This paper explores the relationship between Indigenous language revitalisation and tertiary education in Te Ika ā Maui (the North Island of New Zealand) and Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island of New Zealand). It discusses the relative developments, motivations and strengths of two tertiary educational institutions, Te Tumu, School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago in Dunedin, and Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa in Ōtaki.