Khylee Quince NZ’s 1st Māori Dean of Law

28 Sep, 2021
 
Khylee Quince NZ’s 1st Māori Dean of Law
Associate Professor Khylee Quince

Following an international search, Auckland University of Technology (AUT) has appointed the country's first Dean of Law who is Māori, Associate Professor Khylee Quince.

Whai muri mai i tētahi kimihanga i toro ki tāwāhi rā anō, kua kopoua e Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau (AUT) ko te Māori tuatahi rawa ka tū hei Manukura Ture i Aotearoa, ko Ahorangi Tūhono Khylee Quince.

Khylee (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Roroa) will begin her five-year term as Manukura Ture / Dean of The School of Law immediately and will be focused on continuing the journey of providing excellent practical legal education and research directed to social justice and community impact.

Ka rima tau a Khylee (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Roroa) e noho ana hei Manukura Ture, ā, ka tīmata tana pērā ināia tonu nei. Ka aronui a ia kia takahia tonutia te ara o te tuku i te mātauranga ā-ture e whai kiko ana, e kounga nui ana anō, otirā, i te rangahau e hāngai ana ki te manatika ā-pāpori me ngā pānga ki te hapori.

Her teaching expertise covers criminal law and justice, youth justice and Māori legal issues and research focus includes crime policy, law and legal studies, human rights, and justice issues.

Kapi ana i ōna pūkenga whakaako ko te ture taihara me te manatika, ko te manatika rangatahi, ko ngā take ā-ture Māori anō. E kapi hoki ana i āna mahi rangahau ko te kaupapa here taihara, ko te ture me ngā akoranga ā-ture, ko ngā mana tangata, ko ngā kaupapa manatika anō hoki.

“The te reo Māori name for AUT is Te Wānanga Aronui and references the story of Tānenuiarangi ascending to the heavens to retrieve the three baskets of knowledge. Te Kete Aronui is the basket of knowledge that will benefit the earth and all living in it – the fruits of Te Kete Aronui are skills and capabilities for all, for our planet and for future generations.

"Ko Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau te ingoa Māori o AUT. E tohua ana e te ingoa nei tā Tānenuiarangi piki i ngā rangi tūhāhā kia tīkina mai ai ngā kete e toru o te mātauranga. Mā ngā mātauranga o Te Kete Aronui e whai hua ai te ao o Papatūānuku me te katoa e noho nei ki a ia - ko ngā hua kei te Te Kete Aronui e mau ana ko ngā pūkenga me ngā āheinga mō te katoa, otirā, mō tō tātou ao, mō ngā reanga whakatupu anō hoki.

“AUT’s School of Law is well placed to shape our programmes around this vision – excellent practical legal education and research directed to social justice and community impact,” says Khylee.

"E rite pai ana Te Kura Ture o Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau kia auahatia ai ā mātou hōtaka e ai ki tēnei aronga matua - ki te tuku i te mātauranga ā-ture e whai kiko ana, e kounga nui ana anō, otirā, i te rangahau e hāngai ana ki te manatika ā-pāpori me ngā pānga ki te hapori," ko tā Khylee.

AUT is the only university with a campus in South Auckland, and 20% of its law student cohort is South Auckland based. Part of the new Dean’s vision is to further develop the law programme in the South and work to address the significant challenges of students suffering from high deprivation.

Ko Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau anahe te wānanga, he papa whakaako tōna i Tāmaki ki te Tonga. E 20% hoki te nui o ana ākonga ture kei Tāmaki ki te Tonga e noho ana. Hei wāhi o te aronga matua o te Manukura hōu ko te whai kia whakawhanakehia tonuhia te hōtaka ture i te Tonga, ko te whakapau kaha anō e rongoātia ai ngā taimahatanga nui o te hunga ākonga e ngaua ana e te kaha pakukore.

According to Dean of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law Professor Kate Kearins, Khylee’s commitment to the teaching and research of Law for the betterment of society, and her inclusive approach will be of huge benefit to AUT’s students and her colleagues.

E ai ki te Manukura o Te Manga ā-Pakihi, ā-Ōhanga, ā-Ture, ki a Ahorangi Kate Kearins, ka whai hua nui ngā ākonga o Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau me ngā hoamahi anō o Khylee i tana ū ki ngā mahi whakaako, ki ngā mahi rangahau anō hoki i te Ture hei painga mō te pāpori, otirā, i tana āhua marae e aro nei kia whai wāhi ai ko te katoa.

“Khylee epitomises what it is to be a contemporary, forward-thinking university,” says Kate.

"Ko Khylee te whakatinanatanga o te wānanga o nāianei e aro ana ki tua," ko tā Kate.

The timing of her appointment is significant in the context of what Khylee describes as the ‘biggest shakeup to legal education in Aotearoa for 50 years’.

He mea hirahira te wā i kopoua ai a Khylee i te horopaki o tāna e whakaahua nei ko te 'whakahoutanga nui katoa o te rāngai mātauranga ā-ture i Aotearoa i ngā tau 50'.

“This year the Council of Legal Education – the body tasked with accrediting law degrees – resolved to amend their regulations to require all law schools to teach and assess concepts of tikanga and te reo Māori in all seven core courses. This is both exciting and challenging for legal educators and I look forward to working with colleagues to navigate and lead these changes,” says Khylee.

"I tēnei tau, i whakatau ake Te Kaunihera Mātauranga ā-Ture - te ohu e mau nei i te mana whakaū i ngā tohu mātauranga ā-ture - kia panonihia ana waeture kia mātua whakaakona ai, kia mātua aromatawaingia anō ai e ngā kura ture katoa ētahi huatau tikanga, te reo Māori hoki, i ngā akoranga tūāpapa e whitu katoa. He mea whakahihiko, whakataimaha hoki tēnei i te hunga kaiako ā-ture, me te aha, e hiamo ana ahau ki te mahi tahi atu ki aku hoamahi kia parangia ai he huarahi hōu e hāngai ana, kia arahina anō ai ēnei whakahoutanga," ko tā Khylee.

Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack agrees the new AUT’s Law School will grow and prosper under the leadership of the new Dean.

E whakaae ana a Tumuaki Derek McCormack, ka whanake, ka whai hua nui anō Te Kura Ture o Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau i raro iho i te maru o te Manukura hōu.

“AUT’s School of Law has grown from strength to strength and our new Dean, Associate Professor Quince, is uniquely positioned to continue and grow our kaupapa of great graduates and contributing to Aotearoa,” says Derek.

"Kua pakari te tupu o Te Kura Ture o Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau, ka mutu, ko tā mātou Manukura hōu, ko Ahorangi Tūhono Quince, hei pou motuhake e koke tonu ai, e whanake tonu ai tā mātou kaupapa i raro i tōna maru, e puta ai ngā ihu o ētahi pia rangatira, e whai painga anō ai a Aotearoa i a mātou," ko tā Derek.