Luke Tipoki

Guest writer

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.

The Kaikoura coastline at dusk. Photo: Andreas Mohaupt / Getty Images

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

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?

By Luke Tipoki | 29th November, 2016

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

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

Opinion: If New Zealand is to ever shake the special privilege rhetoric it needs to make up its mind – does it want us as Māori to lift ourselves up and compete alongside Pākehā or stick to being jolly subordinates?

By Luke Tipoki | 26th March, 2016