Authors

Dr Charles Te Ahukaramū Royal is a New Zealand Māori musician, academic and Māori-music revivalistwhose research interest lies with the ‘creative potential’ of mātauranga Māori/indigenous knowledge. Of particular interest is the use of mātauranga Māori in music, the whare tapere (performing arts) and the whare wānanga (indigenous centres of higher learning).

Dr Royal is of Ngāti Raukawa, Marutuahu and Ngā Puhi descent. He has been Director of Graduate Studies and Research at Te Wānanga o-Raukawa, Ōtaki and Professor of Indigenous Development at University of Auckland and concurrently Director of Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, an indigenous centre of research excellence hosted by the University of Auckland. During his tenure at the University of Auckland, Dr Royal was also an invited Visiting Scholar at the University of London. Dr Royal is a former Fulbright Scholar and Winston Churchill Fellow. In 2013, he was appointed to the National Science Challenge Panel chaired by the Prime Minister's Chief science Adviser Sir Peter Gluckman and is currently Director Nga Manu Atarau (Communities, Repatriation and Sector Development) at Te Papa National Museum, Wellington.