On the front foot : Indigenous leadership in Aotearoa/New Zealand higher education

Despite increasing representation in higher education, Māori leaders are still seeking to overcome historical inequities and racial discrimination. This study investigates the circumstances of Māori leadership in higher education from a strength-based standpoint, highlighting the critical role Māori academics fulfil in senior leadership positions in Aotearoa/New Zealand universities by exploring Māori perceptions of the scope, influence and challenges of their senior leadership roles. These perceptions are described by five participants in the study and supported by literature predominantly authored by Māori academics. The qualitative study is underpinned by Political Race Theory, linking race and power at the individual level as well as at the institutional level. Findings give voice to senior leaders’ answers to the critical question: how can Indigenous leadership secure sustainable, transformative change in Aotearoa/New Zealand universities. The response to this question is underscored by the notion of shifting leadership positioning from the back-foot reactive politics to a front-foot status of strategic and transformative leadership. Reporting on Stage Five of an Australian project–Walan Mayiny: Indigenous Leadership in Higher Education, this study is the second in a series of three international case studies investigating Indigenous leadership in higher education.