Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal is a composer, researcher and advisor.  He is passionate about the ‘creative potential’ of indigenous knowledge and communities. Charles is the leader of ‘whare tapere’ - tribal community ‘houses’ of storytelling, music, dance, games, puppetry and other entertainments. Charles completed doctoral studies on this topic in 1998 and since that time has been creating modern versions of this pre-European form. Charles has written/edited six books on traditional Māori knowledge and tribal histories and traditions. Previously he was a Director at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, Director of Graduate Studies and Research at Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa, Ōtaki, and Professor of Indigenous Development and Director, Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, University of Auckland. Charles’s tribal affiliations are Marutūahu, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngā Puhi.