Professor Rawinia Higgins (Ngāi Tūhoe) is the Māori language commissioner at Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori and deputy vice-chancellor (Māori) of Victoria University of Wellington. She was named Wellingtonian of the Year for education in 2018 and is a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to Māori language, education, and governance. In 2024, Rawinia was also recognised with the Women in Governance Award in the Māori governance category.