Toby Curtis

Sir Noble Thomson "Toby" Curtis KNZM (born 13 November 1939) is a New Zealand educator and Māori leader.

For the TV character, see Toby Curtis (Scorpion).

Sir Toby Curtis

KNZM
Curtis in 2014
Born
Noble Thomson Curtis

(1939-11-13) 13 November 1939
Rotoehu, New Zealand
OccupationEducator
Spouse(s)
Mary Agnes Sharry
​
(m. 1966)​
RelativesCliff Curtis (nephew)

Early life and family

Born at Rotoehu on 13 November 1939, Curtis is of Māori descent, and affiliates to Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāti Rongomai in the Te Arawa confederation.[1][2] He was educated at St Michael's College in Rotorua, and St Peter's Maori College in Auckland.[1] In 1966, he married Mary Agnes Sharry, and the couple went on to have four children.[1] He is the uncle of actor Cliff Curtis.[3]

Curtis played representative rugby union for Counties and Bay of Plenty.[1]

Education career

Curtis studied at Ardmore Teachers' College and the University of Auckland, graduating with a Diploma of Teaching in 1972, and a Master of Arts degree in 1980.[1] His master's thesis was titled Independent Maori boarding schools: continue or discontinue.[4] He later completed a PhD at the University of Auckland in 2005, titled An investigation of how Hawaiki knowledge is fundamental for Maori leadership, in which he sought to contribute to more authentic traditional knowledge in modern Māori society and to discussion of Māori leadership.[5]

After working as a primary school teacher and with intellectually disabled students, Curtis was principal of his old high school, which had changed its name to Hato Petera College, and vice principal of Auckland Teachers' College during the 1980s. He was director of primary teacher education at Auckland College of Education and then dean of the education faculty at Auckland Institute of Technology during the 1990s, becoming deputy vice chancellor at Auckland University of Technology in 2000. He was appointed chair of the Iwi Education Authority for Ngā Kura-ā-Iwi o Aotearoa (tribal immersion schools) in 2012. He has also served on the council of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.[2]

Other activities

In the late 1980s, Curtis was chair of the Māori broadcasting advisory committee, leading to the formation of Aotearoa Radio, iwi radio stations, and Māori Television. In 1997, he was appointed chair of Te Māngai Pāho (the Māori Broadcast Funding Agency).[2]

Curtis chairs the Te Arawa Lakes Trust, and is a member of the Iwi Chairs Forum.[2] He also serves on the police commissioner's Māori Focus Forum.[6]

Honours

In the 2014 New Year Honours, Curtis was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori education.[7]

References
  1. Taylor, Alister, ed. (2001). New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa 2001. Auckland: Alister Taylor Publishers. p. 261. ISSN 1172-9813.
  2. Martin, Matthew (31 December 2013). "New Year honours: Sir Toby Curtis". Rotorua Daily Post. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  3. Nicholas, Jill (8 December 2013). "Our people: Toby Curtis". Rotorua Daily Post. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  4. Curtis, Noble Thomson (1980). Independent Maori boarding schools: continue or discontinue (MA). University of Auckland. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  5. Curtis, N. T. (2005). An investigation of how Hawaiki knowledge is fundamental for Maori leadership (PhD). University of Auckland. Retrieved 5 November 2005.
  6. "Māori and Police working together". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  7. "New Year honours list 2014". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.