Tina Ngata

Guest writer

Tina Ngata (Ngāti Porou) is a mother of two from the East Coast. Her work involves advocacy for environmental, Indigenous and human rights. This includes local, national and international initiatives that highlight the role of settler colonialism in issues such as climate change and waste pollution, and promote Indigenous conservation as best practice for a globally sustainable future

We’re asking the wrong questions about treaty settlements

We’re asking the wrong questions about treaty settlements

When the Crown is the self-appointed ultimate authority over a process to deal with Crown misconduct, we run into big issues.

By Tina Ngata | 18th April, 2024

Peeni Henare, Kiritapu Allan, Willie Jackson and Nanaia Mahuta (Image: Tina Tiller)

New Zealand isn’t ready for a Māori prime minister

It could barely handle a Pākehā woman in the role.

By Tina Ngata | 23rd January, 2023

(Image: The Spinoff)

Planning for delta at a community level

Planning for delta in the community, at a hapū and whānau level, is hard but necessary.

By Tina Ngata | 25th October, 2021

TUIA 250 Cook landing encounter waka sailing Hokulea Pope Catholic Vatican British royals monarchy discovery

The right to conquer and claim: Captain Cook and the Doctrine Of Discovery

On the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook arriving in Aotearoa, Tina Ngata looks at the 15th and 16th century laws that gave British and European monarchies permission to oppress and enslave indigenous people.

By Tina Ngata | 3rd October, 2019

Survivors testified to the inquiry about the ongoing impact of suffering they endured in care as children Image: Getty

Uplifting children is not a Māori problem. It’s a colonisation problem

Last week the Ministry for Children's practises around uplifting children and putting them in state care were exposed. It's no coincidence Māori are disproportionately targetted, writes Tina Ngata.

By Tina Ngata | 19th June, 2019

Jason Momoa performs haka at the world premiere of Aquaman at the TCL Chinese theatre in Hollywood. Image: Getty

Once were gardeners, lovers, poets… and warriors

With actor Jason Momoa putting his interpretation of haka on the world stage during the press tour for Aquaman, Tina Ngata revisits some of the misunderstandings about Māori as a 'warrior race'.

By Tina Ngata | 19th December, 2018

Waka at Tainui settlement celebration, Tūrangawaewae, Waikato, 22 August 2008. Image: Phillip Capper

Wai Māori: a Māori perspective on the freshwater debate

In this excerpt from the new book Mountains to Sea: Solving New Zealand's Freshwater Crisis, Tina Ngata talks about the whakapapa of life-giving freshwater.

By Tina Ngata | 6th November, 2018