Martin Te Punga

Martin Te Punga (Te Ātiawa) was the University's first known Māori PhD graduate, obtaining his PhD in Geology in 1943, and our first Māori lecturer, working closely with Professor Cotton. In 1954 he received a Nuffield Foundation Fellowship for advanced studies at London University, and received the NZ Association of Scientists Research Medal in 1957. Considered to be the first Māori geologist, he was a prolific and influential researcher throughout his entire life.