• Charles Sturt University Professor in Political Science to participate in a Zoom conversation on contemporary Māori public policy on Wednesday 2 February 2022

 A Charles Sturt University academic will join a Zoom conversation on contemporary Māori politics and public policy on Wednesday 2 February 2022.

The public conversation focuses on the book by esteemed Professor in Political Science in the Charles Sturt School of Social Work and Arts, Professor Dominic O'Sullivan, ‘Beyond Biculturalism: The Politics of an Indigenous Minority (Beyond Biculturalism)’ and will be hosted by the New Zealand Public Health Association and Auckland University of Technology. 

Professor O’Sullivan’s book discusses ways of raising Māori self-determination other than through biculturalism, which is a political theory that dominated Māori /Crown relationships during the 1980s and 1990s.

“My critique of biculturalism is similar to the critiques of partnership and co-design that people have made in Australia,” Professor O’Sullivan said.  

“Biculturalism inevitably makes Māori the junior partner in a colonial relationship that obstructs Māori aspirations to self-determination.”

Professor O’Sullivan will draw on his comparative work in Australia and Canada to discuss the politics of indigeneity and self-determination as alternative political ideas for thinking about Māori relationships with the state.

Māori scholar and Acting Head of the Charles Sturt School of Social Work and Arts Associate Professor, Susan Mlcek, said Professor O'Sullivan will bring a critical perspective on aspects of this debate, including the need to privilege self-determination in any engagements with Indigenous peoples.

“The adoption of 'biculturalism' happens often within a contested political space, that is, it is not a 'one size fits all' phenomenon,” Professor Mlcek said.

The public Zoom conversation, with Associate Professor Heather Came from the Auckland University of Technology, will take place on Wednesday 2nd February 2022 at the following times:

• 6.30pm to 8pm (New Zealand)
• 4.30pm to 6pm (Canberra, Australia)

To attend the webinar, register your interest by emailing PHA@aut.ac.nz, after which you will be sent a Zoom link to attend on the day.

In 2018, the Royal Society of New Zealand named ‘Beyond Biculturalism’ as one of the 150 most important books by a Māori scholar since the first book by a Māori author in 1815.

‘Beyond Biculturalism’ remains a critical scholarly contribution for understanding contemporary race relations in New Zealand.

ENDS