Whakatāne-based academic and filmmaker Reuben Collier MNZM (Horouta, Mataatua, Te Arawa, Tainui) has received the Pou Aronui Award from the Royal Society Te Apārangi, one of New Zealand’s highest honours in the humanities.

The medal was presented at Government House by the Governor-General in recognition of his distinguished and sustained contribution to Māori language, culture, and scholarship.

The citation reads:

“To Reuben Collier for documentary filmmaking, academic leadership and visionary work that has advanced Māori and Indigenous knowledge, research, and national identity in Aotearoa.”

Dr Collier, a senior academic at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, has dedicated more than three decades to recording Māori voices and preserving the living history of Aotearoa through documentary filmmaking and research.

His work spans hundreds of broadcast documentaries that capture the stories, dialects, and traditions of iwi and hapū across the country.

He is internationally recognised for directing Tangi ki Te Arikinui, the state funeral broadcast for Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and for his long association with the 28th (Māori) Battalion, including documentaries, commemorative journeys, and testimony to the Waitangi Tribunal’s Military Veterans Inquiry.

In academia, Dr Collier created Tohu, a Whakaaro Māori research framework that supports Indigenous doctoral  students to work within tikanga, kawa, and wānanga traditions. The approach has influenced higher education nationally and internationally.

Dr Collier describes the honour as belonging equally to his iwi, hapū, whānau, and the communities who trusted him to record and share their stories.

Reflecting on the award, he said: “This acknowledgement reflects collective achievement; the work of whānau, colleagues, and community.”

He acknowledges his mentors Sir Hirini Moko Mead, Sir Pou Temara and Sir Timoti Kāretu, and pays tribute to the late Dr Wharehuia Milroy, Dr Hirini Melbourne, and the pioneering voices of Whai Ngata, and Derek Fox.

“I give thanks for the people, places, and experiences that shaped my journey of contribution.”

The Pou Aronui Award ranks among New Zealand’s highest national honours for the humanities, recognising individuals whose work has strengthened cultural identity and advanced human knowledge.