Skip Content
Maree Sheehan joined Te Manawahoukura Centre of Rangahau at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa as Kairangahau Matua

In September, award winning composer, Maree Sheehan joined Te Manawahoukura Centre of Rangahau at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa as Kairangahau Matua (Toi).

Maree hopes that her vast experience as a researcher, educator, and composer will allow her to conduct Rangahau, and support others within Te Wānanga o Aotearoa to conduct Rangahau that will have a positive impact for Māori and within the toi Māori space.

“Rangahau has the ability to change hearts and minds. It provides and elevates the opportunity for mātauranga Māori to be seen in a western world where it should and does have equity,” says Maree.

Maree’s passion for Rangahau stems from her passion for te ao Māori and her aspirations to see more Rangahau published in both national and international academic journals.

She says that through conducting and publishing Rangahau, it will be written into history and gives voice to te ao Māori and mātauranga Māori in realms that it may not currently be recognised in.

“Rangahau has the ability to give people an understanding of te ao Māori and who we are as Māori. We need to be in those academic spaces and we need to be pushing back on western paradigms. We write about our culture, ourselves, our kuia and koroua, our whakapapa, how we do things and how we see the world, and that's really important.”

After spending most of her life living in Aukland, she is now based in Kirikiriroa, where her whānau are from, working out of the Mangakōtukutuku campus of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Glenview.

Maree’s whakapapa connects to Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Waikato and Ngāti Tahu-Ngāti Whaoa, so she is grateful to work at an institution that allows her to be close to her whānau and marae, and have her feet planted back on her whenua.

Maree made a conscious decision to work at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, within Te Manawahoukura Centre of Rangahau, due to her desire to give back to her people and her whānau.

“That’s the underlying heart reason why I’m here in this role. In fact, it’s more key than anything else. It’s about giving back to our own people. If I can be of service or help others in the Rangahau space or any other space, learning, education, toi Māori, then that’s what I’m here for.”


 Back to news & events

Published On: 19 December 2023

Article By: Cassia Ngaruhe



Other Articles

  • 05 September 2025

    Cooking up confidence in te reo Māori

    Āku Hapa! is a reo Māori cooking show created by Te Wānanga o Aotearoa tauira, blending kai, kōrero, and comedy. Streaming on Māori+, this series celebrates learning te reo through laughter, mistakes, and whānau connection - one delicious dish at a time.

  • 29 August 2025

    New baby brings new purpose

    Ropata Haddon’s journey through te reo Māori study at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa was reignited by the birth of his child. Discover how fatherhood, kapa haka, and whānau support are helping him embed te reo and tikanga Māori into everyday life for future generations.

  • 20 August 2025

    Gain cultural confidence in the corporate world through Piharoa workshops

    Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s Piharoa workshops empower corporate leaders with cultural confidence through mātauranga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Discover how this executive development programme fosters authentic engagement with Māori communities and transforms workplace culture.

  • 20 August 2025

    He aha tēnei mea te Tāne Māori? Tu's Rangahau journey

    Tutakangahau (Tu) Williams, recipient of the Dr Morehu McDonald Residency, shares his Rangahau journey exploring Māori masculinity and identity. Learn how his passion for reading, writing, and kaupapa Māori research is shaping his path toward a PhD and future as a kairangahau.