Professor Rawinia Higgins, MZNM, of Wellington, for services to Māori language, education and governance
Professor Rawinia Higgins (Ngāi Tūhoe) is Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori of Victoria University of Wellington. She is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal and the Chair and Commissioner of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission). She has held governance and advisory roles for iwi, Crown entities and government advisory boards. She was Co-Principal Investigator of Te Kura Roa, the Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Pae Tawhiti initiative on the value of Māori language. She chaired the review of the Māori Language Bill. Professor Higgins is the Pacific Region representative to the Global Taskforce for the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages.