Toby Curtis: Unfinished Business: Ki Hea Apopo

(Paperback)

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Born into poverty in 1939, Toby Curtis rose to the peak of achievement in Moridom. His long history of leadership in education, broadcasting and the powerful Te Arawa confederation of iwi belied the challenges he had to overcome, and the legacy of colonisation that still overshadow the fields in which he contributed. In this thoughtful and lively memoir, Sir Toby looks back frankly on his life and career interspersing memoir with text boxes that address policy and academic issues in education, language and indigenous rights. He reflects on a teaching career spent creating connection to tikanga and te reo for his students; leadership in broadcasting, where he helped chart the path to creating an independent voice for Mori; and his 16 years as the leader of Rotoruas influential Te Arawa Lakes Trust. Toby was knighted in 2014 for his services to Mori education and yet, as this books subtitle and contents assert, up until his death on 17 August 2022, he saw that there was a lot more work for him and others to do.

Author Bio

Sir Toby Curtis (Ngti Rongomai, Ngti Pikiao) had a distinguished teaching career before lecturing at AUT University. After retiring to Rotoiti, Rotorua, he led the Te Arawa Lakes Trust for 16 years, among many other roles. Sadly, he passed away before this book could be published. From a farming background, Lorraine Berridge McLeod was an early childhood teacher and then a lecturer in education in Aotearoa and later the United Arab Emirates. A long-time friend and colleague of Sir Tobys, she lives in Urenui, Taranaki.