Former Maori Party politician Te Ururoa Flavell was welcomed to Waikato University as their new professorial.
His part-time role is Professorial Teaching Fellow.
He will be tutoring students in his relevant areas of expertise politics and Maori business.
As the Maori Party co-leader arrived to give his speech, supporters broke out in a haka.
Mr Flavell was ousted from Parliament in last year's election after Labour candidate Tamati Coffey won the Waiariki seat.
Te Ururoa is a former student of Waikato University where he also completed his thesis for his post-graduate degree.
First time candidate Tamati Coffey has won the electorate of Waiariki for Labour, beating out Te Ururoa Flavell.
"My role is as a liaison officer and so I help build relationships between people of all backgrounds," Mr Flavell told TVNZ1's Te Karere.
"So that's my skill set in a nutshell, and I hope that I can be effective in a consultancy role when it comes to governance issues within companies, businesses and groups moving forward into the future."
"He has skills that can help non-Māori departments here on campus with engaging with Māori culture," says Associate Professor Tom Roa.
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