Professor Paora Tapsell is Chair of Māori Studies and a former Dean of Te Tumu, the School of Maori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies, at the University of Otago.
Paul's Māori ancestry originates out of the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions. His research interests include Māori youth identity in 21st century New Zealand, role of cultural heritage and museums in nation states, taonga trajectories in and beyond tribal contexts. Paora continues to build on his past museum experiences at Rotorua Museum (curator), Pitt Rivers Museum (doctoral research), post-doctoral studies (CCR/ANU) and Auckland War Memorial Museum (Director Māori).
He is a former Co-Chair of Museums Aotearoa and sat on Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust. Today he serves on the Otago Museum Trust Board, Pukaki Trust, Sir Hugh Kawharu Foundation, Te Potiki National Trust and as an Eisenhower Fellow (NZ).
Paora’s most notable exhibitions are The New Dawn (1991), The Legacy of Houmaitawhiti (1993–97), Ko Tawa – Maori Ancestors of New Zealand (2005–08) and Te Ara – Māori pathways of leadership (2010–14).