Conference to highlight global Indigenous excellence in education

The World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE) takes place from 16–20 November at Aotea Square, hosted by Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau – AUT, with a pōhiri expecting up to 4,000 people from around the globe.

Since its inception in 1987, when knowledge keepers first convened in Vancouver, Turtle Island (Canada), WIPCE has united Indigenous educators, leaders, and communities around a shared vision: to honour, preserve, and advance Indigenous education grounded in community and identity.

This year, researchers and educators from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland will contribute to the international programme, showcasing Indigenous excellence across disciplines.

Among them is the University's Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori, Professor Te Kawehau Hoskins (Ngāti Hau, Ngāpuhi), who will lead a breakout session exploring Indigenous inclusion, and the distinction between decolonisation and indigenisation.

“My hope is that we are moving beyond inclusion approaches and towards indigenisation,” says Professor Hoskins.

“Indigenising approaches work toward institutions that Māori recognise as ‘ours’ - as places where we see genuine engagement with Indigenous Māori ways of existing and where mātauranga, Māori priorities, and initiatives are thriving.”

Also representing Waipapa Taumata Rau is Auckland Law School professional teaching fellow Eru Kapa-Kingi (Te Aupōuri, Ngāpuhi, Waikato, Apanui), who will deliver a keynote address for youth delegates. His presentation will focus on politics, self-determination, and decolonisation.

“This will be an opportunity to invoke and even challenge by speaking to the role of new generation thinking in the pursuit of indigenous justice, and the need to break the grip of colonial realities,” he says.

WIPCE 2025 Co-Chair and Professor Meihana Durie of Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau – AUT, says the conference represents a momentous moment for Aotearoa as a bi-cultural and multi-ethnic nation.

“Moments like these draw us together in unity. As Māori we are proud to host our manuhiri and to also stand alongside Indigenous educators from across the world in strong solidarity of the value of our Indigeneity.”

“We share in the affirmation that comes through Indigenous story, culture, language, scholarship and ceremony,” says Durie.

About WIPCE

Over the past 37 years, WIPCE has become one of the most significant events on the Indigenous education calendar. The conference features national and international keynote speakers, academic and community presentations, networking sessions, symposiums, panel discussions, seminars, workshops, cultural excursions, a village marketplace, and the celebrated Parade of Nations, culminating in a powerful closing ceremony.

At its heart, WIPCE celebrates Indigenous knowledge and shapes how Indigenous peoples understand the world through storytelling, cultural practice, and lived experience. Indigenous culture is a taonga (treasure), a legacy passed down through generations that continues to guide communities across the globe.

Speakers from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland will also include:
Associate Professor Peter Keegan, Dr Piata Allen, Abigail McClutchie, Mia-Mae Taitimu-Stevens, Tauwehe Tamati, Mel Wall, Karen Fisher, Hana Turner, Kaitlin Beare, and alumna Lisa Reihana. Committee members include Professor Ngarino Ellis.

Learn more about the World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education here.