Tania Ka'ai | |
---|---|
Other names | Tania Kaai-Oldman |
Alma mater | University of Waikato |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | Auckland University of Technology |
Thesis |
|
Notable students | Diane Charlie-Puna [1] Hana O'Regan [2] |
Tania M. Ka'ai, sometimes known as Tania Kaai-Oldman, [3] is a New Zealand education academic. She is a full professor of language revitalisation at the Auckland University of Technology. [4]
Ka'ai earned a 1995 education PhD from the University of Waikato, with a thesis titled ' Te tātari i te kaupapa' , which looked at ways the New Zealand qualifications framework could be used as a tool for indigenous knowledge to be integrated and recognised as a valid part of the education system in New Zealand. [5] [6] After working at the University of Otago, [7] [8] from which she was stood down in contentious circumstances, [9] Ka'ai moved to the Auckland University of Technology with John Moorfield. [4] Notable students include Diane Charlie-Puna and Hana O'Regan. [10] [11]
Ka'ai's research is centred on learning of indigenous languages (particularly te reo) in formal and semi-formal educational settings. She is a strong advocate for te reo being compulsory in New Zealand schools. [12]
Ka'ai is of Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tahu, Native Hawaiian, Cook Island Māori, and Samoan descent. [13]