Mathematics education is highly regarded as a research field within our region, especially when compared to other fields within the broader education discipline. The field has been relatively cohesive, well organised and internationally influential in a universally strong field. Mathematics education research has developed and evolved in challenging times-- when other fields have become fragmented and lost vision--have we more to offer? This keynote paper considers the challenges we face as a field of research as we navigate our theoretical underpinnings and pedagogical practices, within both the mathematical sciences and broader education disciplines.