Luke TipokiLuke Tipoki

Luke is a father, son and husband of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa and Ngati Hine Hika descent. He is also a business owner in South Wairarapa, with an academic background in business studies, history, politics and international relations.

You say Kai-kura, I say Kaikōura – why your inability to pronounce Māori place names pisses me off

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We all agree about Māoritanga’s vital place at the heart of New Zealand culture, so why, asks Luke Tipoki, are we so relaxed about letting incorrect Māori pronunciation slide? Kai Kora, Kai Kura, even Kia Kora (as I heard one person say on the six o’clock news the other night). Following the devastating earthquakes last week we’ve … Read more

‘Māori special privilege’ is code for ‘We like it better when you’re just the joker on the guitar’

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Opinion: If we are ever to properly grow up as a nation, New Zealanders must make up their minds – do they want us as Māori to lift ourselves up and compete alongside Pākehā or stick to being jolly subordinates? Just when you think we might have gotten over it, it returns to the surface, … Read more