Weaving academia with governance

Jacinta Ruru CMInstD began her governance career at an early age, while a young law lecturer. Today, as Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Otago and the new inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori at Otago, she finds her academic work continues to inform her work with boards, ranging from a community arts organisation to Te Papa Tongarewa, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and the Environmental Defence Society.

“My research helps gives me confidence in the boardroom,” says Ruru, whose more than 100 publications consider indigenous peoples’ rights, interests and responsibilities to own and care for lands and waters – ki uta ki tai (from the mountains to the sea).

She has multi-disciplinary research collaborations around the world, co- leading a vast number of projects on considering how legal systems can support reconciliation and restitution with indigenous peoples, creating a legal education system that recognises indigenous laws, and celebrating Māori-authored non-fiction books.

“I have a solid understanding of the constitution and legal framework of Aotearoa New Zealand and that helps shape what I can contribute in a governance role. I love to learn in practical ways and doing so strategically as part of a governance team is an amazing privilege.”

Ruru says her research and governance interests have their roots in her upbringing. Her whakapapa connects her to the North Island, to Raukawa and Ngāti Ranginui, but she was raised in the South.

“My father grew up next door to his father’s marae just north of Tirau and my Pākehā mother grew up in New Plymouth, but mum and dad brought us up on the takiwā of Ngāi Tahu. It was a remarkable childhood, growing up around Lake Wakatipu and those big mountains and beautiful beech forests. That place has framed a lot of my identity.”

Initially studying politics and Māori studies at Victoria University of Wellington, Ruru switched to law after discovering the law papers “had interesting readings around the Treaty as being of constitutional importance”.

In 1996, she moved to Otago to complete her law studies and stayed. She began working at the law faculty as an assistant lecturer in her mid-20s with her academic and governance careers taking flight together.

“As a law student I volunteered at the Ngāi Tahu Māori Law Centre, an entity that provides free legal advice in the complex area of Māori land law. Māori land is often remote with hundreds of listed owners, sometimes even landlocked, meaning there’s no vehicle access. When I began working in the faculty, the governance board invited me to join them.

“That early governance experience taught me so much, including the fundamental differences between governance and management, the important strategy role of governance, and the bigger picture of funding streams and budgets.

“I also saw early on how fundamental the board chair is. During my time, we had two very experienced Ngāi Tahu board chairs – Dr Darryn Russell and Trevor McGlinchey.

It was amazing to see governance operating in a Māori way and being supported to have the confidence to add value to the board discussions. It was such a great first experience of governance.

“Governance is a huge privilege and has certainly enriched my life. I have the opportunity to work with incredible people in a collaborative manner where we are all striving for the entities we are serving. It has been a great contrast to my university job, where I stand in big lecture theatres teaching students, and my work in my office, reading and writing. I love having both dynamics in my life.”

Ruru’s academic achievements include becoming New Zealand’s first Māori professor of law in 2016, fellowship of New Zealand’s Royal Society Te Apārangi and winner of the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award for Excellence in Tertiary Teaching. She is a Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga senior Māori scholar and a TEDx speaker.

As her governance career has evolved alongside her academic one, both have been driven by similar principles to help drive positive transformative change, recognising the value of education, the environment and the arts in shaping the wellbeing of people and place. Her board choices continue to reflect these values, ranging from small community organisations to major entities.

Ruru spent about 10 years with the Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust working to create climate solutions for the coastal communities just north of Dunedin, where she lives.

“Being on a governance board for a small local community is really interesting with all the challenges and opportunities it brings. It was incredible to see the dedication of the community and how hard it is for community-type trusts to operate with little secure funding.”

She is on the board of Dunedin’s Blue Oyster Art Project Space – Te Tio Kikorangi, which supports experimental and innovative art practices which she describes as inspiring.

“Someone advised me early in my governance career that, one, you can’t say yes to everything and, two, it’s useful to weave together a story that connects your governance work with your values.

“I am passionate about the power of education to transform lives, be it in the university, wānanga or museum sector. I’m passionate about community and the environment, and about our story as New Zealanders, our history and future.

“My upbringing near the mountains, and my daily life now by the coast, shape why I feel our roles and responsibilities to care for community and place is best done by recognising the special long generational connections mana whenua have to place, and how their laws and values have so much to contribute to best practices and solutions for us all.

“Te Papa has been built on biculturalism and bilingualism and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa provides free courses across the country to drive the te reo revival and whanau transformation.

“The Environmental Defence Society is litigating to protect our environment and working to build stronger relationships with Māori. Blue Oyster has a whole new Māori strategy. It’s wonderful to see across all of these entities strong and natural commitments to Te Tiriti, knowing it just makes sense on all levels – business and societal – to strive for reconciliation.”

She says that, in 2018, when she was first approached by Manatū Taonga | Ministry for Culture and Heritage about potentially joining the Te Papa board she assumed the email had been sent by mistake.

“My governance career was mostly local and to me Te Papa is one of the most important entities in our country. I couldn’t believe I was being given the opportunity to contribute to the board. It was a like a dream come true to spend regular time at our national museum that cares for so many taonga and shares the stories of New Zealanders.”

Ruru says all boards are facing up to many new challenges but she also sees opportunities.

“We need to be brave because there is enormous change afoot – climate change, rising inequity, mental illness and AI. It is important to have adeep understanding of our changing demographics and environment, and to have vision in decision-making that will lead entities in the best interests of our whole country.

“We have skills and resources, especially if we make the most of all the best knowledge systems, including Western and Māori. We can harness the powers of education and learning, and values that honour whanaungatanga, relationships and connections to lead us well.

“The strategic commitments many entities throughout our country have made to Te Tiriti o Waitangi will help us move forward with more grace and integrity.”

Ruru says she hopes we maintain our confidence in Te Tiriti. “It is no accident that Māori, just like indigenous peoples in other colonised countries, occupy all the wrong side of statistics. Relentless law and policy for over 150 years deliberately ensured the removal of Māori from their land and criminalised who they were.

“The government has been apologising for these wrongs. We can be proud of this. Our country is doing the right thing and many businesses and public entities are similarly being more inclusive of Māori, of Māori ideas, values, mātauranga and tikanga. It is humbling and tika.

“There are no easy or quick answers but if we can continue to be brave and work with humour and humility then our little island country can be world-leading in these huge societal problems.”