Professor Edwina Pio

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About

Invested with the King’s New Zealand Honours in 2023, with an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM), (for service to ethnic communities), Te Rangi Hiroa Royal Society medal, and Duke of Edinburgh Fellowship, Fulbright alumna, Emeritus Professor Edwina Pio is New Zealand’s first Professor of Diversity.

I was an elected Councillor and University Director of Diversity at the Auckland University of Technology, where I worked for over two decades. I am an eternal creative, equipped with knowledge and expertise on governance systems and structures, community involvement, consensus decision-making, knowledge of te ao Maori, and a deep awareness of New Zealand’s diverse communities. A woman of peace and prayer, a scholar of colour, and a passionately engaged educator with networks in Oceania, South Asia, Europe, the UK and the USA, I bring grace, gratitude, courage and thoughtfulness to my interactions to a range of stakeholders. I am an Associate Professorial Fellow at Oxford University UK. I have authored/edited more than eight books, 50 journal articles and book chapters on intersectional diversity, ageing, Diasporic ethnic minorities, faith, management and Indigeneity.

I have been published extensively on Indigenous issues, e.g. Oxford Encyclopaedia of Gender and Sexuality in Education. My books include Sari: Indian Women at Work in New Zealand (2008); Longing & Belonging (2010); Work & Worship (2014); Reimagining Faith & Management (2022); Aotearoa and Bharat Māori-Indian (2023); and Religious-Spirituality Diversity in Organisations (2024). At the most recent Government Performance Based Research Funding (PBRF), I was ranked world-class (A). I am a budding campanologist and a lover of art.

I chair Ethics Committees for the University of Auckland and the Ministry of Health, New Zealand.

Professional Expertise

I am available for strategic advising, crafting policy, implementing programs, teaching, research, editing, thesis examination and speaking engagements in the diversity, inclusion, ethnicity - refugee- immigration, ageing, religion-spirituality, pedagogy and management domains. In bearing witness to difference and walking the margins, I wake up to the wonder of each day with an awareness of infinite possibility. I provide wider legitimacy for diversity, creating pivot points and safe passage to walk through awkward diversity terrain. With dignity and respect, I unsettle disciplinary boundaries, to rupture glass, concrete, and bamboo ceilings, providing inspiration, and contributing to the national discourse on social cohesion in a pluri-ethnic, pluri-religious, volatile world. My appointment as Professor Emeritus of Diversity is testament to my distinguished commitment, research, writing and engagement in diversity and inclusion. With my emotional and intellectual skills, and a grateful heart, I serve as a responsible kaitaiaki and ancestor for current and future generations in our woven universe.

  • Education / Training / Teaching / Research

    In-person and online teaching in a range of areas such as The Leaders Mind, Women in leadership, Change Management, Global Diasporas, Intersectional Ageing, Maori-Indian, Intersectionality in organisations. Research oversight, needs analysis and design of research protocols

  • Mentoring/Supervision

    Online and in-person growth sessions for dealing with challenging situations, Supervision of Masters and Doctoral candidates, Thesis examination, Ghost writing speeches for senior executives

  • Facilitation

    Facilitator par excellence with diplomacy, assertiveness and compassion to engage with diverse audiences and age groups.

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If you're interested in collaboration, please provide your details and I will respond promptly. I look forward to engaging with you!

Publications and Media