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More than 100 years ago, a woman of Māori descent left behind her career as a cultural guide and performer in Aotearoa and traveled to England, where she would soon achieve a milestone by registering at Oxford University.

In a tragic turn, Mākereti Papakura – thought to be the initial woman from an native community to study at the university – died just weeks before finishing her dissertation, and in the years since, her family has fought to have her degree recognised.

Last week, that acknowledgment was awarded. In front of over 100 family and tribal members who travelled to Oxford to observe the ceremony, Papakura was after her death awarded an Master of Philosophy in social anthropology for her work documenting the way of life, language and traditions of her Te Arawa people.

Papakura’s relative, June Northcroft Grant, was emotional as she accepted the diploma from the university’s head.

“It felt unreal. I had to collect myself because I was getting emotional and wished to avoid ugly crying on TV,” she remarked.

Viewing a livestream from the adjacent Natural History Museum, many of her extended family began a powerful haka as a sign of honour.

Born in Aotearoa's coastal region in 1873, Papakura grew up during a period of significant transformation for the Māori people, including the rapid decline of land, dialect and Indigenous knowledge as the grip of colonial rule intensified.

She was raised by her elders from Tūhourangi and Ngāti Wahiao, around the geothermal village of Whakarewarewa. The settlement is near the town of Rotorua, famed for its hot mud pools, simmering streams, and water spouts that gush from the Earth’s crust.

It was while serving as a tour leader near Rotorua that she gained notice during a visit by royalty in 1901, and subsequently became a model, appearing on a range of souvenir cards and in photoshoots.

Ten years after, Papakura travelled to England with a cultural performance tour group that collapsed financially, with many of the members remaining to find employment or marry locals.

She returned to Rotorua only briefly before wedding a affluent Englishman, Richard Staples-Browne. She relocated to Oxfordshire where she registered at the college and became friends with the anthropologist TK Penniman.

In tight cursive, she spent years documenting her comprehensive knowledge of genealogy, histories, speech and practices on thousands of pages of notepaper, recalling the ancient customs of the Arawa people.

Remarkably for the era, it was a detailed work about native communities, by an native woman.

But Papakura passed away in 1930, at the age of 56, just three weeks before her thesis was scheduled.

The anthropologist would later release the thesis as a volume, The Old Time Māori, which her family state is as relevant now as ever. June Grant said it has been used by the Māori attempting to reclaim their tongue and ancestral knowledge, even demonstrating valuable in land dispute cases.

“We discovered a great deal of details about our lands in the community. Every caverns and the geysers,” she explained. For almost a century, the fact she didn’t have her qualification proved something of a painful issue.

“Ninety-five years, what caused the delay?” she questioned. “We’ve been patiently and steadily telling her story.”

At a reception with the family among the exhibits at the university's anthropology museum on Saturday, the vice-chancellor, Professor Tracey, stated it was an honour to finally recognise Papakura’s impact as a academic.

“I could not think of a individual – worldwide, in history – more worthy of that recognition,” she commented. “At a time when so few females attended the university, very few women did degrees.”

The delegation of Te Arawa spent nearly a seven days in the United Kingdom, participating in a series of events, shows and additional activities.

Anthony Wihapi, who was among the delegation, described a feeling of “amazement”. “It’s existed for nine centuries and I’m told this is one of the first times they’ve awarded a posthumous degree. It is remarkable for our [family] to be proud of.”

A segment of the group's tour included gifting a two-metre sculpture, or pou, elaborately carved into a piece of native timber.

Papakura and her performance group carried the pou to England in 1911, during their first visit.

“They used the whakairo as a backdrop behind them and they would perform in front of it,” noted Rika, a carver who is also a relation of Papakura.

It remained in the United Kingdom, changing several owners and uses – such as as a craft table – before falling into a condition of disrepair, he explained. Last week, after meticulous restoration by Rika, Te Arawa presented the pou again to the British people at the London office of the cultural organization, where it will be exhibited.

“It was the reuniting of the carving, or a people, and revitalising Maggie Papakura’s [work] to share our culture to the world,” he said.