Breanna Tugaga-Rogers is a Te Rito cadet journalist.
Respected mātauranga Māori whale expert Ramari Stewart (Ngāti Awa) has been awarded an honorary doctorate of science by the University of Auckland.
Stewart is internationally known for her work combining the worlds of mātauranga Māori and western science practices involving whales. She is also acclaimed for her vast knowledge of the ngahere (forest), moana (ocean) and is a leading practitioner of rongoa, Māori medicine.
Stewart has achieved many groundbreaking feats in the name of indigenous knowledge throughout her career.
Last year, she was the first indigenous woman to have a new species of marine mammal named after her, called Ramari’s Beaked Whale. This represented an important milestone in the science world as whales are normally named after Western scientists, mainly men.
In 2020, Stewart was also awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for her contributions to mātauranga Māori, wildlife conservation and research. It was the first time an honour was awarded for mātauranga Māori.
Linking two worlds
Stewart has led the practice, revival and tikanga surrounding whales and dolphins since the 1970s, using indigenous knowledge to document the relationship of these sea creatures to the environment.
"It's wonderful that Western science is starting to recognise that mātauranga Māori is as equally great as Western science and the two can work together. Rather than just bridging a relationship and taking knowledge from Indigenous practitioners, it is better that we both sit at the table," Stewart says.
Stewart has dedicated nearly 30 years of research at the University of Auckland, and they say she is most deserving of the esteemed Honorary Doctor of Science.
"In her life and work, and in her generous collaborations, Ramari Stewart has forged with our university a link between two of the worlds in which knowledge exists. She has revitalised a knowledge in danger of being lost,” a University of Auckland spokesperson said.
