Indigenous Excellence is an episode of The Indigenous Revolt that centers the voice of Dr. Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Porou, Māori), one of the most influential Indigenous scholars and educators of our time. With her permission, this episode features her keynote from the 2025 World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) in Auckland, Aotearoa. WIPCE brought together 3,800 registered delegates, primarily Indigenous, from more than 25 countries, and became the largest academic conference in Aotearoa’s history. Dr. Smith has shaped Indigenous education and Indigenous research forgenerations, and her teachings refuse the myth that research is neutral. Her words remind listeners that knowledge is intergenerational, that stories and teachings carry responsibility, and that institutions do not get to define whatis ethical for Indigenous communities.

Music used with permission from Te Waiora Waikato.

Recorded on November 17, 2025.