Dame Joan Metge | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alice Joan Metge (1930-02-21)21 February 1930 (age 95) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland London School of Economics |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Anthropology |
| Sub-discipline | |
Dame Alice Joan MetgeDBE (born 21 February 1930) is a New Zealand social anthropologist, educator, lecturer and writer.
Metge was born in theAuckland suburb ofMount Roskill on 21 February 1930, the daughter of Alice Mary Metge (née Rigg) and Cedric Leslie Metge.[1][2] She was educated atMatamata District High School andEpsom Girls' Grammar School.[1] She went on to study atAuckland University College, graduatingMaster of Arts with first-class honours in 1952,[3] and theLondon School of Economics where she earned her PhD in 1958.
As of 2004, she continued to advance peace initiatives via her work as a member of theWaitangi National Trust Board, a conference presenter, adviser, and as a mentor to mediators and conflict management practitioners. A scholar onMāori topics, she has been recognised for promoting cross-cultural awareness and has published a number of books and articles in her career. She has likened the relationship among the people of New Zealand to "a rope [of] many strands which when woven or working together create a strong nation" (as paraphrased bySilvia Cartwright).[4]
Metge was appointed aDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the1987 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to anthropology.[5] In 1990, she received theNew Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[1] She was awarded theRoyal Society of New Zealand'sTe Rangi Hiroa Medal for her research in the social sciences in 1997.[6] In 2001, the University of Auckland awarded Metge an honoraryLittD degree.[7] In 2006 she received the Asia-Pacific Mediation Forum Peace Prize inSuva, Fiji.[8] In 2017, Metge was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words", celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand.[9]
In recognition of Metge's contribution to social sciences, the Royal Society of New Zealand established the Dame Joan Metge Medal in 2006. The medal is awarded every two years to a New Zealand social scientist for excellence in teaching, research and/or other activities contributing to capacity building and beneficial relationships between research participants. Since 2017, the medal has been referred to as the Metge Medal.[10]
