Huhana Smith

Huhana Smith

Head of School, Whiti o Rehua School of Art

Associate Professor Huhana Smith is a visual artist, curator and principle investigator in research who engages in major environmental, trans-disciplinary, kaupapa Māori and action-research projects. She is co-principle investigator for research that includes mātauranga Māori methods with sciences to actively address climate change concerns for coastal Māori lands in Horowhenua-Kāpiti. Huhana actively encourages the use of art and design’s visual systems combined in exhibitions, to expand how solutions might integrate complex issues and make solutions more accessible for local communities.

  • Expertise

    Transformative research, trans-disciplinary approaches, collaborative, Kaupapa Māori, Mātauranga Māori approaches.

    Dr Huhana Smith works with her teams across College of Creative Arts across transdisciplinary spaces, discourses and realities by drawing contemporary art and design together, with mātauranga Māori, sciences and communities. For the complex environmental projects she leads or co-leads, she creates innovative approaches and outcomes, particularly with exhibitions as research techniques.

    View Dr Huhana Smith's expertise profile.

  • Qualifications

    1984 - Bachelor of Education (Art/Craft), (Melbourne College of Advanced Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia)

    1997 - Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts (BMVA), (Massey University, Palmerston North)

    1997 - Post Graduate Museum Studies (DipMuseStud), (Massey University, Palmerston North)

    2007 - Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD Māori Studies), (Massey University, Palmerston North)

  • Professional affiliations

    ICOM working group Changing Epistemologies, Interdisciplinarity, and Museum Typologies 

    Crown Forest Rental Trust for Porirua ki Manawatū claims research on behalf of Raukawa ki te Tonga.