography and the mapping of Māori connection and relationship to their ancestral landscapes and specialises in collecting information about waahi tapu, waahi tipuna (sacred|cultural/heritage|ancestral sites), oral narratives (moteatea - traditional songs/chants, korereo purakau - stories) and whakapapa (genealogies) embedded in ancestral landscapes.  He uses modern GIS mapping technology to enhance this process.

Hauiti has made a huge contribution to the ACE sector over many years. He has shared his knowledge and insights at Hui Fono, conferences and festival events and has consistently challenged the sector to consider the bigger picture of Mātauranga Māori and the broader understanding of cultural learning systems, values and processes.

Hauiti led the research project evaluating ten years of Hui Fono as an indigenous learning space and philosophy. He was instrumental in increasing university engagement with ACE and introduced an evaluator (a PhD student) to improve the process of Hui Fono evaluation.

As a Board member Hauiti has brought his deep knowledge of tikanga to governance issues and provided exceptional support to ACE Aotearoa Directors, staff  and Board colleagues. His advice has always been delivered with generosity, openness and a light touch.

This award recognises an ACE Aotearoa member for outstanding service in, and contribution to, the development of the ACE Sector.  It is intended to be a tribute for outstanding work in governance, policy development, training, administration, or a combination of these.

Click here to see the full list of 2022 ACE Annual Award recipients.